Disclaimer: Lucasfilm, Bioware, Disney, et al. and whoever they sell the rights to next own Star Wars and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I write this for fun and not for any monetary gain.

Warning: Bastila gets punished in this chapter. While consensual, it is a painful experience. Honestly, I just had this little idea of Bastila secretly enjoying calling Revan "Master," and somehow the BDSM part ends up deeply entangled with their understanding of the Force itself and becomes a fundamental part of the moral framework, as you'll see in the next chapter. They weren't supposed to go all in on it with punishments and everything, especially this early, but here we are…

Chapter 3: Pleasure and Pain

Returning to the largest bedroom onboard the Ebon Hawk, Revan found Bastila sitting up on the bed. Her strength returned somewhat as the ship rapidly moved away from the destruction on Taris, but her mind remained troubled. "So much death, just because of the insanity of one man…" she muttered, dejectedly.

"I promise you, Bastila, I will do my best to eliminate Malak," he declared, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I know… and I will be with you every step on the way. But how many more will die before we succeed?" she added sadly, then steadied herself. "I suppose there is little we can do right now. I just want to forget, at least for the night, so I wouldn't feel so bad… Master." She pulled him into a hug—a gesture he returned.

After a few minutes of silence, he removed himself from the embrace. "Let's make sure the room offers us sufficient privacy… I'll head out, and you try to make louder and louder noises, Bastila. I'll open the door when I can hear you on the outside."

To their surprise, they found that Bastila had to scream before it could be heard outside over the constant noise produced by the engines and hyperdrive. "I suppose Davik really liked his sleep," she concluded when she realized how quiet it was inside their room with the door closed. She found herself excited by the prospect of some privacy and added suggestively, "Do you wish to claim your prize properly, Master?" She ran her hands suggestively over the improvised collar she had put on while he was outside.

Her lover smiled appreciatively. "Why not? Might as well claim the Ebon Hawk as ours properly too," he noted.

"I like the way you think, Master," she smiled back. "But… wouldn't it technically be yours exclusively, given that I am all yours?" She tugged at her collar for emphasis.

"I suppose so," he decided. "Since you are so nice and obedient, why don't you remove your clothes so I can appreciate my prize properly?"

"Yes, Master," she replied meekly and did as ordered, though she took her time, giving him a lovely show. Once she was done, he ordered her to remove his clothing as well and she complied gladly, making the process as pleasurable as possible. Soon, they embraced each other and fell onto the bed together.

"It's been so long, Bastila. My love for you has never wavered, in all these years." He kissed her and continued, "Seems like my dreams have come true."

"I could say the same thing, Master. I am so happy we are together again," she said happily, kissing him back.

"Anything special you have in mind for tonight?" Revan asked.

"Just the normal vanilla stuff," his girlfriend answered. "I just want to forget all the deaths. I don't think I feel well enough for the more intense options, Master."

"Might as well ease into it, since we haven't really played for almost a decade," he agreed. He ran his hands over her body, eliciting a pleasant shiver in response. But he paused.

"It feels so strange… touching you with these hands that have slain so many…" he noted sadly. "It feels like… defiling you."

"It was war, Master, and you did what you had to do to save the people," Bastila countered. "Besides, my hands too have slain… I killed Brejik, those Beks, and Gadon Thek this very day. And those soldiers on your flagship. At least hundreds of thousands more, if you count what my battle meditation has done. If your hands are dirty, then so are mine."

"I know…" he agreed, "but our feelings are rarely rational."

She silenced him with a kiss. "I crave your touch, Master. Stop thinking and enjoy your prize…"

"You are right," he agreed, his hands resuming their previous actions.

Bastila reciprocated in kind. Her hands wandered as she checked out his entire body for changes… mostly scars from the wars. There weren't many. She frowned, remembering where he had been injured on the flagship when Malak had fired upon it, and found a perfect match with almost every scar he had. Was he unscathed all those years? She remained silent, however. Was she supposed to be unthankful for that?

Her confusion did not go unnoticed by her perceptive partner. "Are you wondering why I have less scars than expected?" he asked. She nodded, unwilling to voice the thought. "That… I think, was a gift—or a curse—from the Dark Side," he explained. "I am not so vain as to go out of my way to have the scars removed. But you know how I prefer to drain the life of my enemies through the Force for a quick and painless death? Well… it has the side effect of healing my body. Most of my scars have faded in time through that. In fact I was basically scar-free, until…" he suddenly cut himself off.

But his sub knew what he was going to say. "Until Malak betrayed you and I took you to the Jedi," she voiced her suspicion. "So it was my fault that you have these scars…"

"It was also my fault for not anticipating Malak's betrayal…" he insisted. "In time, these scars too shall fade… for better or for worse."

"How could it be a curse?" she wondered.

"One day, Bastila, you shall see," he answered mysteriously. "But let's not think about that… As you said, we are here to enjoy ourselves for one night…"

"Yes, Master," the submissive girl agreed and began kissing him anew.

An hour or so later, they laid on the bed, cuddling, both of them satisfied. It seemed like they didn't forget how to pleasure each other, having perfected that art a decade ago. It was just as well since they had no desire to go back to the awkwardness of their first few times together, as sweet as that had been.

"Master, I am so… happy. I haven't experienced such pleasure for almost a decade. It's so nice being able to bask in my emotions again, something the Jedi tried forever to deny us. And in your absence, they mostly succeeded… I sometimes wonder what it would be like if we had left together…" Bastila said wistfully. "But forget what might have been. I have you here and I won't let you go, ever, my Master."

Revan smiled and pulled her closer. "In my years away, I was allowed to feel. While doing the right thing, championing a righteous cause made me feel proud and purposeful, there was always an aching hole in my heart. A hole that is now filled, thanks to you. No one shall be in the way of our relationship now, Bastila—not the Mandalorians, not the Jedi Council, not Malak."

They pulled each other into a deep kiss. Finally, they broke apart for air. They were staring at each other when he suddenly stiffened.

"I felt it too," she answered his unspoken question. "I can't believe that girl Mission… Couldn't she 'practice' her security skills elsewhere?" She shifted a little. "Oh well, she won't be trying it again anytime soon."

"Did you do something to her, Bastila?" he asked suspiciously, sensing a sudden burst of pain through the Force.

"Well, she was a bit clumsy and banged her head on the door while trying to slice it," she explained. "I may have helped." With anyone else, she would have denied any involvement, but this was the man she chose to submit to and she would never lie to him or keep secrets from him.

"Perhaps you should be nicer to her. She did just see the planet she grew up on destroyed…" he suggested. She nodded.

After a few more minutes of silent cuddling, Bastila suddenly said, "Master, I think you should punish me."

Her dom quirked an eyebrow. "What did you do, my dear Bastila, to deserve punishment?"

The sub looked rather ashamed when she elaborated, "When I crashed on Taris, I was too exhausted to use the Force from using my battle meditation to aid our escape. And I couldn't find…" she paused and then added quietly, "my lightsaber. That's how the Vulkars got me. I looked everywhere and I couldn't find it. And I couldn't summon it to my hand without the Force. I deserve some punishment for this, Master. And then there is my role in the Jedi's attempt to wipe your memories… I definitely deserve punishment for that too."

"I agree, you really need to be punished." Revan understood well that punishment allowed Bastila to move past the guilt and shame of her mistakes. Naturally, this was done with her consent and full understanding of what she needed to do better. She would never be punished arbitrarily. Furthermore, her punishments were always reasonable. Safe, sane, and consensual were the core principles of their power exchange play, and this applied to punishments as well.

He stopped for a moment to remember all the times he punished her on Dantooine. She had been punished when she failed a test, took too long to learn a technique, and of course, when she failed to follow his orders. Naturally, he made sure the punishments always fit her "crimes." Afterwards, she stopped feeling bad about her failure, knowing she had suffered for it, and became more determined to succeed. But first, for safety reasons, he asked, "Bastila, do you still remember our safeword?"

She nodded, clearly remembering the word that would instantly terminate any play or punishment, to be used when she no longer felt able to continue. The special word was chosen so that they could engage in play in which she pretended to beg for mercy with regular words in Galactic Basic while enjoying the helplessness of being ignored, yet still retaining the ability to stop the scene for safety reasons. Naturally, knowledge of the word was crucial, and Revan would never entertain the thought of playing with her or punishing her if he doubted for a second that she knew it.

In fact, he was unsatisfied with the simple gesture of nodding. "Say it out loud," he ordered.

"RuBisCO."

He nodded in satisfaction. They had chosen the word years ago, liking it because it was short, yet since it was a contraction, it did not deprive her of the ability to express the normal sense of the word—she could simply say ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase instead. She'd enjoy it too because of her masochistic tendencies, but it was not a term she used much.

Bastila was relieved that she could finally move past her failure, but not knowing what he had in store for her, she asked with trepidation, "What is to be my punishment, Master?"

He pondered for a moment, before ordering her, "Hand over your lightsaber and lie face down on the bed." She quickly did as he asked and he continued, "I would have given you twenty lashes for this, but since you misplaced your lightsaber, it is only appropriate that your punishment would involve a lightsaber."

The submissive shuddered, wondering if her Master would scar her with the lightsaber, or even worse, remove a limb or something, like he had with Malak's jaw. She quickly dismissed such ridiculous thoughts. Revan loved her; he would never permanently harm her as a punishment. Her belief was quickly confirmed when he turned her lightsaber on and the yellow blade appeared somewhat muted. "And so, you shall receive twenty strikes of a training saber," her Master decreed.

Before she had a chance to react, Bastila heard the whooshing sound of a lightsaber and felt searing pain on her ass. She let out a cry of pain. She thought, This is way worse than his hand, or the times we tried a wh— Her thoughts were interrupted by another strike. She let out another cry. It really hurt—as it should, for even the training mode of a lightsaber caused tremendous pain. There was only so much power reduction possible before it ceased being a lightsaber.

"Have you forgotten all about punishments in my absence?" Revan asked, his voice full of disappointment. "Remember lashes only counted when you counted them. That was originally your idea, too."

Bastila cringed. "I am sorry, Master!" He replied by striking her again and she quickly cried out, "One!" She knew very well that she would be reprimanded if she were to count from three and earn an extra strike. And she had nothing to complain about, because that had been her idea too. "Since when do numbers start at three?" she recalled from the book she had read as a teen. She now regretted, ever so slightly, that she had suggested copying those rules all those years ago.

When she called out "ten," Bastila decided to stop holding back her emotions, remembering that she had already renounced the Jedi and their Code. It felt as if a dam had broken and the emotions started pouring out. The searing pain of the lightsaber came into full focus and she allowed the tears to flow. It felt refreshing after so many years of Jedi stoicism. Instead of resisting, she fully embraced her punishment, focusing on how much she deserved all of it—for getting herself captured, for causing her Master to be hurt—and letting the pain wash away her guilt. At that moment, she truly understood the liberating power of her emotions.

She belatedly realized that she could not handle the pain gracefully as she barely managed to say "fifteen." She was sobbing harder than she had done since she was a child, since the Jedi had forced her to put up a brave face all the time. Seeing her reaction, her Master paused.

"Are you okay, my dear?" he asked, concerned. Rightfully so, for as the dominant partner, he was ultimately responsible for her safety. If he suspected that there was a chance she was not okay, he must make sure she was or stop, safeword or no safeword.

"Yes, Master," Bastila answered, managing to whisper her words. "I need this. Don't stop… Have safeword…"

"Very well," he agreed and resumed her punishment, stopping after five more strikes.

"Twenty," she let out in a choked whisper. Her punishment was over. "Thank you, Master," she added. Through the Force, she could feel that she was a complete mess covered in tears.

Revan smiled and told her, "You are forgiven, Bastila. Just make sure you don't misplace your lightsaber again. Or bring a wounded Sith to the Jedi…" He then laid down next to her and pulled her into a comforting embrace, whispering sweet words of love in her ears, while giving her the occasional kiss. After around half an hour, the pain slowly faded and she felt much better. Her sense of failure and guilt was completely gone.

"Why did you suddenly start crying halfway through your punishment?" he asked as he held her.

"I endured the first ten strikes with the passionless serenity of a Jedi, emptying my mind. Then I realized that I should put that part of my life behind me and embrace my emotions. And I started crying…" she confessed. "I suppose I wasn't as strong as I thought."

"You did the right thing, my slave," he reassured her. "And I don't think you are weak. It takes courage to show your true feelings to others, to show your own vulnerability. It's still the same amount of pain after all; you are just choosing whether or not to show a reaction. Not crying only gives an illusion of strength, which is what the Jedi wanted, I guess." To himself, he muttered, "I suppose I have to update my expectations." Pulling her closer, he continued, "I would never want to actually hurt you, Bastila. We must take care to not injure you and make you unable to defend yourself from what we might face in the near future. We shouldn't try to push our limits or anything, not when we are at our most vulnerable."

"I understand, Master," the submissive replied, pleased by how much he cared about her.

They relaxed in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes, until Bastila had a request.

"Master, I want to be utterly yours. Would you put a proper slave collar around my neck? I want a constant reminder of your power over me, of my place as your most prized possession. Please?" she pleaded.

"It's not your place to declare yourself as my most prized possession," her Master corrected. "But you are right, you are my most prized possession. A collar has to be earned… and you have earned it a long time ago. I would have given you one before the wars if it weren't for the Jedi. I shall arrange to have one made for you. You are far too precious to be running around free," he teased.

Bastila kissed him in response. After he used the Force to heal her, they soon fell asleep in each other's arms, with smiles on their faces.

It was next morning on the way to breakfast when the couple saw Mission, who seemed to have acquired a bruise on her head. Bastila easily healed it with the Force and quipped, "Please try to be less clumsy when picking locks in the future."

The teen looked embarrassed and mumbled, "I have no idea what you are talking about," before running away.

After satisfying their hunger, they decided to discuss their next moves in their bedroom.

"So, Bastila, what is the Jedi Council's plan regarding me?" the Sith Lord asked as they sat next to each other on the bed.

"They assigned you to my ship in hopes that your proximity will bring me visions," his apprentice replied. "You see, when I saved your life on your flagship, it strengthened the Force bond we shared. They hoped that after wiping your mind, some of your memories may show up as dreams and I could use those memories to find where the unending Sith fleet came from."

Revan shook with anger. "So that's why they tried to wipe my mind. I expected they would sprout something about 'giving me a second chance at life,' or something like that. That's terrible and I would rather die than be forced to serve them, but at least it would have made sense given their ideology. I didn't expect it to be a desperate attempt to extract information from an unsuspecting victim, completely ignoring their ideals when convenient. Frankly, I am beyond disgusted." Calming himself so he didn't snap at Bastila, he asked, "What else did they tell you?"

"They told me that if you showed signs of Force sensitivity, then you should be brought to Dantooine to be retrained as a Jedi so you can use it 'properly.'"

"I guess that's what you will tell them then? I can't say I am looking forward to the training though. No doubt I will have to suffer through the annoying lectures again… When I was younger, I just thought it was important and sat through it, eager to prove that I was worthy of being a Jedi… but now I understand that they really are just brainwashing children into forsaking their humanity and follow the Council without question," he spoke dejectedly as he sat with leaned forward with his face in his hands.

Bastila tried to cheer him up. "You know, it's not too late to drop out of hyperspace and go somewhere else, although I have no idea where…"

"Well, I think we might as well go to Dantooine… If we are to defeat Malak, we need to go to the Star Forge."

"The Star Forge?" she asked, confused as to what it was and what it had to do with Dantooine.

"It's the artifact that the Jedi Council is trying to find, the secret behind the Sith fleet… It's a giant space station, powered directly from a star, that builds a basically infinite number of ships… among other things. Without it, my empire would have fallen long ago to the full industrial might of the Core Worlds. In fact, the whole empire would have been bled dry by the demands of the war… To find it, we need to find the Star Maps, and there is one on Dantooine."

"But you must have found it before," she observed. "Why do you need the Star Maps?"

Revan slowly let his head drop into his hands. "Well, I only know the approximate location, not the waypoints in hyperspace to get there safely! Typically, such coordinates are stored in computers, not brains."

"Don't you know the star system?" his girlfriend asked again, still confused.

He groaned in frustration. "I know the system well enough. Unfortunately, it is in the Unknown Regions. That entire chunk of the galaxy is uncharted as far as everyone is concerned, except for the Sith leadership. I made sure of that." He pulled at his hair. With an increased volume, he continued, "So if we want to go that route, we can't just steal a Sith ship, we have to steal a flagship!"

Bastila sat silently as she waited for him to calm down.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Needless to say, once we find it again, I shall memorize the coordinates of every single hyperspace waypoint, however long that takes. Still, not all hope is lost. I know exactly where the Star Maps are and I remember a lot of the information. I know that the last charted location on the route is Ilum, so I just need the last segment of hyperspace waypoints beyond that point. Most likely, I can piece it together with just two or three Star Maps." He sighed before continuing, "At least I only added protection to the Star Maps, not destroyed them like Malak wanted to do, or we would be completely screwed."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Bastila felt an urge to laugh. It wasn't every day someone lost the location of a priceless artifact. Still, she tried very hard to not make the man she loved feel worse than he already did. Instead, she put an arm around him in a gesture of comfort and asked, "Where are the Star Maps?"

"There is one in the ruins outside the Jedi Enclave in Dantooine. There is another in a cave on Tatooine, guarded by a krayt dragon. There is yet another map on the surface of Kashyyyk. Then there is one on the ocean floor on Manaan. The last one is in the tomb of Naga Sadow on Korriban. I would rather not go to the last two if possible."

"I can see why you wouldn't. We could still head to Tatooine or Kashyyyk though, if you want," she noted.

"If we go to Dantooine and convince the Jedi that their plan is working, then we'd at least avoid being hunted by them. And otherwise it will be very difficult to access the Dantooine map." Revan thought for a moment. "Given the Jedi's interest in the Star Forge, if I can give you a vision of the ruins on Dantooine, they will probably send us to find the other maps as soon as possible," he proposed. "So at least they won't hold us for long."

"That could work," replied Bastila after a moment of thought. "Although I am worried that we'd mess up and give it all away. What if they found out we were lying to them?"

"Try to not overthink it," the Sith Master suggested. "Remember, the Jedi don't know what would actually happen after their attempted mindwipe. The mind is rather complex. If they had that level of control, they would have already forced me to reveal what I knew about the Star Forge, and my usefulness would have ended. So I must conclude that right now, they only have hopes and speculations, which is why they wanted you to watch for visions. As long as we make something reasonable happen, they will think things are going as planned. It's not in their nature to suspect they've failed until ironclad evidence is staring at them in the face, after all, and even then it'll take them a while to admit it," he added snarkily. "As for lying, we aren't lying when we say we want to find the Star Forge and stop Malak."

"Let's hope it works," concluded Bastila.

A/N: Bastila's safe word is naturally an inversion of the xkcd comic #1039.

Ilum is located in the Unknown Regions, just like the Star Forge. Since it was the source of the Jedi's lightsaber crystals, the location would be well-known and accessible to Revan as long as he had access to the Jedi's resources. It's not actually mentioned in the game, but I figured if the hyperspace route did go through Ilum, it was something Revan would remember and save him a ton of time. Yes, this means they won't try for the Manaan or Korriban maps (unless something goes terribly wrong…), but fret not, for those two have significant strategic value and the subsequent conquest of the galaxy would feature those worlds.