Chapter 10

(Leviathan)

Darth Malak turned as he sensed someone behind him, turning he found Admiral Karath waiting to report something. He already had an idea what he would say, but he turned fully around and faced the man.

"Report Admiral," he commanded coldly and smirked as the other man seemed to shiver at his tone.

"Yes my Lord," Karath responded with a nod. "Our reconnaissance team has returned from Kashyyk, the entire planet is in revolt Lord Malak," he reported, knowing this wasn't going to be received well. "The Wookiees are rebelling and slaughtering every Czerka employee they can find. The questioning of captured Wookiees revealed the rebellion was begun by a Wookiee Chieftain called Freyyr whose outlawed son seemed to be one of Revan's companions," he continued.

"Revan started the rebellion?" Malak stated, knowing how much his former friend hated slavers.

"It would seem so my Lord, he and his group helped free the first village and from there inspired the Wookiees to take back their planet," Karath agreed. "Our ambush team was found butchered close to the Shadowlands entrance, they all died from wounds caused by a lightsaber," he reported. "Clearly Revan is not as mind wiped as the Jedi believe or if he is, he still has much of his old skills within him," he hesitantly stated.

"It has to be Revan, why else would he start a rebellion against Czerka?" Malak shot back with a growl, convinced the Jedi had failed to wipe his former friend's mind.

But then he couldn't help but think that if that was true then why was Revan taking so long to come for him to avenge himself? Why go to the planets where the Star Maps were located? Why lead the Jedi to the Star Maps in the first place? What was really going on with his former friend? Was it possible the Jedi had succeeded except for some small piece of Revan's core? His hatred of slavers was well known to anyone who really knew him. It was ingrained within the man. During the war they had freed thousands of slaves and not just from Mandalorians either. Those loyal to Revan felt as he did and eagerly helped. Most of those slaves had joined them in their crusade becoming fanatically loyal to Revan.

It was those who he had tried to wipe out when he made his move against Revan, perhaps that kind of ingrained hatred couldn't be removed, not even by the combined powers of the Jedi council. Perhaps also the knowledge of the Star Maps and the Star Forge remained buried in Revan's mind, hidden by whatever had done to him, yet somehow still accessible. Yes that felt right to him, perhaps Revan as he had been was really dead. All that remained was this pale shadow with only the deepest parts of what made Revan who he was and somehow the Jedi were using this shadow to find the star maps that would lead them to the Forge and that couldn't be allowed.

"What about Nord?" Malak finally asked not caring how long he had kept the Admiral waiting.

He didn't expect Nord to be still alive, but it was always possible his plan to kill Revan had succeeded. Giving Nord the blade of Ajunta Pall had been a risky gambit, angering the ancient Sith spirits by taking their belongings from the tomb without permission was a dangerous gambit, but one he had believed was worth the risk. He had planned to use it in a duel with Revan or to just assassinate him when he least expected it, but then the Jedi ambushed them and he had been given an even better chance of killing Revan without too much risk to himself. Perhaps Nord had managed to wound Revan with the blade. It wasn't like his former friend would have expected such a threat from a mere bounty hunter.

"Our team found him and two Wookiees dead at the bottom of the lift leading to the Shadowlands. He had been killed by someone snapping his neck most likely from a powerful force user as there are no finger prints on the man's necks," Karath answered. "The blade you gave him was missing and couldn't be retrieved," he pointed out, making Malak frown as he felt a surge of anger at losing such a useful and powerful artifact. "Even if the Jedi managed to erase Revan's mind, his skills must be intact and a bounty hunter would have little chance against him," the Admiral stated.

"Agreed, but it was worth a try before I commit someone more valuable to the case," Malak agreed as he turned away and looked out into the darkness of space from the view port. "Send my apprentice to me," he ordered.

"Yes my Lord," Karath responded with a salute before moving to carry out his order. Darth Bandon was not someone Karath like or respected, he considered him a sadist and a butcher with no redeeming qualities, but he dared not speak out against the man especially as Malak had chosen him as his apprentice.

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

The Ebon Hawk touched down in the star port, the ramp descended and Revan quickly marched out along with Canderous and Zayne. The others waited inside the hangar just in case Czerka did know about what had happened to their colleagues on Kashyyk. The ship's engines died as Carth shut them down as he locked down the ship. They were taking no chances on this world. They would stick together and watch each other's backs. He kept his hands near his lightsabers. Canderous, he noted, had his cannon held ready to swing towards the approaching Czerka guards and Zayne, while looking relaxed, was tense and ready to leap into action. He smirked as that boded well for the future, he needed a team who were ready for a fight in an instant and these people who had somehow joined him were just those kinds of people with a range of skills to call on.

A group of Czerka guards stopped them close to the ramp of their ship. They gave off no signs of being wary or intended them any harm that Revan could see. But he still didn't relax, reaching out with his senses he felt a swift pulse of the dark side before it faded into the background. Another ambush team, but this one seemed far more careful and less arrogant than the one on Kashyyk. Clearly Malak still had some competent followers, thinking about followers made him wonder where the Triumvirate stood where Malak and he were concerned. He had pushed them aside since the betrayal and focused solely on Malak. That was a mistake he knew could cost him, especially if they allied with Malak. The Triumvirate was made up of Kreia one of his former Jedi Masters now under the name Darth Traya the Lord of Betrayal. There was also Darth Nihilus the so called Lord of Hunger, he had been one of the Jedi most affected by Malachor V and it had created in him a hunger for life energy to sustain him. He was in Revan's mind a dangerous adversary and an even more dangerous ally, but he trusted that Kreia could keep him under control as long as she kept the last of the three on her side. The last member of the Triumvirate was a man known as Darth Sion the Lord of Pain. Another survivor of the battle of Malachor V, and another walking force wound like Nihilus, but unlike Nihilus he didn't crave life energy, all he cared about was hatred and destruction. Both of these walking dead should have died on Malachor, but somehow their powers had allowed them to survive, even if dangerously altered. Kreia was someone he trusted and she had been loyal to the cause before he was betrayed by Malak. But was it possible she had fallen under the same sway as Malak? He knew Sion and Nihilus were both consumed by the darkness. 'Could she survive prolonged contact with such darkness without being changed?' he wondered. And if she had fallen did that mean she would help Malak? The Triumvirate had the other half of his former fleet which had been split between them. That was another thousand or more men, combined it was almost a million soldiers and ships. Considering this he prayed some of his loyal followers had escaped the purge he was certain Malak would have enacted. He would need all the help he could get to put Malak down and anyone who followed him.

Thinking about Malachor made him think about Meetra Surik his old friend and former lover, she too had been deeply affected by the events of Malachor v. He regretted asking her to be the one to command the activation of the Mass Shadow Generator. Hadn't he done so maybe she would still be with him to offer him wise council and maybe more. Perhaps he would not be in this situation had she still been with him when they had found the true Sith Empire deep past the outer rim. He wondered how she fared, the last time they were together she had told him she might return to the Jedi and try and make them see how much of a mistake they had made during the war. He knew they hadn't listened, and he prayed they hadn't harmed her because if they had he would hunt every last Master down and wipe them from the galaxy. No matter how things had changed, no matter the link he now shared with Bastila or his romantic interest in her he still felt love for Meetra as well.

Inside the Ebon Hawk Bastila was aware of a sudden surge of first anger, then loss and finally love, but she couldn't find the source of these emotions within Revan. He had closed the bond between them or at least as much as he could close it, she wondered what he had been thinking about to feel such strong emotions. Especially love, she hadn't known anything about any romantic entanglements in Revan's life, not that he would have made such a thing known as he was still a Jedi up to the point he vanished into the outer rim. She felt an irrational surge of jealously suddenly overtake her and then frowned, wondering why she suddenly felt such an emotion. The answer was something she didn't want to face right at that moment, it was a dangerous thing to think about, let alone she might admit she actually has fallen for Revan. But that had to be a foolish notion, she had only been in Revan's company for a few months, and even then he had been hiding behind the personality the council had believed they had installed in him. She couldn't have possibly fallen for him could she? It was a troubling thought which only added to the confusion she now felt since Revan had revealed himself to have survived. More and more she felt distanced from her Jedi teaching, since finding out what they had attempted to do to him a sense of disgust had been growing steadily.

She had followed his council on Kashyyk and helped start a revolution. She had begun to think as he did about so many subjects concerning the wider galaxy. And then there was her growing feeling of closeness to him, the way she took comfort in his possessive feelings towards her. Was she falling in love with Revan? Half of her dreaded to find out and the other half couldn't wait to learn the answer. She shook her head and tried to refocus her thoughts, especially if the Czerka guards knew about what they had done on Kashyyk.

+TR+

(Leviathan)

The doors to the bridge opened to let in a tall bald man with a goatee styled beard, his eyes looked like the darkest pits of hell and made anyone, bar Malak, who looked him in the eye tremble in fear. Stepping inside the bridge he noted a young ensign walking in front of him, with a snarl he snapped his hand out and used the force to send the man flying into a nearby bridge console. The man let out a scream of agony as he was electrocuted as the console exploded from the force of his body's impact. It lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to drop him to the floor in a limp ball. Bandon smiled in malicious satisfaction as he walked past the injured man, he loved causing suffering to anyone he chose to and by doing so causing all who saw him to fear him. He strode up to his Master before kneeling. He waited for Malak to turn, not the least annoyed at being made to wait. His ego at being made Malak's apprentice over so many other candidates made him uncaring of such a thing. If he was careful and patient he would be the next Dark Lord of the Sith. And that day was coming he thought, one day he would challenge his Master for the title. But for now he stayed the loyal servant, awaiting his lords bidding.

Finally Malak turned to face his kneeling apprentice, he could tell by the look on the other man's face that he hoped to one day take his place just as he had thought the same when Revan still ruled. But he had no desire to be replaced; he would remove Bandon as a threat when the time came before he could enact any plan to kill him.

"Ah Bandon good," he said as he placed his hands behind his back. "I have an important mission for you, one to prove I made the right choice in choosing you as my apprentice," he stated with an almost mocking tone. "My former friend and Master Revan still lives in one form or another, with him is the Padawan Bastila Shan who I wish to have join us," he explained, knowing Bandon had no love for Revan even before he had betrayed him. Indeed Bandon had hated Revan ever since the battle of Cerea, where his friends Narim and Shiz had perished due to a bad call on Revan's part.

That was when the darkness had entered Bandon and begun his fall to the darkside even before they took on the guise of the Sith, that had only finished the transformation as it had for him and so many others that Revan had never known about. "She has the skill of battle meditation that has helped the Republic keep us at bay. I want her on our side to use that power to crush that which she once defended just like us," he commanded. "I want her unspoiled and unharmed as I wish to be the one to break her," he said and made his voice as cold and hard as he could to ensure Bandon understood he was serious. "I owe her for not only holding up our advance, but for saving Revan's life," he admitted.

"I understand Master," Bandon responded with a bow, even as he felt raw hatred at hearing Revan still lived. He had believed the man who had gotten his friends killed with bad calls had finally met his much welcomed death. He suddenly smirked as he realized he would finally be able to pay Revan back personally.

"Revan and Bastila are traveling with a small group of people, kill them all except the girl I want," Malak ordered coldly. "Take a group of our best assassins with you, even you cannot take Revan's group alone. Do not fail me," he stated with a glare before he turned away from Bandon.

"Yes Master," Bandon responded, hiding a glare of his own as he took insult at what Malak had just said. Still he would do as he was told, he had no idea what sort of followers were with Revan and nor did he care, but the more of them were there, the harder his mission was and the harder it would be for him to cut Revan down as he deserved.

He stood and walked away, passing the man he had used the force to injure and in a short bout of rage used the force to finish him off by cutting off his oxygen and letting him choke to death as he tried desperately to breathe before dying with an agonized look on his face. He smiled, feeling instantly better as he exited the bridge. He passed two medics who were clearly on the way to see to the injured man not knowing it was already too late. Malak turned and watched him go, knowing he had angered Bandon with his taunt, good it would hopefully ensure he would go all out when he found Revan.

"Admiral Karath, how goes our plans to assault Dantooine?" Malak shouted, causing the other man to jump slightly.

"They were going well my lord, but our latest intelligence from our spies suggests Dantooine's defenses have just been added too," Karath reported, knowing Malak was not going to like this. "A secondary planetary fleet has arrived in orbit around the planet, making an attack much more costly and will take more time to plan for," he continued. "It is also possible more ground based defenses have been added as well, but so far we can't confirm that."

"They've been warned," Malak growled in anger and most of the men on the bridge trembled as they all felt the temperature drop. It was never a good sign when Malak was this angry. "Revan," he spat as his anger increased.

"But how my Lord?" Karath inquired hesitantly.

"Clearly one of our people talked," Malak answered as he finally regained control of himself. "He kept one alive to question, he warned the Jedi so they must be working together," he muttered almost to himself.

"Tell our people that if anyone else talks they will face my wrath if they survive their encounters with Revan and his group," Malak stated coldly. "Revise our plans to take into account these new defenses Admiral, but make it quick," he ordered before he turned and stalked off the bridge, wishing he had someone to kill.

Unlike his apprentice he had more control over himself and refrained from killing Karath or any of his underlings. He had learned from Revan that killing your own people, unless they deserved it, was counterproductive and could cost him the loyalty of his followers and he needed them to win this war. Once he ruled the empire he intended to build then he could kill them at will if he so pleased, but not until then.

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

Revan kept his eyes on the guards as they came to a stop in front of them, his mind cleared as he reached out with the force as he tried to sense any danger to him and the others, but he could find none. That didn't put him at ease and finally one of the guards stepped forward.

"Welcome to Tatoonie," the guard stated in a bored tone, suggesting he hated his job and wished he was somewhere else. "The docking fee is 150 credits," he told them.

Revan frowned before reaching into his belt pouch and removing the stated number of credits and handing them over. Zayne relaxed somewhat at the exchange, but Canderous remained on guard just in case.

"Watch your step here as the Hutt's and Czerka itself take a dim view on trouble makers," the guard warned them before he turned and left.

Revan scowled unimpressed by the threat. He gave Bastila the okay to come down through the bond and a moment later the rest of the crew disembarked with Carth being the last one down and then he closed and sealed the hatch.

"We need to keep an eye out while we are here. The Hutt's and their servants are not to be underestimated," Revan cautioned them all. "If they take a liking to any of you they will go to any lengths to capture you and sell you to the highest bidder unless the Hutt's want you for themselves," he continued. "They especially like to find new dancing girls, so do not go anywhere alone while we are here," he stated as seriously as he could.

Bastila shivered a little at the idea of being made to dance for the amusement of the Hutt's. She could see Mission and Jarael were not too pleased by the notion either. Juhani looked revolted by the notion, in fact the closer Bastila looked at her fellow Jedi the more she could see raw hatred at the very idea. She frowned at that fact, but inwardly she was pleased by the fact that she wasn't the only Jedi who had trouble handling their emotions.

"Zayne, where did you meet my mother?" Bastila inquired, deciding it was best they get this meeting over with as quickly as possible.

"The local cantina," Zayne answered. "Your mother seems to have carved out her own little bit of the place," he added.

Bastila frowned at his answer. "Was she alone?" she inquired.

"From what we could see yes," Zayne responded with a nod of his head and a brief exchange of looks with Jarael. "I didn't see anyone who looked like she was with her," he told her.

Bastila frowned some more at this, wondering where her father was if her mother was here on her own. Revan quickly felt Bastila's confusion and the source of it. He suddenly had a bad feeling this reunion wasn't going to a happy one.

"We head to the cantina then," Bastila said before she turned and headed for the entrance to Anchorhead with the others following her.

As they left the landing pad they just missed another ship coming in to land. It was unique and unlike most small ships the guards had seen. It had only one mark on its outer skin. It was the mark only those who had been in the war would have recognized. It was the mark of the Revanchists, thus the guards took little notice of the three men who disembarked and quickly paid the fee before entering Anchorhead as well.