Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 1 – Frozen

3634 BBY

The stolen shuttle was quiet save from the soft hum of hyperspace and common machinery whirring. Revan sat in the pilot's chair, carefully setting course to a planet familiar to him. The problem? The small imperial transporter wasn't equipped with a detailed nav-index of available planets. Dromund Kaas was a no go, as well as any other planet within the Dromund-Sector. 

His only options were either Balmorra, Corellia, or Nathema. Why Nathema of all planets was listed was unknown to Revan. It felt out of place and was not an option any way. Revan leaned back, arms folded on his lap. He closed his eyes and reached out with the force. Force, how he had missed the taste of freedom. 300 years suspended in stasis and open to the emperor's mind were not great.

But before he could continue his thought process, the shuttle began to shake violently. Revan's hands immediately snapped toward the controls and grasped them tightly.

What is going on?

The rumbling worsened with each second. Revan flipped a few switches and pressed some buttons to try and stabilize the ship as best as possible.

But it didn't help.

The ship was forcefully yanked out of hyperspace.

Revan fell forward against the main console. The cockpit was painted in a deep red and alarms began to rang.

Not good.

Then, the ship went dark.

Not good.

Why was he pulled out of hyperspace? Revan looked outside of the cockpit, spotting a small dot in the distance. It was probably a moon or a planet. Revan opened the nav-index and entered the planet's coordinates.

No entry.

Doesn't matter.

There was no other ship or vessel nearby, it should have been impossible. Was it the will of the force? Or was he dreaming? Or was a powerful defense mechanism the reason for his predicament? Soon, the ship sprung back to life, allowing Revan to regain some sense of control. The prodigal knight re-set the course for a jump but the hyperdrive denied it.

He couldn't believe that the hyperdrive got damaged. Was he now stuck in the middle of space?

Stay calm, Revan. You'll find a way, like you always do.

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Revan carefully navigated the shuttle toward the small dot he saw in the distance. It was indeed a planet, though one he was unfamiliar with. Regardless, he closed in on the planet. The planet was small, colored in white and a light blue.

But the danger wasn't over yet

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Revan fell almost out of his seat when the ship rumbled a second time.

"What now?", he hissed under his breath while running a diagnostic on the ship. The ship was damaged on its rear, smoke emmiting from the spot that was just hit with an explosive. The radar on the console beeped frantically. Three moving objects were incoming! Revan grasped the controls, yanking the ship to his left. One of the three objects missed him barely but the other two hit the ship's thrusters. Revan's head hit the right wall, causing him to bleed on his temple. Revan groaned in pain and in effort not to fall over.

"You have entered imperial territory without proper clearance."

A robotic voice spoke from the speakers. Revan rushed toward the main console and pressed a button to answer whoever was speaking to him on the other side of the channel. 

"I am flying an imperial shuttle. My ID-Signature is-", Revan paused, looking for the unique serial number, "-9437B337! Cease fire!", he shouted, a hint of panic seeping into his tone.

Silence.

"Your vessel lacks the proper clearance. Prepare for immediate elimination."

"NO!"

Revan gave his best to dodge the missles. Then, he saw the source of the attack. A single drone hovered close to the planet. It was barely visible due to its size, even smaller than Revan's stolen shuttle. The planet was his only option if he wanted to survive. The missles chased Revan, slowly but surely closing in. The shields were already offline and the broken thrusters made it hard to maintain speed. Then, Revan successfully entered the atmosphere, a sense of triumph washing over him. But his success was short-lived. The last missile hit the ship hard. Revan stumbled, unable to keep his balances. The alarms returned, now louder than before.

The planet was in a deep state of winter: Snow up to the knees, cold weather, frozen lakes.

Revan's ship crashed into a forest. It scraped along the ground, whipping some trees to the side until it came to a stop.

Silence.

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The ship was smoking as it lay motionlessly in the snow. Until the opening hatch was smashed open.

With a lot of coughs and difficulties, Revan exited the ship and fell into the soft snow. He could feel the unconsciousness creeping up inside of his mind, but he knew that he couldn't stop now – he just escaped, and he won’t be captured easily again.

Revan’s breath was ragged as he dragged himself out of the snow. He pushed himself up until he was set in a kneeling position.

He took a deep breath and pulled his right leg closer to himself while pushing his upper body up with his hands. Once he came to a stand, he swayed slightly as he tried to regain his balance in this harsh environment. Being in stasis and tortured for three centuries was enough pain, but the crash added some wounds to his count.

His wounds stung like the fires of Mustafar and the snowy forest provided little shelter from the bitter cold.

Before he took another step forward, he placed his hand on the crashed ship which is currently to his right. Revan closed his eyes, concentrating on the force – on life itself. He extended his mind further and further to find something, anything that could be useful to him. Not long after, Revan found something. Something visualized with a golden light in his mind, but before he could investigate what this light may be, he was once again reminded of his wounds.

With a hiss, Revan snapped out of his meditation-like state and clutched his head with his free hand.

“Damnit.”, he cursed under his breath. With his gloved fingers, he gently stroke over his right temple. He investigated the blood that was now on his left index and middle finger – it annoyed him greatly for some reason. Revan let out a deep sigh of frustration and shook the blood off his fingers with a simple motion.

For a moment, Revan just stood there, weighing his options, but he knew that he couldn't stay in the same area for too long. If this planet is inhabited, the residents – or at least its government – will know about the crash. Whether this planet was imperial or not, he must keep moving.

After cursing under his breath a finally time, Revan closed his eyes once more. He concentrated on both keeping his wounds from becoming even worse and on his body temperature. As a Jedi, he learned how to control his body heat and regulate it to his liking. This ability didn't show its profit often, but it came in handy in dire situations like this one.

Even when he tries his best to focus, the pain of his wounds is, seriously, distracting.

After a final deep breath, Revan opened his eyes and began to stomp through the thick snow. Each step hurt more than the previous, but he wouldn't stop. Whatever happened.

Much to his luck, Revan had no time to linger and catch his breath. He must find shelter until his concentration went down the drain completely.

So, Revan kept moving through the snow while reaching out with the Force to find any signs of life. He dragged his body through the snow as best as he could - at least the snow was soft and easy to paas, unlike on Hoth or Illum. Revan kept his focus on the force sharp and ready. There must be something out here. Wild life, locals, shelter, anything.

The cold wind rustled through the trees and whipped Revan’s cape around like crazy. With a stern and focused expression, he kept going. In hopes that his escape wasn't short-lived.

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The prodigal knight had no idea how long he had already walked, but he came to a sudden stop when he heard another set – no – multiple sets of footsteps approaching him.

Is it a local? A Sith? A Jedi? Someone else? His mind raced with possibilities, and he immediately tried to figure out ways to confront the situation. His hand wandered cautiously to his side where his Jedi lightsaber hung. Revan gently brushed over the metal with his fingers, waiting for the person, or creature, to reveal itself.

Revan’s eyes narrowed with anticipation and a hint of nervousness. Despite his current condition, he remained confident in his ability to defeat whoever crossed his path.

The footsteps grew louder and louder, until…

He could recognize a young woman dressed in thick winter clothing walk through the snow carefully. Behind the woman trailed a big creature with white fur and standing on four legs. Even in this state the creature, which seemed to be a mix of a bear and a dog, was taller than the woman. The person looked from left to right, still not noticing Revan yet, until the creature behind her stopped and began to growl directly at Revan.

The woman came to a stop and turned her head over her shoulder to look at her companion.

“Naga?”, the woman called out to the growlimg creature, which seemed to be named that way. “What’s wrong?” She asked with both surprise and worry lacing her voice.

This time the white-furred animal barked at Revan, showing its teeth to him, as if trying to intimidate him. The woman tilted her head to the side in confusion for a moment before turning to whatever her companion was barking and growling at.

Revan observed the woman noticing his presence, which made her freeze on the spot for a moment. His eyes narrowed further in response, yet he did not say a word. The wind blew his shoulder-long dark hair around as it did his cape. His stance was tall and confident, not showing any signs of injury or fatigue.

For Revan, time stopped momentarily as he studied the woman carefully. Her thick clothing told him that she possibly knew her way around the harsh environment of this planet. Maybe she even lived here. The weapons she carried around also tell him that she’s prepared to face any possible danger. He spot a blaster pistol, an axe, and… something else hanging on her hip. Possibly a dagger, which could also be a vibroblade at the same time – he couldn't tell from this distance. The white-furred animal behind her carried a saddle on its back as well as a bag on its left side. Revan figured, that this animal was used for transportation, or similar.

The way this woman froze in place when she saw Revan, also told him that she couldn’t have sensed him, due to him hiding his presence as best as he could – or that she simply did not possess the ability to do so. Though, probably everyone would have reacted that way if they saw a stranger in the middle of a snowy forest.

After a moment of silence between the two of them, the woman spoke up. Her voice was both curious and cautious.

“Hello?”

Revan stiffened slightly as the woman spoke to him, though he tried not to show it. She seemed rather innocent on the outside, but who knows who she really was?

His dark eyes dart up to meet her green ones. Revan took a moment to analyze her face. Green eyes, a slim nose, and freckles across both of her cheeks. He couldn't make up the shape and color of her hair, due to it being hidden under her hood. She looked young, at least compared to Revan. Perhaps that was why she was being careful around him, not realizing he was also in a very weakened state.

“Hello.”

Revan answered. For now, his voice remained low and non-threatening, but he did not sound inviting either. Revan observed for any signs of aggression, but up until now, only her pet seemed to be agitated. Maybe it could feel his power in the force. It’s well-known that animals have a deep connection with both nature and the force.

“Who are you?”, the young woman followed up with another question. This was a very good question indeed. What should he tell her? That he was a Jedi who escaped the Sith after being their prisoner for over 300 years? Yeah, that would be both stupid and unbelievable. Still, he allowed himself a moment to consider his answer.

“I am…”, he began, stretching his words a bit to give himself enough time to think. “Just a wanderer. Passing through, nothing more.” Revan hoped that his answer was good enough for the woman to stop bothering him, even though her suspicions were justified.

“Passing through?” She repeated. A clear hint of suspicion crossed her face as she took in his answer. She clearly did not believe him.

“Passing through imperial hunting territory?” She asked. At her answer, Revan’s ears perk up. What did she just say? Imperial hunting territory? What did that even mean? Regardless, this confirmed his suspicion that he had crashed on an imperial planet – great.

“Excuse me, Miss.” Revan cleared his throat before speaking further. “I’m afraid that I do not know what an imperial hunting territory is.” He tried his best to not give her even more reasons to be suspicious of him. But this sail has probably already set.

The woman sighed softly. She signaled her pet to quiet down with a hand sign, which it immediately obeyed. The creature stopped growling and barking for the time being. Then, she focused her attention back to Revan, looking him up and down for a moment.

“Imperial hunting territory means, that this area is under the empire’s watch and is being monitored at all times.” She began explaining to him. “Only authorized people are meant to enter and walk through here.”

“Why is that?” Revan asked her directly as his curiosity got the better of him.

In response, the woman raised an eyebrow at him. “I could tell that you are not a local, nevertheless, you should always know where you go and what rules there are.”

“Yes, yes.”, Revan answered. He couldn't quite hide his impatience. “Could you just be so kind as to tell me why only authorized people are meant to enter this area?”

“Well…”, the woman began again. “Let’s just say that it’s dangerous around here, especially when you don’t know your way around.”

“And you believe that?” Revan followed up with another question. He couldn't believe that the empire would sign off an area to the public because it was too dangerous. There must be something more to it. “That the empire we’re speaking of would just shut down an entire area because it’s… too dangerous?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” She replied, her tone drier than the sand on Tatooine. “Why do you care?”

Revan sighed and shook his head afterward. He loved debates, especially when he could prove someone wrong. But this was neither the time or place to challenge a stranger on a foreign world. “Don’t mind me. Just curious.”

“Even if you didn’t mean to enter this area on purpose…” Her hand traveled down to where her axe was located. She brought it up to her face, studying the flat side of the blade, where the metal reflected her face. And then she flipped it over to the other side. “You never know who or what you’re going to encounter.”

Revan couldn't tell if the woman was confident or bold - the difference was dangerous. Should anyone be cocky toward a stranger in the woods?

Revan would find out soon enough.

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 2 – Adrenaline

When Revan saw the woman take out her axe to investigate it, his face darkened, and his expression grew even more serious. Maybe he underestimated her. Maybe she is dangerous. Instinctively, Revan’s grip around his lightsaber tightened. Still, no real emotion betrayed his face.

The young woman glanced down at Revan’s lightsaber, having noticed the slight movement. She paused for a moment, just staring. Then, she lowered her axe back down to her side, while still holding it in her right hand.

“Say. Are you really just passing through with that thing?”, with her free hand she gestured to his lightsaber. “Is it yours, or did you steal it?”

“It is mine.”, Revan answered, showing clear signs of pride and annoyance for questioning his belongings. “And I do not believe anything about this is your business. Not that I know of at least.”

“I know it isn’t my business.”, the woman didn't even try to deny his statement. “It’s just that, some people on here, on Seruk nine, will make it their business.”

Seruk nine. This must be the name of this planet, he figured.

“Your point?”, he talked back with a flat tone. Revan saw no reason to tell her anything about him, which she was probably aware of too. While still looking at her face with the same serious expression, he kept eyeing her axe, somewhat curious to know what she’s planning to do with it.

“My point is- “, before she could answer his question, Revan interrupts her.

“You know.”, Revan removed his lightsaber from his belt and flips it once, his thumb brushing over the activation button. “It would be better if you would just go along your way.”

“Are you a Jedi?”, the woman suddenly asked, her voice showing no signs of mockery or similar. Her question was genuine.

Revan tilted his head slightly to the side, still playing with the activation button of his lightsaber. He could have asked her why she was asking this question. Except for his lightsaber, nothing could have given away that he was a Jedi. But he decided to answer her nonetheless.

“Maybe.”, his answer was flat as ever. “I know some of their ways.”

“Some of their ways…”, the woman repeated softly. She remained silent for a moment before looking back up to him. “Then this shouldn’t be a problem.”

With a sudden motion, the woman raised the axe over her head, swings it back forward, and lets it go. This motion resulted in the axe spinning in circles as it traveled towards Revan’s head with great speed.

Revan remained motionless as the axe traveled towards his face. With a subtle motion of his head to the side, he evaded the weapon easily. After a few seconds of silence, Revan could feel his anger rising. Who does she think she is to attack him like this and in such a stupid way? With a scowl, he switched his lightsaber on and spun it once in his hand.

“Grave mistake.”, he stated as his expression darkened even more. “You should have left when you had the chance.” The light of the green blade reflected in the snow, illuminating his surroundings ever so slightly. He may have acted differently in such situations if it weren't for the pain he was feeling and how bad his day was going. Usually, Revan stayed calm and collected, but this was the last straw.

Naga, the creature behind the woman, switched into a more offensive stance and growled at Revan. It wanted to protect its owner as it moved in front of the woman.

“Naga, wait!”, the woman called out to her pet, trying to calm it down. “Stay calm girl.”

The woman put her hands up to her chest to calm the creature down. When her efforts were in vain, she turned her attention back to Revan.

“I, I know how this looks, really.”, she began. “Really, it’s just- sorry.”, she stammered as the words flew out of her mouth. “Let me just explain myself.” She kept her voice as calm and non-threatening as she can. "This was necessary. For mine and your safety."

What was she trying to do now? Another trick? Or was she really switching up after she saw Revan's lightsaber and recognized the possible power he held? Revan’s facial expression sunk into deeper irritation. He clicked his tongue, looking off to the side for a moment.

“Do you seriously believe you will get a chance to explain yourself after you attacked me?”, Revan cocked his head to his right as he tightened the grip around his weapon even more.

“Yes, I mean no. I get it.”, she raised both of her index fingers as she bit down on her tongue to stay calm.  “Can you just give me a moment – a second – and allow me explain myself?”

“No.” Revan’s tone was as cold as ice as he raised his blade to point it at her. “I gave you a chance to leave, which you didn’t take.” He took a step closer to her, which only made the animal shielding the woman growl even louder. He has never seen such a creature before, so he must be careful. What if it has poisonous fangs? Poisonous claws? Corrosive saliva? His over-analytic mind was going crazy at the possibilities.

“Yes, I know, throwing an axe at you does not make me look good in any way, but- “, the woman paused mid-sentence when she saw Revan suddenly charge at her. Her eyes went wide, and she took a swift step back. “Wait, wait!”, the young woman stammered nervously.

The woman’s pet barked at Revan when it saw him approaching fast. Immediately, it charged right back at Revan, trying to challenge him and protect its owner from the incoming threat.

Without any hesitation, Revan reached out into the force and used it to jump over the racing animal with no problem at all. He landed right in front of the woman in a crouching position. His cape lowered back to the ground after his little action, and he made himself tall once more. Revan closed the distance between him and the woman as he towered over her.

The woman opened her mouth, trying to defend herself before the man attacked – or even worse:  killed her. But no words came out. When Revan approached her, she stepped back.

"Wait, please! This looks bad, I am aware. But you have to understand- you know nothing of this world like I do. You don't understand the dangers and rules!"

"It would be unwise to underestimate me or my knowledge, girl.", Revan replied, still advancing with confident strides. "But because of my current predicament, you do not get the privilege to walk off and reveal my presence to the authorities or the empire- not anymore."

"You don't know me!", the woman called out. "You can't know if I'd ever do that!"

"Precisely."

When the woman tried to grab the blaster on her hip, Revan reached out into the force once more. He stretched out his left hand and manifests the force into a simple push forward. This simple demonstration of his powers was enough to throw the woman off balance. She fell backwards into the deep snow, the blaster dropping from her hand.

Revan noticed the panicked expression on her face and the subtle sweat on her forehead. Those characteristics show that she was indeed nervous, but he remained unmoving in his actions. He won’t show her mercy now. He has learned the lessons from his past. The last time he trusted someone, this someone betrayed him, which caused his life to turn upside down.

For a moment, his thoughts traveled back to the time he was on Dromund Kaas, back to Lord Scourge. Scourge, that bastard of a Sith who switched sides right before they faced the emperor. Maybe he never switched sides at all. Maybe this really was Scourge’s plan all along. To give Revan and his then companion, Meetra Surik, a false sense of security, to lure them straight into a trap.

After a short moment, his thoughts traveled back to the woman who was lying right under him, at his mercy. However, the insight into his deepest memories gave him a sense of – well – clarity. This woman could very well be intertwined with the empire or even the Sith. Since this is an imperial planet, trusting anyone would be simply foolish. He will not make the same mistake twice. To keep her down, he placed the tip of his lightsaber under the woman’s chin, which forced her to tilt her head back.

“Please.”, the woman spoke up softly, trying to keep her tone leveled, even though Revan could almost smell, even feel her nervousness in the force. However, nervousness didn't equal fear. This is important to Revan because even though this person is in a vulnerable state, he couldn't feel even the slightest hint of fear in her being. Why is that? Wasn't she aware of the situation she was in right now? Why was she not scared?

“Please, just hear me out.” Revan did not know why, but her begging made his blood almost boil over.

“Be still.”, Revan barked at her. His voice was tainted with both contempt and anger. The green blade inched even closer to her throat and Revan didn't back down on his decision to kill her. He is ready to take her life – even if she might not have any ties with the empire. It’s just too risky to let her live. She could run off to the authorities and reveal his presence on Seruk Nine.

“You should have left.”, Revan's jaw clenched tightly as he raised his blade to deliver the final blow.

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But right before Revan’s lightsaber connected with the woman’s throat, another bark echoed behind Revan. The woman’s companion was still ready to protect her, much to his surprise. It charged at Revan once again. It's steps in the snow were loud and heavy, coming closer and closer. But Revan did not even care to look back. He stopped in his motion to strike the woman and stretched his left hand back to the giant animal. This time, Revan used the Force to grab the creature and lifted it off the ground.

“Naga!”, the woman called out in both shock and fear when she saw her companion dangling in the air. When she attempted to get back up from the ground, Revan simply pressed his boot down against her chest to keep her in place.

“No- “, the woman struggled to get up. Her only goal was to ensure the safety of her pet.

But with a simple motion of his hand, Revan sent the dog-like creature flying over his and the woman’s head to hit it against a tree. The animal winced in pain at the sudden collision and fell back into the snow, now motionless.

With clear fear now visible on the woman’s face, she tilted her head back further to check on her companion. “Naga, no!”

“Now, you…”, Revan tried to redirect her attention back to him. His lightsaber hummed as he brought it back into a swinging motion, to try – once again – to finish her off.

With a gasp and wide eyes, the woman raised her hands in a last attempt to defend herself. But to Revan’s surprise, something even happened. Something he had never expected because he couldn’t sense it at all. A sudden burst of force energy escaped the woman’s hands and hit Reven directly against his chest.

With no time to react, Revan was sent back flying, away from the woman and back into the cold snow. He grunted when he felt one of his wounds open even more, and his concentration slipping further. Revan grimaced in pain and he clenched his teeth, but he was ready to get back up. What was that just now? Did she just use the Force on him? How? How could he not have sensed her sensitivity in the force before? Was she already trained to hide her presence? Is she undercover and a Sith indeed? Or was he simply too weakened to have sensed her? No. This couldn't be possible, not to him.

Once he got back up to his feet – with a lot of effort to say the least – he stared at her. There is a new sense of interest and curiosity shown on his face. He saw how she stood up as well. And then when their eyes locked once more…

He finally felt her presence fully. It all made sense now. She did hide herself from being discovered, hence why he couldn’t feel her when they first met. Only the sounds of her footsteps made Revan aware of her.

The mysterious woman gave him one final apologetic look before she ran over to her pet, calling out its name. Revan’s breath quickened at the sight of her running away. He observed how the creature got back to its feet with another quick bark. Shortly after, the animal's owner climbed up to its saddle. Once the woman is set on the saddle, she gave her companion a swift gesture to go. Yes, go. The creature immediately ran off to carry its owner to safety.

As soon as Revan saw her trying to escape him and this situation, he took a single step forward, trying to reach out to her with the Force.

“No! Wait!”, he yelled. But before he pulled her back to him, something stopped him. Something deep within his mind told Revan not to do it. And there it was again: The golden light he saw when he reached out with the Force to find signs of life after his crash.

He was frozen in place for a hot second before lowering his hand back down to his side. What is even going on now? As soon as he set foot on this planet, weird stuff happened. Especially this golden light he saw. What was up with that? And what connection did it have to the woman?

He shook his head for a moment and sheathed his lightsaber to put it back on his belt. Curious. Curious indeed.

With another hiss, Revan clutched his left side and fell to one knee into the snow. The adrenaline must have worn off when he felt his pain return once again.

“Damnit.”, he cursed and hit the tree next to him with his fist as his frustration overcame him. A sudden flurry of snow landed on his head from the impact of his punch on the tree trunk. Revan brushed his hands aggressively through his dark hair, the white particles slipping through his fingers.

“That’s just perfect…”, he grumbled, his annoyance building up even further.

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Revan remained still for a moment, processing the sudden shift in his current situation now that the woman and her pet had fled. He was alone here in the forests of an unfamiliar planet, far away from his ship, which was broken anyway. The snow picked up even more, making it harder to see than before. His best option would be to find shelter before nightfall and figure out a plan on how to proceed further. But the problem is that he had no idea where to find such a shelter. Not to mention finding someone to treat his wounds. Maybe he shouldn't have scared off the mysterious woman. She was the only one close by who had the knowledge on how to survive this mess of a planet. He scared her off. His only opportunity for safety. 

Revan pinched the bridge of his nose with his gloved fingers. What was wrong with him? This wasn't the celebrated war hero and tactician that commanded armies in battles. No. This was an emotional wreck of a person. Yes, he was imprisoned for three centuries and fought off the emperor in a battle of minds. But this was no reason to act so carelessly. It was a reason to be more careful - and exploit every option for his interest.

Revan could feel his condition worsening with each second before another sudden sound caught his attention. A buzzing sound of electricity to be exact. With an annoyed look, he turned his head back over his shoulder to spot whatever was buzzing. A sudden sense of realization washed over Revan's face when he finally understood what that mysterious woman was planning, even if her execution was a bit bizarre.

Revan stood up, with more effort than it should have taken under normal circumstances, to walk in the direction of the buzzing noise. He crouched down and examined the target the woman’s axe hit.

“A probe droid…”, Revan muttered with a calm expression. He grabbed the handle of the axe and pulled it out of the broken droid. He studied it for a moment before sighing. This droid belonged to the empire. It’s commonly used to explore dangerous areas or to spy on enemies. Regardless, it is a danger to him. If this droid returned to the empire with his face printed in its memory core, the empire would be sure of his presence here on Seruk Nine.

Revan was not sure if he should feel relieved, annoyed, or regretful. He almost killed a woman because of a misunderstanding. She tried to destroy the droid, whether to protect him or herself from being discovered. Nevertheless, he had every right to attack her. She did throw an axe at him without telling him what her plan was. However, she couldn’t just tell him that there was a probe droid behind him. Once these annoying things had even the slightest suspicion of being detected, they’re gone faster than loth cats fleeing from their predators. Still, how could she have expected him to dodge her axe at the last second? No. How could he not have sensed her intentions? How could he have not noticed the probe droid behind him? Was he really that prideful? Or was he just so unfocused and distracted by his wounds that he simply didn’t notice?

Acting out on his anger, he slammed the axe back into the droid. He was angry at himself for not being as careful as he meant to be. He is angry at himself for almost killing a seemingly innocent person. And most importantly, he is angry at himself for not learning from his mistakes.

He was easy to judge her on one hand. But on the other, he did not want to take any chances and trust someone he had no ties with. He may never admit it, but maybe, just maybe, he was scared. Scared to end up back in the emperor’s hands. But this was no excuse. He should never act so unfocused and impulsive – not him. He was never like that, not even as a Sith. His ways and decisions may have been orthodox for some, but he always acted with a plan and further purpose. Every act was calculated and planned thoroughly.

With a sigh, Revan closed his eyes. Maybe the stasis and torture damaged his mind more than he originally thought. Regardless of that, it’s not an excuse for his actions. Usually, he would try and reach out to the person he treated wrongfully, but he had, first of all, no time for that, and second of all, no clue where she went anyway.

After making sure the droid had no chance to bring any information back to the empire and that its memory core was properly dysfunctional, Revan got back up. He was reminded once again of how bad his condition is – he did not even want to know the exact extent of his wounds before he found a way to treat them himself or to receive treatment from someone else.

As the snow and wind picked up even more, Revan turned back to the direction the woman had run off to with her pet. If she is a local, she has a home. And wherever that home is, there must be a town, village, or something similar. Civilization. A place to recover.

A sense of hope washed over Revan as he began to follow the large footprints the dog had left behind. He just hoped that wherever that civilization may be, it’s not far from his current position. He had no idea how long he’ll be able to endure the pain of his wounds and the cold. And the fact that the snowfall was picking up and slowly covering the animal's footprints, was not making things any better for him.

But he keeps going.

He won’t stop.

He couldn't stop.

Even if it’s just him and the cold snowy forest.

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.

.

Revan’s breath misted in front of him, as he kept walking. Just as before, he had no idea how long he was walking. It must have been a long time since the sun had already set and the moon was up high. The snowstorm didn’t let up during his walk through the snow, and it had covered the animal’s footprints completely. He had no idea where he was walking to, but he just hoped that he’d eventually cross something that indicated life and safety. Occasionally he passed something what appear to be markers. Almost two meter high red flags sticked out of the ground. Maybe they indicated that he is on the right track to civilization?

Revan’s body shivered as he kept walking. He was not able to keep up his focus on the Force to keep his body warm and his wounds from getting worse at the same time. His eyes felt heavy, and his fingers are numb. Right before his body gave in to his exhaustion, he came to a sudden stop. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see whatever it is that he sensed up ahead.

The only thing he heard was the wind howling in the night and his cape whipping around like crazy.

After another moment, he could finally make up the shape of whatever was approaching him. It seemed to be a humanoid-like creature. The creature was tall and wide, or at least that’s what Revan could make up from the silhouette approaching him.

What made his eyes widen and his heart sink was the sudden red light that illuminated the person’s surroundings.

A lightsaber.

And now it hit him. The dark presence. The red glow.

A Sith.

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 3 – Iron Will

A Sith.

Revan stood frozen in place for a moment. The fact that they had already drawn their weapon to challenge him, shows Revan that this person already knew who Revan was.

Not good.

Not good.

Why must all bad things happen at once? Why now? Why now when he felt like he’s about to pass out any second now?

Why now?

Revan straightened his back when he saw the Sith approach him further and further. He did not want to appear weak in front of his enemy, but the Sith could most likely feel his fatigue through the force. It’s even harder to mask his pain without his mask. Revan cursed in his mind for having abandoned the crash site before checking for his belongings. But what other choice did he have? Stay and waste too much time and ultimately be discovered by someone he cannot defeat or evade?

When the Sith still did not stop walking, this is where Revan finally drew his own lightsaber. The green blade was a heavy contrast to the Sith’s red one. He stood tall and proud, trying to appear confident and strong. Eventually, the Sith came to a stop, only a few meters separating the two. The wind kept howling and the snow hit them both harshly. The Sith’s cloak flattered almost the same way as Revan’s cape. And after another moment of silence, since Revan won’t be the first one to speak up, the Sith raised his voice.

“I’m surprised I was able to find you this easily.”, the Sith’s voice was deep, rough, and filled with malice. He moved his gloved hands to the edge of his hood and carefully lifted it to throw it behind his head.

“Revan.”

When Sith called out his name after he revealed himself, Revan felt a shiver run down his spine. He studied the Sith in front of him. A man with dark red skin, yellow eyes, and two short tentacles – about five centimeters each – hung down on either side of his chin.

A pure-blood Sith. Extremely sensitive in the Force.

At first, Revan did not say anything. He kept his silence to carefully analyze the situation. One Sith, for now, wielding a single lightsaber who appears to know him. His eyes carefully observe the Sith further. Since his cloak was concealing him pretty well, he couldn't make up much more about his other equipment. Was he wearing armor beneath his cloak? Or just a set of common robes? It could be anything and it seriously freaked him out.

No.

No.

No.

Calm. He must stay calm. Be calm Revan, stay cool. There is nothing he couldn't achieve – well – if it weren’t for his injured and weakened state. It did not matter what he’s wearing beneath his cloak. Only the Sith’s abilities and experience matter. Revan’s eyes narrowed as he tried to analyze the Sith’s lightsaber further. He was looking for any signs of experience or harsh battles, such as indentations, scratches, or similar. But the snowstorm was doing a good job of blocking his vision. But at least the Sith’s eyes have a faint glow in them – yeah, that’ll help for sure.

“How did you find me?”, Revan finally answered after a long silence. As much as he tried, he couldn't hide the hoarseness in his voice. The Sith realized that, as well as his weakened state, which he showed with a quick chuckle.

“It was fairly easy, really.”, he took another small step closer to Revan as he threw his lightsaber into his left hand. He inspected the hilt for a moment before returning his attention to Revan with a cold smile.

“Easy, eh?”, Revan repeated. Did he try to mock him just now? Of course. Of course, he was trying to. “Care to enlighten me as to why it was so easy?”, with his free hand, he gestured toward the red-skinned man, urging him to keep going.

The Sith couldn't hold back another chuckle. “You’re getting sloppy Revan. Not that I knew you before, but- “, the Sith looked off to the side for a second. “But as of right now, you are sloppy, a joke, really.”

Revan was already annoyed by the Sith’s continued attempts to make fun of him, which he showed with a deep and heavy sigh. Every reaction seemed to fuel the Sith’s excitement.

“But before I tell you, let me introduce myself.”, the Sith took a deep breath before Revan cut him off.

“Is this really necessary?”

“Yes.”, the Sith replied with a scoff. He was insistent on telling Revan his name. Once again, before he could continue, Revan decided to interrupt him.

“I mean.”, he began. “Does it even matter when you find your end here regardless? When your life is nothing more than a memory? You will be a man, who told his name to the wind, hoping it would carry on its legacy. Its fear and pride."

The smile the Sith carried was quickly replaced by a deep scowl. He did not take Revan’s words lightly.

“Oh, what a poet you are. And a cocky one on top of that.”, he spun his lightsaber in a circle before continuing. “And believe me when I say that you have no privilege to be as confident and cocky as you are. I can feel, smell, and even taste your weakness. Your fatigue is quite palpable, don’t waste your energy to try and conceal it.”, he almost spat out these words with contempt. “I bet that even an acolyte could defeat you here and now, Revan. You’re like prey cornered by its hunter.

“Really?”, Revan talked back in a flat tone.

“Really.”, the Sith answered with clear irritation. Afterward, he cleared his throat. “As I’ve tried before, let me introduce myself to you.”, once again he spun his lightsaber in a circle.

“My name is Lord Vyron. And I was sent to find a Jedi and execute him. And that Jedi appears to be you.”, Lord Vyron revealed his sharp, yellow-tainted teeth after his introduction.

“Oh, really?”, Revan asked, the sarcasm almost dripping out of his mouth.

“Stop acting like a fool!”, Lordy Vyron snarled at Revan as he took another step closer. “Oh, so, just look at you! A mere rat hiding in the snowstorm to escape its inevitable end!”, Lord Vyron raised his voice even more while continuing to taunt Revan.

“Sometimes I really miss HK in these situations…”, Revan thought to himself. HK, his creation, the best assassination droid known in the galaxy. He always had the best comebacks in such situations, those were some amusing times back then. A small smile formed on Revan's face when he remembered how HK always referred to living beings as meat bags. Actually, Malak was HK’s first victim and since then, he implemented this phrase into HK's programming. He found it rather hilarious.

The Sith noticed Revan’s smile, which both confused and irritated him. “What’s so funny?”, Lord Vyron asked with another sharp snarl.

“What’s so funny?”, Revan repeated with a short chuckle. “You, you are quite funny.” He could feel part of his confidence and willpower return. Now it’s his time to taunt his enemy back. Even though he might be at a disadvantage due to his wounds and the bitter cold. Lord Vyron seemed to be in good shape while not appearing to be affected by the snowstorm on this cold night.

“I’m funny?”, Lord Vyron barked back at him. He shook his head for a moment before a cold smile returned to his lips. “I’ll let you live in your delusion before I cut you down for good. And once you're dead, I’ll make sure the galaxy will forget about your existence and deliver your dead body to the emperor personally!”, Lord Vyron was ready to charge at Revan, but a raise of his hand made the Sith Lord stop.

“Would you be so kind as to tell me how you found me? That would be the least you could do.”, his words were answered with a short scoff coming from Lord Vyron.

“Fine, I will, but don’t think this will help you in any way.” The Sith lowered his lightsaber for a moment before continuing.

“Every ship belonging to the empire has an identification code that can be tracked through almost the entire galaxy. So, it was pretty easy to track you down. Only one ship left the shuttle port the day of your escape without a flight pass.”, Lord Vyron began explaining. “And after you crashed, I simply tried to cut you off. I knew that no sane person would try and stay in the cold for far too long. So, I landed in the closest town to your crash and walked back in the direction where your ship was located. Pretty smart if you ask me.”

“Pretty smart?”, Revan repeated Vyron's words with clear sarcasm. “How is that even remotely smart?” Revan covered his eyes with his hand for a moment and shook his head. “I could have gone anywhere. And you just assume that I’d make my way into the exact town you were currently in while waiting for my arrival? And even without searching the town first?”

“Because it’s the only sign of civilization from the point of your crash.”, Lord Vyron replied in a tone as if his statement was obvious. “And there was no need to check the town first, you never would have made it that quickly!”

“And how should I know that?”, Revan asked back, trying to point out the lack of logic in the Sith’s statement.

“Don’t play the fool!”, Lord Vyron burst out with anger. “There are lots of ways! Not only could your ship track living beings with its radar, but I am pretty sure you can reach out with the force!”, he paused for a moment. “Maybe you’re acting foolish, or you are an idiot on purpose.”

The Sith was right, not the part about Revan being an idiot of course. There are many possibilities for him to find civilization, but that was not the point right now. The Sith found him and now he must survive.

“So, you were sent here to kill me? Is that it?”, Revan tilted his head to one side until his neck cracked. Revan must be careful here. The Sith is in a clear advantage, while Revan remained injured. Regardless of that, he couldn't let Lord Vyron win. Usually, such fights would be no problem for Revan. But since he couldn't overpower the Sith with force powers and physical strength, he had to outsmart Vyron, which he knew best.

“Indeed I am.”, Lord Vyron’s cocky and mocking behavior returned. “Now, get ready.” The Sith moved into an offensive stance, holding his lightsaber diagonally in front of him. The red glow of Lord Vyron’s lightsaber and the way he held it before finally starting his attack, reminded Revan of someone he once knew. Someone he once knew very well.

As soon as the pure-blood Sith charged at Revan, something inside of him clicked. This particular charge triggered something that was buried deep within his mind. His eyes narrowed in response as this was beginning to be more serious than it was before. The prodigal knight couldn't place his finger on it, but it just felt… almost personal to him.

When Lord Vyron came closer to him, Revan pressed the button on his lightsaber to turn it off.

Confusion and surprise mixed with his angry base of facial expressions, but it did not stop him either. Right before Lord Vyron managed to land a hit, Revan used the force to pick up a good amount of snow to create a barrier between him and the Sith. This also blocked Lord Vyron’s vision for the moment. The Sith’s lightsaber cut right through the snow barrier horizontally, and once the rest of the snow fell, Revan was nowhere to be seen.

Lord Vyron crushed his teeth in both anger and frustration. The grip around his lightsaber tightened while looking at the place Revan stood before vanishing.

“Come out!”, he shouted. “Fight me already, you Jedi are all cowards!”

After Lord Vyron’s words, Revan ignited his lightsaber once he stood right behind the Sith. He swung it sideways toward Lord Vyron, aiming to cut him in half. Sensing the attack through the force, the Sith immediately turned around while swinging his blade vertically against Revan’s to block his strike. This caused both blades to lock and clash against one another. A mix of white, green, and red sparks emerged from the blades of their stand-off as they both try to overpower each other with their brute strength.

“Such a ratty tactic!”, the Sith yelled as another wide grin formed on his face.

“Maybe I’m more Sith than you thought.”, Revan answered sarcastically as he used his free hand to pick up another load of snow to throw it directly into Lord Vyron’s face.

Lord Vyron grunted at the sudden impact and the now restricted view. Revan swung his lightsaber once again toward him, another desperate attempt to finish off his attacker. But Lord Vyron was quick to simply jump out of the way. And after finally removing the snow from his face, Revan was once again nowhere to be found. As the snowstorm grew even wilder, Revan was even more hidden. He used the red glow from the Sith’s lightsaber to navigate where to approach and to attack.

Lord Vyron quickly recognized his tactic though. “If you wish to play like this, so be it.”, he muttered angrily as he switched off his own lightsaber, copying Revan’s move. Since Revan couldn't see Lord Vyron anymore due to the decreased visibility of the snowstorm, he tried to reach out with the force to pinpoint the Sith’s location.

Lord Vyron did the same, trying to sense where Revan was exactly. Revan gave his best to feel the Sith’s presence, but his connection to the force still felt very weak, which was frustrating. Nothing was going to his liking, nothing. If it weren’t for his damaged mind, the cold and his weakened state, the fight would have endes in the blink of an eye.

Even if his current weakness was hard to accept, Revan had no choice but to adapt to his current situation. Revan took a deep breath and closed his eyes to focus. He tried to listen, and so he did. He heard the wind whipping around, he heard his own breathing, his own heartbeat even. And then, he finally heard it. The Sith’s footsteps. The Sith’s soft breath. Revan heard Lord Vyron approach him, slowly, carefully, and almost completely silently. But despite this, the force helped Revan to locate Vyron's location, even if his connection to the force was rather rocky.

Lord Vyron was able to feel Revan’s presence without any trouble.

He slowly walked toward Revan, his footsteps crunching in the snow, his grip around the hilt of his lightsaber tightening again.

Revan knew that Lord Vyron was right in front of him, so he readied himself. He waited for the attack, trying to stay patient. As if on command, Lord Vyron ignited his lightsaber while swinging it at towards Revan’s head. Revan immediately duck away and spun around the Sith so he’s right behind him. He pressed the activation button of his saber and swung it right at Lord Vyron’s back.

But right before the blow connected to Lord Vyron's back, Vyron produced a loud and powerful force scream, which disoriented Revan. He’s forced to take a step back, which resulted in his lightsaber only grazing the Sith’s cloak, leaving nothing more than a burn mark. Revan’s ears were ringing and he felt a bit stunned.

Frustrating, utterly frustrating.

Lord Vyron breathed heavily while keeping his back still turned towards Revan. “You…”, he began with clear anger in his tone.

“What?”, Revan pressed. “Already done after only a little graze?”, he mocked. Revan wants to provoke the Sith until he lost control, until he lost his focus. That’s the way that could bring him victory.

“You insolent Jedi…”, the Sith hissed and turned around to face Revan. “I will destroy you…”

With a yell, the Sith reached out into the force and manifested his anger and hate into a storm of lightning which shot out of his left hand’s fingertips. Revan’s eyes widened at the sudden display of hate and the lightning attack.

In the last second, Revan dove to the side, rolling over on the snow to avoid the attack. He quickly came to stand, but the sudden movement ignited another flood of pain from his wounds. Revan collaposed to one knee, frustrated by his own weakness.

Revan raised his lightsaber to block the next incoming lightning attack. The force lightning sparked against Revan’s lightsaber, but not quite reaching his body yet. While remaining on one knee in the snow, Revan kept blocking Lord Vyron’s lightning.

The Sith began to close the distance between him and Revan while keeping his attack going.

“This will be your end!”, Lord Vyron yelled and stopped the lightning burst to charge at Revan. Revan reeled forward by the sudden loss of counterforce. He fell forward but saved himself from falling over completely with his free hand. But right after he looked back up, Lord Vyron jumped at Revan, delivering a powerful blow with his knee against Revan’s nose. With a painful groan, Revan fell back into the snow, his nose bleeding now due to the impact.

“Your death will be slow, and it will be painful.”

Before Revan could raise his lightsaber to deflect another set of force lightning, it hit him. Revan yelped at the sudden surge of pain. The electricity coursed through his body, reaching through every part of him. As the lightning danced on his skin, Revan’s body twitched and writhed. He tried to make no sound except for occasional grunts and groans – Revan refused to give Lord Vyron the satisfaction of hearing him scream.

Seeing Revan in such a position in front of him, Lord Vyron’s malicious grin widened even more as he increased the intensity of his force storm. The Sith enjoyed torturing his enemies before finishing them off. He wanted to hear Revan scream, hear him beg for the pain to stop. His pain was like a blessing to his eyes and ears.

Revan kept his eyes shut close - trying to endure the pain as long as possible. Lord Vyron couldn't keep this up forever, and Revan would wait. Wait, so he could use the tiny time window in between the force lightning attacks to strike back. But he had no idea how long he would be able to endure this, until…

“Revan…”, suddenly echoed in his mind. “Revan, Revan!”

What is happening? Who is that?

Whoever was calling his name, wanted his attention. Revan opened his eyes to see Darth Malak standing over him instead of Lord Vyron. Revan’s eyes widened due to the shock he felt. How could this be? He killed Malak hundreds of years ago! He was dead! This couldn't be reality. Was this a hallucination? A vision? A ghost?

“Look at you, Revan. You became so weak!”, Malak’s voice was filled with contempt as he spoke to Revan. “Once you were a recognized and feared Sith Lord who led an entire empire, and now you’re nothing but a mere weakling!” Malak continued his taunt as he channeled the force lightning into Revan’s body. “You have the power to defeat everything that crosses your path! Don’t let yourself get killed by a meaningless Sith! Unleash the power that sleeps inside of you, break free from your shackles once again! Use your power, Revan!”

His final words were enough to make Revan snap.

He wouldn't die like this, and he wouldn't let anyone treat him like this. Revan inhaled through his nose before letting out a powerful force scream himself now. The powerful blast was enough to make the Sith step back and cancel his attack.

“What the- “, the Sith groaned as he covered his left ear with one hand. He watchedd Revan stand up, keeping his head lowered for a moment.

But when Revan raises his head to face him, Vyron felt a shiver run down his spine, as a sudden tinge of fear hit him. Revan glared at Lord Vyron with clear anger, his soft brown eyes were now replaced by a piercing yellow. Lord Vyron felt… nervous, scared even, when he felt the sudden shift of power coming from Revan.

Revan’s piercing and cold yellow eyes indicated that he tapped into the dark side, as well as his force presence. It felt… different. Dangerous.

Powerful.

“What did you just do!”, the Sith yelled. Lord Vyron recognized the dark side in Revan, especially the power it held. Lord Vyron has seen many people fall to the dark side, but whatever was happening to Revan right now, was no fall. It felt like as if a torch was rekindled, and not something that was lit for the first time. No, this was something more, something deep. Something no one could have prepared him for.

But Revan did not stop. He did not even bother to pick up his lightsaber after the fall. Revan slowly walked toward Lord Vyron, who still looked like Darth Malak to him. He was not sure what exactly was going on, but the sight triggered something within him. The snow crunched under his boots and his cape blew in the wind. Revan’s eyes were glowing in the dark. A truly menacing sight.

True fear struck the Sith when Revan approached him with clear intend: To kill.

“This won’t change anything!”, Lord Vyron yelled. His voice filled with both anger and fear. He raised both of his hands again. “Your end is inevitable!”

Lightning escaped his fingertips and traveled toward Revan with incredible speed. But Revan did not move away. He took the lightning in fully as it struck his chest yet again. Revan is stopped in his approach when the electricity danced on his body.

It hurt. It burnt. But all of this, all this pain, only fueled Revan’s anger and power. He grit his teeth and lifted his foot off the ground to set it a step forward.

Then, Revan lifted his other foot, placing it in front of the other, slowly beginning to walk toward Lord Vyron.

Despite all the pain, he kept going, his intentions clear, as if they were drawn out on a piece of paper.

At the sudden turn of events, Lord Vyron flinched. Yes.

Flinched.

He couldn't believe his eyes: Revan walking through the lightning as if he owned it. As if it was just a mere inconvenience to him.

“This is impossible!”, Lord Vyron called out. “What are you doing?”

He stepped back, slowly losing the power to keep his attack steady, before it vanished fully.

Revan stopped for a moment, just staring at Lord Vyron.

“I…”, Revan began, his voice both cold and full of anger as he raised his right hand. “AM REVAN! AND I SHALL NEVER SUCCUMB!”

His sudden shout was quickly followed with a burst of force energy out of his fingertips, as he unleashed his own force storm towards the Sith. It was so fast that it reached Lord Vyron not even a second later. As the Sith felt the sudden pain coursing through his body, he couldn't help but drop his lightsaber and fall back into the snow. He screamed on top of his lungs while his body writhed and squirmed on the ground. Revan’s attack was more powerful than he could have ever imagined. Revan stepped closer to Lord Vyron and stopped his attack briefly as soon as he towered over him. The Sith attempted to reach for his lightsaber which was currently to his right, but Revan was quick to use the force to grab it before Lord Vyron could.

The prodigal knight inspected the hilt of the blade for a second before switching the lightsaber on. Lord Vyron was completely at Revan's mercy. He attempted a final time to sit up but, failed ultimately.

“You…”, Lord Vyron began with a shaky voice. “You… are no ordinary Jedi.” His breath came out short and ragged as he stared into Revan’s cold yellow eyes. “Just… what are you?"

Revan stared down at his opponent, showing no hint of mercy in his expression.

“You haven’t even seen the true power I hold. This was only a little demonstration of it, a fraction.”, Revan raised the Sith’s lightsaber, ready to strike. “I am what the Sith crave to be but fail, and what the Jedi are afraid to become. I am Revan, the prodigal knight!”, his voice was filled with confidence, passion, and slight anger. The Sith raised his right hand to deflect the incoming strike, but the lightsaber cut through his body like butter.

Revan remained in this position a moment longer after he cut Lord Vyron straight through his chest. A clear cut was visible, as well as the burn marks on his skin due to Revan’s force storm. He watched life fade away from Vyron's eyes. He watched his body stop moving, as the Sith's expression went blank.

Once the adrenaline wore off, Revan swayed slightly from side to side, feeling the pain of his wounds and fatigue return. Despite his efforts to try to remain standing, his body folded and he fell into the cold snow. Revan isn’t undamaged either. There were visible burn marks under his robes from the force lightning attack, as well as the wounds he received from the crash. He tried to get back up, but he couldn't, it was impossible. His body felt like steel.

The snow. The snow felt nice though. It cooled his head; the cold made him sleepy. And so, Revan slowly closed his eyes, remaining next to the dead Sith. Before Revan’s body succumbed to his injuries, he saw a last image flashing before his eyes and a soft breath left his mouth as his body went numb. Black dots appeared in his vision when his mind finally drifted off.

“Bas… tila…”

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 4 – Borrowed Time

It’s cold.

It’s so cold.

When will this end?

When will I finally be free again?

Darkness was still present in Revan’s sight, and his body felt numb. But somehow, it felt like a different kind of numbness, yet he did not know why. His mind felt both blank and chaotic. There were many questions, memories, and flashing images, of people he once knew dearly, within his mind. But one name couldn't leave his thoughts. It just remains there, as if it has always been present.

.

.

.

What was that name again?

What was it?

Why can’t he remember?

It’s just… too cold. Too cold to concentrate – too cold to think. Revan not want to think, he truly didn't. He’s dead anyway, isn’t he? But if he was, how did he die? Revan didn't remember that either. But why – why is he having trouble remembering? Where even is he right now? All he can see is darkness, and all he feels is the bitter cold.

Cold.

Yes, cold.

Something happened that involved a certain… coldness. But was it something inside of him, inside of his mind, or simply the weather? What was it?

Something was wrong.

But what was wrong?

Everything felt all over the place, yet it felt… organized.

Suddenly, Revan felt and intense pain inside of his chest. It stung. It even hurt. Ah, yes, there it was. Revan remembered that he felt pain before whatever happened to him now. A lot of pain. When the pain went on and got even worse, he could feel his eyes open. Was he just asleep? Once his body was trying to wake up, he felt an even worser pain forming in his head. Revan bit down on his lower lip, trying to suppress the pain, which worked only partially. He exhaled softly before his eyes finally opened. He needed a moment to focus on his surroundings, but...

.

.

No.

Oh no.

Why is he here? Why is he here again?

Revan’s gaze immediately lowered down to the floor, which was at least half a meter below whatever he was standing on. Only, that he wasn’t standing but rather… floating? Revan's body felt stiff and numb, yet in pain at the same time. Revan noticed a small, circular device under his feet where a blue-purple light shone from – directly at him. He tried to move his head up and to look around, but he couldn't move. He tried again, but still – nothing happened. But why – why is he here again? He thought he had escaped, he thought he was freed.

While Revan's head remained lowered, he scanned the room he is in with his eyes as best as he could. He’s wearing thick shackles around his wrists and feet. Something, probably the device below him, made him float and restricted him in his movements. Revan appeared to be in a stasis-like state.

He took a deep breath to center himself. This couldn't be real, or at least he didn't want it to be real. He knew the stone floor, ceiling and walls that surround him. He knew the tiny cell he was in. And he knew the person that is trying to enter his mind.

Then Revan finally remembered where he is. He is in the Sith Emperor’s lair. The emperor’s citadel on Dromund Kaas. He remembers. He is back.

Vitiate.

As if he summoned a bad omen, he could feel the pain inside of his head increase further. He wanted to scream, to fight back.

But nothing.

No sound escaped his mouth, nor could he move his limbs.

Yet at the same time, he wanted to give in. To let everything go, only for the pain to end.

But he couldn't. He couldn't rest – he must keep going. He must fight Vitiate back with his mind.

Vitiate.

Vitiate.

Vitiate.

Oh, how he hated that man. Oh, how he wanted to see him burn.

No.

Calm, he must stay calm. Keep calm and think. Find a plan, like you always do.

Revan couldn't give up his mind to the Sith Emperor. The republic, the entire Galaxy, the entire Universe would be in danger – he couldn't allow this to happen. He must keep the republic safe; he must keep his friends safe.

He must keep her safe. Even if he knew that she’s strong enough to protect herself from harm.

.

Who was she again?

.

No, it didn't matter who she was right now. It only mattered that he kept going, that he kept fighting. If Vitiate was inside of his head, trying to acquire information about the Jedi and the Republic, he could very well do the same to him. Once he established a connection to Revan’s mind, Revan was able to enter Vitiate’s mind as well. That Sith was not as safe and slick as he thought he'd be. So, Revan closed his eyes again. He concentrated on the presence that was trying to infiltrate his mind. He did his best to block it out, to not let it take over.

Revan was strong; Revan was smarter. He knew that. He knew that he could keep going for as long as he had to. That’s what he’s been doing for only the force knows how long.

And that would be his life for the end of his days...

.

.

“Revan.”

.

.

.

What?

Who is there?

“Revan.”

.

.

.

There it was again. Someone was calling his name, but who? Who was it?

The voice was both soft and strong. It sounded female. But what woman would call his name?

.

.

“Revan. Revan, please.”

.

.

Revan please? Please what? Please what? Please what?

What was it?

What?

.

.

“Revan, please. Please. You must wake up.”

.

.

Wake up? He was already awake… awake and in Vitiates vicious hands. He felt lost. Lost and confused.

“Revan.”

.

.

There it was again.

.

“You are safe, Revan. Please. Open your eyes. I am here, I am here. Revan, look…”

.

At the sudden, but soft demand, Revan slowly opened his eyes again. His vision felt blurrier than before, but his heart almost sunk when he saw who was now standing in front of him. Brown hair, grey-blue eyes, and orange-beige robes. Was this… real? Was it her? Was it really her? He knew it was. Revan could never forget about her. But before he could speak her name out loud…

The woman before Revan reached out with her right hand towards him, almost as if she wanted to touch his face. But Revan did not resist as he remained in stasis by the device.

“I am here, Revan.”

As soon as the hand connected with his face, Revan’s eyes felt heavy, and he closed them again.

“…here…”, Revan managed to repeat her word softly before drifting away into another unconscious-like state.

.

.

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Revan has no idea how much time has passed when he encountered the woman, when he encountered her inside of his cell. His head is pounding, and his mouth feels dry. He feels pain in his lower back. His ears are ringing, and his mind feels fuzzy.

But even though his eyes feel heavy, he manages to slowly open them. Once again, his vision is blurry. But he doesn’t feel cold, at least not as cold as he used to feel.

He tries to take a deep breath, but since his throat is dry as well, he’s forced to cough, a lot. When Revan manages to focus his eyes and body on reality, he finds himself in a lying position, so not floating and being kept in stasis by that device below him. He feels the pain in his lower back again. The ground beneath him feels hard. He rubs his temples with a quiet groan as he still has trouble coming to his senses fully. He exhales now, taking in the feeling of his body. What just happened?

He hears weird sounds coming from his right, and he slowly turns his head to the source.

It was the sound of fire crackling. Ah, yes. This is where the sudden warmth came from. But why is there a fire? And who built it? And… where is he? These are not the cell walls he was in. Was all this… even real?  Wasn’t he back in Vitiate’s cell on Dromund Kaas? Why is he… in a cave now? Well, he figures that this must be a cave due to the low ceiling, curved stone walls, the uncomfortable stone ground, and all the other characteristics a cave has. This is odd. He does not remember entering a cave before. His mind is racing with questions and possibilities, but his thoughts are interrupted when he hears a sudden: “Mornin’”, coming from his right, from the other side of the fire.

His eyes darted up immediately to meet the face of the person who called out to him.

Those green eyes, the freckled face, the slim nose. He remembers. It’s her.

All Revan can do is stare at the woman he encountered back in the forest. The woman who threw an axe at him to destroy the probe droid behind him. Somehow, he remembers that all too well. Both shock and confusion are visible on his face. He is so stunned for a moment that he didn’t notice that huge animal next to the woman, her companion.

His hand immediately reaches for his lightsaber, which should be on the belt around his hip, but it’s nowhere to be found. Before Revan can take more action, the woman stands up from her place and slowly walks over to him. Now that the campfire is not separating him from the woman and her creature, he feels threatened.

“Wait…”, the woman speaks up. Her voice is soft and calm, laced with a hint of worry. “Please stay calm, I mean you no harm…”

The woman kneels next to Revan, while keeping some distance.

“Why…”, Revan speaks as he tries to sit up. “And where- “, before Revan can finish his sentence, the axe-woman uses her hands to gently push him back down to the ground.

“You shouldn’t move, not yet…”, her voice is still gentle, but there is now a certain firmness to it. “Your wounds are still fresh and your body weak… just… stay down, please…”

Revan stares at her with utter confusion for a moment, but then he decides to settle back down. The back of his head is supported by something soft – a pillow maybe? Cloth?

Revan sighs quietly before gathering his thoughts. He speaks up again, his voice is still hoarse though.

“Where am I?”, he doesn’t take his gaze off the woman, his suspicion towards her was clearly visible in his eyes.

The woman looks content when Revan decided to stay down, lying flat on his back with both of is arms on either side of his body.

“Well… you’re in a cave, but I think that much you already figured.”, she has a small smile on her lips now. Yes, he is currently in a small cave, but why? How did he end up here?

“Why?”, Revan asks her simply as he does not have the strength to utter more words.

“Why?”, the woman repeats. “Well, because Naga and I brought you here.”

“Naga?”

“Yes, Naga.”, the woman nods. “My friend.”, she then gestures to the white furred animal on the other side of the fire which was sleeping.

Revan does not answer her as he looks over to the dog-like creature. He only sighs quietly and stares back at the ceiling for a moment.

“Something wrong?”, the young woman asks.

“Why have you brought me here?”, Revan doesn’t even try to hide his suspicions.

“Because I found you unconscious in the snow. You were freezing.”, she replies. “You were about to die.”

“You brought me here just because I was about to die?”

“Yes.”

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.

.

“Look…”, the woman begins again as Revan side-eyes her. “I know we didn’t have the best start, but I can assure you that I never meant you any harm. Ever.”

Revan turns his head over to her. He analyzes her face for a long time, trying to detect any lie. He sighs once again, looking away.

“Why would you want to save me? I’m not even sure if this is even real. This, right now. If you are real.”, Revan is still in a state of shock. He was back on Dromund Kaas, back to his imprisonment. And now he is in a cave with the axe-woman he tried to kill earlier. What even is real at this point? Is he even alive?

“Why?”, the woman repeats. “Well… I’m not so sure either, if I’m being honest.”, she sighs softly before continuing. “I felt bad, seeing you lie in the snow about to die. I don’t know why, but I did not want to see you die out there like this if I had the power to help.”

“Then…”, Revan glances away for a second again. “How did you even find me? The snowy plain is huge and… wasn’t there a snowstorm anyway? Just how did you manage to find me?”, there’s now a slight desperation in his voice. All he wants are some clear answers.

“Yeah, I know. It sounds almost impossible. I think you were just lucky I passed you. Call it coincidence or fate because I’m not so sure what it is either…”, As the woman saw his expectant expression, she continues to explain to him on how she was able to find him.

“When I ran off after our little confrontation, I was quickly caught in a snowstorm too. So, I sought shelter in a cave…”, she states while keeping her tone calm and gentle.

“This cave?”, Revan asks, as he still does not trust her words.

At this, the woman shakes her head softly. “No, not this cave.”, she looks off to the side for a moment before she turns back to Revan. “You see, here on Seruk Nine, the winters are really harsh and dangerous. People who go hunting or exploring often get caught in snowstorms, just like you did. But there are precautions the locals here made.”

“Precautions?”, Revan asks as his interest slightly peaks, but he is quickly interrupted by another set of coughs. The woman waits patiently for Revan to settle down again, and once he does, she continues.

“Yes. In case of a snowstorm, all people who left the village or city are meant to follow a marked path. The path is labeled with red flags every 200 meters, and once every 2000 meters there is a chance you will find one of these caves which are illuminated via bright lights. In these caves we can find rations and a fireplace and a method to close off the cave so the snow and cold couldn't enter.”, she pauses for a moment, so Revan has a chance to take in her words.

“I managed to find a cave before the snowstorm got too bad. And once it settled down a bit, I left the cave and kept walking, following the red flags. And then, I stumbled over your body lying motionlessly in the snow, next to someone else.”, she sighs softly again, but Revan cuts her off before she can talk more.

“Wait, wait.”, he raises his hands slightly. “Someone else?”

“Uh, yeah.”, the woman nods once. “There was someone else lying next to you. Red skin, dark hair. But… he was already dead when I arrived. I’m sorry.”, she whispers the last words in an apologetic tone.

Revan raises his right hand further to reassure her a bit. “No need to apologize. There was nothing you could have done to save him.” That man she found next to Revan. The Sith he faced earlier, he almost forgot about that.

After another moment of silence, Revan speaks up again. “Would you be so kind as to help me to sit up? I do not think I will manage to do that on my own. And please, don't tell me to stay down, my back hurts enough already.”

“Oh…”, this was not what the woman had expected, but she nods with a soft smile now present on her lips. “Of course, hold on.”

The woman carefully places her hands under Revan’s shoulders and begins to slowly push him up until he was sitting. Revan leans back against the cave wall and sighs with relief. He looks down on his hands which are missing his gloves. He also notices that his armor parts are missing and that his robes are partially opened. He raises one of his eyebrows and looks back at the woman with confusion.

“Oh…”, she says yet again. “Yeah, about that. When I carried you on Naga here, I noticed blood stains on your robes as well as other wounds on your body. I took… care of some of them. I’m by no means a doctor but I know a thing or two." Revan nods, yet again surprised by the woman’s kindness. He looks down on his upper body which is covered in white bandages.

“I bet you’re still in pain… but at least your wounds will not catch an infection or get worse.”, the smile on her face shows clear pity. But why? Why would she help him so much? Is she really so kind, or does she have other motives?

“I also noticed that you were groaning and sweating slightly while you were unconscious.”, the woman talks again as she interrupts his thoughts. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Revan looks at the woman’s face for a moment before he exhales quietly.

“I believe so, yes. Though, I do not wish to talk about it.”, it was quite the shock when he saw himself back in Vitiate’s stasis and torture. He thought that his escape was all just a dream – an illusion. But when he could feel his body again, he was sure that this is reality. But his thoughts quickly travel back to the woman he saw in his dream. The brown hair, blue eyes, and orange-beige robes. Yes, it's her. Bastila. Oh, Bastila.

“No, No.”, the young woman speaks up, forcing him out of his thoughts again. “Don’t feel forced to tell me anything, just… relax for a moment.”

Revan nods again before looking back at her. “I don’t think I caught your name before.”, with his right hand he gestures to the woman to his right. “Only if you wish to share of course.”

The woman’s smile widens a bit, and she takes his hand to shake it as an introduction. “My name is Avra.”

Revan is surprised at the sudden contact because he did not expect her to shake his hand, it was merely a simple gesture for her to tell him her name. The contrast of her soft hand in his rough and scarred one feels almost alien to him. He quickly shakes off his thoughts and shakes her hand back, his grip becoming a bit firmer. “Revan.”, he tells her his name.

“Revan?”, Avra repeats softly as she lets go of his hand. “I will remember this, maybe we will get along well someday.”

Revan feels oddly calm now. At their first encounter he felt agitated and impulsive as he saw everything as a threat, and he isn’t very proud of that.

“You know, Avra…”, he begins, his voice is still a bit rough and hoarse, but he keeps going.

“Huh?”

Revan takes a deep breath through his nose before continuing. “I believe I must apologize to you. For attacking you and your companion, for aiming to kill you.”

Avra is really surprised by his words and tries to interject. “You know- “, but when Revan raises his right hand, she stops talking so he can go on.

“No, you do not understand. I usually do not act like this. I do not act out on my emotions, no matter how rough things get.”, he sighs deeply, clearly showing his regret. “I’m not good at apologizing either, but this was on me. I also know that you didn’t mean to attack me but destroy the probe droid behind me. I was quick to judge and gave you no time to explain yourself. And for that, I apologize.”

Avra raises both of her eyebrows in surprise after he apologized so thoroughly. Well, that wasn’t something she had expected him to do. Deep down she thought he would attack her as soon as he saw her again. But since he didn’t, she figured that his apology must be genuine. Avra cannot hold back a quiet giggle.

“It’s alright. Misunderstandings happen.”, she tries to keep her tone as gentle as possible, but at the same time she almost sounds… amused.

“Is… something wrong with me apologizing?”, Revan asks her. The confusion and slight irritation are clearly visible on his face. Why does she think his apology is funny? Or does she think he is lying?

“No, no of course not.”, Avra says with a shake of her head while keeping a smile on her face. “It’s just that, well…”, she pauses for a moment before speaking further. “You don’t often find people who are willing to, well… admit their mistakes…”

Revan just looks at her quietly before Avra continues. “But I mean it. You have nothing to apologize for. Yes, you attacked me, which could have led to my death, but I didn’t really give you any reason not to.”

Revan’s only response for the moment is just another soft sigh. How can this girl be so perceptive, yet so naïve at the same time? Regardless, he stands with his point. It just… wasn’t him. Yet, he cannot change anything about it.

“Anyway…”, Avra speaks up again. “How are you feeling? Still in pain?”

Revan looks over to her for a second before returning his attention back to his body. Well, he still feels sore and in pain, but it’s not as bad as it was before he woke up.

“I will manage.”, he tries to keep his voice calm and dismissive, so that Avra wouldn’t worry too much about him. He was already too much of a burden for this stranger.

“Oh, and I believe you through and through. But… I wouldn’t recommend you leave this cave just yet. The storm is still going strong.”, Avra tells him, and a quick chuckle follows.

Ah, yes, the snowstorm that had almost killed him. Revan looks over to the entrance of the cave which is to his far right. It is sealed off by a double metal door. On the right side is a panel with different kinds of buttons. Red, blue, green, yellow.

“You people here are well organized.”, Revan speaks up as he inspects the door.

Avra smiles at his words and nods once. “Well, yeah. We must do a lot to survive here. Especially during the harsh winter. The other season aren’t really any better, but winter is the worst.”

“So…”, Revan begins again. “The planet changes its season?”, he sounds interested and curious by this information. “Not every planet does that.”

“Mhm…”, Avra hums in agreement. “Seruk Nine is divided into twelve months and four seasons. And the seasons change every four months. First comes Winter, then Spring, Summer and lastly Autumn.”, Avra explains to him. “Winter and Summer are the harshest out of these. You’re currently experiencing Winter, but, oh boy, Summer is equally bad.”

“Don’t tell me this place turns into a desert once Summer arrives.”, he gives her an expectant look while he raises one eyebrow.

“Well, there isn’t sand, but it is hot. No sandstorms, but the ground is rocky and can even have cracks, where you’ll get stuck in, or fall through them fully. Earthquakes are common and the plants, flowers and trees look dead.”

This does sound really, really harsh. Especially for a young woman like her. Not to assume that she can’t take care of herself here, but there are far better planets to live on than here. But he is aware that not everyone has the luxury of changing places whenever they please.

“You were born here?”, Revan asks her. He is interested to know more about her.

“Yep. Born and raised.”, Avra keeps the smile on her lips as she answers his question. “Even though I lived almost my entire life here, I really want to leave. Go somewhere else.”

“You want to leave?”

To no surprise. It does sound like that a life here is more working than living. But he wants to hear it with her own words if she wishes to share.

“Yes. Not only I wish to leave, but many other people too.”

Avra’s smile disappears and she lowers her gaze to the ground.

“The harsh environment, the empire… even the Sith… and the…”, Avra pauses and shakes her head before a small smile return to her lips. “Yeah… that’s mostly it.”

Revan can tell from the way she stopped mid-sentence that there is more to her. There must be more reasons why she wishes to leave. But Revan is not the one to dig deeper. Not, if the person really does not want to talk about it. He will keep it in mind, though. He answers her with a nod.

“Sounds good enough for me, to leave I mean.”

Avra’s eyes light up slightly when she realizes that he isn’t asking further questions. She nods back at him.

“You said that the empire is currently controlling the planet, and you seem to know about the Sith.”, Revan thinks out loud for a moment. “What do you know about them? The Sith I mean.”

Avra is clearly surprised by his question. She blinks a few times and takes a deep breath before she speaks up again. “Well, not a lot. I… saw two when the Empire first set foot here. And even though I only watched from afar… it was…”, she speaks slowly, as if the Sith she met really left a mark on her.

“…scary…”

“Scary…”, Revan repeats. He tries not to show his amusement. The Sith are far more than just scary. They are a powerful and feared force of the Empire. “And you were sure they were Sith?”

“Uhm…”, Avra pauses for a moment while looking off to the side. “I… I think they were, yes. I do not know much about them, but those people were a hundred percent. I saw their lightsabers – red as blood, and how they carried themselves. They made everything feel cold.”

Even though Avra told him that she didn’t know much about the Sith, she knows more than the common folk. He remembers that during his time as a Sith, the common folk couldn’t tell the difference between a Sith and a Jedi. For them, they were just people with magical powers, swinging glowing bats around and sticking their noses into everyone’s business. They are not entirely wrong, though. Jedi and Sith are just two different sides of the same coin. While the Sith are far more brutal in their ways than the Jedi, the Jedi are far from being saints themselves.

But one thing caught his attention. Feel. She felt the cold radiating from the Sith. Probably any sentient could feel something like this, but the fact that she seemed really struck by this feeling, suggests that she feels it more intense. And then he remembers: She used the force on him during their short fight, she found him in the snowstorm, and she seems oddly kind and empathetic toward him. There is more to her. He knows it.

He studies her face for a moment longer before her worried look snaps him out of his trance. He still has no idea who she really is. She could be anyone.

His senses immediately heightened, and he speaks up with a low and calculating tone.

“Avra.”, speaking her name out loud is enough to make her shift in her position a little. He does not want to scare her though, he only wants some clarity, but still without crossing her boundaries.

“Do you remember how you pushed me off during our fight?”, he tilts his head to the side and continues. “You know. Without physically touching me. Do you remember?”

Avra’s nervousness is almost palpable now as she just stares at him with an uneasy look on her face. Revan quickly realizes that he went a little overboard with his tone. So, he clears his throat and speaks more calmly now.

“My apologies. I mean you no harm with my questions, please do not be frightened.”, his softer tone seems to work because Avra’s body language and facial expressions relaxed.

“As I was saying: You were able to push me away, without laying a finger on me. You were clearly using the force.”, Revan tries his best do not make it sound like an accusation, it was merely an observation – or simply the truth. “You know what the force is, am I right?”

Avra stays silent for another moment before giving him an apologetic smile. “You… caught onto it really quickly, huh?”

Revan returns her smile, his is confident, but not in an intimidating way. “I did. But I was still surprised. I did not expect you to use the force – I couldn’t even feel your presence at first.”, he pauses for a moment, his eyes still somewhat serious. “Would you mind telling me what this is all about? You do not seem trained, yet you could be anyone.”

“If you’re concerned that I’m a Sith – I am not. But…”, this makes Avra pause again, but Revan quickly finishes her sentence.

“You’re no Jedi either?”

“Correct.”, Avra says before sighing. Her shoulders sink and she looks to the ground. “I cannot explain it to you – I am just… some girl that happens to know some tricks.”

Revan’s eyes narrow due to her vague response. He knows that there is more to it, he just knows. But it would not be wise to press further, even if he is really curious. They just achieved a truce, and he would avoid losing that. That girl might be the only way to civilization and off-planet. He is to tread carefully.

“Do not worry, Avra. I understand. I am still a stranger to you, and you shouldn’t trust me easily – you shouldn’t trust anyone easily, young one.”, he almost takes on the roll of a teacher, but he was not lecturing her in a negative way – he only wants her to be careful. He knows the mistake of trusting someone way too quickly. He can easily tell that she feels guilty for not sharing more, and he wants to put her at ease. That’s the least he could do after she saved his life.

“I mean it. I didn’t tell you much about me either, did I?”, Revan gestures to her with his right hand. “Do you remember?”

Avra carefully looks back up to him again. “I do…”, she still sounds rather apologetic, but there is some progress.

“So, if you ever wish to tell me more in the future, feel free to do so. I will not be the one to force it out of you.”, if he could, he would have laid a hand on her shoulder to reassure her – but he does not wish to cross her boundaries.

“Thank you, Revan.”, she says with a small smile before she decides to change the topic. “Oh, would you like some tea? I always bring some when I’m out in the wild during such weather.”

Revan is surprised again. Another kind gesture from this stranger. But he definitely won’t turn this offer down. As soon as she had mentioned the possibility of something to drink, he felt how dry his mouth and lips are. He didn’t drink in a long time.

“I’d really appreciate that.”, he replies to her. Shortly after, Avra stood up and made her way toward her companion on the other side of the fire. Ah, yes. The white-furred creature is also in this cave still. But it looks like it’s in a deep sleep. Still, it’s weird that it didn’t sense him this time. Curious. Does it trust Revan now more than it did before in the forest, or is it just lazy and feels like sleep is more important? His thoughts are once again interrupted by Avra, but he does not mind. It’s tea. All he needs now.

He watches her pull out a large can out of a bag which hangs down on one side of the animal's saddle. She also takes out two cups, which she sets down on the ground, before carefully pouring the tea inside. One for her, one for Revan. As soon as she is finished, she stands back up and walks over to Revan.

“Here.”, Avra bends down toward him so he can reach the cup. Revan gives her a subtle nod and another small smile before he takes the grey plastic cup out of her hands. It feels comfortingly warm in his hands, which makes him sigh with relief. The heatwaves, which radiate from the hot cup, come up to his nose and warm it as well. He brings his face closer to cup and gives it a quick smell – sweet. He takes his first sip, carefully not to burn himself, before chugging down the entire thing pretty quickly anyway.

As a reaction to his actions, Avra gives him a quick chuckle. “If you need more, feel free to take it yourself. I’ll put the can next to the fire to keep it hot.”, with a final nod, Avra walks back to the fire where she sets the can down, just as promised. Revan would really like some more, but he doesn’t wish to abuse her hospitality too much. He watches as Avra sits down next to the giant animal and leaning her entire body weight against it, while also closing her eyes. He must admit, it certainly looks comfortable with its fluffy fur. He watches her for a second before setting his cup down next to him. He feels relaxed. He feels better, at least better than before. Avra looks exhausted herself, probably because of watching over him in his sleep and treating his wounds, which still hurt.

For the moment, he crosses his legs, sitting now in an up-right position and sets both of his hands down on either side of his knees. With his palms facing up, he lowers his head slightly and closes his eyes too. There is a certain trust between him and Avra now. He reaches out into the force and tries to feel. To feel, to listen, to see. Even if his mediation might not be perfect and his connection to the force not at its height, he manages to focus and relax more. His senses are better than they were before and during his fight with the Sith.

Oh.

Yeah.

That Sith.

He almost forgot about this encounter, almost entirely. Vyron was his name if he remembers correctly. Lord Vyron. He was sent to kill Revan. And now, now that he couldn’t fulfill his mission, there will be more coming after the prodigal knight. Maybe there already are more coming for him, but he has yet to meet them. This reminds him a lot of when he was hunted down by Malak. He sent a lot of his minions after him. But one always stood out to him: Calo Nord. That one bounty hunter he had actually some trouble with.

Good ol’ times, right? His mind wanders back to the fight he had with Lord Vyron. And now, he remembers. Something felt really wrong about this battle. While his meditation continues, he feels something rise inside of him. Was it anger? Was it fear? Darkness even? He is not sure. But whatever it is, it’s probably natural. He won’t turn it down, yet he won’t give into it either. Revan takes a deep breath before resuming his meditation. He will get better. He will get back to his old self.

He will not succumb, not again.

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 5 – Shadow Step

3636  BBY; KORRIBAN

“Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. Repeat that, my apprentice.”, the human Sith Lady recites the Sith Code for her apprentice as she paces back and forth in front of him. Her hands are folded behind her back. Her wide and baggy cloak hides most of her body. Her thick black hair is tied in a tight bun rather low on the back of her head, and her piercing yellow eyes are a stark contrast to her pale, almost grey-ish skin.

“Yes, Master.”, the apprentice, a young human boy answers the Sith Lady. He remains on one knee with his head bowed before his master. His voice is soft and quiet as he tries to show respect. Darth Ryyva is his first Master ever since he graduated from the Sith academy. So, he tries not to disappoint her.

“Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken.”, he repeats the word as if he has had them memorized since birth. He didn’t stutter, he didn’t show any signs of hesitation, and he didn’t question them either.

Once he finished reciting the Sith code to his Master, Laves kept his head bowed down. He didn’t dare to look up. That would be disrespectful, Darth Ryyva his Master after all. Furthermore, he didn’t want to see her bad side. He had heard rumors of her previous apprentices; their end was gruesome to say the least. And he is not ready to throw his life away already. No. He just graduated from the academy, finally leaving the Acolyte title behind, and taking on his role as a Sith apprentice.

“And what do these words hold to you? What do you make of them?”, Darth Ryyva interrupts his thought process with her raspy cold voice.

What he makes of them? He does not know. To Laves those were just words they were meant to learn in the academy, nothing more, nothing less. The silence hangs in the air for another while, and his Master hasn’t stopped pacing back and forth, but Laves’ answer would make her stop and face him directly.

“I am not sure, Master. I regret that I do not know the deeper meaning behind those words.”

Laves could immediately feel the energy of the room shift after his words. He messed up. He messed up big. But he doesn’t dare to look up. The stony floor is his best friend here while his eyes remain glued to it.

“You don’t know?”, Darth Ryyva repeats his words. “Didn’t they teach you such important knowledge at the academy?”

Even though her voice was rather calm and stoic, he felt a shiver run down his spine. The fear of disappointing his Master is rising with the second. Would this already be the end of his journey to become Sith? But he doesn’t answer her. He stays silent, looking down.

After Darth Ryyva stared at her apprentice for another long while, she sighs heavily with a hint of disappointment.

“This academy is failing more and more every rotation.”, she shakes her head for a moment before gesturing to him to get up. “Rise, apprentice.”

Laves immediately obeys his master and stands up. The hood of his cloak that was just covering half of his face, falls back and reveals his tan skin and short dark brown hair. He slowly raises his head up to meet the gaze of his master.

Darth Ryyva stares down at Laves sternly before stepping closer to him. “The Code of the Sith isn’t just interesting sounding words put together to create a confusing poem, apprentice. It is the ways of the Sith. Our ways. You take it by heart. Not just because you must memorize it by default…”, she trails off for a moment before reaching out her right hand to cup Laves’ face and tilt his head back a bit. She wants his attention; she needs him to listen intently to her words.

Laves immediately tenses up when he feels his Master’s hand cup his cheeks. But even when her long, pointy, and white painted fingernails dig into his flesh, he doesn’t budge. His eyes show no trace of fear. He is listening, and he is ready to learn.

Finally, Darth Ryyva continues: “But because it is your life.”, her voice drops down to whisper as she leans her face closer to his. “Power doesn’t come from brute strength alone, but knowledge. Knowledge is the key here.”, she lets go of his face and steps back. Darth Ryyva turns away from him and folds her hands behind her back like before. “But obviously the academy fails to teach their Acolytes such knowledge. What a shame.”

“Forgive me Master.”, Laves answers her after he rubbed the places his Master’s fingernails dug into.

Darth Ryyva answers with a sigh before turning around to face her apprentice.

“Some things are out of your control, child. But that is why I, your Master, is here.”

Just as before, Darth Ryyva places her hand on Laves’ left cheek, but this time without hurting him. Her thumb gently caresses his cheek, and her voice drops to a softer, almost motherly tone, yet there is still the same malice and coldness to it.

“I will mold you into the perfect Sith. You will be my weapon to call upon. My apprentice. My creation.”

The young apprentice feels his heartbeat speed up and his breath hitches for a moment. But he finally responds. Darth Ryyva’s eyes are almost hypnotizing. He feels lost as he stares directly into them. They almost feel like the gateway to the dark side. The gateway to true power.

“Thank you, Master…”

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3634 BBY; SERUK NINE

The snow on the ground almost goes up to Revan’s knees as he walks through the snowy plains with Avra and her pet. Immediately after the snowstorm had stopped, they exited the cave and continued their walk. Avra informed Revan that the next village isn’t that far away anymore; they’ll reach it soon.

The meditation, which he did in the cave, did good to him. It cleared his mind and even lessened the pain of his wounds, though, not healing them entirely. The newfound trust between him and Avra also put him at ease a bit. Even though they didn’t talk much after they left the cave, the silence wasn’t awkward. In fact, he enjoyed it. The wind has also settled down and due to it being daytime again, he can finally admire the beauty the snow showcases. Their walk through the breathtaking scenery is as if it was painted perfectly by a professional artist. The snow rests perfectly on tree branches to their far left and far right. The sun has the perfect height to reflect the snow’s beauty, and the only sounds they hear come from their footsteps through the snow and Naga’s occasional panting.

It’s as if…

It’s… peaceful.

They continue their walk, occasionally passing more red flags that stick out of the ground, and soon Avra speaks up and points her gloved finger in front of her.

“There it is!”, there’s clear enthusiasm in her tone when she points into the distance. Revan glances down to her for a moment, but then directs his attention to where she was pointing at.

In the distance they’re able to see a huge wall with an opening to function as an entrance. This means that this would be the village Avra was talking about. Naga’s sudden bark forces him out of his thoughts. He looks over to the large animal as it barks a second time. What catches him with slight surprise is how it suddenly sprints into the direction of the wall.

“Naga! Wait!”, Avra calls out and takes a step forward while reaching her hand out to her companion. But she stops herself from pursuing Naga, and just ends up giggling into her fist. She looks over to Revan with an amused smile.

“She’s always so happy when we get back.”, but before he can even reply to her, he sees her run off after the polar bear dog, nevertheless. It seems like the animal wasn’t the only one to be happy to be back in town. Revan watches her as she drags her body through the snow. It goes almost up to her hips, but it becomes gradually less the closer they got to town. He shakes his head with a subtle smile on his lips and follows the two. Though he did not run like a child as they did. It didn’t take him long to reach the village gates.

Revan’s eyes narrow when he sees two armored men with blasters in their hands stand next to the gate, possibly guarding it. Naga jumps up and down in front of them, probably waiting to be let inside the walls. The walls are tall, at least five meters for sure. He stops his approach to watch Avra hand one of the troopers a grey metallic card. He does not know what it is from a distance, but after it gets scanned by a data pad the second trooper held up, he is sure that it must be some kind of identification code. He is aware that Seruk Nine is controlled by the empire, but Avra never mentioned how much it is controlled. Even though she needs an identification card after living here for so many years, he probably needs one too to enter.

What a drag.

Revan sighs and pulls up his hood to cover half of his face. He approaches the gates with slow but confident steps. The snow crunches under his boots as he walks over to the two troopers. Once they’re finished with letting Avra enter the village, they block Revan’s path, and one speaks up.

“Identification code.”, the trooper’s modulated voice through his helmet is authoritative as he speaks those simple words.

Revan stares at the man from underneath his hood. He didn’t have such a code. How even? He was forced onto this planet a day ago, so, this way to get into town falls flat.

“Identification code.”, the same trooper repeats, his voice even sterner. He grips his blaster tightly and begins to raise it up, until Avra’s voice behind him interrupts his action.

“Wait a sec!”, she calls out and pushes the second trooper, who is currently to her left, gently to the side. “He is my uncle; he belongs with me. We just got back from our hunting trip!”, Avra tries to make up a story to let Revan enter the village.

The trooper Avra just pushed away, turns back to her with a sharp motion. “We do not care who this man is. He could be your father and he’d still be denied access unless shown an identification code.”, the trooper’s voice laces with anger as he steps closer to Avra.

“Come on!”, she argues back and Naga barks to assist her in this heated moment. “He lost it during the snowstorm! I’m sure you saw it! Let him pass, please, he needs medical attention!”

At this the trooper to her right pushes his blaster quite angrily against Avra’s shoulder. “Identification code or no entry! If you do not stand down, Miss, I will snap your ID-card in half and never let you enter again. So, stand down and leave.”

Naga growls at both troopers, showing her teeth to them after the one trooper used force on Avra.

“And put your damn pet on a leash or it soon won’t need one ever again.”, the threat is clear now. Avra clenches her teeth and hands tightly into fists. She knows it’s best not to argue with them, but it’s hard to control her anger in such situations. She looks between the troopers for a few times before speaking up with a snarl. “Fine, have it your way.”, she takes a last look at them before turning around to leave. “Come girl, we’re going home.”, she waves Naga over to her and begins to walk deeper into the village. She sighs with a hint of guilt after she couldn’t provide Revan with help to enter. They got so close, yet their goal is so far away. She looks over her shoulder to notice that Revan is not standing at the gates any longer. Her eyebrows rise in surprise when he sees him gone. It’s tempting to leave the gates again and look for him. But… something tells her that she shouldn’t. It’s just an intuition, a feeling but it seems like Revan will manage without her.

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After being denied permission to enter the village without an ID-Card, Revan left the gates to think about the situation and to create a plan. He must find a way to get into the walls. He needs resources and a chance to recover from this whole ordeal. He sat himself on top of a branch of a high tree. It’s peak reaches up at least 20 meters over the stone walls that surround the village. While his feet hang down, he overlooks the situation from above. The wall wraps around the whole village in a circle while leaving an opening in all four cardinal directions to function as entrances. He taps his right temple with his index and middle finger once. After a few seconds when nothing changed in his vision, he does it a second and even third time. He sighs with frustration while he brings down his hand to look at it. Is something wrong with his hand or why didn’t the zoom function of his mask work?

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His mask.

He touches his face for a moment before he sinks it into his hands deeply. He is so used to wearing his mask, that he hadn’t even noticed it’s gone now. He removes his hands from his face with another sigh. Revan looks up into the sky to think.

“It must be still at the crash-site. I didn’t even realize I wasn’t wearing it in the first place.”

He shakes his head again and looks back into the village. Who could blame him though? It’s been a hard time for him, but he is sure that he won’t allow himself even the smallest mistakes anymore. His mask would have helped him a lot here, he definitely needs to travel back to the crashed shuttle to retrieve it.

For now, he just has to work without his mask, it shouldn’t be much of a problem for now. He overlooks the village for another moment. Since there were troopers at this entrance, there must be some as well at the other entrances. He wouldn’t want to attract any more unwanted attention. Lord Vyron’s corpse in the snow is enough trouble if someone ever manages to find him. Also, those troopers probably resist force mind tricks anyways, so it’s not worth the risk to try.

Revan closes his eyes and reaches out into the force after he takes a deep breath. He lets his mind wander farther toward the town and lets his heightened senses dive deep into the force. He slowly feels the life of the people inside of the town. At first, it was just a feeling of a big clump. A big lump of life. But the further he reached out the more the clump dissolved, until he could feel every single life essence in the village. He smirks to himself. It needed some focus, but he could feel how his powers returned to him slowly without having to strain himself too much. But he keeps going. He needs to find a way to enter town undetected. After another while of intense focus, he re-opens his eyes. His gaze falls back to the huge wall that surrounds the entire village. Now when he thinks about it: He could probably just... jump over it. He couldn’t spot anyone guarding the walls yet, and as long as no one saw him, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Revan uses the palms of his hands to push himself off the tree branch. He falls the entire height of the tree downwards. His cape flows wildly behind him during the fall, and his hair is pushed up while also moving like his cape. With the help of the force, Revan lands safely on the ground, landing in a crouching position. His dark hair falls over his eyes and his black damaged cape floats down gracefully into the snow behind him. Once again, he smirks to himself. Even though he was not back to his full strength, it’s a good feeling to have some control over his body and mind again. Even though it’s only a fraction.

Slowly, Revan rises to his feet and looks over to the walls with the same smile. It’s just a small victory, but it’s a good step in the right direction. With a simple motion of his hands, he pulls his hood back up over his head to cover half of his face.

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The snow crunches under his boots as he jogs over to the wall. Once he reaches it, he places his right hand flat against said wall. Revan’s gaze wanders up. From below, the stone wall looks imposing and threatening, but this is not a challenge Revan cannot overcome. He closes his eyes again as he reaches out upon the force, drawing deeply into it. He gets down into a crouching position before his body is almost catapulted into the air. His force jump is so powerful, that he easily passes over the wall. He clearly overestimated how much power he’d have to use to make this happen, but he does not complain.

While his body falls gracefully to the ground, he overlooks the village from above one final time. It’s not as huge as it appeared on top of the tree he was on earlier. When he finally overcomes the wall, he slows his fall with the force, and lands almost silently in the village. Revan looks over his shoulder to study the wall one final time. At least he achieved part of his goal, now, he must find a way to get off planet. Yet he can’t shake off a weird feeling: Why do even the residents need an ID-Card to enter their own town? It seems rather off to him. If they were off-worlders like him, sure, he couldn’t much argue with that since a lot of systems do this, but their own residents? This seems… weird to him. Maybe all of this isn’t just a random planet controlled by the empire. Maybe there is more. Or… maybe he is just overthinking all this again. He can’t help himself but to analyze everything to the point it seems absurd.

If he ever meets Avra again, he will ask her about this for sure. And even though they barely know each other, and she still holds many mysteries to him, she’s just like his own personal guide. But at the same time, he wouldn’t want to abuse her kindness, even though times are rough. He shakes his head again and begins to move through the village.

Revan keeps his head low to not draw too much attention to him. Furthermore, he avoids walking in the middle of the streets and keeps himself close to alleys if he ever needs to disappear quickly.

“Excuse me, kind Sir!”, suddenly drew his attention. He quickly looks over his shoulder to find whoever is calling out to him. His gaze wanders down where he spots a young boy. Tan skin, black hair, rather roughed up winter clothes and a cheeky smile on his face. Revan already knows what’ll happen, so he raises his right hand and says: “My apologies, but I am not interested in whatever you’re selling.”, he turns around with another dismissive wave of his hand and takes a step away from that boy.

“No, No, kind Sir!”, the kid quickly moves in front of him to block his path. “I am not trying to sell anything to you…”, he just can’t stop grinning at Revan.

As an answer, Revan just sighs deeply. “You do not want to sell me anything?”, he can see right through the boy’s lie, and he would not want to waste more time on him. He has far more important business than a possible fraud.

“Listen, child. I have seen many of your kind.”, Revan begins after observing that it’s just the two of them next to the alley. “In all shapes and sizes, all races, and all ages. You cannot fool me.”

The young boy raises his right index finger and tries to wave it in front of Revan’s face, but he is not tall enough to reach him.

“Ah, Ah, Ah, good Sir.”, it grows tiring listening to the young human boy. Yet they didn’t even talk for a minute. Cocky children – his biggest enemy in the galaxy.

“This is where you’re wrong. You know, I saw your little magic trick you did earlier to enter the walls.”, the smirk on the boy’s face grows with each second of silence. “You know that you’re not allowed in the village without permission, right? And I bet you do not have any. You know what could happen if someone would report you to the authorities?”, the child rubs his thumb against his index and middle finger while leaning closer to him. Right, money. The kid wants money to keep Revan’s secret.

This could be bad.

Really bad.

First of all, Revan doesn’t have the money to pay the child off. And second of all, children aren’t really reliable. He’d bet his lightsaber that the boy would come back for more money each time they saw one another. He can’t risk it.

Revan’s face remains calm and unemotional as he stares down at the boy after the statement he just dropped. Imperial troopers didn’t spot him, but a little boy – great.

With the same expression, Revan goes down on one knee to meet the boy’s height. He stares deeply into the kid’s hazel eyes before speaking up.

“My little magic trick over the wall?”, Revan asks him. “Are you sure about that?”, he tilts his head to the side as he studies the boy’s face.

The young human is definitely surprised by Revan’s words. According to Revan’s observations, the kid isn’t used to people not giving in to his little threat.

“Why, yes. I saw you jump over the wall. Just a few moments ago…”, the boy answers Revan with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

“Are you sure, and I mean, really sure that you saw me jump over this huge wall?”, Revan asks him again. “Are you even sure that I’m not just another citizen of this gracious village?”

Without the boy noticing, Revan touches the boy’s mind with a little mind-trick. A really useful ability to have when you travel the galaxy. He used it quite a lot back then as a reformed Jedi.

The boy’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment. “Oh, you are totally right, good Sir. I am not sure that I… saw you jump over the wall.”

“It’s quite impossible, don’t you agree?”, Revan’s voice remains calm and almost soothing while he keeps his mind-trick up.

The boy feels lost in Revan’s almost hypnotizing eyes. He tries to speak, but he fails. Not a single sound escapes his mouth.

“That’s right. You didn’t see me jump over the wall since it’s – like we already established – quite impossible, No? And I do not believe you saw me at all, right?”, but once again, the boy stares spellbound into Revan’s eyes. Revan gently places a hand on the child’s shoulder and leans closer. His face and voice calm as ever. “You should go home, young one. Rest and take a good sleep. You need it, yes? Go home and relax for the rest of the day. Also, just forget that you ever saw me. There are far more important things you have to take care of, right?”, Revan takes off his hand from the young boy’s shoulder, slowly pulling him out of the mind-trick.

The boy shakes his body thoroughly when his mind comes back to him. “Absolutely, kind Sir! I shall go home and sleep! I have far more important this to take care of than to remember our encounter!”, as if he had no other choice, the young boy storms off into the next alley with a quick laugh, disappearing in the shadows.

Revan watches as the boy disappears. A great sigh of relief escapes his lips, finally having dealt with this minor inconvenience. Now, he can finally keep going.

He needs to connect back with Avra. There is still a lot to learn about this place, and her.

The golden light in the darkness.

Revan will find out what it means and who Avra truly is.

He will.

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 6 – Camaraderie

It’s been quite some time since Revan entered the village. He decided to check out some inner parts, while still trying to have a low profile. He passed a few shops like a grocery store, a shop for clothing and even a mechanic shop. But they were all rather small and lacked variety. He didn’t expect much anyway, since the village does seem rather small and almost run-down.

He didn’t see a single house that wasn’t damaged in some way. Holes and cracks were the most common sorts of damage he noticed. What he also noticed that the houses were all build of solid stone supported by wood – you wouldn't see such building techniques in the core worlds like Coruscant or Alderaan. Durasteel and Plastoid were most used, yet not every planet had the same resources.

For example, Tatooine: Pourstone is used to build houses, so they resist the harsh environment. Seruk Nine also has harsh environments, as Revan has already experienced them on hand. But this planet varies in its seasons. Avra had told him that the summer is as harsh as the winter, and that Fall and Spring are much milder. Revan keeps walking while strafing a hand across the outer wall of a house. Maybe the stones are made to resist both the cold and the heat, he isn’t entirely sure. Or maybe the planet lacks stronger resources. There is also a possibility that Seruk Nine has bad trade routes or none at all. Or maybe the Empire doesn’t care enough to make sure the people on here survive – when did the Empire care anyway about its people?

He shakes off his thoughts when his hand stops dragging along the stone wall. He crossed the entire village without finding anyone that could either repair his ship or give him a new one. This is slightly frustrating, but since the encounter with Avra he managed to keep his cool better. Revan stops walking for a moment. He clutches his head, feeling a sudden surge of pain flowing through it. He lets out a mando’a curse and lets his body slump against the wall next to him.

His knees are shaking, and he has trouble standing. He leans his body harder against the wall, trying his best to remain standing. He forgot. He forgot about his wounds almost entirely again. But… something is weird. Even though Avra’s provisionally treatment helped his wounds a bit, they were still present and hurt. But this pain… it feels… different… When the pain in his head suddenly intensified, a short grunt escapes his mouth, and he can’t help but slide down the wall until he is sitting in the snow on the ground.

“What… is this?”, he mutters to himself, pressing his fingers even harder against his head. No, this isn’t one of his wounds, it’s more. Something deeper. Something inside of his mind. Revan’s breath is ragged for a moment while he takes the pain in. For the moment, he closes his eyes and tries to focus again. He sees these flashing images in his mind again, just like he did during and after fighting Lord Vyron. He sees different people, different places. He hears the sound of lightsabers crashing against one another. He hears blaster shots, explosions, screams. What in the world is happening to him? Why does all of this feel so familiar, yet so foreign.

 Even though it’s really hard at first, he manages to reach out into the force. He uses it to concentrate on it. With a few deep breaths, his facial expression softens, and his shoulders sink slightly. The grip of the fingers on his head also relaxes and he slowly opens his eyes again. Whatever this sudden pain was, it’s slowly beginning to fade away. Revan’s little ‘meditation’ seemed to have helped him greatly. He remains sitting on the ground for another short moment before using the wall as help to stand back up. Once Revan is back on his feet, he takes a step forward to walk again. His eyes narrow under his hood and his stride is still confident as he makes his way through the narrow alleyway. Once he finds the right time and place, he will investigate this phenomenon. Ever since he escaped, he had these weird headaches and visions, this must mean something.

Up ahead, he sees a few people passing the alley and it looks much brighter as well. Revan slowly makes his way toward the lighter part of the town. The clouds in the sky pull by and reveal the sun. Despite the sun shining down now, it’s still rather cold, especially the wind. But it’s not as bad as when he walked through the snowy forest and the snowy plains.

After he managed to exit the alleyway, he found himself standing in a wide space. A lot more people walk around, children are running and playing in the snow, shopkeepers are calling to sell their goods and the entire space seems rather... festive. Or at least that’s what he makes of seeing fairy lights hanging down the houses and shops, as well as some other decorations, and small carts with warm food in them. Is there really a festival going on now? Revan looks around some more. Not every house has these decorations, neither do all the people look happy or excited if there is a festival.

Usually, people would celebrate and show their excitement during these, but he guesses that the common folk can’t be happy in the Empire. He is not trying to pigeonhole everyone in the Empire, but he knows how cruel the Empire can be. The Republic is no saint either, but their people mostly live a good life. But only the people in the Republic which are in the core worlds and some places in the mid-rim.

But the outer-rim is always forgotten and cast aside. Anyway, he must be in the core of the village – the marketplace. It’s not big either, which made looking for someone to sell him a ship, hard. He steps further into the center to continue his investigation. While keeping the hood over his head, he keeps an eye on his surrounding, as well as with the force. What’s bugging him the most is that there are no imperial troops like at the village gates. Why is that? You have a hard time getting inside of the village but once you’re there, everything is fine and seemingly with no control? This is odd. But when he hears a familiar voice, he immediately turns his head to his left, just to confirm that his hearing wasn’t damaged.

“Oh, come on, Trenk! I couldn’t bring you everything you asked for. The snowstorm- “, Revan indeed spots Avra. And she is talking to someone. A large man with a round belly, a mustache, and a bald head. He interrupted Avra before she could keep talking.

“Oh, stop it with the excuses! I don’t want to hear it!”, the man shouts at Avra after she tried to explain herself. Is this guy Avra’s employer? “I gave you three days!”, the man keeps his rant going while holding up three of his fingers to almost shove them into Avra’s face. Avra backed up.

“I tried Trenk! I really did!”, Revan observes how she still tries to explain herself. But when the man snarls at her another time, Avra even flinches.

“I do NOT CARE!”, the guy’s shouting and yelling begins to cause a scene as a few people turn towards them.

“But… but…”, Avra’s voice is quieter as she seems a bit worn down by the man’s continues shouting. “I… I couldn’t get you all, but still, some of it…”, she takes a deep breath and speaks up more steadily. “You still have to pay me for what I got you.”

The man stares quietly at Avra before suddenly grabbing her by her collar and pulling her off the ground. “Don’t you DARE to ask for money if you didn’t finish the job!”

The sudden grab makes Avra yelp. She grabs her employer’s wrist to hold on while she dangles on her tiptoes. Her eyes are wide and fearful as she stares up at him. The crowd around them just watches as bystanders while everything happens. No one is willing to help Avra, except…

Revan can’t just stand by and do nothing while Avra is being handled like this. Avra helped him, so, Revan will help her. He walks over to the man who’s holding Avra up with a confident and powerful stride. He gets close enough to grab the man’s arm and forcefully pushes him off Avra.

As a result, Avra loses balance and falls back on the hard ground. The man looks startled for a hot second before he pushes Revan away from him. “The kriff are you doing?!”, he clenches his teeth while anger and rage fills his eyes.

Revan doesn’t budge when the man pushes him away. His face is cold, cold as ice. He is much taller than Avra’s employer and even more dangerous if he wants to be. Yet, he decides to take a more civil approach.

“I am helping this young lady you wrongfully handled roughly.”, even though Revan’s voice is calm, the coldness never left him. “I only did what was right.”

“What was right?”, the man snaps at Revan harshly and pushes him a second time. “If you’re trying to play good citizen here, you should help me!”

Once again Revan doesn’t move away from his position after the employer pushed him again. Even though he treats Revan like this, he won’t attack the man back. He won’t allow himself to get down to his level, but neither will he let the man humiliate him.

“How I see it, is that this young lady works for you. I also observed that she said that while she couldn’t give you everything you asked for, she still got you a part of it. And you refused to pay her.”, Revan tells the man. “This doesn’t make you look like a good employer.”

The man scoffs before answering Revan with another snarl. “I do not care if I’m a bad employer.”, he takes a step closer to Revan, and shoves his face right under Revan’s. “I only care that the job is being done.”

Revan stares down at the man, his face showing no emotion. “Look at yourself. You attacked a young woman for doing her job. She went out in the cold during a snowstorm to get what you wanted.”, his voice is dominant and has a cold touch to it. “Yes, she did not complete your request fully, but I bet you wouldn’t have gone out of your warm and cozy house to do the job yourself.”

The man just stares at Revan with an angry glare. Avra on the other hand didn’t say a single word. She only stared at Revan with astonishment, but also slight worry. She wouldn’t want him to get hurt because of her. But Revan is as hard as a stone as he stands in front of Avra in a protective manner. “Pay her.”, Revan tells the man. The coldness lacing his voice even more.

“I shall not.”, the man tries to stand his ground against Revan, but he can’t help but feel slightly intimidated when Revan isn’t backing down. Revan can tell that the man isn’t used to people not immediately submitting to him, or even fight back.

“You shall.”, Revan leans even closer to the employer’s face, his warm breath hitting the man’s face. “Now.”

The man glances away to look down at Avra who is still sitting behind Revan, before returning his attention back to him. “Fine.”, he stuffs his hand behind his back into a pouch to retrieve a few credits. Some are bronze, some silver. With a dismissive, but aggressive motion, he throws the credits towards Avra, some even hit her face. “Take the money, you ungrateful child. But do not expect that will ever give you work again.”, the man spits on the ground before turning around and taking his leave.

Revan follows the man with his cold gaze before turning his attention to Avra. He sees how she’s still on the ground, collecting the credits which lie in close proximity to her. The people around them have stopped whispering and are returning to do their own business. Revan gets down on one knee to help Avra collect the credits. He picks a few of them up and holds his hand open for Avra to take them. “Here…”, his voice is no longer cold, but has a sympathetic touch to it.

Avra nods silently and takes the credits out of Revan’s open hand to put them into the pockets of her jacket. Before she gets back up though, Revan lays a comforting hand on Avra’s shoulder. “Are you alright, young one?”, he asks her softly, while staring into her eyes. Avra takes a deep breath but avoids eye contact. “Yes. I am fine, thank you…”, she whispers.

Revan takes hold of her arm to help her up, and lets it go once she is back on her feet. He looks down on her, his eyes showing slight concern. “Come. Let’s not stay here any longer. How about we go to a quiet place?”

Avra wanted to decline his request, she does not want to bother him too much, but her feelings give in because she could really use some comfort now.

“Yes... we can go to my place – it’s pretty quiet there.”, Avra begins to walk in a random direction without saying another word. Revan quietly follows her when Avra began to lead the way.

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The sun is slowly setting, the clouds are casting shadows onto the village. Revan and Avra both sit on a low wall as they overlook the small village on top of a hill. They’re at Avra’s place now, after Revan suggested finding a quiet place for them. Weirdly enough, Avra’s home is not directly located in the village since it’s not inside of the walls. It’s on a small hill close to it though. The property is surrounded by a low wall – not even a meter high – and there is a single house inside of it. If the time is right, Avra might tell him more about all of this, but right now he is discussing the situation with this Trenk guy.

“So, this man Trenk, is your boss.”, Revan begins to summarize what happened earlier after Avra explained it to him. “And he gives you a list of… materials to collect outside of the walls, so you can earn your money. But today you couldn’t collect all of it, which made him refuse to pay you?”

Avra’s shoulders as well as her head hang low while she holds her left hand nervously in her right one. She sighs quietly and gives him a short nod. “Yes, that’s pretty much it.”, she lets her feet dangle in the air for a moment before continuing. “And I know that it is my fault. I didn’t complete the assignment, so therefore I shouldn’t have gotten any money, but…”, Avra holds back to continue her sentence for some reason.

Revan sees right through her, and he decides to complete her sentence for her. He is not a fan of denying one's true feelings. You only lie to others and to yourself.

“But you thought that your efforts deserved to be paid because you risk your life every time you do one of these assignments?”, he says calmly with a tilt of his head as he awaits her response. Avra just grows more and more nervous, which can be easily recognized by the way she fidgets with her fingers. “Yes…”, her voice is only a whisper now, but it’s still loud enough for Revan to hear.

“I know what you want to say…”, Avra sighs again, and she closes her eyes for a moment. “But it was our agreement. I shouldn’t have gotten paid. And now he won’t pay me ever again.”

Revan can’t help but feel a tinge of guilt strike him, but he quickly shakes this feeling off. “I know. I apologize for interfering with your business, but I saw how no one tried to help you out when you were attacked by your employer. Even though it was your money source, I bet with my life that you weren’t working under good conditions. Such an act wasn’t the first, no?”

Revan read Avra’s mind, memories, and emotions as if she was an open book. A sense of understanding shows in his eyes when he sees her full of sorrow. “It’s better this way. I shouldn’t be the one to give advice, since I’m not familiar with this planet and its culture, but I can speak from experience that it’s better to let go before it’s too late.”, his eyes never left her face. He wants Avra to know that he is being genuine here with her.

“You’re probably right…”, Avra replies to him. “He wasn’t the best employer – working under him was a nightmare, but… I was good at it. Good at finding what he needed, what he would give me money for.”, Avra sighs softly before turning her head to the right to look at Revan. “Thank you…”, she says while a subtle smile forms on her lips.

“You are welcome, Avra.”, Revan nodded once, but there has been a question on his mind since he saw Avra talk to her ex-employer. “Where is your pet? The white-furred animal I mean.”

Avra stares at him for a moment, her smile slowly disappears.

“Oh, you mean Naga?”, she looks over her shoulder to the house behind them. “After we entered the village, I got her something to eat, and after that I sent her home.”

“So, she… didn’t accompany you the whole time?”, Revan asks her curiously. “I got the impression that you two were inseparable.”

“Usually, yes, I take her everywhere with me. But when I go to Trenk, I go on my own.”, Avra looks towards the village again. “Trenk hates Naga more than the soldiers at the gates do, and Naga hates him too. She hates him so much, that she bit him once, after, well… he was rather rough with me again.”, before she continues, she stares down to her feet which still dangle in the air. “Trenk shot Naga in her left shoulder…”, her voice is almost only a whisper now. It seems like a sensitive topic for her – understandably so. Revan listens to her while his face remains calm. Trenk already seemed like a douche, but this only laid even more wood into the burning furnace. “I’m sorry to hear that, is she better now?”

“Well, the wound is definitely better than before, but I’m still worried that it will get worse again. I try not to burden her too much with carrying me and the bags around.”, Avra is obviously worried about her companion’s well-being. “Me aside for now, I can’t help but ask: How did you get in? Into the village I mean. The soldiers denied you entry since you do not own an ID-Card, but you still got in?”

Revan had already waited for her to ask him this question. A small but triumphant smirk dances on his lips while he readies himself to answer her question. “Frankly said, I overcame bigger challenges in the past than entering a village that isn’t even properly guarded.”

“Not even properly guarded? That’s a bit dramatic to say.”, Avra seems amused judging by her tone of voice. “I’d say it is guarded quite a bit.”

“Then how did I get in?”, Revan cannot hold back a proper smirk, he tries to lighten the mood by teasing Avra, but not to some extent it would be classified as rude. “No ID-Card, as you said before.”, Revan sees Avra open her mouth, but before she speaks, he adds: “And no, I didn’t kill or hurt the troopers guarding the gates.”, Revan sees her pause and close her mouth again. He knew she’d ask him that.

“Then… how else did you get in?”

“I jumped over the wall.”

.

.

“You jumped over the wall?”, Avra repeats his statement with disbelief, but then she nods twice and looks away again. “Right, you know some jedi ways, and I guess jumping high counts as that.”

“So, for you being a Jedi is to jump very high and clear their obstacles that way?”, Revan jokes at her view of the Jedi, but something tells him that she knows more than she lets on.

“No- I don’t mean…”, Avra stops herself from speaking more. She pauses to collect herself before she speaks even more nonsense. “What I tried to say is, that Jedi can jump high with their powers, but it doesn't make them who they are.”

“You know, you know a lot about the Jedi and how they might be.”, Revan lays his head to the left and examines her face more closely. Since Avra admitted that she knew more about the Jedi than the common person, and that she can even use the force to a certain extent, made him even more curious.

“Yeah... we already talked about that when we hid from the snowstorm in the shelter-cave.”, she answers him with a sigh. Avra knows that Revan is oddly curious about her, and she can’t blame him for that. “And I know you want to know why and how this is all possible, rightfully so.”, she takes a deep breath and continues. “I’m not sure how much I can tell you… but you can believe that I’m no Jedi or Sith. We have established that before.”

“Yes, I know, and I believe you.”, without Avra noticing, he scanned her mind with the force, but just subtle and without going too far. He worries that she would have noticed otherwise. “It’s just rare to see that you can use the force. Don’t get me wrong, the force resides in all living beings, even in animals, and plants. But only a selected few are able to utilize it, and then only with enough training and discipline.”

The longer they talk, the more the sun sinks in the sky. Due to it being winter, the days feel shorter. The first streetlights begin to light up in the village below. While the silence hangs a little longer, the wind blows slightly harder. It whips Avra’s and Revan’s hair to the side, but not as crazy as during the snowstorm.

“I’m no pro like the Jedi or Sith, neither can I control it.”, finally Avra begins to tell him more, even if she feels slightly pressured to do so. Or maybe she needed to get this off her chest. “It’s like an impulse, a consequence rather than a purposeful effect.”

Revan has heard of such events before. But those happened to very young children who were later enrolled in the Jedi ways to become guardians of peace – He never would catch himself speaking those words seriously, but this is the easiest way to explain what happens to force-sensitive children. Or the Sith would get their hands on them. If no one found out about their abilities, this impulse as Avra calls it, would simply vanish and be forgotten once the children grow older, only leaving a distant memory of this sensation. Such events can happen to adults as well, but it’s not as common.

“But the fact that you are aware of this impulse, shows that there is more. You claim to have no teacher, yet I feel that your knowledge and skill were built up, even if only to a tiny extent.”, Revan argues as he digs further for information. “I know, I have said that I didn’t want to pressure you into telling me anything about you, but you have piqued my curiosity. And it’s hard for me to move past it.”, he carefully lays his left hand back on her shoulder, trying to encourage her to go on, while also trying to appear trustworthy and harmless. When Avra feels his hand on her shoulder, she feels a sense of calm washing over her, her mind clearing up, her body relaxing.

“No, you are right.”, she says with a soft sigh. “These skills and this knowledge didn’t come by just because – I did have someone teach me a few things – but not as much as you’d think.”, even though she appears to be calmer, her speech quickens the more she speaks. But Revan lets her talk without interrupting. “I hardly know anything. There was someone who wanted to teach me more – so much more.”

Revan feels her emotions easily through the force. Sadness, regret, even anger. “You were supposed to be a Jedi.”, Revan gives her a gentle squeeze on her shoulder, he knows this topic hits her hard. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked so much, but he needed to know.

“Yeah…”, Avra chuckles quickly. But it wasn’t a chuckle to express happiness or amusement. “Supposed to is the correct term to describe my situation.”, Avra’s voice breaks slight, as if she’s about to cry. It seems like Revan dug up something that was buried for a long time – too long of a time.

“But how come you were denied this destiny?”, he asks her while his hand remains on her shoulder for more comfort. It takes Avra a moment to continue, but she eventually does so.

“I’m not so sure either, I was… just a little kid, I don’t remember much of it.”, she begins. “A Jedi came to visit Seruk Nine… I’m not sure why, but he was here. That was during the time the empire didn’t have control over it. He saw… something in me. He even brought me to a… different planet to teach me more. I should have become a Jedi. I even trained to be one. But… a few other Jedi concluded that I shouldn’t be taught, yet I have no idea why.”, she finishes with a sigh.

That’s odd. Very odd, especially with how vague she’s being with her explanation. Other jedi concluded that I shouldn’t be taught, possibly the Jedi council? But why would they deny a force-sensitive child training? She was young enough to learn, to live the ways of the Jedi, to follow the Jedi code. Odd, this is so odd. Yet it’s interesting at the same time. “I see. I apologize for asking so much, this topic doesn’t come as lightly to you as I thought it would.”

At his quick apology, Avra shakes her head gently. “Don’t apologize. Even though I didn’t want to tell you at first, it felt good to just… let it out, you know? I never told anyone this before.”, a soft but sad smile forms on her lips. “But I shouldn’t be all too sad about it, it happened so long ago.”

To reassure her, Revan squeezes her shoulder lightly again. “It is not wise to linger on the past too much, but it would be foolish to deny what had happened. You would only deny a part of yourself. Whether it was positive or not, it shaped you into who you are now. Change and acceptance are important, but never forget what made you, you.”

Revan once again takes on the roll as a ‘teacher’. This seems to inspire Avra and even give her a sense of comfort. The sadness her smile carried fades away and it becomes genuine. She speaks up again, her voice much calmer. “Thank you, Revan.”

“There is no need to thank me, Avra, I’m only sharing wisdom from my past.”

They remain like this until the sun has completely vanished and the moon was rising slowly. The silence hangs for another minute but eventually Avra speaks again. “Do you… have a place to stay for the night?”, her question catches Revan off-guard, since he didn’t think of shelter for the moment. He looks up into the night sky, and then he answers her. “Ah, no, I have not. But I will find something. I don’t plan on staying too long here anyway.”

“And… how about I give you a place to stay at?”, at her genuine question, Revan raises an eyebrow as he continues to look up into the sky. He slowly lowers his gaze back down to her.

“You know… you helped me a lot today. You protected me from Trenk, and you comforted me. It’s the least I could do. And I bet your injuries haven’t healed yet either, I bet you could use some proper rest.”, she says this with a warm smile. It’s really been quite a long time since Revan had met a kind person. But she is right. He hasn’t slept in a proper bed for… such a long time. And he really could use some refreshing and relaxing sleep.

“I’m not opposed to your offer, but I must ask: Would this really be alright? I don’t want to be a nuisance to you or your family. Would your parents approve of it?”, Revan asks her. Well, he’d assume she has parents or at least someone who is looking after her. The property she lives on is quite big and he doubts, due to the job she is working, that she has a lot of money herself to afford this.

“Oh, this won’t be a problem.”, she says with a shake of her head. “My parents aren’t around right now. So, there is no one to deny you to stay.”

Oh.

Not around right now could mean a lot of things. The worst-case scenario would be that her parents are dead, which would be a shame. Avra sees his expression and chuckles quietly.

“Don’t worry. Everything is alright. Yes, I am on my own currently, but it’s not because of, you know…”, she laughs again but continues. “My… father is working a lot. He is traveling around the galaxy so he can earn money for us. My… mother on the other hand. Well, she hasn’t been feeling quite well for years. But, before the empire set foot on Seruk Nine, she had the chance to get treatment off-planet, and I told her to take this chance.”, Avra explains to him with another smile. “You must ask yourself why I didn’t come with her… well; my mother has a certain connection with this planet – it’s her home. And I told her that I’d stay to take care of the house and our family’s legacy until she returns. But ever since the empire came, things became tough. Now, I wish to leave, to reconnect with my mother. I just want to see her again, even for just a moment, and maybe, maybe then I’d regain the motivation to continue.”

That was quite a speech, Revan thinks. It surprised him how quickly Avra told him about her relationship with her family. Maybe it was too quick. But Revan decides to give her the benefit of doubt. “Then I’ll gladly accept your offer.”

Avra’s eyes light up and her smile widens. “Alright, follow my lead!”

And with that, Avra led Revan to her house. The house looks big from the outside already. A blast door functions as the entrance while a few windows decorate the outsides. Revan can tell from the material the house was built with that it’s somewhat more modern than the houses in the village. Avra presses down a few buttons on a keypad on the right side of the blast door. With a hiss, the door moves upwards, vanishing into the ceiling above. Avra gestures for Revan to enter, which he does with a slight nod of his head. Once both are inside, the door closes automatically behind them. The warmth hits Revan’s face in such a comforting way that he exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding. At the first glance, the house looks pretty normal. To his left is the living area with a single couch and a holo-communication station, along with a few shelves, cupboards, and even a fireplace. On his right is a set of stairs leading up to another floor. “Pretty spacious.”, Revan comments while taking in his surroundings.

“Yeah. It was meant to fit a lot of people.”, Avra says calmly while removing her jacket, boots, and gloves. “It was a tradition that every person of our family tree lives here until they’re old enough to move out and be independent. Some people never moved out, just like my mother, until well… she had to get treatment.”

“I see…”, Revan answers her while removing his damaged cape. It definitely has seen better days with all those holes and burn marks. “Can I hang it somewhere to dry?”

With a dismissive wave of her hand, Avra gestures Revan to hang his cape next to the fireplace to dry. Revan gives her a subtle nod and walks over to the fireplace. There are three small hooks embedded into the wall. He carefully hangs the cape on the hook to the far left to dry.

He turns back around to Avra who had thrown herself onto the couch after hanging her wet jacket and gloves on a different stand. Revan watches her with a surprised expression for a moment, not moving away from the fireplace, since it’s keeping him warm, and because he has no idea what to do now. But soon, Avra sits up and offers him a friendly smile. “Oh, right.”, she stands up and gestures him to follow her. “I almost forgot about you there, I’m sorry.”

Revan shakes his head and follows shortly after her. “It’s nothing.”

Avra leads him to another blast door. She presses a button to open it. “You can stay here.”, she gestures Revan to enter, and so he does. “It was my room when I was younger, but I have moved up-stairs.”, she chuckles quietly and moves her hand in a half-circle in front of her. “Don’t worry, it hasn’t been used in a while. It may be dusty, but it’s not dirty.”

The room contains a bed, a desk along with a chair, a wardrobe, and other shelves. Also, a window to bring light inside. Revan notes the different furniture before looking back at Avra with a neutral expression. “It will definitely serve its purpose; you have my thanks.”

Avra offers him another smile. “You helped me, and I help you.”

Silence hangs in the air for a moment before Avra speaks up again. “How about… you… make yourself comfortable while I get… us something to eat?”

Oh yeah, food would definitely be very nice. He doesn’t remember the last time he ate.

Revan agrees and Avra leaves shortly after, leaving him alone in the bedroom. He walks over to the desk, examining it more thoroughly. The only thing of importance is a tiny holo-projector. Revan watches it carefully for a moment before his curiosity gets the better of him. He presses the small red button on the flat sphere to turn it on. The holo flashes and buzzes before the image finally stabilizes. It’s a… family photo. Or at least he figures so. There’s a man, a woman, and a little child in the holo-photo in front of him, where the woman holds the child close to herself. The three people look happy, but… something in Revan flickers.

His eyes narrow, studying the family in the holo-photo. If photos could have a bad vibe, this would be it. He feels through the force, yes on a photo, that something feels weird. He could almost feel the false facade radiate off the family. Since he met Avra, he felt that there was always more to everything, yet he can't explain why. After Revan’s thoughts linger longer on the photo, he presses the red button again to turn it off. He backs away from the desk and directs his attention back to the blast door.

.

.

.

Time passed rather quickly. The darkness took over the planet fully, leaving no light except for the one that radiates off the moon. Just like Avra had promised, she prepares something to eat for them. It wasn't anything big since only the two of them, but he wouldn’t be the one turning down some food. All the events he had experienced in the past days repressed his sense of hunger and thirst. But after he had settled and his body had calmed down, the rest of his feelings had returned. During their meal he even saw Naga again. He tries to refer to her with her name than simply calling her creature or pet, for Avra's sake.

Revan and Avra had another conversation during their meal. It felt genuinely like a good time - he hadn’t experienced this in such a long time. And even though he had enjoyed himself for the moment, he couldn't shake off his worrying feelings. As much as he wanted to stay and enjoy his time here, he had a mission to complete. The Galaxy holds a bigger purpose for him.

But his mind still feels rather fuzzy. Pieces of his memories are missing while some others are clear as day. Not a first, eh?

Revan is back in the room Avra led him to. He's sitting on the bed with his legs crossed in a cross-legged position. His eyes are closed, and his body relaxed. He can't ignore the feeling that all of this wasn't just coincidence. Stranding on this weird planet, meeting Avra. The force led him here for a reason - this much he knows. His meditation continues for a long while, his thoughts linger on many different topics and scenarios.

Lord Vyron. The crash. His mask. This planet. Bastila. His nightmare. His torture. Vitiate. Avra. The town. His connection to the force. His missing memories. The golden light he felt radiating off Avra.

His heartbeat suddenly quickened when he felt something attack his mind. His meditation stops abruptly, and he clutches his head again.

"Not... again..." Revan hisses and presses his fingers hard against his head. He keeps his eyes closed after uttering a pained groan. What is happening to him? Why is he experiencing these weird headaches?

And then it happens again. Flashing images appear before his every eyes. He sees lightsabers, people, machines, star ships, a snowy forest, a dark cave, a temple, and... something else: a small circular object levitating on top of a podium, glowing gold.

He had never seen these places or people before. And the golden light that radiates off the object makes him both curious and confused, until Avra re-appears. What has she got to do with this? The images continue, repeat again and again, until he sees the shuttle he crashed in the forest. He sees the smoke. And... he sees his mask. After he saw his mask, his eyes shot open, and he clutched his chest. His breath is ragged, and his forehead covered with sweat. It takes a moment to calm himself from this weird trip. This was a vision. The force is trying to show him something. His mission isn't over yet. He has to find the place he saw in his mind; he just has to.

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 7 – Buckle Up

“The force can be a gateway to many abilities, connections, and even life itself. Use that knowledge.”, Revan speaks to Avra as they both sit at the table in the kitchen across from each other. “Put your entire focus on the cup. Connect with it. Feel the force swirling around it. Reach out into the force and lift it.” 

It’s the next morning. Revan slept in the room Avra showed him the night she invited him to her house. His sleep was relaxing and exhausting at the same time. He had the same nightmare he had when he was unconscious inside the cave after he defeated Lord Vyron. But this time he was able to move his entire head. Revan isn’t sure if that’s a good or bad sign. He’s still confused about that. After he woke up Avra had offered him some breakfast, and of course, he accepted. It wasn’t a feast, but it was good regardless. Some frozen fruits, hand-made bread, and a type of juice he has never had before. But it tasted fine. He cherishes Avra’s hospitality. He would have made it without her – except for the fact he almost froze to death – but her kindness made his life, as well as his recovery, easier. Revan changed the bandages on his body and applied a salve Avra gave him. It eased his pain and made sure his injuries wouldn’t cause an infection. During their breakfast, he saw Naga, Avra’s companion, again. She is still rather cautious and shy around Revan, but she is at least not aggressive towards him.

After breakfast, Revan had asked Avra to demonstrate her use in the force, since he had been interested in it the very first time she used it on him. Avra agreed, even though she was rather pessimistic. They started with something small, yet raw. Revan asked her to lift an empty cup with her mind. With the force of course. They have tried for an hour now. Revan can’t help but notice how strained and concentrated Avra looked the entire time. Her eyes are tightly shut. A deep frown is visible on her face and her lips are pressed together hard. Avra’s hand is outstretched towards the cup on the table, which is mere inches away from her hand. Revan didn’t give her any real instructions – he just told her to do it. He wanted to observe how much she could do on her own. But since the cup hadn’t moved an inch, she became more and more frustrated with the minute.

“It’s not working.”, Avra speaks up with a tired yet annoyed sigh. She opens her eyes and lowers her arm back down to her lap. “I told you… it doesn’t work like that…”, she’s disappointed at herself for failing such a small task. But she knew that it wouldn’t work anyway. 

“It’s alright, Avra. It’s not as easy as you think it may be.”, Revan tries to reassure her, he knows how much it hits her. “The force isn’t something you turn on and off whenever you like it – you must be connected to it.”

“Yes, I know… it’s just…”, she sighs, stopping herself from continuing. She lowers her gaze back down to the table. Naga, who had been watching with intense anticipation how Avra tried her best to lift the cup, nudged her side with her snout. Naga whines, showing both sadness and understanding to her owner. Naga seems connected to Avra on a level where Avra’s emotions influence her own. “I’m alright, girl.”, Avra gently scratches the places behind Naga’s ear. “I’m just… a bit worn out, nothing to worry about.”, Avra tries to reassure her companion that everything is alright. But Naga just continues to nudge her snout against Avra’s side, which makes Avra smile with sympathy, but also sadness.

Revan begins to continue the sentence Avra never finished. “It’s just that you know that you should be able to do it… but you can’t, right?”, this makes Avra look back at Revan with a slightly saddened look. “Yeah… exactly that…”

“And I know – I feel that you have a connection to the force… but it also feels… locked. As if you need to use a key to open up to use its power.”, Revan stares at Avra’s face intently, looking deeply into her eyes. He’s scanning her. Her mind, her thoughts, her connection to the force. He didn’t lie to her – he really felt something. Something that’s deeply locked inside of her. “As I said earlier, I can try and help you regain this connection, but it’s not going to be easy.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”, Avra takes the cup she failed to lift with the force into her hand and looks at it. “But… once I’m able to use it again… then what? I have no teacher, and I doubt that the Jedi will make me one of their own. And… yeah, the Sith are no option either.”

“Why limit yourself to just these two forces?”, Revan asks her with a tilt of his head. At the latest after the Jedi-civil-war, he had declared that limiting yourself to only one faction of the force without understanding the other as foolish. There’s just so much lost knowledge if the individual decides to limit themselves. Many, many years ago he had tried to explain that to the Jedi council, but they forbid his teachings. He regrets that he stopped fighting for his teaching, but he was just… tired. Revan had fought in two wars during that time. Not to mention the mind-wiping and identity crisis that came with it. He didn’t have the strength to fight a verbal war with the Jedi council. He had to focus on himself, his life, and his friends – there was just a lot to unpack. But maybe… he’d have a chance now. Even if it’s just for a short moment. Revan could lead Avra down his path – the right path. But he won’t force her to do anything, he just wants to give her an idea of how much she could actually learn if she didn’t see the force as light and dark, but as a whole. Assuming she knows that two ‘sides’ exist.

But regardless of how much he’d say that one could achieve balance between the dark side and the light side of the force, he knows that such is not possible. At least not to a certain extent. If you see the force as a whole, without dividing it into light and dark, you’d still find yourself slowly ‘corrupt’ and change if you dive too deeply into it. He had experienced that himself. When he fought the republic as a Sith or dark Jedi, he felt his mind and body change due to the excessive use of the dark side. But he doesn’t regret it. Revan had already used the dark side during the Mandalorian wars after he found ancient Sith teachings on Malachor V. It helped him greatly during his battles. It made him stronger, and more powerful. That’s something the Jedi may never understand. And the Sith… oh, the Sith. They practically destroy themselves with how deep they dive into the Force. And that’s why both the Jedi and Sith are flawed in their ways. 

“Uhm, well…”, Avra speaks up after his question. It caught her off-guard that he would ever ask her that. “But… isn’t there only the Jedi and the Sith?”

Revan chuckles lightly at her innocence. “Then what are you? You can use the Force, and you’re neither Jedi nor Sith, just as you stated yesterday.”

“To teach, I mean.”, Avra quickly adds. “Who is there to teach someone about the Force if not the Jedi or Sith?”, her question seems genuine at least. 

“I could teach someone the ways of the Force, and I’m neither Jedi nor Sith.”, Revan replies with a confident smirk and leans back into his chair while also crossing his arms gently.

“Well…”, he got Avra there, that’s for sure. “Then I bet you’re not as strong as a fully trained Jedi or Sith.”, when Revan raises an eyebrow at Avra, she quickly tries to explain herself. “I… I didn’t mean to insult you or anything. I just-“, she pauses again to lower her gaze down on the table. “I just can’t wrap my head around all this. How can you be so strong, if you weren’t taught by either a Jedi or a Sith?”

“I never said that.”, Revan argues back, but he didn’t seem angry or offended by Avra’s words. How could he anyway? She’s learning. And when you’re learning, you’re obviously doubting a lot and have lots of questions. “I never said that someone didn’t teach me. I received some form of training, just as you did. A lot was also self-taught. It was just something… no one could teach me enough.”, he explains to her.

“So… you are a Jedi or a Sith?”, Avra is genuinely confused by his words, which makes Revan chuckle again.

“No, I’m just Revan; the same way as you are just Avra. We’re both individuals who were taught by Jedi but walk now our own paths. Whether it was intentional or not.”

“Yeah, I guess…”, Avra looks back up to Revan with a small smile. “You did say that you knew some of their ways – the Jedi ways I mean.”

Revan knows a lot more than just the ways of the Jedi. He knows ‘the Sith ways’ too. But he doesn’t follow them at all – he just does what he feels is right. But Revan figures that it’s not the right time to tell her that he was a Sith once. She would freak out, maybe even hate him. Avra did say that the Sith are ‘scary’, and that she doesn’t like them. If they’re still together and well, there will be a time to tell her more about him, but definitely not now.

“How about we take a break? You did try for a long time now.”, Revan suggests.

Avra’s eyes light up and she nods quickly. “Yeah, that would be nice.”, she stands up from her chair. “How about I make us some Chandrilan tea, and we go out for a bit?”

“Chandrilan tea?”, Revan’s ears perk up when she mentions a type of tea. “What’s that?”

“It’s a local tea from Alderaan!”, Avra calls out happily. “My father used to bring my mother and me a lot when he had some business there. And of course, before the Empire settled here. Not only tea, but also some other specialities!”, she explains further. “So, are you interested?”

“I am.”, he answers her. He’s very interested in trying Chandrilan tea; he never had it before.

.

.

.

After Avra prepared the tea and poured it into two cups, she and Revan left the house along with Naga. While Revan leans against the wall, enjoying his Chandrilan tea, Avra plays with Naga. They’re running around, and Naga is catching a ball which Avra keeps throwing repeatedly. It’s a refreshing sight, to say the least. Revan’s expression softens slightly when he keeps watching them. But… it soon stiffens again when he feels yet another sudden pain in his head. With a grunt, he stumbles further against the wall, clutching his head another time, dropping his cup in the process. 

While Avra doesn’t notice anything yet, Naga stops in her movement and turns towards Revan with a loud bark. Avra is clearly surprised by that. “What’s wrong, girl?”, she kneels to Naga’s level. “What’s wrong?-“, but with another sudden bark, Naga quickly rushes over to Revan while the snow crunches underneath her feet. Avra follows Naga with her gaze when suddenly her eyes widen in shock. She observes how Revan slid down the wall, now sitting on the ground, clutching his head in clear pain. Avra immediately stands up and rushes to him after Naga. “Revan!”

Revan remains seated on the ground, digging his fingers deeper into his skull. Naga is the first one to arrive. She barks at Revan once she’s right next to him. When this doesn’t get his attention, she nudges her snout against his arm a few times, rather aggressively though. Naga’s concern is evident as she keeps nudging Revan’s body with her most vulnerable body part. This shows that Naga cares for Revan somewhat, even if she’s still wary of him. Her bark sounds almost desperate when there’s still no reaction coming from Revan. Finally, Avra arrives next to Revan, kneeling immediately down to his level. “Revan!”, she calls out with clear worry. “Revan! Can you hear me?”

.

.

It hurts. It was never so intense. Why does this keep happening? Why is he experiencing so many intense headaches? He hears a faint voice calling out his name. A voice which sounds familiar to him. Too familiar.

“Revan, Revan, Revan…”, the voice keeps saying his name repeatedly. But Revan cannot bring himself to open his eyes, the pain is just too great. But when something connects to his gloved hands suddenly, his eyes shoot open. He quickly looks up to see… a blue… Twi’lek kneeling in front of him. It’s a woman judging by the way her lekkus fall back. She’s holding his hands with her ones. “Revan…”, she says again. The longer she says his name, the blurrier she becomes until he finally recognizes who she is: “Mission?”, he asks carefully, the pain in his head slowly subsiding. But when his eyes focus again, he no longer sees his old Twi’lek friend in front of him, but Avra. Another hallucination? Another trick played by his mind?

“Revan? Can you hear me?”, Avra’s soft voice is lacing with worry.

Revan needs a moment to answer her, but he does so with a quick nod while Avra’s hands remain on his.

.

.

.

“So, you experience headaches – really strong headaches – since you crashed on Seruk Nine?”, Avra asks Revan. After Reva’s headache had settled, both decided to return to the village to look around and clear their minds. Though Revan still had to sneak his way in, that was no problem for him. The only problems he has are these weird headaches and visions he gets.

“Yes…”, Revan answers her. “But it’s not only that. As crazy as it might sound, I… also see something all the time, as well as hear sounds. People, places, sounds of war, everything. It’s been quite overwhelming recently, yet I have no idea where the pain stems from.”, it’s clear that he is frustrated by this. He wants answers. Now. 

“So… a nightmare but while you’re awake?”, Avra keeps walking beside him. Naga is on Revan’s other side, occasionally nudging her snout against his hand.

“It’s… not always negative, but it’s a way to describe this phenomenon.”, Revan agrees. “A nightmare while I’m awake.”

The three continue their walk through the town while a long but somewhat comfortable silence settles between them. Revan is still thinking about his headaches – something doesn’t feel right about them. The force is trying to tell him something, something he cannot see yet. Yet, he can’t understand why it would show him images of his old companions. First Bastila and now Mission. Maybe he should start a checklist with people from his past that might show up next in his visions. He smiles to himself at his little joke, until he speaks up again.

“Ah, Avra.”, Revan begins again. “I need to ask: Is there anywhere a shop… or similar where I could find spare parts to repair my ship? Or… even get me a new one?” 

“Oh. Good question actually.”, Avra stops walking and places her right fist under her chin, thinking about Revan’s question. “I know someone who sells some parts, and she’s even a mechanic herself, but I'm not sure if she can offer lots of needed parts for shuttles, mhhh...”, she states.

“Well, I have to give it a shot.”, the determination in his tone is evident. He has a goal, and he will achieve it. 

“You’re right, there’s nothing wrong with trying.”, Avra agrees with him. They continue their little chat while Avra leads Revan to the mechanic she suggested earlier. It’s actually right at the marketplace. It’s a small shop. While Naga waits outside, lying down on the ground to take a short nap, Revan and Avra enter.

.

.

“I told you many times that I do not sell commlinks, Fre’shka!”, the dark-skinned woman who was standing behind a counter accompanied by three DUM-Droids who seemed to almost argue louder with the Ithorian, than the mechanic herself, said rather annoyed.

The Ithorian continues to argue with the mechanic as if he insists on getting what he needs. 

“Fre’shka, for the 100th time: I. Do. Not. Sell. Commlinks.”, the mechanic states, the annoyance clearly palpable in her tone. The Ithorian tries to gesture with his hands towards a shelf behind a counter, still speaking in Ithorian about whatever he wants. The mechanic doesn’t even notice him pointing behind her, as she rubbed her eyes with her thumb and pointer finger with clear irritation.

“I believe that our Ithorian gentleman isn’t looking for a commlink, Miss.”, Revan takes the initiative. He walks toward the counter to stand right next to the Ithorian. 

“And who might you be?”, the mechanic removes her fingers from her eyes to look at Revan. “Browneyes?”, she doesn’t seem to appreciate Revan's interference, but there is a faint glimmer of hope in the woman’s eyes.

“The name is Revan.”, Revan bows slightly shortly after and gives the mechanic a charismatic smile. “But browneyes doesn’t sound bad either.”, he’s clearly teasing her, probably to lighten the mood, which seems to work exactly as he had planned.

“Oh? Is that so?”, the mechanic replies with a subtle smirk as she leans her elbows on the counter, narrowing her eyes to take a closer look at Revan. Meanwhile, Avra is just observing the scene unfolding in front of her, probably enjoying the show. “You seem to understand my customer better than me, eh?” 

Revan chuckles at her comment lightly. “I have mastered many different languages in my life, so, yes. I do understand him. And probably even better than you do.”, the playfulness doesn’t leave his voice as he speaks to the mechanic. 

“Well, would you then be so kind and explain to me why he…”, the mechanic turns back to the Ithorian with an annoyed expression. As soon as the mechanic turned back to the Ithorian, he immediately began to argue with her while also widely gesturing around with his hands, especially to point at the counter. The mechanic rolls her eyes and sighs. The three little DUM-Droids begin to jump around as the situation grows tenser with the second. One of them even swings his tiny arms around, as if he wants to fight the alien creature in front of him.

Revan answers with a quick chuckle. “Alright, before this situation escalates further, I shall be your translator. Our little friend here isn’t looking for a commlink, but a filter for his energy generator.”, and as soon as Revan translated the Ithorian’s wishes correctly, the Ithorian nodded quickly while also making audible sounds in his language to indicate, that Revan was right. He even takes Revan’s right hand into his own two ones and shakes it. Revan can’t help but answer with an amused expression at the extreme thanks the alien shows to him, but he doesn’t resist this gesture. Shortly after the Ithorian lets go of Reva’s hand he points, once again, towards the shelf behind the counter. 

The mechanic turns her entire body around to look at the shelf. “Oh, yes! A filter for an energy generator!”, she says rather dramatically before retrieving the small device and placing it on the counter in front of her. Once again, the Ithorian nodded happily while also pointing at the circular device which was now right there for him to reach. 

“Yes, of course I have those!”, the mechanic calls out, her tone still dramatic. “Why didn’t you say so before???”

.

.

.

Silence.

.

.

.

For a moment everyone stays still, and no one utters a single word while the mechanic looks at the Ithorian with an expectant look on her face. 

Slowly, the Ithorian looks to Revan, then even at Avra, all while remaining silent. He looks back to the mechanic and the silence is only broken because Avra couldn’t hold back a quiet giggle. And immediately after that the Ithorian begins to argue again. 

“What do you mean by ‘you said that already’?”, the mechanic snaps back with a both surprised and irritated tone. Avra and Revan exchange a quick glance, trying to hold back their smiles and giggles, while the Ithorian continues his rant.

“A discount???”, the mechanic exclaims with disbelief. “Don’t you dare demand a discount! I should rather have you pay more for how much of my time you wasted!” 

Avra nudges Revan with her elbow lightly to get his attention. “Hey, I wasn’t aware you could speak Ithorian.”, Avra speaks softly so the Ithorian and mechanic wouldn’t turn their attention towards them.

“Ithorese.”, Revan corrects her. “And yes, I do speak it. It’s really handy to know a couple of languages when travelling the galaxy.”, Revan replies with a subtle, but proud smirk. He felt great that he could use his knowledge every now and then, it even made him a little nostalgic.

Before they know it, the Ithorian storms out of the shop with his filter. “See you hopefully with a translator implant next time, Fre’shka!”, the mechanic calls after him. And as soon as the door closes, she sits back down in her chair with a tired sigh. After the DUM-Droids have finished mocking the Ithorian, they settle back down. “Hey! Don’t just stand there!”, the mechanic calls out. “Back to work, or I’ll disassemble every single one of you.”, this makes the DUM-Droids jump and run into each other while they try to find work in their panicked state. The mechanic pinches the spot between her eyebrows. “Droids…”, she curses under her breath.

“Hey Pharren!”, Avra perks up and walks closer to the counter, looking at the mechanic with a kind smile. Revan remains standing where he is until Avra introduces them properly.

“Hey, kid.”, the mechanic with the name Pharren looks back up and returns the smile Avra gave her. “I'm sorry for the scene, but this Ithorian…”, she stops mid-sentence, letting the silence she created speak for itself. Avra answers her with a quick giggle. 

“No worries, Pharren.”, the smile remains on Avra’s face, which makes Pharren’s grow slightly. 

“And I guess I have to thank your friend for helping me out, even though I’m sure I would have managed without him.”, Pharren replies with a playful smirk. “I’m Pharren by the way.”, the mechanic replies with a dismissive hand gesture, keeping the mood light and playful.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance.”, Revan says back as the same smirk dances on his lips. After a moment of silence, Pharren breaks the silence. “I take it that you didn’t come here for a talk. Somethin’ you need, kid?”, she looks back at Avra.

“Yes. My friend’s ship broke down in the forest, and he’s looking for spare parts to repair it.”, Avra explains to Pharren.

“What kind of parts?”

“I haven’t had the chance to assess the proper damage yet, so I can’t tell what parts I need, yet.”, Revan chimes in from behind Avra. “But it’s relieving to know that there is someone I can turn to once I have acquired that knowledge.”, Revan takes a moment to look around, and then it hits him: “You wouldn’t be able to recalibrate ID-Signatures for ships by any chance?”, at his question, Pharren perks up, showing clear interest.

“Recalibrate ID-Signatures for ships?”, she repeats. “You mean assigning them a new ID?”

“Exactly.”

Pharren’s gaze lingers a moment on Revan’s face while the tension in the shop rises. “Why would you need that? On the run?”, Pharren asks him with a hint of suspicion. Revan knew beforehand that it would be dangerous to ask this question, anyone could be pro-empire here. And if Revan were to change the ID of an imperial shuttle, that would make him really suspicious here. But he figured that the mechanic could be trusted, at least with Avra around.  

“No.”, Revan replies after a second of hesitating. “More like… looking for a fresh start.”, he tries to tell her his white lie. And he hopes she’ll take it. But before Pharren replies to Revan. Avra speaks up again.

“Come on, Pharren! Would you help my friend out?”, Avra leans over the counter to get her point across. “You’re not a fan of the empire either, and we wouldn’t ask for help if we wouldn’t genuinely need it! Come, on, please help us out?”, the urgent note in Avra's tone is quite palpable. Even Revan is surprised by her urgency, but he decides to help her. “I agree with Avra here. I know you have no reason to trust me, but the only thing I want is to get off-planet. I’m not here for trouble.”, Revan tries his best to sound as convincing and genuine as possible.

Soon, Pharren’s intense gaze falters and she sighs. “Fine. Yes, I theoretically can assign new IDs to a blank ID slate, that is not the problem.”

“Then what is?”, Revan follows up.

“I don’t have blank ID slates, you’d have to acquire them first.”, Pharren states and leans back in her chair. “No one sells them here, but you might have luck in the city.”

“Tell me where the city is and I will get you what you need.”, Revan is determined to do anything to get off planet safely. 

“Hold your Wak-Wolves, browneyes.”, Pharren raises her hands to stop Revan from talking more. “Those blank ID slates are, first of all illegal, and second of all expensive. And when I say expensive, I mean expensive.”

“How expensive?”, Avra asks quickly.

“At least ten thousand imperial credits.”

This makes Avra’s jaw drop down to the floor while only a small frown appears on Revan’s face. “And not to mention the costs of the spare parts. If the damage is too great, maybe it’d best to buy a brand-new ship while you’re at it.”, Pharren pauses. “I’ll soon get a delivery from the city, if you get me the money, I could ask a friend, if he’d smuggle them along with the legal stuff to me.”

Well, Revan doesn’t have any credit to his name right now. “I’ll find a way.”, he says confidently regardless. “I will get you the money, and you’ll acquire the ID slates. Deal?”

“Almost a Deal for me, browneyes.”, Pharren crosses her arms while looking Revan up and down. Revan nods slowly. “And what do you get out of it?”

“Me? Probably nothing.”, Pharren stares directly into Avra’s eyes, until a sudden bark from Naga, who is still outside of the shop, catches everyone’s attention. Avra looks between Revan and Pharren for a moment, before rushing. “Hey, uh- see you around, Pharren, I’ll have to see what’s going on with Naga! Please think about helping my friend!”, and there she goes.

“Take care, kid.”

Revan didn’t waver his gaze on Pharren. “What is it that you need to give in to my request?”, Revan says more softly. “I take it that it has something to do with the kid.”, while Pharren was busy saying goodbye to Avra, Revan probed her mind gently to give himself a slight advantage in this conversation.

“My, my. You’re really perceptive, browneyes.”, she smirks, allowing herself to relax more. “And yes, it’s because of Avra. It’s a small request, all I want is the best for her.”

“You want me to take her with me, correct?”

“Correct.”

“May I ask why?”, Revan tilted his head to the side. “Avra had told me that she wishes to leave the planet and go see her mother, but why would you want her to leave?”

After Revan’s statement, Pharren sits up from her chair and raises her hands again. “Wait, wait. What did you say?”, she looks severely confused, even perplexed now.

Revan’s lips part slightly as a hint of confusion settles inside of him too. “I said that Avra wishes to leave Seruk Nine to visit her mother. She told me that she’s receiving treatment for her sickness off-planet.”

At this revelation, Pharren sighs and shakes her head. “Avra, my sweet angel.”, she mutters but speaks up more clearly. “Avra’s mother isn’t getting treatment off-planet, nor is she sick.”, Revan stays silent, waiting for Pharren to continue, even though… he already knows where this is going. Pharren sighs deeply. “I’m telling you this now, so Avra won’t have to deal with the pain in telling the truth.”, silence hangs in the air for a moment. “Avra’s mother is dead.”

.

.

Revan is silent for a few seconds, but no emotion betrays his face. He speaks up softly, almost in a caring way. “Why would she lie about such a tragic event?”

“Because-“, Pharren takes a deep breath to keep her emotions in check. “Because the kid never got to process what happened. She's almost living… in a delusion. Hoping one day to be reunited with her mother. She even tells me about her dream to go and visit her, even though she knows that I know that it would never be possible.” 

“And… why exactly should I take her away from this planet?”, Revan asks simply. Even though he saw something like this coming, he couldn’t help but feel even more sympathetic towards Avra.

“Because she has no future here. The kid is young, energetic and has her heart in the right place. I’m not her mother, not even a relative, but I’ve been around for Avra’s entire life. I have seen her grow up, and grow into a young, beautiful, and kind woman. Sometimes she really feels like family to me, and I only want what’s best for her. Ever since her father left, she had to work hard so she and her mother could survive. She deserves a better life. So…”, Pharren pauses again. “Do me a favor and take her away from this place, away from the dark memories.”

Seems like Avra didn’t only lie about her mother’s condition, but also about the relationship she had with her father. Left is almost always used in a negative context, but that’s a talk for another time. 

“I don’t know where you can take her, but anywhere in the republic is better than on Seruk Nine. There is no life here, especially not ever since the empire came. We don’t even have schools or safe working conditions.”, Pharren sighs again, dropping her shoulders slightly. “I want Avra to be happy, to have an outstanding life after everything she went through.”

Revan stays silent again. He would never admit it in front of anyone, but this hit him quite a bit. He knows it too. Sometimes life hits you hard and all you want to do is take a break. If this is a way to help Avra and even get away himself, he’d do it. It’s not like Avra is a burden, he would have left Seruk Nine one way or another.

“I’ll see you soon, dear mechanic. And I give you my word: I will take Avra with me so she can make the best out of her life.”, Revan gives her a subtle nod, aiming to reassure her, before turning around to leave the shop. "But I cannot guarantee that I can look after her until she grows old."

“See you ‘round, browneyes… and thank you.”, a sad smile forms on Pharren’s lips until Revan exits the shop.

.

.

.

“It’s okay, girl, please calm down.”, Avra tries desperately to calm Naga down, who seems a little on edge, judging by her rather aggressive stance and growling. Finally, Avra notices Revan exit the mechanic’s shop. She turns towards him with a worried look on her face. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but she won’t calm down.”, Avra turns her attention back to Naga, hoping her pets will calm her.

Revan thinks this is odd too. He closes his eyes and reaches out into the force again. If animals act out of their usual behavior, something bigger is happening. And indeed, he feels something off. His eyes open again. “Someone is watching us.”, he says softly while his sharp eyes scan the area. Avra immediately tenses up, her worry and fear rising more and more. There are a lot of people walking around the marketplace, but he knows exactly where this spy is observing from. “Got you.”, Revan thinks to himself and slowly walks to the left, aiming for a couple of trashcans scattered around in a small pile. Naga seems to have calmed down. Avra and Naga slowly and quietly follow Revan, their curiosity piqued despite their fear.

But right before Revan reaches the trash cans, a small figure jumps out of hiding. Revan can’t make up their face, but something feels familiar. 

Revan sidesteps when the tiny human picks up a rock to throw it at him, dodging it.

“Woah-“, Avra barely ducks out of the way when the rock missed Revan, but almost hit her.

Revan immediately gives chase after the young boy after he runs off when his throw doesn’t work. As if the rock throw didn’t make him suspicious enough, his break for escape surely did. Avra just stands there baffled for a moment, before giving chase after Revan. “Hey, wait!”

.

.

Revan’s footsteps are completely silent while he moves after the boy, but he figures that he needs to do more to catch up to him before he reaches his destination. The young human runs at his top speed while trying to evade his pursuer. He takes sharp corners into different alleys; crawls through tiny spaces; and he even jumps over a few fences. The boy abruptly stops when Revan suddenly emerges from the sky just to land right in front of him. The kid is so shocked by Revan’s almost impossible arrival from above that he stumbles and falls back. With the help of the force, Revan managed to cut the boy off, running on top of the roofs of the houses while keeping track of the boy below. Now, he is towering over the boy with his imposing figure. Revan is much taller and wider than he is, and his intimidating armor does not ease the boy’s fear. The boy on the other hand tries to get up and run. But to his fortune, Avra and Naga have just now arrived at the other side of the alley, boxing him in.

The young boy’s breath quickens, and he slowly begins to spiral into a state of panic. He covers his face with his arms as if he’s awaiting pain. But Revan isn’t here to hurt a child. He smoothly lowers himself down to one knee, so his imposing figure doesn’t loom over the boy. “Young one… look at me.”, Revan says softly while trying to get the boy’s attention. The boy is shaking, but when he feels no harm, he slowly lowers his arms and looks over to Revan. Avra and Naga have closed in from the other side, but they stay silent for now. Once Revan sees the kid’s face, recognition washes over his face. He knows this young human. It’s the same one who tried to threaten Revan when he entered the village the first time. He tries to hide his surprise because he didn’t expect to see him again. But he notices that his mind trick is still showing full effect. The boy has no idea who Revan is, and he doesn’t remember that they met either.

“I’m not going to hurt you…”, Revan touches the young boy’s mind with the force a second time, now aiming to calm him down, which works almost immediately. The boy’s shaking stops, and he slowly sits up properly, but he remains silent. Once Avra arrives next to the child, she crouches down as well, taking a good look at him. “We’re not going to hurt you.”, Avra says with a comforting smile.

“She’s right.”, Revan confirms. “We only want to know why you spied on us, that’s all. We’ll let you leave once you tell us.”, Revan’s voice remains soft as he hopes to gain the boy’s trust. The child remains silent, but he eventually speaks up. His voice is shaky and quiet. “I… I heard you talk.”, he takes a pause, trying not to dip out due to his nervousness. “I heard that you… need money and parts for a ship.”

“That is correct, young one… we’re in need of money and those parts.”, Revan confirms, but now he waits until the boy says more. 

"Well...", the boy clears his throat and stands up again. He places a hand on his chest and bows almost mockingly. "May I present you an opportunity you wouldn't want to miss!"

Revan's eyes almost roll into the back of his skull with an annoyed scoff.

"No, No!", the boy rises again and leans closer to Revan, whispering as if he's telling a secret. "If you may hear me out, kind Sir!", the boy once more falls into his business facade, probably trying to force Revan to lose some money again, but he is not having it.

"You make me regret being patient with you, boy.", he says in a low voice, almost threatening, but definitely intimidating. "I'm not going to play your little game."

The fact that not even Avra with her good hearted nature is interefering to protect the boy. Not even the kindest people like scammers, eh?

"Fine! I shall give you a discount!", but when the boy sees Revan's annoyed expression, he stammers out more words as if trying to get a 'better' deal. "Okay, okay. Information first, payment later.", he clears his throat again. "I overheard two men in armor talk about how a ship crashed in the forest... so... maybe you can take some parts from there?", a huge grin on his face.

.

.

Slowly, Revan and Avra look at eachother, realising that Revan's arrival here is no longer a secret.

.

.

The boy clears his throat, bringing Revan and Avra out of their shocked states. "May payment?", he asks with the same grin while rubbing his thumb against his index- and middle finger.

Revan's frown deepens and he leans his face dangerously close to his face. "Go home, boy. You're lucky you met us and not some... less patient and merciful people who would eliminate scammers without a second thought."

The child scoffs at Revan's words but he can tell that he is being dead serious. "Hmpf! Fine! I will go.", hesitantly he turns away to walk out of the alley, disappearing into the crowd.

"Damn it...", Revan curses under his breath. "This is not how I anticipated this to go."

"So the empire is aware of your presence here... it won't take long until they search the village for people who do not have citizenship...", Avra points out.

Revan covers his face with his gloved hands for a moment, assessing the situation. "Not to mention the corpse on the snowy plains...", he says after removing his hands from his face again. "A dead Sith is not something you want to deal with. Especially if not killed by natural circumstances."

"Wait, Wait...", Avra raises her hands to stop Revan from talking further. "Dead Sith?"

"Yeah.", Revan sighs and looks off into the distance. "Remember the guy you found next to me in the snow? After you rescued me?"

"You can't be serious..."

"Oh but I am."

"Is it common for you to get yourself in trouble?", Avra asks with an bemused and even tired expression. "Are you cursed or something?"

"That... may be true. But I hope I'm not cursed.", a playful smirk plays on Revan's lips.

.

.

“Ah, by the way. I must return to my crashed ship. I… must assess the damage as soon as possible. And I need to find… my mask.”, Revan tells her.

“You wear a mask?”, Avra is clearly surprised.

“Yes, I do. But it’s not of importance right now. I need to return there immediately.”

“You're crazy...", Avra says with disbelief. "No way you want to return to your ship after this little kid just told you that it was discovered by the empire."

Revan answers her with a shrug. "So what? I won't be stopped by some empire."

"Some empire...", Avra mutters while shaking her head.

"So? You'll help me?"

"It seems dangerous... a little too dangerous."

"Listen, Avra.", Revan places both hands on her shoulders. "You and I both want to leave this planet. But we do not have the money to buy us a way out of here, and now that the empire is aware of some intruder, they might put the planet into lockdown. And if they do, there is no chance we will get out of here."

"You will take me off this planet?", Avra's ears perk up by the sudden mention of her leaving the planet with him. Revan answers her with a confident nod.

"It won't be easy nor legal but I can offer you to leave with me, today."

"And... how will we get a ship?"

"Just leave it to me...", another smirk appears on Revan's lips. This wouldn't be his first time to escape a hostile planet.

.

.

.

After they prepared for their hopefully short journey, they immediately left the village to return to the crash site. Avra has informed Pharren of their plan and let's just say she wasn't happy with it at all. They would have rather do it the safe and legal way. Buy a ship and leave with approval of the empire. But Pharren understands that they have to take their chances, especially in those circumstances. Avra and Pharren said their emotional goodbyes, accepting the chance of never see each other again.

.

.

Naga is carrying Avra and Revan on her back, transporting them as quickly as possible. Revan has his hands on Avra’s shoulders to keep his balance. Naga’s riding style is not as gentle and slow as the one of a Bantha. Naga is quick and rough, jumping over fallen trees and taking sharp turns.

It didn’t take them long to arrive at the crash site. Avra directs Naga to slow down until she comes to a stand. “We should walk from here… there are probably probe droids roaming around. We must be fast but also quiet.”, Avra jumps off Naga, and Revan does the same.

“I agree.”, Revan whispers to her. “I hope we find my mask quickly; I genuinely need it.”

Avra nods once. “What does it look like?”

“Mostly red and silver, has a black visor and… looks typically Mandalorian.”, Revan explains.

“Mandalorian?”

Revan slowly turns to Avra, noting her lack of knowledge about the Mandalorians and their culture. “That’s a lesson for another time. Let’s assess the ship’s damage and look for my mask.”

Avra tells Naga to stay close and lay low while Revan and she inch closer to the shuttle. It looks… horrible to say the least. It’s not smoking anymore but it’s covered in snow, the opening hatch is wide open, and the metal is rusty, some parts even frozen. “I’ll climb inside while you look for my mask, got it?”, he didn’t want to boss her around, but they need to hurry if they wish to stay undetected. Avra gives him a nod of approval.

Revan jumps over the ship with the force to enter through the opening hatch immediately. Once he is inside, he ignites his green lightsaber which illuminates the inside of the ship. He uses his lightsaber as a light source as well to defend himself if he encounters any danger. His force senses tell him, that no one other than Avra and Naga are close by, but he won’t take any chances. He slowly inches closer to the cockpit while keeping his lightsaber close. Once there, he presses the ignition button. But even after many more tries nothing happens. This looks worse than he originally thought. He leaves the cockpit after unsuccessfully starting the ship. He makes his way to the hyperdrive. The walls have curved inside, and some storage boxes block the way. With his free hand, Revan bends the walls back to their original position and moves the boxes out of the way. Even from afar Revan can tell that the hyperdrive is damaged, probably even broken.

“Great.”, he cursed under his breath. Rather than lingering longer around the hyperdrive, he decided to explore the other parts of the ship.

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After he didn’t find anything except even more damage, he decides to exit the ship. Until he abruptly stops. Silence fills the ships when his footsteps no longer echo as he walked. His eyes dart around while an uneasy feeling stirs up inside of him. Something is wrong. “Avra…”, he whispers and rushes outside. Revan jumps out the same way he entered. He scans the surroundings for Avra, but when he couldn’t find her, he jumps down, his feet hitting the snow.

“Ah, Revan-“, as soon as Avra calls out his name, Revan spins around. He presses his free hand tightly against Avra’s mouth to shush her while also throwing her along with himself to ground. Avra’s eyes widened with shock when Revan threw her to the ground, now practically laying on top of her with his gloved hand tightly pressed on her mouth. “Shh. Stay silent.”, Revan whispers into her ear. Avra tries her best not to resist because she trusts Revan, but she can’t help but feel panic stir inside of her. What is going on?

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After a moment of silence, the sound of footsteps in the snow is heard. It’s at least two people. Revan remains in this position while keeping his hold on Avra. Revan slowly looks to his right and Avra follows his gaze with her eyes. If her eyes could widen even further, they would.

Two cloaked figures walk through the forest, while the snow crushes beneath them.

It suddenly got even colder, but not because of the weather or the snow.

No.

It’s because of them.

Revan doesn’t say a single word when he watches the figures walk past them…

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Until one of them stopped in his motion and turned his head towards the crashed ship, revealing his piercing yellow eyes.

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 8 – Blood Echo

Until one of them stopped and turned his head towards the crashed ship, revealing his piercing yellow eyes.

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More Sith?, Revan thinks to himself. Are they after me too?, before he can continue his string of thought, he makes eye contact with the Sith. He observes the Sith’s hand going towards his lightsaber, which is enough to enter his flight or fight mode.

“Avra! Go!”, Revan shouts and gets off Avra, their cover blown off. The sound of igniting lightsabers is enough to grab Avra and haul her to her feet. “Take your pet and run!”

Just now realization hits Avra. “But, but what about you? I cannot just leave you-“

Revan cuts her off mid-sentence. “I said go.”, Revan clenches his teeth and readies himself for an inevitable fight.

“Your mask…”, Avra whispers while handing him his Mandalorian mask. He takes it without even looking at her, and for some reason the material or even the mask itself feels heavier than usual. He puts it on regardless while simultaneously pulling the hood of his robes over his head. He stands tall and proud next to Avra. “Make a break for it. Run and don’t turn back.”

“But can’t I help in any way?”

“I don’t want to be insulting, but you’d stand in the way. You’re no match for Sith – not even all Jedi are.”, his voice returns to a certain coldness. The same coldness he held towards Avra when he first met her, and this is the queue to tell that Revan isn’t messing around.

“Please… don’t die…”, she tells Revan before she finally takes off. She forms a circle with her index finger and thumb to place it into her mouth. After she takes a deep breath and blows it against her fingers, a loud whistle escapes her lips, which is the call for Naga to jump out of her hiding place and run to Avra. Once Naga is close enough, Avra athletically jumps on the animal’s back. Naga runs a circle before she runs back into the direction where they came from originally.

“You go after the child.”, the second Sith, a human woman commands the other Sith in a low tone, removes the hood of her cloak. “I shall handle this.”

The male human Sith, possibly the apprentice of the two, just nods his head and begins to pursue after Avra and Naga. Revan’s jaw clenches. He should have expected that. It doesn’t matter though. As long as he quickly finishes her off, he can go for the other Sith – in hopes he hasn’t already killed Avra.

The Sith Lady ignites her own crimson blade, a stark contrast to the white snow. “I hope you are aware that all of this makes you a little suspicious, no?”, her voice is cold as ice. “Hiding under a crashed ship, sending your companion off to run away and readying yourself for a fight?”

“It’s what I do best.”, Even though his mask hides his expression, the Sith Lady could practically feel Revan’s cocky smirk.

“You are a fool.”, she takes a step closer. “This forest belongs specifically to the imperial military – you are most definitely trespassing.”

“Oh, most definitely I am.”, another sarcastic remark coming from Revan, but the coldness never leaves his voice. “Who are you to tell me what to do anyway, huh?”

“Darth Ryyva, dark lord of the Sith.”

“Noted.”, Revan comments.

“Now, trespasser, I will give you a choice.”, Ryyva expresses as she takes another step closer to Revan. “You can either surrender yourself to me and I will bring you into imperial custody or – you die here.”

“Wow, such nice options.”, Revan places a hand under his chin. “What shall I choose? Oh, wow. This is so hard~”, a grin forms under his mask, and he tries his best to suppress a laugh.

“Don’t make yourself look more foolish than you already are.”, she hisses.

“My apologies. I will make this quick, I can’t let your precious apprentice hurt my companion.”, and with that, Revan unclips his lightsaber from his belt.

“You’re a Jedi.”, her voice is so full of venom that she nearly chokes on it. “What is a Jedi doing here?”, Darth Ryyva unclips her black cape from her shoulders, letting the soft fabric hit the snow. And so does Revan. His cape slides smoothly off his shoulders and settles down into the snow behind him.

“No Jedi. But something better.”, he grins again and ignites his green blade with a simple push of a button. “Since I do not plan on making this fight last too long, I may fill the extra time with a few questions.”, he spins the blade once in his hand. “What are Sith doing all the way out here?”

“Tch.”, Darth Ryyva’s face twists with contempt. “You think I’ll just tell you imperial secrets? You’re even more foolish than I originally thought, Jedi.”, she slowly raises her free hand, pointing her slender fingers with pointy dark purple fingernails at Revan. “Killing you would be a waste of useful information; therefore, I shall only make you surrender!”

Darth Ryyva’s fingers begin to fizzle with electricity, the dark side becoming stronger with each passing second as a series of force lightning escapes her fingertips. The lightning aims directly for Revan, traveling through the air at high speed.

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“Come on, come on!”, Avra shouts quietly but urgently as she rides on Naga through the snowy forest. “Come, girl. We must hurry up and get help before Revan gets into too much danger!”, she pets Naga with the same urgency while trying to calm herself too.

Suddenly, as if they hit a brick wall, Naga is stopped mid-motion and Avra is thrown off her companion. A loud, shocked yelp leaves Avra and her body hits the snow with a thud. She lies there for a brief moment, trying to recover from the unexpected halt. But when she hears Naga’s agitated barks, she gets up immediately. One hand wipes the snow off her face while the other grabs her blaster. “What’s wrong?”, Avra calls out while trudging through the snow back to Naga’s side. “Why did you stop? What is there?”, her voice lowers but her breath, visible due to the cold, quickens.

For a moment, everything is silent, until an invisible force forcefully pushes Naga away from Avra, keeping them separated. “NAGA!”, Avra yells in horror. As if history repeats itself, Naga’s body flies against a tree before it falls to the ground with a loud thud. Before Avra can even think about checking up on Naga, the same invisible force hits her. She grunts in surprise and falls back down on her back. Straight up terror washes over Avra’s face as she realizes the situation she is in. Someone is here. Avra rises to her feet once again, holding onto her blaster as if her life depended on it. Her blaster is a simple weapon. Meant to be hold in one hand and shot with precision, killing the target with a few single shots. The young human readies herself for the upcoming fight she won’t win. She may not win, but she may have a chance to stall long enough for Revan to help her.

“Show yourself already! I know you are here!”, Avra shouts, her voice shaking as hard as her hands.

But everything stays silent.

It’s unsettling.

The forest feels almost dead, as if there was no life in it. The tall and slender trees only intensify this feeling; a perfect beginning for a horror holo-drama.

But when a sudden shiver runs down her spine, she instinctively ducks away. In doing so, Avra managed to evade a lightsaber strike coming from above her. With her body slumped forward, she quickly looks up to see one of the Sith that spotted Revan and Avra at the crash site. Avra’s blood turns cold at the sudden sight.

This is it.

This is the end.

But even if she might lose, she cannot dismiss the opportunity that Revan might be fast enough to save her. She raises her blaster aiming directly at the Sith’s head. Her right index finger hugs the trigger tightly and the blaster fires one precise shot.

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The lightning aims directly for Revan, traveling through the air at high speed.

But Revan is faster.

Way faster.

Drawing upon the force, Revan jumps over the dancing lightning in the air and lands right in front of the Sith Lady. With deadly precision, he swings his emerald blade right up to her throat. Darth Ryyva is shocked by how easy Revan managed to evade her attack. Her eyes meet his mask, the power Revan holds almost is radiating from him as if he was a force power generator. But her years of training as a Sith do not make her defenseless. The Sith brings her crimson blade up to block Revan’s strike last second.

The energy fizzles and sparks as their lightsabers are locked in an intense stand-off.

“Not bad.”, Revan mocks. “But not enough to win.”, Revan goes for Darth Ryyva’s throat with his free hand, trapping it in his vice-like grip. Darth Ryyva gasps and her eyes shoot open when a deadly pressure cuts off her airways. Her lightsaber drops and her hand moves to Revan’s wrist. Revan’s display of power is immaculate. Everything went so fast. He simply jumped over her attack and now he has her at his mercy.

“I’m sorry, dear.”, his voice still mocking. “I cannot let you live for my own safety. But if you tell me what you Sith are doing out here, I shall make your death quick and possibly painless.”

“…never…”, Darth Ryyva hisses while simultaneously trying to remove Revan’s hand from her throat. Revan guesses that Darth Ryyva isn’t trained to be the best fighter – her strengths may lie somewhere else. Sorcery, strategy or maybe even politics. But whatever her true strengths are, they won’t help her now.

“Wrong choice. And unfortunately for you, I don’t have time for a discussion or compromise.”

“No, do not-“, a pained groan is the result of the stinging pain she feels in her chest. The heat of Revan’s lightsaber burns Darth Ryyva’s heart and lungs from the inside out. He did warn her from the beginning. Even though Revan brought death to this Sith, he does not consider himself to be a monster or even close. This is about survival. And no way in the galaxy would have the Sith shown any signs of cooperation – their ego is way too large for that.

Darth Ryyva’s corpse falls to the ground with a thud, the life slowly leaving the body until a dark emptiness is the only thing left. But now is not the time to linger around further. He must get to Avra ASAP. And so, Revan breaks into a sprint and uses the force to enhance his speed and movement.

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Her right index finger hugs the trigger tightly and the blaster fires one precise shot.

The Sith felt the attack coming and simply used the force to alter the direction of the shot by knocking the blaster out of Avra’s hands. The red blaster bolt misses the Sith by a mere inch and hits the tree behind him.

Avra is left shocked and shaking on the ground before her enemy. How did the shot miss so easily? She aimed right at his face!

She quickly staggers up to her feet while also gaining some distance by stepping back. “What do you want from me?”, she asks carefully, doing anything at this point to stall.

The dark sider on the other side just shakes his head, clearly amused. He shrugs as he answers with a cold smile on his lips. “Not sure yet. I’d have to see what my master wants.”

“Your master? The Lady who was with you?”

“Exactly.”

“So, you can’t think for yourself and follow her lead like a pet?”, Avra mocks. To make fun of a Sith who is more powerful than yourself, may not be the wisest decision, but maybe her mockery will give Revan more time to arrive at her side.

“Careful, little girl.”, the Sith snarls and closes in on Avra, which makes her step back further. Avra pulls the hood of her winter jacket down to increase her field of view. Her copper-colored curly hair falls almost gracefully and settles on her shoulders. Her blaster is out of reach and her axe still lost somewhere in this forest. She didn’t have the time to retrieve it after she threw it at the probe droid a few days prior. So, she settles for her dagger. She slowly pulls it out of its holster. The tiny weapon is nothing compared to a lightsaber. Not by its length and neither by its power, yet it may still be deadly if used correctly.

“Pathetic.”, the Sith bursts out with a cold laugh. “You plan to fight me with that thing? Oh, come on! I thought you were some major threat after my master sent me to catch you.”, he begins to circle Avra like an animal hunting its prey. “But you’re just some scared, weak little girl.”, he suddenly swings his lightsaber at her, but misses on purpose to scare her. Avra flinches and stumbles back, which results in the Sith laughing at her. “Look at you! You cannot even protect yourself! What are you even doing out here?”, the smirk never leaves his face as he continues to circle Avra.

Avra on the other side takes a deep breath to steady herself. “I have the required license to enter this territory. It may be considered imperial military property, but I have the rights to be here.”

“Trying to go the legal way on me, eh?”, the apprentice raises his eyebrow in both surprise and suspicion. “Then why did you run away from us instead of showing us your license?”

“As if you Sith would be so considerate.”

“Touché.”

Silence falls upon Avra and the Sith again until…

“So, she is dead…”, the Sith narrows his eyes and changes his stance into a more offensive one.

“Huh?”, Avra flinches after she heard the Sith’s change of tone. It’s no longer mocking but rather dangerous and angry. “What? What do you mean? Who is dead?”

“It seems like I have to take things into my own two hands.”, he sneers before he suddenly rushes at Avra, even faster and even more dangerous than before. Avra had no time to react, and the crimson blade inched closer and closer to her neck as it aimed to behead her. Everything suddenly becomes slow, as if time stood still for a moment. In the corner of her left eye, she sees Naga back on her feet, rushing towards the Sith to protect her from harm. But Avra’s shift of attention is enough to make the Sith notice Naga’s approach. In the heat of battle, he probably didn’t sense or hear Naga’s rather loud footsteps, but he is aware now. The Sith spins around and uses both of his hands to deliver a powerful force push towards the large animal rushing at him. But when the Sith turned his back to Avra, it was her queue to act. She jumps on the dark sider’s back, clinging herself onto it as if her life depends on it.

“What the-“, the Sith staggers forwards but keeps his balance intact. “You kriffing brat!”, he shouts and moves backwards until Avra’s back hits a nearby tree.

“Agh-“, Avra spat when her back hits the tree hard. Her grip on the Sith loosens completely and her body falls into the snow again, along with her dagger. Naga tanked the force push of the Sith like a champ and charges at him again. But rather than attacking Naga directly, the Sith jumps up high in the air and releases a short but powerful force lightning attack at the animal, shocking the hell’s out of Naga. Naga winces and writhes in pain as the lightning hits her full on.

“NAGA NO!”, Avra yells with pure horror. She raises her hands instinctively and her eyes close. “GET AWAY FROM HER!”, her fear is replaced by anger almost immediately when a powerful force blast escapes her hands. A surprise for the Sith for sure. She didn’t use any force powers up until this point, why would she or rather how could she now? The Sith is unable to feather his fall and as a result his back crashes into a nearby tree.

Avra breathes heavily and coughs after the use of the force. As she had mentioned to Revan a few days earlier, she cannot control her powers, they are a result of her strong emotions. An impulse, rather than a weapon or a tool. Avra gets up one more time and rushes to Naga’s side and kneels down. “No, no… no! Please, please Naga…”, she urges with worry etched to her face. Avra gently shakes her companion; it answers with a quiet and weak growl. Naga is alive but hurt and she cannot assist Avra in this fight any longer. Avra exhaled with relief, but the anger didn’t leave her yet. “You will regret hurting my friend…”, she hisses and rises to her feet, clenching her fists tightly. With a cry, Avra rushes at the Sith to take him down on her own rather than waiting for Revan.

“Foolish brat!”, the Sith answers with a shout of his own, but before he could get up fully, Avra is already in front to him. “Damnit!”, he curses when Avra suddenly tackles him. His lightsaber drops into the snow and the blade disappears with a hiss.

After Avra managed to bring the Sith down, she delivers a hard punch into his face, only because her strong emotions carry her through this. With a groan, the Sith’s head flings to the side and another punch follows, swinging his head to the other side.

The Sith grabs Avra’s throat with both hands and begins to choke her. “This isn’t a fight you will win! You are no match for a Sith, not even your anger will help you out here!”, even though his words are a result of his own emotions, there is a certain truth to it. Avra is not trained as a warrior or in the ways of the force. Realistically, she cannot win here, but… something is pushing her. Avra’s face begins to turn red due to the Sith almost crushing her windpipe. “Get off-“, she forces through gritted teeth. She is physically weaker than the Sith and won’t be able to remove his hands from her throat. All while the Sith increases the pressure on Avra’s throat to squeeze the life out of her, Avra suddenly digs her right thumb into the Sith’s left eye in defense. Her anger and something else drives her completely mad and she presses her thumb further into the Sith’s eye until it faces no resistance and pops.

“YOU SON OF A-!”, the Sith yells with pain and anger when Avra’s thumb presses right through his eye and blood shoots out of his its socket. He quickly removes one of his hands from Avra’s throat to punch her against her jaw. The blow was heavy enough to knock Avra off him and even knock a back tooth out of her mouth. Avra hits the snow face-first and remains unmoving for a moment.

“You kriffin' brat…”, the Sith hisses with a heavy breath and gets back up from the ground. One hand holds his bleeding eye while the other summons his lightsaber back into his hand with the force. The lightsaber ignites again, a dangerous red glow coming from it. Avra managed to rise to her knees. But she’s not feeling good. She’s still recovering from the Sith’s choking and she’s coughing violently while also spitting out some blood from the Sith’s blow on her face. But before she can get up more, the dark sider presses his boot down on her back to prevent her from getting up.

“Ah… no…”, Avra’s voice is weak, and her body shows almost no resistance to the pressure, but the heat is still present in her body. Whatever was driving her mad earlier is urging her to continue. It might just be her dazed state, he she could swear to hear something whisper:

Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!

All over again.

The Sith leans down and grabs a hand full of Avra’s hair to haul her head up. He leans his face further down to hers, his hot breath hitting her ear. “Oh, you will pay for this you kriffin' whelp.”, he slowly brings his lightsaber against her throat, the heat already burning her flesh slowly. Avra winces and leans her head back as far as she can to avoid being beheaded. “I will kill you…”, the Sith hisses, slowly inching the crimson blade closer to her throat. “And I will make your death so painful that you’d even feel it after you dropped dead.”

Avra breaks down, finally. The tears stream out of her eyes like the waterfalls of Alderaan. Not even Naga is back up – she is still recovering from the force lightning. Avra is dead. She is going to die. “Revan! Please! I beg of you!”, she cries out desperately. “I don’t want to die! Please! Please save me!”, her fingernails dig into the cold snow while her cries echo through the forest, the birds who sat on tree branches fly off, and the Sith laughs coldly, inching the energy beam even closer to her throat…

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“…please…”

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 9 – Two can play

Her fingernails dig into the cold snow while her cries echo through the forest, the birds who sat on tree branches fly off, and the Sith laughs coldly, inching the energy beam even closer to her throat…

“…please…”

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There was just no way she alone could do something to save her life – she is not strong enough, and now she never will be.

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She closes her eyes, waiting for the pain to come. She waits for death to fall upon her, to take her finally. To reunite her with her mother. A final shaky breath escapes Avra’s damaged lips. She is going to die.

But she can’t die – she can’t. And she sure doesn’t want to. But what should she do? She never had a true advantage in this fight – if one could even consider it to be one. Sure, she destroyed one of the Sith’s eyes, halving his ability to see. But not even that stopped him.

The Sith raises his blade, finally having enough of the games. “Time to die!”, he yells. He presses Avra’s face into the cold snow, torturing her one last time before he finally swings the blade down to behead her. But his blade never made contact with Avra’s body again. Instead, a sudden spinning red lightsaber hits the Sith’s arm with deadly precision. The Sith’s entire lower arm – up to his elbow – disconnects from the rest of his body and falls into the soft snow next to Avra with a muffled thud.

“AHHH KRIFF!”, the dark sider cries out in agony after realization kicked in and steps back from Avra’s limp body while holding his remaining right arm. He looks down at his severed hand with wide eyes. His attention shifts away from Avra and his hand to the sudden overwhelmingly strong presence he feels. He looks forward, his eyes regaining their focus slowly:

Between the high trees stood a man.

An eerie silence fell in the woods. Time feels like it stopped momentarily. No one moved. No one said anything. The only visible proof that time did not stop, was the Sith’s visible breath through the cold. What is that he feels? What is this feeling that stops him from moving? That even stops him from feeling the pain in his arm.

One blink later, the man is gone.

Finally, the Sith snaps out of his shocked state, having noticed the sudden disappearance of the man immediately.

Scared.

That is what he is, how he feels. He feels scared. No, this can’t be. He is a Sith – a soon-to-be Lord! Fear can lead to power – but is also a sign of weakness. With his healthy arm he picks up his lightsaber again, the red glow complementing the blood that drips from his face still. He reaches into the Force, feeling how it swirls around him. But before he could even channel his fear and anger into power, he feels something behind him. Instinctively, the Sith ducks and raises his lightsaber in defense. As his lightsaber meets the energy beam of another, he lifts his head to see the man. The same masked man he saw at the crash site – the same masked man that killed his master.

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As Revan presses his lightsaber down to overpower the Sith, orange sparks emit from the clashing blades. His hold is steady, while the Sith’s crimson blade shakes, struggling to keep up. With a flick of his wrist, he sends out a simple, yet powerful force push that sends the Sith flying back a couple of meters.

Revan steps over Avra’s limp body in a protective manner. He crouches down and reaches out his gloved hand to gently move her head to the side. He can hear a soft breath escaping her lips after he restored her ability to breathe. Revan looks back up to the dark-sider – only a few meters of distance separating them. He looks at him up and down in an almost casual manner, as if he has all the time in the Galaxy to assess the situation.

“I will keep it short and simple so you can follow.”, his voice cool and measured while he stands back up to full height. Revan watches the Sith shift slightly in his stance, the lightsaber in his hand still trembling. “Tell me who you are and what you and your former Master are doing here.”

A short huff of amusement is the Sith’s respond. “Oh, you’re asking questions.”, his voice shakes with a slight chuckle, the yellow glow in his eyes almost intensifying. “Don’t you think that I should be the one asking you that?”, he moves his lightsaber to point at Revan, attempting to strengthen his point. “Why is a Jedi on an imperial world? Marching through the woods as if taking a walk through the park.”

“Oh, shucks, you think I’m not walking through the park?”, Revan answers with a mocking tone while gently facepalming his mask. “How silly of me. Yet here I thought my cover was perfect. But I guess nothing is, mh?”

The Sith’s anger rises, which is evident through the Force. “You dare mock me, Jedi?”, he takes a step forward. “How foolish of you.”

“Silence.”, Revan’s powerful yet calm voice is enough to make the Sith revert the step he took. “I gave you a chance. Tell me what you’re doing here, and you might find a merciful death.”

“You think you’ll be able to defeat me?”, the Sith sneers. “What makes you think so?”

“I defeated your Master already.”, Revan shrugs dismissively. “Compared to her, you’re nothing but a scared pup.”, Revan twirls his lightsaber casually in his hand, though being careful enough to not hit Avra on accident. “So, I’m giving you one last chance: What is your mission here?”

“Aren’t you more concerned about your companion’s life?”, the Sith boy attempts to redirect the focus of the conversation.

“She’ll survive. But I cannot assure that you will.”

The Sith bites down on his tongue, trying to think of a way out. He clutches his arm hard, trying to overcome the pain. Revan watches the Sith boy intently. He can read him like an open book. This is no opponent for him, he wouldn’t even consider him a full fletched Sith yet. To Revan, this Sith is just a boy. A boy who can wield the Force. Revan has no doubt that this boy could eventually become stronger – everyone does with training.

With a sudden burst of speed, Revan rushes at the Sith, raising his lightsaber. The Sith had already anticipated another attack and ducked out of the way. Once he managed to roll behind Revan, he sliced his lightsaber towards Revan’s midsection.

Revan quickly thrusts his blade behind him, redirecting the Sith’s blow with ease and precision, yet strength. The Sith hisses at Revan’s reaction time. But he has no time to admire and curse it further. Revan’s blade barely misses his head, cutting a loose strand off his hair. The Sith tries to duck away again, but Revan responds with another force push, knocking the Sith even further away against a tree.

With a painful grunt, the Sith’s body falls into the soft snow. He has trouble pushing himself up again, but he tries nevertheless, determined to win the fight – no – to survive the fight. This is not about winning anymore, as much as he wants it. He wants victory, he wants to bathe in it, taste it.

Revan casually strides over to the Sith. His steps are confident yet almost silent in the snow. Once again, he stands over Avra’s body. He looks down at her and studies her injured body for a moment before he shakes his head. “Sith. Always playing with their food.”, then he redirects his attention back to the Sith boy, his expression unreadable behind his mask.

“I think we’ll only walk in circles if I keep telling you to give up and give me answers.”, Revan raises his lightsaber again, the blade horizontally above the ground. “And honestly I do not have the time to hear you out anymore.”, Revan slowly begins to close in on the Sith again, his presence almost too overwhelming. The Sith steps back when Revan came closer, fear now evident in his very being. He has no way out. This is it – and Revan knows it too. With a last attempt to save his life, the Sith stretches his hand out to the tree next to him, channeling the force to break the stump free from the ground. The tree cracks, now split in two. The Sith screams a final war cry, throwing the tree trunk towards Revan as a last attempt to win.

But to no surprise Revan remains cool. He side-flips out the way while the tree lands behind him with a thud before it starts scraping against the ground and coming to a stop. In no time, Revan is right in front of the apprentice and thrusts his lightsaber right towards his chest. The Sith boy raises his hands to somehow block the blow, but it’s no use. Revan’s lightsaber pierces right through the Sith’s body, burning his flesh from the inside out. The Sith gasps at the sudden pain and his eyes widen in shock. A hand reaches out towards Revan’s masked face. Revan remains silent and completely still as he watches the hand travel towards his mask. It doesn’t even reach him but falls back to the Sith’s side. Revan watches him. He watches intently how the light in his eyes begins to fade – now replaced by pure emptiness – by death. Revan pulls his lightsaber out of the Sith’s body.

Again, he just watches as the Sith’s now lifeless body falls into the snow, his expression still unreadable behind his mask.

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He extinguishes his lightsaber with a simple press of the button and turns away, clipping the saber back to his belt. With his attention away from the rather relaxed battle, he focuses back to Avra who’s still unconscious in the snow. But she’s not alone anymore. Naga has made her way back to Avra, back on her feet. She nudges Avra’s limp body to wake her. But when that doesn’t work, she lays down next to her friend. A small wince escapes her, and her ears drop, saddened and worried by Avra’s current state. Revan quickens his pace a little. He immediately knelt next to Avra, gently shaking her – but she remained unconscious. He keeps his arm on her shoulder, reaching into the force to check on her condition. He feels her, obvious, weakened state. But she is alive and that is what matters.

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An hour had already passed after the fierce battle. The three of them remained where they were, and Avra woke up in the meantime. Cuddled up against Naga and huddled into Revan’s cape, Avra tries her best to hold back tears all while Revan remains by her side. Revan took off his mask for the time being. He knows it could be quite intimidating and that’s not what Avra needs right now. He also treated most of her injuries. Thankfully they weren’t lethal.

“You can cry, you know? No one will tell you to hold back your emotions.”, Revan speaks softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You faced a great challenge; one you weren’t prepared or trained for yet. You don’t have to hold back.”, his voice reassuring but honest.

As if on command, Avra finally breaks down into tears. Her tears were as intense as the waterfalls of Alderaan. Knowing there is no other way to seek comfort, she almost throws herself at Revan, hugging him tightly. She buries her face into his chest while her arms are wrapped around his body. She cries as if she never cried before.

Revan is surprised by the sudden closeness. He tried his best not to fall back when the force of her hug hit him. His body is tense for a moment. It’s been a long time since someone… showed him that kind of affection, even if it’s not directed to him. He sighs softly and his body relaxes. He was never the one to show care through body language except when it came to Bastila. But she is – was – the most important person in his life. He looks down at Avra. Her fiery orange hair is a stark contrast to his dark robes. His eyes softened further. Revan hesitated at first, but he eventually gave in and returned the hug. His body is still a little tense because he is not used to it, but he will put his personal feelings aside for the moment. Even Naga joined in by placing her entire head on Avra’s back, weighing it down but in a comforting way.

“I want to go home…”, Avra’s voice breaks through her sobs and tears. Her body shakes while Revan holds her. “I want to go home… please I want to go…”

Revan sighs, his sympathy for her rising. “I know. But we cannot go back now.”

“What?”, Avra raises her head, her eyes red and puffy from crying. “Why not? Why can’t we go back?”

“Well…”, Revan trails off, his gaze back at the dead Sith apprentice approximately 20 meters away from them. “Because of the Sith and the empire.”, he states. “What if someone is expecting them to arrive somewhere? They must be here for a reason.”, he continues. Revan looks back down at Avra’s pleading face. “Whoever is waiting for them, IF someone is waiting for them, will become suspicious. They will send out someone or send a signal to find them. And if they find not only one but two dead Sith on an imperial world, they will probably put it in a lockdown. Especially when they see the cause of their death. Not many Sith are stationed here, and this system is probably far out of the republic’s reach, they will do something drastic to identify whoever did this.”

“But… but Sith are known to be ruthless. They- they could just assume that it was another Sith who wanted to destroy some of their plans…”, Avra argues. “Like some sort of rivalry.”

“Exactly.”, Revan agrees, slowly loosening his hold on her. “It could be. Or they’d think the republic did manage to infiltrate their planet. They will be cautious about their ‘rivals’.”, he sees Avra look down, hiding her face. Revan uses his right index finger and places it under her chin to tip her head back up. “Listen. You want to leave, don’t you? I must go too. I need to get off planet as soon as possible. Maybe we can hijack a ship if there’s one close by.”

“But.”, Avra interjects. “Pharren said she could give us parts to repair your ship and she could get us the ID-signatures.”, her voice is still trembling, and her sobs haven’t stopped either. “And… and those crystals. The one we got from the boy. We could use them to get enough money to buy everything we need- Revan please…”, she whispers, still trying to convince him.

Revan’s gaze remains calm as he stares down at Avra’s saddened and nervous face. “Time’s have changed, young one.”, he places his hands firmly on her shoulders. “I cannot force you to come with me now, but this might just be your one and only chance to escape from here – to start a new.”, he drifts off for a moment, choosing his words carefully before speaking further. “And I promised you mechanic-friend to get you out of here.”

“What?”, Avra perks up at his words. “You… you promised Pharren to… take me off Seruk Nine? Why?”

“I don’t know.”, Revan shakes his head. “See it as a payback for helping me here, for practically saving my life.”, he lets go of her shoulders slowly. “And Pharren wants only what’s best for you. There is no future here. You don’t have to live in the shadow of your past, Avra.”

Avra needs a moment to comprehend his words. Revan wants to help her obviously. But she doesn't know if she could leave it all behind now. She expected to have more time to prepare herself for the journey, to say her final goodbyes. She has nothing on her person, no money, no extra clothing – nothing. She only has herself and Naga. And that’s where Avra froze, her body tense again. “And- and what about Naga?”, she stammers.

Revan hums. He knows where her question comes from. “Well… judging by Naga’s origin, it seems to me like she is best located in colder systems. Not to mention here. It’s always difficult to relocate animals who have lived their entire lives in a singular place.”

“No…”, Avra’s voice breaks again. “Don’t take her away from me.”, her tears are already threatening to stream again.

“I’m not taking anything from you, Avra.”, Revan says firmly but not unkind. “It is ultimately your decision. Your decision to leave Seruk Nine and your decision what to do with your friend.”, he watches Avra hug Naga’s head in comfort before he continued speaking. “But think about this, young one: Naga had already been injured here – multiple times. People out there in the galaxy are ruthless. They’d see Naga as an exotic species or as a threat. She might not be welcome anywhere. Not to mention that you don’t only have to take care of her but yourself too. You’d have to work from scratch to build up your new life.”, he takes a deep breath before continuing again. “And you would only want the best for Naga, but you can’t offer her that for now. If you leave her here, I bet she’d be taken care of by the mechanic or others in the village. And it’s not a goodbye forever. See it as a temporary leave until you can offer a stable and safe life for Naga.”

Avra doesn’t reply. She stays silent and buries her face in Naga’s thick fur. Revan could tell that she is trying to hide her tears as best as possible, but her sobs are still audible, though slightly muffled. “I… I can’t decide…”, her hold on Naga tightens. Her breath quickens more and more as if she’s about to have a panic attack. “She is all I have left…”

“And what about your mother?”, Revan asks back. Even if his question might sound rude, he needs to ask. He learned from the mechanic that Avra is living in a delusional state, thinking that her mother is still alive, even though she had died years ago. “I thought that’s why you wanted to leave in the first place. To visit your mother as she gets treatment off-planet.”

Avra side-eyes him, a hint of anger bubbling up at his audacity. But it quickly subsided once she realized that he was right. Avra exhaled softly and moved back from Naga a little.

“Girl?”, Avra speaks up and rubs Naga under her chin. “I… I don’t know how I should explain it to you… but…”, Avra trailed off, unable to speak further.

Naga winces audibly, sensing that something is wrong with Avra. Her tongue darts out to lick Avra’s right cheek. Revan remains silent, allowing Avra to explain the situation and to express her feelings.

“I have to go…”, Avra’s voice breaks once again, accepting the harsh reality. “I… I need to leave, okay? But not for long. I promise I will get you. I promise.”, she whispers.

The animal is obviously confused by Avra’s words. She lays her head to one side, her big puppy eyes bigger if that’s even possible. She winces again, sharing Avra’s negative emotions.

“Please don’t make this harder than it already is…”, Avra presses her forehead against Naga’s. “It is not safe with me. You need to stay here. Pharren will take care of you. I promise I will come back…”

Naga visible protests, she understands now what Avra is implying.

Naga suddenly bites down on Avra’s arm, refusing to let her go. Avra yelps in pain at the sudden bite but she accepts it. She clenches her teeth and reaches out a hand to pet Naga’s head. “I know, girl… I know…”, she sobs while her arm remains in Naga’s mouth. “I know it’s hard, but you have to trust me… please…”, Avra pleads, petting Naga more firmly. This goes on for a few moments before Naga finally released Avra’s arm. There are visible bite marks and drool on her jacket now, but she doesn’t mind. Instead, Avra nuzzles her face against Naga’s. “I will be back. I swear I will get you out of here. We will be reunited. I swear, I swear.”

Naga’s tongue reaches out once again to lick over Avra’s entire face. Avra chuckles softly in response, a hint of nostalgia in it. “Good girl…”, she praises the animal. “Don’t worry… it won’t be for long. Go back to Pharren… she will know what to do with you.”

With that, Avra stands up to full height and removes her bags from Naga’s saddle. At least she has something before she leaves. After she removed her bags, Naga suddenly stands up on her hind legs, towering over both Avra and Revan. Naga reaches down as if trying to give Avra a human-like hug. Avra answers the hug with another light yet pained chuckle. “Oh, sweet girl. I will miss you.”, she nuzzles her face into her fur again. “But I will come back.”

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Once everyone said their goodbyes, Naga disappeared in the distance as she made her way back to the village, just as Avra instructed. Now it’s only Revan and Avra left…

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Revan and Avra walk in silence through the forest. They haven’t said a single word after they left Naga behind. Only Avra’s occasional sobs break the thick silence, but even those soon died down. They passed the crash site again. They stopped at the dead Sith Master. Revan recommended Avra to wear the Sith’s cloak to hide her identity better since they plan on disguising themselves as the Sith he killed. Revan suggested this idea since it would be easier to gain access to wherever the Sith planned to go. Revan almost looks like a Sith himself. The robes he wears are standard black robes that a standard Sith would wear. He got those after he was freed from his prison on Dromund Kaas to disguise himself. It only worked out partially since his ship was shot down regardless. Revan wonders if there is still someone looking for him. By ‘someone’ he means the emperor and his servants.

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The rest of their journey was fairly easy. They haven’t encountered any danger or similar. It’s quiet – almost too quiet. Revan can’t help but feel something pulling on him, as if warning him of some danger. Suddenly, Revan grabs Avra by her arm and pulls her down behind a large rock. Avra grunts in surprise, but Revan shushes her by pressing a finger against his mask where his lips would be. Avra obeys with a nod, although confused. From behind their cover, Revan raises his head to spy on what he hid him and Avra from. His eyes narrowed when he spotted the countless probe droids, imperials officers and troopers scouting the area in front of him. He watches as a few troopers, dressed in heavy red and black armor, push stacked crates from one place to the other. He doesn’t know the contents of them, but thinking back to the boy that gave him intel and some crystals, he concludes that there must be more of them.

“What is it?”, Avra whispers, too scared to look from her cover.

Revan smirks faintly under his mask. “We are here.”, he says cryptically. Revan spots a few ships parked in the distance – they could use them to escape. But first he needs to know what the empire is trying to achieve here. For intel… and to still his own thirst of curiosity.

His eyes widen momentarily when he suddenly sees a familiar figure stand right next to the entrance of a cave which is guarded by two heavily armed troopers. As if he hadn’t aged a single year, Malak, Revan’s former friend stands right at the entrance of the cave, staring at Revan before he enters it. Revan’s gaze is fixed at the cave entrance for almost too long. Before he accidentally blows their cover, Revan crouches back down behind the rock. First Bastila, then Malak, then Mission, and now Malak again. Is his past finally catching up to him? Revan rubs his temples with his fingers with a long, exhausted sigh. Whatever his visions, or hallucinations, mean, they must be important. And they certainly want him to stay on Seruk Nine a bit longer. They want him to explore whatever is inside of the cave, to be exact.

Revan looks at Avra with a firm nod. “I need to know what’s going on here.”

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SERUK NINE; crash site

In the meantime, more imperial forces have arrived. Now, they have discovered Revan’s crash site and Darth Ryyva’s body – the Sith Lady Revan killed hours ago. Over Darth Ryyva’s body there stands another figure dressed in a baggy and black cloak. The figure who reveals herself to be a pale-skinned woman, stares down at the fallen Sith.

“And here you thought you were ready. You were far from done with your training.”, her voice is cold as ice. Her hands are clasped behind her back when she is approached by an imperial officer.

“My Lord.”, he bows his head for a moment, waiting for the woman’s attention.

The woman, who appears to be another Sith Lord, answers with a sigh and turns to the imperial officer. “What is it?”, her usual yellow eyes which were corrupted by the dark side are concealed by a simple force trick that allows her to display her natural blue eyes. A mole under her right eye and her deep purple lipstick and eyeshadow decorates her ghostly skin.

The imperial officer straightens up and taps on the data-pad he holds in his hands for a moment. “We also found another corpse approximately half a click from the crash site.”

The mysterious Sith Lord redirects her gaze back down to the dead Sith at her feet. “Already acquired an apprentice, eh?”, she sighs again. “Something else?”, she asks.

“Our probe drones have spotted two individuals dressed in dark clothing enter our mission zone unauthorized. We avoided acting without your approval.”, he turns the data-pad towards her so she can see the screen. Revan and Avra are clearly displayed as a freeze-frame on the screen right before they were able to hind behind the rock. The Sith Lord takes the data-pad into her hands and uses her fingers to zoom in on the figures. She then scrolls and swipes on the pad to get different angles from various probe drones around the mission zone. Once she finds an angle where she could see Avra and Revan from the front, she zooms on each of their faces. Revan’s is obstructed by his mask but once she sees Avra’s face, her finger twitches involuntarily and her eyes narrow. A thick and uncomfortable silence stretches between the Sith and the officer before she finally hands the officer his data-pad back.

“Let them enter the zone. Inform everyone stationed there and here to treat them as if they belong there. Let them think they have the upper hand.”, she explained. “They might know where the artifact is located. Let them enter the cave and follow their moves.”, she turns away. “Also: Send my apprentice Karex to the mission zone, he should serve as the main unit if those intruders decide to act out. But be careful not to harm the girl: I need her alive. And dispose the bodies of the fallen.”

“Yes, Lord Azielle.”, the officer bows and turns away to execute her plans.

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 10 – Insidious

Revan looks at Avra with a firm nod. “I need to know what’s going on here.”

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Revan sees Avra’s stunned expression when she hears his words. Before she could protest, Revan raises his right hand, shushing her once again while also giving himself the chance to explain.

“Listen.”, he begins, his voice soft to avoid attention from their enemies. “I know you do not understand my vision or intentions here, but...”, he gestures towards his right where the cave entrance is located but obstructed by the rock they’re hiding behind. “You have to trust me here.”

“Why can’t we just leave-“, Avra interrupts herself once Revan reminded her with another motion of his hand to be quiet. “Why can’t we just leave?”, she whispers now.

Revan takes a moment just to stare at Avra through his mask. He gives himself time to choose the right words before continuing. “Since I crashed here on Seruk Nine I had visions of a place. First it was just a snowy landscape, then it evolved into a forest, and finally – I saw a cave, this cave.”, Revan emphasized his words by speaking firmly and with conviction. “The force had been telling me to find this place since I crashed. Maybe it even was responsible for my crash – to show me the path.”

“What path?”, Avra questions.

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Silence.

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“Avra…”, Revan places both of his hands on her shoulders, making sure he has her attention. “I know you are still in emotional distress since you and Naga separated, and I validate your feelings, but I need you here and now. It doesn’t matter what path the force is showing me.”, he explains. “I know I cannot avoid it and I know I have to walk it – whether you’re coming with me or not.”, he takes a deep breath, steadying his emotions. “But I would advise you to stick by my side for now. You cannot hide yourself in the force, nor can you hold up to trained soldiers when it comes to battle skill and experience. But I can. This is not a first for me. I am asking you to trust me. Not as an ally, not as Revan. But as a friend.”, Revan finally let’s go of her shoulders and lowers his arms back to his sides. “Are you with me, Avra?”, his voice is filled with conviction, determination and a hint of persuasion. He raises his right hand again and holds it up to her, as if attempting to seal a deal by a handshake. “Are you with me?”, he repeats.

Revan could almost feel Avra’s heartbeat increase and her breathing hitch a little when she saw his hand reach out to her. She ponders for a moment before she replies. “You’re asking a lot from someone you only met a few days ago.”, she tries to argue but she somehow has the feeling that Revan already has a counter to her words – and she doesn’t like that.

Revan smirks knowingly under his mask. “Says the one who saved my life and let me live in your home.”, he counters. There it is – the counter Avra had already anticipated.

Revan watches her shake her head while sighing deeply. “Fine, fine okay.”, she takes his hand and squeezes it hard as a payback, but Revan barely reacts. “We will do this together and then you’ll take me off this planet so I can prepare for a better life and finally take Naga with me.”, her voice is filled with various emotions.

Revan sees it in her eyes. The fire, the determination to reunite with her companion as soon as possible. Yet he can sense her fear and anxiety, carefully interwinding with her goals and dreams.

“I will.”, he squeezes her hand back, which makes Avra’s face twist in something he can’t quite tell. Pain, discomfort, maybe even slight anger. But this does not matter now. What matters is that he finally gets the answers he’s been waiting for. “Cover your face with the hood of the cloak and stay behind me. I am your Master – your authority – for the time being, so let me do the talking and action.”

“No problem at all.”, Avra agrees to Revan’s plan.

Revan can see right through Avra’s nonchalant response. He knows she is scared, but he can also tell that she tries to appear aloof and uncaring for what is to come. Revan sees it as a form of coping mechanism, so he won’t linger on it too long. He will talk with her about it once they are safe.

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After they went over the plan a final time, they walked out of their hiding place without alarming anyone surrounding them. The crunching of the snow beneath their boots marks their approach towards the cave. Avra pulls her hood further down to conceal more of her face. She keeps her gaze low to avoid unnecessary eye contact that may blow their cover. Revan walks ahead of her. His steps are long and confident as he approaches the cave entrance. There, he sees a man and a woman guarding the entrance by standing on either side of it. They’re wearing heavy black armor while carrying electro staffs in both hands. Revan had to force down the shiver he felt running down his back when he recognized the weapons they were carrying. A sudden memory of the imperial guard back on Dromund Kaas washes over him. Even though the two parties do not look alike in any way except for the similarity of their weapons, the flashback hits him almost too hard. Yet, he does not show it on the outside.

Revan had removed his mask for the time being. Only a few people know his real face, but many others would recognize his signature red and gray mask, if his name and story still echo through the galaxy. He is aware that their plan is risky – maybe even slightly foolish. One wrong move and he could be back in imperial custody, and this time without anyone rescuing him. Not to mention Avra, who’d have a similar fate. But he still feels like whatever lies beyond is worth the risk. So, he continues to march forward. Most of the officers and troopers ignore the duo, as if they were already expecting them.

As they draw closer to the entrance of the cave, Revan feels his stomach turn upside down for a second. Something is wrong – he feels it. But they cannot stop now. He resists the feeling to grab his lightsaber and just obliterate anything that is in his path. Now that would blow their cover.

Revan will stay on guard while they maintain their disguise as the Sith he killed earlier. Finally, they reach the entrance and stop a full meter in front of the officer. Once the officer acknowledges their presence, he glances up from the data pad he was looking at. His sharp features and age reveal his experience and possible status in the empire. Revan analyzes the officer for a moment. He is wearing a dark gray uniform along with an identically colored cap. On said cap is a black star encircled by a red line. On his chest there are eight red squares separated into two vertical rows with four squares each on the man’s left chest. Those squares indicate the officer’s status in the empire.

Revan recalls the time when he and Malak would study and learn everything about the empire and its ranks. If the ranks remained the same after 300 years, that officer would be a high ranking general.

“State your business.”, the officer commanded, his tone professional and official.

“My name is Darth Ryyva.”, Revan replied, taking the identity of the Sith Master that was expected to arrive here. “My apprentice and I were called here to investigate the progress of the cave.”

A flicker of recognition is shown on the imperial’s face. Revan almost didn’t notice it if he didn’t pay enough attention. He is aware that every imperial staff is trained to be as tough as a rock when it comes to dealing with official business. Again, Revan felt the same weird feeling in his stomach. Something is wrong.

The officer sizes Revan and Avra up for a moment, but mainly Revan. After a tense moment, the officer steps aside and waves his free hand at the guards. “Very well, proceed.”

The guards lower their electro staffs and step aside as well, leaving the entrance for Revan and Avra open. Revan doesn’t bother responding to the officer. Sith have a high ranking in the Empire and showing appreciation and kindness might raise unnecessary suspicion. The duo enters the cave with the officer’s eyes following them. Once they are out of ear shot reach, Avra speaks up, whispering. “This was almost too easy.”

“I know.”, Revan whispered back. “Keep your guard up, something is wrong. I think we may walk into a trap.”

Avra grips the fabric of the cloaks she is wearing tightly while also trying not to stumble over it. The cloak sweeps behind her on the floor – it’s too large for her but will do just fine to disguise herself.

“What exactly is the plan?”, she asks, keeping her head low.

“Not sure.”, Revan said honestly while they march through the long passage of the cave. The cave doesn’t look special in any way. The passage they are walking through is wide enough to fit two more people next to them. The duo walks for a hot minute before two more troopers pass them. The one who walks in front holds a heavy blaster in his hand while the other pushes two crates set on a hovering transporter behind him. These crates are the same as he saw outside. More crystals maybe?

The troopers acknowledge the duo with a simple bow of their head, showing respect to the supposed Sith.

Revan keeps staring ahead while they continue their journey through the cave passage.

But soon, they’d reach the end, which is guarded by yet another set of guards, armed with the same electro staffs as the ones at the entrance. Without having to explain themselves, Revan and Avra pass by and enter the next section of the cave.

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Seruk Nine; cave entrance

As soon as Revan and Avra were out of sight, the imperial officer reached for his communicator which hung on his utility belt.

“My Lord.”, he speaks professionally and with respect. “The two supposed intruders have entered the cave just as instructed. How should we proceed?”

On the other end of the transmission answered a woman. Her voice is calm yet confident. “Do not engage with them in any way. No conversation and no unnecessary action. Let them bypass every checkpoint but keep a close eye on them.”, she explained. “I have a feeling that they will lead us to the artifact.”

“Yes, Lord Azielle.”, the officer confirmed and ends the short transmission and clips the communicator back to his belt.

“Inform the other troops and officers stationed inside the cave.”, the officer addressed the two guards. “I will prepare everything for Lord Karex’s arrival.”

The two guards respond with a firm nod and follow to complete the officer’s order.

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Seruk Nine; second section of the cave

Avra’s eyes widen momentarily when she sees the large space in front of them. The second section of the cave is approximately ten meters wide and at least fifteen meters long. But that is not what draws her attention. The hundreds if not thousands of glowing crystals that grow on the cave walls, floor and even the ceiling are a sight to behold. The different colored crystals are bright enough to illuminate the entire section, so that no flashlights or glow sticks are needed to see perfectly fine.

Avra catches up with Revan after she snapped out of her amazement. She must admit that she never saw anything as beautiful as the glowing explosion of colors here, and she can’t help but feel drawn to every single crystal.

Everywhere around them are troops and officers, mostly human. But what draws Revan’s attention are the Twi’leks and Zabraks carefully removing the single crystals with a small gadget that produces a white laser beam.

Slaves. Another aspect that didn’t change in the empire. Every slave wears a shock collar around their neck by default and is placed into groups of three or four which are watched over by a single trooper. They are mining the crystals but why? Revan stops for a moment and so does Avra. They watch a young blue Twi’lek and how he removes the crystal and places it on the ground next to him. Once the crystals are removed from the walls, they lose all their glow and color looks now washed-out. As if they died.

Not wanting to linger too much in one place, Revan keeps moving through the large section. He feels Avra behind him, eying every single slave with sympathy and concern. Her pain and worry are great, but they also draw attention to them. “Focus.”, Revan whispers without looking back. Avra flinched in response but obeys and fixes her gaze to her feet. “…sorry…”

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No one had stopped or talked to them. No one asked for any source of identification. It felt like no one cared that they were here. Or maybe they care enough to hide their true intentions. Revan had the feeling that they were walking into a trap since they approached the cave entrance an hour ago.

An hour had passed since they entered. In the meantime, they had passed five more of those large sections inside the cave. Almost everything looked the same. In every section there were troopers, officers and slaves who mine the crystals off the walls and floors.

Now, the duo stands in a lone corner, discussing things further but always keeping to themselves. Through conversations and subtle mind probing, Revan found out that the empire isn’t interested in the crystals per se. They are looking for something hidden. Something beyond the cave walls and beyond the drawing glow of the crystals. But what it is exactly, he does not know. Avra was quiet the entire time too. She seemed nervous and eager to leave but kept her concerns to herself.

Revan would have meditated and let the force guide him more accurately through the source of the slight disturbance he felt. But with the dozen’s eyes watching him, there was no way.

“Can we go now? There is nothing here…”, Avra spoke up quietly at which Revan sighed. He is aware that she wants to leave as soon as possible. He does too of course. He had spent way too long on imperial worlds, but he knows they aren’t finished here yet. “Avra we are not finished here.”, his voice soft. “I still feel something drawing me deeper.”

“But there is no deeper. We’ve been in every section already. This is it. There is nothing here.”

“You may think my mind is playing tricks with me, very righteous so. But I assure you that there is more. Malak didn’t lead me here without a reason.”

“Who now?”, Avra frowns visibly at the to her unknown name.

“Doesn’t matter.”, Revan answered with a shake of his head.

Avra sighs again, her gaze back on the floor. “I’m scared.”, she admits. “What if someone notices that we don’t belong here?”

“That’s what I have been wondering too.”, he said, crossing his arms. “Everything feels too casual for something important. This must be a trap; the empire wouldn’t be so foolish to let us pass otherwise. The question is: Why didn’t they attack us? We are clearly outmatched when comparing the number of men.”, he brings his right fist up to rest it under his chin before continuing. “Unless…”, Revan trailed off.

“Unless what?”, Avra perked up, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Revan smiled. He figured it out. “Unless they are using us to find what they search for.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Look, Avra. I think that they think that we know how to find the very thing they are looking for.”, he tells her. “They are using us. They let us do what we wish. They do not interfere with or stop us. They do not even talk with us, not to mention report anything.”, he explained.

Avra hummed in acknowledgement to his statement. “I guess you are right.”, she sighs quietly and looks away for a moment, hesitant to continue. “There… is something…”, she reveals.

Revan’s ears perk up at the sudden revelation from Avra. “There is something? What do you mean?”, he asked.

“Since we entered the first section, I felt something weird.”, she places her hand on the place where her heart would be, clutching the fabric of her cloak. “I wasn’t sure. I didn’t tell you because I thought it was just my anxiety creeping up.”, she shakes her head firmly. “But it feels different.”

Revan studied Avra’s face for a long moment before he smiled gently. “The force is reaching out to you.”, he declared.

“Really?”, Avra meets his, her eyes shimmering with hope and awe. “You think the force is reaching out to me? Me?”

Revan let out a small huff of amusement when he saw the excitement on her face. “I believe so. I feel a pull towards something in here too. I cannot tell the exact direction of the source of the disturbance.”, his smile turns into a confident smirk. “But I believe you do.”

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Avra leads the way through the different cave sections where she feels the pull on her the most. As before, no one stopped or talked to them. But Revan feels the danger more clearly than before. But instead of blowing their ‘cover’ too early, he decides to play along and continue to walk into the supposed trap. After all, if the empire wants the information the duo does not yet have, they have to let them continue. Revan can’t help but feel both excited and worried. What will he find here? What is he supposed to do? What will happen to him? All questions that will be answered once the reveal happened.

“Here…”, Avra suddenly stops and places her right hand against the cave wall in front of her. “Yes, right here.”

“Are you sure?”, Revan asks softly. To him, the pull feels the same everywhere.

“Yes.”, she meets his gaze yet again. “I know it. Some call it luck… others call it a gift. But… I have a sense of finding something others are looking for. And I think it is happening here now, too.”

“Oh?”, Revan arched an eyebrow. “You have to tell me more about that once we have left the cave and returned to safety.”

Revan motions Avra to step aside. Like she did before him, he places his hand against the hard surface. He closes his eyes and reaches out into the force, opening his mind.

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It didn’t take him long until he felt a nudge in his mind. There it is. The pull became stronger once he totally focused on it. Even though he feels a lot better than on the day of his crash, he knows that his mind and connection to the force aren’t fully healed. Revan reached for his lightsaber, igniting the green blade to cut a square into the wall. Just as suspected, the wall was hollow. He holds his hand forward and channels to force just enough to push the cut out square out of the wall. Revan tried to be as quiet as possible to not alarm their enemies, even though he knew they must have their eyes on them the entire time.

Revan and Avra step into the newly created space. But unlike the other cave sections, it does not have glowing crystals. Furthermore, it is narrower with a lower ceiling. Revan keeps his lightsaber ignited. The green blade hums as it casts light into the passage. The duo had to walk one at a time with how narrow the passage truly is. But soon, they’d stumble upon a durasteel hatch that is mounted into the ground beneath. Revan crouched down, examining the hatch. Without trying to waste more time, he thrusts his lightsaber into the metal, cutting yet another hole for them to use. He picked up the heated metal with the force and placed it down carefully behind Avra. “Do you happen to have any glow sticks with you?”, Revan asked. “I need to know how far it goes down.”

Avra fumbles in one of her bags for a moment before she pulls out a set of glow sticks, handing them to Revan. Revan cracks the first and throws it down the hatch. The light quickly vanished in the darkness below. But the sound of it hitting the ground after ten seconds was loud enough for the duo to hear.

“I will go down first.”, he cracked two more glowsticks and deactivated his lightsaber to clip it back to his belt. He hands one light stick to Avra while he sticks the other between his belt and robes. “Stay close and be careful not to fall.”

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Revan waited until Avra reached the end of the ladder to join him to continue their investigation. “This surely won’t take long.”, Revan assured her while lighting the corridor with his lightsaber again. “Just stay by my side and you’ll be alright.”

Revan is fascinated by their findings. They found a secret hatch which led them into a secret corridor. The corridor was definitely not created by a natural cause. Someone was here before. And judging by the state of the stone and concrete, it must have been a long time.

“What is this place?”, Avra asked while secretly holding onto Revan’s cape with one hand, seeking comfort.

“I do not know.”, Revan answered honestly. “But you must feel it too. The force is guiding us further.”

“I don’t feel anything anymore. Just… coldness.”, Avra whispered.

„Maybe that indicates that you have found what the empire was looking for?”, Revan mused, taking slight interest in Avra’s gift.

“I don’t know. I never had this feeling. Maybe it’s not over yet.”

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Revan leads the way with his lightsaber still illuminating the tiny passage until they reach the end. A dead end one would suppose. But Revan and even Avra knows better that this is definitely not the end. The wall ahead looks different than the cave as a whole. A reddish smooth stone with a few notches and scratches, displaying its age and use. Symbols and letters in an ancient language the prodigal knight can’t decipher are carved into the wall. Revan holds up his free hand, channeling the force. The force guides the ‘door’ upward with a soft rumble as it vanishes into the hollow space above it. The door is heavy, but it doesn’t take a lot of effort to keep it up for Revan and Avra to slip into the next room.

A loud thud seals the door, and maybe even their fate, behind them.

It’s dark.

Not visually, but…

As if they triggered a mechanism, all torches and candles that were placed on the walls or were hanging from the ceilings light up and illuminate the entire space with a soft orange glow. Instinctively, Revan switches into a defensive stance, ready to face whatever is hiding here. If there is something hiding here.

But… there’s nothing, no one even.

Revan slowly lowered his lightsaber, looking around and taking in the new sight.

“What is this place?”, Avra repeats her question from earlier, now more awe and intrigue than fear.

Revan takes a step further into the room. The vast chamber stretched endlessly before them, dimly lit by the eerie glow of flickering torches that clung to the dark stone walls. Massive pillars lined the hall. The pillars reached high, vanishing into the vaulted ceiling far above. Different colored squares, mostly red and white, decorate the floor. Balconies jutted out from the upper levels of the temple, connected by narrow staircases that lead up the walls. Red fabric hangs from the elevated platforms, but even those look old and torn. Humanoid statues stand in between the pillars, dressed in robes with their faces obscured by their hoods. But they are more up against the wall than the pillars. Some were damaged, missing a limb, some even their head. But they all had one thing in common: Arms were crossed in front of their chest while their heads bowed down.

The air was heavy, almost suffocating. The dark side of the force felt strong in here, as if it waited for someone to arrive or return. Every step echoed ominously off the cold stone floor. The chamber seemed endless, the walls stretching far into the shadows,

Revan takes another step further to the middle of the large hall, raising his head to look at the high ceiling.

“An ancient Sith temple…”

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 11 – Face the Darkness

Revan takes another step further to the middle of the large hall, raising his head to look at the high ceiling.

“An ancient Sith temple…”

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Revan feels Avra shift uncomfortably behind him after he spoke. He remembers the conversation they had back at her place. She told him that she despises the Sith, and he knows that she is afraid of them. Now that she is at the heart of their teachings and ways, it was obvious that her fear would peak here.

Even though the temple seemed abandoned and long forgotten, the memories and past were not. Revan could almost taste the dark side in his mouth. If he’d describe it to anyone, it would be the coppery taste of blood, mixed with something faintly sweet that fueled an insatiable hunger and held an alluring promise of something powerful. Not an unfamiliar feeling to him. For a moment, Revan closes his eyes and takes in the darkness for a short moment. Yes, he could hear its call. The seductive but sweet promises of power and greatness. Revan takes a moment just to feel. He had been surrounded by the darkness for a long time, back on Dromund Kaas. But this… this felt different. It felt inviting like a mother’s hug, felt sweet like a father’s praise. Yet he knows that he is stronger than to fall for these tricks. Revan never saw the dark side as true power. He saw it as a tool to achieve power. He saw it as a means to an end. Nothing more, nothing less. Or did he?

Revan is aware of what the dark side can offer, but he is no fool. He won’t let the dark side rule him. He never did, and he won’t let it happen in the future – he is aware of the risks. At least with who he is now.

The prodigal knight opens his eyes and looks over his shoulder back at Avra. “Are you coming?”, he asks. His voice is laced with a certain… coldness. But he was able to conceal it pretty well.

Avra hesitates.

“What exactly are we looking for here?”, her voice quivers slightly. Despite her rather weak connection to the force, the dark side still takes a toll on her.

“As I’ve said before: I don’t know. We will have to find out.”

Seruk Nine; cave entrance

The officer stands in front of the cave entrance along with many more guards as if they are ready to storm the cave.

“Prepare yourselves… once Lord Karex has arrived and secured that the two intruders have found the temple and, hopefully, along with that the artefact; we will follow and make sure they don’t escape.”, he declared.

From the stationed guards – a dozen at least – roars a unified ‘Yes Sir!’, ready to follow the order through – no matter the cost.

„Now… where the hell is Lord Karex…”, the officer thinks to himself. “We waited long enou-“

“Out of the way!”, a low and dark voice interrupted the officer’s string of thoughts. Before he even realized, he was grabbed by the shoulder and roughly pushed out of the way. The officer had to repress a gasp of shock… and the urge to curse out the person which had pushed him out of the way.

Thankfully, the officer had restrained himself or he would’ve been dead, here and now. He doesn’t even have to see the person’s face to know who they are. Broad shoulders – really broad, tall, and a dark cloak which billows behind them.

Lord Karex has arrived.

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The two tendrils that hang from Karex’s chin twitch in anticipation and annoyance while walking through the first tunnel. Karex has never been a patient man – and especially not when it came to dealing with intruders and the like. If he could, he’d teleport to their location and rip the heads off their bodies in an instant – but that is not the instruction he was given by Darth Azielle – his Sith Master.

Karex’s hand travels to the single lightsaber on his right side, unclipping before grasping it tightly.

“Kill the man and get the girl. Kill the man and get the girl. Kill the man and get the girl.”, he repeats in his head over and over like a mantra – like an attempt to show restraint – to follow the plan.

Karex scowled at the thought that some mere intruders could possibly ruin Darth Azielle’s plans. It won’t happen – he won’t let it happen.

After a few minutes of walking, Karex reached the place where Revan had cut a hole with his lightsaber into the wall. His eyes narrowed at the sight. What could have possibly cut such a precise hole into the wall. And how did they know where to cut. Judging by the officers and troopers guarding the hole, the intruders must have not left yet. Which is good of course. Karex pays no mind to the slaves lined up on a far wall with their head lowered. They are slaves after all – nothing of value. He doubts that they have any ties with the intruders. Their minds are too broken to act out – too broken to disobey.

“Lord Karex. We were-“, before the officer who stood next to the hole finished his sentence, Karex had already stepped inside secret passage. Without turning back, the pureblood Sith speaks up, his voice a mix between a sneer and a hiss.

“I will give you a signal once I have located the targets.”, his steps echo loudly through the passage. “Do not follow without my say.”

“O-Of course, my Lord.”

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Revan and Avra have entered another section of the Sith temple. The chamber is mostly empty, but right at the center there is a pedestal. And on top of the pedestal is a metallic claw-like object. The claw is closed, holding something in place.

From afar, Revan cannot tell what exactly that object is, but the power it radiates is almost… elusive…

Revan steps closer, feeling weirdly drawn to the object that was trapped inside the metallic claw.

Avra hesitates, nervously fiddling with the stolen cloak.

“Revan… I don’t know… if that’s any good…”, her voice sounds far. Muffled. Revan could barely hear it – but he chose to ignore it regardless.

Once he was in arm’s reach, he finally identified the object held by the claw.

“A… kyber crystal…”, he whispered, subconsciously reaching out to it. The deep yet powerful purple crystal draws him in. As if on command, the metallic claw opened with a soft click and the crystal began levitating into the air until it was at chest-height.

“Revan-“, Avra gasped out, but her words were quickly overshadowed by the shout of a third person at the entrance of their current chamber.

“There you are!”, the voice was loud and deep. It almost sounded like a roar.

While Revan’s gaze remained fixed on the crystal, Avra spun around to see a giant figure, with red skin and dressed in a black cloak rush toward them. Avra reeled back in shock, and before she realized, the Sith had activated his lightsaber and jumped up into the air – attempting to begin his assault on the pair via an air-attack.

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Instinctively, Revan touched the purple kyber crystal. His powerful presence in the force mixes with the crystals. At the touch, heavy and powerful force wave emerged from the crystal. Its sheer power was enough to send Avra flying back a few meters while also intercepting Karex’s jump-attack.

The Sith crossed his arms over his chest, attempting to absorb as much pressure as possible. Karex remained frozen in the air for a couple of seconds before a second shock wave, even stronger than the first knocked him far away. The Sith landed on his feet, sliding back until he hit the wall with a soft thump. Avra didn’t have it any better. The shock wave caught her hard, and unlike the Sith, she had no way to slow herself.

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It was dark. Pitch black to be exact.

Revan couldn’t see a thing – he wasn’t even sure if his eyes were open or not.

His hands travel to his mask, gently taking it off. Once the mask was gone, he was sure that his eyes were, indeed, already open.

But why is it so dark? Or to be more exact: Where is he and how did he get here? The last thing he remembered was standing in the middle of the Sith temple, reaching for the purple kyber crystal hovering above the pedestal.

But now there was no temple, no crystal and no Avra. Revan took a careful single step forward. The floor beneath felt wet. His gaze lowered and he saw his reflection. The casual dark robes, his cape and his usual stern face. Within a millisecond, his reflection flashed to a… different version of him. Masked, a purple and a red lightsaber in his hands and his iconic black and red robes. But it was gone as soon as it came.

What is this?

“Is the force tricking me?”, Revan asked himself, staring at his reflection for a moment longer.

“Trick or not. You are here now.”

At the foreign voice, Revan tensed. His hand immediately traveled to his lightsaber. The weapon hissed to life, and he spun around, pointing the lightsaber at whoever just spoke. His eyes narrowed for a moment but as soon as he recognized the woman standing there, his gaze softened.

Long brown hair, striking blue eyes, white robes with brown accents. A soft blue glow surrounded her, as if she were a ghost. No. It can’t be. She had died. Many years ago, by his side.

“…Meetra?...”, Revan called out carefully, unsure if his memories were intact.

The mysterious woman took two steps toward Revan before stopping. A few meters separated them, but the tension in the endless dark space remained.

“Indeed, it is.”, the woman spoke. Her voice was… serious, stern… almost… cold. Her arms remained at her sides. Her expression was calm.

Revan lowered his lightsaber back down to his side as his stance relaxed. He studied Meetra’s face for far too long. She looked exactly like the day he lost her. The day she died. But is this even the real Meetra? Or a trick? Does he even know who she is really?

Before Revan’s memories were erased by the jedi council, before he was given a new identity, he remembered Meetra Surik as one of the many Jedi that had followed him and Malak into war. Meetra was a high ranking general within his ‘order’. They were called The Revanchists. As far as he remembers. General Surik had a lot of impact in the war. And Revan… had a lot of impact on her. Quite literally. But something feels off. Revan is sure that his memories had returned to him when he interacted with his mask for the very first time in years. But he knows he isn’t the person who he once was.

Was that a good or a bad thing? On one hand… he wasn’t a dark Lord anymore, which is a positive, at least for now. On the other hand… he wasn’t sure who else he is. Is he even… Revan?

“I feel your confusion and uncertainty.”, Surik spoke up after a while, bringing Revan back to reality.

“What is this place and how did I get here?”, Revan asked.

“This?”, Surik spared a glance around the endless stretching darkness. “This is something I can’t quite tell you. How you got here though must be quite simple to answer.”

Revan remained silent, analyzing Meetra through the force as much as he could.

“You’re angry.”, he assumed.

“You say?”

“You weren’t the best at concealing your emotions, ever.”

Surik shook her head in silence, looking momentarily at the wet floor. “You don’t know me – at least not anymore.”

“Of course I do. My memories have returned the moment you returned my mask back to me.”. Revan argued back.

“It’s not the same. And I’m not sure whether I like or hate it.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s unjust to hold a grudge towards the wrong person.”, Surik explained.

“Meetra. What do you mean? Grudge? Grudge about what?”, Revan took a single step forward, trying to close the distance between him and his old friend.

“Of course…”, Surik sighed, turning her head to the side. “I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn't have intervened.”

“Meetra, please. Explain to me what happened.”, Revan stopped in his advance when Meetra raised her hand at him.

Surik took a deep breath to calm herself. The force told Revan that she is angry, even hurting in a way.

“Meetra?”

Revan is confused. He is aware that he disappeared out of galactic presence over 300 years and that he wasn’t in the loop, but what has changed with General Surik? Why is she here now in this weird place? And why is she so different. Why was she angry? What could he possibly have done-

Oh.

Oh.

Revan wanted to punch himself hard at his mental drop out, but he held back. How could he have forgotten?

The shadow generator.

Malachor V.

Meetra.

And everyone else in the system.

“Is this about-“, before Revan could finish, Surik interrupted him.

“Yes.”, her voice sounded harsher than before. “I am angry. Though I know I shouldn’t. It doesn’t matter what I feel now – it’s all in the past. But I feel like this is the only chance I have where I can talk with you.”

Revan didn’t respond immediately. “So… if this is no trick my mind’s playing me. Why are you here? Why haven’t you become one with the force? Why haven’t you embraced the peace you deserve?”

Surik took another deep breath to stay calm. “I chose to stay.”, she revealed. “I became one with the force, yes.”, she raises her arms. “But I refused to embrace peace. Until I knew you could make it too.”

“You stayed?”, Revan whispered, the shock in his voice clear.

Surik nodded.

“I was aware you couldn’t feel my presence. The emperor did a good job keeping you in solitude, I must admit.”, Surik raised her head. “I stayed by your side for 300 years to let you feed off my energy. My body died, but my mind did not. And I wanted to assure that you could finish what you started: Defeat the emperor and bring peace to the galaxy.”, Surik looked back at Revan’s unmasked face. “I still believe that you’ll be the one achieving this. You are Revan after all. But what happened, happened.”

“I’m sorry.”, Revan said… but somehow… it didn’t feel 100 percent genuine.

“You don’t feel guilty.”

“But I do.”

“No, you don’t feel guilty.”

“I don’t understand. Please stop with this cryptic talk. I regret what I did. How many lives I took. The pain and suffering I caused. What I did to you.”

Surik bit down on her lower lip, forcing herself to calm. The Exile took a deep breath before answering. “A lot happened, Revan.”, her voice sounds less bitter, almost guilty. “You… aren’t the Revan I followed into war. Still… times were tough.”

“So, I’ve heard…”, Revan spoke calmly. “Your connection to the force was severed. You were... a wound in the force. Just floating in the endless galaxy.”

“First, I thought the council broke my connection as punishment for following you. But apparently, I did it to myself.”, Surik answered.

Revan smiled faintly at the revelation. “I see. I immediately felt how much stronger you have gotten once we reunited.”, his smile faltered. “But this is not all you wish to tell me…”

Surik shook her head. “It doesn’t matter that much anymore. Our talk gave me clarity and for that I thank you.”

“Well, I didn’t have much of a choice.”, Revan joked. But Meetra didn’t laugh or smile.

“I don’t have much time left, Revan.”, Meetra admitted. “I’m not… the one you were mean to face here. I merely intervened to have my own talk with you.”

“I bet I will find out soon enough what you mean.”

Meetra nodded. Then, she turned away.

“Fulfill your destiny, Revan. Have not wasted the lives you, I, and many others took.”, slowly… Meetra’s body began to dissolve in the force. The blue glow around her intensified until her presence and force-ghost faded away into a white, soft light. “Finish what you started.”

Revan followed the fading light with his gaze before he turned around to the sound of a lightsaber coming to life…

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Shaking and gasping for air, Avra slowly pushed herself up to her knees. The blow of the invisible pressure that had pushed her away, had hit her hard. Hard enough to throw her against the furthest wall of the temple chamber. Her head throbbed and blood seeped down her forehead. Avra coughed a few times before her breath steadied. She glanced over to Revan who had remained in the same position the entire time. Avra stood up slowly, her gaze still a little unfocused, but good enough to see the person with red skin approach her.

Before she knew it, she was grabbed by the collar of her cloak and yanked up to her feet. Her face was close enough to the Sith’s to smell his breath. It was warm and smelled of death – that much was clear. Her hand immediately clasped around the wrist that was holding her up.

“Let go of me.”, Avra demanded, struggling against his vice-grip. She was too scared to make eye contact with the Sith.

The Sith chuckled. “You’re just a little girl.”, he insulted, leaning even closer. Their noses were almost touching.

“I just wonder why my Master wants you alive… mh?”, he mused, tilting his head to one side while he studied Avra’s face intently.

“Maybe she thinks you’re too weak to kill me?”, Avra mocked, now finally looking into the Sith’s eyes. “You’re nothing but a mindless brute-“

“Silence!”, the Sith barked, slapping Avra across the face with the back of his hand because of her insolence. This made Avra wince in pain. The Sith threw her to the ground afterwards, as if she was a bag of trash. Avra held her red cheek with her right hand in pain as she struggled to sit up. Hasn’t she already felt enough pain for a day? Was this really necessary? But the Sith’s words spooked her more than the possibility of further violence. A Sith, this Sith’s Master demanded her survival. Why? She could have died here. Easily. Yet… she was somehow interesting enough to be kept alive.

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Karex stared down at Avra for a few seconds before turning away. “Stay there.”, he commanded without turning back. “Or you’d wish a slap was the only pain you felt today.”, Karex has made his warning clear. He wasn’t the type to shy away from violence. He embraced it. With confident steps, Karex slowly approached Revan who had his back turned towards him. The lightsaber in his hands hissed to life while he continued his approach. Karex looked like an animal stalking its prey. But before he could reach Revan, an invisible force barrier stopped him in his tracks. Karex immediately struck his lightsaber against the barrier, but to no avail. Karex steps back. If a lightsaber can’t cut through, what can?

The barrier has a radius of approximately three meters from where Revan is standing. To pass time, Karex paces back and forth while giving the signal for the troops inside of the cave to join him.

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Revan followed the fading light with his gaze before he turned around to the sound of a lightsaber coming to life…

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“What is this place…”, Revan thought to himself. But somehow his thoughts weren’t only his own. He knows that… he could hear him too. He is sure of it.

“Who are you!”, Revan shouted at entity the wore his mask, his old ‘Sith-robes’, and held his lightsabers. One purple and one red.

The entity remained in its place. It didn’t move – it didn’t even speak.

Revan felt a shiver run down his spine. His stomach turned upside down for a moment before he dropped his lightsaber and clutched his head with both hands. His gloved fingers dig into his scalp and his eyes shut close.

“Not again… not now…”, Revan hissed in unimaginable pain. Flashes of past memories flash before his eyes – but every single one of Seruk Nine. He saw ‘Malak’ as he ‘fought’ him in the snow, he saw ‘Bastila’ comforting him in his prison, he saw ‘Mission’ worrying for him after he collapsed on Avra’s porch, he saw Meetra talking to him in this weird place. And finally, he saw himself. His old self. His dark self. His… true self. Darth Revan.

This is it. This is what the force wanted him to see. This is what his nightmares and visions plagued him about.

Slowly, Revan removed his hands from his head and reached out into the force to pick up his lightsaber – which he ignited shortly after.

“I know who you are – what you are.”, Revan places one foot in front of the other while his lightsaber travels to the side of his head where he holds it with both hands. “And I can only imagine what you want here, Darth Revan.”

The entity in front of Revan was revealed to be ‘Darth Revan’. Revan’s dark self. Revan’s old self. Revan’s original self. Revan’s memories have returned to him, his old personality did not. It shone through a couple of times. When he fought Avra and Lord Vyron for example, but never returned fully.

“I am merely taking back what was rightfully mine.”, Darth Revan spoke for the first time. His voice, slightly distorted by the Mandalorian mask, is dangerously calm and calculated.

“Which is not true.”, Revan answered. “This is not who you are anymore, not who I am anymore.”, Revan readied himself for a fight he deemed inevitable.

Darth Revan answered with a humorless chuckle. “Are you sure of that, Revan?”, he cocks his head to one side. “Or should I call you Vacen, the name you were given by the council after they created you?”

“Silence.”, Revan snapped back.

“Ah…”, Darth Revan breathed in. “The anger and conviction that once made you strong. It’s refreshing seeing it without any filter, really.”

Revan sees no point in continuing this conversation further. He wants to end this as soon as possible. He needs to return to Avra, to make sure she is alright.

“Stay.”, Darth Revan demanded. “Stop caring for your little friend for a second and face this first.”, he called out, as if he could read Revan’s thoughts.

“I don’t need to face anything.”

“Sure, whatever you say, Vacen.”, Darth Revan taunted. Revan heard the smile through his words. Darth Revan making fun of Revan? How ironic.

“This is pointless.”, Revan declared. “I won’t allow you to return, you are a danger to the galaxy.”

Darth Revan shook his head in disappointment. “Open your eyes, Revan. I have merely done what needed to be done. The republic would have collapsed if it weren’t for my interference in the Mandalorian Wars.”

“What?”, Revan retorted. “By killing millions? Innocents?”

“Come on now.”, Darth Revan rolled his eyes behind the mask before sighing. “Don’t act like I’m the only one responsible for the collateral damage. I did what was necessary for the greater good.”

“The greater good, huh?”

“Yes.”, Darth Revan takes a few steps forward. “Something you’re too blind to see. I know that I have already influenced your mind. You have said it yourself before: You’d do it again and again without hesitation.”

“No…”, Revan took a step back. “This can’t be.”, he shook his head. “I regret what I did. I was redeemed. I have found the light again.”

“Unless you haven’t.”, Darth Revan slowly circles around Revan, but still out of arm’s reach. “You were never ‘redeemed’ nor did you ‘fall’ to the dark side. It was a choice. A necessary choice I made to ensure victory over the Mandalorians.”, he stops circling around Revan, standing a couple of meters behind him. “If it weren’t for the council, none of this would have happened. If they didn’t try to erase me, we would have already lived in peace!”, he shouted, inching closer. “You went through unnecessary pain for 300 years. I admit, I was cocky enough to face the emperor with only Malak at my side, too. But I became stronger, and I had an entire army ready to travel back into the unknown regions to end the threat once and for all. After I destroyed the republic of course.”, Darth Revan stopped right behind Revan. “Think of me what you want, but never forget that I never did unnecessary slaughter. Unlike Malak, my actions weren’t driven my malice but justice.”

“Justice, huh? How is any of this just? Invading my mind, letting me think I agree with your past actions…”, Revan hissed. His face twisted in a mix of anger and guilt.

“This isn’t about you, nor me. Everything was about the future and safety of the republic and the galaxy.”, Darth Revan whispered. “I thought you finally caught up to your history?”

Revan can’t take it anymore. All this talking, all this taunting. With sudden speed, Revan spins around and swings his green blade against Darth Revan’s head. Darth Revan had already anticipated an attack and jumped back, out of harm’s way.

“This isn’t a fight you can win.”, Darth Revan warned, twirling the lightsabers in his hands.

“I won’t allow you bringing havoc over the galaxy.”, he charged at his dark self with a burst of speed, calling upon the force to aid him in this battle.

Another dry chuckle escaped Darth Revan’s lips while easily blocking Revan’s barrage of attacks. “You don’t see the bigger picture! We have to become one to restore our full power! You said it yourself! Declining one side of the force is foolish! Declining me is foolish!”

Revan increased the speed of his attack, which Darth Revan matched easily. “I have learned a lot up until now! But you are pure chaos!”

“Oh, am I? Or have you finally realized who I am?”, Darth Revan intercepts Revan’s over-head strike with both sabers, crossing them over one another. The clash answers with a flurry of white and orange sparks as the two opponents are locked into a fierce stand-off.

"You are violent, and you are kind. You are smart and yet foolish!", Darth Revan yelled while pushing Revan's lightsaber back. "Just who are you right now, Revan? Tell me!”

“I am myself!”, Revan roared and answered with a push of his own, keeping their weapons locked as they are.

“No, you aren’t.”, Darth Revan hissed back. “You are broken! You are nothing!”

Darth Revan stepped back, forcing Revan to reel forward. Before Revan could save himself, Darth Revan had already pierced through Revan’s chest with both lightsabers.

Revan gasped in shock at the sudden pain. His lightsaber extinguished with a sharp hiss and fell to the still wet floor with a clank. Revan fell to his knees after Darth Revan retreated his weapons. Revan coughs and gasps, holding onto his pierced chest for dear life.

“Don’t worry.”, Darth Revan said with calm condescension. “This won’t kill you, since this isn’t reality.”, he extinguishes both sabers to clip them down to his belt. “I won’t kill you. But I need you to see the truth.”, his voice is suddenly… so calm… almost soft.

Revan looks up to his dark self. He cannot believe how he lost… so easily.

Darth Revan could sense his thoughts and feelings. “You have lost your power.”, he explained. “All this time, after you have been tortured for so long, I gave you strength. And Surik too.”, he paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. “You broke… almost. You couldn’t take the three centuries long torture – not alone at least. Since I was still trapped inside, I couldn’t interfere as much as I wanted to.”, slowly, Darth Revan crouched down to Revan’s level. “I fueled you. I gave you the strength to defeat Lord Vyron on the day of your crash. And I was the one triggering your visions and illusions of your friends and foes. To lure you here.”

Revan was… shocked to say the least. He expected everything but that.

“You… why… here?...”, was all Revan could muster through the pain.

“Why me or why here?”, Darth Revan hummed. “Guess I will answer everything, just to be sure.”, mocking as ever. “I lured you here to become one with you. Since you are far too weak to take on Vitiate on your own.”, he looks around the endless darkness before looking back at Revan. “Why this place you ask? Well… this place is the only place with such a high concentration of the dark side – that’s why.”

Revan spoke through gritted teeth. “You’re lying. I cannot trust you.”

“Trust is to be earned. But we need to be reunited.”, Darth Revan urged, raising his fist up to his face. “You and I. We are the same, yet something else.”, he continued. “The council tried to erase me by creating you and Vitiate wanted, somehow, to bring me back. The dark Lord he thought was loyal to him. But I… I found strength within the force to survive it all.”

“I... cannot allow this…”, Revan tried to get up, but the pain was too great still. "You do not wish to become one with me. You wish to erase me."

Darth Revan sighed with a shake of his head. “I believe you lack the choice. Darth Revan nodded. “I will return. And I will recruit your little friend.”

“Avra?”

“Exactly.”

“Why her?”, Revan asked with skepticism.

“I’m not sure, but there’s something special about her – I know you felt it too.”, Darth Revan began. “There’s… potential, power… but also darkness. I’d keep her around.”

“I have promised her friend to take her off-planet.”, Revan said. The pain in his chest finally subsided.

“I know that. Foolish to risk your freedom, but it was to be expected.”. Darth Revan shook his head. “But it doesn’t matter. Come. Embrace my power, embrace who you truly are. Let me in.”

“What will happen to me?”, Revan asked.

“You will... simply cease to exist. I know you wish to see her again...", Darth Revan whispered. “Bastila.”

“I swore to return to her.”, Revan replied with sudden seriousness.

“You will…”, Darth Revan slowly outstretched his hand towards Revan…

Revan turns his gaze to the hand in front of him, unsure if he should trust his past self. If he agrees he might be reunited with Bastila. But is that even true? It it right?

This decision... might change him and the galaxy forever...

Chapter Text

EPISODE Ⅰ- Seruk Nine

Chapter 12 – Shadow Born

Revan turns his gaze to the hand in front of him, unsure if he should trust his past self.

This decision... might change him and the galaxy forever...

Is it true? Could Revan really just… rest and reunite with Bastila?

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No.

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No way it could be that easy.

Revan wants to restore peace in the galaxy. He wants to save it. He wants to kill Vitiate, not him.

Revan redirects his gaze toward Darth Revan who is already eying him with slight suspicion through his mask.

“All this time I thought the force was leading me to something that would help me achieve my goals.”, in fluent motion, Revan rose to his feet, grabbing his lightsaber in the process. Darth Revan did the same, like the mirrored image of Revan he is. “But I was a fool to think it would be something easy, something of sense.”, with a soft hiss, the green lightsaber comes to live. The blade hums in front of his face, the tip pointing up. The blade separates his face in two halves, representing the two sides of him.

The good, the bad.

The light, the dark.

The warmth, the cold.

Compassion, violence.

Weakness, power.

Revan is all.

And all is what makes Revan who he is. Who he is supposed to be.

All.

It all.

And he will be the one to achieve all of it.

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Another cold, humorless chuckle emits from his mirrored form. But this time it sounded even more distorted, even more disturbing. “I underestimated you; I have to admit.”, Darth Revan’s twin blades ignite with a sharp hiss – the energy beams crackling with clear intent. “But this won’t save you. I will take back what I have lost.”

“What are you?”, Revan’s eyes narrow, his gaze focused, his mind open to the force. His stance is tall and confident like a boulder blocking one’s path. “Are you my past? Are you my reflection? Or are you simply the darkness itself? Trying to trick a veteran like me?”

“A veteran like you?”, Darth Revan spat with so much venom that made him nearly choke on it. “But to answer your question: It doesn’t matter what I mean. I could be everything you want me to be, and it wouldn’t change anything.”

The corners of Revan’s lips curl up into a smirk.

“Then to me you are a lost fool.”

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Avra sits with her hands tied behind her back on the hard stone floor next to the same wall she crashed into earlier. Next to her are two imperial troopers, which guard her rather fragile looking body. Karex’s reinforcement had arrived quickly. Dozens of armored soldiers along with a few high-ranking officers were all stationed in the temple chamber now.

Avra’s face remained covered in blood as no one cared enough to clean and treat the wound on her forehead.

To be expected.

The situation she was put in was also to be expected.

She knew that their ‘plan’ would somehow fail. Well, not fail – but have… troubles to say the least. It has been almost twenty minutes since they entered the chamber, since Revan interacted with the weird object on top of the pedestal. But why was Avra still here and not on her way to imperial custody?

That was because of Lord Karex’s orders. The imperial soldiers were about to escort her back, outside the cave, before Lord Karex had interrupted them. Since then, Avra served as a hostage rather than a prisoner. Even though Lord Karex was overconfident and cocky in his abilities, he didn’t underestimate Revan. His idea was to force Revan to surrender. With Avra present, Karex could threaten to hurt or even kill her as soon as Revan was back in ‘reality’. If Revan cared enough about Avra’s well-being. Avra seems safe for now though. She was compliant with the imperial’s orders, hence why she wasn’t hurt more. But Avra has no idea when Revan will return. It’s been twenty minutes already and Revan hadn’t moved an inch and the force field around him didn’t disappear or weaken either.

But whatever happened, it would be best to stay here, close to Revan, instead of in some dark imperial facility.

There is still hope.

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He is more precise now – more gracious even. Something inside of Revan has awakened; something that made him stronger in a way. Whatever this entity he’s fighting truly is, isn’t to be underestimated.

Revan dodges. He parries. He blocks. And he attacks.

Despite being a strong boulder blocking a path, he moves gracefully like a leaf in the wind. His movements are smooth and the pressing attacks from his opponents leave no room for mistakes.

Darth Revan is strong. If this truly is his past, then Darth Revan will be hard to defeat. Darth Revan was a Jedi who turned Sith Lord. He has experience, he has power.

Despite having different alignments over the years, his goals were always clear: Save the republic and destroy its enemies.

And now the same goal applies.

Even though Revan is forced into defense for the moment due to Darth Revan’s barrage of attacks, he doesn’t consider himself to be at a disadvantage. His time as a Jedi and Sith have taught him to endure many situations and fight in many ways – even in some one might call unorthodox.

But it doesn’t matter. A win is a win. And Revan will do everything to win.

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As the fight progressed, Revan felt a pull on him. Not a physical one, but one in his mind. It was a quiet call to stop fighting and give in. A call to surrender to the darkness.

The longer Revan fought, the louder the call became. For a moment, Revan felt lost in the call, temporarily allowing Darth Revan to move through Revan’s defenses. A powerful push with the force was the cause of Revan’s sudden fall. The thin layer of water below splashed up and around Revan. Realization of the temporary distraction hit him like a ton of bricks.

“Focus, Revan!”, Revan mentally scolded himself for his mistake. “This is important- you cannot lo-“

The vertical strike from Darth Revan’s attack forced Revan to roll out of the way. But Darth Revan’s barrage has not ended yet. Despite his best efforts, Revan received a few, but non-lethal lightsaber cuts all over his body, while pulling himself on the wet surface, until he was able to jump to his feet and defend himself again.

This was close – but just how Revan likes it.

But his recklessness won’t bring Revan victory.

Think Revan, think! How can you win this fight? How can you win against Darth Revan? What can he do what you can’t?

…

Nothing. Revan is Darth Revan in some way. And Darth Revan is Revan. Though they were declared to be different people, Revan knows that this is technically not true any longer. Revan’s memories have returned and with that, old habits and even personality traits. He hasn’t had any time discovering and embracing his true identity. One could argue that he had lots of time during his imprisonment, but he focused his strength on keeping the emperor out of his mind.

Of course, it would all catch up to him now.

This place seems endless and timeless. Even if it’s just an illusion, he could take the chance and finally come to terms with his identity crisis. Maybe… just maybe he will learn who he truly is. At last.

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Revan has had enough being forced into the defensive, he wants to direct how the fight goes. But he is tired. He can’t tell how long it’s been since their fight started. But it’s been a long time to say the least. Hours? Days? Months? Years? He does not know. Time has a different meaning here. But this is not something that will stop Revan. But if Revan is tired, his mirror must feel the same.

Suddenly, Revan stepped back and just… stopped. His lightsaber lowered to his side and his stance became passive. Darth Revan didn’t waste the opportunity and lunged at Revan, aiming his twin sabers directly at his chest. But before he could close the distance between the blades and Revan’s body, Darth Revan froze in place.

This will end now. He won’t let his past control him. Revan will be the one controlling it, as he is the prodigal knight.

“Kneel.”, Revan commanded coldly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Right on command, Darth Revan dropped down on both knees, lightsabers still grasped tightly in his hands. “What are you… how are you doing this…”, Darth Revan growled, his voice already strained.

“I have had enough of you.”

Darth Revan’s entire body trembled when he tried to raise his head. “No… you can’t- It was foreseen that I would win! You are weak! You are merely a shadow of your former self – of me!”

“Foreseen by who?”, Revan’s voice was dangerously calm. Then he shook his head. “You have tormented me for long enough. And now you will serve me.”, Revan raised his lightsaber up high. The green blade hummed, and the color began flickering between the original green and a brilliant purple. “I shall feed on your power and use it to strengthen me. You have failed while I succeeded. You fell while I rose. You died while I was reborn!”, Revan called out, his eyes flashing yellow momentarily before returning to their original color.

“I am Revan, and I shall never succumb!”

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Darth Revan fell to the side after he was struck by Revan’s lightsaber. His body began shaking violently on the wet floor.

“No, NO!”, he yelled, struggling to keep the tremors under control. “THIS CAN’T BE!”, his voice was loud, animalistic. The struggle didn’t keep on for long. Soon, Darth Revan’s body began to dissolve into black smoke. A painful process, Revan thought while watching coldly.

With a final feral scream, Darth Revan’s body exploded into black smoke entirely. The smoke rose up until it reached Revan. It engulfed him. And Revan allowed it. He breathed. Breathed deep.

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Revan exhaled shakily as he felt a new rush of power surging through him.

His powers have returned. And now nothing, nothing, will stop him in his path.

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The next time Revan blinked, he found himself standing in front of the stone pedestal, his hand grasping the purple kyber crystal. He held it tightly and brought it up to his chest. This marks the day of a new beginning.

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As soon as the crystal was removed from the pedestal, the pedestal rumbled and descended into the stone floor below, only for it to return to the surface. But now, a new object had been placed in the metallic claw. A metallic cube with sharp thorns reaching out of every side. Ancient language was engraved into its form, resembling its age and history but also its alien origin.

As he did with the kyber crystal, Revan picked up the metallic cube.

“This must be what the empire was looking for.”, Revan concluded. But as soon as he removed the cube, the force field that shielded him from his enemies dropped. And this didn’t go unnoticed for Lord Karex, Avra and the soldiers stationed all around him.

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Revan took a moment to store the kyber crystal and ancient artefact inside of his robes before he turned around and let his eyes fall on Karex, who had already taken on a battle-ready stance.

“FIRE!”, the pureblood yelled on top of his lungs while he used the force to propel himself forward, directly towards Revan. In the meantime, Revan reached for his mask and placed it on his face. It was barely noticeable, but Revan felt the energy shift in the room, especially from Avra who sat next to the exit.

Revan’s right hand shot up over his head, palm-up and almost too casual. The force flowed through him like an infinite stream of life and death. His light side energy becomes tainted with the darkness as he focused on the force and his goal. Revan’s fingertips began to bristle with energy until an intense wave of force lightning emerged from them. The sheer power of his force lightning ability was enough to kill anything in his path. Precise strikes of lightning hit the imperial staff, turning them into dust before they realized what was happening to them. They had no chance to react – to scream in pain. They were decimated, the same way Darth Nyriss was many, many years ago.

Avra was not targeted by the attack directly. When the two imperials next to her got hit, she ducked out of harm’s way to avoid possible injuries and the remains of her temporary captors.

Lord Karex did not have such luck or mercy from Revan.

But before the attack could turn him to dust, he blocked it off with his lightsaber. Lord Karex held off the attacked, as long as he could, mid-air. The force of Revan’s lightning and Karex’s sheer power brought the Sith to a still-stand. But Karex’s power wasn’t enough. When his strength faltered, he was sent back flying, hitting the temple wall and even smashing through it. The wall crumbled and large chunks hit the ground, swirling up dust the covered most of the chamber, especially where Avra was lying defenseless.

Revan stood there for a moment longer before he finally walked towards the dust-cloud. His footsteps echoed softly across the entire chamber. Nothing else could be heard. No screams, no movement – nothing.

Upon arriving in front of the dust-cloud, Revan raised his hand which caused the dust to swirl out of his way. Once it subsided, Avra and… the remains of his enemies, were revealed on the stoney ground. For a moment, Avra didn’t even dare to look at who ever had just approached her. In the chaos, she couldn’t really see what had happened. It was for one, too bright from Revan’s lightning attack, and second… she didn’t want to look – too afraid to face her fate. But to her luck, it was Revan who knelt down next to her and not some imperial.

Slowly, Revan waved his hand across the handcuffs which bound Avra’s wrists together and they opened with a soft click. As soon as Avra felt the weight around her hands disappear, her head quirked up. Upon seeing Revan, she smiled, releasing the tears she didn’t know she was holding back. “Revan…”

Revan studied her face for a moment. Despite the fear he sensed in her, her face showed clear relief. “Come…”, Revan said calmly, holding out his hand to help Avra to her feet. “We have to leave.”

Avra quickly wiped her tears away with her sleeves before she took Revan’s hand and stood up.

“Are you okay?”, she asked worried.

“I’ve never felt better.”, Revan answered. He tried his best to hide to coldness in his voice, but it was almost impossible. But that is not of importance for now – to leave this temple and the planet was.

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The duo’s fast footsteps echoed through the cave while Revan dragged Avra after him. She is way too slow for Revan’s liking. Normally, it wouldn’t be too much of an issue, but running and trying to dodge blaster bolts coming from all sides is hard work. Revan yanked Avra forward, causing her to tumble and flip over until she arrived behind stacked crates. Avra quickly pulled her legs closer to herself to make room for Revan next to her. Flinching with every blaster shot that hit their little barrier, Avra raised her voice so Revan could hear her.

“What should we do? There are too many of them!”

“Fight of course!”, Revan shouted back to her.

“What?!”

“Do you still have your blaster and blade?”, Revan had asked, still ducked behind the crate.

“No, they were taken from me… and every blaster down in the temple was turned to dust!”

Revan never thought his power would have this kind of drawback but well, here they are now. Revan thought for a moment before he stood up, his lightsaber swinging around him like helicopter blades, deflecting blaster bolts from every side. The force helped him guide his movements and then Revan angled his lightsaber to send a shot back at an imperial officer, killing him instantly. With his free hand, Revan summoned the dropped blaster with the force. He dropped back behind the crate which was, surprisingly, still up.

“Here.”, Revan handed Avra the blaster. “Run and do your best not to get shot.”

“Huh?”

Without a warning, Revan grabbed Avra with the force and lunged her behind a rock formation that connected the floor with the ceiling a few meters from their current position. Avra winced when she sat up. “Why am I the one getting manhandled all the time…”, she cursed under her breath, slowly peeking from behind the pillar like rock formation. No one shot at her directly, but she immediately saw a few soldiers approach her. Avra tried to stay calm, but her panic is taking the better of her. She peeked out of her hiding spot again, aims her blaster at the soldiers and –

Misses.

She missed every single shot, the blaster bolts passing the imperials perfectly through the gaps of their formation. Avra had the urge to knock herself out for that. She quickly hid behind the rock formation again, clutching her head with her free hand. “Damnit, damnit, damnit!”, she cursed, slamming the palm of her hand against her head.

“We need reinforcements here!”, a male voice, possibly another imperial, shouted which made both Avra, and the soldiers, freeze. Avra carefully peeked out from the other side of her hiding place, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening. And there she saw him.

Revan.

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Revan’s lightsaber sliced through his enemies as if they were pieces of butter. He is fast. Way too fast for anyone to react. The force is enhancing his speed, strength and reaction time. No one here would be a match to him. He had fought countless Mandalorians, Jedi and other enemies, who were much stronger than the common foot solider, before. If the pureblood Sith back down in the temple, stayed down, surviving shouldn’t be a problem. A sudden explosion behind Revan caused him to stagger and eat a bullet against his left arm. Revan crushed his teeth at the sudden pain but quickly got back up to his feet. A frag grenade.

“You fools!”, another imperial officer yelled. “No explosives here! You could trigger a chain reaction! The crystals are highly sensitive!”

A chain reaction?

Revan smirked faintly under his mask.

It seems like the crystals that grow inside this cave are reactive. Not reactive enough with blaster shots, but reactive enough with explosives. Revan spun around, locating the grenadier that almost caused a disaster. Leaping over enemies and deflecting blaster shots, Revan reached the armored soldiers. He fired at Revan, but the shots missed their target. Revan swung his blade, cutting the blaster’s barrel before replicating the move on the soldier’s head. Revan’s plan is both efficient and risky. But it’s worth a shot.

He quickly grabbed the bag filled with frag grenades and held it up. “Halt your attacks!”, Revan shouted, the bag high up in the air.

Everyone stopped, no one moved.

The threat was clear. With the frag grenades in Revan’s possession, he had the power to blow up the entire cave.

“Do not!”, the same officer that had declared grenades as dangerous answered Revan’s threat. “If you set off the explosive, the entire cave will collapse!”

No one could see Revan’s smirk, but it could be heard through his modulated voice. “I know.”

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Avra, who had moved to another hiding spot, watched the commotion with worry and nervousness. Revan’s power and courage are admirable, but deadly. She won’t underestimate him ever again, but she can’t help but feel… worried and in awe at the same time. “He is mad… but awesome.”

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“NO!”, the officer yelled when Revan activated one of the grenades and threw the entire bag at a large vein of crystals.

Revan ran as fast as he could, enhancing his speed further with the force. The remaining troopers fired their last, desperate shots, but even those were in vain.

The same officer dropped his own blaster, knowing their demise is coming. There is no way out, no where to hide. “The targets will escape, I know it.”, he said to himself. “Even the slaves got out, while I, officer of Darth Azielle, am doomed.”

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Avra ran towards the exit of the last chamber, Revan close by behind her. She pushed her body, which was still injured from the fight with the Sith in the forest, and the incident in the temple, to reach her top speed. She needs to survive. She needs to get out of here.

And then, it happened.

The first frag grenade blew up, causing the remaining ones in the bag to explode as well. A huge explosion hit the crystal chunks next to it and inevitably caused them to react to it.

Anyone who stood close, was decimated within seconds. The crystals exploded in vibrant colors, shaking the entire cave while doing so. The explosion of the chunks reached other veins, causing them to blow up as well. Revan and Avra were racing against time, desperately trying to reach the exit. They reached the narrow hallway, one running behind the other. But it wasn’t enough. The explosion chased them down. Revan tried to delay its approach with the force, but even that… simply wasn’t enough.

Revan and Avra were both engulfed by the resulting smoke of the explosion, lessening their visibility in the cave. They ran, until the chain explosion finally caught up to them. Revan reached out, trying to grab Avra but she easily slipped out of his grasp when their bodies were pushed forward and out of the cave entrance. Anyone who was patrolling the entrance was blown away too. It wasn’t lethal, but still enough to knock out the strongest soldier.

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Avra flew far. Thankfully, she didn’t hit a tree or rock. But her body hit the ground hard. The usual soft snow felt as hard as solid durasteel, spraining at least one rib and bruising her left arm. She fell unconscious immediately.

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Revan hit the ground not any softer, but his training helped him spring back to his feet quickly. He looked around, taking in the scene for a moment.

It was a mess.

If anyone was alive – they were either unconscious or in too much pain to move. The forest fell dead silent. Revan forced himself to stay up right. His wounds were burning. And he is sure that one of his previous ones opened again. He took a shaky breath, his eyes darting around to find any sign of Avra.

Then there, to his left, he spotted her fiery orange-red hair poking out of the snow. He strode towards her, gently nudging her unresponsive body with his hand after he knelt next to her. She is out cold – but alive. Revan sighed and picked up her limb body to hoist it over his shoulder. Revan walked through the thick snow, aiming for one of the transport ships in the distance. Even though every step hurt more than the other, he kept his body straight and imposing, setting a clear warning for anyone who tried to stand in his way.

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The rest of their journey went smoothly. Revan hijacked a transport shuttle and threw the pilot out. He let Avra to rest in one of the bunks at the far end of the shuttle while he started the engines. He will tend his and Avra’s wounds once they are in the safety of hyperspace. His mind was racing with questions. What was that artifact? Why did the empire want it? How will he proceed now? The shuttle is probably trackable – where will he find a new one? Or at least someone who could change the signature. Returning to Pharren in the village would be a big mistake but mindlessly traveling with a hijacked imperial shuttle is equally dangerous. Revan successfully navigated the shuttle into the atmosphere while checking the shuttle’s hyperspace databank. Coruscant is not listed, of course. But he found a nearby space station. He set the course with the hope that they could rest and regroup there.

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Karex dragged himself out of the ruins of the cave. His body was heavily injured, but he kept going, the lust for revenge and survival fueling his willpower. To escape the temple and cave, he had to move heavy boulders out of his way. The force in the cave was almost dead silent. No one else had survived except him. When he finally arrived outside, Karex took a long and deep breath, as if he hadn’t breathed for years. His yellow eyes immediately darted around, scanning his surroundings. Dead or wounded troopers and officers, burning trees and over all just… chaos.

“Karex.”

As soon as Karex heard the icy cold voice of his master, he dropped down to one knee and bowed his head deeply. “Master…”, he replied, keeping his voice soft.

Darth Azielle, along with two heavily armed troopers at her side, arrive in front of Karex. She looks down at him. Her striking blue eyes were always judging and condescending.

“It appears you have failed.”, she replied almost too casual, as if she didn’t expect him to achieve his task.

Karex stiffened. His master had always been direct but to expose him in front of her guards was… humiliating. “I… did, Master.”, Karex chose his words carefully, hesitating after every syllable. “But I will redeem myself, I swear-“

“Silence.”, Darth Azielle cut him off. “What happened here was unacceptable but dwelling too much on it won’t help.”, she studied him for a moment. “Rise.”

Karex immediately stood up at her command, but didn’t dare to speak more.

“Failure does not lie in your nature, Karex. So, tell me, what made you fail?”

“The Jedi.”, Karex responded with a low growl. “He is… nothing I have faced before. He was ruthless towards us, yet protective over his companion.”, he explained. “He used dark side abilities to ensure victory – which should be impossible for Jedi.”

Darth Azielle gave Karex a flat look. “Nothing is impossible with the force. Even Jedi can use the aid of the dark side, despite their alignment.”

“But it felt different.”, Karex argued. “His force signature kept changing, especially toward the end. He felt like a master of dark arts.”

“A master of dark art, you say?”, Darth Azielle brought a finger up to tap her chin. “Maybe he is no Jedi after all.”, she turned her attention back to Karex. “Tell me, did the girl escape with him? And did they take the artifact with him?”

“I…”, Karex hesitated. “Yes, both… is correct. Even if the artifact was still down there, it would probably have been turned to dust…”

Darth Azielle hummed. “I doubt they’d leave something of such importance behind.”, she turned around while one surviving officer arrived at Karex’s side. “Seems like nothing of importance is left here.”, she continued.

“My Lord…”, the officer began. “How… should we proceed.”

Darth Azielle looked at him over her shoulder. “Gather the survivors and destroy the entire planet.”

The officer stiffened. “B-But my Lord. There… there is life on the planet… if we-“

“I said-“, she turned around fully again, taking a step closer toward him. “Destroy the entire planet. Bomb it until there is nothing left. No trace that ever any life was here.”, for the first time, Darth Azielle’s yellow eyes shone through her façade.

The officer didn’t hesitate any longer and prepared for the bombardment of Seruk Nine.

Karex knew that Darth Azielle did anything to achieve her goals, but this seemed… excessive even for his liking. But he knew better than to interfere with her orders. After all, this entire operation was done behind the dark council’s back. And if anyone found out what was occurring on the secret imperial planet Seruk Nine – it wouldn’t end well for anyone involved…

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While seated on the floor of the shuttle, Revan stared out into hyperspace, the stars stretching into endless streaks of light, his mind still racing with questions. Avra is still unconscious, but finally in a stable condition. Thanks to the med kit, which carried fluid kolto, he could assess and treat her wounds, and his own, efficiently.

Revan stared back at the purple kyber crystal and the ancient artifact on the floor in front of him. The kyber crystal looks and feels like ordinary kyber crystals Jedi use. But he could still hear its faint call, as if it was waiting to be in use of something great.

The prodigal knight then focused his attention back on the artifact. Now that he has the time, he decides to meditate with it, wanting to unlock its secrets. Revan closed his eyes and opened his mind for the force. The artifact began to levitate in front of him while spinning gently around its own axis. Revan reached out with the force, his mind gently touching the artifact – and it reacted immediately, almost too quick.

Revan squinted his eyes hard as sudden bright blue lightning appeared before his inner eye. It was too bright to make out the figures who were also present within his mind. An illusion? A vision perhaps? He couldn’t look properly – it was just way too bright. But the force felt strong, powerful. Despite his lack of visibility, he could hear three different voices:

.

.

.

“I am going to end to this, once and for all!

“You can't. He must stand trial.”

“He has control of the Senate and the courts. He's too dangerous to be left alive.”

“I'm too weak. Oh, don't kill me. Please!”

“It's not the Jedi way. He must live!”

“Please don't!”

“I need him!”

“Please don't!”

“ NO!“

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.

.

Revan gasped and his eyes snapped open after the vision ended. The artifact fell on the metallic floor with a soft clank. Revan stared at the artifact, bewildered of the scene in his mind. Who are these people? What was happening? What is the purpose of this vision?

Was this… the future?

Chapter Text

EPISODE II - Coruscant

Chapter 1 – Clairvoyance

RX-1 trade station

“50.000 credits.”

“25.000 credits.”

“60.000 credits!”

Revan sighed deeply. He should have known that negotiating with pirates or other lawless scum won’t ever be in your favor. With a firm nod of his head, Revan turned away from the port’s shuttle vendor to return to Avra. Avra, who was sitting on some empty crates, had a hopeful look in her eyes. But when she saw Revan shake his head, she sighed. “Nothing?”

“Unless you wish to pay 60.000 credits.”, Revan sat down next to her.

“60.000…”, Avra repeated with disbelief – her hope now shattered.

“Well, was 50.000 before, but after offering a lower price, he raised his.”, Revan explained, looking into the leather pouch filled with credits he held in his hand.

“The crystals didn’t even sell for 10.000 – how should we EVER afford a ship. Can’t we just use the imperial one?”, Avra asked, glancing over to Revan. He shook his head.

“They’ll track us. And I doubt anyone here has the knowledge or the skill to change ID-signatures. Well not without a ridiculous price”, Revan explained calmly. “At least acquiring new clothes and a new blaster for you was an easier task.”

“I guess…”

Unlike Revan, Avra went for something simpler. She found an old pilot’s jacket covered with various badges and stickers – a small attempt to bring color into her darkened mood. It fits her almost too perfectly. Revan on the other hand settled for new robes along with some single pieces of armor: A chest plate, gauntlets and shin guards. The cloak Revan had stolen from the dead apprentice was still hanging over his shoulders.

The vendors on the rogue spaceport were hard to crack, but with the right amount of charisma and a pinch of force persuasion – they managed to acquire all their items for a little over 5.000 credits.

“How about we sell the ship?”, Avra suggested. She stared straight ahead, her heart pumping faster at the new possibility.

“I had thought of that too.”, Revan stood up. “It’s risky – we’d lose our only way off here if we can’t find a replacement. But…”, Revan trailed off. “I’m up for a challenge.”

Avra cracked a laugh, which she immediately regretted. She hunched over and clutched her stomach. Her wounds haven’t healed yet – despite the stims Revan had given her. Thankfully, nothing was broken. Revan was in pain too, but he’d rather jump into a Sarlacc pit than showing weakness in front of anyone again. For Avra’s sake and his own pride.

“Let’s go…”, Revan said, offering Avra a hand. “Let’s see if we can find anything on the ship that we can sell.”

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.

The rogue trade station was buzzing with life and activity. It wasn’t the biggest space station Revan had seen in his long life, but they couldn’t afford to look for a different one. Not to mention that their fuel only managed to take them this far.

“Nothing…”, Avra’s tired voice broke Revan out of his trance. The optimistic girl he met a few days ago on Seruk Nine was overshadowed by the events that occurred in the snowy forest. Revan hoped internally that all she needed was a break and a good sleep. He then spoke softly to her.

“Don’t lose hope just yet.”, he said. “We may not have found anything of value inside the ship, but we can still sell it.”, Revan paused briefly, walking up to the opened ramp. “I know you’re hurting, rightfully so. But we cannot rest yet. I am aware that I’m asking for a lot – but we need to push through this. There’ll be time to rest or grief – or both.”, his voice was so determined, it could lead an entire army into battle. And his presence alone acted like a shining beacon in the darkness.

“You’re right.”, Avra replied after a moment of silence. The darkness might still cast a shadow over her, but her hope wasn’t shattered yet.

.

.

.

The main market of the trade station was crowded to say the least. Lots of vendors, of many species. Humans, Geonosians, Twi’leks, Ithorians and more, were trying to sell their goods left and right. Some vendors even came up to the duo personally to ask them if they wanted to buy something, which both obviously denied. After what seemed like forever of searching for a second ship vendor, Revan decided that they should rest for a moment. They found a bar in which they settled. To avoid shadowy figures or being accused of being shadowy themselves, they decided to sit directly at the bar counter.

.

Revan brought up the cup filled with a purple-ish liquor to his lips, carefully tasting the substance. It tasted bitter, and when he swallowed everything at once, he felt a burning sensation at the back of his throat. Usually, he disliked that feeling but now… it felt different, almost welcoming. Revan was never a heavy drinker unlike his old friend Canderous Ordo. Not that Ordo was an alcoholic, but compared to that tank of a man, Revan was a lightweight. Avra drank one of the few non-alcoholic beverages, which tasted even worse than what Revan was drinking. Well, judging by her disgusted expression at least.

“Hey, don’t get too drunk, okay?”, Avra stated, side eyeing Revan as she held her cup in both hands.

“You assume too much.”, Revan replied, suppressing a smirk.

“Do I-“

Before Avra could finish her sentence, the doors of the bar hissed open. Revan and Avra weren’t thinking too much about it, but every other patron went silent, some even defensive. Three people entered the bar at once. The frontman, a Gen’Dai, wearing heavy armor, waltzed toward the barkeeper, right were Avra and Revan were sitting at. Behind the huge and purple humanoid alien were two Weequays. They weren’t as tall as the Gen’Dai but looked equally dangerous. Revan didn’t turn his head to stare at the new group, he simply held onto his drink. “A Gen’Dai? Here of all places?”, Revan thought to himself. Gen’Dai were peaceful people. They rarely left their home world, let alone align themselves with other species. The three men arrive at the counter, not sparing even a glance at Avra and Revan.

“Barkeep.”, the Gen’Dai’s voice boomed through the bar. “Where is he? I know he is here! I tire of this hiding game.”, he spoke in basic.

Revan isn’t sure if the Gen’Dai speak another language than basic. But if so, the purple man made sure that everyone in the bar could understand him. And most, if not every species, understand basic.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about here, Taluuk.”, the barkeeper, who’s a male Besalisk, answered the angry man. His voice was the opposite of the Gen’dai’s. Calm and collected. Two of his four arms held onto the edge of his side of the counter, signaling that he was listening intently, while his other two prepared a drink. He slid the drink over to Taluuk once finished preparing it. But instead of accepting the drink like a civilized customer, Taluuk grabbed and threw cylinder filled with alcohol to his left, shattering the cup on impact with a wall, barely missing a human patron.

The barkeeper sighed deeply, placing all four hands on his hips. “I know you’re angry-“

“Angry? I’ll rip his head off!”, Taluuk interrupted the ‘keep. The large Gen’dai took a step closer to the counter, aggressively shoving his index finger against the barkeeper’s chest. “If I find out you’ve been hiding him from me again, he and you are as dead as a dradan!”

“I’ll take it you won’t pay for the damages?”, the Besalisk asked calmly, though there was a hint of amusement in his tone. Taluuk merely snarled, backing away from the counter.

“Careful, four-arms or I’ll take your sorry Bantha-ass and sell it to the Hutts.”

“Did you just call me pretty? I’m honored, Taluuk.”

Taluuk was about to explode but he decided it was time to leave. With one final growl, the Gen’Dai turned around and exited the bar along with his two minions.

For a moment, the bar remained silent, no one said a single word. But then everyone simply proceeded with what they did before Taluuk arrived. Chatter, glasses clanking against the tables, and angry sounds from losing a Pazaak game, all filled the small space yet again.

Avra didn’t know that she preferred sound more than silence. She loved silence, especially after a hard and exhausting day. But this kind of silence felt like the same silence in the Sith temple underground. Oppressive, dangerous and dark. Suddenly, the barkeepers’ voice addressed Avra and one of his large hands found her shoulder. She flinched instinctively, looking up at the Besalisk in front of her with large eyes.

“You alright there, little one?”, he asked her, his voice still gentle.

Avra needed a moment to respond but eventually shook her head, snapping out of her trance. “Uh- yes. I am fine perfectly fine- just a little… you know…”, Avra stammered over her words, unable to complete her sentence.

The barkeeper removed his hand from her shoulder and placed it on his belly, laughing. His laugh wasn’t a simple “ha-ha-ha-sound” but more like a “YAR-YAR-YAR”. Whatever sound he made, it eased Avra’s worries a little. “You mean scared?”, he asked, refilling Avra’s drink with his lower left hand. “You should be. Taluuk is no easy man. I’m surprised he didn’t smash your head against the counter just to prove a point- YAR-YAR-YAR!”

Avra chuckled with him nervously. There, her fear returned. Smash her head against the counter because she simply… sat there? Great. So great.

“This Taluuk.”, Revan finally spoke, sliding his empty cup toward the Besalisk, but denying a refill with a wave of his hand. “Who is he? And who exactly is he searching?”

“Oh, you don’t know? ‘Must be new here, then?”

“We’re just passing through.”, Revan explained. “So…”, he leaned forward, lowering his voice so they could talk more privately. But the barkeeper didn’t care. He simply laughed again, even louder this time. His upper right hand reached out to a loose rope hanging from the ceiling. He pulled at it, which opened a hatch right between Avra and Revan’s stools. A short cry- and then a THUMP echoed through the bar when a skinny and tan-skinned human dropped from the opened hatch and hit the floor. Avra gasped, covering her mouth with two hands while Revan didn’t even raise an eyebrow. “So that’s where the missing presence was.”, he concluded without voicing it. When Avra and Revan entered the bar, Revan counted every presence and creature. There were exactly nine humans, three Rodians, three Twi’leks, four Candovantans, and, surprisingly, one Talz, sitting in the same chamber as him and Avra. With the barkeeper and three others he couldn’t see but sense, he assumed they were in the restroom or in another chamber, it made 26 bar attendants. Now, the 27th presence, which felt like it was in arm’s length, was finally revealed. Revan looked down at the inconspicuous human at his feet. Dark hair, tan skin, striking green eyes, and a small wart on his chin, formed his appearance. The human’s clothes looked practical but were dirty. He was either a smuggler or a low-level bounty hunter.

“You know, you could warn me next time before you shove me out of my hiding place!”, the skinny human replied sassily. He brushed himself off before forcing himself to sit between Avra and Revan.

“First of all, your fall was caused by gravity… and second of all, I’ll yell: ‘Alright, Rowan, you can come out, Taluuk’s gone!’ next time. To make sure that everyone knows you’re ready to come out of hiding.”

The skinny man, who’s name was revealed to be ‘Rowan’ merely scoffed. His hand shot out, snatching Avra’s drink right out of her hands. Left stunned, Avra watched in shock as Rowan stole and gulped her drink in one go. Rowan’s face twisted in disgust when he tasted that there was not a single drop of alcohol in it. “Blast. This shits’ taste like Bantha fodder.”

“Hey, that was mine!”, Avra called out, snatching her cup back and holding it close to her chest. “It didn’t taste good, but it was mine. You can’t just take-“

“Oh, boo-hoo, kid. Next time don’t allow me to take it.”, Rowan interrupted Avra.

Avra’s face flushed red. Her hands tighten around the cup. “I- I paid for that! You-“

“By the Hutts! Cry me a river! Grow some antennas, will yah?”

Silence. Grow some antennas? What’s that supposed to mean!

Revan didn’t interfere, not yet. He wanted to see how Avra handled this situation. But when Avra shut down instead of fighting back, Revan forced himself to suppress a sigh. They most definitely needed to work on her confidence.

“The usual, ‘keep.”, Rowan rubbed his face with his hands, waiting for the Besalisk to give him his drink.

Revan watched.

Then an idea popped into his mind.

Right before Rowan could accept the cup, Revan’s large hand grasped it first. He pulled the full cup to his lip, drinking it slowly, while staring into Rowan’s eyes. Rowan almost gasped at the sheer audacity. Revan had no idea what he was drinking exactly, but it didn’t matter. The dangerous glint in Revan’s eyes made Rowan hesitate. On one hand, he felt like his pride was wounded deeply, on the other… he wasn’t sure if he wanted to challenge him. Revan wasn’t nearly as big as Taluuk, but his aura was far more dangerous. So, Rowan just scoffed, turning his head back to the barkeep. “Another one, will yah?”, Rowan asked, raising his hand as he expected the barkeep to give him a second.

“No way, Rowan. You already owe me too much. You’ll get your next drink once you’ve paid off 25%.”, the barkeeper answered, crossing his upper two arms.

Rowan’s jaw almost dropped.

“25%?! I’ll be killed by Taluuk before I reached that!”

The Besalisk laughed again, this time with pure joy. “Well, you had your chance.”, he gestured to Revan who was still drinking Rowan’s drink.

Rowan turned his head back to Revan, glaring at him. “You… took my drink!”

“’Guess we’re quit, then.”, Revan said bluntly, never breaking eye contact.

“Shouldn’t have allowed him to take your drink.”, Avra giggled softly, covering her mouth with one hand. Her statement made the ‘keep laugh even louder. Rowan grumbled under his breath but turned away from Revan again.

Revan set down the cup, trying not to show the disgust he felt when gulping the last drop. “So, this Taluuk-guy wants you dead, huh?”

“You bet.”, Rowan scoffed.

“What did you do?”, Avra asked curiously.

“YAR-YAR-YAR!”, the barkeeper laughed once more. “He owes him money! A lot actually!”

“It… it can’t be that bad, right?”, Avra asked, trying to sound encouraging, despite their earlier argument.

“Onehundredthousandcredits…”, Rowan grumbled under his breath.

“Huh?”

Rowan snapped.

“100.000 credits! I owe Taluuk 100.000 credits!”

“Oh…”, Avra grimaced. “I… I’m sure you can do it.”

Rowan shot her a glare but relaxed again with a sigh. “No, no I’m dead. I might have no official time limit, but Taluuk’s patience shattered a long time ago. And no matter where I fly to, he will find me. He always does, despite my various ID-signature changes!”

Revan paused. This Rowan-guy was in deep Bantha-shit and was in possession of a ship with multiple ID-signatures? If he plays his cards right, he could acquire a ship by disguising his personal interest with kindness. “You, my friend…”, Revan spoke, leaning closer to Rowan, “are in luck.”

“What do you mean?”, Rowan side-eyed Revan, both intrigued and suspicious.

“Well, you said you are in need of money, and I might be able to help you with that.”

“And why should you?”

“Because I want your ship.”

“Pah!”, Rowan threw his arms up in the air. “You’re crazy! I’ll never accept!”

“Think again, Rowan.”, Revan urged. “You need money, which we could help you earn. And we,”, Revan gestured between him and Avra, “are in need of a new ship.”, Revan leaned closer, invading Rowan’s space ever so slightly. “I’ll make you following deal: We help you earn a part of the money you owe Taluuk and you give us your ship. Simple as that.”

Rowan didn’t turn to look at Revan, but his heart beat faster. “And why should I give away my only way of escape?”

“Because you can replace a ship but not your life.”, Revan whispered into Rowan’s ear like a demon seducing a person to act on evil urges. Revan pulled back, straightening his back. “Oh, and I’d be willing to trade my ship for yours.”

“…if you already have a ship, why do you want mine?...”

“Doesn’t matter. Do we have a deal or not?”

“Fine.”, Rowan blurted out after a moment of hesitation. “What do you suggest?”

Revan looked over his shoulder to look at the six people playing Pazaak.

“How about Pazaak?”

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.

.

Rowan sat down at the round table. In front of him sat a dark-skinned woman with black hair and sick-blue eyes. A scar marked her face, reaching from one ear to the other through her mouth. Rowan adjusted his collar and cleared his throat. “Hello there, beautiful lady. I am here to propose a round of Pazaak.”

The woman burst out in laughter. “Alright then, twig, what’s your bet?”, she insulted Rowan.

Rowan scoffed. “No bet yet. A test round first.”, he demanded.

“I don’t do test rounds. Bet or nothing.”, the woman insisted, her large hand clenching into a fist.

Avra leaned down, inspecting the table in front of her. “How about I try?”

“You know how to play Pazaak?”, Revan questioned, tilting his head.

“Uh-huh.”, Avra nodded. “I used to play it a lot with Pharren back on Seruk Nine. And I think I’m quite good.”

“Quite good means you’re bad!”, Rowan scoffed.

“I’d like to see you play.”, Avra shot back.

The woman across from her laughed deeply. “I like her. Let her play if you’re scared, twig.”

“Stop calling me that.”, Rowan grumbled.

“Then stop acting like one! Let the girl play!”

“Fine! She can play!”

Rowan moved off the seat to make space for Avra.

Avra sat down, staring at the metallic stack of cards in front of her. A subtle smile appeared on her lips when she picked up a single card. A -1. A surge of nostalgia flooded over her. She closed her eyes momentarily, focusing on Pharren and Naga, who were still on Seruk Nine. She tried to reach out to them, both metaphorically and literally.

But she was met with silence.

Of course.

They were too far away, and they couldn’t sense each other anyway.

But oh force, does she miss them.

Avra opened her eyes and laid the card back onto the stack. She never played physical Pazaak before, but it must be the same as the virtual one. She turned her head to look at Rowan. “Your lead?”

“I already told you: I have no money.”

Revan intervened. “Use our funds.”, he said, placing the pouch filled with credits on the table. “We have no use for them now anyway. As long as you win, it’ll be alright.”

“That’s a lot of pressure.”, Avra said grimly.

“Certainly. I’ll be around, finishing the last of my drink.”, before Revan turned away, Avra, grabbed his cloak.

“You won’t watch?”, she asked, uncertainty filling her eyes.

Revan offered her a smile. “I’ll only be a distraction. Focus on the game and we’ll be out of here soon.”, then he added. “I’m bad at Pazaak, anyway.”

Which was a lie. Back on Taris, when he was still a smuggler, he played lots of Pazaak and became something of a legend himself. He remembers Carth and Bastila’s scoffs at his ‘time wasting activities’ while Mission was the one to cheer him on. He made enough money to buy everything they needed back then. He wondered what happened to Taris, though. The last thing he remembered was Malak’s issued bombardment. The entire planet and its population gone – just like that. If the republic began to rebuild the planet in his absence?

Revan assured Avra a final time before he strode back to the bar counter.

“Tell me…”, Revan addressed the barkeep quietly. “Where does Rowan park his ship?”

He laughed but this time he tried to keep the volume down. “Why should I tell you? And why do you assume I know that?”

“Because I know you know. And I also know that you want Rowan off your back as much as anyone does. He owes you money if I remember correctly.”, Revan explained. “I merely wish to take a look. Nothing harmful with that, no?”

“I like you, stranger.”, the ‘keep laughed again. “But fine, I shall tell you. You offered to ‘help’ Rowan pay parts of his debt, which means that Taluuk won’t bother me too much anymore.”, he crossed all four of his arms. “His ship is parked in Hangar -09B. It’s on the lower levels, perfectly hidden from Taluuk’s gang.”

“Thank you, friend. I will be back soon.”

And with that, Revan snuck out of the bar. But not without taking a final look at Avra who’s about to enter her first match.

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.

.

“I’ll go easy on you, kiddo, since you’re clearly a beginner.”, the dark-skinned woman replied.

Avra merely smiled.

Rowan lent Avra his cards since she claimed to be good at the game and she was the one providing the money for the bets. A Pazaak deck consisted of two decks: The main deck which consists of 40 cards, ranging from one to ten four times and the side deck. The side deck was created by the player before the round started. There the player has ten cards, ranging with cards from -6 to +6 without a 0.

Rowan’s and the woman’s main decks disappear under the table with a mechanism, shuffling them in secret and making sure that no one can sabotage anymore. Then, they ascend back to the top of the table. Avra had already chosen her side deck, which was shuffled as well. She drew four cards from the side deck. She pulled a -1, +1, +6, and +5. Horrible cards. Avra grimaced, already breaking her poker face. Her opponent laughed, watching Avra’s distress. Rowan stood behind Avra, silently cheering her on. Avra took a deep breath. She can do this. Somehow, she has a feeling that the -1 will help her win. Her opponent also drew her four hand cards from her side deck. And then, the game was on.

Avra was first. She drew her first card from the main deck and placed it open in the upper left corner on her field. Her field was a grid, consisting of nine squares in three rows and three columns, each for one card. Her first card was a 10. Now, Avra had a decision to make. She could either place a card from her hand, to raise or lower the number on her field. Or she could end the round, placing no new card but also not ending the entire game for her. The third and final option would be to ‘hold’, confirming her score to be only ten. But that would be unwise with such a low score. To win Pazaak, you have to reach a score of 20 points from your field. You could also win by outscoring your opponent. If Avra were to have a total of 19 points, while her opponent had only 18, Avra would win. But only if her opponent had no chance to outscore her. If Avra’s score rises above 20, she loses the round immediately if she has no way to lower her score to 20 or below. The final way to win is by filling up the entire field with cards without overstepping 20. But such a case is rare.

Each set of Pazaak is played until a player reaches three points.

Back to the game, Avra thinks of her move. Avra picks her +6 from her hand cards and places it on the field next to the 10. 10 and 6 equal 16. It's not the perfect score but she's getting there!

“I hold.”, Avra says, confirming her score.

Now that Avra decided to hold her score, she can’t place any more cards. Not from the main deck and not from her hand. Theoretically, Avra could have kept going but she didn’t want to take the risk of going above 20. And she didn’t want to lose more hand cards, since she only has three left for the entire game. But to win Pazaak, you sometimes have to gamble, to take risks. But Avra realized that too late.

Now, it’s the woman’s turn. She pulls a 5 from the main deck, placing it down on the field. “I end my turn.”

Ending your turn means that you won’t place a handcard and that the game continues. Usually, it would be Avra’s turn now, drawing and placing another card from her main deck onto the field. But since Avra decided to hold her score, her turns are skipped until her opponent decides to hold as well. The woman pulls another card from her main deck: A 7. She placed the card next to the 5 on her field. Her score is now 12, not enough to outscore Avra.

“I end my turn.”, she said again.

She pulled another card from the main deck: A 3.

Now, her score equals 15. Still not enough to beat Avra’s 16, unless…

The woman smirked.

She picks a card from her hand and lays it down in the second row, right below the 5.

A +3.

Which makes her score equal to 18. She won the first point out of three.

“You lost!”, Rowan shouted dramatically. “How could you lose!”

Avra grimaced, feeling guilt and failure form in her stomach.

“Everyone loses, it’s only natural.”, the woman across from her grinned with triumph.

That grin. Oh, that grin. It’s not over yet!

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.

.

Revan finally arrived at the correct hangar of the trade station where Rowan’s ship was parked. The barkeep was right: This place is hidden but it looks run-down. Revan was forced to stealth his way to the hangar bay. He almost ran into Taluuk himself but managed to sneak to safety before any confrontation. Even with his lightsaber and the force, Gen’Dais were tough to kill. Their large bodies regenerated faster than any other species’. Not to mention their warrior heart which only fuels their fighting spirit.

Now, Revan stood on the viewing platform of the hangar bay. The bay itself was locked, probably only allowing access to Rowan. Revan could force his way inside but then his deal with Rowan would be blown off for sure.

But he must say, the ship looked beautiful and promising. Such a shame it belongs to someone like Rowan.

The ship appeared to be a freighter. It was mostly gray but had gold and black accents. Its round shape reminded Revan of the Ebon Hawk. The more he traveled, the more everything reminded him of his past. Revan sighed, leaning back against the wall. He closed his eyes, reaching out with the force to search his feelings. For once, he thought he knew who he was. But since the incident in the Sith temple, he wasn’t so sure anymore. He had accepted the darkness or whatever it was. Was it his past self? Was it the dark side? Or was it even the emperor, trying to invade his mind again? Who was he? He wasn’t Sith, nor Jedi. Nor is he a smuggler like he used to be when the Jedi council erased his memories. He is no longer Vacen but Revan. But what does being Revan truly mean?

Revan shook his head, moving away from the wall.

“Maybe… in this final journey…”, he placed his hand on his lightsaber, hidden beneath his cloak. “I will bring peace and order to the galaxy, as me."

Chapter Text

EPISODE II - Coruscant

Chapter 2 – Streetwise

“Everyone loses, it’s only natural.”, the woman across from her grinned with triumph.

That grin. Oh, that grin. It’s not over yet!

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.

.

Avra had lost her first round. She felt embarrassed but knew it wasn't over yet. To win Pazaak, you have to win three rounds in total. Avra would just have to catch up and play it smart. And that's exactly what happened. The two women kept playing until their score equaled 2:2. Avra had won the next two rounds after her first loss, which her opponent balanced out by winning her second round.

Now, the game got truly serious. Only one point to go, to win the match. Every mistake counts. Every slip up, could cause a loss. 

Avra only had a single hand card left. Her precious -1. The other woman on the other hand, had no hand cards left, due to using up every card last round to balance out the score. A true gambler.

Avra was the first to start. She drew her first card from the main deck and placed it on the field. She had pulled a 1.

"I end my turn.", Avra confirmed.

Then it was her opponent's turn. She drew a 1 as well and paced it on her field.

"I end my turn."

The second round:

Avra pulled a 7. She ended her turn.

The woman pulled a 2 and ended her turn as well.

The third round:

Avra pulled a 2.

Her opponent a 4

The fourth round:

Avra pulled a 5.

Her opponent a 2.

Point balance:

Avra: 15

The woman: 9

Avra had a huge head start. Which could be both good and bad. But still, it was way too risky to win. 15 wasn't quite the win, yet, so she continued.

The fifth round:

Avra pulled a 1 and her score equaled now 16. Not good. 

The woman pulled her card. And before she set it down, she grinned. With a way too dramatic gesture, she slammed her card down on the field. A 10. And her score equaled now 19.

"No way!", Avra exclaimed in shock. 

Rowan hissed through his clenched teeth beside her but remained silent otherwise. The woman laughed out loud. 

"I told you, kid. It's only natural to lose every now and then.", she then crossed her arms. "I hold."

Avra huffed a breath. "Yeah? How about that?"

The sixth round:

Avra pulled her card. She didn't look at it. She laid it face down on the field first and slowly flipped it over.

A 5.

Her score equaled 21. Which meant that she had lost. Unless...

Avra grinned at the number in front of her. It couldn't have been any more perfect!

She added her very last hand card to the field to balance out her score with her -1.

The final scores:

Avra: 20

The woman: 19

And since the woman decided to hold her score, she has no chance to change the result of the entire Pazaak match.

The woman lost.

And Avra won.

.

.

.

"You win!“, Rowan exclaimed with joy. "You got it, you actually won!“

„Yeah…“, Avra let out a shaky breath, smiling both in triumph and relief.

„I really thought-"

The woman slammed her fist against the table, making the physical cards of Pazaak jump and shake from the sheer force she used. Avra flinched instinctively and her breath hitched. There’s something about the way the woman’s fist connected with the table that made her skin crawl.

„Hey, Lady!“, Rowan called out.

„You lost, fair and square! No need to make such a big deal out of it!“

„Shut it, twig!“, the woman sneered, dunking her other hand aggressively on the table with another loud BANG.

Avra flinched again.

Her gaze remained fixed on the table.

Somehow… she didn’t even dare to move. Her opponent got violent. Her fear was understandable, wasn’t it? But this time… it was different. It wasn’t the fear of her life she felt when the Sith apprentice almost killed her, or when the explosion in the cave blasted her away.

No.

It was the same, primal fear she felt when the red-skinned Sith backhanded her back in the temple. The same fear she had when Revan knocked Naga against a tree during their first confrontation. The same fear when…

Avra flinched yet again and her eyes shot open to see Rowan’s hand gently laid on her shoulder.

„…you good there?“, he asked. His eyebrows are pushed together into a deep frown, signaling both confusion and worry.

Avra stared at Rowan for longer than necessary before she replied.

„Y-Yeah… why?...“, she stammered.

„Well- I called out to you multiple times but you didn’t say anything- like- at all.“, Rowan leaned forward, his face so close that Avra could feel his warm breath on her face.

„You kept staring at the table, frozen in place like a steelie about to get killed by a…“, he paused, trying to think of a comparison but finds none, „…whatever kills them.“

Back up.

Go away. Go away. Go away!

„I’m…“, Avra leaned her own head back to regain some distance between them, feeling uncomfortable by the sudden closeness.

„Fine.“, she finished. „I’m fine, okay? Just… back away please.“

„Sure?“, Rowan mused, returning to his earlier stance which earned him a sigh of relief from Avra. Avra lifted her gaze to talk to the woman she just beat in her first match of Pazaak. But the woman had already disappeared.

Before Avra could ask about the whereabouts of her opponent, Rowan explained, that she had stormed off and out of the bar. She was ashamed she had lost to a ‚mere amateur‘ in her favorite game. Well, even the mighty can fall from their throne…

„So… did we win enough to pay off your debt?“, Avra offered a weak smile, trying to play off her earlier fear. Her skin was still pale and sweat clung to her brow, making it clear that she was, indeed, not okay.

Rowan didn’t ask further. Nor did he care about her well-being as soon as Avra had mentioned his debt.

„You’re joking, right?“

„I- uh-„, Avra stumbled. Her fingers curled into the sleeve of her jacket, fumbling with the fabric. „Well I don’t know…“, she mumbled. The paleness on her face was replaced by a bright red that appeared so quickly, that even Rowan raised an eyebrow.

„You’re so weird, you know?“, he stated.

„What?“

„I can’t get a grip on you. First, you don’t dare to look at me, then you get all cocky and sarcastic, and THEN you look like you’ve seen a ghost. And now… I don’t even know what that is.“, He gestured vaguely to her face, which had turned into an even deeper shade of red.

„You’re calling me weird for feeling appropriate emotions at appropriate times?“, Avra shot back.

„Girl, it’s not that simple!“

„Then what is?“

„You winning some more games and earning us, and with ‚us‘ I mean me, some more money so Taluuk doesn’t cut my head off!“

Avra blinked. Once. Twice.

She lowered her gaze back to the table and shook her head.

„Right… I forgot what’s important here.“, she said softly.

„Sorry for zoning out.“

„Now I actually feel bad.“, Rowan mumbled, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

„Whatever… let’s just keep going.“

„And how?“, Avra picked up the Pazaak cards and stored them into their special holding box. With a press of a button, the claws around the main deck eased up, allowing Avra to retrieve them. One of the better anti-cheat methods she had seen. Or better said, the one and only anti-cheat mechanism she had ever seen. The claws clamp down on the cards as soon as the player’s round ends, ensuring that the deck couldn’t be tampered with. If Avra could, she’d take this entire table back with her to Seruk Nine. Just to insure, that Pharren didn’t cheat again.

…

Which doesn’t matter because no one there plays physical Pazaak anyway.

Avra sighed softly.

„How about we take a break?“, she suggested. „I feel… kinda out of it. I’m not sure if I could focus during the other games.“

„Why not?“, Rowan questioned. „You just won our first game, don’t you have the desire to win some more?“

„Well, yes, of course. That was the deal. But I need a break, seriously.“, the tiredness in her voice was palpable. Avra didn’t know why she actually felt so much worse than before. It couldn’t have been just because the woman had slammed her palm on the table.

Avra had survived Sith, the empire, and a scary underground temple all in one day.

It… couldn’t have been just that.

Right?

Avra was pulled out of her thought process when Rowan placed his hands on her shoulders and began to guide her to the lone Talz in the far left corner of the bar.

„Wait what are you-", Avra blurted out.

„Shhhh, just be quiet and play.“, Rowan shushed her, still guiding Avra’s reluctant body toward the massive white-furred alien.

The Talz was cleaning his blaster, quietly, unbothered. Until Rowan’s annoying voice disturbed him.

„Hey, my friend.“, Rowan began smoothly. „I can call you my friend, right?“

No response.

„Whoo… tough crowd.“, Rowan hissed in a breath. „Anyway, my other friend here.“, he continued by setting Avra into the center of attention, „wishes to play a game of Pazaak with you, or multiple, if your precious time allows it. With bets, of course. Real, hard, and cold credits on the line in a high-stake, adrenaline-rich battle of minds! Whether they’re republic, imperial or something else, I’ll take them!“

No response.

Avra cringed visibly.

„Yeesh… and you called me bad at socializing.“

Avra shuffled past Rowan and the Talz with a quiet „sorry about that“ to go and ask other people for a game or few.

Rowan scoffed, following the red-haired girl to another table where a Twi’lek man with pale yellow skin was battling a Candovantan in a good ol' arm wrestling match.

The two men glared at each other across the round table, their fists locked tightly together. The Candovantan huffed a sneer, channeling all his strength and rage to push the Twi’leks hand toward the surface of the table. But the Twi’lek wasn’t so weak himself. His muscles strained against his fitted shirt as he pushed back against the force of his opponent. But ultimately, his hand went down. Snarls, cheers, all sorts of insults, and even threats sounded from their table. Yet no other patron paid them any mind.

„Stars, no.“, Avra whispered, making her way to another table.

.

.

.

Over the course of two hours, Avra played a total of 27 games. Word spread, that the Blue-Velvet-Bar was organizing a Pazaak tournament. The bar had filled quickly. Everyone wanted to see the games and potentially win money themselves by either participating or betting on players.

Rowan loved everything about this. Money, adrenaline, fun.

Avra hated it.

She was exhausted, tired, anxious. Every time Avra asked for a break, Rowan turned her down. He wasn’t her boss per se, but he kept threatening Avra to cut the deal and keep both the money and the ship for himself. Avra had no fighting ground, no courage to walk off. Not without Revan. And she didn’t want to disappoint him either.

Where is Revan anyway? It’s been two full hours since Avra last saw him. He wasn’t in the bar as promised, nor was he anywhere close.

He didn’t leave her behind, did he?

She was truly helpless on her own.

Weak.

Pathetic.

„Round up, round up! Another match against the fearless Avra! The highest next entry is: 2.300 credits!“

Here we go again…

Please, Revan. Come back.

.

.

.

On the other side of RX-1, Revan made his way back toward the bar. He spent the last two hours gathering intel about the current state of the galaxy. To his shock, the empire had officially returned a few decades ago, along with the Sith. Republic planets were lost. Some now unhabitable, many more now aligned with the Empire or forced to stay neutral instead of joining the republic.

Revan wasn’t able to learn more. He had asked some traders about Coruscant, Dantooine, Korriban, Alderaan, and other core worlds, to which most just shook their head or shrugged him off.

Now that the Sith are officially back, his plans became even more complicated. Taking on the emperor alone is no small feat, he had failed twice already. But challenging an entire empire of force users he has no knowledge of, is another problem. Especially without any allies.

Hopefully, the jedi council would listen to him. The threat is real. The threat is dangerous. No more meditating. Immediate action is required. And that is what Revan will do as soon as he arrives on Coruscant.

But first; Revan would have to check on Avra and pick her up so they could leave.

.

.

Revan stopped as soon as he saw the massive crowd of people standing in front of the bar.

What is going on?

A tickle of the force behind his eyes suddenly warned him of an in-coming threat. Revan quickly crouched behind a speeder transporter holding empty crates to hide his body from whatever he would see next. Peeking out from the side, he scanned the crowd for something unusual.

It didn’t take him long to see the massive, purple, and over two meters tall alien make his way through the mass and toward the entrance of the bar.

Taluuk.

Revan reached for his mask.

He gently placed it on his face, which immediately fastened itself with a soft hiss. To finish his look, Revan pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, and placed his lightsaber in a more reachable but less hidden position.

This reeks of confrontation.

.

.

.

Inside the bar, Rowan happily collected the credits from Avra’s latest opponent. „You can go again any time you want, good Sir!“, the laugh he let out was poisoned with greed and lust for more and more money.

„Come on, come on, girl.“, he addressed Avra.

„Just one more game, one more.“

„You said that the last five times.“, Avra mumbled under her breath. She lacked the courage to actually fight back.

„Oh, just who are you!“, Rowan shouted. „You go more! You practically owe me, you know that?“

That’s it. That’s finally it. Avra’s face burned and she got up from her chair, opening her mouth to finally voice her opinion. To finally yell at Rowan. To finally be done with this!

Until…

„What in the seven gods is going on here?“, a loud and deep voice boomed through the entire bar. Everyone froze. Because everyone recognized this voice. Even Avra. And especially Rowan.

Taluuk.

Taluuk’s eyes scanned the room, taking in every single patron, until his eyes landed on Rowan and Avra. Primarily on Rowan though. Taluuk’s face twisted in disgust and hatred as soon as he saw the man who owed him 100.000 credits.

„You.“, his voice lowered just slightly. But the way he spoke made the hairs on the back of Avra’s neck stand up.

„I’ve been searching this entire station to find you. And you’ve been here the entire time?“

„N-No-", Rowan stammered. „I mean, yes I was. I was… just here. Where were you, my friend?“

„I’m not your friend, you filth. You owe me money!“

„Just… give me more time! Don’t you see? I’ve been winning money for you!“, Rowan scooped up some credits into his hands to present it to the Gen’dai. The purple-skinned man inspected the money for a moment before his eyes landed on Avra. „You mean… this little girl won them for you? Are you in her debt now too? When will you stop deceiving people? Just when!“, he yelled.

A breath later, the barkeeper returned from the back of the bar with fresh drinks in three of his arms. And as soon as he saw Taluuk and the commotion he had caused, he swore under his breath.

„Taluuk, back already? I just stocked up on new drinks. The bar was full the entire afternoon- great for business.“, he obviously tried to defuse the situation. But Taluuk’s anger for Rowan was greater than any service he could receive.

„Shut your damn mouth.“, Taluuk growled. „You hid him from me. I know it. You damn-„, he raised his left arm and held it toward the barkeeper. The metallic gauntlet around his lower arm opened up to reveal five blaster barrels. „You’ll pay for this.“

„Taluuk-„, the barkeeper raised his free hand pleadingly. But it was too late.

The barrels powered up. They spun slowly inside the gauntlet with a low hum, increasing their speed with every rotation until they became so fast that they blended together almost sickeningly. The hum turned into an unpleasant shrieking noise, so loud that many patrons watching covered their ears.

„Taluuk!“

.

.

.

The sound of glass shattering to the floor put Avra into a haze. The liquids ruined the floor in an instant, coloring the wood in a dark red that would stay embedded forever. It would remind everyone present and anyone who’d visit the bar in the future, what just happened.

THUD.

And then there fell something else that would not only stain the floor but also Avra’s memories forever.

The barkeeper’s body twitched a few times until it stilled. Smoke radiated from the fifteen holes in his body, caused by Taluuk’s sick weapon. Avra had counted them. Every single shot that pierced the Besalisk’s body.

It was silent for a long time. At least in Avra’s head.

The bar soon flooded in panic and screams. Everyone tried to storm out at once. The ones who fell where crushed by others stomping over them. No one had dared to lift their blaster. Not one. Because Taluuk was about to go on a rampage. And the people present were more of the gambling type than courageous warriors.

Avra hasn’t been acquainted with the barkeeper for long. She had only known him for a couple hours but he gave her a feeling not even Revan was able to offer her yet. The feeling of home. The lightheartedness the barkeeper brought into her anxious world, made the darkness seem… more bearable. Because that meant that there were still good people in the Galaxy. Even if he didn’t stop Rowan from using Avra to boom his own business. It didn’t matter. Not anymore at least.

Whereas the barkeeper represented the better people of the galaxy, Taluuk represented the evil.

.

.

.

A sudden sense of dread forced Avra to duck her head and move out of the way. The shot fired at her scorched the wall behind her. Too close. Another feeling made Avra dive behind the counter. Her body was moving on its own. She didn’t know why or how but something gave her insight of incoming attacks.

Her light blue pants suck up the puddle of alcohol at her feet. The scent was strong. But it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter.

Rowan wasn’t as lucky as her.

Taluuk’s large hand clasped around his throat and he was thrown against the next best wall. Rowan’s body fell to the floor and some of the credits stored in his pockets seeped out. A painful grunt escaped his lips when he pushed himself up. Rowan’s hands rested on his knees, his breathing was heavy and labored.

„Kriff…“, he hissed under his breath.

Avra quietly crawled behind the counter, careful not to step on any shards. Her head peeked around the counter to see Rowan close to the exit. Avra picked up a half-shattered bottle and mustered all her courage. Her plan was to use the bottle as a distraction, so she could run outside. But the trembling in her hand made the bottle difficult to hold and it slipped out of her hands, shattering on impact with the floor.

No. Please no.

Taluuk’s head snapped to the source of the sound, and his eyes locked on Avra’s.

„You.“, he spoke. „You are his accomplice, are you not?“

Avra darted toward the exit but Taluuk’s blaster shots made her escape short and forced her to hide behind a table that got knocked over in the mass panic earlier. A few single shots pierced through the wood, but none hit her.

Rowan on the other hand saw this as a chance to escape. Once he was steady enough to stand without any support, he ran to the automatic doors. They opened with a soft hiss, which immediately attracted Taluuk’s attention. His head snapped to the side with a snarl and fired another round of shots. Rowan got lucky that nothing hit him directly.

Taluuk’s anger grew. He looked back at Avra for a moment, who was still hiding behind the table, but decided to leave her be for now. Rowan’s his priority.

.

.

.

Revan snuck closer to the entrance of the bar, lightsaber now in his hand. When he saw Rowan storm out, he knew that their time was running out. Taluuk stomped out after him. He was so tall, that Rowan looked like a loth cat compared to him. Avra wasn’t far behind either. She ran out shortly after. Taluuk swung his large hand at her on instinct but Avra thankfully ducked just in time. The outer metal of the wall bent inward when Taluuk’s hand smashed against it, leaving a huge dent in its place.

Avra slipped over her own feet, hitting the ground hard with a pained grunt. She tried to crawl out of the way but Taluuk had already grabbed her foot and yanked her right back. Avra grit her teeth, suppressing a yelp. She fought back with all her might, kicking, flailing, clawing forward to grab anything to hold on to. But Taluuk stepped over her once she was close enough.

„Time to pay, little worm.“

With snarl, he lifted his left foot and smashed it right toward Avra’s head.

„NO!“, Avra yelled, raising her hands to emit a push with the force. Taluuk was thrown off her within a second, allowing Avra to twist her body and push herself to her knees. She looked over her shoulder to see Taluuk still stagger backward until he finally came to a halt.

„Avra!“, a male voice yelled.

Avra immediately turned her head back forward to see Revan with his hand outstretched toward her. She didn’t recognize him at first due to his mask and how it modulated his voice. Revan had used the force to save Avra at the last second. She knew deep down that she couldn’t have done something so powerful with her current exhaustion.

„Revan!“, she called back. „He didn’t leave“, Avra thought, „Thank the stars he didn’t leave.“

Avra pushed herself up further, nearly loosing her footing again.

„Where were you!“, Avra called out as soon as she arrived at his side.

„I was occupied. I’ll tell you later.“, Revan replied calmly. „Now, grab Rowan and go to Hangar -09B.“

„Why?“

„That’s where Rowan’s ship is parked. Prepare for take-off. I’ll handle Taluuk.“

„Are you sure? He’s really strong.“, Avra said, worry slipping into her tone.

„I’ve faced worse.“, Revan answered with a tilt of his head. His face wasn’t visible, but Avra swore Revan was smirking under his mask.

„Be careful.“, Revan warned. „Taluuk’s grunts are everywhere. Try to stay low, take a longer route if necessary.“

„Okay.“, Avra nodded.

„Come on, Rowan!“, she yelled, running off into a random direction.

Rowan, who stood frozen in place for a hot minute, finally snapped out of his trance and rushed after Avra.

„Wait, what? Where are you even running to!“

„Hangar -09B!“

„That’s the wrong way! Follow me!“

.

.

Revan watched as Taluuk rolled his neck and opened the metallic gauntlet on his right arm. A morningstar, at first smaller than a fruit, hit the ground and expanded into five times its original size. The metallic head was covered with spikes and attached to a long, expandable chain embedded into Taluuk’s gauntlet.

„Trying to play the hero?“, Taluuk sneered.

„There’s no need.“, Revan’s lightsaber ignited, the purple of the new kyber crystal illuminating the floor and reflecting off parts of his armor. Using the crystal he found in the ancient Sith temple felt different. Weird, foreign, yet powerful.

Taluuk’s sneer dropped as soon as he saw Revan’s lightsaber spring to life. Then, he smiled, actually smiled.

„Mhm, Jedi. My favorite meal.“, he licked over his lips, raising his left arm.

„No Jedi.“, Revan said. „Better.“

Taluuk’s blaster gauntlet powered up with a sharp whirr and fired the first round. The bolts traveled toward Revan with both precision and speed. Revan didn’t jump out of the way. He ran toward the danger. As soon as he was in range, Revan swung his saber in short arcs, deflecting the blaster bolts with ease.

Taluuk took a wide step back, swinging his arm back, then forth to give the chained morningstar enough momentum to strike toward Revan in a wide arc.

Revan twisted his body under the weapon. His movements were graceful and unbothered. Almost bored. Taluuk wasn’t Revan’s first opponent and he won’t be his last. Taluuk is strong but not strong enough to defeat Revan. At least not in his current state. Revan feels stronger with every fight, with every memory recovered. As soon as his spin ended and the weapon passed by his masked face, he was back on his feet, advancing toward Taluuk once again.

The morningstar smashed through the metal wall of the bar, now stuck. Taluuk powered up his blaster again and aimed at Revan’s feet. Revan sidestepped, then jumped over the shots. Taluuk followed, aiming the shots high up.

Revan swung his lightsaber and deflected every bolt that threatened to hit his body. Taluuk yelled and pulled at the chain of his right gauntlet.

„I will have you dead!“, the Gen’dai shouted. With all his might, Taluuk yanked the morningstar free and continued to pull at the chain to direct the metallic head toward Revan. Since Revan was already in the air and moving, he had no chance to dodge both blaster bolts and morningstar. Reaching out into the force, Revan forced his body faster to the floor than gravity would have allowed naturally. Feet first, Revan pulled himself behind Taluuk, lightsaber swinging toward his neck.

„You insolent-„, Taluuk growled loudly when the plasma blade cut into the space that connected his neck to his shoulder. This blow would have been lethal if it were for most species but not for the Gen’dai. When Revan landed behind Taluuk in a crouch, he turned around and analyzed the wound he had inflicted on his opponent.

The cut was deep and burned the skin on the edges. The tentacle-like skin writhed as if it had a mind on its own.

„You really think I’m that easy to kill?“, Taluuk asked but remained in his current position.

„That would have been foolish to assume.“, Revan commented.

The ends of Taluuk’s skin began to connect slowly, regenerating and closing the wound. Common for the Gen’dai.

„Whether you die or not, matters not to me.“

Revan raised his free hand toward the ceiling and took a deep breath.

„I just needed you occupied for long enough so the others could escape safely.“

„You think I’ll let these worms escape?“, Taluuk finally turned around to face Revan. „I practically own this space station! I have eyes and ears everywhere!“

„Oh, I bet you do.“

The ceiling right above Taluuk began to rumble and shriek as the metal was slowly loosened with the force. Dust drizzled down on Taluuk’s head. But before he could realized what’s happening, the ceiling already collapsed.

„That’s why Rowan keeps escaping from you. You underestimate him and his ability to slip away discreetly.“

Taluuk took a single step forward before Revan’s thrown lightsaber sliced right through his left knee, even cutting the armor there. But Taluuk refused to yield. He refused to be defeated so easily. He screamed. Not words. Just an angry yet pained scream. The tentacles sticking out from the cut below his thigh desperately tried to find the part that was severed. His lower leg writhed on the floor, just short of connecting with the rest of Taluuk’s body. The first piece of the falling ceiling hit Taluuk’s massive shoulders, forcing him to hunch over on impact.

Revan’s lightsaber spun back like a boomerang and cut through Taluuk’s right arm.

Taluuk screamed again.

Now more in frustration than pain.

„I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!“

His severed arm hit the floor.

„‘Til we meet again.“, Revan said calmly and turned around to leave. His lightsaber returned into his hand. Revan clipped it back onto his belt and adjusted the hood of his cloak while leaving Taluuk to his fate.

„I WILL KILL YOU-"

Then the ceiling collapsed.

.

.

.

If Revan had a credit for every time he cut someone’s arm off during a fight in the past week without breaking a sweat, he’d have two credits. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird it happened twice in such a short time.

.

.

.

Revan was the first of the three to arrive at Hangar -09B. Despite buying time for Avra and Rowan to escape, they were not here yet. There is a possibility that Taluuk’s gang either caught or killed them. But they could have also just taken a longer or safer route down here.

Some time passed until Revan heard two sets of footsteps run down the hallway. He immediately recognized Rowan’s frantic presence. Avra’s force signature was still hard to read but he was sure that it was her.

Revan pushed himself off the railing he was leaning against and waited for them to arrive.

There was no need for a special reunion. No hugs, no thanks or other words. Just a simple nod was enough. Rowan entered a code into the panel and the hangar opened fully, allowing them to step inside.

Revan led the way, Avra at his side.

Avra’s eyes widened in awe when she saw the ship. It was indeed beautiful. She had never seen something of such quality on Seruk Nine.

„Wow, I can’t believe this will be ours.“

Rowan bristled behind the duo. Right. He had to give up his ship according to their deal. His beautiful, unique Royal Eagle. He would have to give it up. He had. According to the deal he had to.

Or…

Maybe he didn't.

Rowan halted.

Avra didn‘t notice, she was too preoccupied with the ship.

But Revan did.

In a matter of seconds, Rowan pulled a blaster from the inside of his cloak and fired it straight at Revan and Avra. Avra fell before she heard the shot. Revan had pushed her over with the force to ensure she didn’t get hurt.

“What?”, she uttered and turned over to sit on her rear end.

“Avra.”, Revan began. “Start the ship.”

Avra didn’t say anything at first. Then her gaze traveled to Rowan and the blaster he had used. “Rowan?”, Avra asked, her eyes widening ever so slightly. “What are you doing?”

Rowan didn’t lower the blaster.

“Because I’m not handing over my ship!”

“We had a deal.”, Revan reminded him.

“I don’t care about that stupid deal anymore! Taluuk is after us! And he’ll kill us, especially me!”

“But-“, Avra stood abruptly. “He’s not here now! You can get away with us and start over!”

“That’s not how it works!”, Rowan declared. “This is Taluuk we’re talking about. He always comes back, and when he does, he’ll make me suffer before I die!”, Rowan’s finger slowly closed in on the trigger. “And… I won’t let that happen.”

“Rowan, please…”, Avra pleaded.

“Avra get inside and start the ship.”, Revan demanded as his voice grew colder.

The girl flinched at the sudden command. “I don’t know how.”

“Then just wait inside.”

“You’re kidding…”, Rowan muttered. “I won’t let you get away! I’ll turn you over to Taluuk! He’ll spare me, I know it!”

“Bold and foolish, my favorite combination.”, Revan mocked and stepped closer to Rowan.

“I'll give you one last chance to run off. If you don’t, I won’t offer you any mercy.”

The blaster in Rowan’s hand began to tremble. “No way in hell!”

Three shots were fired.

Revan walked toward Rowan, his hand calmly waving the bolts to the side.

Rowan couldn’t believe his eyes. “How… how are you doing that!”

He fired again, and again, only for Revan to casually redirect the shots.

The final shot fired remained suspended in the air in front of Rowan’s chest. The plasma bristled and hummed, fighting against the force Revan was using.

“No mercy, just as promised.”

“Wait- I'm sorry, don’t do it- I’ll repay you, I swear!”

.

.

.

Avra watched from the cockpit how the blaster bolt pierced right through Rowan’s chest. She could almost hear the thud in her head when his body hit the floor. Revan crouched to retrieve the blaster and the credits stored in Rowan’s pockets. He also found a data stick, possibly the one that allowed Rowan to start his ship.

Without wasting another thought, Revan made his way over to the Royal Eagle and climbed the ramp.

.

“You killed him…”, Avra voiced, now slumped in the co-pilot’s seat.

“He tried to kill us first.”, Revan said. He sat down in the pilot's chair and inserted the data stick in its designated place and turned the ship on. The lights inside flickered as the ship powered up with hums and other machinery starting. Revan flicked a switch on the main console to send a signal to the hangar doors, which opened shortly after.

The rest of the procedure went smoothly. Revan navigated the Royal Eagle out of the Hangar and into space. Coruscant was listed in the nav-computer with a string of numbers next to it. Rowan wasn’t lying. Each registered planet had an individual ID-Signature. This will come in handy for sure.

When the duo entered hyperspace, Avra stood up and walked out of the cockpit silently.

Usually, Revan wouldn’t press Avra for answers but his curiosity won today. Revan unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up to follow Avra.

Avra sat on the couch which surrounded a big round table in the middle of the lounge. Her index finger drew meaningless patterns on the table’s surface; her other hand supported her head.

If sadness had a visual definition, it would be Avra.

Revan sat down across from her. He removed his mask and set it down on the table.

The silence stretched on for a moment before Revan finally broke it.

“Rough day, huh?”

“You bet.”

Silence.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”, Revan asked, folding his hands in front of him.

“You tell me…”

“You’re angry I killed Rowan?”

Avra’s lips pressed into a thin line and she raised her voice.

“Maybe that. Or maybe you tell me why you abandoned me?”

“Abandoned you?"

“Yes!”, she yelled. “You told me you’d wait at the bar and finish your drink! You weren’t there! Then… then Rowan made compete in countless Pazaak games without a break and even threatened me to blow off the deal if I refused! And then, then…”, Avra stammered. The tears that had formed in her eyes threaten to spill any second now. But Revan didn’t interrupt her. He let her rant. He allowed her to show her true emotions.

Avra sobbed once.

“-And then this Taluuk-guy came in and killed the barkeeper! He didn’t even hesitate! He almost killed me too! He almost smashed my head with his foot! And don’t get me started how Rowan betrayed us.”, her eyes burned with hatred. But she soon folded. The pain was too great to stay angry. Avra slumped forward, wrapping her arms around her head as she hid her face. She cried. She sobbed. She didn’t hold back.

Revan allowed Avra’s sobs to fill the silence for a few seconds. He sighed inwardly. He wasn’t good at this. He handled stuff with truth, with practicality, not… by comforting people lovingly. Regardless, he made his way over to the crying girl.

“Avra.”, his voice softened. “Avra, look at me.”

“No… go away.”, she answered through her sobs.

Revan didn’t give up though. His hands reached out to gently but firmly remove her arms to reveal her face. Then, his right hand traveled to her chin and grasped it to tilt her head toward him. Avra’s eyes were red and puffy. Tears still streaming endlessly.

“What?”, she asked weakly.

“Listen.”, Revan began, wiping a stray tear off her face with his gloved thumb. “I promised your friend, Pharren was her name if I remember correctly, to take you to Coruscant. And that’s what I intend to do. My goals haven’t changed, nor have my priorities.”

“Yes, I lied to you about staying close. I did, there is no denying that. But I needed to know where Rowan’s ship was parked. I studied the different routes and determined which was the best if we had to flee. That’s how I got there earlier than you and Rowan.”, Revan explained. “It wasn’t my intention to make you feel abandoned. But I came back to get you, didn’t I? I left because I trusted you enough to handle yourself.”

Avra's sobs slowed. She exhaled shakily. “It was so scary.”, she stuttered. “Especially after what had happened back on Seruk Nine.”

“I know.”, Revan agreed. “While we're at it,”, Revan let go of Avra’s face. “Let me take a look at your wounds.

Avra wiped at her face but agreed with a nod.

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The med bay of the Royal Eagle was fairly sized. It wasn’t too big but enough to treat two people comfortably. Avra was lying on one of the beds, shirt rolled up to her ribs. Revan sat on a stool beside the bed, gloves off. He gently removed the Kolto patch from Avra’s wounded side, and tossed it away. His fingertips gently grazed the wound. Red and swollen but better than before. Avra watched his every move but remained still. She was still hurting on the inside. She couldn't let go of what had happened. But she complied with Revan's demands.

“Does it hurt?”, Revan asked.

Avra shook her head. "I barely feel anything."

“Now?”, he asked again. But this time he applied pressure which earned him a pained hiss from Avra.

“I understand.”, Revan said and applied a new kolto patch he got from a med kit.

“There’s something I wish to talk with you about.”, Revan stated while working on her wounds.

“What is it?”, Avra asked, barely able to keep her eyes open.

“When we first met, you told me that you were supposed to be a Jedi. You had training and you can still use the force after years of no proper guidance, which is quite rare. Are you certain that you’re not using the force in more subtle ways?”

“I don’t understand.”, Avra turned her head to look at the ceiling.

“Let me explain.”, Revan rolled up Avra’s sleeve to treat the wound on her lower arm. “I have been thinking about this ever since I noticed it first.”

Avra stiffened.

“You found me in the raging snowstorm when I fell unconscious. You found my mask without any problems, and you found a hidden passage in the cave. Which ultimately led us to the temple hidden underground.”

“I told you I'm good at finding things. It’s my profession.”, she mumbled.

“That you did. I just wonder if it’s related to the force.”

Avra closed her eyes momentarily. She exhaled slowly, trying to stop the heat from rising in her cheeks- which she failed.

“Every time I'm supposed to find something, I see… a golden trail in front of me, leading me directly to whatever it is I need to find”

Revan’s eyes widened briefly when he took in this information. A golden trail? Could it be related to the golden light he saw on Seruk Nine?

“Explain.”

Avra huffed a breath.

“When you asked me to help you find your mask, it led me right to it. I don’t know how to explain it. But I see the way I have to go if I want to find something. If it’s too abstract and not visualized in my head, it's just a feeling.”

Revan nodded. This was getting interesting.

“Like the entrance to the temple.”

“Exactly.”, Avra then sighed and opened her eyes. “Even though it wasn’t my intention to find it.”

That made Revan smile, even if it was just subtle. “The force does work in mysterious ways.”

Avra smiled back. “I guess it does.”

But as quickly as her smile appeared, it had dropped again.

“I’m sorry about earlier. For all the yelling and crying.”

Revan finished wrapping Avra’s arm and stood up. “Don’t worry about it. I understand what you’re going through.”

“You do, huh?”

Revan said nothing.

“Go get some rest. It may take some while until we reach Coruscant.”, Revan dimmed the lights of the med bay and left. Avra tried to sleep but it was hard to relax after such an eventful day.

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The Royal Eagle felt royal indeed. The ship was equipped with six different sleeping chambers, two separate ‘freshers, a storage bay, and even a simple holding cell. Revan had entered one of the chambers and claimed it as his own for the while. He was seated on the floor, back straight, and legs crossed. In front of him rested the artifact he found in the Sith temple. He wouldn’t meditate on it now, not after what happened last time. Whatever he saw was not intentional but it was enough to research further. As soon as they reach Coruscant, Revan will look in the grand library of the Jedi temple for answers. And while he’s at it: warn the council about the dangerous Sith threat.

Ever since Revan escaped, he lost influence on the emperor’s mind. Revan was the one holding him back so he wouldn’t pull through with his plan to destroy the entire galaxy.

Revan hoped, he honestly hoped that the Jedi council would listen now and act swiftly. Two entire wars were proof of what hesitating meant for the republic and the galaxy. Yet there was no guarantee the Jedi council would take him seriously – he's supposed to be dead anyway. His knowledge of the past and his reputation needed to be enough to convince them. Revan just wished Bastila was at his side to push through this. But for now, he was on his own. Revan against the emperor yet again. But third time’s the charm.

Right?

Chapter Text

EPISODE II - Coruscant

Chapter 3 – Illumination

Beep. Beep. Beep.

It must be close now. Probably only down the hall and in the next hangar.

Karex walked like any Sith would walk:

Proud.

Determined.

Powerful.

The Sith apprentice didn’t even try to stealth his way through RX-1 to try and find the Jedi and the young woman who had stolen an imperial transporter and escaped Seruk Nine with it. He was tall and wide. And that’s what Karex used to his advantage. He waltzed through the space station as if it belonged to him and only him.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Karex looked down at the round device in his large hand. This little metallic thing was able to track the stolen shuttle across the galaxy- or better said to the next best landing option. Darth Azielle had always been a careful and thorough woman. Installing personal trackers on every ship or other vehicle used during Operation: Monolith, was simply genius – at least in his eyes. Other participants, especially low ranking officers, always complained behind close doors about the high security. They called Darth Azielle, Karex‘ Master, paranoid.

Afraid.

But Karex made sure that every single person he had removed from Operation: Monolith, knew, truly knew, what real fear felt like. When their pleas and begs filled Karex‘ ears, he felt delighted. It made him feel even more powerful than he already was.

But all that secrecy did made him question why.

Why was Operation: Monolith the secret it is now? Darth Azielle never explained to Karex her true goals. But if not even the dark council was aware of what was happening, then it either meant that his Master worried to be overthrown by outside interest, or that her goals are more personal than in favor of the empire.

Which, if revealed to the leaders of the empire, would get them into huge trouble

Sure, every Sith is selfish and strives for power to achieve their goals, but going as far as Darth Azielle went, is on another level. The eldest member of the Dark Council, Darth Marr, made an effort to keep the empire stable, to fight against the Jedi and the Republic as one united force. And if more and more single Lords strife away from that constellation to follow their own goals, the empire would fall apart. Not to mention how many ‚back stabbings‘ had already happened.

Especially after Operation: Marielle, the invasion of Seruk Nine, was such a huge success. It happened many years ago, back when Darth Azielle was apprenticed to another Sith Lord herself. For all these years, the empire never found out what was going on. Not even when his master issued the bombardment a few days ago, possibly killing the entire population and destroying all valuable resources. But more details were unknown to him. Operation: Monolith was only partially successful though, since the artifact they were supposed to find, got swept by that Jedi before Darth Azielle could take it.

But whatever happened next, Karex wouldn’t disappoint his master.

Karex turned the last corner and finally arrived in the hangar. And there it was:

The small, all-black imperial transporter. Its sleek metal looked almost out of place in the low-maintenance space station.

Karex slowly closed in, grabbing his lightsaber in the process. If the Jedi and the girl are inside, they’ll die. Or at least the Jedi will. For some reason, Darth Azielle ordered Karex to take the girl alive and as unharmed as possible. He didn’t dare to ask why but he might if he returned victorious. The Jedi dead and the girl in chains.

Despite his attempts to be quiet while approaching the shuttle, Karex‘ footsteps were heavy and loud. But who needed the element of surprise anyway?

Karex leapt onto the open ramp, igniting his single red blade with a click of the activation button. The Sith apprentice was ready for a fight, ready to take a life.

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.

Well, if only there was someone to kill inside. The shuttle was empty save for a few crates and used equipment.

Karex slowly walked out of the transporter, his boots clanking against the metallic ramp with each step he took. He looked down at the tracker in his hand and simply smashed it by closing his fist around it. The device bristled and shut down under the sheer force of Karex‘ hand. His anger rose with each breath he took. The need to thrust his blade into the next living being he saw was not only tempting but also his next best coping mechanism. It was like finally getting rid of the itch inside of your bones.

Karex‘ lips pressed into a thin line as he left the hangar, leaving the imperial transporter behind.

But his targets had to be still on the space station. Where else could they have gone to?

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Something was off. The force told him so. 

The Sith continued his search for Revan and Avra, walking through the rest of the space station with the same purpose but with more anger than before. He looked for any clues that they were still on RX-1, and soon enough he found the source of his off-feeling.

Karex‘ eye twitched when he saw the rubble on the ground not to far away from him. His eyes shot up to the collapsed ceiling, revealing the upper floor of the station. A small crowd had formed next to what seemed to be a bar, right next to the rubble. The people, not just humans, whispered among themselves about what had occurred here but Karex couldn’t quite tell what they were talking about.

When Karex closed in on the rubble, the crowd had finally noticed him. Their whispers about the chaos stopped briefly until they were replaced by whispers about him.

„Who is that?“

„More trouble coming now?“

„A Sith? Here?“

„What is the empire doing here?“

„Are we in danger?“

„I am looking for someone.“, Karex‘ voice boomed through the crowd. He reached into his utility belt to retrieve another device. The Sith turned it on and the holo-image of Revan and Avra appeared with a soft hum. The image rotated clockwise so everyone standing around Karex could see the wanted people. The holo flickered in-and-out for a couple of frames but remained stable otherwise.

The people remained silent for a long moment but when Karex barked „Answer me!“, one of them finally spoke up. A rodian with green skin and big glassy-blue eyes began to speak in Rodian. Karex anger twisted into confusion, then irritation, and lastly to rage. Not because he was upset with the Rodian’s words…

But because he couldn’t understand him.

„Silence!“, Karex yelled. „If you have no true way of communication, it would be best to shut your mouth!“

In the empire, non-humans were classified as lower beings. Only the Sith and humans had a place in it. It had always been that way. A single species, the Chiss, have been an exception to that rule. Despite that, even those people would never be on the same level as humans or Sith, at least that’s what Karex was taught to believe.

„He said he saw them in the blue-velvet bar.“, a woman spoke up. She had a slight accent when she spoke basic and had cat-like features. A Cathar. Yet she could understand the Rodian perfectly fine.

Karex couldn't tell if he felt disgusted or even jealous. All he could speak and understand was basic. Not even the ancient Sith language.

„Where’s that?“, Karex sneered.

The woman simple pointed to her left where the bar was located. Karex studied the smashed and bent walls, the blood, and smoking metal before he walked toward it – the crowd opening the way for him.

Everyone watched Karex enter the demolished establishment but no one dared to interfere.

Inside, the lingering smell of death and blaster fire crept up Karex‘ nostrils. Disgusting but delicious at the same time. This place was a mess. Broken glass, fallen tables, liquids sticking to his boots, and not to mention the corpse next to the counter. Probably the barkeeper or random patron, Karex concluded.

„What do you want here?“, a deep voice suddenly boomed through the bar.

The Sith’s head snapped to the side to locate the source of the voice.

In the far corner sat Taluuk – though his name remained unknown to Karex for now. The Gen’Dais armor had multiple dents, his left foot looked awkwardly off, and his right arm weakly clutched a glass filled with a light blue substance.

„The bar’s closed. The keep’s dead.“, Taluuk continued, his voice taking on a slightly raspier tone.

„What are you talking about?“, Karex asked, more confused than angry now.

„I mean what I say.“

„Don’t make me kill you.“, Karex‘ anger returned yet again.

„Oh, you’re not even half the Jedi I’ve faced.“, Taluuk stood up suddenly, knocking over the chair he was sitting on.

„You’ve faced the Jedi?“, Karex asked as his hand traveled toward the lightsaber on his hip.

„There is no the Jedi. I’ve killed many of their kind in the past. Some of yours as well.“, Taluuk explained, taking a step closer to Karex. „Though I must say that Jedi… didn’t call himself a Jedi but something ‚better‘, even though he wielded the same weapon as one.”, Taluuk grabbed the table and flipped it over at the memory. It wasn’t even too long ago as well.

„How dare he humiliate me like this… leaving me behind in the dirt without even confirming my death.“

A Jedi who doesn’t claim to be a Jedi? Sounds awfully like the Jedi he’s supposed to find. The ‚Jedi‘ who used the dark side to win his battle.

„Are you referring to this man perhaps?“, Karex asked, activating the holo projector.

Taluuk calmed himself for a moment to study the projection.

„Not so sure about the man.“, his gaze fixed on Revan. „It could be.“

„Could?“, Karex asked.

„He wore a mask, I wasn’t able to see his face. Get it over with already…“

„The girl on the other hand…“, Taluuk continued. „Yes, I do remember her. She played lots of Pazaak in here to ‚help‘ pay off the debt of a man who owed me over 100.000 credits.“

Karex turned the projector off and returned it into his pocket.

„Where are they now?“

„Not so sure.“, Taluuk answered with a snarl. „But I’ll make sure all three will never see the light of day again.“

„Hold it.“, Karex raised a hand. „If you ever find them, leave the girl, she’s mine. I do not care about the men, though.“

„Don’t tell me what to do, you half-baked Sith!“, the Gen’Dai argued back.

„Wherever they are, I will kill them! All of them! Especially Rowan!“

Karex didn’t ask who that Rowan-guy was but it didn’t matter anyway.

„So you don’t know where they are?“

„Tch. They’re probably off-station already. That guy killed half my crew after he left me to my fate!“

Seems like Revan wasn’t as discreet as he let on when he rushed to Hangar -09B earlier.

„You’re of no use to me, then.“, Karex was about to ignite his lightsaber to kill off Taluuk just because he could. But the sudden beeping of his commlink interrupted him. The large Sith looked down on his left gauntlet where his comm was located. Darth Azielle was expecting a status update and he needed to leave, now.

„You’re lucky time’s on your side.“, Karex finalized and turned to leave the bar.

„Damn Sith-spawn.“, Taluuk insulted back. „You’re lucky I haven’t already ripped your head off!“

„Why haven’t you, then?“, Karex said coolly, flipping the hood of his black cape over his head.

Taluuk didn’t answer. But it could be because of the amount of alcohol in his system.

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Karex lowered himself down to one knee and bowed his head before the holo image of Darth Azielle appeared. The large table projecting the transmission was located in the center of Karex‘ personal freighter. After successfully finishing his trials, Darth Azielle gifted him this ship as form of trust and welcome to the new chapter of his life under her teachings.

„Have you located the Jedi and the girl?“, Darth Azielle spoke up, her voice slightly distorted by the projection light-years away. There was no greeting, no praise, just straight to the point.

Karex hesitated.

„No, my Master.“, he eventually spoke. „The tracker guided me to the independent trade station RX-1. The shuttle they stole to escape was parked in one of the hangars, but there was no sign of them. The must have left the station even before my arrival.

Darth Azielle remained silent for a moment.

„Most disappointing.“

Karex forced himself not to flinch at Darth Azielle’s words. The last thing he ever wanted was to disappoint his master.

„Please forgive me, Master. I wasn’t fast enough to catch them. But I swear on my life that with the help of your training, I will-„

„That’s enough, Karex.“, Darth Azielle interrupted her apprentice. „I appreciate your deep and sincere loyalty but do not forget who and what you are. You are a Sith, not a slave. Never lose track of what you’re going to become under my tutelage.“, she continued. „Self pity is beneath you.“

„Of course, my Master.“, Karex replied quickly, almost too quickly.

„Rise, my apprentice.“, the Sith Lady said.

And Karex did.

„I will find them and return the artifact, Master.“

„That you will, my apprentice.“, Darth Azielle nodded, though there was no hint of approval in her gaze. „But for now, I have a new mission for you. Return to me immediately to discuss further details.“

„Master, may I-“, Karex spoke before the connection cut off.

„May I know what my mission is beforehand so I can save time and go there immediately?“, he dared to ask. Usually, Karex never asked his Master more than necessary. „I wish to redeem myself.“

Darth Azielle’s gaze changed from cold and hard to mild interest. She was surprised to see the change in her apprentice's demeanor. „Very well.“

„You will travel to Dromund Fels and visit the archaeology site Nema black.“, the Sith Lord revealed.

„Nema black?“, Karex repeated. „I regret that I have never heard of that, Master.“

Darth Azielle nodded.

„It’s not a real archaeology site. It is used to disguise Lord Ryyva’s rebellion against my plans.“

Lord Ryyva? The Sith Lady who died on Seruk Nine along with her apprentice?

„Lord Ryyva. What does she have to do with all this?“, Karex asked.

„Lord Ryyva was once my apprentice. She was loyal to me for a long time and I even integrated her into my operations. Many not even you know about. But then, she got too ambitious, too…“, Darth Azielle’s aura darkened. Even at such a distance, Karex could feel the dark side engulf his master more and more.

„…rebellious.“

„But she is dead now…“, Karex dared to argue.

„I wasn’t finished.“, the Sith Lady almost snapped but she kept herself under control for now.

„She turned everyone in my operation against me, and now those people hide and disguise themselves as archaeologists on Dromund Fels to continue their silent campaign against me.”

„But why would they do such things?“

„I am not aware of Ryyva’s true intentions and I will never know now from her personally, but we are Sith. We strife for power and glory and would do anything to achieve our own, personal goals.“, the Sith Lady explained.

„They are awaiting Lord Ryyva’s return, possibly with the artifact we were looking for. But she shall never return. And that is where you come in, apprentice.“

„You want me to kill them.“

„Every single one of them.“, Azielle confirmed. „None of her followers are allowed to survive. If they do, they’re a threat to expose me to the empire and its council.“

„I shall not disappoint you, Master.“, Karex said with certainty.

„We shall see.“

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„Here we are.“

Revan said as he walked down the ramp of the Royal Eagle. Their arrival on Coruscant was quick, smooth, and unproblematic, thanks to ships ID-Signatures. As soon as their arrival got approved, the ship auto-piloted itself down to the lower levels of Coruscant and touched down on a private but old landing platform. Of course not all the way down but just enough to see the switch in wealth and living conditions.

Coruscant was a planet consisting of one huge city. A city planet. It had many sub-levels, and the deeper you went, the more dangerous it got. Revan had always wondered what lay beneath the buildings and floors. He had heard and read many legends, such as: Incurable diseases, monsters, dark side entities, entire civilizations, and many more. Though, this wouldn’t be the time to study the surface of the planet now.

„Come, let’s not waste too much time.“, Revan added 

Avra emerged from the ship after Revan’s words. She looked healthier over all, at least physically. During their journey, Revan had carefully peered into her mind with the force to detect any permanent damage in her psyche. He was no expert but he knew what war, death, and loss could do to your mind.

„So, this is where we part our ways?“, Avra asked, her voice small, almost afraid.

Revan merely nodded.

„Yes. For now at least it is.“

His mask was off now. No one on here could possibly know his real identity. Not to mention that the mask would be more of a give-away.

„You said you wanted to visit your mother in the hospital?“

Avra stiffened visibly. She knew the truth. The truth that her mother was dead. But she couldn’t admit it, not now at least.

„Yeah, I do.“, she stuttered.

„Last time I visited, she was located in the grand hospital on the highest level. And… she is now there as well. I’m sure.“

Lies.

„If that is what you wish, young one.“, Revan spoke. „I shall not stop you. I will remain on Coruscant for a while, we might meet again.“

„Sure, of course, yeah…“, Avra stumbled over her words. „And… you’ll go to the Jedi temple?“

Revan nodded.

„Yes, it’s important for my mission. I hope you’re alright that I cannot accompany you to your mother.“

„N-No, No. That is no problem at all. She… prefers less people in general. I’ll find my way.“

The young girl turned around, hesitant to leave. She knew. She knew she wouldn't find anything in that hospital. Not even a body to mourn. But what if? What if her mother was there, waiting for her? No. Yes. No. Yes. NO. YES!

Revan studied Avra for a moment. Though a big part of his compassion for other people had left him, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for Avra. Losing people was one thing. Living in a delusion and lying to yourself was worse.

But even if Revan felt guilty enough to consult Avra, he wouldn’t be able to help her, not truly, not fully. This was Avra’s fight. One she could either lose or win by herself.

„Until we meet again, Avra.“, Revan said a final time. „Stay sharp.“

Then, Revan left.

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The streets of Coruscant were busy and lively as ever. The prodigal knight carefully navigated his way through the massive crowd to reach the Jedi temple. For a moment, Revan’s gaze drifted to his feet, as if something was missing.

A low sigh escaped his lips when he remembered what he had lost. Though it was partially a different version of him, he couldn’t help but miss the little utility droid trailing behind him wherever he went. Tee-three (T3-M4) played an important part in Revan’s campaign against Darth Malak and the fight against Vitiate years later. Right now, Revan could really use one of Tee-three’s encouraging beep-boop sounds, but he’ll push through even with the unexplainable void in his heart.

Bastila, Mission and Zaalbar, Canderous, Carth, Juhani, T3-M4, Jolee, and HK-47 were all gone. Having died centuries before his return. But he reminded himself of the greater picture. Just like every time before, Revan would have to put his personal feelings aside to save the galaxy. How ironic.

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It’s been a long time since Revan last climbed the stairs of the Jedi temple on Coruscant – or any Jedi temple really. His steps were confident yet light. He wasn’t the only one to enter the temple. Some Jedi knights and masters entered the temple with him.

Revan had discarded the hood of his dark cape, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. His shoulder long hair swept to the side when a sudden gush of wind hit him. Revan’s gaze traveled up to the four massive statues guarding the temple.

The four founders. They were the ones to first construct the Jedi temple. Though their gazes felt somewhat… judging.

Entering the temple was no issue. There were two temple guards stationed outside. Their helmets locked out any emotions and personal thoughts. They were here to serve the force and the Jedi in particular, protecting the temple with their lives.

Civilians and outsiders were usually not welcome in the temple, probably why the guards were stationed here.

When Revan finally stepped inside the massive structure, he only then felt the weight of it all. Now, that he was no longer only connected to the light side of the force, he was open to feel the force in its entirety. And even though the temple belonged to the Jedi and the republic, he couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of the dark side nearby.

But his thoughts were interrupted when someone bumped into him.

Blast. He couldn’t risk being discovered as an ex-Jedi. Not until he had what he came for.

Revan’s eyes traveled down to the small figure who had just run into him. It was a young boy, probably barely even a youngling, judging by his size and youth. Revan carefully lowered himself to the fallen human boy, his voice gentle even through the raspiness.

„Are you hurt, young one?“

The Youngling’s face flushed red and he immediately pushed himself up.

„I am so sorry, Master!“, he exclaimed, bowing deeply as if he’d think that Revan would punish him.

Revan stood up as well. No one had paid attention to them yet.

„You did nothing wrong.“, Revan assured. „There is no need to bow, rise.“

The Youngling, though confused, relaxed his stance and straightened.

„Romi!“, a new voice called out.

Revan looked past the Youngling to see another Jedi approach. He looked older, probably in his late forty’s.

Bright orange hair, a perfectly groomed beard, firm brown eyes, and the usual sternness of a Jedi Master.

The Youngling called Romi turned around.

„Master.“, he addressed the Jedi. „I was… just-„

„You know the rules, Romi.“, the Master arrived next to Revan and the Youngling. „You are to stay inside the temple at all times. At. All. Times.“

The Youngling grumbled under his breath.

„But my friends-“

The Jedi Master cut Romi off before he could finish his sentence.

„Your friends have vanished. Now get inside before I have to discipline you.“

Romi’s annoyed expression dropped and turned into one of fear. He quickly bowed to excuse himself and rushed back deeper into the temple.

„That scared him more than any creature on Yavin could.“, Revan spoke calmly, trying to defuse the situation.

The Jedi Master merely snorted.

„It should. He knows the rules.“

„Are Younglings forbidden to leave the temple grounds?“, Revan asked.

„Force, they are not even allowed to visit the outer gardens on their own.“

„Why may I ask? I was on an expedition in the outer rim and wasn’t kept in the loop since then.“, Revan lied. But any information is good information.

„Of course you weren’t.“

Revan did not like the Jedi Master’s attitude at all. Typical Jedi.

„This is not something to discuss here.“, the Master said, tilting his head. He studied Revan’s sharp yet tired features for longer than necessary. His gaze made Revan feel uneasy, but he refused to show it.

„Can’t say I’ve ever seen you before.“

„One can’t possibly know all Jedi.“, Revan answered with a subtle smile. He didn’t panic that his cover might have blown. Yet.

„Curious.“, the Master merely said.

„I am Jedi Knight Avner, for your information.“

Revan couldn’t think of a better name for now, but he already regretted his decision.

„Avner.“

Revan remained silent. If it came to a confrontation, he could forget his investigation and studies. Stay calm, Revan. Everything will play out just like you imagined it would.

„I am Jedi Master Dawn.“, the Master finally replied. „Pleased to make your acquaintance.“

„The pleasure is all mine.“, Revan agreed.

„Now, if you’d excuse me, I need to finish my studies. I will see myself to the archives. Until we meet again, Master Dawn.“

Master Dawn’s gaze followed Revan as he made it further into the temple. Something gnawed at his consciousness, something he couldn’t quiet place. But Revan felt it too.

„Until then, Avner.“

.

.

.

The temple archives were massive. In Revan’s absence they must have expanded them even more. It was more than 300 years since he last visited.

Revan carefully inserted one of the data chip he found to still his curiosity. This one was labeled Recent history: The sacking of Coruscant.

A few decades ago, the Sith fleet emerged from the unknown regions and focused all their fire power on Coruscant. Without any standing army to protect themselves, the Jedi were forced to give up their sacred temple and flee.

Then Jedi Knight, Satele Shan, discovered the ancient Jedi temple on Tython, which became the Jedi order’s new base of operations. Until a deal was struck with the Sith Empire to return Coruscant and its temple in exchange for a few republic worlds. Coruscant being the capital of the republic, the Jedi agreed.

Coruscant was theirs again, but at what cost?

But wait… what name did he just read?

Satele Shan.

Could this be a descendant of Bastila?

Revan and Bastila did have a single child, Vaner Shan. And if he continued the bloodline, this Satele could very well be related to Revan.

Revan shook his head. This is not his focus for now.

Focus.

Revan removed the data chip from the table and inserted the second one he found.

Recent history: The Mandalorian Wars

Three centuries ago, the Mandalorians began their campaign against the outer rim. Their forces continued to cause havoc across the Galaxy until the Jedi emerged victorious and fought off the Mandalorians.

…

That’s it?

No "Revan, Alek, Surik, and other courageous Jedi joined the war effort to save the republic"?

Or how about: "The council decided to waste their time on useless meditation rather than acting."

Or what about "Entire worlds burned and millions died meaninglessly"?

They didn’t even mention what had happened to the Jedi that returned to face the council’s judgement after disobeying their orders.

The council was clear: The Jedi were forbidden to join the war. We are to be keepers of peace, not warriors.

And those who disobeyed? They were exiled. Exiled and left to fend for themselves. Exiled just like his old friend Meetra Surik.

Revan could barely contain his anger when he took in this information. How dare the council re-write history to frame themselves holier than thou?

But there were four more data chips left to go.

Taking a deep breath, Revan inserted the third chip.

Recent history: The Jedi-Sith Civil War.

Four years after the Mandalorian Wars, a new threat entered the known galaxy. Sith Lords Darth Revan and Darth Malak, betrayed the Jedi order and attacked the republic with their new Sith armada. The republic held their ground for a long time. But they couldn’t win without the help of the courageous Jedi Knight Bastila Shan and an unknown Scavenger, who became a member of the Jedi Order in the process. Together, they defeated the evil Sith Lords and put an end to the endless bloodshed and death.

…

They can’t be serious. Why would they lie in every data chip, in every history book?

He was the unknown scavenger. Revan was that.

Darth Revan fell by Darth Malak’s betrayal and was brought to the council for ‚judgement‘. Darth Revan’s memories were erased and reprogrammed by the Jedi Council into a scavenger named Vacen. Revan had used the name Vacen for a long time. Everyone he knew at the time, knew Revan by that name.

It was not long ago until Revan regained access to all of his memories.

At least Bastila was rightfully mentioned in the archives. She was indeed courageous, facing Revan at his latest peak of power.

Revan was disappointed, angry, but not surprised.

The fourth data chip was labeled:

Jedi Knight: Revan

But when he tried to access the files, a large text popped up on the table’s display.

ACCESS DENIED

Of course.

The same happened with Malak’s Data chip labeled:

Jedi Knight: Alek Squinquargesimus

They were probably locked to avoid any Jedi getting ‚similar ideas‘. Why even have archives when you lock away half of them? This, exactly this, could become a huge problem. Maybe not now, but maybe in the far future.

Now to the last data chip labeled:

Jedi Knight: Bastila Shan

Bastila Shan was a gifted and talented Jedi Knight. She served the Jedi order greatly and played a vital role in the Jedi-Sith Civil war. Thanks to her kindhearted spirit and her ancient force technique battle meditation, she was able to defeat the Sith and bring order and peace to the republic.

Bastila Shan married against judgement of the Jedi High council and brought a child into the world. The child was named Vaner Shan. But he was not blessed with the gift of the force, hence why no entry will be added to the archives.

Leaving the Jedi order, Bastila Shan focused on raising her child.

…

Reading about Bastila…

Ignited in something in Revan he had long forgotten. The feeling of belonging. The feeling of love. And even though the order did at least do the love of his life justice, they erased him almost fully.

Revan was a part of Bastila’s life. As both Vacen and Revan. They had no right to erase his existence.

All he wanted was to protect the republic from the greater threat. The true Sith threat.

But the council ruined it for him. They just couldn’t understand that all he did was not for power or for glory. It was for the galaxy. For his home. His home he didn’t want to lose.

But… the council might not be the only one at fault.

As Sith Lords, Revan shouldn’t have trusted Malak the way he did. He had anticipated betrayal at one point or another. But stabbing him in the back the moment the Jedi attacked was simply foolish. Cowardice.

He won’t make that mistake again.

Nor will he rush in unprepared.

He was overwhelmed and beat by Vitiate twice.

And three time’s the charm is not valid in this case.

Revan removed Bastila’s data chip from the table and turned. He could do some more research or seek audience with the council now.

But…

„Jedi knight Avner, was it?“

Revan suppressed an annoyed sigh when he saw Jedi Master Dawn enter the archives with two temple guards in tow.

Great.

„Master Dawn.“, Revan spoke. His face didn’t display any emotion. „I didn’t expect to meet you again so soon.“

Revan carefully eyed the temple guards approaching. He didn’t draw his saber yet. It remained perfectly hidden beneath his robes.

„Cut the lies.“, Master Dawn said with so much venom, he nearly choked on it. „I ran your name through our system, and guess what I have found?“, he paused for dramatic effect.

„Nothing. And since you’re already going through the archives, you’d know that you should be listed too, yes?“

„Silly me.“, Revan merely replied. „Are you going to arrest me, Master Jedi?“

„I’d throw you into jail personally if I could.“, Master Dawn spat. His disgust for intruders was as clear as glass.

„But first, the Jedi Council would like to have a word with you.“

The Jedi Council?

„Perfect.“, Revan said, clasping his hands behind his back.

The two temple guards moved behind Revan, the double-sided lightsabers igniting with a soft hiss.

.

.

.

The doors to the council chambers opened smoothly. Master Dawn walked ahead. Revan entered after, and then the temple guards.

Revan quickly swept the room with his calculating gaze. There were exactly 12 seats in the council, so, twelve possible members. Yet only four of the twelve members were present. Have the others perished or were they simply unavailable at the time?

Master Dawn bowed his head in respect of the most important Jedi.

“Masters… I have come with disturbing news.”, he spoke. His voice was way calmer than before. Most likely to conceal his anger.

“So we’ve heard.”, a member of the council spoke. An older looking woman, gray-ish hair, though striking green eyes. “Is this the intruder?”

“Yes, Grandmaster Shan.”

Revan’s ears perked at the revelation. So, this is the current Grandmaster of the Jedi order. And her name is Shan. This can’t be a coincidence. Revan looked toward the pale woman. Their eyes locked. Revan’s brown eyes with Shan’s green ones. Something flickered in Revan’s force signature, and he was sure, that the Grandmaster felt it too. Though neither of them voiced it.

“Council, if I may-“, Revan began, but Master Dawn immediately shut him down.

“Grandmaster. This man pretended to be a Jedi of our order and went through our archives. He lied about his origin and he might be an imperial spy!”

At Dawn’s words, the four masters began to whisper amongst themselves.

“Now that’s a stretch…”, Revan replied, keeping his voice calm. “Yes, I did lie about my origin and status. But my deception meant no harm to you or any other Jedi.”

Now, another member spoke up. He was a male Kel Dor.

“How can we trust your words after you trespassed our sacred temple?”, his voice was low and serious, but not unkind. “You must understand that we do not tend lightly to unwanted outsiders. Not after what had happened in recent years.”

The sacking of Coruscant.

“Why are we hesitating?”, the third member, a human man, interjected. “He should be punished for his crimes!”

“Calmly now, Master Fane.”, the final council member said. The female togruta gently raised a hand. “We should not act hastily. Let us hear him out.”

“I agree.”, said Grandmaster Shan. “There must be a reason you impersonated a Jedi and entered the archives. The same applies to why you didn’t try to escape or even fight.”, she addressed Revan directly.

Revan took a single step forward.

“My presence here is far more important than you would understand at first glance.”, Revan declared.

Master Fane scoffed. “You think of yourself higher than us?”

Revan fought back the urge to say ‘yes’.

“By all respect, Master Fane. I have important information that could change the Galaxy’s fate forever.”

Silence.

Grandmaster Satele Shan gestured for Revan to continue.

“Explain.”

“I require your trust and faith for my next words.”, Revan said. He could already feel Master Fane’s resisting urge to roll his eyes.

“My real name is Revan. I was once formerly known as Vacen as well. But Revan is my current go-to, and my original name.”, Revan continued as soon as he was sure that everyone was still listening. Even Master Fane seemed slightly more invested now.

“I was once a member of this order. A Jedi knight, learning the ways of the force and fighting to protect the republic. But that was a long time ago. My presence has vanished over 300 years ago, but I have returned now. To warn you from the real Sith threat.”

The council was stunned.

Not just surprised, simply stunned out of existence. It took a while until someone spoke, but eventually Master Dawn took the initiative.

“Nonsense! If we refer to the same Revan, the Revan who turned into a Sith Lord, then you are simply lying. Again. Revan had died centuries ago – in darkness.”

“And that is where you’re wrong, Master Dawn.”, Revan said, then looked at every council member individually. “This is where all of you are wrong. I have read through the entries of the past wars. The Mandalorian wars, the Jedi Civil war.”, Revan paused, studying everyone’s expressions for a moment. “Your archives have been built on lies to frame the order in a better light. You have rewritten history – which is the biggest crime.”

Master Fane almost jumped out of his seat.

“How dare you accuse us of false information for fame!”

“This is where even I raise my doubts.”, the Kel Dor agreed.

“Fellow council members, I advise you to stay true to our teachings and refuse to let emotions cloud our judgement.”, the togruta master said.

“I agree with Master Kiwiiks.”, said Shan. “In an un-biased opinion, his words may be true. We weren’t there when history was written.”

“So, you say that everything in our archives is false?”

“That is not my point here, Master Fane. This is not the time for petty fights.”

Master Kiwiiks was the next one to continue.

“So what you’re saying is, is that you are the Revan from over three centuries ago? Also Darth Revan who betrayed our order and everything we stand for to destroy the republic?”

Revan almost sighed. Almost.

“Yes and no. Yes, I am the same Revan from your legends and histories. Yes, I was the Jedi Knight who turned on the order and embraced the dark side. And yes. I was operating over 300 years ago, which should be impossible. But…”, Revan allowed everyone to take in his words.

“I am no longer a Sith Lord who seeks to bring the republic to its knees.”

“Then what do you seek?”, Satele asked, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

“What I have always been seeking. What every Jedi seeks every day: Balance, security, peace. Not just for the republic. But for the Galaxy in its entirety.”

“Elaborate.”, spoke the Kel Dor.

“Master, Gnost-Dural.”, Master Fane addressed the Kel Dor Jedi Master. “You cannot be serious in trusting a word he says!”

“I am curious.”

“Curiosity is a path to the dark side!”, Master Fane argued.

Almost feels like Revan never left. The debates remain the same, even generations later.

“After the defeat of Darth Malak.”

This brought the attention back to Revan.

“I settled down with my wife, Bastila Shan, to rest after the wars. But… I knew that my duty wasn’t over. The archives never mentioned that Darth Revan’s - that my identity and memories were erased by the past council. My past was replaced and when I woke up, all I knew was that I was a scavenger and smuggler, not a Sith Lord. I was re-introduced into the order and re-trained as a Jedi Padawan. Everyone knew of my true identity, except me.”

“Blasphemy!”, Master Fane yelled.

“Truth.”, Revan countered.

This brought another wave of tense silence. Revan continued to tell his tale.

“I was trained to fight against and destroy my very own empire – which I succeeded. Bastila, who wasn’t my wife yet, accompanied me on this journey. Not just her. Many other brave souls helped me recover the Star Forge maps to locate the ancient shipyard. There, I defeated Darth Malak, my former friend, and saved the galaxy from the impending doom. But I just now realize what the cost of all this was.”

“Please, continue.”, Satele’s voice was softer now.

“I have read that the Sith, alongside with the Empire, have returned and begun their revenge. And so has the emperor.”

“The Emperor?”, Master Gnost-Dural asked.

Revan nodded.

“Yes, Emperor Vitiate, formerly known as Tenebrae, sits on the Empire’s throne.”, the prodigal knight explained. “He is the true enemy. The puppeteer, the cancer of the Galaxy.”

“There is no Sith Emperor.”, Master Kiwiiks said calmly. “Have you heard of any Sith Emperor before, Grandmaster?”

Satele barely shook her head.

“I have not. To my knowledge, the Sith and Empire are united under the dark council. A selected group of Sith who command the Empire’s action. The strongest and most dangerous of them all.”

“Good!”, Master Fane called out. “Then why are we keeping this up? He should be in jail already.”

“Not so fast.”, Satele warned. Her eyes lock with Revan again. “Tell me, Revan. Why is that I can feel no deception from you?”

“Because I am telling the truth.”

“Then where have you been all these years? If you were truly once Darth Revan, and your life was depicted falsely in the archives, where were you after the events of the civil war?”

Revan took a deep breath.

“I have mentioned earlier that I have settled down with my wife. She was expecting our child, hence why she couldn’t join my journey. I heard callings in my sleep. Callings from across the Galaxy. In the unknown regions. Long story short: I arrived on Dromund Kaas and found the Sith Emperor who twisted my mind and first made me Sith Lord all those years ago. He killed my companions, my friends…”, Revan trailed off.

“He killed everyone but me. I was held in stasis and tortured for three hundred years. He invaded my mind to learn about the republic’s weaknesses. But I was in his mind too. Vitiate not only seeks to destroy the Republic, but all life in the Galaxy – even the Sith’s.”

“Why?”, Master Kiwiik’s asked.

“That I do not know.”, Revan replied, his tone just slightly apologetic.

“But what I do know is, that the more we hesitate, the quicker we lose.”

“We?”, Master Dawn finally spoke again.

Revan turned to face him.

“Yes, we. The time of endless meditating has passed. If we do not act swiftly, the galaxy will die. The Sith won’t wait. Vitiate will not wait for you to make your decision. Let the last two wars be a lesson for you.”

The silence was uncomfortable now.

“We are already at war.”, Master Gnost-Dural argued.

“Yes, but it’s the wrong one. The true threat will reveal itself to the Galaxy soon. Gather resources, strengthen your forces, form bonds, gather allies. Of all kind. Jedi, Sith, Mandalorians, the Hutts, everyone.”

“You say we should ally with the Sith for a fantasy threat?”, Master Fane spat. “Are you out of your mind!”

“He does have a point.”, Satele agreed. “The Sith are our enemies. They were the aggressors, still are. To have our temple and the republic’s capital returned, we were forced to hand over worlds like chess pieces. Millions have already died in this war – and you suggest we should ally with the cause of it all?”

“Not even the most sinister Sith would fight for a being that will kill the entire universe. No Sith is willing to die for nothing. They die for glory, for the future, for the rule of the Empire. But what good is that if there is no more Galaxy left to rule?”

Revan didn’t allow any Master to intervene just yet.

“Grand Master Shan. I am certain you feel what I feel. This connection, this raw and deep connection. You want to believe my words, because you know that I speak the truth.”

“What is he talking about?”, Master Gnost-Dural asked.

“I would have to meditate on this. All of it. If you truly are who you claim to be, then there is a chance we might be related.”, Satele revealed.

“I thought so too.”, Revan agreed.

“But I want you to know that I will not hesitate. If you aren’t ready for this war, fine, so be it. But I will not allow the Emperor to crush the Galaxy because no one decided to act again. I will be there when doomsday arrives. With, or without you.”

“Is this a threat?”, Master Fane sneered.

“No, it is not.”, then his gaze returned to Satele. “If you ever change your mind, I will be there.”

“I would have to make a decision first.”

“That you would.”, Revan concluded. “Am I free to leave?”

The council members relaxed slightly and focused their energy on the current main problem. Revan. The four masters quietly discussed among themselves. Not with words. But through the force.

After ten agonizingly long minutes, the council made a decision. And judging by Master Fane’s childlike pout, he didn’t get his will.

“You are not our prisoner, Revan.”, Satele declared. “You may leave the temple and never return. You are hereby banned to set foot inside, and not only the archives. But we put our trust in the force that you were here to do something greater. Greater than any of us could hope to grasp.”

“So, you believe me?”, Revan asked.

“We will fact-check your words.”, Master Kiwiiks said. “With… correct sources, of course.”

Of course.

“I respect your decisions, council. I thank you for your trust but I must warn you a final time. Do not hesitate. Do not wait too long.”, Revan said one final time.

“Whatever we decide…”, Gnost-Dural began, “It will be in best interest of the Galaxy.”

That even earned a nod from Master Fane.

“Do you think that all this could be tied to the missing Padawans?”

The sudden change of topic surprised even Revan.

“Missing Padawans?”, he inquired.

“Yes.”, the Kel Dor said with a sad sigh. “Our Padawans on Coruscant vanish every day. We don’t know when, we don’t know how, and we don’t know why, but it’s bothersome.”

“So that’s why the Youngling wasn’t allowed to go outside?”, Revan asked.

That earned him a sigh from Master Dawn at his side.

“Yes.”, he confirmed. “It’s too risky to have them run off on their own. Even the gardens are unsafe. We can’t risk losing more.”

“I'll stay on Coruscant for a while.”, Revan stated. “Maybe I could be of help?”

“To help or to gain our trust?”, Master Fane accused.

“Enough.”, Satele demanded finally. “This is a serious matter.”, she then turned to Revan. “I appreciate your effort. Our most gifted member, Knight Zelis Tharn, is currently investigating the situation with a bounty hunter.”

“I wasn’t aware the Jedi hired bounty hunters?”, Revan’s head tilted to the side in question.

“He volunteered. Kreen of the Mandalorians was his name, correct?”, Kiwiiks revealed.

“Yes.”, Gnost-Dural continued. “His clan is unknown to us, but his belief in the Jedi is strong.”

“His belief in the Jedi or his hatred for the Sith? Is he helping us out of the good in his heart or to spite the Sith?”, Master Fane cannot stop to argue.

“I say that the Padawans’ well being is of most importance. The reason for his assistance is not to be questioned, yet.”, Master Kiwiiks shot back.

“I will keep my eyes open for any Padawan or their vanishing. Until we meet again.” Revan spared a final glance at Satele Shan before he turned and left the council chamber.

.

“That went surprisingly well.”, Master Kiwiiks chuckled.

“What do you say, Grandmaster Shan?”, Master Gnost-Dural asked. “Can we believe him?”

Satele hesitated, only for a second.

“The force will guide us.”

.

.

.

Avra was in hell.

Not physically, but mentally.

What was she thinking? Staying behind to look for her mother – her dead mother. Avra made it no 100 meters until she collapsed. Her knees were drawn to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs. Avra’s breath came in short and irregular. Her fingernails dug into the fabric of her pants. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She couldn’t even hear anything except for her rapid heart beat.

Her mother is dead – she is all alone.

Her father is gone – she is all alone.

Revan left – she is all alone.

This can’t be.

How was she living like this? Day by day. Lying to herself. Saying, that her mother will return to her one day.

Bantha crap.

And what does she have now?

Nothing.

Nowhere to go. Nowhere to return to.

Did Revan catch up to her lie? Is he angry? Will he leave her here to fend for herself? Didn’t he promise Pharren to take care of her?

Avra’s sobs didn’t lessen.

But when a foreign hand touched her shoulder, Avra flinched violently – her only response a loud gasp.

“Woah, sorry there.”, the person, a young nautolan boy, said. His hand slowly returned to his side.

“Wh-Who are you?”, the frightened Avra asked.

“I am Shackson. I was… trying to get your attention for five minutes now.”

“Five minutes too long.”, someone else said.

Avra looked up to see another person stand above her. A human girl with blonde hair. The left side of her head was shaved off, while the hair on the right hung down to her chin. The rest of her hair, the top specifically, was tied into a low ponytail.

Avra didn’t speak.

“Who are you, girl.”, the blonde girl spoke. “And why are you having a panic attack?”, there was no sympathy in her voice as she chewed on a spice stick.

“Don’t be like that, Carawella!”, the Nautolan boy called out.

The girl known as Carawella just rolled her eyes – but she lowered herself down next to her friend to crouch in front of Avra.

“Fine.”, she said. “What’s your name?”

Her name?

Avra took a deep breath.

“I am Avra…”

“Avra who?”, Carawella pressed.

“Just… Avra…”, Avra looked away, embarrassed.

Carawella clicked her tongue and spat her spice stick out, aiming off to the side on which Shackson reacted with an “Ew"-sound.

“No one’s just just.”, the girl insisted. “Tell me who you are.”

Avra hesitated. Why was this Carawella not satisfied with Avra’s name. What did she have to proof?

“Avra See-“

No.

Avra is Avra Seeker no longer. That name died… when her mother died all those years ago. Now, she’d have to use the only other name she knew.

“Dawn.”, Avra finally said. “I am Avra Dawn.”

Chapter Text

1. The Seruk System

Chapter Text

EPISODE II - Coruscant

Chapter 4 – Bond

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the force.

Satele Shan's private meditation chambers were vast but quiet. The Grandmaster never cared for possessions or status, but she was still thankful for the moment of privacy.

Today was… a lot.

Dozens of Padawans were still missing without any trace. Where were they? Who kidnapped them, and why? What would anyone want from a Padawan?

Satele took a deep breath.

She’s been in the Jedi order for longer than she remembers, yet there were always incidents that had left her in the dark. No, not the dark. Simply the unknown. It has left her with variables she has yet to solve. But this time, those variables aren’t imaginative numbers or war reports – they are real . Real and living. Children of the Jedi order - her responsibility. But what was she supposed to focus on? Her own kind? The republic at war with the Empire? Maintaining peace and balance in the Galaxy?

She did not know.

But…

She had to be thankful. For her order, for her brothers and sister of the force, and those outside.

…

Zelis Tharn.

She was the youngest Jedi knighted in recent history. One year ago, just at 16 years old, she passed her trials, and became a Jedi Knight. Zelis was young, filled with kindness and hope. But Satele feared that she could be too ambitious, too passionate at times – especially regarding the missing Padawan incident.

The young Jedi Knight had volunteered to lead the investigation, which was met with all kinds of reactions from the council. But ultimately, Zelis was given the green light. Zelis might be gifted and strong in the force, yet still young and inexperienced – but everything was better than sending her to her inevitable death on the frontlines. There were many things Zelis Tharn didn’t understand, yet. But Satele trusted in the force that Zelis would guide the order into a better future.

.

And then there was the whole incident with ‘Revan’. Was he really the Jedi Knight turned Sith Lord from history? Was he telling the truth about letting go of Sith philosophy and protecting the Galaxy? Another variable Satele was meant to solve. Satele wasn’t sure if banning Revan from the Jedi temple was enough – maybe Master Fane was right. Maybe they should have restricted Revan until further notice.

But what if he was right? What if this Revan was indeed related to her?

Before Satele’s thoughts continued to spiral, she centered herself in the force. Whether they were related or not did not matter. The way of the Jedi demanded to let go of all attachments, of all emotions. The Grandmaster shouldn’t get too caught up in this philosophical debate – but she couldn’t deny the connection she felt the first time Revan entered her sight.

It wasn’t romantic, force no.

Just… familiar.

.

.

.

The way down was easier than the way up.

Revan couldn’t quite tell if the debate with the council had opened their eyes or not. If not, well- it simply complicated things. If every Jedi took part in the same history classes, learning about the same false retelling of history, then convincing them to join him would be more of a challenge than he originally anticipated. Revan needed numbers. He wasn’t weak – he’d never say that out loud. But he wouldn’t make the same mistake of encountering the Emperor on his own.

But if he had no one but himself, then he had no choice but to face Evil alone.

Revan kept his unhurried pace as he made his way back to the Royal Eagle. The lower he got, the less people he encountered. Yet, danger was always waiting…

Revan's body twisted to the side when the force whispered a warning to him. His back hit the wall of the alley he was walking through, and not a moment later, a human rushed past him.

Revan had anticipated a fight when he felt the hurried presence rush toward him. But the person simply skipped past Revan, almost losing their footing in the process.

Revan remained in place for a moment longer.

The human was not the only one passing through.

Just a few paces behind the running man, followed another person – a Jedi. Revan turned his head to the incoming person, studying them. A young girl. Long and thick black hair split and tied into two low ponytails, blue eyes, horns sticking out of her forehead and the sides of her face, and blue dots decorating the skin around her eyes.

The Jedi’s clothes looked worn and dirty – the complete opposite of the order’s ‘clean and pristine’ image. Her blue lightsaber was already ignited as she chased down the running man. Her gaze was fixed forward, ignoring everything around her: tunnel vision. Might sound focused, but promotes more ignorance than effectiveness.

Revan let her pass but that wouldn’t stop him from following her.

.

.

He can’t get away!, she thought to herself, He just can’t!

Zelis Tharn sprinted after her target as fast as she could. If she weren’t so exhausted from all the searching, running, and dodging, she’d use the force to amplify her speed. But she just couldn’t do it . Yet all that mattered to her was to catch her target, bring him to the council, and question him about the missing Padawans.

Despite her early knighting, Zelis still had lots of training to do. The council thought about introducing a more advanced class for Padawan learners who were developing and learning faster than the others but who weren’t ready to be knighted yet. And she was its first student. Not officially - she was already knighted a year ago - but the Masters insisted on extra training. Extra training meant more sparring hours, longer meditation sessions, and less ‘free time’ - if a Jedi even had that.

But being an official Jedi Knight meant that she was trusted with more advanced missions and tasks. 

Zelis had requested her current mission herself. The missing Padawan incident wasn’t something Zelis treated lightly. She poured her entire heart and soul into the investigation. Master Fane had accused her of being too passionate but Zelis called it compassion . Padawans, her brothers and sisters, her friends, were abducted and put in danger. 

And this man . This running man was one of the culprits. During the day, Zelis trained and during the night, she spent hours on research and investigation on her case. 

Which led to her exhaustion. She was just so tired.

So tired that she couldn’t even catch up to her target. Damn it all.

So tired that she could even fall asleep running.

But she couldn’t allow it.

The chase wasn’t going to last much longer. She’d either collapse soon or her friend would finally reach her.

Then, Zelis turned into an alley.

.

.

The explosion wasn’t loud.

Wasn’t painful.

But it made her sick.

And blue.

.

.

.

The prodigal knight resumed his unhurried walk. If he were to rush in and after the Jedi, he'd make himself suspicious - which was definitely not his goal. But the Jedi's presence was loud, loud in a way that made her easy to follow even out of sight. Revan turned a few corners, following the Jedi’s erratic presence. When he turned into the final alley, the young girl was lying on the ground. The man she had chased was gone - Revan wasn’t quite sure how, but dark blue gas steaming and clouding in front of the Jedi meant that he had used a smoke bomb or similar to mask his escape.

Revan’s footsteps were near silent when he approached the girl from behind. She was coughing violently, wiping at her face with the front part of her robes, painting them blue as well.

Revan opened his mouth to address the young Jedi Knight.

But then-

The same man who had run from the Jedi, appeared in the blue smoke. A respirator was strapped to his face, so the smoke wouldn’t affect him. 

“Time to be silent, little Jedi.”, he said, raising a blaster to kill Zelis. “I would rather watch the smoke kill you slowly and painfully but I have a tight schedule.”

Zelis tried to get up, but her body refused. Whatever was in the smoke had weakened her body and senses. Not to mention her earlier exhaustion. But she couldn’t give up now. It was simply not possible. Her investigation, her mission-

The first shot was fired. Zelis raised her saber, she wasn’t fast enough, the effects of the smoke slowing her down. Was this smoke more than a means to mask an escape? Was it toxic?

But Revan was fast enough. 

With the mask now firmly placed over his face to shield himself from the smoke, Revan had leapt over the fallen Jedi and parried the shot with his own violet blade. 

The Knight of the Jedi order felt it.

The undeniable presence of the force. Not something she was used to. Not Jedi. Not light. But not entirely dark either. But it felt dangerous, powerful, and big. She raised her head to look at the new person who had just arrived in front of her. Her grip on her lightsaber was weak but present. She coughed once before she managed to speak.

“Who’s that!”, she demanded. 

Her eyes met the back of Revan’s head, which was obscured by the hood of his cloak. One of her eyes was barely open, the other was shut, still coated in the blue substance from the smoke bomb. 

Revan didn’t stop. He slowly, almost menacingly advanced the man in the respirator. 

The man raised his blaster, not hesitating when he began firing his shots. Two shots traveled toward Revan at high speed, curving in on him at two different angles. One from his right, the other from his left. They quickly angled inwards, attempting to end Revan with one precise but lethal hit. But it wasn’t enough to kill someone like him.

Revan had barely moved his lightsaber to deflect the shots back at the man. One hit his shoulder, making him drop the blaster he was holding. 

“Kark it all!”, the human man yelled in agony. It took him a lot to not fall after the impact.  But it was enough to make him turn and run away: Better run away than get captured now. Even if he couldn’t kill the Jedi himself, there was no way she could survive the poisonous smoke. In the process, the man pulled out another round object, the same kind he had used to weaken Zelis. Another smoke bomb. Revan took a step forward, attempting to chase after, but a sudden whisper made him hesitate. A whisper that was barely present.

“Don’t… kill him.”

But Revan still heard it.

It was the young Jedi, Zelis, who was still on the ground, coughing and panting.

“I need him.”, she pleaded, “Alive. Whoever you are, please don’t kill him.”

Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke.

Zelis’ eyes were bloodshot, her breathing was shallow, yet her heart beat worryingly fast.

She was dying.

But still, she managed to roll over on her back. The sky was barely visible down here if at all. A glimpse of it reached them still. The orange sky above indicated that the day was about to end soon. Just like her life, Zelis thought. She got so close. So close to finally finding someone related to the missing Padawans. And now she failed. Now, they will never find him or any other lead ever again. Zelis’ thoughts were spiraling more and more.

Revan felt her fading presence in the force. 

He could chase after the man and take him prisoner, so that he could be questioned. But Zelis’ condition was worsening with each second. One could replace a criminal on the run but not a young life lost.

Revan then clipped his lightsaber, after it extinguished with a soft hiss , back to his utility belt. He then raised both arms, channeling the force. The blue smoke from the second smoke bomb slammed against the invisible barrier Revan had created. It was no match for Revan’s prowess in the force. Slowly, the smoke was forced back into the same direction the man had run away. 

The fight is over for now - but the danger was not.

Then, Revan turned to look at the fallen Jedi.

She almost reminded him of another girl he knew.

Avra.

Avra, the girl who stuck by his side without even knowing who he truly was.

Avra, who had such an impact on him, that he even promised a stranger to take her from Seruk Nine to have a better chance at life.

Avra, who…

.

Was it simply their innocence that connected them? Their youth? Their hard work and compassion despite living in a cruel galaxy?

Revan slowly knelt to Zelis’ level.

“Stay calm, young one. I am not your enemy.”

But no matter how hard Revan tried to suppress his presence and offer calm, he could never fully erase the uncanniness and darkness that clings to his body like a viper suffocating its prey. But still, Zelis didn’t fear him . She feared failure more than him. More than death itself.

“I need him…”, she whispered again, her eyes becoming glassy.

“I know you do, young one.”, Revan answered, “But now you need to breathe.”

Then it finally registered. She couldn’t breathe. 

Zelis tried to inhale a breath but her body refused any to travel to her lungs. As soon as it entered her throat, she coughed it right back out.

“I can’t breathe-’, Zelis managed to say despite her weakened condition. “I-”, her breath hitched once more. Her hands began clawing at the front of her tunic, trying anything to give her lungs space and air - her body was close to collapse entirely. Just what was in that gas? 

Revan eventually reached toward her.

But when another voice, a voice he couldn’t recognize, spoke, Revan hesitated.

“Step away from her or I’ll blast your brains out.”

Not inviting.

Revan lifted his gaze to study the newly arrived figure. It was a man, covered from head to toe in gray armor. The armor was scarred and broken in many places and parts of its red and cyan paint were already scraped off from use. His cape, torn at the bottom, swayed ominously in the wind. Whoever this man was has seen a lot, given his battlescarred armor and confidence in his stance and tone of voice. He was standing right at the entrance of the narrow alley they’re currently in.

“Step away, I said.”, the man in armor repeated.

Revan slowly rose from his kneel. Did he have a connection to the young girl?

“Whoever you are”, Revan spoke calmly to not aggravate the man further, “the longer you delay possible treatment, the quicker she dies.”, he said, gesturing to Zelis who was now lying motionlessly on the ground.

“Do not twist the knife, partner.”, the man in armor continued, now slowly advancing. “I wasn’t the one who put her in this situation.”

“Neither was I.”, Revan countered, “she would have died if I hadn't interfered.”

“Is that so?”

“You know her.”, Revan assumed. His voice remained calm. “But knowing her doesn’t equal caring about her. If you do, you’ll allow me to help her.”

But the armored man wasn’t moved.

“Step. Away.”

The vocoder of his helmet hardened his voice more than it would have without it probably.

But Revan did what the man had demanded. He backed away. Far enough to be a threat no longer but close enough to watch Zelis in her dying state. The man seemed satisfied enough but he didn’t sheathe the blaster he was holding. When he was finally at the girl’s side, he knelt to her level. But now he laid his weapon aside to gently take Zelis’ head into his gloved hands. 

“Kid.”, he spoke softly. “Hey, Kid.”

A hand reached out to gently move a strand of hair aside and move it behind her horns. 

Zelis’ eyes were closed and they barely twitched at the sound of her name. 

“Damnit, Kid.”, the man said quietly.

“He got away.”, Zelis whispered in between coughs. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“No, no.”, the man shook his head. “Don’t speak, save your strength.”

“Find him.”, a final whisper Zelis managed to say. “Kreen, please. You need to find him.”, her breath hitched a final time before her body finally gave in. “I… can’t lose my… only lead.”

The armored man remained silent. 

But Revan could feel the hatred building underneath his armor. He wasn’t angry at Zelis, nor was he angry at Revan.

He was angry at himself.

Revan didn’t know the reasoning of his anger but he had other priorities right now.

“She has a chance.”, Revan said, lowering himself to kneel beside Zelis again after he approached the duo.

“Aren’t you the one who did this?”

“You have it wrong, stranger.”, Revan stated. “I am not the enemy here.”

The armored man raised his head to meet the lifeless visor of Revan’s mask.

“But our Jedi here inhaled a poisonous substance, caused by a smoke grenade thrown by the target she courageously chased after.”, he explained. “I can help her. But you have to let me.”

The armored man, who was revealed by Zelis’ dying breath to go by the name Kreen , hesitated. Revan was a stranger to him. 

Kreen had arrived at the scene: Zelis lying in filth, her body covered in a blue substance - all while being approached by Revan. From his point of view, Revan was behind Zelis’ fall. Because who else was present here? Kreen didn’t witness Zelis’ target poison her, he didn’t watch Revan defending her, and he didn’t see the man run off.

Nothing was in favor of Revan.

But what choice did Kreen have?

Zelis, his Zelis, was dying in his arms. Now a stranger offered him help. The same stranger he saw as the culprit behind it all.

If Revan was telling the truth, Zelis might survive.

If he was lying, Zelis dies.

But that would happen either way if he refused Revan’s offer. 

Kreen has nothing on him to cure poison or stop its spreading. The next hospital is too far away. And strangers down here would rather die of an overdose than share their stims.

“What do you need me to do?”, Kreen asked. His voice turned serious again. He was ready to do anything it took to save Zelis’ life.

“Hold her steady.”, Revan explained, “She may thrash and move her head, stop her from doing that.”

Hopefully as simple as he said.

Revan methodically removed the gloves from his hands. His usual cold fingers made contact with Zelis’ jaw, tilting her head back. It wasn’t a must, but skin to skin contact may help establish a connection easier. Kreen shifted Zelis’ head into a more comfortable position on his lap. His anxiety was peaking right now but he was refusing the trembling in his hands to become visible. 

Revan’s other hand gently pressed down on Zelis’ sternum. 

“Smoke of any form is dangerous to most life forms.”, Revan began his lecture as he reached into the endless force for aid. “Mild inhalation is harmless if treated immediately. Our Jedi however, inhaled enough to bring her to her knees within seconds.”

The air around the two men and Zelis began to shift. Even though Kreen couldn’t feel the force directly due to his lack of sensitivity, he felt something change. 

“But the force is strong with her, and she shall not find her end here.”

Revan’s hand lifted from Zelis’ chest. It traveled hovering up her throat, past her chin, and over her mouth. Meanwhile, the hand holding her jaw traveled to her right temple. Despite Revan not voicing a direct command, Kreen understood the message. His hand replaced Revan’s when he placed it under Zelis’ jaw to keep her head steady. Though his grip was much gentler than Revan’s.

Revan inhaled, now gently pressing two fingers to Zelis’ temple.

Breathe .

A command Revan issued to Zelis through the force.

Revan’s hand which still hovered over Zelis’ mouth, slowly lowered back to her chest, yet no longer touching her body.

Breathe.

Revan repeated.

Again, his left hand traveled from Zelis’ chest to her mouth, then back down to her chest, repeating the motion over and over again, as if he attempted to pull the smoke out of her lungs with the force alone.

Breathe .

All Kreen could do was to watch in silence while holding onto his friend's head and pray Revan would succeed in his quest.

Feel the force, young one. Feel, how it engulfs you, how it gives you life, how it allows you to breathe.

Breathe .

Suddenly, Zelis’ lips quivered. She was reacting. She was still alive .

Breathe .

Then-

“Pfuuuhph!”, Zelis’ eyes rolled back into the back of her head when remains of the blue smoke puffed out of her mouth. 

A quiet gasp escaped Kreen’s lips when he finally saw an effect of Revan’s doings. Just who was he?

Breathe.

Revan forced the same command into Zelis’ mind. Her lungs were straining with effort to obey. Huffs and puffs escaped her when more and more blue smoke left her body via her mouth. But it hurt. The way the smoke and substance were forcibly pulled from her inner walls to mix together and travel up her body and push their way to freedom, made her truly uncomfortable.

The young Jedi groaned in resistance while her body still obeyed Revan’s command to breathe. Kreen gently tightened his grip on Zelis’ head, refusing to let her move too much.

“C’mon, Kid.”, he urged, “You gotta push through, you gotta.”

The pain was unbearable.

More and more smoke puffed out of her mouth but Revan’s commands overwrote Zelis’ attempts of resistance. Revan’s presence was overwhelming and the young Jedi had no chance but to listen. And something deep inside of her wanted to listen because it knew that Zelis may survive if she obeyed.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. 

You need to breathe, Revan commanded through the force.

I need to breathe , answered Zelis’ mind.

You need to breathe.

I need to breathe.

You feel the force grow stronger in your body, you feel how it gives you life.

I feel the force grow stronger in my body, I feel how it gives me life.

You reject death.

I reject death .

You feel how your breath returns and you allow the poison to leave your system.

I feel how my breath returns and I allow the poison to leave my system.

You breathe .

I breathe.

You breathe .

I breathe. I breathe! I BREATHE!

“Ah-!”, Zelis’ entire body jolted awake when the final bit of smoke left her system. She sat up - way too quickly. Her vision swam and her head felt dizzy. She felt the foreign presence leave her mind and felt her senses slowly return. A strong hand steadied her shoulder. A hand that was familiar. Slowly, Zelis turned her head, catching a glimpse of Kreen’s helmeted face.

“Kreen-”, she whispered before collapsing back into his arms.

“Easy.”, he answered. “I got you, I got you.”, Kreen assured, placing a hand between her shoulder blades.

“I breathed.”, Zelis whispered. “I listened… and then I breathed.”

“You did, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”, she said as a soft but exhausted smile spread on her lips. “I rejected death, I truly did.”

Revan watched the aftermath of his breath control ability assist Zelis in her survival. It was not something Revan ever got to use in past lives, and he sure doubted he’d use it on another person than himself - but there was always a first.

And then, Zelis fell unconscious.

“This should stabilize her.”, Revan didn’t waste another breath himself.

He reached into the side pockets of his lower robes to retrieve two stims. The slim, white, cylinders looked similar but had different effects. The one with the green cap was an antidote to make sure no infection would form in Zelis’ body. The one with the red cap was meant to stabilize the Jedi’s body and ensure it would not collapse in on itself. Revan injected both stims with professional precision into Zelis’ neck. Zelis didn’t resist, nor did Kreen. He couldn't inject them before all the smoke was gone. Because the different substances could have caused a negative reaction and worsen Zelis’ condition, if not kill her.

“She good now?”, Kreen spoke. His voice lacked the aggression it had before.

“She may.”, Revan replied, slowly collecting his gloves and rising back to his full height. “She is stable enough to survive but I’d advise bringing her to official healers. There could be more complications still.”

Slowly, Kreen got up as well. Zelis was still in his arms. Her head lolled to the side, resting against Kreen’s armored chest. He held her in a bridal carry, one arm was slung under her knees while the other supported her body behind her shoulders.

“I regret that I can't do that.”

Revan’s head tilted in curiosity.

“Oh?”

“She wouldn’t want that.”, he looked down at the girl’s resting face. “She had told me that if her Jedi council ever saw her having troubles and receiving damage during her mission, she would be removed. Then, she’d do them in secret which would lead to even more problems. It could even have her expelled. And that’s something neither of us want.”

“You truly know and care about her.”, Revan commented. “Admirable but dangerous.”

Kreen shot him a look. Though neither of them could see each other's face.

Revan hesitated for a moment. This duo, especially this Kreen, got Revan’s attention. The Jedi’s name was Zelis . If Revan remembered correctly, Grandmaster Satele Shan mentioned a Zelis being involved in this missing Padawan incident . And Master Kiwiiks mentioned a ‘mandalorian bounty hunter’ named Kreen to be involved too. They must be them, Revan concluded.

“You are Kreen of the Mandalorians, correct?”, Revan suddenly asked.

Kreen’s grip on Zelis tightened ever so slightly.

“And you know that how?”

Revan nodded when his suspicions were confirmed.

“I’ve had a meeting with the High Jedi Council. They informed me of the current incident and revealed your names to me.”

“So you are here to assist us?”, Kreen asked.

“Not officially.”, Revan shook his head. “But I did offer my help if I saw anything connected to the missing Padawans.”

“There is something I wish to talk with you and the young Jedi about.”, Revan turned and continued, picking up the man’s fallen blaster in the process. “My ship’s parked not far from here. We could talk while we give the young Jedi a chance to rest.”

Kreen hesitated for a moment.

But ultimately, he followed Revan. As he was curious himself.

.

.

.

Lower levels of Coruscant, THE ROYAL EAGLE

When Kreen entered the spaceship after Revan, he couldn’t help but stare at the sheer size and elegance of the craft. He whistled lowly, definitely impressed.

“This your ship, eh?”

Revan led Kreen, who still carried Zelis in his arms, toward the same med bay Avra had rested in. “Yes.”, he merely replied.

“How much did it cost you?”

Revan hummed quietly in thought. His hand pressed down on a panel on the wall which revealed the med bay. He strode inside, Kreen close behind. Revan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, allowing Kreen to fix up Zelis himself. Kreen laid Zelis down in one of the beds while he waited for Revan to answer his question.

And Revan answered.

“It cost me exactly zero credits and one corpse.”

Kreen scoffed in amusement at the revelation. 

“You know, stranger, I do like your style.”

“The name’s Revan.”

Kreen removed himself from Zelis when he was sure that she was safe and hooked up to the proper monitors and aid.

“Revan.”, Kreen tested the name on his tongue. His gaze traveled back to Revan’s still masked face. Something about him… seemed familiar.

Revan then pushed himself off the wall.

“Come, let’s find a suitable place to talk.”

The lights of the med bay dimmed to simulate a night cycle when both men left the room. The door remained open.

.

.

Revan methodically pulled the hood back from his face. Then, he removed his mask and placed it on the table he and Kreen were sitting at. Kreen however, didn’t remove his helmet. Revan didn’t hold that against him though. He too, once refused to ever remove his mask, unless in private moments when he was by himself. Now, the mask is no longer a statement or show of identity. Yet, he can’t see himself discard it – ever.

Kreen, who sat across from Revan with his arms crossed, studied Revan’s face. Revan had the face of a man who had seen and experienced way too much - but looked more tired than traumatized or scarred mentally.

But Kreen of course had no idea what happened to Revan and what was on his mind all the time.

“So…”, Revan began, “You are a Mandalorian?”

Kreen remained silent for a moment before he answered Revan’s question.

“By birth and culture, yes.”, Kreen confirmed, “But officially… no longer.”

Revan didn’t talk yet, allowing Kreen to continue if he wishes to share more. But Kreen remained silent afterward. Revan however pressed for more information.

“So what, now you’ve degraded yourself of your heritage and status to become a mere bounty hunter ?”

“Careful.”, Kreen’s voice hardened.

“No, I am serious.”, Revan raised a hand, “Why did you stray off your path and leave your culture behind?”

Despite Revan’s words seriously angering Kreen, Kreen decided to stay… civil. Maybe Revan was just naturally curious but had really bad bedside manners. Or he simply loved provoking people. Both a possibility.

Kreen sighed deeply and leaned back against the curved couch but he couldn’t fully hide the resentment in his voice.

“I have not abandoned my ways or culture. I simply refuse to call myself a Mandalorian if I’ll be associated with the low scum that decided to align themselves with the Sith and Empire.”

That even surprised Revan. The Mandalorians had a history of aligning themselves with the fractions Kreen just mentioned. Revan had a few guesses as to why Kreen might hate that fact but he wanted to hear it from him.

“Continue.”, Revan offered.

But Kreen refused to share more.

“I think I’ve told you enough for now, partner.”

Revan was… slightly disappointed but he had to accept Kreen’s wishes to keep some information to himself. Revan had no intention to suddenly spill his secrets either.

“But you gotta answer something to me now.”, Kreen declared, “why did you help her? Zelis I mean. I know you’re not a Jedi, otherwise you would have handled the situation way differently.”

“Bold of you to assume that you possess the knowledge of knowing how every Jedi would act.”

“I do not.”, Kreen argued, “You simply don’t give off the vibes .”

“The vibes?”.

“The vibes.”

A stark silence fell into the lounge of the Royal Eagle.

Revan broke it again.

“If it helps you, I’m not a Sith. But you were correct in your assessment that I am not a Jedi. And my reasonings for that are not that I do not vibe with their ways or methods. My reasoning is far more complex than that.”

“Uh-huh.”

Revan didn’t react outwardly but this Not-Really-Mandalorian-but-still-kind-of-Mandalorian-Bounty-Hunter really wanted to push his buttons.

“You gonna give me an answer or not?”, Kreen eventually said.

“I’m not someone who wastes assets lightly. No matter who they are.”

“Assets?”, “You saw this young girl as just an asset?”

“Yes, not just her. You see-.”, Revan answered but he was cut off by Kreen before he could finish his reasoning.

“So the reason you’ve saved Zelis was because she might be useful to you?”

“If you’ve let me speak you wouldn’t have had to raise your anger at me.”, Revan warned without raising his voice himself. “Yes, I have saved your friend because she was interesting and her situation and mission have caught my eye. But I have also saved her because it would have simply been a waste to lose such a young mind - unrelated to her battle prowess, origin, or status.”, he explained. “My ways are not just black and white, they are a spectrum.”

Kreen held back the scoff that threatened to leave his mouth. He did not appreciate Revan’s words - he’s a former Mandalorian. Unity, community, and bonds meant a lot to him.

“So, you don’t have anyone you care about more than being just an asset?”

This question caught Revan off-guard. He didn’t expect Kreen to ask him something so intimate but Revan decided to answer anyway.

“No.”

This silenced Kreen for longer than it should have. This guy goes around assessing and saving random people without feeling any deeper connection with them? Not even just compassion for the innocent? In Kreen’s eyes, this behaviour could come close to the empire’s. Cruel but in its own way.

Yet, Kreen had to appreciate Revan’s no-nonsense style.

“I do not know what to think of you, strange stranger.”, Kreen said with a sarcastic undertone.

“You’re not the first.”

Revan smiled. Even though the smile didn’t reach his eyes, Revan was still amused by the Ex-Mandalorian.

.

.

.

Avra laughed like she hadn’t in years.

She wasn’t sure what she had expected when Carawella and Shackson brought her to their home but she wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. It was not just a home, it was a community . The place was huge, and the people here have suffered in their own way, but it felt like… one big family. Avra was sitting on the floor which was covered in many multiple colorful blankets. She wasn’t the only one sitting there. At least ten other people sat with Avra in a circle while she told her tale. Well, her tale wasn’t exactly a hero's tale but more or less her life – only the positive aspects of course.

“You have a giant bear-like-hound at home?”, spoke one younger girl to Avra’s left. The same girl was sitting on a boy’s lap, possibly her brother. Her hands were clutching a small checkered blanket when she had asked Avra her question.

Avra’s eyes lit up at the girl’s interest.

“I wouldn’t necessarily call her a hound since Naga is really really friendly, but yes! She is my best friend, like my family!”

“Like my blanky!”, the girl exclaimed with joy while raising her comfort blanket in the air for everyone to see.

Her brother gently moved his sister’s messy sidepart out of her face with a soft smile. “Yes, exactly, just like your blanky .”

The young girl giggled, which made the entire circle laugh lightheartedly.

Avra couldn’t believe she felt so much joy in this moment. Those people were strangers by definition but they have accepted her into their community as if she was a long lost relative.

Just a few hours ago, Avra was sitting in an alley all by herself while having a panic attack. She’s still recovering from all the sorrow she was feeling and it would take her lots of time to get over her loss, but these people here were the best thing that could have happened to her.

Carawella and Shackson weren’t present at the moment, as they’re trying to organize a place for Avra to sleep, but even just pulling her out of her panic attack and not abandoning her in the dark and dirty alley was more than she could have asked for.

Just as Avra was about to speak again, the doors to the community room opened. It was Carawella along with Shackson. Carawella inclined her head wordlessly, motioning to Avra to follow them. Avra’s smile faded. Not in sadness but simple acceptance. She got up wordlessly and approached the duo. The others sitting there waved their goodbyes for now.

“I apologize for the wait.”, Carawella only spoke up when the doors to the community room closed behind them. 

“Oh!”, Avra shook her head, “Don’t be! I had lots of fun meeting the others in there. They were really welcoming and nice.”

“That’s good.”

That was the only thing Carawella said for the rest of the walk. Her tone was flat and it had no place for any emotions but coldness. Avra had been worried that Carawella disliked her, but Shackson had assured her that Carawella is just this way. No hard feelings or anything. She simply just is .

The building they were currently in was massive . Shackson had told Avra that this used to be a cargo hold of the republic but it was officially abandoned since criminals and other shady people kept breaking in and destroying property. Ever since, Carawella and the others have settled here.

Avra didn’t get the chance to ask who exactly they are and what they’re doing here. The first hour she needed to recover from her panic attack, the last two hours were spent on talking and bonding with the others here. And now Carawella and Shackson returned to show her her sleeping place, so there was simply no time to ask. The people Avra had met in the community room weren’t the only ones in the building. They passed more along the way. Humans, Twi’leks, Mirialans, and many more species. Though, humans mostly dominated here. Not in a hierarchical way but simply in numbers.

Carawella led the way through the building until they reached a tiny room. It wasn’t really a room since it lacked a proper door but it was still the place Avra would spend the night.

“So”, Carawella said as she moved the curtain shielding the room out of the way, “It’s not much but it will work for tonight at least.”

Avra carefully stepped inside. The ‘room’ wasn’t big enough to fit a bed or other furniture inside. So, a hammock hanging from one wall to another would suffice for her sleeping place. It at least had a blanket and a pillow. An area in the room was also covered with another blanket, probably just to decorate it and or allow Avra to rest in more than one place if she wishes to do so.

“No, I am grateful, really.”, Avra said softly. She carefully lowered her backpack filled with what little belongings and resources she had. Her knife and blaster were stored inside for now.

Carawella nodded, then turned away.

“We’ll eat dinner in an hour, you’re invited.”

Then, Carawella left.

Shackson also turned, but pat Avra on her shoulder before leaving. 

“Whatever happens, don’t pressure yourself into doing anything. Take any rest you need, until later!", then Shackson left too.

Avra stood alone in her own space now. She turned and lowered the curtain to give herself more privacy. Avra untied her shoes and stepped out of them. She then carefully climbed into the hammock. It swayed back and forth until Avra finally managed to settle in. More comfortable than she had expected. Pulling the blanket over her body, Avra closed her eyes. Now, the horrors may rest, even for just an hour…

.

.

.

Lower levels of Coruscant, same evening - back of the community building

Carawella stood, waiting with crossed arms for her colleague to arrive. Carawella never let her emotions reach her face and never allowed them to influence her body language. But she was nervous . She even got herself a fourth spice stick to chew on. Usually, Carawella only consumed three a day, one after or before every meal. But high stress and work made her need more.

The evening was chill and the sun that never reached down here had set as well.

And then finally, after an agonizingly long amount of time, the colleague she waited for arrived.

Carawella pushed the spice stick in her mouth to the side to talk.

“What took you so long?”

The colleague, an average looking human male, closed in. A respirator was strapped to his mask, but he removed it with casual precision. 

“Sorry, I had to take the long way.”, he said.

“So you were followed?”, Carawella asked, her tone hardening.

“Gods, no!”, the man argued.

“So you killed the Jedi that sniffed too much around to expose us?”

“Possibly…”

Carawella clicked her tongue and approached the man. Before he could react, her fist swung out and connected with the man’s right cheek. The blow was strong enough to knock a tooth out of his mouth.

“Mhghm-”

But again, the man had no chance to react.

Carawella kicked him in his stomach, forcing him to double over. Then, with the same foot, she kicked him into his head.

The man groaned in pain and collapsed to the ground.

“Carawella!”, he blurted out, blood pooling in his mouth. “Stop with this- this madness!”

“You failed.”, she said coldly.

“I may have not!”, he tried to defend, “I managed to poison her! I made her inhale the blue smoke Sir Karif developed!”

“Then where ”, Carwella grabbed the man’s hair and pulled his head up to meet her face, “is the problem?”

“She wasn’t alone…”, he admitted. “There was another man, another one with a lightsaber.”

“You managed to be seen by two Jedi?”, she didn’t yell yet. But the coldness was scarier than any loud outburst could ever be.

“No- I mean, possibly, yes!”, he continued despite his panic, “but there is no way the girl survives! Not even the Jedi-scums could avoid her death!”

“It doesn’t matter if the Jedi girl lives or not – not anymore.”, she finally let go of the man’s hair and stood up.

The man exhaled in relief and pushed himself to his knees. He used the back of his hand to wipe the blood off his mouth.

“You were seen by our sniffer.”, Carawella continued, “ and you have brought in another witness in the equation. Someone saw you and that someone will report you, no matter the outcome of the sniffer’s condition.”

“Carawella-”

“You failed.”

The man’s body jolted due to the impact of the blaster bolt that pierced through his head – right between the eyes.

Carawella watched as her colleague’s body collapsed to the ground. It twitched. Once. Twice. Then stilled.

Carawella bit down on her spice stick with so much force it split in half and fell out of her mouth. 

Now, she needed a fifth.