Revan's Tale (Chapter One)

Chapter One

"Die Jedi dog!"

It's been child's play thus far....

Revan effortlessly lifted the lightsaber over his head, deflecting another blow from Mandalore.

Luring in my own men here, enticing them with darkside energies.

He quickly jumped behind Mandalore, and took a swing for his head. Mandalore barely ducked in time.

Taunting Mandalore into a duel, setting up the Mass Shadow Generator.

The Mandalorian leader spun around, and swung at Revan again. He easily ducked from the blow, and forced him back with a surge of Force power.

Everything has been easy, and yet... I know it comes with a great sacrifice. The sacrifice of lives, possibly my own humanity. Is it worth it? Is it truly worth it?

Mandalore screamed in rage as he ran towards Revan. Foolish Mandalorian. Can't he see- Mandalore lunged at Revan; he easily dodged his attack, then swung for his armoured neck. His armour had been weakened from battle. It could do little to protect him now. I've all ready won.

The blue blade hesitated, then finally cut through armour, skin, bone and sinew. Mandalore's body stopped where it was, as if it were frozen in stone. The vibrosword fell out of his hand; his head rolled off of his body. Revan smiled to himself, then deactivated his lightsaber with a hiss. As the body tumbled to the ground, he bent down and picked up the helmeted head of Mandalore himself. He walked to the edge of the cliff, and looked down to see the battle raging on. The Mandalorians were slowly being backed into the valley, where Revan's faux trap awaited them; the real trap was far worse.

He called upon the power of the Force to amplify his voice, so all could hear him.

"Mandalorians, citizens of the Republic! Cease fire, and lend me your ears!"

Immediately, the firing stopped. He was surprised that the Mandalorians were listening to him as well. Perhaps they respected him enough to hear the words that would next come from his mouth.

"Mandalorians, you have been worthy opponents; I understand that to die in battle is one of the greatest honours a Mandalorian could achieve. I am here to tell you that your leader has reached that highest honour!"

He reached into the helmet with the Force, and plucked out the head of Mandalore. He didn't bother to look at it; he flung it over the edge of the cliff to the Mandalorians, as if it were a piece of meat he was giving to a pack of animals. Several gasps came from below, and he could hear mutterings as well. He smirked to himself, then continued.

"Armies of the Republic! These barbarians have caused unparalleled damage to our society! Are you going to stand for this, especially now that we have them cornered? Now that we can claim our revenge, now that we can make them answer for these crimes? This war was begun by blood,"

And now, to test the loyalty of my fellow Jedi. Now to test the influence I have on them.

"So let it be undone by blood! Soldiers, my fellow Jedi, end them!"

A loud cry echoed throughout the mountains; the snapping of ignited lightsabers resounded, and the blaster fire continued.

It is assured, then...

He then took out his comlink, and contacted his shuttle to come pick him up from his location. He needed to be far away from his faux trap, and he would have to begin evacuations soon. The Mass Shadow Generator had a timed detonation, but it was better to keep as many of his men alive as possible. He would need them for his new war.

The Republic must be remade in fire; there can be no other way to save it from the real threat waiting to strike. I don't know how long before that happens, but the Republic must be ready. This is my sacrifice to the Republic; I sacrifice my humanity to save it. Forgive me, Masters, but you know very little of what is truly to come. You sensed the danger, but...

His shuttle arrived. The ramp opened up, and Malak was waiting for him.

"Hurry, Revan. We must execute our plan."

Revan nodded, and said, "Yes, of course."

He felt compelled to correct Malak, and say that it was his plan, but he decided to hold his tongue. There would be plenty of time for tongue lashings later. He leapt into the shuttle as it began to take off. He took out his comlink again, then contacted General Derred.

"What's the situation, General Derred?"

"All is going according to plan, General. We have the Mandalorians backed into the mountain pass, and we are suffering minimum losses."

"Excellent. Are the battle droids functioning at full power?"

Derred looked down as if to study some data, then looked back up.

"Yes sir, the battle droids are functioning at full capacity."

"Excellent. Order a retreat."

Derred gasped, and nearly choked upon his own breath. Even Malak frowned at Revan for a moment. He glared at Malak, then returned his gaze to Derred.

"But-but sir. We have them on the run. Should we not finish them while we can?"

"Not to worry, General. It is only a false retreat. I have a little something planned for the Mandalorians in the mountain pass. You have five minutes to get our men away from that mountain pass, but leave the droids. We don't want the Mandalorians to follow, otherwise the plan will not work."

"Of course, sir. It shall be done."

Revan cut the link, then walked up to the cockpit and sat down in the passenger seat. He looked into the skies above, and saw explosions in the distance; the Mandalorian fleet was slowly being destroyed. They didn't stand a chance; their forces were split, as was Revan's, but he had the advantage of both strategy and morale. No doubt word of Mandalore's death was quickly spreading; the Mandalorians would soon lose the will to fight.

Two minutes had passed; it was time to execute his faux trap. He took out a detonator, waited another minute, then pressed the button. He felt the lives of hundreds of Mandalorians being blown out as if they were mere candles.

"A brilliant strategy, master; perfectly executed."

He sighed and took out his comlink, then contacted Saul Karath.

"Admiral, order our bombers to take out the Mandalorians' engines. We're going to leave them stranded here, understand?"

"Of course, sir. It shall be done at once."

Revan quickly cut the link, then he put the comlink away again.

Once the shuttle landed on Revan's capital ship, The Destiny, Revan quickly turned to Malak.

"We're short on time, my apprentice. Get to the bridge and send out a message to prepare to jump to hyper space once all men are present and accounted for."

"Yes, of course." Malak said with a bow. "And what of you?"

"If you need me, I'll be in my quarters. I need to think further ahead. Some of this plan was made by thinking on my feet; I need to plan for our next war. Every step must be carefully meditated; there can be no room for error."

Revan briskly walked past Malak and out of the hangar bay. His quarters were not too far away from the hangar; in fact, they were quite close to the soldier's quarters. He found it was best to be close to one's soldiers as much as possible in order to ensure loyalty. It had been working so far.

His quarters were quite different from those of the others. His room was lighted red, with only two pieces of furniture: his bed and a desk. On the far side of the room was a steel container, and in the very middle of the room was a shallow meditating pit. He took a seat in the middle of the pit, and took out his comlink. He set it down in front of him, then contacted Jedi General Cilia.

General Cilia bowed in respect before the hologram of Revan. "Greetings, sir. What is it that you need?"

"Is the Mass Shadow Generator set up?"

"Yes sir, the preparations are made, and the Mandalorians don't suspect a thing."

"Excellent. Set the Mass Shadow Generator to go off in fifteen minutes, then quickly get out of there. We'll be leaving the Mandalorians to die soon enough."

He did not say goodbye this time; he just closed the link down, and gave himself to the ebb and flow of his thoughts.

You sensed the danger, but you did not act. Jedi... so passive, so narrow minded. Always waiting, never taking action. Honestly, if one stands still, they will die. That's why I must always plan ahead, always be moving forward. Otherwise, what am I left with? Nothing but regrets.

He stopped there for a moment, then continued.

Do I even regret anything anymore? No... no, I don't think I do. My only regret is... Bastila. I couldn't convince her to join us. I need her with us, for many reasons. She could have been a great help to us in this war, and the war to come. But that's not all... no, no there is no room for love, not on my path.

He stopped again.

She has to die now, doesn't she? She'll turn out to be a bigger threat than she is right now. There's something lying dormant inside her... a rare gift. She's very talented with the Force, and almost as charismatic as I am. Could she be gifted with... Battle Meditation? Yes, yes it's there, certainly. Even now, when she is millions of light years away I can feel it manifesting itself, slowly but surely. It is like a ripple, slowly growing in a pond. It could be used against me... she must die, but I can't rush into it.

His voice was growing icy inside his own mind.

No... no, her death must be planned out. Or can she be turned? Doubtful; she is very stubborn. If she would not join me in this war, she won't join me now.... especially not now. Her death is regrettable, but there is no other way. If she will not be turned, then she will be destroyed.

A blurry vision passed before his eyes... Bastila confronting him on a ship, two Jedi dead at his feet, along with one Republic officer. A confrontation was imminent, but when it would take place was an entirely different matter.

"All crew members, prepare to jump to hyperspace. I repeat, prepare to jump to hyperspace."

That's the ten minute mark, just as I planned. It's time to leave this place behind.

He got out of his meditation pit, but just as he was about to leave his quarters, the entire ship shook. He momentarily lost his balance, then quickly regained it. His comlink went off, then he quickly pulled it out and heard Saul Karath's frantic voice.

"Sir, something's wrong! We're being pulled towards Malachor V by some sort of vortex!"

What? The Mass Shadow Generator must have had a premature detonation. I have to escape with as much of my fleet as I can. How did I not see this coming?

"Quickly, order a jump to hyperspace to all ships! Those who do not make it are left behind; survival first, do you hear me!?"

"Yes sir, understood sir."

The link was broken, then Revan let out a broken sigh.

"Not my most composed moment... but no matter. It's time to leave this life, this place, behind..."

He walked out of his quarters, and made his way to the bridge. They had managed to get away from the vortex. When Revan asked how many other ships had made it, only one third of the fleet was left behind.

Excellent... I'm rather surprised. I was expecting heavier losses.

"Revan," Karath's voice called from behind him. "What is our destination?"

Yes... what will our destination be? I need a location where we can gather when this is all over... once I have discovered the location of the Star Forge. Up until now, everything has been kept a secret from my men... perhaps I should let Saul Karath in on this so we can begin planning. Yes, that might be the best option.

"Revan?" Malak asked again.

"Hm? Sorry, I was in my own galaxy... what were we- oh, yes. Our location. For now, let's put some distance between us and Malachor V. Once we are at a safe distance..." He glanced at Malak, then back at Karath. "There is something the three of us need to speak of, in private."

"Of course, sir. As you wish."

Child's play... Revan thought as he watched masses of ships floating out of the Star Forge from above in the observation deck. That's what I called it at the time. It was nothing more than a game at the time, with nothing at stake. It was a game I was sure I could win. Revan clenched his gloved fists. Now it's a game of chess, and victory is assured. The Republic is still recovering, and it's the perfect time for rebirth, isn't it? Yes, it is; they don't suspect a thing. I'm sure rumors have been circulating about us by now; nothing more than whispers in the wind. For all they know, we are dead. He unclenched his fists, and smirked from behind his mask. No, only part of me is dead. The humane part of me...no, all that's left is what needs to be done. And I'll do it, because nobody else can; certainly not Malak. I never did tell him my true intentions, did I? No, I never told anyone. That's the way it has to be in the end, doesn't it?

He heard a small explosion behind him, and turned to see Malak waiting for Revan to speak up.

Malak... you've lost much, haven't you? You lack a conscience now, as well as your lower jaw. You shouldn't have tried to kill me before, my apprentice. You weren't ready, and I don't think you ever will be. And now...heh, now you're almost a cyborg with that large metal collar that now serves as your irritating mouth.

"Well?" Malak began, his tone annoyed; his voice was barely human now. There was only the smallest echo of his human voice hidden behind layers of cybernetic tones. "Am I ready to progress to living subjects?"

Revan paused for a moment, then turned around, his hands folded behind his back. "You've done well thus far, my apprentice." He began as he walked down the ramp to meet his apprentice. "You have no problems with summoning your hatred and anger to create lightning. However," He paused for a moment as he stopped two feet away from his apprentice- the man was a giant compared to Revan; he was physically stronger than he was, and much taller. However, that all amounted to nothing in the end. "You need to let the Dark side flow through you. While your basic emotions help you summon the powers of the Dark side, they don't let it flow through you. You know how to summon your emotions, but you must also learn how to channel them correctly. If you don't control them, your powers will be unstable. When you control them," He held out his hand, fixing his eyes upon a Rakatan prisoner. Purple lightning flew from his fingertips; the prisoner cried out in pain, and within a few seconds, he was dead.

Malak merely nodded, then waited for Revan to continue.

"When you control them, killing becomes much easier. Emotions are powerful, my apprentice. Not only because of the effect they have on us, but because they can also affect others and your environment. When you learn how to properly channel your hatred, you will find that you can do anything to anyone. Do you understand?"

Malak bowed in respect, then said, "What must I do, master?"

"Meditation, my old friend. Meditation and patience. Those two things have gotten me this far. Learn well from me, my apprentice, and you shall one day best me, as you must."

Too bad it will never happen. You are impatient and stubborn, Malak. You don't understand the art of subtlety; if it were up to you, we would destroy the Republic and replace it with our Sith Empire. No, no that is not an option. We must only severely cripple the Republic so that we may rebuild it so it will be ready for what is to come. Because of your lack of patience and subtlety, you will never be better than me.

Malak nodded then turned to the other Rakatan prisoner. He held out his hand, and purple lightning flew from his finger tips. The Rakatan cried out in pain, and slumped to his knees. His breathing was shallow, and fast; he wasn't dead. Revan frowned, then walked over to the Rakatan. He knelt in front of him, looked him over once, then got up and nodded at Malak.

"Well done. You didn't kill him, but he is very near death."

Revan unclipped his lightsaber from his belt, and ignited it; a three foot blood red blade extended from the hilt, glowing furiously. With one swift swing, he decapitated the Rakatan prisoner; he felt no remorse.

"That's good enough for now, I suppose." He deactivated his lightsaber, then took out his comlink. "General, is everything ready?"

"Yes sir, our fleet is ready."

"And Foerost, do they suspect anything?"

"No, our spies reported in yesterday, and ensured us that they suspect nothing. The planet will be ours in an hour if everything proceeds as you planned."

"Perfect. And what of our spies on Courascant? Are they prepared to reroute our transmission upon request?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Perfect. It's time to let slip the hounds of war. I'll meet you in the hangar, General."

"As you wish, my lord."

Revan deactivated his comlink, then turned to Malak.

"It's time, my old friend."

If Malak had a mouth, he would have smiled; the spark in his eyes would have to suffice.

"Perfect."