Awakenings
Bastila walked through the Valley of the
Dark Lords deep in thought. A chill wind blew through the valley as the
Sun disappeared behind the horizon. Drawing her robes about her more
tightly, her eyes swept across the terrain, focusing on nothing and
giving no sign as to the troubled thoughts behind them.
It seemed a long time ago that she had watched Revan's ship take off
from the landing pad with a feeling bordering on helplessness. All of
her attempts to convince Revan to stay or at least to not make the
journey alone had failed, and now she was left with an Academy
populated by a group of Sith who were long on ambition but short on
actual power and, quite obviously, lacking in vision. As she walked
back through the Dreshdae facility, she felt almost as if the ground
had collapsed beneath her. Her presence on Korriban now seemed almost
pointless. The effort she'd expended for the purpose of restoring
Revan's vision for the galaxy seemed on the verge of being all for
nothing.
The trouble began almost immediately
after the defeat of the Republic fleet at the Star Forge. Many Sith had
been looking forward to Malak's death with any eye on the leadership
for themselves. For some Sith, Revan's unlikely return had been
unexpected, for others inconvenient, and still others unacceptable.
Revan's return signified the end of any hopes for another to rise to
power amongst the Sith. At least as long as she was alive. The Republic
defeated, it was only natural that the Sith would begin their
maneuvering for power, and those plans left no room for a Revan
returned from the dead. Furthermore, to these Sith, Bastila was but
Revan's lackey, a Jedi dabbling with the Dark Side of the Force, and
most certainly unfit to have greater power then themselves. All of them
would have agreed that Korriban would be a better place without these
two.
Bastila Shan is no stranger to pressure.
She's been feeling it since she first left as a child for Jedi training
amidst a family dispute. From there the pressure would increase as she
watched Jedi Knights joining the war against the Mandalorians and
especially once her Battle Meditation abilities surfaced. With a sudden
shortage of Knights, she was asked to step up though still a
Padawan. This she did with quiet determination.
That was how she found herself face to face with Darth Revan aboard the
Sith Lord's flagship. Hardly an enviable position for a
Padawan to be in and quite possibly she would have met her end there,
but Bastila knew her duty no matter how impossible it might seem. She'd
stared the Dark Lord down with almost no chance of success on her
mission. Then fate intervened, and her life was changed forever. The
Dark Lord's apprentice Malak decided his great opportunity had come and
opened fire
on
his master's ship with the intent of killing them all. However they
were not killed. The Dark Lord's mind was wounded, and Bastila in the
true spirit of the Jedi healed it with the Force as much as was within
her power. But in doing so her mind was linked with Revan's, and a
Force bond developed between them. That's when the pressure really
began.
The Jedi Masters on Dantooine, seeking to capitalize on their good
fortune, developed a plan wherein they would reprogram
Revan's mind with a new set of memories. Hopefully, with Bastila's
guidance, the new Revan would lead them to the source of the Sith's
power. It would be a
daunting task for even a Jedi Master, but it was handed to a Jedi
Padawan who'd proved herself time and time again. They were aware of
the Force bond and hoped it would make Bastila's job easier.
What they hadn't fully understood was that Bastila's and Revan's
thoughts were also linked. As a result, Revan's Dark Side presence
became a constant fixture in the back of Bastila's mind, even as she
made every attempt to keep Revan to the straight and narrow. She found
herself even nagging Revan during the course of their search for the
Star Maps, but in truth, the nagging was as much for Bastila's benefit
as for that of her charge. Keeping herself to the Jedi Code was
becoming almost as much a burden as managing Revan particularly when
confronting her father's death on Tatooine.
For her own part, Revan had been helpful in getting Bastila to put her
past to rest and seemed to be having a relatively easy time in dealing
with her new identity, as well as remaining on the Light Side of the
Force. That was the problem. Even as Revan took her new status in
stride, Bastila felt the Darkness eroding her resistance slowly. It was
quite one thing to resist the Dark Side in the serene environs of the
Jedi Enclave, but quite another to do it while fending
off Dark Jedi, Sith troopers, security droids, kinrath, and a
host of other enemies. The very proximity of each Star Map that they
visited also made things more difficult. But not nearly as difficult as
things would get once they were taken prisoner aboard the Leviathan.
There it would be revealed to Revan by Malak himself who she was, and
when he did the accusations came her way. The clear look of betrayal
on her face would stay with Bastila for a long time. This after having
a similar conversation with Carth, but with Revan it was much worse.
She'd betrayed a woman who had become like a sister to her, and the
slightest resentment against the Jedi masters rose up in her even as
she desperately explained her actions. Of course there wasn't nearly
enough time to
discuss the situation fully with the new Dark Lord of the Sith standing
before them, and Bastila did what she always did. She took charge of
the situation, attacking Malak, distracting him so that Revan and Carth
might have a chance to escape and find the Star Forge. Sacrificing
herself as she knew she might have to. Once more the odds
were stacked heavily against her, and she would be taken prisoner by
Malak.
From there she was taken to the Rakata homeworld and tortured for a
week.
At least it would have seemed like torture to most, and it
seemed as such to Bastila as well initially. But Malak hadn't intended
it that
way. Instead the Force Lightning reacted with the
darkness brought on by her connection with Revan, a darkness that was
further fueled by
the emotional turmoil that swirled within her. Over the course of that
week, Malak's shadowy presence would make a connection with her own,
and as it did, understanding came to her. It began with a simple
acknowledgment of the futility of suppressing one's own emotions, a
truth which she'd managed to hide from for most of her life. Lying
there on that slab of stone, far from any help, she silently recited
the Jedi Code within her mind. Her emotions surged as her will to push
them back down fragmented under the strain of blocking out Malak's
assault.. It became
impossible to think, and soon all that was left were emotions, raw and
unfettered. They came unwanted, but as they rose to the surface, she
felt the Force beginning to coalesce around her, shielding her from the
Force Lightning and taking away the pain. Then, eyes closed, it
suddenly seemed
as if she was submerged in deep waters frantically trying to reach the
top, the pressure around her growing all the while. From up above,
Malak's voice drifted down to her, though much of what he said was
unclear. It seemed as though he were telling the tale of his and
Revan's decision to free themselves from a Jedi Order that had become
lethargic and increasingly removed from the people of the galaxy.
It was difficult to concentrate on his words as she struggled, and yet
some of them resounded within her. Even as she struggled to reach the
surface, in the back of her mind analogies formed between her own
private misgivings about the Jedi Council on Dantooine, and the
experiences of Revan and Malak. Just when it seemed she could struggle
no more against the currents, she broke through the surface, gasping
for breath. As she did so, the emotions drained from her, replaced with
a quiet coolness. She was left to contemplate thoughts hidden away in
the back of her mind, thoughts that she had been afraid to even
consider, much less voice. Thoughts that surely would have turned Revan
back to the Dark Side had she spoke them aloud during their journey.
Her mistrust and discontent with the Jedi Masters was in the open, but
the dread that she'd long had for even considering such thoughts proved
to be ill-founded. As she considered her feelings about the Order and
their treatment of Revan, the all-consuming guilt she had feared would
accompany such thoughts did not appear. Instead, she was left only with
a growing disenchantment that quickly turned to raw anger. Most unusual
of all, the raw venting of her emotions which she had resisted so long
as a Jedi was accompanied by a sense of relief she had never known
before.
The next thing she knew, she was back lying on the slab of stone, the
room silent but for the distant sound of waves lapping against the side
of the Temple. Opening her eyes, she saw Malak looking down at her, and
in that instant clarity came to her. With a slight motion of her hand,
the restraints holding her fell open. "My eyes are opened," she said
with a slight bow. "I am ready to serve, Lord Malak. No longer will I
be manipulated by the Jedi Council. No longer will they hold me back."
And it seemed to her that Malak had changed as well. Gone was the
maniacal laughter and the boasting. Now he merely looked at her
thoughtfully.
"Come with me then, Apprentice," he said finally, leading her out of
the chamber and out to the walkway that formed the edge of the interior
and overlooked the sea. Then he proceeded to make clear to her the
nature of the Dark Side as he was taught by Revan and of the terrible
deception that the Jedi Order had initiated to keep those skilled in
the Force under their control. As he spoke the words, it seemed so
obvious to Bastila that she wondered why she had never realized it
before. Her entire time as a Jedi she had always accepted their
teachings without question which had always seemed
perfectly normal. Now it seemed foolish, as did her refusal to
acknowledge her feelings. It occurred to her then that she had been
living a lie for years, following beliefs she did not actually have
faith in, following orders without question. Always she took commands
and
never acted on what she felt in her heart was right. Then the vision of
Revan became clear to her.
Finally there was
the final insult. The
reprogramming of Revan. That she simply could not forgive, nor could
she let pass her own part
that she was forced to play in it. Already as Malak continued to speak,
Bastila's thoughts moved to what she would say the next time she saw
Revan and how she would free her from the lies of the Jedi as she
herself had been awakened. An apology would be wasted on Revan. Instead
she
would undo the damage that she and the Jedi Council had done. Revan's
memories would never again be whole, but she could still be awakened
from the daze the Jedi had put her in. Then, she decided with a
sidelong glance at the Sith Lord next to her, they would kill Malak for
his treachery. He's played his part, holding the Sith together in
Revan's absence, but his time was almost at an end. His treachery could
not go unpunished. An example would have to be made even as Revan was
restored to her rightful role as Dark Lord of the Sith. Only then could
the Jedi be made to understand that their deceptions were undone.
That was how months later, after Malak was dead and the Republic fleet
destroyed at the Star Forge, that she would find herself leading Sith
strike
forces aboard enemy ships, almost a repeat performance of how she had
once
come after Revan aboard her own flagship. The vast Sith fleet had
fragmented under the commands of various warlords envisioning
themselves as taking Malak's place. Now she was acting on Revan's
orders, performing assassinations against would-be Sith
Lords who had rebelled against a Revan they no longer felt should be
their leader. But the "lackey" of Revan, they had been warned about.
She came with a double-bladed lightsaber that she wielded with uncanny
precision. Sith troopers and Dark Jedi alike fell before her and her
strike teams. As she had so many times, she would board the ship and
fight
her way to the
bridge. Then they would know their time had come, and an eradication
would take place of the Sith Master in command as well as
those of his officers that chose to stand with him. After that, those
Sith remaining who wished to reconsider where their loyalties lie were
given the chance to do so. Their leaders dead, the vast majority of
them found a new enthusiasm for life under Revan.
If Revan's memories had not returned completely, the same could not be
said for her abilities in naval strategy and tactics. The bulk of the
fleet had remained loyal to her, and now she sent it a series of
assaults against her enemies. Coupled with Bastila's Battle Meditation,
her fleets remained nearly invincible, and many a challenger to the
throne would find his fleet suddenly surrounded by a large force
appearing suddenly out of hyperspace. Sometimes it was simply not
feasible to attempt to board his ship in which case he would then
observe the enemy
fleet moving in almost perfect precision, the opposing Sith fighters
flying in impossibly tight formation. They would be followed by the
maneuvering of the capital ships forming a ring of steel around their
own fleet, while the swarm of enemy starfighters obliterated their own.
The starfighters would then proceed to make runs against their command
ship. To the defeated
commanders, the battles always seemed far shorter than should have
been. The shields on the command ship would collapse, there would be
explosions and death all around them, and then a relatively quick end
as
their ship broke up under the withering barrage. They would not live to
see the enemy fighters recalled and the opposing fleet jump to
hyperspace on their way to the next engagement.
Still, neither Revan nor Bastila could afford to be pleased with their
many victories. The insurrections were put down only with a great cost
of ships and troops. Forces that should have still belonged to Revan
had to be destroyed. Ships that should have been moved into place to
secure the Republic were instead diverted to fight one petty Sith
warlord after another. The Republic crippled as it was, instead of
receiving the finishing blow, was allowed a chance to catch its
collective breath. Republic ships which could have been destroyed in
their docks by a timely Sith counter attack after the battle at the
Star Forge instead were given the time to arm and group. So it was that
even while Revan and Bastila were tightening their grip on the Sith,
the Republic was able to prepare itself for future attacks. Had they
had the resources to investigate it fully, they might have discovered a
former ally directing the Republic rearmament. Someone they thought
stranded on a forgotten planet.
It was at this point in time that Revan's memories started to
resurface. It proved to be unfortunate, as Revan found it difficult to
concentrate, and impossible to control the Star Forge as she was
assaulted by fragments of images for which she could not make
connections. It meant the end of the flow of ships to replace those
lost in battle, and it was cause to draw back their remaining forces
from their positions scattered across the galaxy. Revan took to
wandering Korriban alone, deep in thought and far removed from the
conflict. Bastila was left to direct the war effort as none on Korriban
would challenge her authority as long as Revan still moved amongst them.
Bastila found herself once more put to the test, stretching the limits
of her Battle Meditation time and time again. Just as she had so many
times in the past for the Jedi, Bastila rose to the challenge. She was
tireless in directing Revan's forces against
the insurgents. It appeared old habits died hard, and so it was that
Bastila used a captured Republic warship, the Vindicator as her
flagship. With the great urgency to preserve ships and men, she
was forced into more and more boarding actions rather than engaging in
ship to ship combat. A once vast Sith fleet had dwindled to a number
alarmingly close to that the of the Republic's paltry fleet. Even as
she was developing her naval tactics
skills through experience, her skill with a lightsaber increased as
well. In the minds of even her fiercest opponents, Bastila had
went from
lackey to the executioner of Revan. But of them, there were fewer and
fewer. Of the ones that she knew to be, many seemed simply to disappear
from
known space. It became a private mission for her to account for their
whereabouts, but she was to have little success in this regard. At
least not until after she'd left known space herself.
Then the day came that Bastila hadn't seen coming. She was abruptly
called back to Korriban for an urgent meeting. Revan, clearly in a
highly agitated state, announced she was leaving for unknown parts of
space. Openly in front of the Sith Academy, she was composed and gave
instructions that things were to remain as they were until she
returned. But in private with Bastila, she spoke of memories
returning. Bits and pieces of some hidden threat that needed be
investigated. She couldn't or wouldn't elaborate on the nature of the
threat, but became more restless the longer she talked. No amount of
pressing Revan to explain further had any effect. She told Bastila she
could neither bring her along nor tell her where she was going. Only
that it was a matter of grave importance and that it was something she
must do alone. All of Bastila's protests fell on deaf ears, and she was
merely told to keep the Sith Academy intact in Revan's absence. Then
Revan was gone without further delay or explanation...
That had been nearly a year ago. A year in which the Sith continually
plotted against each other and Bastila. But Bastila had both
Revan and renegade Sith on her mind, and so she appointed Kirax Draff
to take charge of the Academy. At those times, when Bastila was on
Korriban, she would ignore the Sith instructors in favor of spending
her time amongst the archaeologists. A suspicion had come to her that
whatever had agitated Revan so much was perhaps to be found amongst the
digs in the Valley of the Dark Lords or in one of the tombs of the Sith
Lords. All Jedi had heard of the danger Exar Kun had once found amongst
these same tombs. It was because of this newfound interest in the digs
that she came to know an archaeologist by the name of Embol Ballach.
Embol, from early in the morning to after the Sun had set on Korriban,
would be found on one dig or another. If the those within the Academy
aspiring to be Sith Lords were lacking in ability, the same could not
be said for the archaeologists on the planet. Embol, along with rest of
the crews, were unearthing and cataloging artifacts regularly. Embol's
late night excavations often brought him into to the attention of
Bastila wandering through the Valley of the Dark Lords, lost in
thought, away from the intrigues swirling inside the Academy. It was on
such a night when she found a grey uniformed individual fending off a
Hssiss with a small brush in on hand and a sonic drill in the other.
Her arrival could not have been more timely. With a pair of slashes
from her double-bladed lightsaber, the beast was quickly slain.
"Unwise to be out here without any troopers nearby," she told him,
returning the lightsaber to her belt.
"I can't stop now. I'm very close. I can feel it," he said, his
attention fixed on the ground in front of him.
Bastila's forehead creased as she considered his words, sensing the
familiar weak Force sensitivity within him. Strange how one with such a
lack of control of the Force would tempt the night beasts of Korriban
so.
Before she could respond, he'd resumed carefully brushing the sand
aside with the brush. In a moment, the pointed tip of a black object
suddenly emerged, reflecting the lights off it's glassy surface.
Carefully he continued to brush the sand off it until a small pyramid
small enough to rest in the palm of the hand sat revealed there. He
picked it up, examined it for a minute, and then held it out towards
Bastila with a smile. "I was wrong. It was not what I was expecting,
but this will certainly do."
She crouched down beside him and stared at it in wonder, searching her
memories for what it was and then it came to her. Remembering from the
Archives, an
image of just such an object. Not a cube like the Jedi Holocrons, but
the pyramidal variety that the Sith had used. Master Dorak had spoken
of them once. He'd talked about how another Sith artifact had been the
undoing of Exar Kun. But it was apparent now that it was yet another
means of attempting to instill in the young Jedi a fear of the Dark
Side. She remembered how as a young padawan she'd dreaded the thought
of ever being tempted by the Dark Side thinking it to be a fate worse
than death. If somebody then would have told her that it was a
deception by the Jedi masters to keep the Jedi Order in line,
she'd have openly scoffed at that premise. She would have, in
fact, called that person a fool for doubting the wisdom of the Masters.
Now, as she took the black stone in her hand, she realized it was she
who'd been the fool. But no longer.
"Come with me, Embol. We..."
But she did not finish the sentence
as a sudden warning came to her through the Force. In a flash her
lightsaber was in her hands, both blades springing to life. But just as
quickly, she dropped the weapon for inexplicably it seemed to twist
into a living, writhing snake-like creature. Logic dictated that it was
impossible, could not happen, but Bastila's reflexes won out as she
opted in that split second to err on the side of the caution. As she
watched it hit the ground and roll away, she sensed them coming at
her. Three of them, in armor that was vaguely familiar and bearing
bladed weapons which, her senses revealed, were imbued with the Force.
Sith weapons in the ancient style it would seem.
Even as she stretched out a hand towards the lightsaber, she saw the
blade coming down in an attempt to sever her wrist from the rest of her
arm. She only just pulled it back in time and dodged out of the way of
that first attack. She spun to the right and ducked under a slash
by the second attacker who suddenly found himself off balance. The next
thing he knew, the weapon was wrenched from his grip, and her boot had
caught him in the side of the head sending him sprawling.
The third attacker found himself on the end of a robust Force push that
knocked him to the ground and into the path of the first attacker. That
gave her the time she needed to twist around. With a quick downward
thrust she drove the end of her weapon into the individual attempting
to get to his feet in front of her. She watched him sink to the ground
and become still. With a slight gesture she called the now recognizable
form of her lightsaber back into her hands and turned to face the other
two attackers.
"Let's make this quick, shall we," she said aloud...
A short while later Embol and Bastila emerged from the Valley of the
Dark Lords and entered into the Sith Academy.
"I recognized their manner of dress," he said. "They were from
Cinnagar in the Empress Teta System. It's where I was born."
"Really?" Bastila asked, absent-mindedly. Her thoughts solely on the
strange battle she had just fought.
"Yes. It was my studies of Empress Teta's battle against the ancient
Sith that eventually brought me here," he continued on. "Strange seeing
people from my world here. They are the first I've seen on Korriban.
And in a manner of dress reminiscent of the Krath, no less."
Bastila stopped and turned to face him. "The Krath, did you say?"