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?"