REVENGE OF THE SITH
Part III – To All Things, A Beginning
Dantooine.
Though it was hard to ignore it, the sight of the once powerful Jedi Academy reduced to nothing but rubble disturbed him greatly. Despite any feelings he held toward the Jedi Council and their actions, Dantooine had been home to him once, as it was home to Bastila, and countless other padawans and masters and now, it was a shell of its former self.
He had arrived in the early morning hours, before crews of Jedi students began the digging of finding lost friends and colleagues. That wasn’t the place he wanted to go anyways. It was the ruins that interested him.
But that was a few miles from the Academy and he had some time trying to find an appropriate landing space as to not alert anyone to his presence. But he managed to land within walking distance of the ruins and was glad he didn’t have to face any of those nasty kath hounds in order to reach his intended target.
But to be on the safe side, he once again used his stealth device and made his way to the doors of the Jedi Ruins. He had no trouble in getting inside and the large builder droid seemed to still remember him from last year.
The door behind the droid opened with ease and Revan walked right up to the device that started it all. He remembered the shared vision he had with Bastila about he and Malak standing outside the doors; he pacing just outside, while Malak watched him. He wondered if perhaps he was considering Malak’s words of warning before opening the door…
It didn’t matter now. What was done was done and what needed to be done still hadn’t been. He remembered the computer on the Rakatan planet telling him the Star Maps would lay dormant until they could fully rejuvenate and the cycle of death and destruction would start all over again. Revan couldn’t allow that to happen.
Not again. Not for a third time.
Reaching into his side pouch, he pulled a thermal detonator and set it to explode within the next ten mintues. He then set a plasma grenade next to it, hoping the blast would set that off as well. He walked out, a deadly frag mine in his hand, and he placed it near the builder droid.
He said his apologises to the droid in Rakatan, then stood and placed another mine at the outer most entrance. He then left the ruins, making a sprint to the Ebon Hawk, simultaneously setting off the charges he had placed.
As the Hawk rose into the air, he could see people running towards the explosion, some in panic, thinking another attack was taking place. Revan leaned back in the captain’s chair, taking out his data pad and looking at the next planet on his list.
This would be one of the hard ones.
Kashyyyk.
Being on the wookiee homeworld brought back memories for him and from high above, he could see that Zaalbar and his father, Freyyr, had indeed done the task of ridding the planet of Czerka. Though the landing dock was still there, as well as the walkway, he couldn’t see any of the telltale signs of Czerka guards or equipment.
He was so proud of the big guy. He had always found the home of the wookiees a beautiful place; from its high, soaring trees to the calmness the nights seemed to have. The lights of the planet only seemed to illuminate its colorful depths and wonder. Revan wanted nothing more than to land and embrace his friends once again.
That’s why this task would be hard.
The Hawk hovered over the planet for only a short time before Revan turned it towards the depths of the planet, the Shadowlands. He knew Calo Nord and his thugs had somehow managed to bypass the Czerka dock fee as well as all the wookiees, so he knew there had to be some landing space. He brought the ship around, maneuvering through trees and the like in order to make his way down.
There didn’t seem to be a clear place to land, the overgrowth of the land putting up a barrier, keeping it unable to be viewed, but…There! Right near where they had met the bounty hunter, right near the basket that would lower those down.
The space was large enough for the Hawk to sit, but Revan didn’t want to be here long. Remembering the encounters he, Bastila, and Carth went through the last time, he wisely, but reluctantly, brought HK along with him.
“Gleeful sentiment: Thank you, Master. I thought I would never be able to use my superior weaponry again. It has been three hundred eighty one days…”
“I’m sorry about that, HK.” Revan interrupted. “But now, I know I’m going to need your help, so…let’s get going.”
The two made their way on a path familiar to Revan, he even stopped by to gaze at Jolee’s hut. He cringed inwardly. He never did get to say goodbye to him or Juhani when he thought of it. He knew Carth or Bastila would’ve said something, but he had wanted to say goodbye at least.
His forehead creased in thought, as he wondered how he would get through those force fields without the cranky master here to aid him. The young knight sighed. Once again, he had jumped feet first without thinking.
Building up his resolve, he turned and began to head down the path that would take them to the first force field. Only a few of the kinrath were there to greet them and Revan let his assassin droid have all the fun in blasting apart the venomous creatures.
“Exclaimation: Oh Master! That really got my circuits boiling. Are there more? Oh please say there is.”
The duo made their way through the lush green, thankfully never running into any hunting parties or any more creatures – to HK’s sadness – on the way to the force field that guarded the lower Shadowlands. Revan was quite surprised to see that where there had been a field of energy, it was now gone.
Big Z must’ve destroyed anything that had the taint of Czerka on it. he thought, shrugging. It certainly made his job easier. He continued until he saw the stone tablet in which the Rakatan computer rested.
“HK, stand down.” he whispered to the droid. “Cover me from this position if anything moves, alert me immediately.”
“Statement: As you wish, Master.”
Revan appraoched the machine with caution and didn’t show any surprise when it came to life. “Life forms detected.” it began. “Determining parameters. Initiating neural recognition. Primary neural recognition complete. Preliminary match found.”
“Perhaps I should’ve saved Kashyyyk last on the first search.” Revan muttered.
“Begin socialized interface. Neural scan indicates positive identification of subject as ‘Revan’. No futher testing of subject is required.”
“Yep.” Revan sighed. “Should’ve waited until the last map.”
“I will brief you as programmed. You are Lord Revan.” the computer interface replied. “I am waiting for your request to begin transfer of the Star Map.”
“How have you identified me as Revan?” the knight asked. “Last time I had to jump through hoops in order to get access.”
“Neural scans have matched you to the pattern in memory. There is no possibility of error. You are Revan and are aware of it.”
“Very aware, thanks.” he muttered, sarcastically. “I have more questions for you, pertaining to things other than the installation and history of this interface.”
“Error. Corruption.” the holo said. “I did not mean to confuse you. If you clarify your questions, I will be able to answer you to the best of my abilities.”
“What is the current function of this installation?”
“The current fuction of this installation is the defense of the Star Map data, as outlined by you, Lord Revan. You wanted to delay anyone following you, and verify that nothing had altered your state of mind should you return.”
“How were you to verify that my mind was unaltered?”
“In the event of pattern mismatch,” the interface began. “Behavioral study and modification would identify and ensure that you remained Lord Revan.”
“That explains why after the fight with those droids, I was able to obtain the Star Map.” Revan muttered. “What was the reason for the restrictions?”
“The reason you placed such a measure is known only by you, Lord Revan.”
Revan frowned in liu of this knowledge. The last time he had accessed this terminal, he, Jolee, and Bastila had fought off two extremely difficult droids and only then was he able to get the Star Map.
He failed the initial tests, which if he had truly the mind of Lord Revan, as the computer thought, should’ve been the most strategic of answers. “Has anyone else been given the Star Map data?”
“Not since you put the restrictions in place, Lord Revan.” came the answer.
“So…” Revan began to pace, pieces of his past falling into place. “I placed this interface here?” he asked.
“That is correct.” the computer answered. “You constructed it five years ago so you could access the data of the original installation and extract the Star Map.”
Revan sighed. So it was like he thought. He had discovered this installation during his time on the dark side and had placed these restrictions himself in order to avoid anyone else from getting it.
“Lord Revan,” the interface began. “I have detected another program installed in this interface. Please stand by for further viewing.”
Revan looked at the installation in confusion. What the hell did it mean? The holo image of the Rakatan was replaced with something Revan didn’t expect.
Himself.
“If you’re seeing this,” it began. “Things have…not progressed as far as I thought they would.”
“What do you mean? Who are you?”
“Don’t be basic.” the image retorted. “I’m you, only…years ago. I think.” The holo Revan looked at his real self. “You look like me and weave the Force as I did, but…something’s different within you. What time is it now? Have the Mandalorians been defeated? Were Malak and I successful?”
Revan revealed all that had happened up until now, including how he had been leader of the Sith and how the Jedi had reprogrammed him. “Damn.” the holo breathed. “Damn the Jedi. So you…you don’t have any memory of…of being me?”
Revan shook his head. “I think…I think my memory is coming back to me, but it’s in chunks and I’m…having a hard time sorting it all.”
“Damn.” the image repeated. “So, you have no knowledge of what led the Mandalorians to war? No knowledge of the Sith at all?”
“Canderous…a friend said that the Sith offered the Mandalorians the chance to attack the Republic.” Revan responded. “How it was said, I don’t know, but that was the underlying cause. The Sith told them to.”
“Not just Sith.” the image said. “True Sith. As in those that lived long ago, whose tombs those on Korriban worship. While I looked to find a way to beat the Mandalorians, I couldn’t understand why they were doing what they were doing.”
“The Mandalorians are warriors, but not savage beasts as many suspect.” Revan added. “I saw it. In a…flashback…that I was concerned because they seemed to leading away from their nature. It…disturbed me.”
“So you do remember.” The image replied. “The Jedi did not erase all your memories as you have thought.”
Present day Revan shook his head. “No, they have. I only know from the flashes I get. And I know there is some part that I can’t get access to.”
“Then let me help you.” the holo replied. “When I discovered the first of the Star Maps on Dantooine, Malak and I went in search of them. I had hoped it may be used against the Mandalorians. It was a…side quest, if you will. When I discovered this map on Kashyyyk, I made a holo image of myself, as you can clearly see.
"I was not yet wholly consumed by the dark side, but I felt that I would be and I needed to leave something in case things may not have worked out. I see that they did not. I can only tell you what I know from the Mandalorian War. I have no knowledge of leading the Sith against the Republic, though…I suspect that I had it planned all along.
“You are correct in thinking something more was going on behind the Mandalorian threat and I discovered it within my research. I knew something lurked beyond the Unknown Regions and prior to this, I had plans to take a few of the fleet with Malak and myself to see what was out there. I do not know what happens, but from what you told me, I gather we found it and it turned us.
“I only know what I researched and I came across something that said the True Sith, after they had began dying out due to the intermixing with members of exiled Jedi, disappeared within the Outer Rim, pass Korriban, but to what planet, I know not. Only that there were some of the species left and that they may have learned the dark sided power that those exiled Jedi taught them. And if so, they are the stronger for it.
“The dark energy that we as Jedi taste in our various quests are nothing against them, I know it. The dark side is in their blood and they were born of it. I don’t know how much of this can help, only that…only that if Malak and I have failed, it is now up to you to defeat them. I know no more than that.”
Revan stood, mouth agape. This information…was huge. It was his intent to only try to gain more knowledge about himself and then to destroy the computer and the Star Map. He never expected to have a run in with his former self in the form of a holo.
“The message is shocking to you,” the holo replied. “Ease your emotions, young knight. They may lead you to the dark side.”
Revan smirked at him. “Not only did my emotions save me, but I used them to save the woman I love.” he replied, sarcastically.
The holo shook its head. “Times must have changed if Jedi are now allowed to love.” he said. Seeing the look on his counterpart’s face, he chuckled. “So they haven’t changed. And you’re breaking the rules again. Glad to know the Jedi haven’t changed much of my personality.”
The present day Revan smiled, before looking over at the Star Map. He looked back up at his former self. “Do what you must.” it said. “I hate to think what these things made me do and the very fact that you were able to use them again is too much of a gamble. I take it you’ve destroyed the others.”
Revan nodded, all the while setting up a few mines and grenades.He again set the thermals to be timed, five minutes this time before he bgan to walk away.
“I took care of the ruins on Dantooine and destroyed the one on Manaan.” he said. “I almost doubt anyone will be fool handy to try and reach the one on Tatooine, but I can’t take the chance. Korriban is my next stop.”
“You must rid the galaxy of these things,” the image pleaded. “Especially the one on Korriban. If any of the students were to see the contents of Naga Sadow’s tomb…you must destroy it.”
Revan looked up, his lips set in a grim line. “I plan to.” he said. “I don’t plan on leaving until that planet is wiped from the map.” He nodded at his former self, walking away as he set the timer. “I wish it hadn’t been like this.”
“As do I.” the holo whispered. “I never intended any of this.”
“I know.” Revan whispered back. He gave his image a nod and smile, before the explosions went off, effectively destroying what once stood. He watched as the casing to the Star Map blew apart, pieces flying every which way and the installation that had been put in place by the Builders a milenia ago toppled to the ground.
Revan encased himself within the Force, using it to shield him from debris as it flew through the air. He made sure there was nothing left before he and HK went back through the jungle floor to find the Ebon Hawk.