KOTOR 2 - Connections: Purpose
STRONG WARNING: The following contains heavy spoilers about KOTOR 1 and KOTOR II. If you have not played the games, DO NOT READ THIS. Go play them, then come back. I promise I'll wait.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: this was written in preparation for a 2022 playthrough of KOTOR I and KOTOR II. For this playthrough, I carried the same head canon story all the way through from before the beginning of KOTOR I to a conclusion after KOTOR II. Here are the associated main character builds for
KOTOR 1 and
KOTOR 2. I try to stick to the spirit of the builds and playthrough in the fanfics, but I do not necessarily follow them exactly.
DISCLAIMER: the conclusion to this fan fiction, and if I'm being completely honest a whole lot of its content, deviates wildly from canon (and by "canon" I mean "Legends canon", I have no idea what new canon says about any of this, if anything at all). These deviations are small in the first two chapters, then begin growing. In this chapter I am still drawing inspiration from canon events, including the Revan book, but I am deviating more strongly. The final two chapters are way, way off the map. If this sort of speculative writing bothers you, then you might want to stop now and not waste your time. If, on the other hand, you're interested in a just-for-fun story that doesn't fit anywhere into the official Star Wars timeline, then read on!
The Ebon Hawk's sublight engines screamed as the interactions between the Mass Shadow Generator and Malachor V's gravitational anomalies tossed it about like a leaf in a storm.
Kreia, her identity as Darth Traya revealed, was dead, killed after a final confrontation with Meetra Surik. Bao-Dur, the Ithorian genius who had long ago created the Mass Shadow Generator and who had served Meetra both in the Mandalorian Wars and against the Sith Triumverate, was also dead, having fallen while helping disable Darth Revan's HK-50 assassin droid factory. But Bao-Dur's faithful remote had reactivated the Mass Shadow Generator, the superweapon that had ended the Mandalorian Wars. Now the shattered remains of Malachor V were separating into fragments, ensuring the destruction of the Trayus Academy and any trace of the Sith corruption that accompanied it. The crew of the Ebon Hawk had rescued Meetra as the superweapon activated, and had attempted to flee. But they had not fully escaped its field.
"We're not going to make it," said Atton Rand from the Hawk's pilot seat. "It's all I can do to avoid the debris. Every time we start to get forward momentum, another anomaly slings us in a different direction."
"Can we jump to hyperspace?" asked Meetra, standing behind Atton in the Hawk's cockpit. Her knuckles were white from gripping the back of the chair to keep herself from being thrown into the walls. "Even a microjump to get us beyond the field?"
"No way," said Atton, as he feverishly worked the controls. "The Mass Shadow Generator manipulates gravity, right? So kind of like an Interdictor ship, it's using our own mass against us. No way to get into hyperspace."
"Can we plot a course around the anomalies?" asked Meetra.
"Maybe Bao-Dur could have, he's the one that understood all this," Atton said. "But from what I can tell, our instruments are useless in here. Imagine trying to navigate an asteroid field, but the asteroids are invisible. The planet fragments seem to be separating, so if we could get to the edge we might be able to ride the wave out. But we're too close to the center, everything here is too chaotic."
"We're being pulled around because we have mass," Meetra said. "If we reversed our mass signature then maybe the Mass Shadow Generator would throw us to the edge."
"We don't even have a regular tractor beam," Atton said, "much less a reversable one."
Meetra activated the communicator to the engine compartment, where a small droid was rolling between engines, relays, and consoles, trying to extract every bit of power from the sublight engines. "T3, can you rig the hyperdrive to emit a repulsor field?" Meetra said. "Even just a brief pulse? We don't need much."
The droid paused from its efforts to emit a worried series of beeps.
"I don't care if it burns out the hyperdrive," Meetra said. "If we don't try it, we'll be destroyed."
The droid whistled in compliance, rolled to the hyperdrive, and began rearranging wiring and rerouting relays.
Meetra set the communicator to broadcast throughout the ship. "Strap in or hang onto something, this may be rough," she said. She slid into the copilot's chair and buckled the safety harness. The sublight engines continued to wail and the Hawk continued to lurch and sway erratically. A moment passed, then two.
Suddenly the ship shot forward, accelerating so quickly that Meetra almost blacked out. She glanced at Atton with concern, but as always his almost superhuman physiology made him virtually immune to even extreme g-forces. Meetra wondered for a moment at the many times she'd seem him shrug off wounds that would have killed most people, get back up, and continue fighting. Atton's hands flew over the controls, desperately trying to keep the ship oriented. The forces acting on the ship could easily induce a spin powerful enough to tear the ship apart. He slid the Hawk around pieces of debris and derelict starships, proximity warnings blaring. After what seemed like much longer than it actually was, the ship steadied and slowed to a reasonable sublight speed.
"Pure pazaak, we're clear," Atton said.
Meetra released the safety harness and ran down the hall toward the engine room. Smoke billowed up the hall. She was vaguely aware of Mandalore picking himself up off the floor as she ran across the main chamber. Mical fell in beside her as she passed the medical bay, a small cut on his head but apparently otherwise uninjured. As they drew closer, they heard T3 beeping frantically. The small droid backed out of the engine compartment, spraying fire suppressant foam toward the hyperdrive. Meetra and Mical each grabbed an emergency fire extinguisher off the wall and joined the droid. Mira appeared from behind them and activated the engine compartment venting system, blowing the smoke into space. A few moments later, the air was clear and the hyperdrive, while still sparking, was at least no longer in flames.
T3 began to whistle apologetically, but Meetra cut him off. "No, don't say that. You did great! If it wasn't for you, we'd all be dead right now. See how badly it's damaged, and if there's anything at all you can do."
As the droid began inspecting the remains of the hyperdrive, everyone else gathered in the ship's central room. Meetra shared Kreia's last moments with them, including the various prophecies she'd made about each of their fates. Meetra was certain that Kreia wouldn't have wanted her to be this open with her companions, but Meetra felt they deserved to hear it. She also shared Kreia's revelation that a True Sith empire existed far beyond Republic space, and that Revan had gone to find a way to defeat it.
"I don't care what she thought she saw," Mira said. "And that's if she was being honest. I wouldn't put it past her to make one last attempt at yanking our ammunition holsters. I say we ignore everything she said."
"Agreed," said Meetra. "It wouldn't be the first outright lie Kreia told me. And even if it was full of speculation and half-truths, I prefer to see the future as fluid, always in motion. One thing Kreia seemed to truly believe was that the fate of the entire galaxy could be changed by small echoes that build into a larger cascade. Maybe she was wrong, but even if she was right we still have the agency to make our own choices and use them to move the galaxy the way we choose. Maybe we'll end up in the places that Kreia foresaw, but if so it'll be because of our own decisions, not because we're bound by her prophecies."
"Were her true goals ever exposed?" Visas asked. "Or did they remain veiled, even to the end?"
"As strange as it sounds," Meetra said, "she wanted to kill the Force itself, or at least deafen the galaxy to it. She was trying to build an echo capable of this. I believe she thought that my death at Malachor V would amplify this echo, achieving her goals."
"So, she was nuts," said Mira. "Wouldn't that kill everyone, everywhere?"
"I was her answer to that as well," Meetra said. "If I could survive being disconnected from the Force, that proved it was possible. At least, I think I that was her point."
"Had she succeeded, her destruction would have rivaled my worst feats of my old Master, Darth Nihilus," said Visas. "It is fortunate for us all that you were victorious."
"She certainly was complicated," Meetra said. "She hated that the Force had a will, that it, in her opinion, manipulated us all in order to move the galaxy as it chose. Yet ironically, she tried to manipulate us all to make the galaxy what she wanted it to be. I'm not sure if she became what she hated, or if she hated the Force because it reminded her of herself. I wonder what she could have been if she hadn't become so bitter, so hateful, so disillusioned. I guess we'll never know."
"And what of Revan, and these True Sith?" asked Mical.
"She was just blowing smoke up our exhaust port if you ask me," said Atton dismissively. "We're really supposed to believe there's another Sith Empire out there? And Kreia claimed to know about these True Sith, and claimed to know they're why Revan left, but also claimed she couldn't have followed Revan because she didn't know where Revan went? She's contradicting herself from one load of bantha droppings to the next."
"When I spoke to Carth Onasi on Telos," Meetra said, "he told me Revan believed something had been behind the Mandalorian Wars, that the Mandalorians had been manipulated into attacking the Republic. She told Carth to strengthen the Republic to face it. Carth believes Revan left to fight that threat, whatever it is."
"Why isn't anyone asking the guy who saw Revan last?" Mandalore said. "You, know, me?"
"Fair enough," Meetra said. "What do you know?"
"I'm surprised Carth would say anything without getting approval in triplicate from his boss's boss's boss. But he's right about this. When Revan and I left the Core, we traveled to Rekkiad, where she gave me Mandalore's mask. That was an adventure of its own, but now's not the time for that story. Suffice to say, she told me to assume the title of Mandalore, and to prepare the Mandalorians for a threat that she herself didn't seem to know much about. But that's my point. She didn't seem to know exactly what was out there."
"So you think it's possible the True Sith are out there, that they were behind the Mandalorian Wars in the first place?" Meetra asked.
"Revan seemed to think so, although she was fuzzy on the details," Mandalore said. "She said the Mandalorians had been deceived by these other Sith."
"And she left to confront them?" Mical asked.
"No, she went to prepare for a confrontation," Mandalore said. He turned to directly face Meetra. "You of all people should remember how Revan fought. Her plans had plans. She wasn't going to risk the fate of the Republic by picking a fight with something she knew nothing about. Was she willing to fight? Of course she was. When it was time for battle, I've never seen anyone more aggressive, myself included. But the battle was usually decided before it began, because she'd already stacked the deck such that all outcomes led to her winning. Am I wrong?"
"You're not wrong," Meetra said. "She was also never uncomfortable with keeping things to herself, with revealing only as much as she wanted others to know. Did she give you any indication what her plans were, or did she conceal that?"
"She may have said more to the other Jedi traveling with us," Mandalore said. "All I know is that she thought she'd discovered a new way of fighting, or a new way of using the Force, something like that. She felt she had to refine it on her own before sharing it. She was going on some kind of journey of enlightenment, or Jedi vision quest, or whatever it is you people do. I think in her mind, that was the first step in this new fight, the beginning of her plan."
"Did she say where she was going?" Meetra asked.
"She'd hidden Mandalore's mask in the tomb of some ancient Sith Lord," Canderous said. "There was also a datacron in there. After seeing whatever what was on it, she seemed to have a destination in mind. I tried to talk her into taking me, but she said she had to go alone, that she could only take the droids. I told her that taking a crazy assassin droid didn't make me feel any better-"
"Objection:" HK-47 said. "While I have no memory of these events, I am certain that when I still possessed my full assassination protocols I would have been an advantage to any mission."
"You didn't have your 'full assassination protocols' even then," Canderous said. "In fact, the more you rattle on about them, the more I doubt you ever had them."
"Challenge:" HK-47 said. "You are welcome to test your Mandalorian meatbag skills against my current capabilities at any time of your choosing."
"Enough!" Meetra said sharply to the droid. "Mandalore, did Revan say anything else?"
"She mentioned a name," Mandalore said. "'Nathema'. It apparently had something to do with some ancient Sith emperor. I don't know where it is, but that could be where she was going."
"Visas, did Darth Nihilus ever mention Nathema, or anything about these True Sith, or were the Miraluka aware of them?" Meetra asked.
"My old Master never mentioned the True Sith, or anywhere called Nathema," Visas said, " but his purpose seldom veered from his hunger. Neither were the Miraluka aware of them, at least to my knowledge. Many things hide in the dark corners of the galaxy. I cannot confirm that these True Sith exist. But I also cannot say that they do not."
At that moment, T3 rolled into the room from the engine compartment. The little droid was covered in foam and soot, but was squealing excitedly.
"He says he's managed to piece the hyperdrive together for one more jump," Meetra translated for the group.
"That's good news," Atton said. "How far does he think he can get us?"
"It isn't a matter of how far," Meetra said. "Once we're in hyperspace he thinks the drive will hold until disengaged. What he's concerned about is the activation relays. He thinks they'll short out when we engage the hyperdrive, and he's got nothing left to rig up replacements."
"Very well," Mical said. "I suggest we travel to Citadel Station. The Republic authorities will be interested to know what happened here, and can assist with repairs."
"I'm not in any hurry to explain on the record why I activated the Mass Shadow Generator a second time to destroy Malachor V again," Meetra said. "That conversation didn't go very well the last time."
"We should go to Duxn," Mandalore said. "The rest of you seem obsessed with rumors of ancient empires. But I signed on to help stop the Sith we just killed, and that's done. Maybe you think Revan wants you to go after her now. Fine. I know what she wants me to do, because she told me herself. I have a people to lead. Take me to Duxn, and we'll help you fix the Hawk. If there are any components we don't have, Queen Talia owes you a favor or two. Then if you Jedi think your purpose is to go poking around in Wild Space, have fun."
"I'll plot a course for Duxn," Atton said, heading for the cockpit.
"While the calculations run, do you know any way to make an unofficial call to a Republic officer without being detected?" Meetra asked, following him toward the cockpit.
"Depends," Atton said. "Are we talking the Chief Sanitation Officer, or somebody higher up the food chain?" Meetra told him who she intended to call, and Atton let out an impressed whistle.
"You certainly don't ask for much, do you? Maybe after this you'd like a private call with the Senate Chancellor? I know a trick or two, though, I'll see what I can do." Atton performed a series of complex reconfigurations on the communicator, and eventually Admiral Carth Onasi appeared on the holoprojector. The image was indistinct and the audio full of static, but the connection held.
"Meetra, are you okay?" Carth said. "I can barely see you."
"Nothing's wrong," Meetra said. "I just wanted to keep this call off the record."
"What do you need?" Carth said. "My sources are tracking Sith communications chatter suggesting they've suffered a major loss. I suspected that was you."
"It was," Meetra said. She detailed the deaths of Darth Sion and Darth Traya, and the destruction of Trayus Academy. "You understand why I'd prefer to keep the part about me destroying the same planet a second time off the official reports, don't you?"
"Of course," Carth said. "You just saved the Republic. Again. I think we can leave a few of the details a mystery. Thanks for letting me know."
"There's something else," Meetra said. "What you told me about Revan leaving to face a new threat? I've learned a little more, but not enough to know how to find her. Are any of the Jedi you traveled with during the Jedi Civil War still alive? I need to talk to one of them."
"That's great! I mean about learning more," Carth said. "As for the rest, I'm really not sure. The Jedi all scattered."
"I think you know more than you're telling me," Meetra said. "Carth, I really need to talk to them."
"I ... um ... I don't want to talk about it," Carth said uncomfortably.
"Don't want to, or refuse to?" Meetra asked.
"Look, you have to understand," Carth said. "We thought we were okay after the Mandalorian Wars. Then Revan and Malak betrayed us, fragmenting the Jedi Order and turning what seemed like most of the remaining Jedi to their side. Then after Revan rejoined us and defeated Malak, we though we were okay again. Then the Triumverate showed up and either turned or killed what was left of the Jedi. Now, it once more it seems like we're finally okay. And I trust you. But we've felt this way before and we were wrong."
"It really feels like you don't trust me," Meetra said.
"Okay, maybe not completely," Carth said. "I admit I have some issues with that. But after everything I just listed off, can you really blame me? And that was without even getting into what Saul Karath did to my home planet and my family. I had a-"
"Carth, I'm not letting this go," Meetra interrupted. "I'll find them on my own if I have to, but if they're already suspicious of me, then how will it look to them when I start hunting for them? Nobody wants a misunderstanding involving lightsabers."
"The only reason they've survived this long is by nobody knowing much," Carth said. "Even I don't know as much as you seem to think I do."
"Then let them know I want to talk to them," Meetra said. "I'll be on Duxn for awhile if they're willing to make contact."
"No promises," Carth said, "but I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you," Meetra said. "Meetra out."
Some time later, the Ebon Hawk appeared in the skies over Duxn. Atton piloted it to a graceful landing in a clearing outside the Mandalorian compound. As the group disembarked, they were greeted by Kex, the quartermaster that Meetra had met on her previous visit.
"Welcome back, Mandalore," Kex said. "There's someone here to see you, an old man. He's been waiting for several days."
"We don't take in strays," Mandalore said. "And when did you become anyone's message boy?"
"We told him to leave," Kex said. "He asked us if he could stay if he defeated one of us in the battle circle. It was against protocol, but Kelborn accepted the challenge, just for a laugh really. Said he'd try not to break too many of the old man's bones. Then the old man put Kelborn flat on his back. So we let him stay."
"Alright," Mandalore said. "Where is he?"
"Over there," Kex said, gesturing toward a shady spot by the nearest building. Mandalore looked closer, and realized that what he'd at first taken to be a pile of old rags was snoring softly. Mandalore walked over, looked down, then laughed.
"JOLEE BINDO!", Mandalore shouted.
The pile of rags jumped to its feet, revealing an elderly human. "What?" Jolee said. "I didn't do it! It must have been ... oh, Canderous. Took you long enough to get here."
"Good to see you, old friend," Mandalore said. "I understand you've been instructing some of my soldiers in the finer points of hand-to-hand combat."
"I did what I could," Jolee said. "Your pups aren't bad, just need a little more seasoning."
"Jolee Bindo, meet Meetra Surik," Mandalore said. "Meetra, Jolee traveled with myself and Revan when we were fighting against Malak."
Meetra started to extend a hand, but Jolee stopped her with an appraising stare. He carefully looked Meetra up and down then stared into her eyes for several long seconds before speaking.
"You are something special, aren't you?" Jolee said.
"Excuse me?" Meetra said, unsure whether to be flattered or offended.
"Oh, I don't mean anything inappropriate," Jolee said. "Although if I were thirty years younger I might have. Twenty maybe. No, I mean Atris wasn't lying about what happened to you."
"Atris?" Meetra took a step backwards and unconsciously reached toward her weapon.
"Hold on, young lady," Jolee said. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm no fan of Atris. I just mean that she's the person who told us that you were a Wound in the Force. Right before Revan almost killed her."
"I didn't realize that Revan and Atris had battled," Meetra said.
"They didn't," Jolee said. "But it was a close thing. Good for Atris that they didn't, too. Revan was in no mood for nonsense that day."
"It seems Revan was more patient than me," Meetra said. "I did kill her."
"Really?" Jolee said, impressed. "And not a whiff of the Dark Side about you. Atris must truly have fallen by the time you encountered her. Although she was already pretty far gone when we saw her last. Well, good riddance, I say. Now, about you. Can you feel the Force at all?"
"That's a pretty bold question," Meetra said. "You realize I've known you for less than five minutes, right?"
"And at my age, I may have no more than five minutes left," Jolee said. "No time to play nice. I don't mean to offend, though. It's just that I was the one who told Revan what your condition would feel like, and I'm hoping I got it right."
"I have questions too," Meetra said, redirecting the conversation. "You traveled with Revan. I'm going to find her. I need to know anything you remember that could help me."
"Good for you!" Jolee said. "I've been wanting to go after her for awhile but ... well, we've all been busy. First things first, though. I think you check out. Let's get the others on their way."
"Others?" Meetra asked. "What do you mean 'I check out'?"
Instead of answering, Jolee pulled a communicator from his belt and spoke into it. "She's clear. Come on in."
"I'll be there shortly," said a female voice from the communicator. "Jolee, Bastila heard from Juhani."
"What?" Jolee exclaimed. "After all this time? What did she say?"
"She said she had news of Revan," said the voice. "She wouldn't say any more. She's meeting Bastila at Telos. I'll have them join us on Duxn. Yuthura out."
"That," Jolee said, "was Yuthura Ban, former Jedi, former Sith, and current member of our little resistance group. Well, I guess technically she was a Jedi both before and after she was a Sith, but she can tell you that story later. She's only coming from Onderon, so she should be here momentarily. I believe you already know of Bastila Shan. And am I correct in guessing that you met Juhani in Wild Space?"
"I did," said Meetra. "She told me to meet all of you at a settlement on Dantooine. But I scanned the area she described when I was on Dantooine some time ago. I found nothing but ruins in that area. I wondered if she'd made it back to the Core, or if something had happened to her."
"We stopped her," Jolee said. "She made contact from just inside the Outer Rim, but this was when the Sith were hunting down Jedi. Rather than continue into the Core, she went looking for Revan. That's been months and this is the first we've heard from her. Just for the record, we would have stopped you too, if we'd found you in time. I guess it all turned out for the best, though. As for the Dantooine settlement, we had a little visit from the Sith."
"What happened?" Meetra asked.
"We hadn't even really settled in," Jolee said. "We had a caravan of people from Dantooine that had traveled across the continent, and a group of former slaves that we'd just freed from Sleheyron. They were just figuring out how to be a real community, when a couple dozen Sith hit us with a surprise attack. In retrospect, having three Jedi there made us a target for the Sith hunters. But we didn't know that at the time."
"The three of you fought off two dozen Sith?" Meetra asked.
"We had help," Jolee said. "If you haven't seen Mission Vao with a pair of blasters in her hands, you haven't lived! Add in an angry Wookiee and, well, you can imagine. And then Yuthura! That young lady may have come back over from the Dark Side, but she learned a trick or two that she hasn't forgotten. No, two dozen Sith weren't much trouble. The problem was, we knew there would be more coming. We wouldn't have believed how many more, though. They ended up occupying the whole planet."
"So what did you do?" Meetra asked.
They were interrupted by a second craft landing in the clearing. It pilot disembarked and walked toward them. She was a Twi'lek, with light purple skin, facial tattoos, and striking dark purple lekku.
"Yuthura Ban," Jolee said to Meetra as the Twi'lek approached. Meetra introduced herself, Mandalore, Atton, Mira, Visas, Mical, HK-47 and T3-M4.
"Meetra was just asking me about what happened after Dantooine," Jolee said to Yuthura.
"And you're sure we can trust them?" Yuthura asked Jolee.
"She killed Atris," Jolee said with a grin.
"That works for me," Yuthura said. "After Dantooine was a dark time. Following Malak's destruction of the Jedi Enclave, Revan's abrupt departure, and freeing the slaves on Sleheyron, we had hoped for a time of peace to gather ourselves. Instead, we were faced with a new Sith onslaught, more subtle than the last, but no less deadly."
"What happened to the people of the Dantooine settlement?" Meetra asked.
"Evacuated to Kashyyyk," Jolee said. "Zaalbar, our Wookiee friend ... well, let's just say he has family there. I don't know how he did it with everything else going on at the time, but Carth Onasi managed to get some transports to ferry everyone over. I wish we could have helped more people, but by the time we'd gotten everyone in our community out, the Sith occupation force had already landed in several other locations. We were lucky to get out as many as we did. But the people who did make it out are doing well. Mission and Zaalbar are running a wildly successful import/export business out of the Kashyyyk settlement now that Czerka is gone. Come to think of it, Griff would have been a lot better off to put his little sister in charge years ago."
"Griff?" Meetra asked.
"Mission's older brother, and a two-credit con man that I hope we've seen the last of," Jolee said. "But that's another story."
"After the attack on Dantooine," Yuthura said, "Bastila realized the Sith were able to sense when Jedi gathered in groups. So we were forced to separate. I have a ... a past with the Sith. It allowed me to penetrate their communications channels. So I spent most of my time gathering intelligence for the Republic and feeding false data back to the Sith. Bastila took up the advisory role to the Republic that the Jedi Council has historically filled."
"As for me," Jolee said, "I just played a little cat-and-mouse with the Sith, tried to keep them jumping at shadows. We'd check in with each other from time to time, but we had to be careful. We didn't end up accomplishing anything like you did, but hopefully we were at least a distraction to keep some of them off you."
"And what did you mean that I 'checked out'?" Meetra asked.
"Well, we didn't become aware of you until your first visit to Telos," Jolee said. "And we weren't sure yet what to make of you."
"Did I do something wrong?" Meetra asked.
"No, not at all," Jolee said. "You were doing all the right things, everything a true Jedi would do. But you were traveling with Darth Traya, so-"
"How did you know Kreia was Darth Traya?" Meetra interrupted.
"How did you not?" Jolee countered.
"Fair point," Meetra conceded.
"Anyway, we decided to take a wait-and-see approach," Jolee said. "In the meantime we tried to keep your path clear."
"Keep my path clear how?" Meetra asked.
"Remember those Sith assassins that jumped you at the landing pad on your first trip to Dantooine?" Jolee asked.
"There weren't any," Meetra said.
"Of course there weren't," Jolee said. "Because I'd already lured them away. How about that Sith warship that tractored you in on your first visit to Nar Shaddaa?"
"Let me guess," Meetra said. "You lured that away too?"
"No, I make it a point to stay away from warships," Jolee said. "Don't want to make that mistake again."
"I issued forged emergency orders to the warship," Yuthura said. "By the time it returned from Tatooine you were long gone."
"So when did you decide you could trust me?" Meetra asked.
"We were fairly confident after you killed Sion and Traya," Jolee said. "But there was still a chance you were just eliminating your competition and were planning to take us out next. I had to meet you in person to be sure."
"So, you mean you thought there was a chance that I was an agent of the Dark Side until you met me today?" Meetra asked.
"That's right," Jolee said. "We all have our special gifts. Mine is reading people. And you, my dear, read clean as a hyperdrive intake."
"Just out of curiosity," Meetra said, "what would you have done if I hadn't? I'm standing here with a whole team of veteran fighters."
Jolee smiled. "We'd all have gone out together. After the Mandalorians got accustomed to me, they let their guard down. I've hidden enough plasma charges throughout this complex to turn this entire part of this moon into a crater."
"Impressive," said Mandalore to Jolee. "And not so impressive, but I'll deal with that later," he growled in the general direction that Kex had gone.
"I'll remove the charges now, of course," Jolee said.
"Leave them," Mandalore said. "I can use them."
"Probably better anyway," Jolee said. "I'm not sure I remember where I planted them all."
"And did I hear you say that Bastila is coming here from Telos?" Meetra asked. "Where was she when I was there before?"
"On the other side of the door, with her lightsaber in her hand!" Jolee said. "The first time you met Lieutenant Gren, Bastila was in the next room. She couldn't show herself unless she absolutely had to, not with Darth Traya there. But if you'd turned out to be Sith and decided to cause a ruckus, the Telos Security Forces wouldn't have been facing you alone."
"I have one more question," Meetra said, "I only told Carth Onasi that I was coming to Duxn a short while ago. He was supposed to let you know to contact me. But I heard Kex say you'd been here for days. How did you know I was coming?"
"Please," Jolee said. "I may have officially left the Jedi Order, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten everything I learned."
"I guess-" Meetra started to speak, hesitated, then continued. "It has been so long, I guess I've forgotten what that feels like."
"Which brings us back to the topic of your condition," Jolee said.
"What of it?" Meetra said defensively.
"She doesn't want to talk about it," Mical said.
"Please Master Surik," Yuthura said. "Let me explain why it is important for us to know."
"I'm no longer even a member of the Jedi Order, much less a Master," Meetra said.
"Given that there is no longer a Jedi Council to object," Yuthura said, "I appoint myself Acting High Council Chair. By this authority, I hereby grant you the rank of Jedi Master. Additionally, I resign my position as Acting High Council Chair, effective immediately. I believe this officially makes you the highest ranking member of the Jedi Order. Now may I call you Master Surik?"
Meetra smiled. "If you like, I suppose."
"Now, Master Surik, here's why your condition is important," Yuthura said. "Atris called you a 'Wound in the Force'. Our best understanding of that was that you could no longer directly connect to the Force, but you might be able to sense and use the Force through connections to others. And we were aware that connecting to others was a special gift of yours. We'd hoped that you had retained it."
"The reason this matters," Jolee added, "is that this was one of the main reasons that Revan left. She thought she was on the verge of understanding a new way of connecting to the Force, and to each other. And that if she was successful, she might be able to help you."
"I was part of the reason Revan left?" Meetra asked.
"Revan felt the need to atone for many of things she'd done in her past," Yuthura said. "Your situation was significant on that list."
Meetra took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, then spoke. "I can explain how it feels. Imagine you're in a place of great natural beauty. A tropical beach, a lush forest, a snow-topped mountain, whatever kind of place really speaks to you. But you're inside a transparasteel box. So in a sense, you're in the place. You know the place is real, because you can see it. But in another sense, you're not there, because you're in the box. The box separates you from the place, and there's no way out, ever. The box has holes, just large enough to reach your hand through. And sometimes, you can grab someone else's hand, and feel less alone. You can remind yourself, at least a little, what it was like before you were trapped. But you know it is temporary. And even in those moments of connection, you're still alone in the box."
"That's terrible," Yuthura said. "I'm so sorry."
"Do you think..." Meetra began to speak, hesitated, then gathered the courage to ask what she really wanted to know. "Do you think Revan found a way to break open the box?"
"I wish it were otherwise, but I don't believe so," Yuthura said. "However, I think she was working on a way that others could temporarily join you in it. You would still be inside. You just wouldn't be alone anymore."
Meetra's reply was lost in a loud crack of thunder, but her hopeful expression and watery eyes spoke volumes.
"Rains every ten minutes in this damn jungle," Canderous grumbled. "We'd better get inside. The command center's over here," he said, gesturing toward a large nearby building. "You might want to move your ship inside too. Easier to work on in the dry. You can use the hanger on the other side of the complex. I'll have Kex move my shuttle out."
"T3, can you move the ship into the hanger?" Meetra asked.
The small astrotech droid whistled in the affirmative and began rolling back to the ship.
"And don't run it into anything!" Atton called after him. The droid whistled what was unmistakably an impolite response, but continued toward the ship.
The group moved into the command center to wait for Bastila and Juhani, and passed the time comparing their respective times on the Ebon Hawk.
"I like to hang out by the kitchen," Mira said. "Easy to grab a quick snack."
"Juhani liked that spot too, probably for the same reason," Jolee said. "Cathars have high metabolisms. I never understood why the refresher was in the kitchen, though," Jolee said. "After Zaalbar did his morning business, nobody could go in there to make breakfast for an hour!"
...
"HK-47 liked to stay in the garage back then too?" Atton said. "I wonder why he likes that place so much?"
"Assessment: the garage offers defensive positions to cover both the loading ramp and the top hatch," HK-47 said.
...
"You crashed the ship too? How does T3 manage to keep putting it back together? Are there any original parts left on that thing?"
...
"Carth was your pilot? You mean that Admiral guy? He actually knows how to do stuf?"
Eventually, they heard the sound of a ship approaching. A small craft landed in the courtyard outside the command center. A human and a Cathar, both female, exited and began walking toward the group.
"This is supposed to be a secret base," Canderous grumbled. "Is the entire Jedi Order going to show up?"
"I believe this is the entire Jedi Order," Yuthura said flatly.
Canderous considered that for a moment. "At the end of what you call the Mandalorian Wars, my people were scattered, defeated, lost. It really seemed the Jedi had the upper hand. But defeat was kinder to us than victory was to you. You turned on yourselves, until all that's left of you can fit in this room. We, on the other hand, reunited and are again gathering our strength. I wonder who history will see as the real winners and losers."
Yuthura started to give a retort, but at that moment Bastila and Juhani walked into the command center. Bastila's eyes were bloodshot, but her expression showed determined resolve. She reminded Meetra of many soldiers she'd seen who, after losing their entire squad, picked up the nearest weapon and headed straight back into the battle. Meetra noticed that Bastila was carrying something close to her body, something metallic, but she could not tell what it was.
"What's wrong, Bastila?" Yuthura asked.
"Revan is dead," Bastila said.
"What?- How?-" Several of the group spoke over each other with startled inquiries.
"Juhani informed me as we were landing," Bastila said. She placed the item she was holding on the floor in the center of the room.
It was Revan's mask.
"I've carried this for years, since we captured Revan on her flagship. At first, I wasn't sure why. Eventually, I came to hope I could return it to Revan when she was ready, when I was sure it wouldn't trigger any dark memories. Now that will never happen."
There was a long silence. Finally Meetra said, "Juhani, tell us what happened."
"I'm sorry. I have spent most of the last few years alone," Juhani said awkwardly. "It is good to be with you again, but I find myself unsure how to begin. It has been long since I have spoken with anyone."
Yuthura reached out and squeezed Juhani's hand. "It's okay," she said. "You are one of us. Take your time, and tell it however you are able."
"I began my search on Rekkiad," Juhani said, "the ice planet that Revan and Canderous were bound for when they left Dantooine. I found it largely barren and uninhabited. There was evidence of recent occupation by a technologically advanced nomadic people-"
"-the Mandalorians," Canderous interjected. "As I said before, Revan and I had an adventure."
"Be that as it may," Juhani continued, "I found the planet unoccupied. I spent many months in the ice and cold, searching for any clue. Had I any other leads to follow, I would have left. But I had nowhere else to go, so I continued searching, day after long day. Finally, I found a dark place, a place of old corruption. Within it was a tomb, containing a datacron. I do not wish to discuss its many disturbing contents. But among the information contained therein was mention of a planet called Nathema-"
"I could have told you that," Canderous interjected again. "Why does nobody ever ask the guy who was there?"
Juhani ignored him and continued. "I followed the hyperspace route described in the datacron, and found the planet Nathema. It is an abomination, a Void in the Force where life cannot exist. Its effects where overwhelming, even from orbit."
"A Void in the Force," Jolee said. "I can see why Revan went there. Yuthura, is this tracking for you?"
"Yes, the pieces all fit," Yuthura said.
"I do not understand," Mical said. "Why would Revan go to such a place?"
"Meetra said being disconnected from the Force was like being in a transparasteel box, right?"
"Yes," Mical said hesitantly, still confused.
"The entire planet Nathema is a giant box," Yuthura said.
"So if Revan had been able to learn to survive there," Mical said, "then she could have understood Master Surik's condition? And perhaps found some way to relate to it? An ambitious plan, but full of risk."
"Agreed, but I think her reasons may have been even more ambitious than that," Bastila said. "During her retraining, before we began looking for the Star Maps, Tory ... Revan ... I'm still not sure what to call her-"
"Excuse me," Visas said, "but is Revan also known by the name 'Tory'? And why did she require retraining?"
"It's a long story," Bastila said. "The short version is, immediately following her time as Darth Revan, there was a period where she was unaware of her identity, and also lost the knowledge of her Force abilities. During this time, she assumed the name Victory Relevant, and was often called 'Tory' by her friends. Even after learning of her past, she still preferred that name. It was during this time that she was retrained as a Jedi. I can tell the longer version of the story later. Let's just say that it is not very charitable to myself, or to the Jedi Council."
"Thank you," Visas said. "You were relating something that occurred during Revan's retraining?"
"Yes," Bastila said. "She felt that the Jedi were incorrect in the way they used the Force. That we were attempting to command it, instead of letting it command us. That the Jedi, while good, and the Sith, while evil, were in many ways more alike than different."
"There's a reason they called it the Jedi Civil War," Mira said.
"I took offense at the time," Bastila said. "I felt that questioning the Jedi teachings could lead Tory ... Revan ... down the same dark path she had followed before. But she showed me what she meant, had me experience the Force in something close to the way that she did. It was remarkable. Then all that was lost in the rush to find the Star Maps and defeat Malak. I don't think she ever stopped thinking about it, though. She seemed to be arriving at an understanding that the connections between all of us were part of this, and that in helping Meetra, she could also help advance this new philosophy. I suspect that Nathema was part of what she was trying to achieve. After all, you can't command the Force on a planet where it doesn't exist. Your only way to experience it would be through your connections to others. But she was alone. I wonder, if I'd listened more closely, if I'd continued to ask about her thoughts, if she would have felt comfortable taking me with her. I wonder if things could have ended differently."
"Don't blame yourself, Bastila," Meetra said. "You were trying to save the Republic. And even if what you describe was part of the reason Revan went to Nathema, it sounds like it was at least equal parts trying to help me. Returning to face the Jedi Council all those years ago was my choice, not Revan's. Maybe if I'd been less confrontational, maybe if I'd voluntarily left the Jedi, she wouldn't have died in this way. I could have joined the Republic military. I had plenty of offers. Instead I had to prove myself right, which the Council never even accepted, and Revan's death is the result."
"Revan did what Revan did," Jolee said. "Have either of you, have any of us here ever, even once, been able to stop her from doing something she wanted to? No? I didn't think so. So let's quit trying to one-up each other in the blame game and hear the rest of Juhani's story."
"Please Juhani, continue," Yuthura said.
Juhani took a deep breath, then resumed her story. "As I said, the effects of the planet Nathema where overwhelming. Initially, I had to retreat and regroup. I spent many days in meditation, preparing myself. Even so, I was only able to survive brief forays onto the planet's surface. I again spent many months searching. Time after time I was compelled to retreat and recover. I despaired of ever finding a sign of Revan."
The Cathar paused, steeling herself for her story's conclusion. "Finally, I found it. A crash site, and remnants of Revan's ship. Most of the ship was gone, perhaps taken by scavengers better able than I to withstand the planet's effects. But I found hull fragments that were unmistakably from the Ebon Hawk. I searched and searched again many times, and could find no trace of Revan's body. However, nothing could survive on that planet. Revan is gone."
Bastila, Meetra, and the others exchanged confused looks. Finally, Meetra spoke. "Juhani, the Ebon Hawk is here."
"The ... what?" Juhani said. But she was interrupted as T3 rolled into the command center, squealing in annoyance at the downpour that had now started. The small droid rolled partway across the room, leaving a wet trail behind it, then noticed Bastila. It began emitting a rapid fire cacophony of piercing beeps and squeals. Then it charged at full speed directly at a startled Bastila, who took several steps backward. T3, however, stopped just in front of her and continued its acoustic onslaught.
"Slow down, T3," Bastila said. "I can't understand you when you speak at that pace."
"Evaluation:" HK-47 said from across the room, where he had taken up a position affording him sightlines to all entrances and exits. "My auditory processors are far superior to your meatbag equivalents. I can hear him clearly."
"HK-47, I'd almost started missing you calling us 'meatbags'", Bastila said. "Almost, but not quite. If your auditory processers are so superior, then what's T3 saying?"
"Revelation: our diminuitive companion has additional information about the fate of my former Master," HK-47 said.
"He knows something about Revan?" Meetra asked. "I tried everything I could to get any information out of him, anything at all. I finally decided his memory had been corrupted. After all, why would he come for help, but refuse to take anyone to where that help was needed?"
"T3, tell us what happened," Meetra said. "Slowly."
The small droid looked again at Bastila and gave an inquisitive beep.
"Yes, please tell us," Bastila said. The droid responded with a slightly slower series of beeps.
"When you exited hyperspace at Nathema, Revan became sick and didn't want to fly the ship anymore?" Bastila said. "T3, you're going to have to slow down a bit more." The droid repeated itself at a more reasonable pace.
"When you approached Nathema, Revan collapsed against the controls, and was unable to continue piloting the ship" Bastila said.
"That is not surprising," Juhani said. "I felt its influence immediately. If its effects are proportional to one's strength in the Force, Revan might have been affected much more strongly than I. Was Revan able to recover?"
The droid responded, and again Bastila interpreted for the group. "The ship was crashing. You tried to take over the helm, but it was too late. You managed to pull up at the last minute, but were only able to reduce the severity of the impact. Is that right?"
The droid whistled in the affirmative, then continued. After a moment, Bastila motioned for it to pause. "The ship and HK-47 were both badly damaged, but Revan was still alive. T3 pulled Revan from the wreckage and used a medpack to revive her."
"I'm amazed that didn't kill her on the spot," said Atton. "I've been on the receiving end of one of that droid's medpacks."
The droid whistled in offense, then tried to resume its story. However, HK-47 immediately interrupted. "Confirmation: am I to understand that I did accompany my former Master to her destination? I was under the impression that she left me behind."
T3 whistled a explanation, and HK-47 responded. "Assessment: I highly doubt my Master would have told me she was leaving me behind, then deactivated me and wiped my memory to conceal knowledge of her destination. If that were true, why wasn't your memory similarly wiped?"
T3 emitted a highly pointed series of beeps at HK-47, to which the assassin droid again responded. "Objection: I am not disobedient and given to bouts of erratic behavior! Retract that statement or I will destroy you on the spot, regardless of what Master says!"
"HK-47, hush!" Meetra said. "I want to hear what T3 has to say about Revan."
"Anticipation:" HK-47 said. "I will comply for now, but this is not over."
Bastila waited a moment to be sure HK-47 was done, then prompted T3 to continue. "Revan was okay after you administered the medpack, but she told you that she needed to go to sleep?" Bastila asked.
"Into a trance," Meetra corrected. T3 whistled in confirmation, then continued.
"She said she had to stay on the planet until she woke up, no matter how long it took. But it took so long that you got worried and hid her?" Bastila asked.
"Where did you hide her?" Juhani asked. "I searched the crash site thoroughly."
The droid responded with a series of beeps, which Bastila interpreted. "You needed materials to repair the ship that weren't available near the crash site. You traveled for a week before you found somewhere that had what you needed. You had to go back and forth several times, and on one of of your trips you used a hull fragment as a sled and took Revan with you? Why did you do that, T3?"
"Because anyone who came to the planet might search the crash site, and you wanted to protect Revan if they were unfriendly," Bastila said, interpreting the droid's answer for the others.
"T3 certainly did take his mission seriously," Juhani said. "That would explain why I did not locate Revan. I did not search that distance beyond the crash site."
The droid continued its story, and again Bastila translated. "After the ship was repaired, and Revan still wasn't awake, you decided to come for help. But the ship still wasn't working very well, and you could only make small hyperspace jumps. The first inhabited planet you came to was..."
"...Malachor V," Meetra concluded. "That explains how Kreia obtained the Ebon Hawk. T3, what did you tell Kreia?"
The droid answered with more beeps, and this time Meetra interpreted. "You told her that you needed to find Jedi. She said she also needed to find Jedi. So you set off together. That's when you found the Harbinger, and me."
T3 whistled once more, in an obvious confirmation that needed no translation.
"T3, I have to ask you something," Meetra said. "Please don't be upset, but I know human biological processes must look very different from your perspective. Are you sure Revan was alive? Is it possible that when you thought she was in a trance, she was actually dead?"
Despite Meetra's attempts at diplomacy, the droid's squeals and whistles clearly indicated it had taken her question as an insult.
"Okay, okay," Meetra said. "Pulse and respiration were greatly reduced, but they were present and steady. And brain activity was so high that it was almost unmeasurable. I'm sorry I doubted you, but I had to be sure."
The droid whistled a conciliatory acceptance of Meetra's apology.
"Even in a trance, could Revan have survived this long?" Juhani asked. "I was able to endure the planet's surface for no more than an hour at a time." T3 emitted another rapid series of whistles in reply.
"She was an egg?" Bastila asked dubiously. "T3, slow down, you're going too fast again." The droid repeated the whistles extremely slowly, each drawn out in exaggerated length.
"She was in a shell," Bastila said with more confidence. "And there's no need to be sarcastic!"
"This makes sense," Mical said. "We all learned to create basic Force barriers in our Jedi training. But the greatest of the Jedi Masters could create barriers of incredible strength. Master Satele Shan will be able to create a barrier strong enough for her to survive in outer space. She will even be used as a missile weapon to crush enemies while within her barrier and suffer no ill effects."
"Satele Shan?" Bastila inquired. "Who is that? And she 'will be able to'? What are you talking about?"
"Apologies," Mical said. "That novel is set many years in the future. And its description of Satele differs from SWTOR's, so I think it may have been supplanted even before the canon reset."
"Is he often this nonsensical?" Bastila whispered to Mira, who was standing beside her.
"Couldn't tell you," Mira whispered back. "I usually tune him out. In fact, I don't even know what he just said. I was busy planning how to sneak a pair of those Mandalorian blasters out of here."
"My point," Mical said patiently, "is that if Revan's abilities approached those of the great Masters, she could conceivably survive in a trance for this long, protected from the planet's effects by a Force barrier."
"Consternation:" HK-47 said to Meetra. "Master, it seems my former Master may not be as dead as you all thought. I have never had two Masters before. There is only one sensible resolution. I must kill one of you. As Revan was my original Master and my creator, I find it appropriate that I kill you. However, I will consider any arguments you wish to make to the contrary." The droid paused for a moment. "Admission: I will almost certainly ignore your pleas, using them as additional time to plan my attack."
"I'm your Master until we find Revan, and you aren't killing anyone unless I command you to," Meetra said firmly to the droid. "That's an order."
"Resignation: as you wish," said HK-47. "Sometimes I wonder why you bother keeping an assassin droid at all."
"Why wouldn't T3 reveal this before?" Visas asked. "Master, you pursued this line of inquiry with him many times, to no avail."
Bastila looked at T3, who answered with a long series of explanatory beeps.
"That appears to be my fault," Bastila answered sheepishly. "Before Revan left, I pulled T3 aside and ordered him to return if they got into trouble. I wasn't sure where they might be going, or what kind of enemies they might encounter. So I tried to program him to not reveal anything that might compromise Revan's safety to anyone who might harm Revan."
"A wise precaution," Mical said.
"The problem is," Bastila said. "I was in a hurry, and I'm not very good at programming droids. So what I apparently actually programmed him to do was to tell no one but myself anything that could lead someone to Revan."
"You mean, this whole time the little trash can has been looking for you?" Atton asked.
"That's correct," Bastila said. "He saw that all of you were searching for Jedi, and were successfully finding some of them. He thought if he stayed with you long enough, you might come across me."
Meetra chuckled. "I guess he was right."
"Why are we still standing here?" Yuthura asked. "Let's finish repairing the ship and go after Revan."
"It may not be that simple," Mical said. "As we have already established, the nine of us are all that remain of the Jedi Order. And of our group, only you, Bastila, and Juhani are technically still members of the Order."
"Maybe you haven't noticed," Mira said, "but we're not big on technicalities. We do what's right, and the right thing is to go find Revan."
"Is it?" Mical asked. "Revan's life was one of sacrifice. She sacrificed her future with the Jedi Order to lead the Republic against the Mandalorians. Because even if she had not fallen to the Dark Side after the war, I think we all know she would not have been readily welcomed back into the Order. And while I understand and agree that believing Kreia is an uncertain subject, according to her, Darth Revan's actions, misguided as they were, were in defense of the Republic against a larger enemy. Then we're all aware of Revan's actions against Malak, again on behalf of the Republic. And now, she left again, we believe at least in part to improve our knowledge of the Force to help restore and improve the Jedi Order, again in defense against this threat. What in Revan's actions suggest to you that she would want us to prioritize her personal safety over the safety of the Republic? She has unfailingly done the opposite."
"Many of us, especially myself, owe Revan more than we could ever repay," Bastila said. "And even if we're strictly speaking of the benefits to the Republic, I once before risked everything because I believed that having Revan as the Republic's ally was worth taking the chance. I was proved right then, and I'm willing to take that same chance now."
"Revan never left the Republic without the benefit of the Jedi," Mical said. "Even at her worst, and again assuming Kreia's interpretation, even Darth Revan was trying to bring the Republic under her own control. She never left it to stand by itself. We've been made painfully aware of its weakened state. Now is not the time to abandon it."
"Revan is a person around whom fate itself revolves," Visas said. "Whether for good or ill, all our destinies are touched by her. She awaits something. Perhaps it is us."
"I suppose we must ask, who is our loyalty to?" Mical said. "Do we serve the Republic, and its trillions of inhabitants? We hope that Revan could strengthen and help what remains of the Jedi, but we do not know this. There may be other Jedi who escaped the Sith and who remain in hiding. They might return the Jedi Order, but only if we give them something to return to. I maintain that Revan's own actions and words argue that we should stay here, help restore the Order, strengthen the Republic, and hope for her eventual return in her own time."
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Atton said, "but I agree with the human datacron. Revan said to leave her in the trance, no matter how long it took. I say we leave her alone to finish what she started. If she's really as powerful and insightful as you all say, she doesn't need us messing up what she's doing. I'm skeptical these True Sith still even exist, but if they do then a group of Jedi might be like a beacon to them. What if they can zero in on you like these Sith that we just defeated? You might be putting Revan in much more danger than she already is."
"An interesting perspective," Jolee said, looking closely at Atton. "But how's she going to get back on her own? Even Revan can't just flap her arms and jump into hyperspace."
"A fair point," Mical said. "I propose that we send T3 back with a ship to await the conclusion of Revan's trance. That was, after all, Revan's original plan."
"Regrettably, I have no decision to make," Juhani said. "I cannot yet return. I have not recovered from the cumulative effects of the planet. Had I been able to further endure Nathema, I would have continued my search for what I thought was to be Revan's body. But my condition had deteriorated such that I feared it would be my doom. I will stay here and do what I can for the Order."
"We will find her for you, Juhani," Yuthura said. "Even if no one else goes, I will."
"Master, what do you say? You are going, are you not?" Visas asked, looking at Meetra.
"The Jedi Council said something to me when I faced them on Dantooine," Meetra said. "They said my ability to form connections with others was dangerous, that I was draining strength from all those we killed together in our battles, using that strength to increase my own. They said I was unconsciously dominating each of you, forcing you to kill in order to strengthen myself."
"I have already expressed my disagreement with their viewpoint," Mical said. "You ability to connect with others is an asset, not a danger. It flows from your undeniable talents as a natural leader. If anything, you strengthen all of us. I, for one, do not believe I am being dominated. While you have not stated your intentions, your actions thus far have shown an inclination to pursue Revan. I have therefore been arguing the contrary position to yours in this very conversation. I still believe in the goals and aspirations of the Jedi Order, but I also believe that it had lost its way, and that the Council's mistaken misinterpretation of you was merely one in a long list of their recent errors."
"That may be," Meetra said. "Nevertheless, I'm going to wait outside. Each of you should make your own decision, whether that means all of you go, or none of you go." Meetra walked out the door into the rain, circled the building to her right, and stood under the overhang where Kex kept many of the Mandalorian's supplies. As she stepped into the overhang's protection, she realized that Juhani had followed her.
"May I join you?" Juhani said. "Sadly, I have no decision to make, and it is still difficult for me to be around a group of that size."
"Please do," Meetra said. "I understand why you cannot return. I'm sure you'll be an asset to the Order here until the rest of us get back. As for me, I'm going to find Revan. If she is still alive and remains in her trance, I'm willing to wait in orbit as long as it takes. But I won't leave her undefended, not when she went there, at least in part, for me." Juhani simply nodded in reply.
Inside the command center, there was less agreement.
"I see why Revan trusted her," Bastila said, looking in the direction that Meetra had gone. "They are, in some ways, very much alike. I have not known her long enough to say how much of her leadership derives from the Force and how much is from her natural abilities. But she and Revan both share the same inspirational presence. I understand why all of you follow her. That aside, my stance has not changed. Whether alone or with others, I intend to go after Revan."
"Nobody is listening to what I said before," Atton said. "What if going after Revan draws exactly the wrong kind of attention. I'm getting tired of being ambushed by Sith, and it wouldn't be doing Revan any favors either."
"Nathema itself may protect us," Visas said. "Katarr was a beacon in the Force, which any Force-sensitive being could not help but see. Nathema may be its inverse, almost invisible to Force-sensitives. Once within its influence, we too may be hidden from those outside."
"Will you be going, then?" Mical asked.
"I will follow my Master, whatever she may choose," Visas said.
"And you, Jolee?" Mical asked.
"I haven't made my mind up yet," Jolee said.
"After all you went through with Revan, I'm surprised," Yuthura said. "I, for one, will go."
"And you, Mira?" Mical said.
"Are you kidding?" Mira said. "I'm a bounty hunter. Finding people is what I do. Finding Revan is the big one, no way I'm sitting this out."
"If you all believe this to be your purpose," Mical said, "then I wish you the best possible fortune. I will return to Telos and do my best to represent the Jedi to the Republic in your absence. Atton, while I know we have our differences, you are welcome to accompany me."
"You should stay," Atton said to the group. "All of you. Meetra too. I should go, alone."
"What? Why? Weren't you just arguing we shouldn't go?" Mira said.
"I was arguing that we could do more harm than good," Atton said. "But if we're determined that someone goes, the safest choice is to send only one person, and that person should be me."
"Explain how this makes sense," Yuthura said. "Because to me, it sounds risky and foolish."
"I'll let that one slide," Atton said, "because you don't know me. I have a ... history. Let's just say that we were on the same team for awhile. Part of my job was finding Jedi, and I was good at it. And I think if we took a vote, I'd easily win the Best Pilot Award out of this group. Does anyone disagree with that much?"
"Some of us have never seen you fly," Yuthura said.
"He is an excellent pilot," Mical said. Visas inclined her head in agreement, and Mira nodded grudgingly.
"And if we're being completely honest," Atton continued, "I'm just barely Force Sensitive. I have all the right skills for this job, and I'm the least likely to be noticed. Let me take care of this."
"If that's what we do," Jolee said, "then I'm coming with you. Yuthura is right, sending one person is too great a risk. It should be at least two. I've spent decades in hiding, first on Kashyyyk then against these latest Sith. I know how to keep myself from being detected."
"The Jedi were just almost destroyed," Yuthura said, "because they tried to fight a war using the rules of the previous one. We're making the same mistake they did. We have no reason to think these True Sith have the ability to detect us."
"I think we're making way too big a deal of this," Atton said. "This isn't a call to battle. This a quick snatch-and-grab. The only thing special is that the thing we're snatching and grabbing is Revan, so everyone wants to be there. But this should be a quick run out and back. If I left now in Yuthura's ship, I might be back before the Hawk is repaired."
"Except that we don't know how Nathema will affect any of us, what condition Revan might be in, if she's even where T3 left her, or what other dangers we might encounter," Bastila said. "You may be right, Atton. The True Sith may be extinct. But what if they're not, and you encounter them? What if we're left exactly where we are now, with someone having left for the Unknown Regions and never returning?"
"Okay, let's say you're right," Atton said. "What if we all go and get ourselves killed? That leaves Mical and Juhani to figure out what to do on their own. We'd have just weakened what's left of the Jedi by a factor of four."
"Dammit, he's right," Mira said. "Not that he should go alone, that's pretty stupid. But dividing our forces is the right tactical move. Remember how Meetra would only ever take a few of us off the ship with her? And how that meant when those bounty hunters attacked the ship we were there to protect it. And remember when Meetra was captured by GO-TO and we had to work together to rescue her? As much as I hate to say it, the right choice is to send enough people to mount an effective rescue mission for Revan, and also leave enough people here to be a real help in case things go sideways."
"Revan did the same with us," Bastila said. "Usually a pair of us would accompany her, while the rest waited, prepared to serve as reinforcements if needed. And in one case, when the rest of us were captured, it fell to Mission Vao to rescue us all."
"This is a reasonable compromise," Mical said. "I still believe we better honor Revan's purpose by staying, rebuilding the Jedi Order, strengthening the Republic, and awaiting her return in her own time. However, it is clear that some of you wish to go, and I do not question your motives or intentions. Mira, will you stay with Juhani and myself? If it becomes necessary to locate the others, you are the most qualified."
"Wait, I said we should split up," Mira said. "I never said I'd stay."
"It does make sense, though," Atton said. "We know where Revan is now, so there shouldn't be any hunting. But if something unexpected happens to us, it may not be as clear where to look. We'd need someone capable of finding us. You know you could do it."
"Would you stop being right?" Mira said. "It's annoying. Fine, I'll stay."
"Bastila, I would ask you to stay as well," Mical said.
"What? No. I'm going," Bastila said. "I was there at the beginning of all this, when Darth Revan was captured and converted back to the Light. I can't abandon her now."
"You're not abandoning her," Mical said. "What is your official rank in the Jedi Order?"
"I'm a Padawan," Bastila said, her face slightly red.
"And yet you've been doing the job of the full Jedi Council for some time, while they have been in hiding. With them now deceased, I submit that you are the de facto leader of the Jedi Order. If we still had a High Council, you would be its chairperson."
"I did not intend to act above my station," Bastila said. "I was simply doing what needed to be done."
"And in so doing," Mical said, "You have established working relationships with Admirals, Senators, and various other influential members of the Republic. Am I wrong about that?"
"That much is accurate," Bastila admitted.
"Juhani has spent years outside the Core. Few in the Republic know her. Mira is a bounty hunter and, while I have great respect for her abilities, even she would admit that she would not be well received in diplomatic circles. I am a failed Jedi who no Master would accept until I met Meetra, and being the student of someone famously known as 'The Exile' will not be in my favor with some. None of us have the credibility or connections to continue the important work that you have been doing. We need you. Tell me, did the Jedi Council themselves often go on missions of the sort we're discussing, or did they send others?"
"They sent others, but-" Bastila began, then stopped. It was clear that she was convincing no one, even herself. "I really don't consider myself a Council Member. But your point is taken. I don't want to err on the side of sending too few people, though. Atton, Jolee, if I stay, what will you do?"
"I still think I should go alone," Atton said. "But if this is how we're doing things, then I'm going," Atton said.
"I want to see this great piloting you were talking about," Jolee said to Atton, "so I'm in too."
"Very well," Bastila said. "I will stay. I think we can safely assume that Meetra is going, which means Visas is as well. So we are sending five and leaving four, which sounds reasonable."
"I have one last question," Mical said. "What do you think would have happened if she had stayed in the room for this discussion?"
"Who, Meetra?" Atton asked.
"Yes, Meetra," Mical said. "What do you think each of you would have done?"
Mira answered for the group. "We'd have all gone. Even you, by the end. We always go with her. That's just what we do."
"I do believe you're right," Mical said thoughtfully.
Bastila, Mical, Mira, and Juhani stayed until the Ebon Hawk's repairs were complete. They then departed for Telos in Yuthura's and Juhani's ships. The others boarded the Hawk, and left together for Nathema.
Mandalore watched as the ships flew away, and allowed himself a rare moment of tenderness. "Find her," he muttered. "Find her."