Revered and Reviled

"One move, one wave of a hand, and we kill everyone in your crew," snarled the guard.
"We're going, we're going," said Patience. "See? Everybody's going peacefully."
"Shut up! Don't try to use your Jedi mind tricks on me." The guards began to lead Bastila and Carth down a hallway, separate from the others.
"Wait," commanded the leader of the guards. "Count them, make sure we got everyone. Captain," he sneered, "Onasi, Shan, the girl and the Wookie, the Mandalorian, two droids, and a Jedi." He looked at Jolee's robes, and Jolee frowned at him. The guard turned to Patience. "Then you must be the other one. The dangerous one. Take her with Shan and Onasi."
They dragged Patience, Carth, and Bastila away, and brought them to an interrogation room. Technicians had just finished setting up three force cages. They were stripped of their gear and armor, and locked in the cages.
"Be strong," said Bastila softly.
The door to the interrogation room opened, and a tall Human male, greying before his time, entered the room. "Carth. It has been a long time since we last spoke, has it not? The recent months have not been kind to you. I barely recognized you when you were brought onboard." His accent was pure Corellian, upper class and disdainful.
"But I recognized you," said Carth, his voice tight and angry. "Saul. Your face is the same as the one I see every night in my dreams, where I swear to kill you for what you did to my homeworld. To my wife."
Karath laughed. "You learned nothing from your time serving with me, then. As a soldier, you should understand that casualties are unavoidable in times of war. As a man, you should understand that sometimes you must destroy what you love."
"What?" Carth stared at him. "What are you talking about, Saul? You weren't fighting a war, you bombed a civilian planet into oblivion with no warning or provocation. What love? What would someone like you know about love?"
"I always wondered what it would be like to be as blind as you, Carth. To see nothing more than what you expect to see everywhere you look." Karath sighed. "I wanted this moment to be poignant. I thought I would enjoy seeing you suffer. But you just irritate me, Carth. You always did. You're just in the way, as usual."
"What do you mean?" There was an odd feeling in his chest, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what happened next.
"I did ask her to come with me, before we started the bombardment. But it was the same excuse as always. She was married, and had to stay for you. She really believed that you would make it in time to save her, no matter what."
"You liar." Carth said the words quietly. He didn't believe it. "It's not enough that you killed her, you're going to try and destroy her memory, too? What is wrong with you, Saul? You hate me that much?"
"You will never understand how much I hate you, Carth. Not until you understand the hell that I went through for years fearing that you would figure it out, only to realize that you were a blind, complacent fool." Karath's voice shook with anger, and he pulled a chain from beneath his uniform. A small diamond ring dangled from it. "Did you ever look for it, Carth? Ever?"
The blow was so stunning Carth couldn't react. "That – I – it can't be." The engagement ring that he had given to Morgana, lost just after Dustil was born. They hadn't been able to afford to replace it, and she had laughed off the loss.
"It is," Karath raged. "I took it from her years ago, and she knew I wore it around you. We both waited. Years, Carth! We spent years trembling in fear, waiting for you to say something. But you never knew. You never cared."
"That's not true!"
"By the Celestials, will you please shut up?" Karath waved his hand in dismissal, and tucked the ring away again. "I loathe you, but you're just not important now. As always, you are an adjunct to the real issue." Karath took a deep breath, trying to regain his calm. "Cling to your dreams and your hopes of revenge if you must, but spare me your posturing and your empty threats. I've heard it all before." He looked at Bastila and Patience, and smiled, in a way that clearly reflected the twisted darkness of his soul. "Lord Malak is far more interested in your Jedi companions. He has great plans for them."
"You filthy, murdering liar!"
He looked at Carth, and pressed a button on the console, sending waves of agonizing pain through Carth. "Be silent."
Carth dropped to the floor of the cage, gasping for breath.
"Stop it!" cried Patience.
"We will never serve Malak, or the Dark Side," said Bastila serenely. "The Sith will be destroyed, Admiral Karath. As will you."
Karath shook his head, and laughed.
"It is not too late to turn away from this path," Bastila urged.
"Your words are brave, but meaningless," laughed Karath. "Did you really think that would work? You're as blind as your friend Carth. It is much more likely that you will, in fact, serve the Dark Side. The lure is strong, Bastila, and it offers much to someone like you." He glanced at Patience again. "Or so I've been told. I wonder – is your companion as," he paused, groping for the right word, "as devoted to the Light, as you seem to be?" He looked at Patience, and smiled strangely at her.
Patience looked back at him. "Oh, wait, were you expecting me to answer you, or something? I'm sorry, I didn't realize that long-winded display of incompetence was supposed to be for my benefit. No, thanks, I'm not interested in betraying my friends and companions. Sorry for wasting your time!" Patience smiled at him, in her most friendly and innocent way.
"You're defiant," Karath smiled. "I'm sure Lord Malak will find your loyalty most amusing. I wonder if Lord Malak would reward me if I just killed you for once and for all," Karath mused, "but considering all the trouble you have caused perhaps he would like to question you himself. Yes, given the history between the two of you, I'm certain that he would like to speak to you. In person."
"History?" Patience cocked her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Karath looked at her in disbelief, then at Carth and Bastila. "Oh, but – you mean – this can't be true, can it?" He stifled a laugh. "Oh, but it is. This is magnificent!" He looked at Patience. "You really don't know what's going on here, do you? You know, that explains so very much," Karath laughed. "Well, in that case, I won't be the one to deprive Lord Malak of the pleasure."
"You're insane, Saul." Carth stared at his former mentor in despair. "You're completely insane." He looked at Bastila, but she stared straight ahead, her lips set.
Patience looked at her companions. Bastila's face was unreadable, and Carth was just as confused as she was. There was nothing from the little voice inside her head, either. She felt very strange, and very alone.
"I suppose that when Lord Malak gets here, he will want to torture you for information, or perhaps merely for his own pleasure. However, Lord Malak is currently in another sector. I suppose," Karath smiled slowly, "I will have to fill in for him until then." He touched the console, and all three cages filled with waves of painful energy.
Shocked by the unexpected pain, Patience screamed, as did Carth and Bastila. The chorus of agonized shrieks made Karath smile.
"Eventually," said Karath, "you will tell us everything we want to know. But for the moment," he activated the torture field again, "I don't have any questions." He watched them writhe, drinking in the sight of their pain. "Enough. I wouldn't want anyone to pass out before I have a chance to ask a few questions. Let me see," mused Karath. "I'm sure that Lord Malak would appreciate any scrap of information that I could wring from you."
"Don't waste your breath, Saul. We won't tell you anything!" Carth snarled.
"I'm sure you won't," Karath smiled, stressing the word 'you.' "However," he turned back to Patience, "I'm sure we both know that your friend's loyalties in the past have proven to be somewhat… flexible."
"You know, if I had any idea what the hell you were talking about, I would be more upset," said Patience calmly. "But go ahead, have your fun. I'm not going to tell you anything. I'm loyal to Carth and my crew."
Karath smiled strangely at her. "Then let us put that loyalty to the test. Let us see what kind of loyalty Carth inspires in you." He smiled cruelly at Carth, then turned back to Patience. "Torturing you would be worse than useless. Your will is too strong to be broken that way. However," he smiled again, and Patience stared at him with a sick fascination, "if I recall correctly, you have something of a weakness when it comes to the suffering of those close to you."
Patience gasped in horror. "No!"
"I am going to begin the interrogation now," said Karath. "Every time you fail to answer my question, or lie to me, Carth will suffer."
Patience hid her face in her hands, trying to think, trying to keep herself strong.
"My pain is meaningless, Patience," shouted Carth. "Don't let it influence you. Tell him nothing!"
"You amuse me, Carth, but I tire of these games. I want answers," said Karath firmly. "You will give them to me, or you will suffer. Tell me, where is the Jedi Academy? Which planet?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Patience snapped. "Do I look like a Jedi to you?"
"You mock me," snarled Karath. "This is the price of your resistance." He touched the console, and Carth arched back in agony from the rippling fields of pain, but didn't cry out. "Ah, you were ready that time."
Patience shrank away from Karath's searching gaze.
"This first question," smiled Karath, "was merely a test. To see how you would react. Obviously, Lord Malak knew of the Academy on Dantooine. It has already been destroyed, as will be all who stand against the power of the Sith."
Bastila gasped. "No! You lie!"
There was a slightly insane tinge to Karath's laugher. "Lie? Is that not the way of the Jedi? Dantooine is an empty crater now, a graveyard filled with smoking ruins and corpses. The charred remains of your former Masters. The scorched bodies of your fellow students."
Patience sensed the truth in his words. Many had escaped, but many more had been slain, or worse. "Monster! How dare you!" she raged. "You will pay for this, Karath! You and all the Sith!"
"Ah," said Karath mildly. "It seems the shell is rather thin."
"What?" said Patience in confusion, and her mind flashed a memory at her, of the holocron droning numbers, comparing her to a previous identity.
"Still, in the end, it is nothing more than an empty threat. We Sith prefer to let our actions speak for us," Karath smiled. "That would be why we are winning this war. Tell me of your mission," he said suddenly. "What did the Jedi have planned for you? How were they planning to stop Lord Malak and our Sith armada?"
Patience glared at him. "I'm not going to betray the Jedi. I'm not going to help you, or the Sith."
"Let me remind you what happens when you resist me," said Karath grimly.
Carth screamed in pain as Karath increased the intensity of the torture field.
"No!" Patience cried. "Stop it, stop – I can't – " she put her hands to her head, and sank to her knees, trying to hold back the crippling sensation in her mind. She felt herself being lost in memories again, but couldn't tell if the memories were her own, or Lord Revan's.
She was cowering in a room, screaming in pain. On a starship, somewhere. A Republic ship. Someone entered the room, trying to soothe her. "They're hurting him," she sobbed wildly. "They're hurting him, and I can't make them stop! I can't take it, I can't take any more of the pain!"
Soothing, strong hands, stroking her hair. A body, lean and strong, yet unmistakably feminine, cradling her, holding her close. Soft words. Gentle lips, kissing the pain away. A trusted friend. A beloved companion. Sacrificed at the end, for a greater victory.
It had been the only way. Or had it?
She came back to herself, sobbing in anguish. "Stop!"
Karath looked at her curiously. "You can spare him – and yourself – further pain. Simply answer my question. On what mission did the Jedi Council send you?"
"You sick, evil, twisted bastard!" Patience sobbed.
"I think you're missing the point," smiled Karath. He touched the console again, and Carth's screams echoed through the room. Karath watched Carth, a smile flickering around the edges of his lips. "I'm surprised he hasn't passed out yet. Rarely have I seen someone withstand such punishment."
Patience wondered wildly if he realized what was really happening. That she was suffering part of Carth's pain with him. That some strange part of her soul was feeding on that pain, and growing stronger second by second, and that it was all she could do to keep herself in check.
"I suppose I am wasting my time here," said Karath, and turned off the torture field. Carth fell to the floor of his cage, moaning. "I will leave you now, and let Lord Malak complete the questioning." Karath's eyes were shining oddly. "When he arrives, you will realize why my techniques are considered merciful among the Sith." Karath smiled again, a repulsive and sickening smile. "But first, let me give you one more taste of the horrors you will suffer when Lord Malak arrives."
All three fields activated again, and they all screamed, caught off guard by the sudden waves of pain. Patience wondered why it didn't hurt as much when she suffered; it was only unbearable when she was trying to protect someone else. It didn't really make any sense, she said to herself. But then, nothing did. The Jedi Code, the Sith Code. They didn't make any sense. Why couldn't peace coexist with passion? Why couldn't strength be tempered with mercy? Wouldn't true balance require both lows and highs, dark and light? Without chaos, how could order have any meaning? How would harmony exist if there was only one note in the song?
The field stopped, and Patience dropped to the floor like a ragdoll. Bastila sank to her knees, panting, and Carth lay on the floor, shuddering in pain.
Karath smiled, and laughed a repulsive little laugh, then nodded to the guards, and left the room.
The interrogators activated the field in Patience's cell again. She fought back a scream, and wondered why they were focusing on her. Am I really that interesting, she asked herself. Apparently, she was. But then, why didn't anyone remember her? It was as if she hadn't existed before she met Carth and Bastila. But she had, hadn't she? She must have. She had a service record, and a name.
"There are no recognizable world markers in your name."
Patience.
The pain stopped, and she realized she was on her hands and knees on the floor of the force cage. The interrogators were watching her curiously. Tears were running down Carth's face, sympathy for her suffering. Bastila was kneeling on the floor of her cage, whispering the Jedi Code over and over again.
They activated all three cages again, shocking a scream from Carth and Patience, but Bastila's meditation gave her the strength to stay silent.
Patience wondered how much longer this would go on, and how long it would take the damage to heal. She remembered floating in a kolto tank for what must have been weeks. Her skull cracked. Internal organs crushed. Reconstructive regrowth. Heart, stomach, ovaries, liver, lungs. Rebuilt from her own cells under the influence of the healing kolto. The only thing undamaged had been her brain. And yet, that was the only part that wasn't working correctly. But this would just be nerve damage. No actual physical damage. No bleeding. In order for there to be bleeding, they would have to touch her.
She looked at the interrogators, standing behind their consoles. They wouldn't dare to touch her.
"This wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have the sneaking suspicion that Karath is somewhere watching us and jerking off," Patience rasped, her voice rough with pain and screams.
Carth laughed in surprise, and the interrogators activated all three of the fields.
The pain continued.
She had another odd flash of memory. Herself, with a group of other children, kneeling in a circle, reciting strangely rhythmic words. "Education and armor. Self-defense, our tribe. Our language, our leader – all help us survive." First in a form of Basic that she barely remembered, then in another language that she recognized as Mandalorian, then again in a strangely sibilant language that she couldn't name. She wouldn't let herself say the name. She looked up at the sky, and saw the rings surrounding the planet, and the multitude of moons. It was snowing outside. There was always snow here. Where was here?
She came to herself again, gasping in agony.
"Don't try to move yet," said Bastila gently. "The guards continued to torture you, even after you had passed out. Give your body time to recover."
"They tortured all of us, but you got the worst of it, by far." Carth watched Patience stagger to her feet. "You were right. Saul was watching the entire time. He was enjoying it."
"It is sickening, yes," said Bastila softly. "This is the path that he has chosen, Carth. He has embraced the Dark Side, and followed it to the depths of evil. He is a perverted shadow of his former self. I fear," she said sadly, "that he is forever lost."
"Don't you ever get tired of being so preachy?" grinned Patience. "No one is beyond hope of redemption, Bastila."
Bastila smiled at her, and Patience could see her silent admiration of her bravery and her strength. "Yes, I suppose you are correct. It is just that sometimes," said Bastila softly, "it is easy to lose sight of that hope in the face of such unbridled cruelty." Bastila sighed.
"It's Dantooine, isn't it? That's why you're so unhappy." Patience wished she could touch her, hold her hand.
Bastila nodded. "Jedi are taught to restrain our emotions," she said quietly. "I sometimes wonder if I even still know how to cry. Is there no end to the killing?"
"I'm sure some of them escaped, Bastila," Patience tried to reassure her.
"I would give anything to believe that he had been lying," Bastila said softly, her voice trembling slightly. "But even as he spoke the words, I knew that they were true. How did I not feel it? How did he hide it from us?"
"I think," said Patience slowly, "we were on Korriban at the time."
"Indeed," said Bastila sadly. "I fear that the Dark Side is growing stronger in this sector of the galaxy. It throws shadows that distract and deceive, and that our vision cannot pierce. Worse, we have lost our one refuge in this sector."
"None of which will matter if we don't get out of this prison before Saul gets back," Carth pointed out.
"Where do you think he is now?" asked Patience. "His quarters?"
"One of the last interrogators to leave mentioned that Lord Malak was on his way. Saul is probably on the bridge, getting ready to kiss the feet of his Sith Lord." Carth grinned. "At least he won't have anything interesting to report from our interrogation."
Patience blushed as she realized that Carth and Bastila were both looking at her, admiringly. "What?"
"You didn't say anything," said Bastila, her voice soft and sweet. "You resisted everything that they did to you. The Force chose well when it laid the fate of the galaxy in your hands."
My love.
Patience blinked in surprise, blushing madly. Had Bastila actually said that? Had she really heard it, or only felt it?
"I… I have a confession to make," said Carth quietly, completely oblivious to Patience's confusion and embarrassment. "There was a moment… just a moment… when I was hoping that you would tell him what he wanted to know, just to make the pain stop."
"Oh, Carth," Patience looked at him sadly. "I am so sorry! Watching you suffer was horrible! It was tearing me apart."
"I knew you wouldn't. I knew you wouldn't betray us, or the mission. I knew you would never do anything intentionally to hurt me."
Patience winced, but let him continue.
"I also know that I'm not as strong as you. I don't know what I would have done in your position. I'm very glad it didn't come to that," said Carth softly. "I might have cracked."
"Oh, Carth…."
"Did you feel that?" said Bastila suddenly, and Patience knew what she was talking about. "A disturbance in the Force."
It was more than a disturbance. It was a maelstrom.
Bastila looked despairingly around the room. "Lord Malak is coming."
Patience smiled, cheerful and confident. "Don't worry. Juhani will get us out of here."
"I hope so," said Carth uncertainly.
"'You must have faith in the Force,'" quipped Patience, mimicking Master Vandar's accent perfectly.
Bastila and Carth stared at her, then all three broke into nervous giggles, then a short bout of hysterical laughter, a natural reaction to the stress. Finally, they all calmed down.
The door to the interrogation room opened, and Juhani stepped carefully into the room.
"Juhani!"
"Well done, Juhani," said Bastila warmly as the Cathar shut down the force cages.
"You're just in time," said Carth gratefully.
Patience bounded out of her cage and gave Juhani a warm hug.
"Are all prisoners tortured in their underwear?" asked Juhani curiously.
Patience laughed. "I'm sure our gear is around here somewhere."
"If this design is still the same as other cruisers of its class, then there's a storage room just north of here," said Carth. "Have you freed everyone else, Juhani?"
"No," she shook her head, "I felt that I should free you three first. The way back to the ship is clear."
"We'll need to get to the bridge and release the hangar controls. That's the only way we'll be able to take off," Carth said quickly. "And we have to get out of here before Lord Malak arrives."
"Get the rest of the crew back to the ship," said Patience. "We'll get our stuff and head to the bridge. Once we have the tractor beam turned off and the doors open, we'll meet you back at the ship."
"All right," said Juhani. She gave Patience another hug, then ran back out to the other section of holding cells.
"Are we going to make a plan?" asked Patience as they ran to the storage room. "Or just go with the old standby of blasting anything that moves?"
"I think that plan will work best, actually," smiled Bastila.
"Yeah, everyone we meet on this ship will be an enemy. I don't think we need to lose any sleep over killing them." Carth opened the footlockers. "Here's our gear. Let's go." They quickly got their clothes and armor back on, and readied their weapons.
They backtracked through the interrogation room and around the corridor to the bridge section, past the bodies of dead guards lying on the floor. "I guess Juhani already came this way," grinned Patience.
"Up here," Carth led them in the direction of the bridge. "This ship is using the standard layout. That's a relief. That means I won't have any trouble finding anything."
The communicator beeped. "Canderous here. We're all here, and we've reached the Ebon Hawk. It's under heavy guard, but," she could hear his smile, "we've got a plan. They won't know what hit them."
Patience laughed. "We're at the main elevator. We'll move as fast as we can."
"K'oyacyi, kal vod," Canderous said softly.
She smiled at the communicator. "They don't have what it takes to get rid of me."
He laughed. "I'll see you back at the ship. Canderous out."
"Really going to have to learn Mandalorian someday," Carth muttered.
Patience looked at him, still smiling from Canderous' farewell. "It was a command. 'Stay alive.'"
"And the bit at the end?"
"You're jealous!" she exclaimed. "That's so cute!"
Carth rolled his eyes.
"It means 'blade sister.' Or, 'blade brother,' depending who you say it to, of course. Someone you've fought with and trust to watch your back."
"He didn't sound like he was talking to his sister," Carth muttered. "Let's get going."
Bastila smiled gently, and they took the elevator to the command deck.
Carth led them to the bridge. "Are you ready?"
Patience readied her lightsabers, and nodded, as did Bastila.
Carth overrode the security, and the doors flew open.
Karath stood in the center of the bridge, flanked by two Dark Jedi. He clapped his hands. "Very resourceful. Of course, I knew that someone would come here once you started attacking the hangar where your ship was being held. Don't be so surprised that I'm ready for you."
"Your time is up, Saul," Carth hissed.
"Don't be a fool," Karath insisted. "I'm giving you and your companions a chance to surrender. Believe me, if we capture you again, you will not enjoy it. Might I remind you that Darth Malak is almost here? You might escape from me. You will not escape from him."
"He speaks the truth," gasped Bastila. "I can sense him. So much power."
"Throw down your weapons, and I will ask my Master to be merciful."
"I've seen enough of Sith mercy," snarled Carth. "It's time to end this, Saul!"
"Ah, well," sighed Karath. "I'm sure that Lord Malak would have preferred live prisoners, but corpses will have to do. Kill them!"
Patience had ignored most of the conversation, and instead focused on watching the two Dark Jedi. She moved a split second before they did, leaping swiftly and landing right behind them. They quickly turned to face her, and Karath ran for the cover of a nearby control console.
Bastila used the Force to immobilize the troopers on the bridge, and began cutting them down while Carth fired at the Admiral.
"Come out and fight, Saul!"
Patience concentrated on keeping the Dark Jedi busy while Carth and Bastila cleared out the rest of the bridge. One of them made a mistake, too eager to try to get to her, and died for it. Alone, the other was no match for her and she dispatched him just as she heard the last trooper fall.
Karath tried to run for the door, and Carth shot him in the back. The traitorous Admiral collapsed and fell.
Carth ran up to him. "It's time to finish this," he said grimly.
"Carth! Don't – don't do anything you wouldn't want to tell your children about."
Carth looked at her, and smiled just a little.
"Carth," coughed Karath. "Come here." He spat up a little blood. "I must tell you something, Carth."
Carth looked down at his old enemy, his nemesis. Karath was obviously dying. Carth knelt down, and Saul whispered something.
"You didn't know, did you?" Karath laughed, coughing up more blood. "I think this is the best revenge I could ever have wished for, Carth. Knowing that you will remember my words every time you look at those you thought were your friends." Karath laughed again, choking on his blood, until the sound faded away.
"By the Maker," Carth stood, staring down at the body of his old mentor. "He said – he's gone, it can't be true. Can it? No, no, no – it can't. It can't! Damn you, Saul! Damn you!"
"What is it, Carth?" Patience ran up to him. "What did he say?" She tried to lay her hand on his arm, but he brushed her off, recoiling from her touch.
"Bastila! It is true, isn’t it?" Carth glared at her, and Bastila looked away. "It is! And you knew! You and the whole damn Jedi Council! You knew!"
"Knew what?" Patience asked, looking from Carth to Bastila, but they were both ignoring her.
"You knew the whole damn time!"
"Carth, it's not what you think," said Bastila softly. "It's more complicated than you can imagine. You will remember," she said slowly, "that I did warn you. A long time ago. I asked you to be kind."
Carth drew back as if stung.
"We had no other choice," Bastila continued. "Please, Carth, try to understand."
"I don't," he said bitterly. "Make me. Make me understand, because this, this is madness."
"At some point," Patience said cheerily, "one of you two will have to talk to me." She walked over to a console. "I'll see if I can get the hangar doors open while I wait."
"She's right," said Bastila. "This isn't the time. Carth, please. This isn't the place. Malak is coming. We have to get out of here."
"You really expect me to just let this go?"
"Of course not," Bastila sighed. "Just, trust me. For a little bit longer. I'll explain everything once we're free of the Leviathan." She looked sadly at Patience. "To both of you."
Patience shrugged, and continued working at the console. "There, the hangar doors are open. Let's go."
Carth knelt by Karath's body, and pulled out the chain. He looked at the ring, then dropped it and turned away. "Go ahead and keep it, old dog. It meant more to you than it ever did to me."
"Are you ready, Carth?" asked Bastila gently.
"Just go."
They ran back to the main elevator, and went to the hangar level.
"Did it just get colder in here?" asked Carth uncertainly.
"You feel it too, don't you?" said Bastila softly. "The presence of the Dark Lord."
The blast door opened, and a tall man in skintight blood-red battle leathers walked up to them. His physique was amazing. Every step he took showed off his strength. His muscles rippled beneath his armor. The lower half of his jaw was covered with an ugly metallic prosthetic. He was bald, and his scalp was decorated with a series of blue tattoos. His aura glowed with the Dark Side.
Patience gasped as she realized who he was.
"Darth Malak," said Bastila bravely.
Carth whipped up his blasters and fired. The man drew his lightsaber faster than anyone Patience had ever seen, and bounced the blasts away. He threw a wave of Force energy, and Carth went flying backwards.
Malak laughed, his voice oddly distorted by the prosthetic jaw. "Surely, you weren't thinking of leaving so soon, Bastila. After all the effort I put into hunting down you and your companions? Did you really think I'd let you get away from me now?"
Carth staggered back to his feet, and Malak looked scornfully at him.
The Dark Lord finally seemed to notice Patience. His dark grey eyes burned into her. "Besides," he hissed, "I had to see for myself if it was true. Even now, I can hardly believe my eyes. Tell me," he demanded, "why did the Jedi spare you? What are you doing here? Is it vengeance you seek at this reunion?"
"Reunion?" She stared at his eyes, trying to remember where she had seen them before. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
"Come, come," he said impatiently. "Enough of this fooling. Surely, after all this time, you must have figured it out. You must feel something at your return, here, to this place."
"No, I'm apparently really stupid. I don't feel – "
No one would feel if you wiped out their entire past every time they did something you didn't like.
"I really did think you were dead," Malak laughed. "It serves me right. I should have killed you face to face. I always meant to."
I know that I will not be released before my work is done.
"I wonder how long you would have stayed blind to the truth if it hadn't been for this. How long could the combined power of the Jedi Council have kept your true identity buried?"
Why doesn't anyone recognize me?
"You're still dyeing your hair, as well. Surely that is unnecessary?"
Patience stared at him. "What?" I look too pretty. Too much like someone else.
"Your hair," said Malak patiently. "Why do you persist in dyeing it that ridiculous color?"
Who am I?
Patience opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. Her mind was deliberately trying not to process the memories his words brought up. With a great effort of her will, she forced herself to stay calm, not to give in to the crippling fear inside her.
She saw the sudden rush of memories, she saw herself removing the mask, felt herself staring at the Star Forge with her own eyes. Saw a curl of golden hair, damp with sweat, released from the restraint of the mask, saw herself brush it aside and felt herself smile, a wave of pride and triumph washing over her.
The Jedi do not believe in killing their prisoners.
Her memories rushed back even further, to a starship laden with luxuries and comforts, so unlike the Republic ships. She was running down a hall, ignoring the blood and the strangers, running to the command center, to a figure lying in a pool of blood on the deck, his blades still gripped in his hands. She screamed in anguish, threw herself on his body.
"Father! Father! Oh, Father, wake up! Please!"
A voice, shaking with fear and grief, spoke. "Forgive us, Most Holy and Revered One! We never meant this," the rebel sobbed. "Oh, forgive us! Forgive us! We tried to save him, but we failed! We only stood against him because he would have taken you away. The second he needed us, we were loyal! We were loyal! We fought to the death, Revered One!"
She sobbed wildly over her father's body, but he lay still and quiet. She lifted her head, felt the tears running down her face, saw the blood staining her gown. She stared at the three groups before her. Rebels, who had belatedly returned to their wonted loyalties; those she could forgive. They were punished enough. The strangers who had saved them – ah, they had come too late! Her father had waited for them, and he had died because of them. She scorned them. They were weak and faithless, and she knew their measure now. She would never depend on them again.
The third group – the Mandalorians – right and proper victims of her rage. "He trusted you!" she screamed at them. "He welcomed you as friends, and you turned on him! Attacked him when he was already under attack! Grave robbing jackals! Eaters of carrion!" She knew them too well, knew how deeply her insults would cut, knew how to sting their pride. Even then, even in her youth, she had known the Mandalorians too well.
One of the Mandalorians, enraged beyond words and forgetting that he was already a prisoner, moved, dropped his hand to his side where a weapon should have been.
She stood before anyone could react, screaming in her rage. "Coward! Dog! You dare!" She threw her fury at him, bending her will to cause him pain, drinking in his suffering. "I will make you pay for your insolence! I will make you all pay!" The Mandalorian shrieked in agony as the bolts of dark lightning rippled across his skin.
The rebels knelt in submission, glorying in her powers, and regretted again that their child-goddess was to be taken from them. The strangers ran in fear, except for one, who walked slowly to her, and wrenched her arms up, breaking her concentration.
"Are you quite done, child? You have no idea how dangerous it is to toy with powers beyond your control." The stranger's voice was calm and stern. The robes the stranger wore were plain, and yet, she exuded an aura of power and command.
She looked up at the stranger, her disdain warring with a growing sense of admiration. "You are the one of those my Father was waiting for? The ones who are supposed to teach me to control my powers." The stranger towered over her, but then, she had always been small, so very small for someone with so much power.
"Yes," answered the stranger.
"You're afraid of me," she said scornfully. Born to rule, she had not yet learned that others could be her equals.
The stranger shook her head, and she remembered being fascinated by the movement of the woman's hair, bound in long braids that fell on either side of her head. "No, child. I am afraid for you."
It was not the Sith that had destroyed her memories. It was the Jedi. The Jedi had tried to erase Revan, and replace it with – herself? Was this person real? Did Patience exist?
Who am I? Why am I here?
It was Bastila who had distracted her. Her small strike team had boarded the Misericordia. Their attack had left her open for Malak's betrayal.
It was Bastila who had saved her. Taken her broken and battered body back to the Council for healing. She had come to see her every day in the prison's hospital.
Heal her body and her mind – draw her back to the Light. But it had failed, so they had tried again. And again. The only things they could not remove were a touch of the Force and an inexhaustible supply of patience.
Revan apparently had a wicked sense of humor.
"Are you done hiding from what you once were, Revan?"
Who am I?
"Recognize that you were once the Dark Lord Revan. And know that I have taken your place!"
Malak drew his lightsaber, and she drew hers. Malak paused, and laughed.
"Even your blades are the same, Revan."
She blushed as she realized the truth of his words. "I am not Revan," she said shakily. "I may have been Revan once, but I am not Revan now. Revan is gone!"
"Is she?" mused Malak. "Let us see. Fate has given me a second chance, Revan, another chance to defeat you in combat. I shall not waste it. Once I have defeated you, Revan, my claim to leadership of the Sith will be absolute. No one shall question my right to rule." Malak used the Force to fling Bastila and Carth out of the hall, and the blast door sealed behind her. "Let us settle this once and for all, Revan, in the ancient Sith tradition. Master against Apprentice."
Malak looked at her curiously when she didn't respond. "Revan, have you been listening to anything I have been saying?"
"It just occurred to me that if I had remembered this earlier, I could have used your credit account to do some shopping."
"Revan!" Malak darted forward, his lightsaber flashing.
She dodged his blow, and counterattacked. "I could have bought some new droid parts on Dreshdae, but it's gone forever now."
"Yes, I heard about that," Malak laughed. "Not exactly the behavior one would expect from a mindless Jedi drone." Their lightsabers flashed in the darkness of the hall. "I half expected to find a pile of bodies neatly arranged to spell out your name. Tell me, Revan – are you truly returned to the Light? Or is this another one of your games?"
"I told you, I am not Revan!" She drove him back, through another set of blast doors. I can't be Revan.
"Well, your skill with the blades belongs to Revan," grumbled Malak. "I was hoping you had forgotten it, but it seems that you've learned even more than you knew before." He used the Force to fling her back, and retreated farther into the next room, recovering his breath and trying to focus.
Patience scrambled to her feet, shifted forms to meet his next attack, but he didn't attack. He watched her curiously.
"Which one?"
"What?"
"Which one are you sleeping with, Revan? The pretty little Jedi Princess, or the dashing Republic Captain? I can't tell."
Patience flushed. "Mind your own damn business, Malak!"
"Well, you have to be sleeping with one of them. I know you, Revan. You need a soft toy to cuddle while you rest."
"Go to hell!"
"You need someone to admire your pretty face, and tell you how wonderful you are, or you just start to fade away. Well, if you won't tell me, I'll guess. It's the Jedi Princess, isn't it? The soft hair, those naïve brown eyes, that luscious voice – I can just imagine her stroking your ego. 'You're so wonderful, Revan! How brave you are, Revan! You saved me again, Revan!' How. Adorable."
Just in time, she realized that he was trying to make her angry. With a giant effort, she held herself back, while Malak laughed.
The blast door to the right opened, and Bastila entered. "Patience!"
"Oh, look, she's come to save you. Your friends do not give up easily, Revan. You always did inspire such passionate devotion in your followers." He said it as an insult, reminding her of her single failure.
Bastila threw Malak back with a blast of Force energy. "Go! Find the Star Forge, I'll hold Malak off!"
"What?"
"That's an order, Patience! You're the only one that can do this! Take Carth, and join the others! Now!" Bastila ran through the blast door into the corridor with Malak, and sealed it behind her.
"No! Bastila, he's too strong!" Carth ran up and pounded on the door.
Patience stared in shock. "Bastila. Why?"
"We – we have to go. We won't have time to open this door. We barely had time to reach you. We have to go to the Ebon Hawk, unless we're just going to give up."
"She – she sacrificed herself for me." Patience felt numb and helpless.
"We have to go, come on," said Carth roughly, and started running down the corridor.
Patience followed him, her heart sick and heavy in her chest.