A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Into the Darkness
The Jedi Civil war is drawing to a close. His traitorous apprentice now slain, DARTH REVAN once again rules the Sith, and has once again assumed command of the Sith armada.
Bastila Shan, also a former hero of the Republic, now sits at the right hand the returned Dark Lord, her power growing by the day under the guidance of her new Master.
But the new Sith Lord is troubled. There is a danger lurking beyond the edge of his perception - and it is growing stronger quickly. Knowing that the Republic will not be strong enough to fight this threat, Revan has no choice but to resume his war against them - in order to protect them from their deepest and darkest fears...
Bastila stepped to the edge of the platform, looking down imperiously at the Sith forces gathered on the planet. The communications link to the fleet now established, she spoke loudly to the crowd.
"Malak is dead!" she said, raising her arms above her head. "All hail the return of Darth Revan - the true Lord of the Sith!"
Revan smiled slightly as he stepped forward, Bastila stepping to his right, the crowd below gaping up at him - he could sense their fear. How they cowered from him. To see him standing before them once again, after Malak had proclaimed him dead - now to face the fury of the Master they had so readily abandoned. They knew they would pay.
Rhythmic chanting began to flow through the ranks. "All hail Lord Revan! All hail Lord Revan! All hail Lord Revan!"
Bastila bowed to him as he moved to the edge of the platform. "The Sith bow before you. You have reclaimed your rightful throne. The Jedi Order is in tatters. It is only a matter of time until your Sith minions wipe them from the face of the Galaxy."
Revan arched an eyebrow darkly. I doubt it, he thought. The Jedi would not go quietly. If only they knew the danger he was trying to protect them from...
"The Republic fleet is decimated," Bastila continued, unaware of her Master's thoughts. "The Core Worlds are defenceless against us!"
He folded his arms across his chest, smiling darkly as he gazed across the landscape of Rakata Prime. The Sith had resumed their chant of "All Hail Lord Revan", some of them on their knees. He turned from them, heading to the archway that led to the interior of the temple. "Ready the fleet," he snapped to admiral Varko as he passed. "The War must go on, before the Republic has time to react to their defeat here. With their fleet crippled, the Core Worlds are an easy target."
He motioned for Bastila to follow him, and entered the temple. "You will return to the Ebon Hawk and dock her with the Chimera. Take command of the ship, and await my arrival."
"What shall be done with the droids, Mi'Lord?"
"They will serve on the Chimera, which is to become the flagship."
"Understood, Master," she said.
He pulled her to the side of the hallway. "You are to take Admiral Varko with you. I'll need you to... deal with him."
"Master?"
"He was far too close to Malak. You will eliminate him."
"Understood," she said, nodding.
"Go. Prepare the fleet for departure. I will arrive aboard the Chimera shortly."
"Yes, Master," she said, bowing and taking her leave.
* * * * *
He ducked behind a large outcrop of stone as another round of blaster bolts came towards him, cracking the rocks he hid behind. Reloading his blaster's power pack, he threw the old one into the group of pursuing Sith and took aim. Squeezing the trigger, he let loose a fresh round of shots at the spent power back, igniting the remnants of the criozene gas, causing it to explode. Two soldiers fell dead to the ground, their armour melted into their skin. Taking advantage of their temporary disarray, he bolted towards a large stone structure on the beach. He dodged behind the nearest wall as another volley of shots came flying towards him. White hot pain erupted in his arm as a blaster bolt grazed his shoulder. Gasping in pain, he clutched at the charred whole in his armour. Spinning around the wall, he let loose tree shots at his pursuers, one of them flailing his arms as the shot took him full in the chest, another stumbling to the ground as it struck his knee.
The soldiers stopped firing, and took cover behind pieces of debris and rock. The leader stuck his head out from cover and yelled over the waves that were crashing against the shore. "It's over, Onasi!" he said.
"Not as long as I can still fire a blaster!" yelled Carth, throwing another round of shots at them. The bolts bounced harmlessly off of the rock, some of them biting into the sand. He ducked behind cover again, lest the Sith return fire.
"With the return of Lord Revan, it's only a matter of time before the Republic falls! You have lost, Commander!"
"The Republic won't be defeated that easy," yelled Carth, loading a fresh power pack into his blaster. "It'll take more than an amnesic Jedi to bring down the governing body of the Galaxy!"
"You place too much faith in the strength of your governing body!" hollered the Sith.
"Maybe," said Carth, glancing at the chronometer on his wrist. "And maybe the Republic will fall, this time. But your Empire will collapse, like everything Sith, and a new democracy will rise in its place." He removed his wristwatch, and pulled out the wiring from the back.
"One Empire used the power of the Star Forge to survive for thousands of years - so will We."
"Maybe," said Carth again, wiring the wristwatch to the spent power-pack.
"Enough of this!" yelled the soldier. "Throw out your weapon! Now!"
"Whatever you say," said Carth. He threw the spent power pack over his shoulder to the Sith.
The Captain ignored it. "Now, come out with your hands on top of your head!" Carth placed his hands on top of his head and slowly came out from behind the wall.
"On your knees!"
"Go to hell," he hissed. He fell to the ground as the blaster pack exploded, killing three of the Sith soldiers. He pulled his blaster from its hiding place and opened fire on the other two, killing them both before they knew what had happened.
Pulling himself to his feet, he grimaced as he glanced at the flesh wound on his arm.
The sound of repulsorlifts caught his attention, and he threw a glance to the East - the Ebon Hawk was rising into the air. Ducking behind the ruins again, he held his blaster ready. The Hawk flew over him, apparently not seeing him. He looked around the landscape, wondering what in the name of the Republic he was going to do. He was stranded on an unnamed planet in the middle uncharted space, with no ship, no food, and only two spare power packs for his blaster. Sitting with his back against the wall, he stared out across the ocean, sighing. The sun was beginning to set. It would have been a beautiful sight, was it not for the Sith ships launching from the planet. Pulling himself deeper into the cover of the ruins, Carth drew his blaster and held it at his side. It was going to be a long night.
Great start, can't wait for more
Great start, can't wait for more
I agree. Nice title, good start and I'm suprised Revan is protecting the Republic. Maybe Bastila could be called Darth Bastila.
i really enjoyed it. I'll like to see how the story pans out ... and ditto for Joss Kanubi, i can't wait for more either
This is actually my re-write of Dark Mirror. I might do one in that universe again, but this one is far less... complicated. I don't have to write my own versions of the past, necessarily.
Very good, but I see you have a few homonym issues ('How they coward from him'), and you forgot a letter here and there. Other than proofreading, keep up the good jorb job. :)
Crap. Can't believe I did that. I think I got them all. If not, let me know. In fact, I'm sending you a PM, Hall. Get back to me.
EDIT: I've edited it thouroughly myself again, and caught a few things that I didn't before. It should be good now.
Yay. First full chapter time. Thanks go to Hall, who has agreed to proofread my stuff before I post it, as opposed to after. Thanks a lot, Hall. :D
Chapter One
Bastila stepped off the docking ramp of the Ebon Hawk, her cloak billowing behind her. Captain Phillias stood at the base of the ramp, waiting for her. “Welcome aboard the Chimera, Mi’Lady,” he said, bowing at the waist. “We are honoured to have you aboard.”
“Enough,” snapped Bastila, snapping him to attention with a wave of her hand. “Lord Revan will be arriving shortly. You are to wait here for Fleet Admiral Varko, and then proceed to the bridge. I shall await you there.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. She made to move to the turboshaft, but he stopped her. “My apologies, Mi’Lady. There is a man who has requested to speak with you in private. A Mr. Canderous Ordo. He awaits you in the ready room.”
“Very well,” said Bastila. “You have your orders, Captain. See that you give admiral Varko the... ‘proper greeting’.” He nodded grimly, and saluted. She walked briskly past him into the turboshaft, her guards flanking her. “Bridge,” she barked. The computer acknowledged the order with a deep tone, and the doors hissed shut.
* * * * *
Canderous stood in the ready room of the Chimera, where Captain Philias had told him to await Bastila. Staring out the large window at the armada arrayed before the mighty Star Forge, he sighed. It had been a long time since he’d seen a force like this. Not since the Mandalorian Wars. Not since Malachor.
He turned away from the window and began to pace the length of the room anxiously. A great deal had happened in the past ten years. The galaxy had seen yet another war, and the Republic was on the verge of collapse. With the bulk of its fleet obliterated, the Republic would fall to Revan’s armada in a matter of weeks, possibly even days.
The door opened, and Bastila stepped through the door. Her sharp eyes bore into his for a moment, as if reading his mind. She then looked away, then proceeded to the desk. “What do you want, Mandalorian?” she snapped.
“I asked to speak with Am... with Revan,” he said, catching himself at the last minute - he had almost referred to the new Dark Lord by the name he used after the Jedi captured him, something that was sure to aggravate the already volatile Bastila.
“The Dark Lord is busy,” she said shortly. “You will speak to me, and I will speak to him on your behalf.”
“Not good enough,” retorted Canderous, leaning on the desk. “Just because you’re the new Sith Lord’s pet doesn’t mean I have to go through you to talk to him.”
“That’s exactly what it means,” she spat. “I am the second in command of the Sith armada! I am the apprentice to the Dark Lord himself! Everything goes through me before it reaches Revan.”
“Don’t tell me you’re letting all that vaunted Sith power go to your head?” he asked. “I thought Sith weren’t supposed to become full of themselves?”
“You know nothing of the Sith,” spat Bastila, standing and walking around to the desk to the window. “You’re nothing but a lonely soldier - one of the last of the once great Mandalorians.”
He smiled slightly. “And you’re nothing but a spoiled little Jedi princess who thinks she’s got it made because she’s daddy’s favourite girl. I fail to see your point.”
“How dare you!” she said, turning and igniting her lightsabre. “You-”
“My apologies,” he said quickly. There was silence for a moment. “Sith princess.”
She glared at him. “If you were any other man, I would kill you where you stand.”
He smiled darkly and arched an eyebrow. He stood straight, and folded his arms across his chest. “I’m sure,” he said. “And I’m sure you’d do a good job of it. Now; Revan?”
She growled quietly, and put her lightsabre back on her belt. “He is busy, Mandalorian,” she hissed. “You will talk to me.”
He sighed. “Just tell him that I’m going to accept his offer,” he said. “You don’t have to know what it means,” he added, when she narrowed her eyes at him maliciously. “You just have to deliver the message to him.”
She gritted her teeth, but didn’t retort. “Very well,” she said. “Is there anything else?”
“Nothing, mi’lady,” he said, placing a great deal of sarcasm on the term. “Can I go now?”
“Dismissed.”
* * * * *
As Admiral Varko’s shuttle touched down, Phillias looked to the lieutenant at his side and nodded. The lieutenant raised his hand and signalled to the soldiers behind him, who loaded their blaster rifles.
The doors opened, and Varko’s stepped out. “Captain, what are these men doing down here? I ordered all off duty personnel down to the planet for Bastila’s announcement!”
He nodded, and the soldiers opened fire. Varko fell to the ground, his eyes wide with shock, the silver armour on his chest charred black. Phillias stepped up to him, standing over his head imperiously.
“I’m sorry, sir,” he said darkly. He raised his own blaster, and took aim. He squeezed the trigger, and the next moment, Admiral Varko lay dead on the floor, a smoking whole in the middle of his forehead. Phillias turned to his lieutenant. “Lieutenant, the Admiral seems to have had an accident. Get a team down here to clean up this... mess.” With that, he turned on his heel and marched to the turboshaft. He pulled the comm link from his belt. “It is done, mi’lady,” he said. “Varko has been eliminated.”
"Excellent, Captain,” came her voice. “I will be sure to notify the Dark Lord of your part in his demise. I’m sure he will be pleased.”
“Thank you, mi’lady,” he said.
“Remain in the shuttle bay. I will be there shortly. We will greet the Dark Lord when he arrives.”
“Understood,” he responded.
* * * * *
T3-M4 sat in the engine room of the Ebon Hawk, his auditory sensors at maximum, listening to the sounds of battle in the outside bay. He hummed woefully as the sounds ceased, and after a few seconds, he detected a voice on the edge of his range.
“It is done, mi’lady,” said a male voice. He couldn’t identify the voice, but his logic subroutines concluded that it must be a Sith officer addressing Darth Bastila.
“Excellent, Captain,” responded a female voice. “I will be sure to...”
The voices faded into nothingness as his range decreased slightly, due to the metal object that was approaching the room.
“Irritated revelation: There you are! The Master’s concubine wishes us to disembark from this vessel, and submit to the authority of the droid maintenance personnel of the Chimera.”
T3 moaned fearfully, the light on the front of his head fading slightly.
“I am unaware of her motives, nor of the Master’s,” responded HK irritably. “It is not our place to question his orders, nor those of his more trusted servants.”
T3 chirped and squealed, rolling back and forth across the floor nervously.
“Dismissal: The Master would not wish either of us to have our memories wiped,” he said. “My assassination protocols are far too valuable to risk damaging further.”
The astromech droid burst into loud cries and whistles, the light on his head unit flaring into a bright blue.
“Consolation: I’m sure that you possess many qualities that the Master finds valuable. Your computer interface capabilities are of definite notoriety.”
He was silent for a moment, then moaned ominously once more.
“Threat: If you are considering violating a direct order from the Master’s meatbag concubine, I will be forced to initiate enforcement protocols,”
T3 responded with a series of beeps and chirps, backing away slightly.
“Why, the enforcement of the Master’s will, of course,” he responded plainly. “I am programmed not only to obey the Master, but also to enforce his orders upon his other servants - including non-meatbags such as yourself.”
With a short burst from his droid stun arm, T3 moved past HK into the cargo bay, and towards the docking ramp. HK followed, after recovering from the shock to his motor systems.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was turning into an organic meatbag,” he said wearily, as he holstered his blaster rifle and stepped onto the docking ramp.
Glad I caught this one early... looks great.
Great chapter Doc, can't wait for the next one.
Great Chapter, looking forward to the next one
Very nice...I look forward to reading more.
Excellent Chapter, man this is good
I like how you've written this--very interesting. Hope to see more.
Well, I won't have a great deal of time to write - family issues. I can't predict my activity level for the next few days, maybe even weeks. The next chapter is almost done - I might be able to have it posted in a week.