KOTOR 1 - Tevano: Traitor

Bastila Shan looked out at the Wroshyr trees of Kashyyyk as she descended ever deeper into the planet's gargantuan forest. She was carried by the Great Lift, a huge device of Wookiee construction that provided transportation from the Wookiee village above to Kashyyyk's shadowy surface far below. Bastila had been sent by the Jedi Council to Kashyyyk with several companions in search of a Star Map, a mysterious piece of ancient technology that might help locate the Star Forge, the source of Darth Malak's immense Sith fleet.

Coincidentally, Kashyyyk was home to the Wookiee Zaalbar, one of Bastila's companions on this mission. Zaalbar had been apprehended by his brother Chuundar, chieftan of the Wookiee tribe, secretly in league with Czerka slavers. Chuundar had agreed to release Zaalbar only if Bastila and her ally, the Jedi Tevano, killed a crazed Wookiee who lived on Kashyyyk's surface. Having shared a Force vision suggesting that the Star Map they sought was also on the surface, and needing Chuundar's approval to use the Great Lift, Bastila and Tevano agreed. On Chuundar's orders, the Wookiee Goorwooken had grudgingly agreed to take Bastila and Tevano on their long descent. Bastila and Tevano had considered getting reinforcements from their ship, the Ebon Hawk, where several of their companions waited for them, including the Republic pilot Carth Onasi. But the Wookiee's distaste for outsiders was so intense that they did not want to risk hindering the search for the Star Map by losing the access they had just gained.

The Great Lift was an impressive piece of primitive engineering. Constructed entirely of natural materials taken from the flora of Kashyyyk, it was capable of carrying dozens of Wookiees on the hours-long journey to the forest floor. This meant that there was more than sufficient space for Goorwooken to express his disdain by withdrawing to the far side of the Lift, distancing himself from the outsiders as if they were diseased. This left Bastila and Tevano effectively alone. As the Lift continued to descend, Bastila took a moment to consider her companion.

Tevano had only recently completed his Jedi training. It was almost unheard of for the Jedi Order to accept an adult. The Jedi Council told Tevano that they were making an exception for him due in part to his strong connection to the Force, and in part because the Republic was in desparate need of Jedi in the war against the Sith. That was all true, but Bastila knew that there was more to Tevano's story. Much more.

Years before he became leader of the Sith, Darth Malak had been a Jedi, and closest friend to a Jedi named Revan. When the Mandalorian clans invaded the Republic, Revan and Malak defied the Jedi Council and joined the Republic's fight against the Mandalorians. Revan eventually became commander of the war effort and led the Republic to victory. Soon after, Revan and Malak mysteriously disappeared, then just as suddenly returned as Darth Revan and Darth Malak, leading the Sith fleet that now threatened the Republic's existence.

In a daring attempt to stop the Sith, a Jedi strike team had boarded Darth Revan's flagship with plans to abduct the Dark Lord. Malak and his apprentice, Darth Bandon, used this distraction to betray Revan, firing on Revan's flagship from their own warship. Bastila, the only surviving member of the strike team, escaped with the badly wounded Darth Revan and delivered him to the Jedi Council on Dantooine, along with a clone body she found in suspended animation on Revan's flagship. The Jedi Council had informed Bastila that the clone body was lifeless, a failed experiment at Sith sorcery by Revan, but that Revan himself had survived. However, they said his massive injuries had destroyed his mind. Hoping to reclaim Revan as an ally, the Jedi Council said they had inserted a new personality into the Dark Lord: Tevano.

"What are you thinking about?"

Bastila jumped at the voice beside her. A Jedi's precognitive abilities usually prevented them from being taken off guard, but she had become so lost in her own thoughts that she'd almost forgotten that the man she was contemplating was standing beside her, now looking apologetic for having startled her.

"Sorry, I was just looking out at the forest," Bastila said. "We've been so busy, jumping from Taris to Dantooine to Tatooine and now to Kashyyyk, that I haven't taken much time to appreciate the journey. I suppose I became distracted." It was an evasive answer, but not an entirely dishonest one. If Tevano noticed, he brushed past it.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Tevano said, turning to join Bastila in looking over the Great Lift's railing into the dense foliage beyond. "Beautiful, and somehow comforting. It reminds me how small I am in the overall scale of things. I know what we're doing matters, really matters to the galaxy, but at the same time, we're miniscule compared to something as uncomplicated as one of these trees."

Bastila wondered for a moment at this statement. This wasn't what she had expected from the Dark Lord. She hadn't known Revan personally before he left for the Mandalorian Wars, but the Revan she'd heard of was larger than life, legendary, an almost-mythical figure of pure confidence. She'd had no issue thinking of Tevano as Revan when they'd recently fought together on Tatooine, where his formidable skills and fierce determination matched her preconceptions. But this was a different side of him.

"It is," Bastila said finally. "And it does put things into perspective. These trees could be older than the Republic."

"I'm glad we have a moment to talk," Tevano said. "We haven't had a break since Tatooine, and I've been wanting to ask how you're feeling about your mother now."

Bastila stiffened. "That business is concluded," she said coolly.

"No it isn't," Tevano said. "Because, everythng else aside, she's your mother. Maybe I'm out of line, but you don't have anyone else to talk to out here. And I think you still need to talk about it."

"What I do or don't need is not your concern," Bastila retorted. "Just because we're on the same mission and joined by a Force Bond does not make you my mentor or my therapist."

"No, it doesn't," Tevano said. "But it could make me your friend. If you'd let it."

"I-" Bastila prepared to unleash another sharp reply, then stopped herself. "You're right. I'm being defensive again. It's just ... Jedi aren't supposed to have attachments. Yet clearly my feelings concerning my mother are not completely resolved."

"You seemed to end on good terms," Tevano said. "You even said that it brought you peace. But that didn't last, did it?"

"You're very perceptive," Bastila said, carefully controlling her tone and expression. A terrible thought had just occurred to her. If Tevano could discern these private feelings, emotions she hadn't even been fully aware of herself, what else might he uncover? Was he simply interpreting her moods, or was he able to read some of her thoughts through the Force Bond? That bond had formed when Bastila had used the Force to sustain Revan's life on his flagship. It had granted them the shared visions that were leading them to the Star Maps, presumably by surfacing pieces of Revan's fragmented memories. But what else could it do? What would happen if he learned through her that he was Revan? She pushed that concern aside for the moment. The worst thing she could do would be to think about that now, while her emotions were already poorly controlled. Better, she decided, to keep the conversation focused on her mother. "No, it did not. My last conversation with her was the best we'd had in many years. Maybe ever. But since we left Tatooine..." she trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"At some level, you're still angry with her, aren't you?" Tevano said. "And you're feeling guilty at being angry with her, especially when she's so ill."

"Yes," Bastila said. "As embarrassing as it is to admit, I'm still having trouble letting go of old wounds. I thought I had moved past this, but those feelings continue to resurface. I should be better, both as a daughter and as a Jedi. I will meditate on this, and lean on my training."

"You know more about that than I do," Tevano said. "I know my own training was abbreviated. But I'll say this: don't doubt yourself. I know you've been watching me - you've told me as much. I've been watching you too-"

"Watching me?" Bastila interrupted. "For what purpose? Are you passing judgement on me?"

Tevano ignored her question and continued. "You're inspirational. You're absolutely committed to this mission. You've already put your life on the line many times. Did I ever tell you what Trask Ulgo said to me on the Endar Spire, moments after I met him?"

"No, I don't believe you did," Bastila said, her tone softening.

"He said: 'We have to find Bastila! We have to make sure she makes it off the ship alive!' I didn't understand then why you were so important, but now I do."

"Because of my Battle Meditation ability," Bastila said matter-of-factly.

"No," Tevano said. "As strategic as that may be, you're far more significant than just that. Your real gift is your own intense spirit, your devotion to duty, your willingness to sacrifice yourself for the Republic, for innocents everywhere. I think that belief is so strong that, when focused, it spills over to everyone around you. I don't think you just happen to be talented at your particular ability. I think you're a truly special person, and that spills over into what we all see as Battle Meditation."

"Thank you," Bastila said. "That's ... that's unrealistically flattering. Given my current emotional challenges, I'm really not sure I deserve all that praise."

"I am," Tevano said. "You're carrying a heavy burden, for all of us. That isn't ever easy. But when you're dealing with - I'm sorry, I'm just going to say it - when you're dealing with the very real possibility that you may be spending the last few days of your mother's life saving the galaxy, and that even if you win, you may never see her again ... you wouldn't be human if you didn't struggle with that. So yes, lean on your training, on whatever techniques you've learned. But don't think it is a failing to need them. And don't forget that you have friends here too. You're not alone."

Bastila tried to speak, and found her throat tight. Instead, she looked back at the forest so that Tevano wouldn't see her watery eyes. Tevano, also turning to look out at the forest, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Bastila found herself instinctively leaning into him. He resisted the urge to pull her more tightly to him. It wasn't quite an embrace, but though neither of them said anything, they each realized it was something more than just friendly support, and neither pulled away.

They rode in silence for some time. Eventually, Bastila gracefully ended the moment by stepping forward on the pretense of looking over the Great Lift's railing to see how much further they had to go.

"I still cannot see the bottom," she said.

Tevano looked up. "Or the top," he said. "Here we are in the middle, with neither the beginning nor the end in sight."

"That's a lot like our mission, wouldn't you say?" Bastila asked. "We both joined a war in progress, that neither of us were involved in starting. And while we hope to conclude it, we do not even know our next destination, much less our ultimate one."

"Our duty will call soon enough," Tevano said. "But I'm also grateful for times like this. Times in the middle where we can relax with each other."

Bastila took another moment to marvel at her companion. How could this be the Dark Lord? Was she seeing the person he was before the Mandalorian Wars? Had conflict changed him that dramatically, turned him into the monster she'd encountered on his flagship? Would he become that again, or was he truly changed? Who was this man? Was he Revan? Or was he really Tevano?

She realized that since leaving Dantooine, she had existed in dread. What would she do if he turned? She had been prepared to face him on his flagship, but despite the fervor of her convinction in that confrontation, she'd known she had no real chance to defeat him. She had now seen him in battle as her ally and, despite his perception that the ways of the Force were new to him, he was quickly outdistancing her. As a result, she had been carrying the weight of his impending fall, her obligation to prevent the Dark Lord's return, and the fear that she would be insufficient.

But what if it were unnecessary? What if he really was changed? The Council claimed to have inserted a new personality on top of Revan's broken one, but nothing about him felt false in any way. Her every sense said this was who he truly was. Could she trust that? What would happen if she did? But what would happen if she didn't? Could she complete this mission with one hand on her lightsaber, ready to draw it against her most capable compatriot? A man who she had begun to-

She stopped herself from completing that thought. Attachments would not serve their mission any better than turmoil. The Jedi Code said 'There is no emotion; there is peace'. And while it never seemed to be quite that simple, neither could she contine in uncertainty. So Bastila let go. She let go of her fear. She let go of Revan. And she accepted the man standing beside her as simply Tevano, come what may.

It was a long time before the Great Lift finally reached Kashyyyk's surface. The Wookiees called this area the Shadowlands, and it was clear why. Very little light filtered through the trees above, even though the sun must still be overhead. A mostly-overgrown path led into the underbrush. The calls of various unidentifiable animals cut through the forest. No wind could penetrate this deep into the Wroshyr trees, and the still air was heavy with the smell of decaying organic matter.

For lack of alternative, Tevano and Bastila followed the path, stepping over some obstacles and ducking under others. As they slowly made their way deeper into the forest, Tevano considered the woman accompanying him. He meant every word he had said on the Great Lift. But there was even more that he had not said. He found Bastila to be fiery, powerful, and intriguing. He respected not only her committment to duty, but her passion in pursuing it. He understood that the Jedi Code said 'There is no passion; There is serenity.' Perhaps it was his newness to the Order, but he had difficulty seeing Bastila's fervancy as a negative. He recognized that the Jedi Code forbade attachment, and he had no intention of pursuing a relationship that would compromise either of them in the Order's view. But he was still adjusting to the pledge to the Jedi he'd recently taken, and he couldn't help but think about what could have been in a different situation. An unbidden idea crossed his mind: there were Jedi who had left the Order-

Tevano's thoughts were interrupted by the faint scent of smoke. He stopped, and saw that Bastila had also halted. The path curved ahead, and appeared to widen.

"We are not alone," she said. "Be wary."

They continued around the bend, and saw a campfire some distance ahead. Three men stood motionless in front of it, facing them. They seemed to be waiting. Tevano and Bastila continued forward, and as they drew nearer the center man spoke.

"At last, my search is over!" he said. "I was beginning to fear someone else had killed you and deprived me of the pleasure. You may have defeated the pathetic bounty hunter my Master sent after you, but you are no match for me! I have studied at the foot of the Dark Lord himself!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Tevano saw Bastila shaking her head, as if in pain. Was the man doing something to her? Tevano took a few more steps, and realized he had seen the speaker before. Darth Bandon.

"You were on the Endar Spire!" Tevano said. "You killed Trask. You'll pay for that!" Beside him he heard Bastila emit what could only be described as a growl. In his peripheral vision, he could see that she had recovered from whatever momentary issue she had experienced, and was now focused on their opponents, one hand on her lightsaber.

"Your words mean nothing to me," Bandon said, stepping forward toward Tevano. "Unless you wish to beg for your life. No? Then I shall try to make this both quick and painful!" He ignited the twin red blades of his lightsaber, while the Dark Jedi behind him ignited single-bladed red sabers. Beside him, he saw the yellow glow of Bastila's double-bladed saber.

Tevano reached for his own lightsaber, but before he could grasp it, Bandon extended his off hand and unleashed a purple line of crackling energy connecting himself and Tevano. Tevano dropped to one knee as he felt his vitality being drained from him. Master Zhar had warned him of Sith sorcery, and the Dark Jedi he and Bastila had encountered on Tatooine had attempted to use it on them. But thir efforts were comparatively feeble and easily countered. Bandon's power was on an entirely different level, and Tevano was taken completely off guard. He was vaguely aware that Bastila had smoothly leapt the still-considerable distance to the campfire, landed behind the two Dark Jedi, and was engaging them in lightsaber combat. Even while suffering from Bandon's attack, he was impressed. He hadn't been aware Bastila was capable of such a leap.

The purple line continued to crackle. Tevano's arms now felt like massive weights, his body too heavy for his legs to support. He almost fell forward, but with a great effort he managed to draw and ignite his lightsaber. He didn't have the strength to properly raise it, but he turned his wrist and interposed the blue blade between himself and Bandon, severing the connection. Still weak, he struggled to his feet and squared himself to face his opponent

Behind Bandon, Tevano could see Bastila's yellow blades flashing. He watched in surprise as she severed the arm from one of her opponents, red lightsaber still gripped in now-detatched hand spinning into the forest. She spun fluidly and her other blade cut through the center of the Dark Jedi's head, slicing it in two like a melon. Without looking, she parried the attack of the second Dark Jedi behind her and used the momentum of her spin to bring herself fully around, ready to attack.

Tevano realized too late that he had allowed himself to become distracted. A wave of Force energy threw him stumbling backwards. Again, he almost fell, but managed to regain his footing just in time to block Bandon's attack as the Sith charged across the distance separating them with incredible speed. Bandon's red blades were striking almost faster than Tevano could see, and he fell back, barely able to defend himself, unable to mount a counterattack.

Again he caught a gimpse of Bastila, her yellow blade piercing the second Dark Jedi's torso. She cut upward with a ruthless stroke, severing his upper body vertically in two and splitting his head asunder. Then Tevano was forced to refocus on Bandon, who was pressing his advantage

Remembering his training, Tevano assumed a defensive posture and concentrated on keeping Bandon at bay. Now stalemated, Bandon sought and failed to find a weakness in Tevano's protection. Tevano continued in the Soresu Form of lightsaber combat, its low effort movements giving him an opportunity to recover his strength while Bandon tired himself with increasingly wild swings. Sensing momentum turning his way, Tevano prepared to transition to the more aggresive Djem So Form. But before Tevano could mount his counteroffensive, Bandon took one hand off the long hilt of his lightsaber and closed his fist. Tevano felt his throat constrict and he gasped for breath, again feeling himself weaken, this time from lack of oxygen. Then Bandon thrust his hand forward, and Tevano felt himself thrown backwards. His head hit hard against a tree behind him, and his vision blurred. He tried to rise, continue fighting, but he knew there was no time. Bandon's killing stroke must already be on its way.

Tevano shook his head, his vision now clearing, and wondered why he was still alive. Then he looked up and saw his answer: Bastila had engaged Darth Bandon.

The pair were fighting ferociously, double-bladed lightsabers twirling, sparks flying as their four blades crashed, yellow on red and red on yellow. Tevano jumped to his feet and looked for an opening to join the fight, but could find none. And he quickly realized that Bastila didn't need his help.

Her lip was twisted into a snarl, her face a mask of what could only be described as hatred. Bandon switched between lightsaber forms that Tevano recognized - Djem So, Ataru, Shien, Makashi - and several he had never seen before. None posed any threat to Bastila. Several times, she dropped a blade, giving Bandon an opening, then smoothly slid past his attack, striking him in the shoulder, the leg, the midsection. It appeared to Tevano that she could have finished the battle more than once, but she seemed to be enjoying toying with Bandon, taking a perverse pleasure in his pain, demonstrating her mastery to him as she killed him slowly. Tevano had no idea what combat form Bastila was employing. He had never seen anything resembling it before. She switched seamlessly from offense to defense, never doing what Bandon expected her to, never being where he expected her to be.

Again and again Bastila penetrated Bandon's defenses and cut ever deeper into his flesh. The Sith now bled freely from numerous partially-cauterized wounds pulled open by his movements in the battle. A yellow blade slashed close to his head, severing an ear. Tevano was certain it had been intentional. Now another slash, and Bandon's left foot was cut in two, toes still in the front portion of his cleaved boot. Bastila advanced, forcing Bandon to retreat, seeming to take joy in his cries every time he was forced to place weight on the wounded extremity.

His endurance expended, his balance compromised, Bandon dropped into the same defensive Soresu Form that Tevano had employed moments before. But Bastila was not deterred. With incredible power, she knocked Bandon's saber out of his hands, leaving him defenseless. Jedi do not execute helpless opponents, but rather than stop, Bastila stepped forward. Tevano prepared to watch her deliver the fatal thrust.

Instead, she threw her lightsaber to the side and firmly grasped Bandon's head, one hand on each side. Lightning flew from her palms and fingers into Bandon, whose body began to twitch helplessly. Bandon's knees buckled, but Bastila, using the Force to amplify her strength, extended her arms and lifted Bandon from the ground. Tears streamed from his eyes and mucus drained from his nose as his body convulsed. His open mouth released inarticulate sounds of agony. Still, the lightning continued and Tevano realized that Bastila was also screaming, her voice an unrecognizable flood of rage. Finally, Bandon's body became limp and the lightning ceased. Before throwing his lifeless corpse to the ground, Bastila looked directly into his dead eyes and said something quietly but forcefully, almost spitting out the word. Had Tevano really heard what he thought?

Bastila turned to face Tevano, her eyes still blazing, then without warning collapsed to the ground. Shocked by what he had just seen, Tevano stood motionless for a moment. Recovering himself, he ran forward to Bastila. By the time he reached her, she was groaning weakly and trying to rise.

"I- what-" Bastila tried to speak, then, still on her hands and knees, vomited violently. Tevano placed a hand on her shoulder as another wave of nausea hit, then a third. Tevano passed her a cloth to wipe her mouth. Finally, still trembling, she was able to move into a sitting position. Looking around, she gasped at the still-smoking body of Darth Bandon and the butchered corpses of the two Dark Jedi.

"Did you do all that?" she asked. "What happened to me?" Her voice was shaky, but normal.

"You don't remember?" Tevano asked.

"I remember walking around the bend and seeing Darth Bandon and the two Dark Jedi," Bastila said. "Bandon said he had been searching for us. Then I woke up on the ground. What did he do to me? How did you defeat all three of them?"

"I didn't," Tevano said. "In fact, Bandon almost killed me. You defeated the two Dark Jedi, then saved my life." He considered mentioning the transformation she seemed to have temporarily undergone, but didn't know how to explain it.

Bastila rose to her feet and, still swaying slightly, walked to where Darth Bandon's body lay. She looked down at it, then turned to Tevano.

"I did this?" she asked incredulously. "This man was brutalized. These wounds are unnecessary, even barbaric. This wasn't combat. This was an execution. His head - his head is burned! Are those handprints?" She held one hand next to Bandon's head, and drew back suddenly as she realized the size of the dark burn matched her own hand.

"What happened to me?" she asked, a note of panic in her voice.

"I- I don't know," Tevano answered truthfully. "You were like nothing I've ever witnessed. I've seen you in battle before, but this- I didn't know anyone could fight with that kind of power."

"Power?" Bastila said. "Or Dark power? Tevano, please tell me, what happened to me???"

"All I know," Tevano said, trying to keep his voice even, "is that if it wasn't for you, I'd be dead right now. Whatever you did, however you did it, you did what was necessary for us to survive, for the mission to continue."

"At what cost?" Bastila said. "Is this what it feels like to fall to the Dark Side? There's no way it was necessary to do that to that man. I realize who he was, what he had done, but Jedi don't behave that way, regardless of the opponent or their past. I wouldn't have treated even Revan like that. At least, I thought I wouldn't have." She didn't notice that, when she spoke Revan's name, she no longer connected it to Tevano. In her mind, they had become completely separate people.

"I don't see an agent of the Dark Side," Tevano said. "I see someone who just overcame unbeatable odds. I don't know all the ways the Force works, but if you'd fallen to the Dark Side wouldn't you have joined the Sith instead of defeating them? Maybe in that moment you found something within yourself that let you rise to the occasion. And if it was messy ... war isn't clean. Sometimes we do what we must."

"You're rationalizing," Bastila said.

"I don't think I am," Tevano said, trying to sound convincing. But he couldn't escape the image of Bastila holding Darth Bandon's body in the air, lightning streaming, delighting in his pain. Was this really the same woman that he was falling for? There, he'd admitted it to himself. He was falling in love with Bastila. Where did that leave him? And what about that word she'd spat into Bandon's dead face, like a curse? Had he really heard that? And if so, what did it mean?

"We should talk about it with the Masters when we get back to Dantooine," Tevano finally said. "For now, we have our mission in front of us. Can you continue?"

Bastila nodded. "Yes, I'm feeling better now."

"This way then," Tevano said, indicating where the path continued past the Sith's now-smoldering campfire. Bastila took the lead, and Tevano followed, watching her. Was he making excuses because of his feelings for her? She was still everything he'd said and thought on the Great Lift, and now that he'd admitted it to himself, he knew that she was everything he wanted. But he couldn't get that one word out his mind, the last word she'd said to Bandon.

"Traitor."