KOTOR 2 - Dark Meetra: Redemption

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Meetra Surik gazed out the wall-spanning window of her opulent Coruscant office. Meetra's office was at the top of the tallest building in the vicinity, offering her a grand view of the nearby buildings. She wasn't sure what the actual surface of Coruscant even looked like. Apparently, it had once been a place of natural beauty. But the city had long ago consumed the entire planet. Even the its oceans had been drained into vast underground storage caverns, allowing the city to devour every square meter. Even the rare building-free areas that appeared natural, such as the occasional park or pond, were in fact manufactured, and sat on top of layer upon layer of artificial structures underneath. Meetra wasn't even sure how far down the surface might be. Sometimes, Meetra wondered if anyone would ever see it again. This day, however, she wasn't considering the city or its elaborately engineered architecture. Her thoughts lay, as they did most days, with the war effort.

About two years ago, under Meetra's command, the Republic had initiated an invasion of the True Sith Empire. Before then, the True Sith were merely a speculation amongst Jedi historians. The general population wasn't aware they even existed. Revan, however, had learned differently. A Jedi of incredible ability and charisma, Revan had led the Republic to victory in the Mandalorian Wars, in which Meetra had served as his most trusted general. After the war, Revan mysteriously disappeared with his friend Malak. Meetra had since discovered that Revan had learned of the True Sith, who had manipulated the Mandalorians into starting the conflict, and had gone to scout this new threat.

Meetra still didn't know why, but the pair returned as Darth Revan and Darth Malak, assembled a Sith fleet, and attacked the Republic. Whatever Malak's motives may have been, Meetra had learned that Revan's misguided intention was to transform the Republic, under his dictatorship, into a military juggernaut capable of opposing the impending True Sith invasion. He was near victory when Malak betrayed Revan, attacking Revan's flagship while he was engaged with a Jedi strike force. Revan was greviously wounded by Malak's attack, but ironically was saved by the sole surviving Jedi, Bastila Shan. Despite the loss of his memory, Revan, again on the side of the Republic and with the help of a small group of companions including Bastila, defeated Malak.

Bastila and Revan married, but Revan sensed his lost memories included knowledge of a threat to the Republic. He rediscovered the existence of the True Sith and, in what Meetra considered one of his rare tactial errors, set off alone to investigate. Instead, he was captured by the True Sith.

Meetra was absent from the Republic for most of these events. After the Mandalorian Wars, she had returned to face the Jedi Council, who had exiled her. She spent the next several years in Wild Space, beyond the Outer Rim, assuming that Darth Revan had conquered the Republic. When she learned that Revan had instead saved the Republic but that it was again under attack by remnants of Darth Revan's Sith forces, she had returned to complete Revan's work and secure the Republic. She had been successful, and by the end of her efforts she had learned of both the True Sith, and of Revan's capture.

Once a idealistic young Jedi, Meetra had made many compromises along the way, beginning with activation of the Mass Shadow Generator superweapon at Malachor V. Her decision had sealed the Republic's vistory in the Mandalorian Wars, but had also resulted in the deaths of thousands of Meetra's own troops. Her final and perhaps greatest transgression, the one that had earned her the office in which she now sat ... she didn't like to think about that one. She had done what was needed and the galaxy was better off for it.

Until recently, the war against the True Sith had been a frustrating exercise in negotiations and logistics. The current Mandalore, Canderous Ordo, had been an ally of both Revan and Meetra after the Mandalorian Wars. Through Canderous, Meetra had mobalized the Mandalorians, former enemies of the Republic, as the advance force responsible for most of the fighting, with the promise that they'd retain control of the worlds the conquered. However, because the True Sith Empire was distant, opening and maintaining supply lines was challenging, and the Republic had no stomach for the often unsavory techniques required. Meetra had called upon the many people and organizations she'd previously aided, including various mercenaries, crime lords, dictators, and corrupt bureaucracies. Meetra held no official title, which worked to her advantage. She leveraged her many connections, and her ability to influence others through the Force, effectively operating a shadow government funded in various off-the-record ways through Republic senators that she controlled. While the war effort itself was public knowledge, the way in which it was being conducted was decidely secret.

Just today, Meetra had fielded calls from two senators that wanted to increase their kickbacks, an Onderoneon administrator supervising one of the supply chain worlds requesting authorization to use lethal force against a local uprising, and three separate mercenary groups that she was recruiting to buttress dwindling numbers at various weak points in the system. Her best call in recent memory, though, had come last week. Canderous had called personally to inform her that they had finally engaged the True Sith. Since then, the Mandalorian forces had won the majority of the early skirmishes, and had captured several prisoners. Interrogation had revealed something of great interest, prompting a second personal call from Candrous. But Meetra had stalled him. Now was not the time to lose sight of the big picture. She needed to consolidate reinforcements and prepare for the possibility of...

Meetra's thoughts were interrupted by a humming vibration, a distinctive ripple in the Force. Until two years ago, Meetra had only felt it in the presence of Revan. She'd assumed it was an effect of Revan's special affinity to the Force. But then she'd felt the same thing in the presence of a second person. Meetra was therefore not surprised when Bastila Shan walked through her open office door.

"May I close this?" Bastila asked politely. "I have something sensitive to discuss with you."

"How is the war effort going?" Bastila asked pleasantly. Too pleasantly.

"It goes well," said Meetra. "Supply lines continue to be a challenge, but that's expected. Our allies remain firm, even if they sometimes have to be reminded that they're being well-compensated."

"You've encountered the True Sith", Bastila said, much less pleasantly. There was no hint of a question in her inflection. This was clearly a statement, bordering on accusation, but Meetra took it in stride.

"Bastila, you of all people should understand that not everything can be shared immediately, even among friends," Meetra said, her tone still friendly.

"I would handle that very differently now. I was so young, and you can't imagine the pressure the Jedi Council was putting on me-"

"I can't?" Meetra interrupted.

"Okay, you probably can," Bastila said. "But that was also a different situation. Revan's mind was fragile after his injuries, and the fate of the Republic hung in the balance. If we had told him who he really was immediately, who knows what the consequences could have been? When he did finally find out, even with as much time as had passed and even as commited as he was by then to the Light, it was still difficult for him."

"Exactly my point," Meetra said. "As you say, sharing information too soon can have unintended consequences. That doesn't mean it can never be shared, just that it must sometimes be done with care, and in the right time."

"I'm not a security risk, and I've proven I can be trusted," Bastila said. "I don't expect to be kept informed about every detail of how you conduct the war, but you knew this was significant news. My role in defeating Darth Malak gave me favor in many circles. When you approached me after your return to the Republic, I was happy to use those connections to your advantage, even though I knew you were also using less legitimate methods. And you know why."

Meetra brushed past the last part of Bastila's statement. "You're right. Your loyalty to the Republic is sincere and unquestioned, and even more, you're a friend. There's really not that much to tell yet, and it sounds like you already know it all. We've finally engaged the True Sith. Thus far, we've only fought some small skirmishes, but they've mostly been going in our favor and we continue to advance. But please, Bastila. Consider all the angles, and trust me. Too much information could be dangerous. I know you can take care of yourself, but you know better than most that some people will cross any line. What about your son? If the wrong people found out you were well-informed and decided to blackmail you, it could make him a target. Do you want to risk that?"

"Let me worry about my son," Bastila said, all pretense at pleasantry now gone. "Right now, I'm more concerned about his father. You know where Revan is."

There it was. Bastila knew not only about Canderous' first call, but also his second. Meetra didn't think Canderous would have called Bastila directly, but Bastila still had friends and was apparently better connected than Meetra had thought. Meetra's life just became much more complicated.

"And we're going to get him," Meetra said. "But these things take time. How long did you plan and train for the attack on Revan's flagship? If we proceeded rashly -"

But Bastila cut her off. "Stop bringing my past into this, or I'll start bringing in your present! Here's what I know: Revan is alive, you know where he is, and I do too. You keep the Ebon Hawk - Revan's ship - in an open hanger outside this building. I'm taking it, and I'm going to get him. You can come with me, or not. But either way, I'm going!"

"First off," Meetra said sharply, "while I would never deny Revan access to the Ebon Hawk, I did secure legal title to it from its legitimate owner, something Revan failed to do. And second, I cannot allow you to go charging into a war zone and risking everything we've gained. This war is not about one man."

"As long as we're numbering our statements, I have a few for you," Bastila said. "One: I never thought I'd see the day you'd lay claim to Revan's ship. You only have it because he sent it back with T3. Two: when you first approached me, you said that the Republic would never support a war to save one person, especially a person who had once almost conquered it. So you asked me to help you mobilize the Republic as a cover for rescuing Revan. Yes, I'm loyal to the Republic, but you know this war has always been about one person to me. Three, and from your perspective most important: Revan knows more about the True Sith than anyone. Between that and his natural strategic and tactical abilities, he could be your greatest asset. And he's already proven he's eager to face them. Even if loyalty no longer means anything to you, rescuing Revan is in your own best interest. How could you not do everything in your power to bring him back? You need him!"

"Don't you dare question my loyalty," Meetra thundered. "You think you're the only person who cares about Revan? But it was I who chose to act at Malachor V! Not Revan! It was I who faced the Sith Triumverate! Not Revan! It was I who conceived of and executed this war! Not Revan! And I'm winning it on my own, without him!"

"That's it," Bastila said. "You're delaying his rescue because you're threatened by him. You've grown accustomed to power, and you're afraid to lose it. You're worried that if Revan returns, he'll resume his natural place as leader, and you don't want to give it up. Be wary, Meetra. Power is seductive, and seeks to perpetuate itself. You've been walking a dangerous path for some time now. You've battled the Dark Side. You know how insidious it can be. Examine your own heart, and don't go that direction. Few know this, but I fell once. It felt like my eyes were being opened, but in reality I was blinded. Revan helped me, and I can help you, if you'll let me."

"I will not be lectured by you," Meetra said. "I will have you escorted home. You will remain there until this is over."

"Meetra, you know I can't allow that," Bastila said. "Listen to yourself. Consider what you're saying. When Revan went alone to face the True Sith, it was out of love. He was protecting our unborn child. Think about your own motivations. Can you say the same?"

"Oh, I see," Meetra said. "You're not risking everything for all of us out of concern for your husband. You're rushing off like a fool out of guilt. All this time, I thought Revan had made a tactical error in going alone out of overconfidence. But that wasn't it at all. This is all your fault!"

"What?" Bastila exclaimed. "My fault?"

"You accused me of disloyalty," Meetra said, "but you have no idea what I've sacrificed to finish Revan's work! I gave Dantooine to the mercenaries! I killed Queen Talia on Onderon! I personally killed most of the remaining Jedi Council! And I -" but she stopped, unwilling to finish her sentence.

"And you what?" asked Bastila, barely able to believe everything she had already heard.

"It doesn't matter," Meetra said. "What matters is that I finished Revan's work, after he left because of you!"

"Meetra, I was wrong," Bastila said firmly. "You've betrayed everything Revan stood for. You're not walking on the edge of the Dark Side. You've fallen over it, and I have to stop you." Bastila's hand dropped toward the lightsaber on her belt.

"If I have, it seems it is your fault, former Jedi," Meetra snarled. "If you'd kept your robe closed, none of this would have happened!" She extended her arm, and her own lightsaber flew from its stand across the room into her grasp.

"Traitor!" yelled Bastila.

"Whore!" screamed Meetra in reply.

Their lightsabers ignited simultaneously, Meetra's a single blade of brilliant blue, Bastila's double blades of vibrant yellow. Meetra lept the desk with a smooth forward flip and was already slashing before she landed. Bastila parried, giving ground across the empty center of the giant room. The ferocity of Meetra's initial attacks almost overwhelmed Bastila. Meetra hadn't engaged in lightsaber combat for two years, but it had been far longer for Bastila, and she was out of practice. Bastila adopted a defensive stance, circling while giving ground, avoiding being cornered. Meetra, on the other hand, pressed her advantage, angling Bastila toward walls and furniture, forcing her to divide her attention between defending herself and avoiding obstacles. Several times, Bastila narrowly avoided stumbling.

"She fights like a Sith," Bastila thought. "She's driven by her anger, powering herself with her aggression. I'm trained to fight Sith. I've defeated dozens. I crossed blades with Darth Malak himself. I can do this." She recalled the words of one of her old Masters: "Anger is a weapon only to one's opponent." Bastila was far from the model of Jedi passivity, but Meetra's attacks were beyond reckless. Bastila pretended to stumble, then smoothly slid to the side as Meetra rushed forward. Bastila's counterstrike singed Meetra's shoulder, and it was Meetra's turn to fall back. Bastila continued to feint, dodge, and weave, now effectively countering Meetra's aggression, but neither could find an opening to land a solid blow.

Meetra's initial rage had begun to settle. Her strokes were becoming more calculated, and Bastila didnt't like her own odds in a straight fight. She needed to keep Meetra off center. She held a parry an extra few seconds, pointedly shifting her eyes to Meetra's blade. "Shouldn't that be red?" Bastila said tauntingly, shoving herself backward from the parry to put space between them.

"I'm no Sith!" Meetra said, her anger rising again. "What I did was for the Republic! For Revan! There was no other way!"

"It isn't the power after all, is it?' Bastila said. It was more realization than question. "You accused me of acting from guilt, but you're projecting, aren't you? What else have you done Meetra? What else have you done?!!?"

"NO!" Meetra screamed. She dropped her lightsaber and extended both hands at Bastila. Lightning flew from her fingertips across the room, searing the carpet. Bastila barely raised her own blade in time, using the Force to draw the Dark Side energy into the lightsaber.

"The Republic had to be unified!" Meetra screamed. "They never would have believed the threat was real! They would never have attacked without cause, and I couldn't free Revan alone! But then I realized he would know. They were his droids! He created them as Darth Revan. How could I free him and let him see what I'd become?"

"Droids?" asked Bastila, now confused. "Wait, you don't mean..." Bastila stammered, struggling to even say what she now suspected. It was too much. How could Meetra have fallen that far, still thinking she was the hero and not the villain? "The HK-50s?" Bastila concluded hesitantly, afraid of the answer.

"I detonated the HK-50s," Meetra said, barely able to form the words, but immediately relieved that the truth was now out.

Bastila struggled to process this new revelation. Support for the war effort existed only because of a devastating True Sith attack that had decimated the Republic leadership. The attack had involved detonation of what everyone thought were a new generation of protocol droids, known as HK-50s. They had been attached to most senior leaders, stationed on most capital ships, and distributed through various embassies and even the Senate itself. The HK-50s were, in fact bombs. In a desparate call to the late Carth Onasi, who had died in the attack, Meetra had revealed the plot. The recording of Meetra's frantic attempts to have the droids removed had been played and replayed on the Holonet. It had been the deciding factor in the Republic's willingness to support a war. If the True Sith could strike the heart of the Republic, then nowhere was safe and the fight had to be taken to the enemy. And the leadership vacuum left after the attack had enabled Meetra's own rise to power. Without it, she'd have been opposed by the very members who had been killed by the True Sith. More than one analyst had noticed the irony: the True Sith had opened the door to their own defeat by creating the circumstances that empowered Meetra, the last true Republic general and the architect of the war strategy.

But it hadn't been the True Sith after all. It had been Meetra all along. She had been behind the attack. She had created her own ascension. She had ... she had ... no ... she had ...

"YOU KILLED CARTH!!!" Bastila had deactivated her lightsaber, but it now sprang back to life as if of its own accord. She erupted across the room, a Force-fueled blur.

Now it was Meetra's turn to fall back. She didn't even try to counterattack, but it wouldn't have mattered if she had. The yellow blades were slashing and stabbing faster than she could see. If it weren't for Meetra' precognative abilites, she"d have had no hope of blocking them. As it was she retreated then retreated more, circling backward, struggling to protect herself against the onslaught. A punishing combination first loosened her grip on her lightsaber, then sent it spinning across the room. Bastila's yellow blade swung at Meetra's defenseless neck in a decapitating stroke. And stopped millimeters from its target.

"Do it," Meetra said quietly. She made no move to defend herself. Instead, she locked eyes with Bastila. "It'll be a relief. And I deserve it."

Bastila glared at Meetra, her lip curled into a snarl. But she did not strike.

"Here, I'll help," Meetra said calmly. She turned her head to the side, extended her chin over the yellow blade, and closed her eyes. "One quick slice and it'll be over."

Bastila's hand trembled. She remembered all the funerals, all the grief, all the confusion. She remembered Carth, her last true friend, who in his life had suffered many losses and betrayals, but who had finally overcome them and made peace with his past. Only to die by betrayal at the hand of someone he considered an ally, perhaps even a friend. She wanted to strike, she would strike...

She remembered the words of Jedi Master Vandar: "Once you start down the Dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny." That's what they'd all been taught, but it wasn't true, was it? She'd fallen, but she'd come back to the Light. And how? Through the love of Revan, himself the prime example that it was possible to come back from unimaginably dark places. How many more had died by Revan's commands than by Meetra's? How could she condemn Meetra and absolve Revan? Revan had been at her mercy once too, on the bridge of his flagship, wounded, defenseless. If she'd ended his life there, the Republic would have fallen to Darth Malak.

For the second time in her life, logic told Bastila to kill a helpless adversary. And for the second time in her life, Bastila refused. But she couldn't have Meetra getting in her way, either. What she'd told Meetra at the beginning of their conversation was true. She was going after Revan, and no one was going to stop her. Bastila deactivated the lightsaber and spun, striking Meetra in the temple with a backhanded blow from the lightsaber's hilt. Meetra collapsed to the floor.

Bastila looked out the huge window. She could see the Ebon Hawk far below, in an open-topped hanger. She couldn't see T3-M4, her astrotech droid, from this distance, but before heading to Meetra's office, she'd ordered him to prepare the Hawk for flight. She was certain he had the ship ready to go by now. Bastila walked halfway across the room, intending to take the elevator down to the lowest level then jog to the hanger. Then she stopped. She was done being proper. If she was going rogue, she was going to do it right.

Bastila turned back to face the window. Jedi weren't supposed to be emotional, but Meetra had been right about at least one thing: Bastila was no longer a Jedi. Years of suppressed loneliness and fear exploded as Bastila extended her hands toward the window and shoved with every bit of the Force at her command. The window shattered outward and Bastila ran toward the empty opening, faster, faster ... and jumped. The wind was cool and refreshing against her face as she fell, and she took a moment to relish it. She opened her eyes and located the hanger holding the Ebon Hawk. She used the Force, first to steer herself toward it, then to slow her fall. She landed lightly by the loading ramp, smiling at T3's surprised beeps and squeals.

"Time to go," she said simply, and jogged up the ramp into the ship. They were airborne in seconds.

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Meetra groaned as her eyes fluttered open. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed to still be alive. But unless there was an afterlife that included splitting headaches, Bastila had spared her. She felt the lump on her temple. Well, mostly spared her.

As she rubbed her temple, she remembered Jarad Jann, the hapless Jedi who had located Meetra in Wild Space and convinced her to return to the Republic. She wondered what had become of him. A few months ago, she'd searched all the records she had access to, trying to find some trace of Jarad's fate. She had found nothing. That wasn't much of a surprise. Meetra had left him alone, penniless, and unconscious on the floor of a seedy pub on a backwater planet, with a similar lump on his head. Meetra had even stolen his ship. The rush of spacecraft engines interrupted Meetra's thoughts. She looked out the window, and saw the Ebon Hawk speed into the sky. She laughed out loud at the irony, but hoped that Jarad was alive and had found his place in the galaxy. When she'd left him, Meetra had thought she was doing him a favor. The first in many bad decisions.

She knew there was no going back, no undoing the mistakes she had made. She considered every choice she'd made in her rise to power. With each decision, she'd told herself there was no choice, no other way. But she'd been lying to herself, hadn't she? She could see now that there had been alternatives. She'd simply been too stubborn and too angry to take them. Mistake had built upon mistake, culminating in her grand error with the HK-50s. Perhaps there had been more evil choices made in the history of the galaxy, but not by her. Malachor V had been terrible, but at least the friendly lives she'd taken there had been justifiable collateral damage. The HK-50s were different, though. That had been a targeted attack, not at enemies but at friends. Bastila had been right to be shocked, right to condemn her. She would have been right to take Meetra's life, but apparently Bastila was a better person than Meetra was. Or at least, had been for the last few years. The person Meetra had been ten minutes ago would have done what Bastila had refused to. Now, she wasn't so sure. Her heartfelt, sincere confession to Bastila seemed to have changed things. The past could not be altered. But the future - that was still open. Revan had come back to the Light. Could she? Maybe ... had she?

Meetra rose to her feet, ignoring the pain in her head and the way the room still swam around her. She noted in a disconnected way that her window was missing, but ignored that particular mystery. She had things to do. She quickly made two calls, one official and one personal. She then punched the code that opened a hidden panel in the office wall that led to her personal escape shuttle. There were advantages to being in charge. The shuttle was suborbital, but that should be enough. She rushed to the shuttle and took off, following the Ebon Hawk's path.

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Above Coruscant, Bastila was completing preparations for her jump to hyperspace. It felt good to back at the Hawk's controls, to finally be doing something. She checked her readouts. Everything was ready. She reached for the handle that would activate the hyperdrive, but as she pulled it the ship gave a massive shudder. She checked her readouts again and uttered a curse so rude that T3 whistled a reprimand. She was caught in a tractor beam.

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"Good," Meetra muttered, as the shuttle ascended. Her destination, a massive Republic capital ship, was growing ever-larger in her viewport. And she could just make out the Ebon Hawk, slowly being drawn back to it.

--------

Bastila knew there was no escaping the tractor beam. Once in its grasp, her controls were useless. She deactivated the hyperdrive, but she wasn't giving up yet. The targeting systems for capital ship tractor beams generally couldn't focus on objects extremely close to the ship, nor could their turbolasers. She just needed to get the Hawk back off the ship, then stay close enough that the tractor beam couldn't reengage. She'd need to be a minimal distance from the capital ship to jump to hyperspace, but the wake of the main engines should also interfere with the tractor beam targeting systems. She'd skim the surface of the ship to the stern then engage the hyperdrive just before she exited the engine exhaust. It'd be a rough jump, and she'd be briefly exposed to turbolaser fire. But it was her best bet. She began making the new calculations for the hyperspace jump so that she'd be ready. Now, how to get back off the ship? If the deck officer was not exceptionally strong-willed, she could use the Force to have them lower the magnetic shield. If that didn't work, she'd have to sneak T3 out to try to find a terminal before being noticed. Neither option was a sure thing, but she had both a plan and a backup plan, which was better than many circumstances she'd found herself in.

The Ebon Hawk was now entering the docking bay, pulled slowly and almost gracefully by the main tractor beam. Inside the bay, control would transfer to an array of smaller beams that would set the ship down. By all the military protocols that Bastila was familiar with, the magnetic shield would then be raised, and the bay tractor emitters powered down. She began reaching out in the Force, seeking the deck officer's mind. But before she could make the connection, the deck officer's voice came over the comm system.

"Ebon Hawk, be advised that you are not being detained. We were asked to stop you so that you could take on additional crew."

"Well, that's a surprise," Bastila said to T3. "Do you think that's a stalling tactic?" The droid beeped uncertainly, but Bastila hadn't really expected an answer. Interpreting the subtleties of human behavior was not T3's strong point. Bastila had just decided that she couldn't take the risk and was preparing to proceed with her original plan when the docking bay door opened, and Meetra Surik walked in. "I guess that's my answer," Bastila said. A lightsaber fight with the de facto leader of the Republic military in the docking bay of a capital ship was unlikely to end in Bastila's favor. Still, she had to try.

By the time Bastila walked down the Hawk's loading ramp, Meetra had crossed the docking bay and was standing, waiting. Bastila took her lightsaber from her belt and ignited it. "I cannot let you stop me," Bastila said.

Meetra reached for her own lightsaber, but instead of activating it she gently tossed it to Bastila. "I don't plan to try," Meetra said. "I'm just hoping you'll take me with you." Bastila looked in disbelief at Meetra's lightsaber in her hand, then deactivated her own.

"Every word you said about me was correct," Meetra said. "Bastila, I'm so sorry. I said horrible things to you. And I know I've done unforgiveable things. Among them ... yes, I killed Carth. You're right to hate me for that. I know there will be consequences, and I won't fight them. But before that, will you let me help you rescue Revan? Now that I'm thinking more clearly, I realize there's nothing the in the galaxy I'd rather do."

Bastila reached out in the Force and found Meetra's heart and mind open. Shame remained, but the anger and hate were gone. This was real. "Not every word was correct," Bastila said. "I accused you of disloyalty, but the opposite was true. Even at your worst, you remained loyal to Revan. You made mistakes, big mistakes, but you thought they were in his service. And you didn't want him to see what you'd turned into. Those aren't the actions of a traitor.I don't hate you, Meetra, and I'd be happy to have your help rescuing Revan."

"Could I..." Meetra began to speak, struggled to find the words, and stopped. After a moment, she began again. "Bastila, do you think it is possible for me to come back to the Light?"

Bastila crossed the space between them and embraced her. "You already have, my friend. You already have. The only person who was ever standing in the way of your redemption was you. And anyway, do I have to remind you who I'm married to?"

Meetra had never understood how someone like Revan could have settled for a normal life. But now she did. Revan hadn't settled for anything. This woman wasn't just his wife. She was his soul, and while her power would never match his, her strength of character was at least his equal. Meetra sunk into the embrace and held it for a moment longer, her body language saying more than words could have.

As they separated, T3 whistled excitedly from somewhere on the other side of the ship. He had successfully disabled the tractor beam controls. Bastila grinned almost apologetically. "I thought I might need a backup plan," she said.

"I know we need to get going," Meetra said, "and I know you're perfectly qualified to fly the Ebon Hawk. But if you can wait a minute more, I have one hell of a pilot on the way."

A voice came over the docking bay intercom: "General Surik, there's a priority call for you."

"I'll be right back," Meetra said. She walked toward the door leading from the docking bay into the rest of the ship. Just before she reached it, Atton Rand stepped in. They spoke briefly, then smiled and squeezed hands as they separated, Meetra out of the docking bay, Atton toward Bastila.

"I hear you could use a pilot," Atton said. Bastila did not know Atton well. She knew he had been one of Meetra's companions against the Sith Triumverate, that he had discovered he was Force-sensitive, pursued Jedi training, and was active in the newly reinstituted Jedi Order. She also knew he had avoided the more mental aspects of his Jedi abilities, focusing instead on training new Jedi recruits in combat techniques. Her inquries into Meetra's suspicious behavior had also suggested some darker aspects of Atton's past. Bastila could connect the dots on her own.

"Thanks for coming," Bastila said. She gestured toward the departing Meetra. "She's something, isn't she?"

"You can say that again," Atton said casually.

"She may be a better person than you even know," Bastila said. "Don't be surprised if you find that out over the next few weeks. You may learn a new thing or two about her." Atton looked at Bastila curiously, but said nothing. Bastila hesitated a moment, then plunged ahead. "And while we're on that topic, you might consider sharing more of yourself with her as well."

"What, are you a relationship counselor now?" Atton said. His expression was still affable, but there was an edge to his voice.

"What I mean," Bastila said, playing her hunch, "is that I understand why you like being Atton. People underestimate you, and that gives you an advantage. And I'm sure it is a comfortable mask. But you know you're more than that. The Jedi, the Republic, the galaxy for that matter, would benefit from your whole self. And Meetra would too. I expect you've already shared a lot, but she can handle all of it."

"What do you know?" Atton said sharply. The mask was gone now. His normally-agreeable expression had been replaced by something fierce and frightening. Bastila was briefly taken aback. This was even more than she'd anticipated.

"Very little," she said honestly. "I've been around enough special forces operatives to recognize the body language that you can't completely hide. But I don't even know your real name. Or any of them, if there was more than one before 'Atton'. Meetra should, though, even if you don't share it with anyone else. In private, I call Revan by his birth name."

That was apparently a satisfactory answer, because the mask slid back into place, complete with easygoing body language and disarming half smile. "Wait, Revan isn't his real name?" Atton said. "Wasn't the Revanchist movement was named after him?"

It wasn't lost on Bastila how smoothly Atton had just changed the subject. But she continued with the digression. "Many people think that, but 'Revanchism' is an old term related to reversing territorial losses. The movement started using that term for itself first and, at a certain point, Revan adapted the word and took it as his name. And while the movement was undeniably a huge part of his life, it isn't who he really is. Using his real name helps to remind him that he's a real, complete human, not just a faceless reflection of people's expectations."

They were interrupted by a series of beeps. T3 had rolled around from the other side of the Hawk.

Bastila looked at him quizzically. "He was named after one of the game writer's old D&D characters, and they invented the 'Revanchist' naming for the comics? They just got lucky that there was a real word that had 'Revan' in it that meant something they could relate to the character? T3, are you sure you didn't connect to a power socket by mistake back there? I have no idea what you're talking about."

T3 whistled reprimandingly and rolled into the Hawk. Bastila and Atton watched him for a moment, shaking their heads in confusion.