STRONG WARNING: The following contains heavy spoilers about KOTOR 1 and KOTOR 2. If you have not played the games, DO NOT READ THIS. Go play them then come back. I promise I'll wait.
DISCLAIMER: the core premise of this fan fiction deviates wildly from canon, as do many of the events. If this sort of speculative writing bothers you, then you might want to stop now and not waste your time. If, on the other hand, you're interested in a just-for-fun story that doesn't fit anywhere into the official Star Wars timeline, then read on!
"I have a proposal for you," Revan said to Meetra Surik, his words echoing off the high ceiling of the massive Rakatan audience chamber in which they stood. "But first, let me tell you a story."
"I'm in no mood for stories," Meetra said. She had just finished disgorging years of repressed anger onto Revan for his central role in her traumatic past. Her hand still hovered over the lightsaber at her belt.
"Then I'll be as brief as possible," Revan said. "But you demand answers of me, answers about Malchor, and my story begins there. Will you allow me to address your charges against me?"
Meetra nodded, jaw clenched. Behind her, concealed by advanced stealth generator belts, stood Bastila Shan and Tevano. They had secretly accompanied Meetra into Revan's private chamber on the planet Lehon, former center of the Rakatan Infinite Empire, where Revan was building a new military force, which they feared was for continuing his interrupted invasion of the Republic.
"Recall that at Malachor," Revan said, "I faced Mandalore the Ultimate in single combat on his flagship while you led our fleet. With his dying breath, Mandalore told me that the Mandalorians had been tricked into attacking the Republic. The Sith - the True Sith, not the Sith you have seen - had approached Mandalore, played upon his hopes and preconceptions, and used the Mandalorians to test the Republic's strength, weakening it for a True Sith invasion-"
"This much I know from Canderous," Meetra interjected. "Kreia also mentioned the True Sith. She said when you attacked the Republic, it was part of a master plan to strengthen it in preparation for a greater war against the True Sith."
At this, Bastila and Tevano looked at each other. They were unable to speak without revealing themselves, but their expressions both said the same thing: if Meetra knew what the rumored threat was, why had she not named it during their discussion on Coruscant?
"Kreia was both right and wrong, but that's understandable. She was never meant to know the full truth."
"And I'm supposed to believe I am?" Meetra demanded.
"I hope that by the time I am done," Revan said, "you will see I have held nothing back from you. There will be no more secrets between us."
"You said you needed Kreia to believe you were in the Unknown Regions. She did think that - she thought you had gone to prepare for an attack by the True Sith. Why would you mislead people into thinking you had left?"
"I had preparations to make," Revan said, "and I needed time. Time to prepare the Rakata for the battle to come, the battle you will lead. If I was gone, then no one would look for me here."
"What battle do you presume I will lead?" Meetra asked.
"Presume?" Revan said. "I find that to be the wrong word. I prefer 'trust'. Allow me to continue, and things will become clear." Meetra nodded and Revan continued.
"After learning of the True Sith from Mandalore, Malak and I began investigating. Certain clues led us to the ice world of Rekkiad, where we discovered the datacron of the Sith Lord Dramath. This led us to Nathema, a world rendered devoid of the Force by the Sith Emperor Vitiate, in a ritual intended to grant him immortality. There we learned of Dromund Kaas, capital of the True Sith Empire. Malak and I thought we could destroy Vitiate ourselves, but we were wrong. We were dominated by his will and sent back to destroy the Republic on his behalf.
"We very nearly succeeded, but at the last moment I was able to break Vitiate's control. Through a complicated series of events, Malak was defeated and Vitiate's immediate plans were thwarted. But knowing he was still plotting invasion, I began preparations to defeat him and save the Core. I had intended to send a pawn with knowledge of the Republic's weakness to True Sith space but it has - quite recently - come to my attention that part of the plan did not succeed. But that is is easily rectified. We will ensure Vitiate learns of the Republic's vulnerability, which will trigger his attack. The Republic, berefit of Force-capable defenders in the wake of recent wars, will be overwhelmed. But all will not be lost.
"Vitiate's forces will push deep into the Core against the weak Republic Fleet. Canderous will lead the Mandalorians in a flanking attack. Vitiate will expect this, and will have quietly divided his strongest forces in anticipation. His fleet will be left stretched, but still capable of victory. This is when you will lead an army of Force Sensitive Rakata, attacking from behind and taking him by surprise, defeating his fleet, and saving the Core."
"You are claiming that Canderous is aware of your plans?" Meetra said. "I find this unlikely. We traveled together for some time. Even as strong-willed as he is, I would have sensed something."
"Canderous knows nothing of these details," Revan said. "He knows only that he is to prepare, not precisely what he is preparing for. But he will come when I call, of that I am certain."
"And why will you not lead your own forces?" Meetra asked.
"Vititate's personal abilities are ... formidable," Revan said. "It is unknown to me whether he will accompany his fleet, or direct them from Dromund Kaas. If he leads them himself, I am known to him, and he could sense me at great distance, compromising our attack. Your special relationship to the Force makes you almost undetectable. The unique nature of the Rakata's Force abilities is also unknown to Vitiate and, even if he senses something, he will be unable to identify it. My army, with you as its leader, has been carefully constructed for this one particular mission. You, and only you, can succeed in saving the Core."
"It did not escape my attention that again you are sacrificing the Republic fleet," Meetra said, "using it as bait as you did at Malachor. Once Vitiate is defeated and the Republic Fleet is essentially no more, will you then complete your conquest of the defenseless Republic?"
"I care nothing for the disposition of the Core worlds, one way or the other," Revan said. "Do with them what you like. Restore their current government to greatness not seen in generations, replace it as you see fit, or govern them yourself. When I left for the Mandalorian Wars, so long ago, I thought it was to protect innocents. And it was, but now I see who I was protecting them against. My adversary, for all these years, has been Vitiate. I first battled against his proxies in the Mandalorians, and won. I then faced him directly, and failed. But now I will again face him through you, and this time I will defeat him forever. My purpose will then be complete."
"You offer me the Republic to rule?" Meetra asked.
"I do," Revan said.
"And if what I want is for you to rule by my side?" Meetra asked. Still concealed by their stealth generators, Tevano and Bastila looked at each other in surprise. "What is she doing?" Bastila mouthed, but Tevano could only shake his head in confusion.
"After this last battle," Revan said, "our roles will reverse. I will serve you as you wish, whether that be to rule, to advise, or to disappear."
"And those who came here with me?" Meetra asked. "Those in this room right now? Don't pretend you aren't aware of them."
At this Tevano and Bastila looked at each other in apprehension.
"I would pretend no such thing," Revan said. "I am certain they have already attempted to poison you against me, and I appreciate that you gave me the opportunity to explain myself fully. They have also now heard my true plans, which I spoke openly, knowing that they were present. They can decide for themselves whether they will join us."
"And if they do not?" Meetra asked.
"I think you know that they cannot be allowed to leave," Revan said. "Our mission is too important to be interrupted."
Meetra pressed a button on her belt, and Bastila and Tevano's stealth generators deactivated. They looked from her to Revan, who was clearly pleased.
"Don't bother with your lightsabers," Meetra said to them. "All this time, my stealth generators have been draining their power supplies. You are defenseless."
"Don't trust him!" Bastila said to Meetra.
"He's lying to you!" Tevano said at the same time.
Meetra turned to Revan. "They seem to have made their choice. Shall I kill them for you?"
Revan nodded, his satisfaction palpable. Meetra ignited her silver lightsaber, but instead of attacking Tevano and Bastila, she took a step toward Revan.
"You have spoken plainly to me, so let me do the same," she said. "Always you speak in half-truths. That might have worked on someone else. It worked on me when I was younger. But no more. I'm wiser now, and I see you for what you are."
"You're making a mistake-" Revan began, but Meetra cut him off.
"What do you think I was doing in Wild Space?" Meetra said. "I spent years taking down thugs and con artists. I thought I was wasting my life, but I see now that I was training to recognize the biggest swindler of them all."
"I-" Revan began, but Meetra again interrupted.
"Shut up, this is my turn! When I first followed you to the Mandalorian Wars, I thought I was following a noble cause. But something changed in you, Revan. As your legend grew larger, your heart grew smaller. As your power increased, your soul shrank. You act as if you're again doing all this for a grand purpose, and maybe you even believe it yourself. But I know you better than that. You're doing this for revenge. Vitiate hurt you, broke you, made you feel weak and small. You want to do it back to him, but you aren't strong enough to do it on your own. So you'll use the entire galaxy, and every innocent person in it, as a tool to satisfy your childish needs, to restore your own ego. But this time, I won't follow you. If I can, I'll stop you."
"Do I look broken?" Revan said. "The only way you leave here alive is by swearing allegiance to me. I offer you a chance to again lead my forces as General, to defeat the greatest foe in history. Do not discard that rashly."
"Do you intend for me to lead your fleet against Vitiate? Yes, you do. Again, you'll use me as your weapon. Only this time, you'll make sure my ship is destroyed in the battle, because despite your words, you no longer truly trust me."
"I have-" Revan began, but Meetra continued over him without pausing.
"You'll also make sure the Mandalorians also die in the fight because, although you know Canderous himself would follow you blindly, you can't stand for any of your old enemies to survive once they are no longer useful. And then you will take control of the Republic on your own, turning it into whatever twisted corruption you have in mind, using your Rakata. They won't long tolerate you, and will supplant you as they rebuild their Infinite Empire. But your pride won't allow you to see that."
"If you reject my offer," Revan said, "you will doom the Core to Vitiate's invasion. Whether now or later, he is coming, and he is beyond any of you. There is no other way."
"There is always another way," Meetra said, "and we will find it without you. You said you made Kreia think you went to scout the True Sith so she would not alter her plans. That may be true. But you never do anything for just one reason. You wanted her to pass that along to me, to shape my thinking, to predispose me to again follow you. Even that long ago, you were preparing me for this conversation. But there was something you didn't count on, Revan. I can see through you now. I don't serve you anymore, and I never will again."
"You are a fool," Revan said. "And you should know that you cannot stand against me."
"Maybe not," Meetra said, "But together we can." She turned back to Tevano and Bastila. "I'm sorry, but I had to test him for myself, to be sure. If you had seen what he once was, if there had been any flicker of his old self left, maybe we could have ... but he's irredeemable now. There's nothing wrong with your lightsabers, I just needed to see what he'd say if he thought you were defenseless. Let's rid the galaxy of him." She turned back to face Revan, readying her weapon.
"So be it," Revan said. "An ex-Jedi who can no longer even feel the Force, a clone I've already defeated once, and a Padawan who sat out the last war. You really believe you are a match for me?"
"As I recall," Tevano said, "you were the one defeated at the Star Forge."
"So you say," Revan said. "And yet here I stand, in command of a formidable military force, while you have apparently spent the intervening years in hiding. That, at least, you appear to be skilled at. Until you entered this room, I really did believe that you had gone to the Unknown Regions as my bait."
"I wasn't hiding," Tevano said. "I was finding you, so that we could stop you."
"And in so doing," Revan said, "you have found death, for yourself and those you led here. I won't even have to fight you myself," Revan said. "Behind there-" he gestured toward a closed door on the side of the large room "-wait a dozen of my most elite Rakatan special forces. You will be an effective trial for them."
Revan gestured toward the door and it slid open smoothly. A single figure appeared. A human.
Atton Rand.
"Actually, it was more like eight," Atton said. "And if those are your best, you might need to raise your standards."
"Who are you?" Revan demanded.
"You should pay more attention to your staff roster," Atton said. "I used to work for you. Now I work for her." He indicated Meetra. "Best job switch I ever made."
"He's a little further along in his training than I let on," Meetra said to Tevano and Bastila with a smile. "A lot further, in fact. Let's do this." Tevano and Bastila stepped forward to face Revan with her, Atton joining them from the side.
"I offer you one last chance," Revan said, looking directly at Meetra. "Whatever you may think of me, you know that I can defeat Vitiate. I assure you, there is no other way your Republic survives. Will you doom it to destruction? If I am indeed Sith, then understand that Sith apprentices are expected to challenge their masters. Join me, defeat Vitiate, then face me if you must. By opposing me now, you condemn that which you would save."
Rather than replying, Meetra looked at Tevano, Bastila, and Atton. "Would you like to know what his real name is?" she asked.
"Meetra, no!" Revan said quickly, a note of fear in his voice.
"Atton, you probably recall from the Mandalorian Wars that, before assuming the name Malak, Revan's former apprentice went by the name 'Alek', right?" Atton nodded.
"Meetra, there will be no turning back from this," Revan warned, but Meetra did not pause.
"Revan did the same thing," she said. "He just added a sound to the beginning of his name."
"You mean-" Atton began.
"No, it couldn't be-" Tevano said simultaneously.
Bastila's jaw dropped and she began to giggle uncontrollably.
"Meetra, don't!" Revan yelled, his voice almost consumed by panic, but again Meetra continued over him.
"Allow me to introduce you to," Meetra said, sweeping her arm wide with a flourish as if introducing royalty, "Darth Evan!"
"NOOOOOO!" Revan screamed, igniting his twin lightsabers and leaping towards them.
The four Jedi ignited their sabers as well, Meetra's face becoming expressionless as she emptied herself of emotion, the other three drawing on the Force to strengthen themselves. They met Revan in the center of the room. Tevano attacked from Revan's right, Bastila and Atton from the front, and Meetra from Revan's left. Due to the number of combatants, each Jedi attacked with only one lightsaber, Bastila having ignited only one end of her dual-bladed hilt.
Revan's attack was pure rage and aggression, and might have overwhelmed less experienced foes. But his opponents were all seasoned combatants and, faced with four of them, Revan was unable to focus his attack without leaving himself exposed to the others. The Jedi all assumed defensive postures and fell back until Revan's initial fury was spent. They then switched to more aggressive forms and began attempting to either surround Revan, or failing that, to push him backwards across the chamber, where the wall would limit his maneuverability.
But despite being outnumbered four to one, Revan gave no ground. He smoothly stepped one way or another, countering any attempt by Tevano or Meetra to slip behind him. His red and purple lightsabers wove a barrier around him, giving his mask an eerie glow. None of the combatants came close to penetrating his defensive dance. His initial assault stymied, he was either unwilling or unable to counter their attacks with further attacks of his own. Instead, he kept the fight in the center of the room, and his opponents in front of him.
The battle continued for several minutes, then several more, a fiery stalmate. Jedi learn early in their training to utilize the precognition their Force Sensitivity grants to anticipate an opponent's attacks, and to find weaknesses in their defenses. Against a opponents who where not Force Sensitive opponent, this gave the Jedi the appearance of almost supernaturally quick reflexes, and normally resulted in a very short fight. Against other Jedi, however, the precognition of each combatant countered the other. A naive outcome was that each would adjust their approach to the anticipated actions of the other, who was also adjusting similarly, resulting in an awkward and ineffective battle usually won by luck. The Sith solution to this dilemma was to ignore the opponent's intent and overpower them, dominating the battle by strength and force of will. The Jedi solution was the various Lightsaber Forms, which allowed the Jedi to act and react within the bounds of a proven strategy.
Bastila progressed through all the forms she was proficient in, to no avail. Revan was no longer attacking as a Sith normally would, seeking to quickly dispatch his opponents with rage-fueled aggression. But neither did he appear to be employing Soresu, the traditional Jedi defensive form. This was the Revan who had defeated the legendary Echani General Yusanis in single combat. This was the Revan who had killed Mandalore the Ultimate, leaving the remaining Mandalorians leaderless after the tragedy of Malachor V. He was unpredictable, unique, and seemingly without weakness.
Suddenly Bastila realized what Revan was doing. Revan's greatest asset had always been his tactical ability. And in this instance, Revan knew that a long fight was in his favor. Rather than exhaust himself in a normal Sith attack, rather than counter their Jedi forms with others that they knew well, Revan was toying with them, allowing them to expend themselves against his non-traditional defense. Whether these were techniques that Revan had learned from the True Sith Emperor, developed on his own, or was inventing in the moment was irrelevant. Despite all appearances to the contrary, Revan had the upper hand, and he knew it. Soon, one of the four would begin to tire, and Revan would take full advantage, reducing his attackers to three, then two, then finally one opponent who he could easily overpower. Bastila knew she had to change the equation, and she knew how.
Dropping back from the fight, she knelt in a meditative pose. It had been years since she had performed Battle Meditation, and even then she had rarely performed it for such a small group of allies. But this was Bastila's distinguishing gift, the rare talent that separated her among Jedi, and it came back to her as naturally as if she'd never stopped. Bastila released her focus from the individual combatants and sensed her allies as a whole. They became both less and more to her than individuals. They radiated in the Force, each more a color than a person. Tevano shone as a bright blue, matched by Meetra's bright silver. Atton, still a mystery to Bastila, was a swirling mix of pigments. But there was another color, a bright red, shining over them all. This should not be. Bastila had only reached out to her allies, not their adversary. But here it was, one dominant light, its glow so powerful it was almost painful. Revan.
Confused, Bastila tried to ignore Revan's presence and move to the next phase, sensing the connections between her allies, so that she could strengthen and amplify them, allowing the Jedi to move as a unified team with one mind, one purpose. The connections between this group were incredibly strong. Her own bond with Tevano, originally created as a Force Bond and now amplified by love and committment, was clear and bright. She sensed a similar bond between Meetra and Atton, perhaps less developed, but of the same nature. But what suprised Bastila the most was the other set of bonds, dark and powerful. She realized now why Revan's red glow had been cast over the colors of her allies. Each of them was bonded to Revan. Bastila's own bond with Revan was intense, built on the same Force Bond that had connected them on Revan's flagship and enhanced, no doubt, by the extended time that Revan's spirit had lived in her mind. Tevano's connection to Revan was equally intense, fueled not only by the Force Bond but also by Tevano's origin as Revan's clone. Meetra's bond with Revan was perhaps stronger than either of those, forged by their service together in the Mandalorian Wars. And even Atton, while bonded the least strongly to Revan, was connected, presumably by his service to Revan's Sith in the Jedi Civil War.
This, then, was how Revan was dealing with them so easily. Bastila supposed it should have come as no surprise to her that Revan was skilled in a Sith perversion of her own special talent. The purpose of Battle Meditation was to make the allies share one intent, to act together seamlessly without hesitation. But in a sense, they were already joined as one, connected to Revan, who was acting as the center of their union, exploiting it against them. They could not defeat him, because in this moment he had manipulated their connections to make it as if they were him. Revan was not fighting them. He was shadowboxing with himself. And like any shadow, the projections were less substantial than the creator. It was as if only Revan had a true physical form, as if he would extinguish his shadows in his own glow.
Bastila had never used her ability to break connections, only to create them. She wasn't even sure it was possible. But it must be done, even if she didn't know how. She first reached out to the other three Jedi, sensing them, amplifying their connections. Next, she focused on the connections between them and Revan, mentally sensing each one. Then she sliced, chopping at each connection to Revan with her feelings, attacking, blocking. It was almost as if this were a lightsaber battle of its own, Bastila versus the thick cords extending from the central red glow, the lightsaber of her mind hacking, seeking to sever. She had no idea what her old Jedi Masters would have thought about this technique. Likely, they would have disapproved. But she could tell it was working.
Atton was first to react. He didn't know why Bastila had dropped back, but he realized it gave him space to utilize the second lightsaber hanging from his belt. Finally spotting a weakness in Revan's defenses, he grabbed the shorter saber with his left hand and snuck in a surprise attack. His blow struck Revan on the leg, just below the hip. Revan sidestepped and sustained only a minor wound, but even so his mobility was affected. Now Revan was falling back, the battle slipping from his control. Tevano's saber glanced off Revan's shoulder, Meetra's off his side.
"NO!" screamed Revan. He released a wave of Force energy, throwing them all outwards away from him. Atton collided with Bastila, leaving them both sprawled across the floor. Tevano struck the side wall to Revan's right, and Meetra the wall to Revan's left. Each crumpled to floor, momentarily dazed. Revan extended his hands towards Atton and Bastila, then closed them into fists. They clutched at their throats, choking, their airways closed. Both had been trained to counter this sort of attack, but the strength of Revan's will was beyond anything they had encountered, and they could make no defense. Each saw the room grow dark as their vision faded and their life began to drain.
Simultaneously, Meetra and Tevano recovered themselves and launched themselves at Revan in matching high leaping arcs, lightsabers blazing. Releasing Atton and Bastila, who collapsed to the floor, Revan focused on Tevano, quickly tracking his path. Revan scoffed, then raised a hand to what would become the highest point of Tevano's leap. He then turned to Meetra and tracked her jump, raising his other hand to the highest point of her arc. As their leaps peaked, Revan released an intense blast of lightning from each hand. Meetra was struck mid-jump, the pain penetrating her emotional control. She screamed as the lightning seared her flesh, knocking her out of the air to the floor, leaving her burned and smoking.
Tevano, however, had anticipated Revan's move. Just before Revan released his lightning, Tevano reached out in the Force and pulled himself straight toward Revan, altering his trajectory and sliding just under the lightning. Tevano's blue blade penetrated Revan's unprotected back between the shoulder blades and pierced his heart. Revan looked down in surprise at the blue blade extending out of his chest. For a moment, everything was frozen, then Tevano extinguished the lightsaber.
Tevano had expected Revan to fall, but somehow Revan was still on his feet. Defeated, unable to attack, Revan used the last of his fading willpower to turn and face Tevano. Revan reached up and, with a shaking hand, removed his mask and dropped it to the floor. The face underneath was twisted, corrupted by the Dark Side, eyes yellowed, pale skin covered by a network of veins. But its shape was identical to Tevano's. They looked at each other for a moment, the best and worst of what Revan could have been. Revan reached out his hand and, almost lovingly, ran his fingers down Tevano's cheek.
"With the power of the Star Forge, I could have created a thousand of you," Revan said weakly. "I could have lived forever. Now, only you remain. Revan. Trask Ulgo. Tevano. Whoever you are, you are all I leave behind. I-"
Revan stumbled, dropping to one knee. He raised his gaze one last time to Tevano, his expression almost pleading, then collapsed backwards.
Tevano looked down on Revan's face, a dark mirror of his own, Revan's unseeing eyes staring unblinkingly upward. The others joined him, Meetra grimacing and limping badly, Atton still rubbing his throat. Bastila gently wrapped an arm around Tevano's waist.
"I'm not sure if I just killed my father, my brother, or myself," Tevano said. "And even he didn't know who I was. How am I supposed to? With Revan gone, what is my identity? Who am I?"
"How about my husband?" Bastila asked softly. Tevano look at her in surprise.
"Did she just propos-" Atton began, but Meetra stopped him mid-sentence with an elbow to the ribs.
"I ... of course!" Tevano said. He embraced Bastila and kissed her. Meetra pulled the gawking Atton away, giving the other couple their moment. Meetra and Atton stepped to the other side of the room, where they could hear Tevano and Bastila talking in quiet tones, but could not make out their words. A few minutes passed, then Bastila and Tevano joined them, still smiling.
"Congratulations," Meetra said. "Revan left us a bit of Rakatan mess. Shall we clean that up before we head back to Coruscant and begin planning a wedding?"