The Prodigal Knight

Year 32497 after the Tho Yor Arrival

Battle of Rakata Prime, Star Forge

Aboard the Star Forge, Revan, Canderous, HK-47, T3-M4, Carth, Mission, Zaalbar, and Juhani exited the Hawk and were joined up with Jedi Knights sent by Master Vandar. The doors to the hangar bay opened, revealing Malak's Dark Jedi. Revan ignited an orange blade and led the battle. Thanks to HK's recommendation of grenades and mines, the battle ended with minimal casualties. The injured Knights, Mission, and Zaalbar remained behind to guard the Ebon Hawk as Revan and the others headed deeper into the station. Once the group moved past the doors, they were sealed, cutting Revan's group off from the hangar. The situation grew worse as powerful battle droids mass-produced by the Star Forge attacked. Each room they traveled through held a combination or turrets, droids, and Dark Jedi. Fighting through more of the assault droids, the group soon came across several Jedi Knights in battle with Dark Jedi, though they were unable to reach their allies before the other Jedi fell.

As Revan and his allies headed deeper into the Star Forge, Malak continued to unleash droids, Sith troopers, and Dark Jedi upon them in order to eliminate his former Master. Along the way, Revan found one of the manufacturing terminals. Incidentally, the Star Forge remembered him, but he didn't have the same access as Malak. To help with the fights ahead, he remade his armor from the Mandalorian Wars with some color modifications. When they finally reached the command center, Bastila was there coordinating the fleet.

Bastila stood to her feet. "Revan, I knew you'd come for me."

Revan crossed his arms. "I'm not giving up on you, Bastila."

She scoffed. "You are wasting your time. I have seen the Jedi for what they are: weak and afraid. The Sith are the true Masters of the Force. You have forgotten that lesson, Revan."

He raised a brow. "I defeated you before, Bastila. I can do it again."

Bastila gritted her teeth. "I have no doubt of that. I was no match for you in the Temple, but when I fled I knew you would follow me here. Had you reclaimed the power of your previous identity I would be your apprentice, not Malak's. But you rejected the dark side. Now you must pay the price. "

"The position as my apprentice is still open. Must I prove my skill to you once more?"

"Here on the Star Forge, the power of the dark side is at its strongest. This time you will not defeat me!" Bastilla placed her former companions in a Stasis Field and sealed the door, locking the two in with each other. She ignited her lightsaber and lunged at Revan.

For the next few minutes, the two exchanged swords and force abilities; however, Revan overcame her, knocking her to the ground. She was vulnerable, but Revan would not strike her down.

Bastila took deep breaths. "I see now why Malak followed you. Even though you are only a shell of your former self, you are still a formidable opponent. I can't even imagine the power you must have wielded when you were the Dark Lord. You were a fool to give it all up and follow the light side."

He frowned. "You've been consumed by the dark side, Bastila. Can't you see it's destroying you?

"The dark side has made me stronger than I ever was before!" she growled. "I have a greater command of the Force than all but the most powerful Jedi Masters. As Malak teaches me the greatest secrets of the Sith, I will unlock more of my potential. Eventually, there will be no limit to what I can accomplish with the Force!"

"You will gain all this power and then what." Reven gestured to one of the viewports. "Look at what Malak and I did during my rule. Whatever intentions we had, we brought death and destruction to the Republic and its people. You will be no different."

Bastila got back onto her feet. "Jedi propaganda. The dark side is only a tool, and Malak will train me in its use. Eventually, I will surpass my Master and challenge him. If I am worthy he will die by my hand. Then I will take on my own apprentice and the cycle will begin again. This is the way of the Sith, it is how we assure our leaders are always the strongest and most worthy!"

"The only thing that philosophy promotes is self-destruction. You're dooming yourself and everyone else to an endless cycle of death and betrayal."

She got back into a fighting stance. "No, Revan, it is you who are doomed!"

Once again, the two fought. With a proper parry and a force push, Revan once again knocked Bastila down.

Even when losing, Bastila held a facade of arrogance. "You are growing weary, I can sense it! Your strength falters, the light side is failing you while the power of the Star Forge re-energizes me! Soon this will all be over!"

"Then strike me down, Bastila." Revan turned off his saber and opened his arms. "I won't defend myself."

She was caught off guard by the offer, narrowing her eyes. "What type of trick is this?" She looked around expecting some sort of surprise attack.

"There's no trick, Bastila. I know you. This isn't who you are. You are not evil, and you are not heartless. You will not strike down a defenseless opponent, but more importantly, we mean something to each other. I don't believe you will strike me down."

She tightened the grip around her red lightsaber. "I am a Sith apprentice now. You place too much faith in what I used to be... and for that, you shall pay!"

Revan grumbled. Ever since he met her, she was always so stubborn. The truth was always right in front of her. Then again, that was one of the things he liked about her. With a proper parry and force pull, Revan disarmed Bastilla, defeating her for a third and final time. Maybe now, she would be willing to listen.

Bastila was on all fours, forehead dripping in sweat. "No, this is not possible!" She looked back at Revan. "You have rejected the dark side, you are a weak and pathetic servant of the light! How can you still stand against me?" She was in a panic. "Why can't I defeat you?"

Revan got down on one knee to meet her. "Now you see there is no true power from the dark side."

"Yes, I see you speak the truth. I am no match for you." Bastila got to her knees. "Please, for the sake of what we once shared, do not make me suffer." She closed her eyes. "End my life quickly. There is no other way." She was expecting the quick burn of a lightsaber and whatever awaited her in the afterlife. "Ow." She rubbed her forehead. Opening her eyes, she saw Revan's deadpan expression. He just flicked her face. "What was that for? I want you to kill me." She sneered at the man.

"That was for being an idiot." He moved his hand to gently cup her cheek. "I could never kill you, Bastila."

She moved her face away from his touch. "What other choice do you have? I have fallen to the dark side, I am the apprentice to the Dark Lord himself. You cannot let me live."

Revan shook his head. "You do know who you are talking to, right? I was the Dark Lord, Bastila, and the Jedi Council let me live."

"You were a special case. The Council had no other choice. They needed you alive so they could discover the location of the Star Forge. It was an act of desperation. It was my responsibility to watch over you, to make sure you did not slip back into your evil ways. I was supposed to protect you from the dark side."

Revan laughed remembering their night on the Ebon Hawk together. "You did more than protect me, Bastila." Even when she used the dark side, it was easy to tease Bastila.

"I'm serious. "

"You saved my life, Bastila. The council pulled me out of the dark. I turned from the dark. You can turn from it too.

Bastila hesitated, looking at her hands. "No... I'm not strong enough. There is too much anger inside me now. Too much hatred and fear. I can no longer find peace in the Force.

"If you can't find peace in the force, then find it in me. Use our bond. I will give you all the strength you need."

Slowly, Bastila focused her mind on the man in front of her through their bond. It was a warm feeling welling inside of her. "You... always had more strength than I did. I told you that. I felt so... helpless before your destiny. You were Revan and I couldn't tell you... it was agonizing! It was even worse when I began to... feel closer to you. I despised myself for it. And even now I... feel your strength. It... does help me. Thank you, I think I can face the end, now. If you are the one to end it for me."

Revan groaned. 'Again with me killing you.' "That's not my point. Have you been listening to anything I've said in the time we've known each other?" With both arms, he pulled Bastila in and pressed his lips against hers. Just like the first time they kissed, she was a bit awkward, but they soon fell into the rhythm before separating. "I love you, Bastila. I'll never abandon you, not ever. Look into your heart, Bastila. Will the power of the dark side bring you true happiness?"

She looked so cute when she was flustered. "You... love me? Heh. I... there was a time I yearned for and yet dreaded to hear those words. I loved you, too, but I could never... face who you were. Malak knew how I felt. Any part of the light that was within me would be extinguished when I killed you. But what good is love? It cannot save me from the sea of blackness I am drowning in."

Still embracing her, Revan slowly pressed his forehead against hers. "That's where you're wrong, Bastila. Love, an honest love, means that neither of us is ever alone. If you are still drowning in that sea of blackness, I will be there to pull you out, and you will do the same for me."

Bastila's embraced her love tighter. "But I have betrayed everything I ever believed in! How can I atone for that?"

He could feel her fear and doubt. "Never live for the sake of an ideology. The Jedi and Sith are testaments to the results. Live for yourself. All that matters is what you want to be. If it's atonement you're asking for, then help us defeat the Sith, Bastila."

Pushing away from his shoulder, she wiped away a stray tear. "Yes, I... could join you in your battle against the Dark Lord. That alone would not make up for all I have done, yet... it would be a step in the right direction. But how would you be able to trust me? How do you know I wouldn't turn on you when you faced Darth Malak? How do you know the dark side wouldn't make me betray you again?"

"I trusted you enough to leave myself open to your attack, Bastila."

Bastila gave a small smile. "You play a dangerous game. Are you certain you wish to take this risk? I could end your life and gain Malak's favor with a single stroke of my lightsaber."

"You won't, Bastila. Because I love you and I believe in you. Tell you what, if we make it out of this alive, It'll be just you and me at the Manaan resorts for a few weeks."

Bastila couldn't help but laugh. "You are brave... and some would say foolish. But you are also right. The dark side has not wholly consumed me. I cannot raise my blade against you. You will go on to defeat Malak, of this I have little doubt. You will have gone from being the Sith Lord, himself, to the savior of our galaxy. And... and you said you loved me. This may not be the best time to say it, but...I love you, too. With all my heart."

Revan had his turn to smile. "It feels amazing to hear you say that. So, you aren't afraid to love anymore?"

She shook her head. "After this? No, nothing could make me feel safer than to be loved by you." Bastila let go of him and stood up. "You should go. Malak awaits. This isn't over, yet... for any of us. I should stay here, though. If we face Malak I am afraid his dark presence will overwhelm me. It would not be wise to expose myself to such temptation."

Revan sighed and got up as well. "As much as I want you at my side when I face Malak, I respect your wishes. In that case, you could use your Battle Meditation to aid the Republic fleet."

"Yes, that would be for the best. You don't need me to defeat Malak, anyway. Now I understand that a true Jedi is a match for any Sith. Even the Dark Lord himself. I will stay here in this chamber and use my Battle Meditation to aid the Republic fleet. I am their only hope of destroying the Star Forge and ending the Sith menace. You must go and face Malak, but you have to hurry. Once I turn the battle in the Republic's favor we won't have much time to escape the Star Forge before it is destroyed. Good luck, my love... and may the Force be with you."

Revan headed to his final confrontation with his former student. As he approached the elevator to the upper levels, Revan encountered Malak and two dying Jedi that he was torturing. Angered that Revan had returned, Malak murdered the Jedi and told Revan that he would not be able to escape, not with the Star Forge at his command.

Revan tried to persuade his former friend and apprentice to surrender and leave the Sith; if he could find peace, so could Malak. However, Malak would rather die than be a "true slave of the Jedi code." Ironically, that's not what Revan wanted at all. He sealed Revan inside the chamber and activated six droid replicators. 'It never gets any easier.' Revan was forced to disable the replicators while being attacked by a horde of droids, and when the final replicator was disabled, Revan followed Malak up the elevator to the factory's viewing level. There, Revan approached his former student.

Malak stood in the middle of the room. "Well done, Revan. I was certain the defenses of the Star Forge would destroy you, but I see there is more of your old self in you than I expected. You are stronger than I thought; stronger than you ever were during your reign as the Dark Lord. I did not think that was possible."

Revan stood firmly. "This is your last chance, Malak. Surrender."

He laughed. "I am tempted to try and capture you alive, Revan. Then I could break your will and bind you to me as my apprentice, as I did would be a far greater asset to me than even Bastila and her Battle Meditation, if I could control you. But is it worth the risk? Perhaps you are too powerful to be my apprentice. I betrayed you when I realized my own strength was greater than yours; in time, you might try to do the same to me."

Revan glared at his former friend's notion. "I won't be a slave to the dark side again, Malak!"

Malak snarled. "Foolish words. The darkness and the light wage a constant war within you. The balance is tipped one way now, but it can easily be tipped, conqueror, hero, villain. You are all things Revan... and yet you are nothing. In the end, you belong to neither the light nor the darkness. You will forever stand alone."

The words lingered for a moment. "Perhaps you are right about me, but you're still making the mistake of underestimating me, Malak."

"Once you were stronger than me, Revan. But as your apprentice I surpassed you." He laughed. "The Master must always be stronger than the apprentice... that was why I betrayed you.

"Nothing is set in stone. I believe in the power of redemption."

"Of course. What else do you have? I cannot deny your resilience. You survived my first betrayal, thanks to Bastila's interference. You escaped the destruction of Taris and you escaped me on the even survived my attempt to destroy you with the Star Forge itself. Fate and destiny have conspired to keep you alive despite all my efforts. They have thrust you into the role of savior. We have been inexorably pushed to this final confrontation, Revan. I see now that this can only be settled when one of us destroys the other. Once again we shall face each other in single combat... and the victor will decide the fate of the galaxy!"

Malak ignited his lightsaber and attacked Revan, beginning their final duel. During his time as a Jedi, Malak was trained as a Jedi Guardian, focusing on lightsaber combat and physical aspects of the Force. Eventually, Darth Malak came to be counted among the skilled swordsmen of his time utilizing Makashi. Malak's sent precise flurries of strikes at Revan. However, there was a reason that Revan was feared during the Mandalorian Wars. Darth Malak mostly used the aggressive styles of Ataru and Shien. On the other hand, Revan trained in multiple forms of lightsaber combat. His mind has forgotten for a time, but his reintroduction to the force and the blade quickly brought them back. The duel between them was a flurry of strikes, parries, and counterattacks. The Force was always close by. Force Lightning arced through the air as lightsabers blades intercepted. Malak fought through Revan's Stuns. The two blitzed around the room with force-enhanced speed and strength. Revan managed to injure Darth Malak and knock him down.

Malak breathed heavily through his metal mouthpiece. "You continue to amaze me, Revan. If only you had been the one to uncover the true power of the Star Forge you might have become truly you were a fool. All you saw was an enormous factory, all you ever imagined was an infinite fleet rolling forth to crush the Republic. You were blind, Revan - blind and stupid!"

Revan stayed vigilant. "What are you talking about?"

The Dark Lord scoffed at his ignorance. "The Star Forge is more than just a space station. In some ways, it is like a living creature. It hungers. And it can feed on the dark side that is within all of us! Look around you, Revan. See the bodies? You should recognize them from the Academy."

Revan sneered. "What have you done, Malak?!"

"These are Jedi who fell when I attacked Dantooine. For all intents and purposes dead, except for one difference: I have not let them become one with the Force. Instead, I have brought them here. The Star Forge corrupts what remains of their power and transfers the dark taint to me!" Energy crackles from the machine as Malak drains power from a captured Jedi. He felt rejuvenated and strengthened. "You cannot beat me, Revan. Not here on the Star Forge. Not when I can draw upon the power of all these Jedi! And once you are beaten I will do the same to you. You will be trapped in a terrible existence between life and death, your power feeding me as I conquer the galaxy!"

Now seeing, the source of Malak's renewed strength, Revan knew what had to be done. Dashing past Malak, Revan approached a Jedi's pod and unleashed a torrent of ionic energy, destroying the machine and releasing the Jedi's spirit from containment.

"Get back here." Using the force, Malak pulled Revan back into striking distance. Malak hoped that he would be able to outlast him; however, Revan continued to fight, wearing Malak down and destroying the machinery he used to draw energy from the Jedi. As the Republic and Sith fleets battled all around the outside, the two fought back and forth across the platform, but ultimately Malak was driven to his knees, fatally wounded. "I'm... [cough] impossible. I... I cannot be beaten. I am the Dark Lord of the Sith."

Revan pulled Malak's lightsaber off the floor. "This is the way of the dark side, Malak: all things end in death."

"Still... [cough] still spouting the wisdom the Jedi, I see. Maybe there is more truth in their code than I ever believed."

"Surrender and the Jedi might show you mercy."

"It's too late for that now. What I've done to the galaxy is unforgivable."

"I was saved from the darkness, Malak. You can be too if you wish. What would you like to do?" Revan held out a glowing hand with a Stimpak, ready to heal him if he chooses.

"That is but a fleeting dream. It would be best if I leave the world of the living. I have caused much pain. More pain than you ever did as a Sith Lord. If I go back to the Republic, I'll be executed anyways if not locked away for life. I'll settle with this." Malak clutched his side. "I... I cannot help but wonder, Revan. What would have happened had our positions been reversed? What if fate had decreed I would be captured by the Jedi? Could I have returned to the light, as you did? [cough] If you had not led me down the dark path in the first place, what destiny would I have found?"

Revan drew back his hands. "I am sorry I started you on this path. But you chose to continue down it, even after I supposedly died."

"I suppose... I suppose you speak the truth. I alone must accept responsibility for my fate. I wanted to be Master of the Sith and ruler of the Galaxy. But that destiny was not mine, Revan. [cough] It might have been yours, perhaps... but never mine. I feel so tired."

Seeing Malak come closer to death, Revan took a chance to get answers. "Malak, there's something I need to know. What happened to us when we left for unknown regions? What did we find?"

"I haven't thought about that for a long time. When our conquest began, the memories of that time eluded us. However, we saw the Republic for what it was after the war. We saw the corruption and weakness in the Republic. If another threat like the Mandalorians came without warriors like us ready to fight, it would fall. Our efforts would have been for nothing" Malak began to cough more heavily. "Just like that, in the end, as the darkness takes me, I am nothing."

"That's where you're wrong, Malak. You were once my friend, and I'll remember you as such."

In his last seconds of life, Malak laughed. "You always knew just what to say." Finally, he fell to the floor, dead.

Revan deactivated his lightsaber and departed the viewing platform, carrying Malak's body. He deserved a proper burial. Revan attempted to leave the room, but the doors were still locked. The station shook from another explosion. He needed to leave. Taping into his former memories, Revan tried to locate the Administrator terminal. Interestingly enough, he didn't have to slice. The computer remembered its former Admin. Going through the menus, Revan unlocked the doors to the quickest path back to the hanger.

Another explosion came, and the terminal spoke in Ancient Selkath. "This Star Forge has sustained more than 85% damage to external systems. Preservation Protocol Activated. Relocating to the secondary site, Designation: Foundry."

At first, Revan was shocked that the Star Forge could survive before he registered the last word. "Foundry?" Something in the back of Revan's mind clicked when he heard that name. It meant something.

"Access Key Granted to last known living System Administrator." A mechanical probe left the console and started to scan him. A second later, a small data chip dispensed.

Revan grabbed the chip, hesitant on whether or not to keep it. He couldn't stop the protocol. Thinking back, there were many things he has not remembered yet. What happened when he and Malak went into unknown regions? What is the foundry? How was Revan involved? He needed answers. With that, he secured the chip, and the former Sith Lord ran to the Ebon Hawk.

---

Year 36421 after the Tho Yor Arrival, Year 3:3 after the Great ReSynchronization

Jedi Temple Council Chambers

Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon stand before the twelve members of the Jedi Council

Yoda nodded. "Correct you were, Qui-Gon."

Mace Windu continued. "His cells contain a high concentration of midi-chlorians."

"The Force is strong with him," Ki-Adi summarized.

Qui-Gon pressed the underlying question. "He's to be trained, then?"

The Council Members look to one another.

Mace Windu's face held no emotion and shook slightly. "No. He will not be trained."

Anakin is crestfallen; tears begin to form in his eyes.

Qui-Gon was confused. "No?!"

"He is too old. There is already too much anger in him."

"He is the chosen one. You must see it," Qui-Gon pressed.

Yoda closed his eyes and delved into the force. "Clouded, this boy's future is. Masked by his youth."