Dark of the Stars V, Part 1 of 2
Title: The Dark of the Stars Interlude V, part 1 of 2
Author: darth_eldritch
Fandom: Star Wars, Knights of the Old Republic
Size: ~2,700 words
Genre: AU, based on the original story line of KOTOR and head!canon. While I might use some of the newer characters and info, my fics are not retcon compliant.
Characters: Revan, Malak, the Jedi Council on Coruscant
Disclaimer: Star Wars and all canon characters are owned by Lucas Arts. No infringement intended and no profit is made from this work.
Morning sunlight poured through transparasteel doming of the High Jedi Council chambers. The seemingly fragile latticing supporting the transparasteel gave the impression of airiness in the chambers atop the tallest towers of the Jedi Temple.
Several Jedi Masters sat in high backed seats worthy of thrones making a semi-circle focusing on the two young Jedi Knights in the middle of the round space.
Truant Jedi Knights. And there was nothing airy about the gravity of the masters they faced.
“How did you conveniently manage to be on Taris at the time of the outbreak?”
Master Vrook Lamar. A balding human who easily had the distinction of being the least popular of the Jedi masters among the younger Jedi, Padawan learners and brash young knights like Revan and Alek alike. Vrook sat forward, fist on knee, scowling at the two Jedi.
“Would it have been better if we had not been on Taris when the Firstwatch killed their Padawans and began attacking the civilians, Master?” Revan’s calm answer.
This was not going to get a good reaction from the Council. Alek stood with hands tucked in the wide sleeves of the brown robes of the Jedi that he customarily did not wear in favor of red armor or robes; he thought it prudent to appear his best in traditional Jedi garb when dealing with the Council.
Revan had his hood thrown back as per custom when meeting the Council and Alek could tell by small signs that his friend was inwardly seething. The tight set of Revan’s jaw, the pinpricks of pupils in his dark eyes, the slight flare of nostrils. But he kept his calm. Alek sensed Revan was quietly doing a deep breathing exercise, keeping his center and focus.
As much as Alek disliked that old teacher of Revan’s, he had to admit she had done a lot of good in teaching Revan better self control over the years. Revan had been rather hot tempered when he was younger and, in spite of being thoughtful, had a tendency to brashness.
“This is not a seemly direction for a discussion,” Master Atris broke into the potential argument. “Revan, perhaps it was by the Force that you and Alek were on Taris at the time of this terrible tragedy and it is well that the two of you saved the lives of many civilians. It should be our priority to address the many concerns this incident has caused.”
“Indeed, we must not overlook this tragedy, or what may have precipitated it,” the tiny Master Vandar, a being of a species that neither Revan or Alek could name. “And it is troubling this work of the dark side.”
“Yes, Master. They… were insanely attacking the civilians when we arrived…” Revan, with difficulty. Masters Tey, Xamar, Q’anlia, and Feln… were killed as we arrived.”
“They attacked us, Masters Xamar, and Q’anlia. Feln personally attacked me,” Alek. Like Revan, he found it was difficult to talk.
The tragedy of the deaths of the Padawans bled fresh in his mind.
“It was obvious they were under the influence of the dark side,” Alek added, “We sensed it very strongly… especially in the tower where we confronted Master Draay. Where they murdered the Padawans. Master Draay was calm, even if he spoke rather disturbingly, but I had to leave the tower room because of my anger. But I shouldn’t have left Rev, I mean, Revan alone with him…”
“I was speaking with Master Draay and he attacked me,” Revan stated. “He had locked the door by remote so the others could not aid me. And I had to fight him which led to his going out the window to his death below in the street.”
The Council members took this in with grave silence.
“This is indeed tragic,” Master Kavar broke the silence. “And it has profoundly disturbed the both of you.”
“Which brings me to the question of exactly why you were in the area in the first place,” Vrook interrupted, “When you, Revan, were supposed to be on a run to the Ossus restoration site for your master, and, you, Squinquargesimus, were scheduled for a training session with Master Zhar as you have continually pestered him for the opportunity.”
Alek gritted his teeth. He disliked Vrook using the overlong name of the village he had grown up in on his homeworld. The name the Republic officials of immigration had stuck him with when he arrived alone to Republic space after fleeing the destruction of the Mandalorians.
“I’m sorry, Masters,” Alek apologized, looking at Master Zhar.
The Twi’lek Jedi master studied the two Jedi knights in silent thoughtfulness as if he were taking time to formulate advice or even an opinion.
“We were doing research, research to complement what we have studied in Master Kreia’s work in recent history,” Revan volunteered.
A bold tactic on Revan’s part. And it worked.
“Further studies on Exar Kun,” Vrook, in disgust. It was known to the Council that Revan had been in contact with Lucien Draay to learn more of the Sith in pretext of being Master Kreia’s apprentice in archival arts. “Both of you would do well in keeping your focus on the current needs of the Order. You have no concerns with the studies of the Sith. Indeed these are fitting studies only for qualified masters.”
“Yes, Master,” Revan agreed, as if he had lost appetite for such studies after what had happened with the Firstwatch on Taris.
“But yet I wonder if you were doing more “freelancing” on the Mandalorians,” Vrook added in derision. “Strange how the two of you keep ending up together under mysterious circumstances.”
“Master, I don’t think the Mandalorians are anywhere near Taris,” Revan answered.
Slick, Alek admired.
“It is reported that Squinquargesimus was recruiting for your cause on Taris.” Vrook shot back.
Alek inwardly grimaced while maintaining a calm expression. Not so slick!
“Yes, Master Vrook,” Alek admitted. “And I find that many think better of the idea on Taris.”
Both Alek and Revan knew better than to lie to the Jedi Council. Skirting the truth as they were was risky enough.
“Master Draay and the others on the Taris Council disapproved of the idea,” Revan quietly said.
“As well as they should have,” Atris commented. “This is no time to speculate on the Mandalorians. When, and if, the time comes, we will judge how we will approach the situation.”
“Yes, Master,” as if Revan approved of the wisdom of this choice. Before he had ardently argued the military points of taking aggressive actions against suspect activity outside one’s borders, being that the Mandalorians had been for years taking planets one by one just outside Republic interest. Now that the Republic was now taking actions against the Mandalorians, Revan was almost expected to renew his case for taking aggressive actions against the aggressors, all the while arguing his extensive knowledge of history and military strategy.
The Council found Revan to be headstrong and too focused on his own abilities.
But now the pall cast by the murder of the Padawans on Taris subdued everyone. The Council included. And surely they were seeing the same in Revan, this shocking event forcing everyone in the Order to review priorities and viewpoints.
One did not have to look as far as the Mandalorians to find trouble.
Master Vandar sighed as if in response to Alek’s unspoken thoughts.
“Yes, we have much to attend to within our own walls,” he concluded.
“I don’t know what to say, Master,” Revan, quietly. “So much as happened and I’ve, I’ve had to reconsider things… I don’t know. But it troubles me deeply.”
The feeling in Revan’s words surprised Alek. Revan was rarely this forthcoming about his feelings like this, at least in front of the Council and the Masters. Alek felt Revan spoke the truth about his troubled thoughts. He looked at his friend in concern.
Revan bore the same grief he had in the tower room of the Taris Order.
“Understood, Revan. We are all grieving over this… unfortunate time,” Vandar, gently.
“I don’t even know what to even think…” Alek.
He kept seeing the unseeing faces of the young Padawans dead on the floor of the Taris Order tower, their bodies cut and burnt by lightsabers.
Later that night Alek knew he was going to dream of the faces of the dead of his village, his home world, after the Mandalorians struck. And he was going to dream of the faces of the too young pirates he and Revan had been forced to fight and kill as young teenagers.
“We have all been affected by this. Keep the Code in mind as we must go forward.” Master Zhar advised.
Alek caught his breath. And an upsurge of anger.
That was it? Is that all they can say about the loss of lives of children?
He trembled and caught Revan’s sidelong warning expression.
Watch the temper. Vrook had fingered them for years as dark siders in the making. Any display of anger or other emotion would set them back in the eyes of the Council.
Alek tightened his fist and took a deep shuddery breath, which the Council must be taking as sign of anger at the deaths of the children themselves, not their vaunted “wisdom.”
“There is no emotion…” he quoted as he released hidden tension in his body.
Empty words.
“There is peace,” Master Vandar, “The Council must now discuss Taris, and the both of you need recovery. So rest and meditate on the Code, while we decide what our next step will be.”
“Yes, Master Vandar,” the two Jedi Knights briefly bowed heads before leaving the Council chambers with soft footsteps.
Revan was the one to break the silence after they left the Council chambers and walked quiet hallways in brooding thoughts.
“We’re going to have to soon leave the Order,” Revan, low.
“It looks more and more like that,” Alek agreed, “If we want to go against the Mandalorians.”
“But there are things that must be done first…”
Alek knew Revan was serious. Normally, after a session with Vrook or Atris, it was a private gripe session they shared, aching over the unbelievable stodginess of whichever Jedi Master.
“I’m with you, Rev.” Alek, somber.
“I know you are,” Revan, a ghost of a smile that quickly slipped away.
Alek, no matter what happens, remember that you are like a brother to me.
The words Revan had said in the Taris tower.
What exactly had happened between Lucien Draay and Revan that Revan had to resort to forbidden dark side powers that would have gotten him kicked out of the Order if the Council knew?
Revan’s quiet on the matter was rather disturbing. Revan was normally a very reserved person, and confided only in Alek, as the two of them were best friends, and only Alek seemed to really understand Revan’s unique position in the Order of an extraordinary, no, an unordinary talent in the Force.
“They never mentioned Nar Shaddaa,” Alek.
“No reason for us to know anything like that. But they are thinking, linking the uprise in the dark side between Nar Shaddaa and what happened at Taris. And eventually they will follow the evidence to the “friend” of Lucien Draay’s mother.”
“What?”
“Who do you think taught Lucien what Sith knowledge he does know? Who do you think qualified Lucien as a Firstwatch leader to watch for any threat from the Sith?”
“A… Sith?” Alek, in disbelief.
“A bitter veteran of the Exar Kun wars.”
“Ahh! Someone who is tainted himself. Someone who could possibly be a holdover of Exar Kun’s old army. Or somebody who happened to stumble across Exar Kun’s teachings.” Alek concluded.
“Yes. I believe that is what Haazen is. No matter. He needs to be eliminated,” Revan stated.
Alek stared at Revan.
That was a rather cold blooded thing to say about someone who could be just a broken down old Jedi from the Exar Kun wars. Alek recalled something about the man being completely broken in body. Now he resided at the Draay residence out of way and out of most people’s memories.
“What’s wrong?” Revan.
“It’s shocking how this could be overlooked,” Alek.
“And it is right in front of us. Strange how the Council can overlook the most obvious.”
“I’m not so sure they overlook everything with us. I’m sure they can see through some of your lies and deceptions, Revan. You’re smart, and very clever, but they are the Jedi Council who have seen many clever Padawans, themselves included,” Alek warned.
Revan stopped. “You have a way with words, I have to admit. I am afraid of becoming careless with a web of deceit before the Council. And I do gamble on how much they might know… but we must do what we must in gathering means to defeat the Mandalorians. Even just getting us to the battlefield is a challenge.”
“So what are we going to do?”
“In time… I’ll know what to do. Maybe we do need to rest and rethink our approach.”
Alek wondered how much Revan really knew and wasn’t letting onto. How much Revan withheld even with him.
And since Taris, something changed in Revan. Something Alek couldn’t put a finger on, but the Revan before Taris would have never dismissed anyone as being worthy of being eliminated.
“Well, yes. Regroup and reorganize,” Alek stated. “The killing of those kids has affected me.”
“I know. Me, too,” Revan, soft, but with that deep emotion underneath.
Of course, Haazen is to blame if he had twisted Lucien Draay into beliefs of killing Padawans is the way to keep the galaxy safe from the Sith.
In that light, Haazen deserved to die.
“How about a few hands of Pazaak?” Alek suggested.
“Good way to aggravate Vrook, yes,” Revan grinned.
They were back to their old selves, up to mischief, up to no good, which Vrook would take as evidence that they were well on their way to the dark side on hyperspeed route. Vrook continually harped against the distraction of Pazaak, as if a deck of Pazaak playing cards were the holy book of any of many corrupting demonic entities from cultures across the galaxy. Nevermind that some of the Council, such as Nemo, themselves played Pazaak in the quiet hours of the evening.
Revan saw the galaxy in patterns, mosaics of color and light. He saw the galaxy in terms of power, the way his old teacher, to whom he had returned taught him to see. Not that Master Kreia ever blatantly said as much, but she gave Revan many ways to look at the interactions of sentients, and the art of government, in movements of power.
The Jedi Council was a thick web of focus, a prime locus in the galaxy of power and influence. The only greater locus of power was the Galactic Senate of the Republic, and the many shadowy entities that worked among the Senators just beneath the surface of public awareness. Money brokers, power brokers, information brokers. Illegal elements, too, such as the occasional incursion of the Exchange in protection brackets and bribery of officials.
Revan had silently seethed when standing in the middle of the Jedi Council semi=circle in the chambers. Those masters sat in throne like chairs, most fitting for the power they presumed to have and all the answers they presumed to have for the galaxy and each individual fated to become a Jedi under their tutelage.
This is what he wanted Alek to understand, and his friend did have a intuitive cognizance of the web of power they confronted each time they toed the line.
But it was an useless web of power, strangely inert when pondering, meditating, considering obvious galactic threats such as the Mandalorians.
They did not even see the threat of Exar Kun until it had been too late…
Revan pondered this as he studied colored lights on electronic cards and cheerfully congratulated Alek on winning more hands and getting him that Tarisian ale the loser was bet to buy the winner.
But there was much work indeed ahead of them….
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