Vtoraya Smert' (Second Death)

[Tysyacha]

Which is the better fate: to be redeemed as only a shell of the man

you once were, or to reclaim your glory and be condemned as a result?

 

In Revan's eyes, such things were merely a matter of perspective.

Who would condemn him? Certainly not his future followers, the

throngs of thousands who'd pledge allegiance to him as Dark Lord

of the Sith again. Certainly not his new apprentice and lover, Bastila

Shan, who had set him free after years of slavery--first as a Republic

soldier and then as a "reborn" Jedi. And certainly not Canderous Ordo,

a Mandalorian warlord who humbled himself to Revan's will alone.

 

The condemnation Revan would receive would lead not to his own

death, but to the deaths of those who chose to betray him.

 

"I have murdered Juhani and Jolee Bindo," Revan announced coldly

to the shell-shocked crew members of the Ebon Hawk. "Their

deaths were necessary for me to proclaim the truth of my identity.

 

"I am not who you perceive me to be. My title is Revan, former and

current Dark Lord of the Sith. I am not the Corrun Galan you once

knew. I am not a Jedi, one of those gutless and soulless fools who

serve the weak at the expense of the strong! Bastila has betrayed

the Jedi Order and turned against it, but she has also helped me

toward achieving redemption. Reinstating my former rule!"

 

"It can't be." Mission Vao was the first to speak, shaking her sky-

blue lekku. "You're nice--or, at least, you were until Bastila showed

up. What happened to you, Corrun? Why are you falling for this poodoo?"

 

"I was misled," Revan replied, his lips curled into a mirthless sneer.

"Used. You see, when Bastila rescued me, I was unconscious, lying

there like a corpse on the floor of my own battleship. Most of my

mind had been either burned or hacked away by my apprentice

Malak's lightsaber. It was she who first sought to reform me as

a Padawan of the Jedi. Later, when I learned the truth from

my student who soon shall die, Bastila sacrificed herself and

then turned to the Sith. I have as well, as I am its Lord!"

 

"That's not true." Carth Onasi was furious, quivering with silent rage

at this new revelation. "Malak is the Lord of the Sith, not you. I don't

believe this. I trusted you, Corrun--eventually, after you pried all you

could out of me and helped rescue my son from Korriban. How could

you? I'd kill you right now if I weren't such a good soldier--if I still

didn't have my honor and integrity. I may be a fool, but a loyal one!"

 

"No." Revan savagely brandished his double-bladed lightsaber and

sliced right through Carth's neck, which still wore day-old stubble.

"You are still a fool, Carth, but a traitor, and those I never abide."

 

All of a sudden, Revan's sight vanished. He was consumed by a

void of darkness in which he could see nothing, hear nothing,

breathe nothing, and believe nothing. Silence and stillness were

there, but in that fleeting moment, Revan felt an emotion that

he thought he'd forsaken on top of the Temple Summit: terror.

 

Fortunately for the rediscovered Dark Lord, this sensation only

lasted for two seconds. When he opened his eyes again and

focused his gaze on the figures before him, Revan realized

that the merciless sun of the Unknown World must have

rendered him temporarily blind. No matter. He was strong now.

 

Zalbaar, the kind-hearted Wookiee forever known as "Big Z",

now stepped forward boldly to face Revan. "Rrrroaaaaarrr!"

His cry was outraged, hurt, the wail of a creature who had

just been betrayed by only the second Master he'd known.

Instead of Carth's righteous anger, however, Revan sensed

fear and immense sorrow in the hulk of fur towering before him.

 

"I still have use for you, beast," the Sith Lord told him almost kindly.

"An angry Wookiee can be very a potent weapon of the Dark Side.

Humanoids fear them, and aliens who mistrust them are easily

slain. Kneel before me, and pay your life-debt once and for all."

 

"Rrrrr. Rrr-rrrr!" Zaalbar shook his head miserably. He still had his will.

 

"What?!" Revan felt a surge of blood race to both of his temples.

"After a Sith has praised you? It seems to me that you need to be

taught a lesson in loyalty. Service. Just like Onasi's, although

yours will be much harder. Strangle Mission Vao, and you live."

 

Zaalbar felt a strange sensation overcome him. Ominous, because

he felt he was no longer in complete control of his Wookiee rage,

and yet peaceful. He gazed at the young Twi'lek, and all of the

kinship he had felt for her vanished, slow degree by degree. He

remembered all the times Mission had told him to brush his teeth,

comb his fur, take a bath, wear some clothes, deny his nature.

Who was she to treat him like that, like a pet who does tricks for

kibbles? Zaalbar was a Wookiee, not an animal! Not a beast!

 

Snarling and baring his civilization-dulled teeth, Zaalbar lunged

at her. Mission screamed and tried to run, but her slender legs

wouldn't move. They were built for sneaking and slinking around,

not running for dear life. The Wookie soon caught her, and as his

prey yelped and flailed within his grasp, he snapped her fragile neck.

 

"An easy death," sneered Revan. "Pathetic, but I shall spare you."

 

Zaalbar stood up and bowed his head, feeling utterly exhausted.

Weak. What would his father think if he knew what his son had done?

He was no better than Chuundar, that black-backed turncoat who

had put a bounty on old Freyyr's head. He roared once more, softly.

If Wookiees could weep, the tears would fall like rain from his eyes.

 

Once more, Revan was abruptly engulfed by darkness. He clenched

his jaw. One, one thousand, two, one thousand, three, one thousand...

 

Juhani was dead. So was Jolee Bindo, the old fool. "Both extremes

annoy me," he had said self-righteously, referring to both the Light

and the Darkness. Now Jolee knew what his neutrality had cost him.

 

Carth Onasi was also dead. Mission Vao had joined him, and now there

were only five left to serve him. Zaalbar, whom Revan would command

as Master, and then the two droids, T3-M4 and HK-47. And Bastila.

 

Ah, the craving lust of her lips upon his would multiply his final victory!

 

Whom had he forgotten? A strong one, Revan sensed, throug the Force.

 

Canderous stood as a soldier beaten, not by war but by something

far more torturous--the sight of a blood-strewn battlefield, his comrades

slain. He refused to believe it. At once awestruck and revolted by

the power of their murderer, the Mandalorian knelt before him humbly.

 

"Light side, dark side, I'm on your side," Canderous promised.

"Wherever you go, I'll go. You are Revan, and I'm your man."

 

"Rise, warlord." Revan ordinarily hated to see people kneel and grovel,

begging like vagrants on a filthy Lower City street of Taris, but the

sight of this supreme master of battle bowing at his feet gave Revan

the strength and confidence he needed to dismiss his former crew.

 

They were all worthless now, corpses, food for roaming cannoks.

 

They would do.

 

Revan climbed aboard the Ebon Hawk and had Canderous set

a course for the Star Forge. His Star Forge, the Builders be cast

into the pit of Nar Shaddaa! He would soon retake it, and Malak would

soon be a charred shell of a former man, only his jaw remaining intact.

 

Just as he himself had been before Bastila had him brought back to life.

 

A stunning realization pierced him as his sight was lost once more.

This was what life was like without the Force, without that tie of

the Light to rescue one from every soul's vtoraya smert'--

second death. Revan would be utterly abandoned, without recourse,

without even the embrace of the Dark Side to sustain him after death.

 

No matter. With the techniques he'd learn, he'd learn to live forever.

 

And, with his Sith mask on, no one would ever see that he was now blind.

[The_Catto]

Dark, evil ... Awesomeness! ... As you can see already lol, i liked it alot.

[Diego Varen]

Dark, evil ... Awesomeness! ... As you can see already lol, i liked it alot.

 

Agreed. I'm guessing this is a Short Fic, but still, I'm looking foward to whatever Fic you're going to do.

[Jason Skywalker]

Just frickin' awesome! Tysy, you are a genius!

 

This fic was evil and awesome, nice plot twist, yesterday i was actually thinking about Jedi with things such as blindness.

 

I would like to see the ending. Keep it up though!