[Fic] The Shadow of Revan

[Trex]

I hereby introduce my second fanfic (first one had Yuuhzan Vong. Wasn't as popular.)...

 

THE SHADOW OF REVAN

 

“You don't even recognize me. Do you?”

 

There was a twitching response, but it was more likely to be those odd motivators in it's neck switching back and forth than any recognition. There was definitely no emotion.

 

“Look at me, Droid.” He commanded. This time it looked. He had never been quite sure where the eyes, so to speak, were on this particular model. In any case, he still directed himself towards those two glowing lights.

 

“

Do you

recognize me?” He repeated, now removing the hood to show his full Corellian face. It had been too long since he had shaved and the augmented left red eye surrounded by scars would have even thrown his mother, but this was a droid, one supposedly with a perfect memory. “Do you recognize anyone these days?”

 

It still failed to respond, just standing there, looking. Determined not to even let this one glimmer of his past escape, the downtrodden man continued to press the issue.

 

“There were the two of us, the hidden arms of the powerful force. Even beyond his apprentice in as many ways as we could forge.” After staring blankly for a moment, he added, “Anything?”

 

Checking over his shoulder, he found the Ithorian was still the only other in the room, attending to some contraption in the far corner. He leaned in closer to his old friend.

 

“The Shadow. Come on, droid. Me as The Shadow? No?”

 

Looking down to it's chest, he noticed the restraining bolt. It may have been nothing, it may have been everything, but resigning himself to the droid's lack of knowledge, he moved to leave. It was then that it spoke.

 

“Query : Is there something you wish of me, potential customer?”

 

“No, HK.” He replied over his shoulder. “Perhaps there was but...there's just too much of you missing by the looks of it. Enjoy your new life and your new master, old friend.”

 

Taking another step to the door, he was once again halted by the droid.

 

“Unnecessary Remark : Farewell, Meatbag.”

 

“What was that?” He yelled, spinning back around. “Why did you say that?”

 

“I'm sorry, potential customer. It's just that you have all these squishy...”

 

“No, not why.

Why

. Where does that word come from?”

 

Beginning to twitch it's head from side to side again, HK seemed to check his memory.

 

“Extrapolation : I must apologize for my failure to satisfy your curiosity, but it appears that a good portion of my has been corrupted.”

 

“How?”

 

“Supposition : Despite my obvious interior damage, it is also possible that the requested files are merely restricted due my enforced wearing of a restraining bolt. If you wish to purchase me and remove it, you may have full access to my systems.”

 

“Nice idea, HK, but that Ithorian was asking for five thousands credits. I only have two-hundred, I just came in for some power converters.”

 

“Observation : In my time here, it has become my, ugh, 'privilege' to observe the Ithorian Yuka Laka. He is a coward, and may succumb to more...aggressive salesmanship.”

 

“Who am I? Malak? No, HK, I'm afraid you're stuck here for the time being.”

 

“Then perhaps, Shadow, you could...”

 

Waving his hand, the customer shushed the droid.

 

“That's not a good name to use with such volume, my loud little assassin droid.”

 

“Query :” HK continued, notably lowering his speech output. “You are aware of my true designation. How?”

 

“Oh, I know far more than just that, HK-47. I know your maker, your master, and your true purpose. I know your past, HK. I know your life.”

 

“In that case, Shadow, perhaps...”

 

“DON'T...” He began, far too loud and almost comically whipping up his own hand to cover his mouth. Checking the area, he continued. “I told you. Don't use that name. I am Kannon Karr. I'm not...actually Kannon Karr, just, you know, use the name. Kannon Karr.”

 

“Statement : Very well, Kannon Karr. Perhaps

you

could inform me of my past.”

 

“And have you hunt down your old master as soon as you're free, through a mass of dead bodies no doubt.”

 

“Insulted statement : Why whatever are you implying Kannon Karr?”

 

“Oh, not that much, HK. Just that you're a psychotic killing machine with a panache for violence and obsessive need for bloodshed. In a disconcerting way however, I'm happy to see it hasn't changed.”

 

“It will only be a matter of time until the Ithorian fool becomes suspicious of our conversation, meatbag friend. Perhaps we could hasten it. Who are you?”

 

“Well, okay. If you're going to push me.” He began, twisting his tongue into the corner of his cheek and smiling. “I am the shadow, and I was the Shadow of Revan.”

 

[Trex]

CHAPTER ONE

 

They were frantic, scared, without a hope or an answer. Despite this they still followed. Though with more a care to safety in numbers than fiercely defending his men, Nessen led then through the Tarisian underbelly.

 

There was no life down here, bar only those lost or hoping to be. Howls and glaring eyes occasionally showed themselves through the frequent darkness, and until now had never left it.

 

Calling a halt to their desperate run through the passages of the undercity, the Transdoshan checked what remained of their once feared gang. Cursing in hisses of his own language, he found that only twelve remained.

 

“Weapons!” He demanded. “Check your weapons!”

 

“The weapons are fine, Nessen.” A Rodian responded. “We could fire for an hour and still have ammunition left aside.”

 

“What does ammunition even matter, Boss.” Another added. The Twilek he though, but with little time to search through the faces to find the speaker. “We never even hit!”

 

There had been just over thirty of them when the hunter first struck. That meant they were down to less than half. It, or they, had come without warning with every strike so far, and the repercussions had been disastrous.

 

Crowded around a faint light, the first for a long time in the labyrinth of wide corridors, they felt safe for the moment at least. The sensation lasted for as long as the silence, broken by the metallic clanking in the dark behind.

 

Five of them were instantly on their feet and aiming blasters into the black. Nothing else alerted their ears except the heavy breathing of those present. As the tense aura subsided, they lowered their guns.

 

Then they smiled.

 

VSSUUMMK !!!

 

Three of them died instantly, the spinning bolts of light they now vividly feared bursting out of the constant night and ripping into their chests. The first time it had happened, many had yelled and screamed. Now, it was the normality to the point where they knew exactly how to react.

 

Lining quickly up into two rough rows, the remainder of the gang gripped tight their weapons and fired. The darkness brightened into flickers of light, red, green and blue hazes through the various blaster types. There were no targets, but they didn't care. Whatever had hunted them this far and killed so many of their friends was out there somewhere.

 

After a full minute of constant barrages, they stopped with the hope that their foe had finally met death. Once again, all that could be heard was the panting of breath.

 

From out of the black it came, flying through them as a dark blur none of them had the reflexes to counteract. In an instant, it had faded back out of sight and two more lay dead. Looking down, Nessen was aghast to see the cause. Claw marks the likes made by the predators on his own homeworld were slashed across their faces.

 

Still with a confidence to defeating the schism that hunted them, the five men and two women left re-aimed in the other direction. Despite what they had seen however, the direction of the attack did not change. Wild shots of a blaster carbine nature flurried into their backs. Only one was all out killed, but two more were injured. Through with this game of Krayt Dragon and Bantha, Nessen himself leapt out to confront it, the sight of such a clear target fueling his enthusiasm. Rolling under it's fire, he found, claimed, then returned with it.

 

It was a blaster rifle, a customized and unusual sort, but undeniably a weapon of the type, left on the ground with the trigger jammed. Showing it to his people, some of them scoffed and turned back to the direction now believed that to be of the enemies.

 

Before they could even scan their eyes into faded light, it struck again, bounding into them and taking someone with it. It was the Rodian, screaming as he left, a noise which continue until he was dragged into the abyss. With one last blood gargled yelp, it ended.

 

Once again, they prepared themselves for the next assault from the darkness. This time, it was far more subtle. Hearing metal gently scrape across concrete, they followed the noise downward until, quietly and politely, a thermal detonator rolled towards them.

 

Cowering down amongst each other, they braced their bodies against the floor and prepared for the explosion. An explosion, which never came.

 

Standing, Nessen inspected it. None of the lights upon it's face were even lit, signifying that it was not even armed. Pondering, he wondered why.

 

The answer came from above, pouncing from it's gripping poise to the ceiling and landing amongst them. Dark, clawed hands and blade span through their force, then back-flipped back out to safety.

 

Only two now remained, Nessen and his Twilek companion. Instinctively, the stood back to back, any anticipation which way the next attack would come now proven to be useless.

 

Before a word could be exchanged between the two, another spinning bolt of light whirled to them. Angling away from the Twilek at first, it bounced off one of the hidden walls and made for his face. His hand irrationally moving to block it, the attack was slightly dissolved, slicing through his palm and pinning itself into his eye.

 

Turing to his one remaining comrade, he yelled.

 

“Look at my face! Look at my face!”

 

All he had time to see was the metallic bulk of what was clearly a very complex piece of ammunition jutting from his eye socket. With the flailing alien now facing the wrong way, he was in no condition to block the second shot, hitting him squarely in the spine and felling him. A matter of milliseconds after it, a second shot burst out, slicing into Nessen's leg and sending both him to his knees and his weapon across the floor.

 

That would be it, every one of his once great underground gang now dead at the hands of a sole, unknown enemy. But what was it? Neither the Beks nor the Vulkars had a creature like this at their disposal. Intent to make anger his last echoeing tone, he called out.

 

“Show yourself, fiend! Show your Sith-spawn form!”

 

Slowly, it obliged. Calmly and coolly, it finally left the shadows.

 

 

Without a flicker of emotion, it marched to it's customized rifle now lying on the ground, picked the weapon up, then aimed it to the Transdoshan.

 

“Who are you?” The fallen gang lord almost meekly asked.

 

It didn't respond with words. Without the touch of a button, the mask itself unfolded, splitting into four separate sections and pulling back over it's head. The face was a human's, young and male.

 

“Y-You're human. You're just human.”

 

“No, Transdoshan. I'm a shadow.”

 

Aiming his rifle, he fired.

 

* * *

 

He always twitched when he had to wait. Perhaps it was the lack of purpose, for he could wait for an eternity of stalking his prey. But here, in the chambers of the dark lord, there was only the passage of time to draw by.

 

Adhering to what he knew best, he checked his equipment. The ridiculously customized Aratech rifle rested comfortably enough in it's right thigh strap, folded into it's more maneuverable smaller form. Down his left was sheathed the short cortosis sword he favoured for the closer kills.

 

Down each arm were his series of self produced prototype projectiles. Removing one from it's slide tray mechanism down his left forearm, he examined it closer. A small, thin disc with a power source at it's center, the rim had been lined with shards of lightsaber crystals, those described as faulty or impure by his master and others alike. Impractical for correct use in a Sith blade hilt, it was still possible to abuse them. With the circumference littered with the segments and the power cell channeling through, an edge could be formed capable of penetrating almost any surface, not to mention the fear inducing sound they produced when cutting through the air.

 

 

As Kannon Karr paced impatiently around the room, something grabbed his eye. It was of course something he had seen many times before, but it was a rarity for the thing to be lying so. Strolling to the chair he picked it up.

 

It was the mask of his master. Mandalorian in make, he had always thought, black as his own outfit and with a tint of rust red in certain areas. Across the eyes, was one long, black visor.

 

As temptation gripped him, he could not withstand it any longer. Slowly turning it away, he raised it high and prepared to place it upon his own face.

 

“I hope I have not kept you

too

long, my shadow.”

 

Almost throwing it back to the chair, Karr slapped his hands down to his side and faced his master.

 

“I..erm...” He tried to explain.

 

“There is no need for either an apology or an explanation, my loyal servant. It is no shame to dream of power.”

 

A little more relaxed at the light comment, The Shadow now looked into his master's eyes. The Sith Lord stood in the doorway, imposing as ever, despite his slightly humbled pose with hands clasped behind his back. Confidently striding to his assassin with black robes swaying, Revan looked between him and his mask.

 

“Did you have fun on Taris?”

 

“It was...comparable.”

 

“Comparable .” Revan smirked. “What a good word. Diplomatic yet accurate. Comparable. Comparable to what, I wonder?”

 

“Well, I didn't quite mean...”

 

“I mean anything by it either, Kannon. Relax yourself. Maybe now at least the Tarisian governor will concentrate more on his Force studies than the lower level's gang warfare, and finally get around to earning that lightsaber of his.”

 

Turning his face to a more pensive look, Revan eyed Karr.

 

“It is such a shame you were not born with the Force as an ally of you, Kannon. The warrior you would have become would have been no small thing.”

 

Never one to have touched it, Kannon was always a little hesitant when it came to answering comments over his master's powerful abilities.

 

Obviously not awaiting a genuine answer, Lord Revan waved away the conversation with his hand. Turning the wave to a sole, upright index finger, the master was about to speak further, but lost himself before the sentence even began.

 

This was not the first time such an instance had occurred. Kannon had never assumed the likes of his master loosing his mind, but something had clearly begun to pressure him of late. It was no doubt concerned with the growing tensions between the Dark Lord Revan and his second in command and apprentice, Darth Malak.

 

Such hesitations were almost always now an indication. They implied the importance of the next mission.

 

Fully taking his seat and lowering his arms, Revan explained.

 

“I have a mission for you, my shadow.”

 

Kannon stood to attention.

 

“I obey as always, my master.”

 

“You are required to venture to Korriban. To the academy you know well by now. The current headmaster Jorak Uln . I require his removal and supplanting. Subterfuge is a substantial part of your training. I would appreciate it if no one suspected either of our interferences.”

 

The why was irrelevant. A good assassin never asked too many questions.

 

Wordlessly as always, the shadow bowed and left.

[Empress Padme]

My favorite line' a good assassin never asked too many questions.' Very good.I look forward to more. Very interesred in this Shadow and what role he plays in Revan's tale.

[Trex]

Next Chapter...

CHAPTER TWO

 

Korriban should never have been colonized. Kannon knew that the planet had something of a history beyond the current regime, and as a result, their's was far from the original civilization to have settled here, but whatever his master's reasons, he still couldn't see the use.

 

It was hot. Barren. A wasteland. Not the most practical of places to have a training academy.

 

But what did he know? The Force wielding candidates had some allegiance to the place beyond his own perceptions, that much was obvious. Maybe that was enough.

 

As he looked out over the cliff to the academy below, he could see the students beginning the morning sessions. Amongst them, just leading one of the larger groups, was his target.

 

It was not his preference, this form of subterfuge. Far cleaner to simply remove a target from existence. Nevertheless, it was his master's will, something never questioned.

 

Hopping over the nearby rocks, he made his way to the academy.

 

* * *

 

As he moved through the halls, not a single sole noticed him. It was not a trick of the Force, only his training. As long as no one noticed you, a person was always but a shadow.

 

The act was in the little things. To walk at the exact same pace as everyone else. To make exactly as much noise as everyone else. To make eye contact with none. All were the simplest of skills.

 

Ultimately, is was unnecessary. The passes he carried allowed access to anywhere within his master's domain. Still, it was always good practice.

 

Slips of daylight grazed against him through tiny windows as he progressed through the academy and beyond the rear exit, his form truly hidden until finding his prey. The headmaster had barely moved, addressing a grouping of students over the valley's archaeological digs. With his eyes closer, he observed the target and began pondering his downfall.

 

“The students may ignore you, but perhaps it is only their lack ability to sense. The Force is not in you, stranger. You do not belong here.”

 

The voice had come from nearby and behind. Already casually opening his coat should the need for drawing his sword arise, Kannon turned. At the very least, the man was smiling. Not a particularly pleasant thing from this person, but at least a decent indication that the assassin was not about to be attacked.

 

Disguising the weapon retrieving hand, he raised the other to casually wave.

 

“Do I know you?”

 

The Sith shook his head.

 

“No. Yet therein lies my problem. Should you have been a student here, I would have known it. You see, I am the headmaster's apprentice. Uthar Wynn.”

 

Confronted with such a usurper, so easily able to disrupt the entire mission, The Shadow went for broke, if as vaguely as possible.

 

“I'm Kannon Karr. I work for the military.”

 

“You have business here then?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Then it must be with my master. Do you require an audience?”

 

“I can hardly conduct business without one, can I?” An actual audience was probably the least of his concerns, but at this point it wasn't something he could squirm out of.

 

His hands clasped behind his back, the Sith apprentice lead him on. Rather than back to the academy however, Kannon was taken into the dark. A cave not too far from where they had talked. The darkness was to his liking, but the situation was not.

 

“Where...exactly are we going, Uthar?”

 

He failed to reply, only leading him on further into the abyss. On they trudged through the caverns until they reached what The Shadow could only see as the end. Here, they stopped, Uthar before him and Kannon standing upon a small rocky bridge. The situation had already gone far beyond his liking, and his sword was drawn in an instant.

 

Only now did the Sith teacher halt and turn back to face him.

 

“Something vexing you, soldier?”

 

“Depends. Should it be?”

 

With a smirk, the Sith raised his hand and attacked. It was not a manner of blow the assassin could have parried, invisible and Force-filled. With a moderate yelp, his flailing form was knocked from it's feet and tossed over the side, spiraling down into a deep craggy pit which held no sign of a bottom.

 

* * *

 

Fair enough, he had survived. He wasn't willing to gloat however. Whatever had saved him was still more than suspect. Bounding up onto his feet, he span his sight around the room, then took a step back in recovery of the shock.

 

“Well, well, well and another well. If it isn't Lord Revan's personal shadow. I must say, I'm honoured that you would come all the way to this isolated little system.”

 

It was Jorak Uln himself who spoke. The headmaster oversaw everything from a balcony, his high level viewpoint in the massive circular room. Against the walls and piled up into tiered seating, were hundreds of watching students. Kannon Karr began to realize ; he stood in the center of a stone carved arena.

 

Commotion arose amongst the spectators, and Kannon couldn't help but suspect bets were being placed upon his life.

 

Professionalism returning to his mind, he remembered who he was and began to see the situation anew. Far above and embedded into the ceiling around a shaft opening were several large anti-gravity turbines. That must have been both his entrance and the reason for his survival.

 

On opposite sides of the area floor, were two unsettling iron gates.

 

“Now, now. Before we begin,” The headmaster continued. “I'm afraid we

have

to put a few questions to our victim,- I mean visitor.” A laugh from the last 'slip' echoed around the room. “Why are you here, Shadow? Does, as I suspect, your master have so little faith in me that he wishes me replaced?”

 

Trying his best to seem unfazed by the situation, Kannon prostrated himself in a bow.

 

“My master only sends his greetings and wishes to know how the academy fares. He would like you to know that he thinks highly of this place and that anything you wish to further it's greatness can be supplied.”

 

“Now,

that's

the proper attitude to take with higher education. Oh, if only it were true.” Jorak joked then lamented. “There is only ever one reason Lord Revan will send his Shadow. Was it something I did? Something I'm destined to do? Is he scared of my growing power and can one day see me replacing him? Ooh, now that would be a thought.”

 

Kannon wasn't too sure how to respond anymore. It seemed the headmaster already had his mind set.

 

“Now here's a thought.” The half ramblings continued. “What if I were to slay the Shadow? What a questioning of our dark lord's power that would be. Imagine those who would flock to my side.”

 

“You're going to fight me?”

 

“Don't be ridiculous my would-be assassin. I'm far more comfortable up here. I cannot be speaking for...other creatures in the vicinity however.”

 

On an unseen cue, the opposing grid gates rose, unleashing their prisoners. They were monsters the like of which Kannon had never set his good eye on before. Lizard like, hulking over two legs, spike adorned along it's back and a tail dragging into the ground.

 

Their manners were fierce, and their eyes set on the assassin.

 

“With all appropriate grandeur,” Jorak yelled, “Let the battle commence!”

 

Barely leaving Kannon with enough time to draw his weapons, the two monsters charged.