[Fic] He Was My Second Chance

[Tysyacha]

"It ended as it should have--in darkness." At long last, Darth Malak, no longer the Dark Lord of the Sith, closed his eyes and died. Triumph! It was more than I had ever hoped for or expected. Victory! It was the death of Light. Supremacy! Soon I would rule the galaxy again, with Bastila at my side, and together we would make it climb to its most commanding heights. Power! It was mine and ours. The Jedi Order would collapse and perish at our feet.

 

Standing over Malak's body, I raised my head and beamed. Should I save his jaw or not? It wouldn't take much effort to surgically remove his metal mandible with a masterful stroke of my double blades. Still, such a thing was quite gruesome, and it would give me no real credit. Far better to have chopped it off in the middle of our duel. Who knows what would have happened if Darth Malak tried to fight me with the pasty remnants of only half his skull? I would have slain him more quickly, no doubt, but most of my satisfaction came from knowing how long both of us had lasted. There was no honor in defeating someone weak, hapless, and utterly unfit for duty.

 

All I had to do now was find Bastila. Suddenly, the door slid open behind me.

 

"You killed him." A male voice. Was it one of Malak's old lieutenants, whom I'd inadvertently omitted slashing?

 

No. It was the voice of one I'd known, one I'd traveled with--and loved.

 

"Congratulations, Revan. You killed Malak." Carth's eyes were soft and sad.

 

"Tysyacha Dvyx Revan," I hissed, baring my white teeth between full red lips. "Say my name fully; do not fear it. Why have you come here? The last time I saw you, you fled, unable to face me on the Unknown World after I'd embraced the title of Dark Lord and proven it by spilling blood. Juhani and Jolee Bindo were killed by my hand. That is how I proved to Bastila that I was worthy to be her Master--the master of this galaxy. Go again, Carth, and return to the Republic, which is doomed, or else attempt to kill me. What else do Jedi and other hypocrites, the servants of the Light, do to the Sith?"

 

"You can't do this. You won't. I know you as a person, and you'll give it up."

 

"Give up the Dark Side? My new knowledge in the Force? My ultimate power? Why? Don't you realize this is what I've wanted, ever since I learned that Bastila and the Jedi had all used me and betrayed me, intending to make me their soulless slave like the late Malak said? There is no chance of that, no chance I'll deign to play by the rules of a fool's game. Fight, or flee!"

 

Carth suddenly said three words that almost knocked me flat: "I love you."

 

"What? You love me, Onasi? This can't be. I am a Sith. There are two things I love, and one of them is the utter triumph of a conqueror. The other is you. I admit there were times when I thought this course of action was unwise, in that I could never have you while I stood in such dark robes, but in time you'll learn to see things my way." I smiled. "Carth, my darling fool! Come and join me, and our triumvirate shall rule. The galaxy will be as we dreamed it."

 

"No. Just as you did on the Unknown World, you'll have to choose. Me, or Sithdom? Me, or galactic rule? You can't have both. I'll never stand for both. The Light is mine, just as the Dark Side is yours. It doesn't have to be this way. Don't you remember Juhani? She had taken the first steps down your path, and yet you brought her back. Why won't you let me help do that now? The Jedi Masters have learned of your betrayal, but they're willing to offer you one more chance." He paused for a moment, folding his hands in front of him, his blasters dangling to his waist. "I am, too. Take it now."

 

"Juhani was...naive. She didn't know how sly and two-faced the Masters really were. I had to slay her to spare her soul from the same fate mine would have suffered, had I remained on the Jedi's path. Can't you see it, Carth?"

 

"Can't you see it? I love you, and all I want is a chance. A chance and a choice from you, because I'll do anything to see you safe and in my arms."

 

"What would it take? A solemn vow from me that I won't be Sith?" I smiled.

 

"The Republic ships are swarming toward the Star Forge, and it isn't long before they'll start bombarding it. It will cost us both our lives, but at least the world we know will be free, and under Sith control, it would never be."

 

"You would have me sacrifice my life, and yours, for tyrant Jedi who don't know the meaning of freedom in the first place? That's just absurd. Insane."

 

"What's insane is that you're willing to live without love. Tysyacha, the Sith forsake everything. Everything except power and cruelty. That's how they work, why they survive for as long as they can prove they're the strongest ones. As soon as their strength falls, hatred rises, and their hate consumes them. If you take this chance, you're sacrificing your life, but you're regaining your soul. I mean it, Dvyx. If I'm being insincere, then you can kill me." I felt cold truth through the Force--there was no deception in any part of him.

 

Another door slid open in the front. Bastila Shan appeared, glowing red lightsaber in hand. Her twin blades mirrored mine exactly, and her dark robes.

 

"What's going on? What is Carth Onasi doing here, and why haven't you killed him?" Bastila turned to me, her eyes ablaze. "Revan, we're both so close."

 

"I'm sorry, Bastila," I said, "but I love him. How can I kill the one man who has awakened my passions, my dreams? We can't turn him to the Dark Side, because I see his love is true. How can I hate when he's given so much to me, and I to him? How can I fuel my strength with rage when he makes it vanish, like a speck of foam in the vast oceans of Manaan? I can't. Turn away from this foolishness, and I swear to you both of us will redeem you."

 

"It is I who'll redeem you!" Bastila hissed. "Through my perfected battle techniques, I'll make you wish you were never born. Die, Revan, if you are so intent on your second betrayal! You'll see the logical end of love!" She sprang toward me, but Carth and I were poised and ready. With a few clean strokes, Bastila was done, vanquished, cut down, though not without our deep regret.

 

"Juhani's waiting," said Carth. He had tears in his eyes. "So are Mission and Jolee, and Zalbaar, and all the rest that have given themselves for us. Save the Republic, Tysyacha, and make the best of the time that we have." He pulled me close for a deep kiss, and I responded with all of the feelings I'd denied for years. We wiped the tears from each other's sweaty faces, holding each other tightly as the roar of approaching Republic ships grew louder.

 

Bastila, still languishing in the throes of death, rolled over onto her stomach and sneered at us. "Why, Revan? Why did you throw away everything, sacrifice all you've achieved for the sake of a fool? You could have been a great Sith, condemning the Jedi to certain death and the galaxy to our rule! You could have had honor, had strength, had all of the values you prized, and yet what do you do? You betray them--and me at the very last moment! Why have you embraced this madness, as you've embraced Carth?"

 

I sadly turned to Bastila. "On byl moim vtorym shansom," I said, wiping away another tear. "He was my second chance."

 

Bastila closed her eyes, as did I. The end would come soon, within seconds.

 

"Moim--moim vtorym--"

 

Carth kissed me again, and we died in each other's embrace. Our sacrifice did not hurt, his or mine, as the Star Forge was seared and then sundered. We simply melted in a blaze of glory, our hearts and bodies joined forever, and our final thoughts focused on the redemption that would come for all.

 

Everyone deserves a second chance. You only have to love and cherish it...

[JediAthos]

The ultimate sacrifice, to lay down one's own life for love. In this case though, no one wins..except for the galaxy of course.

[The_Catto]

Brilliant and extremely well-written.

It was a very touching story, Tysyacha. A very nice read.

[Bee Hoon]

Ah, love! <3

 

I found it a little abrupt, how she turned away from the Dark Side so rapidly. I would have liked to see Revan try to make herself angry at him, to strike him down for being so presumptuous, as opposed to flat out admitting that she loved him without any hesitation. Bastila's "perfect battle techniques" was also kinda cheesy, hehe! Apart from that, it was well-written. Carth was so tragic! ;_; Poor star-struck lovers.

[Diego Varen]

Very good, as always. One problem I found, which was that Revan seemed to be redeemed far too quickly. I would've liked to have seen her question herself a bit more, before making such an important decision.

 

Still, you've written the ultimate sacrifice well and given me a good reason to like the female version of Revan.

[igyman]

Hmmmm, an interesting take on "What happened after the KoTOR DS ending?". There's one question that I just have to ask - how did Carth manage to escape the Rakata Homeworld? Somehow I always had the impression that he remained stranded there.

I do have to commend the style, it was close to flawlessness. As for the story itself, as others have pointed out, it all somehow happened too fast and sudden. I was in the middle of the Carth/Revan argument and the Bastila comes in and I suddenly realize Revan had decided to go back to the Light. The conclusion was magnificent though, I could see the scene in my head, the two of them standing in embrace as the Star Forge slowly crumbles around them.

[Rev7]

I like this story!

 

Good job Tysyacha! The power of love prevails...

[Ztalker]

Ooh! Great! Last-minute redemption aboard a dying space station...the Titanic feeling is most certainly here!

 

Very well done!

 

Also...bitchy DS Bastilla...we didn't see enough DS Bastilla in the game. Nice you give her a role here