[fic] Curse of the Star Forge

[Agincourt]

I hope that I've posted this in the right place. Here's a fan fic I've started a while ago and just wanted to see if it's any good. What if Revan took the Star Forge and used it to conquer the Galaxy? This wouldn't seem to make sense for KOTOR 2 for Revan to be a dark side character, but I just want to see where this goes.

 

***

 

As Malak fell to his knees with a hole in his chest, the rightful Lord disengaged his lightsaber and stepped back. Malak had stood so tall that he was almost at eye level with his former master after being brought down. His labored breathing echoed through his electronic voice box, accompanied by intermittent coughing as he struggled to speak. “No, this is not possible. I am the Dark Lord of the Sith. I had surpassed you in every way. How could you have beaten me?”

 

The once befallen Lord Revan shook his head, slightly smirking as he watched the one who stole his title fall before him. “It was not curiosity that killed the Kath hound, Malak, it was greed. In your lust for power, you wrongfully took something that didn’t belong to you, but now it is back in the right hands.”

 

Over another cough, Malak leaned his head forward as if bowing. “I suppose that you are right. I had spent my entire life thinking I was second to no one, no one except you. Even when I thought I had killed you, I always had this feeling on the back of my mind that I had not really surpassed you.” He coughed again, blood steaming out from under the metal jaw piece. “I just thought that if I had the power of the Star Forge, I could rule the galaxy and finally fulfill my destiny.”

 

Revan stepped back and gestured all around. “This destiny was never yours, Malak.”

 

“No. You clearly have proven your superiority. Even with the power of the Star Forge, I could not best you. You are the one who deserves... who deserves to be the Dark Lord.” He coughed again and removed his jaw piece to keep it from obstructing his breathing. His vocabulator started to fail, but his garbled words still came through. “We were not equals; it was always you who lead the way. I only followed in your wake until I could usurp your power. I see the truth now that I am nothing.”

 

Revan turned around and looked to one of the alcoves where the body of a dead Jedi once occupied. He then turned back to his fallen opponent. “I’m not letting you escape that easily, Malak. For everything you’ve done, death is more than you deserve. If the Star Forge is to corrupt anyone’s life force, it will be you.”

 

Malak’s eyes widened with fear as he realized what his former master was about to do. Before he could reach for the lightsaber that lay in front of him, Revan raised his hand and the lightsaber came to it. He turned around and Force-gripped Malak, lifting him off the deck. “You will receive no mercy, as you deserve none. For your crimes, your life will be used to help repair the damage you had done.”

 

Malak, weak as he was, struggled with what little strength he had left as he attempted to break away from Revan’s grip, but it was no use. Revan looked to an open alcove on the opposite side of the compartment and threw Malak into it. The sound of his scream only registered on the electronic voice box only very faintly compared to how loud a normal scream would have been. The pain of the Star Forge extracting the life energy from his body was even more excruciating because he was still alive. Revan knew that even after Malak’s life was snuffed out, he would not become one with the Force.

 

He stepped up to the body, which was suspended by the same field which extracted his life energy, and found that his revenge wasn’t as great as he had hoped. All that occupied his mind were the thoughts of the waste and the misery that Malak had inflicted upon the galaxy. All that Revan had accomplished in bringing stability to the Republic had been torn down by one person. And he did not cherish taking the Star Forge back, as he knew the price that came with it.

 

In the corner of his eye, Revan saw the explosion of another Republic capital ship as their fleet was being destroyed. As the Sith armada continued bombarding the helpless Republic fleet, Revan saw that they were trying to escape and felt that too many lives had been lost as it was because of Malak. He turned around and headed for the observation deck, where Bastila had been using her battle meditation to augment the Sith fleet.

 

Almost the instant he entered the compartment, she stood up from her meditative stance and rushed to him. “I knew you would succeed, my love!” She embraced Revan, almost dragging him to the deck. “You were always the Dark Lord, not him.” She kissed him very forcefully while she praised him. “After today, you will be truly invincible.” She kissed him again. “No one will ever question your authority again.” And again. “You will rule the galaxy.”

 

The distracted Revan gently pushed aside his love and proceeded to the holographic projector in the center of the room. Bastila was very confused that he was not overjoyed at what he had just accomplished. She didn’t need a Force bond to realize he was troubled. “What is it, my love? Did you want me to continue using my battle meditation until they were all dead? Victory is already assured.”

 

Revan didn’t turn around as he made his way for a console near the edge of the display. “No, you did great. There is just one more thing that I have to do.” When he logged on to the computer system, he accessed the communications system.

 

“I see, you need to spread word of your victory. No one will believe it unless you tell them yourself.”

 

Revan raised his head slightly, not quite enough to look Bastila in the face, but as if to silently say ‘not quite.’ He turned his gaze onto the console and opened a channel to all the Sith ships. “This is Darth Revan. As of now, I have retaken the title of Dark Lord from my pathetic apprentice. I am now in command of the fleet.” He looked back to Bastila and then to the holographic display in front of them. “You are to cease fire immediately and allow the surviving Republic ships to retreat.”

 

Bastila couldn’t believe what she was hearing and questioned his authority over the comm channel. “What are you doing? They are...”

 

Revan raised his hand to shush her. “Those ships are filled with frightened and demoralized troops. They will return to the Republic and spread word of what happened here today. This is a direct order to cease fire and allow the Republic fleet to retreat. Any Republic ship that continues hostilities are to be destroyed, but any that attempt escape are to be allowed to do so. Any who disobey my orders will suffer the consequences. Any Republic ship that receives this ultimatum are advised to act on it.” He closed the communication channel and looked to Bastila. “If you have a problem, you address it in private. Don’t ever question my orders like that again.”

 

She didn’t appear frightened so much as concerned for him and bowed her head. “Yes. It will never happen again.”

 

He turned his gaze upon the holographic projector and saw that the majority of the ships were following his orders, but at least three did not cease fire upon the Republic fleet. “Now then, what is your concern?”

 

She stepped in front of him and placed her hands on her hips. “What was that about?”

 

“You heard exactly why I wanted them to escape.”

 

“You know very well that you cannot lie to me. It does not matter whether they are afraid of you or not. With the Star Forge, you can dominate any enemy with impunity... and you still show mercy to people who defy you? What does sparing them get you?”

 

He looked her directly in the eye. “It’s what separates me from Malak. Sparing them represents more than you realize.” Without another word, he made his way back to the observation deck to seek solitude. Bastila had changed much since being subjected to Malak’s brutality and it troubled him. He remembered how it was always her leading the way while they sought the Star Maps, but switching roles seemed to put much more pressure on him. He loved Bastila, but feared that she had become like Malak.

 

Before he looked out at the stars, he glared at his fallen apprentice as his body fueled the Star Forge’s power. Just a few moments ago, he thought he would become master of the galaxy. Revan thought about just how wondrous it must have felt for Malak to have the massive factory, ignorant of what the Star Forge would have eventually brought. The Dark Lord had hoped that it would feel better to stand where he was again, knowing that Malak’s reign was over, but he truly dreaded having the Star Forge back. It was not something he wanted, but it was necessary for the sake of the Republic.

[Darth SINner]

Awesome man I loved it.

[Agincourt]

Awesome man I loved it.

 

Why thank you. What was your favorite part?

 

This is a very distinctly non-canon story and I intend to have Revan conquer the Galaxy, but then discover that it was much harder to keep everyone in line with fear alone. As he encounters more insurgency, he must resort to using the Star Forge ever more often.

 

I actually thought I was titling the first chapter, not the story. How do you change the title of the thread?

[Godric Volturi]

This is done rather well... though I am not one for non-Canon stories. However, I shall keep up with this one.

 

My personal favorite part is when Revan made Malak fuel the Star Forge with his life force... that's what the damned usurper gets!

[Agincourt]

This is done rather well... though I am not one for non-Canon stories. However, I shall keep up with this one.

 

My personal favorite part is when Revan made Malak fuel the Star Forge with his life force... that's what the damned usurper gets!

 

Thanks. I really didn't have that in mind, but a lightbulb just clicked on and I thought "Why not?" I really enjoyed that part as well.

 

This next chapter actually takes place five years in the future. Revan has just conquered the galaxy, but there are some insurgent forces rebelling against his rule. Revan has only used the Star Forge as needed, but has since began to see it beginning to corrupt his Empire, in spite of his precautions. The rest will be explained in later chapters.

 

And a note for those who think this is the same cold Revan you would come to expect, I intend to portray him more like a guy who has the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders. He is not evil exactly, but is by this time under great stress. As he confronts more and more resistance, he feels he has to resort to using the Star Forge much more. He doesn't want to, but feels it's the only way he can keep the Republic from tearing itself apart under his rule.

 

****

 

As Revan brought his lightsaber down upon Master Vrook’s, the old man jumped back to keep from being struck down by his enemy’s superior strength. Upon landing on his feet, Vrook threw his lightsaber in the direction he expected Revan to be. Revan however wasn’t the same kind of fighter as his former apprentice and didn’t advance upon his retreating opponent.

 

He stepped aside to avoid the green blade and swung his, carving the hilt in two. He watched the blade of energy die and the remains of the hilt clatter upon the floor, still glowing red. Knowing that Vrook would not surrender, even while unarmed, he was still not to be underestimated.

 

Revan looked up to the old man only to see the same scornful frown that he’d always displayed rather than the embarrassment that he should have been feeling at that moment. ‘Even when he has been beaten, he just acts more childish. I had hoped he would have learned to acknowledge my greatness by now’ he thought.

 

When Revan finally approached Vrook, the old man defiantly shouted out, “Go on and take your best shot! You’ll never win!”

 

Revan raised his lightsaber to Vrook, but held it steady. “Never win? I alone saved the Republic, first from the Mandalorians, and then from the likes of you.”

 

Vrook raised his fist to Revan in protest. “Others will come after you. The Galaxy won’t stomach your evil forever!”

 

Revan lowered his lightsaber in frustration. “Evil? I am not malevolent. I simply am, which soon will be more than I can say for you!”

 

When Revan attempted a broad swing of his lightsaber, Vrook dodged it and jumped back again only to hit a wall. He then used the force to grab hold of the floor beneath the Dark Lord and pulled it apart from under Revan.

 

Revan jumped back as well, throwing his lightsaber mid-air and guided it towards Vrook before hitting the floor. His own momentum allowed him to roll on his back and back to his feet to absorb the impact of the fall and not break his concentration as the lightsaber arced back to his hand. Although it hit the wall that Vrook had been standing in front of, he missed his target. The debris that had made up the floor created a cloud of dust that obscured his field of view, but he knew that Vrook already had another idea in mind.

 

He began to feel intense vibrations in the room and noticed that the pillars were being pulled out of position. The individual segments were wedged so tightly that they began to fracture under the enormous force that Vrook had been exerting upon them. Revan attempted to keep the structures in tact, but as two monstrous forces acted in opposite directions, the pillars fractured further and eventually shattered.

 

Both Jedi were masters of levitation, and Revan could have kept the pillars in place, even after shattering. The shattered fragments still fit like puzzle pieces, which were easier to hold together than putting back together. Revan even managed to overcome Vrook’s influence on the pillars for a few seconds, but overcompensated when the old man let go.

 

When the pillars fell apart, Revan then focused his concentration on the ceiling above. The sheer mass of the floors above them were so great that it taxed even Revan to keep it from collapsing. He nearly lost his focus when Vrook sprinted right in front of him to make his escape. Revan kept his focus on the ceiling and proceeded to a different escape route. He realized that it was Vrook’s intent to sacrifice his life to get the job done and although Vrook may have been willing to sacrifice everything, Revan wasn’t willing to gamble as much.

 

Vrook had intended to collapse the building with Revan still inside, but they both made it out before the roof came down. When Revan got out, he decided that it might have been better to pass himself off for dead than to have Vrook plan another trap for him. Revan cloaked his presence from the Force to make it look like he had perished.

 

Vrook, believing he had succeeded, sighed from exhaustion and dropped to a knee. Unlike a Sith, Vrook didn’t cherish killing Revan. He did relish ending the reign of darkness once and for all, for the sake of saving innocent lives. The sadness he felt was for the death and destruction which he felt could have been avoided if only Revan had heeded the council’s warning.

 

At the same time, he didn’t want to get ahead of himself again. He remembered the last two times he thought Revan had been finished, only to discover another Dark Lord rose to take his place. A part of him knew that they were going to be fighting a new Dark Lord before long, but at least Revan may have finally been defeated.

[Trench]

This is pretty good. Please do continue.

[machievelli]

read

[Agincourt]

Thank-you. If anyone has any criticism or suggestions, I would like to hear what I could do to improve this. I actually don't like non-canon stories myself and just wanted to show Revan as something other than that all powerful Jedi you always see him as.

[Godric Volturi]

I think it could use a little more detail, such as:

 

Vrook's hand began to shake, sweat poured down his face and body. The green lightsaber began to make unnatural waves, something was wrong. Revan noticed his opponent getting weaker by the second, it was only a matter of time before Vrook would collapse from exhaustion. Revan twirled his lightsaber, the red beam creating a vortex-like appearance, his hand slowly lifted off the saber, as he chunked it at the Jedi Master, however, Vrook was too fast for the Sith Lord, he had jumped out of the way, with the lightning fast reflexes of a cheetah.

 

 

Bleh... that was bad, but do you get what I am saying? Just detail it a bit more... but don't describe every tiny detail, like the wind blowing to the south or the grass being green. >.<

[Trench]

^There are no cheetahs in Star Wars. Make it a Narglatch and you got yourself a deal.

There were a few grammar mistakes in there, but I really like it thus far.

[Godric Volturi]

Descriptions don't have to be from the universe you take it from.

 

Haha... oh and one other thing...

 

Describe your characters a little more too, like explain what Revan looks like, because when I see the name Revan, all I can see in my head is a pitch-black bubble where his face should be. >.< (however, I do see him in his old robes. ) And also, it wouldn't hurt to describe characters whose features are set in stone, such as Vrook's. His nasty wrinkles and dark purple shadows under the eyes and all. ^_^ Okay... I think that is all I had to suggest.

[Agincourt]

Okay, so some more details. I will have Revan described in the next chapter, so that was intentional. I did get the battle scene a bit too vague.

[Agincourt]

Here is a new chapter. I had problems with HK-47. He's difficult to write for, but I still have a line of his that I haven't deleted. I am not sure whether to add more lines or get him out completely. Suggestions on how to write for him would be appreciated.

 

**********

 

Revan’s personal ship, the Valdore, arrived a mere 18 minutes after he signaled for it. The vessel wasn’t as fast as the Ebon Hawk, but it was large enough to support all that a supreme commander needed to operate a Star Empire, or to direct a war. Created by the Star Forge, it possessed the greatest tactical and defensive systems of a vessel its size. It was no Leviathan, but Revan favored the Valdore much more than any other ship because it seemingly reflected his virtues.

 

Unlike his predecessor, who always relied upon brute strength, overwhelming size, and lout; Revan favored finesse, subtlety, and tactfulness. The Valdore was one of the few things that Revan knowingly put form above function, as a battle cruiser really was the most appropriate ship for any leader to take. Revan didn’t want a fortress, but a ship that could get him into and out of any situation.

 

When the aft loading ramp lowered to allow him access, Revan was greeted by the platoon of soldiers who were standing by to assist him. Most were veterans of the Mandalorian Wars and served not only as bodyguards, but for special combat missions such as confronting Jedi.

 

When they filed out to take their ceremonial formations, Revan just started up the ramp, not concerned with tradition. Before they even reached the bottom of the ramp, the men stopped where they were and either jumped off or retreated back into the compartment behind them. Revan was not the kind to execute a man simply because he got in the way, but the guards weren’t aware of it. And Revan found it amusing enough that he never told them. A few still remembered the ‘good old days’ where Malak would slam a someone into a bulkhead just because he didn’t like his face.

 

Without saying any words, Revan just went for the elevator and headed to the bridge. Before he even stepped out of the lift, he was already giving orders. “Prepare to take us back into orbit. Our next destination is Anoat.”

 

The pilot had been used to getting orders without any other dialog by then, but Anastasia just followed her orders with a smile and small talk. Unlike Carth Onasi, who had 20 years of experience, Anastasia was only 20 when she was recruited. Fresh out of the academy, she was hand-picked by Revan for her skills. And that was about all she and Carth had in common.

 

Anastasia saluted sarcastically to Revan with a smirk on her face and jumped into her seat, which also turned it to the forward position. “Sir, yes sir. Very good, sir. Your orders shall be obeyed, sir.”

 

Revan trotted onto the bridge, glancing at the empty chair where his chief engineer should have been before planting himself behind Anastasia. “What’s with the ‘sir’ talk all of a sudden?”

 

While starting the takeoff procedures, she raised her head just enough to get one eye on him. “You know, I figure that if you like the strutting tin soldier monet so much, I’d play along.”

 

“I don’t.”

 

She turned her chair completely around to give him her full attention. “Come on, in all these years, it’s always been business as usual. You can go wherever you want in the galaxy and you choose Anoat. Do you even know how to have a good time?”

 

With the force, Revan turned her chair back to face forward. “No time. I’m already late for my meeting with Admiral Sarn because of bothering with Vrook. We don’t have time for chitchat, got it?”

 

“Got it.” She decided to skip with the rest of the takeoff procedure and started the ascension right away. When the thrusters fired, the jolt knocked him on his back, as well as everyone aboard who weren’t seated.

 

That surprised him, as she wasn’t the kind to make such mistakes. “What the?!”

 

“You said we were late, so I don’t see any reason to be wasting time checking systems that I already know are set.” She activated the comm system to speak with everyone on the ship. “My apologies to the rest of you, but our fearless captain needs to make another deadline and is in a bit of a rush. So you’d better strap yourselves in and hold onto your breakfast.”

 

“Suggestion: Master, this meatbag is following orders of which you have not given and is now behaving very irrationally. I believe that a memory wipe is in order.”

 

He hardly noticed his assassin droid on the bridge, but HK-47 was not his concern at that moment. “I don’t have time for one of your jokes, Anastasia.”

 

“This isn’t a joke. If you’re behind schedule, then that means we must go faster. Does it not?” She looked over her shoulder with a vague smile on her face.

 

Revan chuckled and crossed his arms. “We both know the real reason. You’re just looking for any excuse to push this ship to its limits. Is this job not thrilling enough for your taste?”

 

“It has its ups and downs.”

 

He chuckled again and went for the captain’s chair. “Well don’t forget that I’m the captain here and I like things done by the book.” He started tapping on the control panel to the right of his seat. “Besides, I have to contact General Kaine and would rather not be doing it while the ship’s rocking through the atmosphere at mach 4. Just take us up normally.”

 

She sighed and softly answered “Yes, Revan.” Anastasia turned her attention back to the controls, disappointed to have such a fine ship and to never get the chance to use it to its full potential. The position she had been assigned was one of the greatest honors for only the most seasoned and skilled pilots, but she came to realize that it was just thousands and thousands of hours of boredom. Taking a ship up and down was by no means stimulating to a pilot who would rather be flying on the edge of her seat, but she did as she was told.

 

Revan tapped on the control panel to his right and activated the comm system. A few seconds later, a small holographic image of General Kaine appeared on the console. “General, I hope that you’ve had better luck than I did.”

 

“I’m afraid not. We are encountering resistance all over the planet; we’ve already suffered heavy losses.” He answered with great tension in his voice.

 

“I need you to send a reserve legion to take the city of Jaston. That’s the most likely place that Vrook would have gone if he wants to get off world. I want them only to occupy the city and flush him out.”

 

Kaine lowered his head and brushed his hand through his hair. “My Lord, all my reserve troops are engaged elsewhere. If you need them, I can pull the 6th legion from the front and they can be there by tomorrow.”

 

Revan sighed and rested his forehead upon his fist. By then, he wasn’t even trying to hide his frustration. “Don’t pull them off their station. Vrook will be gone before the end of the day.”

 

“If you’d like, we can bomb the space port from orbit. He won’t be able to escape unless he goes to...”

 

“No! That would kill thousands and Vrook may not even be planning to escape.” He shook his head and crossed his arms from the disappointment. “Look, just follow the battle plan I prepared for you and do the best you can and minimize civilian casualties as much as possible. Our enemies are the rebels and the last thing I want is for this operation to cause more havoc.”

 

“Sir, I am trying to follow your plans, but we are taking more losses than we anticipated. We’ll do the best we can, but I don’t know whether we can occupy the entire planet with only 15 legions.”

 

Revan sighed again and nodded. “That’s all we can spare at the moment. Just do your best with what you’ve got. I’ll try to get reinforcements for you as soon as possible.”

 

“Try to make it soon, my Lord. I really believe that it should be you directing this operation because I don’t know whether I’m following your plans correctly or not.”

 

“I can’t be in three places at once. I need you to manage this operation because I’m going to be engaged elsewhere.”

 

“I understand, my Lord.” Kaine saluted and Revan just deactivated the comm system.

 

Revan sighed heavily and went into deep thought. He wondered why it was so difficult to keep the Republic together when he had supreme authority and the Star Forge on his side. Even with the limited production capacity he used, the Star Forge alone was enough to overtake the Republic at the peak of the Sith war. The Republic was another matter however...

 

It had been his goal from the start to bring the Republic to its knees, but to leave its factories and political powers in tact; but Malak had ruined everything with his stupidity. The horrors of Taris etched a reputation for the Sith of which could never be repaired. The ruthless, brutal projection of unlimited power across everything that stood in his way.

 

What troubled Revan most was that it was only one man who abused the power of the Star Forge in which changed the course of history. One person who’s greed may have doomed everyone. Although the galaxy was within the palm of his hand, it was the Star Forge that provided the foundation upon which he stood. The enormous factory may have been the Republic’s only hope, but Revan feared how much longer he could manage its power before it began to feed upon the Republic.

 

Most believed that the Forge drew its power from the star of the Lehon system, but very few knew that the Forge was actually a fusion of technology and dark Force energy. Its growing production capacity ultimately was what doomed the once-mighty Infinite Empire, as it began demanding life energy as well. Revan knew from the start that it would destroy the Republic if he used it to its full potential, which was why he was determined to exhaust all other options to accomplish his goals before resorting to using the Forge.

 

Of course it put an enormous strain upon him, as he was constantly stretching the Republic’s resources as far as possible, knowing that they weren’t going to be enough. In his attempts to stimulate the Republic’s economy, he used the Forge to provide the resources that key industrial worlds needed in order to make it self-sufficient.

 

Revan thought that he had accomplished exactly what he sought in the beginning, which was to save as many lives as possible; but in recent years, he realized that the Republic was becoming harder to maintain. As the Republic war machine became increasingly complex, he has had to devote tasks that he normally would have done himself because he always had too much to do.

 

The world they were departing, Vulta, received military aid from Revan years ago and he found it outrageous how they would use the weapons originally provided to defend themselves and turn them against his authority. The Jedi did still have at least a few loyal followers, but it surprised him how they still were trying to supplant him after all those years. If they really cared for the Republic, they would have just stood aside and let him manage them on his own.

 

At the same time, Revan thought about what Vrook said when he was under duress. He had been called evil ever since he left for the Mandalorian Wars, but there was something different about the way he said it back there. Even with the Republic under his control, Revan did not have the full cooperation of every world that he had hoped. After all he had done, he couldn’t believe that there were so many too stupid to help themselves.

 

If everyone just did things his way, he could ensure that everyone in the Republic were taken care of. If his military weren’t always occupied with petty conflicts, such as the rebellion on Vulta, he could also ensure all their safety. It distressed him how there could be such selfish people who would put their interests ahead of that of the entire Republic.

 

Why then? Why would any rational person do such things? They should have known that their hostile actions would ultimately lead to a worse outcome. They were like fish desperate to escape the sanctuary of their bowls, knowing that they would die if they ever did. Granted, they were trapped; but if it weren’t for the protection and order Revan provided, they would have been vulnerable to the threat that lingered beyond the Outer Rim.

 

Revan’s train of thought was broken when the elevator doors hissed open. The ship’s chief engineer was an experienced individual who helped Revan design his ship a few years back. A little older than Revan, Kathol had an impressive resume from the Mandalorian Wars. He was the chief engineer on the Leviathan and worked on the Mass shadow generator project. Among his other accomplishments were a variety of upgrades he made to the design of weapon which were made standard to manufacturers.

 

Unfortunately the work he had done wasn’t recognized as perhaps it should, otherwise he would have been set for life. Kathol didn’t get the patent rights for most of his designs, as his effort was regarded as patriotic service to the Republic and Sith military. After the Sith war, he was desperate for money and Revan was happy to offer him the job.

 

Behind Kathol was the Valdore’s tactical and security officer, Alaster Treen. Not a veteran of any war, Treen had a knack for working with strange computers and confusing security systems. He actually was hired when the Valdore had trouble integrating a replacement computer core into the design, but he actually found that there was nothing wrong with the original. What caught Revan’s attention was how Treen not only returned the original core and got it working again, but broke all the encryption codes to do it.

 

Revan was astonished that he broke into sensitive files, almost accused him of being a spy, but he found that Treen wanted to tweak everything to be perfect. Even the non-ship related files were part of the computer, which was why he couldn’t just let those other files remain corrupted.

 

Shortly after realizing what he could do, and with an apology, Revan offered him a job where he could make use of such skills. How a computer technician became a ship’s tactical officer... it was more like a nickname than an actual position. He did know how to hack security systems and he did program the ship’s defensive systems, so that became the official title of his position.

 

The two were almost polar opposites when it came to the way they operated. Whereas Kathol worked well with the hardware of a machine, Alaster knew next to nothing about the physical aspects of what made a computer function. Kathol was a tall-dark and spiffy kind of Weequay. He was a very quiet and gentlemanly kind of guy, whereas Alaster had the semblance of an undisciplined youth. Alaster was a Hapan, looking about as old as Anastasia, but was closer to 30. He wasn’t unattractive, but took little pride in his appearance. Maybe with a haircut and a change of clothing style, he might have been the kind of guy who would attract ladies.

 

When the two stepped onto the bridge, Kathol addressed Revan “Sir?”

 

He turned his head over his shoulder and stood to hear what they had to report.

 

“We just inspected our compliment of concussion missiles and found that the detonator on two have corroded and will need to be replaced.” Kathol stated.

 

“You were inspecting missiles?” Revan asked.

 

Alaster raised his hand to take the credit. “Yeah, it seems that Kathol had ignored the computer’s advisement to check the missiles within their six-year shelf life. The two he inspected were like nine and eleven years old.”

 

Kathol turned around to shout at Alaster. “Well no one told me that they hadn’t been serviced when they were transferred to this ship! I had my own schedule for servicing them and it was intended for next year, six months after what I assumed was the last inspection.”

 

Revan sighed and held his hand up so he could speak. “You assumed?”

 

“Yes. When you transfer missiles from one ship to another, you always inspect them first. Apparently some incompetent fool neglected to report that they still had to be serviced when we took on the weapons.”

 

Revan sighed again and looked up to Kathol. “In that case, I’d like you to inspect all the equipment that didn’t come with the ship. This is a very minor thing that might have escalated into something worse, but you caught it before that happened. This was not your mistake.”

 

Alaster raised his hand to correct that. “The computer registered when the missiles were built and had alerted him of that fact.”

 

Revan, not interested in a guys who jumped at a chance to point out other people’s mistakes or who pointed to their own merits, didn’t let Alaster tarnish Kathol’s abilities. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It’s better you found this out now than if Anastasia had found out in the middle of a battle.”

 

Anastasia turned her attention back to the conversation that was going on behind her. “Why do you have to replace the detonators so often? I thought that concussion missiles were decommissioned after 25 years if they weren’t used.”

 

Kathol answered her question. “That’s the thing with missiles built during the Mandalorian Wars. The average life span was only one or two years before it was fired, so the Republic redesigned them so we could build them faster and easier. Now we have to either keep them up to code or keep servicing them.”

 

She nodded. “We’re about ready to make the jump into hyperspace. You’d better strap yourselves in.”

 

“So where are we bound for? Another paradise like Vulta?” Alaster requested before taking his seat.

 

“Anoat.” Anastasia answered.

 

“Hey, that’s classified.” Revan sharply told her.

 

She cautiously turned her head around, assuming that he was only joking; but realized that he wasn’t by the scorn in his expression. “I... wasn’t aware of that. You told me...”

 

“Of course I did, you’re my pilot. If I wanted everyone to know, I would have asked Alaster here to get on the comm system and transmit where I’m going to the rest of the Galaxy!” The others stared at him with concern; they’d never seen him even remotely angry. When he got up and started shouting at her, that really got their attention. “Anyone who knows that information puts my entire mission at risk. I have to kill them, now thanks to you!”

 

When he looked back to the others, they each weren’t quite sure if Revan genuinely would have had them executed. He was the Dark Lord after all, which was why they had reason to be afraid. A part of them were not sure, because they had never actually seen him execute someone.

 

They were genuinely relieved when the furrowing of his brow turned into a smirk. “Or I could just trust them to keep that quiet.” He turned around to find a concerned Anastasia staring at him. “Our destination is classified, so I would ask that you not share that with anyone else. I know that you’ll keep silent about that.”

 

Anastasia remained concerned, despite being told it was a joke. There was something about his attitude that seemed... different from before. She noticed that he was more prone to showing exactly what he was thinking instead of the ‘poker face’ he normally displayed, even in the most dire situation. What he just did was overcompensation to make it all seem like an act; to make it seem that he was fully in control. She knew that he was troubled.