valandhir: (Default)
valandhir ([personal profile] valandhir) wrote2007-01-06 04:21 pm
Entry tags:

Fic: Rebel Angel

This is more or less an unfinished KOTOR snipped that popped up in my head some time ago.

Disclaimer: This is a private work of fiction, not indet to infringe any copyrights. All rights to the characters and the concepts of Star Wars rest with their respective owners. I receive no money or other compensation.

This is more or less an unfinished KOTOR snipped that popped up in my head some time ago.

 

Rebel Angel

 

Thus far these beyond
Compare of mortal prowess, yet observed
Their dread Commander: he above the rest
In shape and gesture proudly eminent
Stood like a Tower; his form had yet not lost
All her Original brightness.

(Milton: Paradise Lost)

 

“Has the little Captain come to fullfill his duty, at last?” Bastilas voice was sheer mockery, when she appeared from beyond one of starforges strangely similar looking doors. “I should have expected something that stupid, from you Carth.” She moved fast and very gracefully towards him.

 

Carth swallowed hard. He had been warned to do this. Master Vandar had advised against it, as had Admiral Dodonna. But he had never let a friend down, never in his life, and he was not to start right here. It was hard to explain why he had come here. He had not liked Revan much, when he had rescued him from that escape pod on Taris.. no this was wrong. He had in way admired how this soldier had fought his way all trough Endar spire, but not trusted him. And over the following weeks, he had found a friend like had never expected to have again. Revan had understood so many things without many words and quitly helped Carth to understand himself a little better. Even after the dread revelation on board Leviathan, he had understood Carth’s anger, his hatred. Calmly had stood right before Carth, offering his life, if it was what was demanded, to help Carth to find peace. Carth was not going to leave this friend behind. He faced Bastila calmly. “I came to find Revan.” He replied to the fallen Jedi, who was as haughty as ever. Silently he was asking himself what she was preaching about by now.

 

She gave a snort, her eyes scanning him coldly. “The great Lord of the Sith has no time to spend, for worms like you.” She strode towards him, the lightsaber in her hands, ready to ignite when neaded.

 

“Is this what you want Bastila?” Carth replied, trying to stay calm. He might not be a force user, but the tactic of staying serene had it’s advantages. “Being Revans errand girl? Still playing the Padawan that hero worships the great warrior, I see.”

 

The moment she looked up he knew that he had committed a mistake, a grave one. His friendship with Revan had been something, Bastila had never liked. Perhaps the cameraderie between to soldiers was something that excluded awestuck Padawans. “How dare you?” Her voice betrayed pure hatred now. “You’re just a lowly soldier…” Blue and silver energy errupted from her hands, and hit him.

 

Sheer pain ran trhough his chest, up his spine and penetrated his skull. Carth wasn’t aware of the moment, he fell, screaming under the vicious attack. When the pain eventually ceased, Bastila stood above him. “But you can be of some use… after all. I can give our disciples a lesson, how to crush vermin.” She said, coldly smiling.

 

Carth tried to catch his breath. “So I was right.” He pressed. “You may torture me, or kill me, but you won’t change the truth.” Another surge of pain errupted in his upper torso, so ferocious was the attack, that it crashed him against the wall. There wasn’t even a chance to prevent a scream, as much as he’d liked to surpress it.

 

Carth body was numb, when Bastila stopped. “Revan loves me… I brought him back to his destiny.” She announced proudly.

 

With all effort he could muster, Carth tried to rise again. “Believe what you want… alone that you need these words, tells me, that you’ll never be an equal to the man you love. I pity you…” The red blade flashed before him, hitting him two, three times. Carth collapsed again, blood running from his wounds. He saw her approach again and knew he was to die…

 

***

 

Bastilas blade never reached her target, when she stroke to kill off that annoying captain of the republic forces. A silver blade caught the blow effortlessly, broke free and forced her to fall back two steps. Revan, Darth Revan stood there, his double bladed lightsaber ready. The silver light reflected on his black Echani Armor. “What is this about, Bastila?” he asked, his voice powerful as ever.

 

Bastila never was able to listen to this deep rich bariton, this bronze voice without shaking inwardly. “He… he came to assassinate you, my lord.” She answered meekly. “I took care of him.” Unable to lower her gaze she looked at him. They said that the dark side changed ones appearance for ever. It had done so with Revan, but not the way she’d expected. He was still that tall, dark haired man, whose emerald green eyes penetrated her easily. The dark hair fell to his shoulders, like a dark aura.

 

Revan raised an eyebrow. “You’d rather practiced force lightning , or so it seems.” He replied, deactivating his lightsaber. “You’re dismissed for now, Bastila. Go to sublevel 18, on the terminal there I have compiled all data on the whereabouts of General Jyarel Valendris, you’ll add all you know about the case and report it back to me. And Bastila –“ he added upon turning towards Carth. “…don’t ‘forget’ some facts along the way.” Bastila bowed and hurried off.

 

***

 

Carth hadn’t really heard this conversation. The pain increased, and only the loss of blood dimmed his perception of it a little. His tortured body was to give up soon, and he knew this well. A deep despair crept into his mind. In the end he had let down a friend.

 

A face entered his range of view. It was Revan, changed and unchanged in one. Carth swallowed hard. Somehow he’d preferred Revan to be marked by the dark side, like most of the Sith usually were. But he was not. ‘Why does evil hide, behind a beautiful face?’ he asked himself.

 

A hand touched his forehead, the touch was cool to the feverish feeling of his skin. He tried to rise, but a firm grip brought him to lie down again. “No… don’t move, these wounds are serious.” Revan was kneeling right beside him. His green eyes were fixed on something distant, the usual way, when he concentrated hard on the force. Carth felt his pain cease, being washed away by a cool breeze, that embraced him. The wounds Bastilas blade had cut, closed, and some of the tired feeling vanished too. He could say nothing to express his astonishment…. Not even in his strongest days, Revan had been able to do this. He almost felt like getting up again.This time Revan did not prevent him from moving. He got to his feet again, streched out a hand, and helped Carth to rise. “I have to apologize, old friend.” He said, and the ruefull glance was honest enough.

 

Carth still did not know what to make of it. “Never mind.” He said after a few moments. “You saved me - again. This makes it how many times? I lost track of them, some time ago.”

 

Revans face lighted up into a smile. “Is it necesarry to count?” he asked softly. “I saved you, and you did the same for me. In fact you tried exactly this, when Basti came across you.” He’d never lost the habit of adressing her as ‘Basti’ , she’d always been annoyed by it.

 

Somehow Carth found himself wondering if HK 47 got an upgrade in his programm to adress Bastila as Basti all the time. “You’re right. I tried… and never got far.” He confessed. “But then – here you are. Revan, what happened in that temple?”

 

His friend’s eyes darkened. “Let’s talk elsewhere, will you? You have my word, you can leave this place freely, when this is over.” Carth silently nodded, and off they went to the very same elevator, Revan had used coming here.

 

When they left it, they were on command centers level. At the very gates of star forges control centre, Juhani was standing guard. She raised her blade when she saw Carth. “My Lord.” she adressed Revan. “Shall this man be arrested?”

 

Revan waved her words off. “No, Juhani. Just find Basti and see, that she gets on with her work, honestly.” He ordered her, while entering the command centre. Carth followed him. Under other circumstances he might have admired the strange technology and design, but now his gaze was fixed on Revan, who gracefully leaned against one of the consoles. “What happened in that temple? Why… why did you… why did you let us down?” It was hard do say it like this, and half he feared it might earn him a force lighting from Revan.

 

But his friend just stood there and accepted the blow, looking down for a moment. “I wish there had been time.” he whispered. Looking up, he braced himself. “I remembered some parts of my past again and I remembered the moment I… they transformed me.” The last words carried a painfull meaning.

 

“You mean how they healed you after that fight?” Carth knew he was refering to his time as a prisoner of the Jedi council. He had alsways had a strange feeling about all that incident, but then, he’d never understood in full.

 

Revan turned and walked over to the viewport. Careful of turning his back to Carth. “When they gave me my new personality. That sounds so easy.” His voice trailed off. “But it wasn’t and remembering wasn’t either.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s just say, it changed something for me, and I let my guard slip for a moment.”

 

Carth could always feel when Revan wasn’t telling something. And on that long journey he had learned, that Revan turned his back to others, when he tried to hide pain. So he followed Revan over to the viewport. He saw that his friends hands were clenched to fists, not in anger, but in fight for control over himself. “What happened? What did they do?” he asked.

 

The Sith Lord – if he could Revan call this – turned his gaze to him, for a moment. “What you do to change someones personality.” he answered as casually as possible. Then his hand ran trough his long black hair, taking it back at one part of his head, revealing a small, white scar, running along his scull.

 

Carth shuddered, when he saw this scar for he knew what it was. He’d seen such things before… in another life so it seemed. But he knew what it was, and just seeing it, crushed so many things he had believed in. “You mean they brainwashed you?” His voice became hoarse at this words. There was only one method that left this kinds of scar, the refined method of lobotomy. It was a crime of war, worse than many things Carth knew. Murder was a clean crime in comparison. After a moments hesitation he laid his hand on Revans shoulder. “I… never knew… never believed that anyone in the republic was able to do this…” he swallowed hard, what could his failed believes help a man, who had been subjected to such a painful and perverse practice? A man who even now was fighting for control over himself.

 

Revan turned towards him. “I am sorry Carth, this must sound like some kind of accusation to you.” He drew another deep breath, relaxing a little. “And it isn’t. Not against you. I know that you’d never participated in any such thing.” A faint smile touched his face.

 

There was a long moment of silence. “You’re to go on as you started, I take it?” Even as he asked, Carth heart wasn’t in it. The republic he had so long believed in, had proved itself not better than her enemies.

 

“I have to.” Revan replied. “For obvious reasons.” Pointing out of the viewport he went on: “My fall – vanishing – left chaos among the sith. If I don’t whip them back into line, they’ll give the galaxy trouble without an end. And there still is the shadow – the thread I felt long ago – and if that one is getting his hands on the galaxy we all will be off worse.”

 

“You care about the galaxy?” Carth question wasn’t mocking as it might have been. It was rather marveling.

 

Revan raised his eyebrows. “I can’t honestly say that I care about the republic, not any more. But the galaxy is full of people, who can’t be held responsible for the republic and her methods. If the three get their hands on them… No! They won’t. I won’t let them, but I’m glad for all the help I can get.”

 

Now it was Carth turn to smile, even as it was faintly. “Are you trying to turn me?” he asked.. Even while he spoke these words, he felt cold inside. Could he just go, and leave his friend behind? He had no idea what this thread, Revan mentioned, was about, and if it existed at all, but could he just march off and leave Revan to his own darkness?

 

“Turning? Do I sound like this?” Revans relaxed pose changed slightly. “Did I tell you about Darkstar , the battleship they are building here, that needs a competent commander, who can take care of the fleet, when I am turning my back? Or about Malak, sitting in that cell down on prison level? Did I ask how you would like his execution?” The slight irriation in his voide vanished. “No.” he added. “I respect you, as my friend, and I will respect you as my enemy, if this is your decision. I will be glad should you chose to side with me… but I’ll never try to turn you, to buy your loyalties. I know I can’t.”

 

Carth remained silent again. “If you’re dark still, why did you help me with Dustil?” he asked. “I need to know this.”

 

“Dustil. Your son is a fine boy, and gifted in the force. He’s of that stuff, that it needs to become a great Jedi. But he’s not cut out to be a Sith. He’s too much like you in that respect. Disciplined, controlled, idealistic. He’d never cope with the live of a Sith. He’d never be up to it, being alone nearly always, no live, no friends… no one… I think he’s better off without it, and so are you.” He had turned at this words, again looking out of the viewport.

 

Silence fell. It was decision time for Carth Onasi. He could go now, and rebuilt his life. He could rebuilt it because a Sith Lord had given him the chance to do so. He would probably be called to fight that Sith Lord, but he’d still be on the right side. Or wasn’t he? But Revan… he could picture what Revans way would be in future. He’d go on alone, no friends, no one he could trust, and some time he’d eventually fall. Or he could stay…. The thought, forbidden as it was, slipped into his mind. He had to make concious effort to allow it. He could stay. He could remain here, and again fight on Revans side. They’d still be friends, and perhaps he could prevent Revan from becoming unnecessary cruel.

 

“Don’t” Revan abruptly turned towards him.

 

“What?” Carth had forgotten, that Revan probably was reading his mind

 

“Don’t – don’t throw away your life, your future, for me.” Revan slowly said. “You have a live, a future out there, a son, that’s bound to be a great Jedi, and so much to live for.”

 

Carth took a step towards Revan. “No, my friend.” He said. “I have made up my mind. And I’ll stay. I can’t offer you much, in terms of power, just a soldiers battered experience. And as for my son… if he’s going to be Jedi, he’ll have to leave the family anyway.”

 

Revans eyes brightened to a true smile. “I am glad to have you Carth.” He said. “Thank you so much.”

 

At the door of the command centre, Juhani watched the two friends shortly embrace, then stepping back. Her Cathar eyes flashed. Bastila wasn’t going to like this. But then… Juhani loved to see Bastila suffer.