CHAPTER SIXTEEN: THE MANDALORIAN TRIUMPH (Part 4 of 5)
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It was one of the first large-scale meetings of the Revanchists in some time. In a way, it reminded Revan of the times when she had previously had an audience in the Grand Council Chamber on Coruscant. All of the members were not together in person. They were connected via holo transmission from their various unit locations. Their numbers had decreased again, not just with the betrayal of Kace and the Mandalorian Knights, but also because some had been lost in battle to the Mandalorians. Sixteen had become twelve, and then nine. They were growing scarcer, and yet the Republic’s need for them had only increased with the time.
Malak stood at Revan’s side aboard the
Nemesis during the Revanchists call. Also in the call were Master Arren Kae aboard the Echani vessel the
Bastion with General Yusanis’ fleet, Opela Moraf aboard the
Infinitum, Ferroh aboard the
Divine Intervention, the Iridonians Acaadi and Duqua Dar aboard the
Dark Phoenix, and Xaset Terep and Cariaga Sin aboard the
Development. While their numbers were few, those who remained had proven themselves to be instrumental to the success of the Republic war effort. They had joined the Republic on many fronts, and while there were certainly losses, they would have no doubt have been worse if the Jedi had not been there.
This, however, was not enough. The Mandalorians were gaining ground far too rapidly, and the threat was increasing with every second that they might overtake the Galactic Republic and send the galaxy into a new era ruled by their bloodlust. They needed to find some way of halting the Mandalorian offensive once and for all. As long as the war had remained in the Outer Rim Territories, it had been manageable. But as they moved inward toward the Core World, planets were more densely populated, and the risk of damage to the Republic infrastructure increased.
But while the ultimate goal was obviously Coruscant, the Mandalorian path to the Galactic Capitol planet remained unclear. It was troublesome not only to the Republic war strategists, but also to the Revanchists. It was impossible for the Jedi to effectively aid the Republic if their positions were incorrect. Ordinary people expected the Jedi to be able to predict such things, but the truth was that there were no great seers left among the Order after the tragedy involving the Draay Estate. While it was not terribly uncommon for Jedi of all strengths to receive ‘visions’ from time to time, the inherent ability to manifest these visions of the future at will was quite rare and required years of training as a seer.
While Revan did still occasionally receive the visions which had plagued her at the start of the Revanchists journey, she had yet to discover how to manifest them at will. This was largely the reason for her insistence upon tracking whatever leads came within them whenever she did have them. Even when they had been haunted by the sound of the Voice, they had served as reliable warnings for the future up to this point, and so she felt it important not to ignore them. After all, they needed every scrap of advantage that they could get….
But since her vision of the crystals on Lorrd II, there had been no such luck of the visions appearing to her. She had wondered if it were in part due to no longer having the guidance of Master Kae during meditation sessions, and had considered asking her teacher to return to her company, but with their numbers so scare, she could not afford to recall anyone, especially not one of Arren Kae’s level of experience… No, she would have to manage on her own. Somehow, she would have to figure out a way to compensate on her own…
The Lorrdian gems which Revan and Malak had retrieved from the mines on Lorrd II remained with them aboard the
Nemesis. No one else knew of them at the moment, and perhaps that were for the better. She’d considered the possibility of attempting to use the crystal’s power to enhance the deepness of meditative trance in attempt to provoke visions into manifesting themselves, but the endeavor had proven to be unsuccessful thus far.
It was a bit ironic when she thought about it. The Mandalorians were so superstitious and distrusting of ‘Jedi magic tricks’ and would rather rely on their own warrior instincts… and yet here she was, foolishly attempting to use the same ‘Jedi magic’ to predict what their war paths were. Perhaps it were all silly and she should go back to looking at physical tactics. But the tactics she had learned for positioning troops were specific to individual battles. They were of no use whatsoever if it were impossible to tell where the battle was going to take place.
She regarded the faces of those present via the holo communication. Each member of the Revanchists had changed since entering the war, and perhaps not for the better. Ferroh seemed gnarled and tired, his fur unkempt and eyes dim with the knowledge of the planet-wide genocide against his people. Opela, who had always been so warm and full of hope, seemed distant and vague, as if trying to forget the horrors she had witnessed. And Malak, who had always followed Revan like a loyal Kath pup before, had become visibly wary of some of his friend’s behavior.
Revan had attempted to pretend that she didn’t notice this behavior from him, but it was growing increasingly difficult. She could feel the strain which it had been causing on their friendship as of late, and it was beginning to startle her. She couldn’t help but to wonder if perhaps it were her own fault rather than the fault of the war. After all, she knew that she had changed much from the person he’d known on Dantooine. She was no longer Halin Chan. She couldn’t be. Just as he could no longer be Alex Kharr.
The only person who seemed relatively unchanged was Arren Kae. Somehow, the older woman had managed to remain at peace, despite the horrors which they all had faced. Revan was eternally grateful for this. Master Kae was like a calm in the storm of the war. She was a level head when thoughts of the situation seemed to grow increasingly irrational. Perhaps this was the necessary wisdom which marked a true Master among the Jedi…
It was decided in the call that they would stand by and await orders. It was all that they could do, after all. At least they knew that the Mandalorians were headed Core-ward. Where precisely was still a mystery, but there was only so much of a spectrum of possibility. If they could position themselves accordingly, then no matter where the Mandalorians chose to strike next, the Revanchists would be there with the Republic to bring them to a halt. After all, the Mandalorians were not without losses themselves. And while they continued to recruit from each conquered planet along their path, surely they would eventually begin to feel the toll on their numbers, especially in the Core Worlds where Republic fortifications were at their strongest.
When the transmission ended, Revan removed her mask and let out a sigh, allowing the cold repurposed air of the ship’s internal atmosphere to wash over her natural features. It had been some time since she’d done so, and she’d almost forgotten what it felt like. It felt crisp and clean against her skin. She closed her eyes, drinking it all in.
Malak approached her from behind, reaching out a hand for a moment as if to rest it on her shoulder, but he stopped himself. He couldn’t help but to be afraid… Afraid that the end was drawing nearer for all of them. The possibility of Mandalorian victory in this war was increasing with every day, and the number of Revanchists who remained with them was decreasing. He’d heard from Talon about Revan’s near-death experience in the Thustra system when she and Kae had attempted to re-take the supply depot. What troubled him most about this, however, was not her resulted injuries from the incident, but the fact that she’d not bothered to even mention it to him on her own.
He’d sensed a disturbance when it happened, as he had since found out, but had been unable to make contact until several weeks after, at which point she had assured him that all was fine. It was after transferring back into the same company as her that he had taken it upon himself to get the full story from her older brother as to what had happened.
“Revan?” he dared to say, even though his hand dared not to touch.
She turned to him and for a moment, he was at a loss for any further words. It was the first time in over a year that he had seen her face beneath the mask. And while the mask was all Revan, those eyes still belonged to Halin. He swallowed hard, speech refusing to escape from his throat. Despite this time, despite all of the change… beneath it all she was just as he had remembered her. The same blue-gray eyes, the same raven hair, the same pink of her lips drawn in a neutral yet expectant expression as she waited for him to continue after having addressed her.
“Yes?” She said, looking up at him.
He took a breath and managed to continue. “I need to talk to you… I have questions, and I need you to answer them for me…”
Her brows knitted together, and her expression changed to a frown. “What sort of questions?” she asked.
“You’ve been hiding things from me lately. Why?”
“Have I? I hadn’t noticed…” she lied, and attempted to turn and re-mask, but Malak caught her wrists and gently took the mask from her, setting it aside before taking her hands pleadingly in his own. She did not fight him. His actions intrigued her. She turned back to him, waiting and listening to hear what he had to say.
“Talon told me what happened on Thustra…”
“It is not Talon’s place to speak on such matters.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Revan?”
“I didn’t want you to worry unnecessarily. After all, I’m still here, am I not?”
“That’s not the point…”
“Had anything
actually happened, you would have been the first to know, Malak. You know very well that I would want you to take command of the Revanchists should I die before this war is over.”
“How can you talk like that?”
“The possibility has always existed for all of us, Malak. I am no more immune to it than Tavlon, or than Hazar, or than any of the others who have not been so lucky as we have been so far. Trust me when I say—”
“There you go again,” he interrupted her. “’
Trust me’… I
do trust you, Revan, more than you perhaps you understand… but trust works both ways! And it’s very clear lately that you do not trust
me.”
Revan paused at the thought. He continued:
“It seems as though you hardly trust anyone anymore… Not the Council, not the Republic, not your brother, not the other Revanchists… but I’ve known you for most of both of our lives. We’ve been friends for a long time, Rev… Why do you feel you need to keep secrets from me?”
She sighed. “Mal… sometimes the truth can be a difficult thing to understand… I’m only trying to protect you…”
“I don’t need your protection. I can handle myself… Sometimes I do think though that you’re the one who might need protecting—”
“Why? Because I’m a woman?” She said, rolling her eyes. “Malak, I don’t need you to start patronizing me now simply because I got hurt. In case you’ve been asleep lately, it’s a war. People get injured. People die. Planets burn. Sacrifices are made. Get over it!”
“The thing you need protection from is
yourself, Revan! Listen to what you’re saying!” He said, his eyes leering with fire as his face reddened.
Their eyes met, neither one intent upon giving up any ground. Revan attempted to pull her hands away, but Malak held them tighter, intent upon having her respond to him clearly. It was a serious matter, which concerned him greatly, and he needed her to treat it as such.
“Let go of me,” she demanded.
“Not until you start answering me clearly! I know you. I know you well enough to know that you’re hiding something.
Halin wouldn’t stand by idly awaiting orders from Republic Captains about the next course of action, and neither would Revan, for that matter. I know you. I know that you’re planning something. You’ve still not said anything to them about the crystals from Lorrd. Why? You continue to ignore Talon’s orders even though he is the one in command of this battalion. Why? What crazy scheme are you hatching in that pretty little head of yours?”
“As your
Master, I
demand that you
let me go!” she said, pulling harder.
“Fine,” he said, letting go of her abruptly and throwing his arms up into a pose of surrender. The sudden release had cause her off guard, and she fell backward under the weight of her own efforts. He knelt down and held a hand out to her to help her back up. At first she refused, her pride not wanting to allow for any assistance, but it was difficult to get back up on her own under the weight of the Deralian armor, and so she eventually conceded.
He continued to hold her hand after the fact, but more gently this time, brushing her slender gloved fingers with his thumb. He wanted to remove the glove, to feel her skin against his own, but that would have been too much. “I’ve followed you until now without questioning,” he said, the tone of his voice matching the gentler tone of his actions, “but you can’t expect me to continue doing so if you’re going to leave me in the dark. I want to help you, Revan. It’s why I came with you in the first place. But you have to
let me do so…”
She sighed, turning her face downward to look at the floor. Cautiously, he took his free hand and slipped it under her chin, turning her face upward to look at him again. Her flesh was warmer than he had remembered it to be, he assumed from the number of layers she was constantly wearing. He resisted the urge to touch her cheek, her lips… She was so much closer now than she had been in a very long time… and yet she felt so distant still.
He could feel her beginning to tremble and swiftly withdrew his touch. The physical contact seemed to be making her uncomfortable… To his surprise however, it was she who reached back out and took his hand again before continuing to speak, grasping it firmly and securely as she did.
“Perhaps I’ve been unfair to you,” she admitted. “You’ve never wished me ill before… I promise I’ll try to be more open with you in the future… Starting now.”
He regarded her with curiosity.
Hesitantly, she began explaining. “I… I had an idea… I don’t know if it will work or not, but I have to at least try… I think I’ve figured out a way to manifest the visions at will… I think I can use the crystals from Lorrd as a catalyst… I think that… if I can render the conditions just so… I can figure out where the Mandalorians are going to strike…”
“It’s a risky move,” Malak replied. “Even with Kae’s training, if something goes wrong, what if the Voice should return?”
She nodded, accepting the thought of possibility. “That’s why I need help… I need you to be there to break the trance in case something should go horribly wrong… I can’t control what happens to me when I am in that state… I’m more vulnerable to threats from the outside… and fom within.”
Malak furrowed his brow. “What are you implying?”
“Kace betrayed us to fight for the Mandalorians,” she said. “What if there are others like him whom we do not know about fighting on their side? Other Mandalorian Jedi… It is possible for another Jedi to enter one’s mind when they are in such a state…”
“Now I think you’re just being paranoid…”
“Am I?”
“Yes… Revan I’ll be there to help as I can. I promise that if there’s any sign of something about to go wrong, I’ll help you break the trance…” And with this, he forced a smile. “Trust me,” he said, giving her hand a little squeeze.
The irony of the statement caused her to laugh a little, a smile spreading across her lips, and she squeezed his hand back. “I guess I owe you that much… Thank you, Malak.”
“Thank
you for agreeing to trust me.”
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