Bindo's Journey: Long Shadows Part 2

BASTILA:  You will not win, Revan.

Two more sabers flank her.  Revan flourishes.

He strikes out with lightning that requires all three Jedi to stand by a firm guard with their sabers.  Jolee feels his heels skate back an inch.  The hilt vibrates in his hands and he is struck with fear that it might fumble through his fingers.  And he considers the possibility if a lightsaber is capable of being overwhelmed by such an onslaught.

The old Jedi clears his mind and feels the Force pour into him.  His fingers take a firmer grip and the hilt ceases to tremble.  His heart races to feed muscles strength, but without added trepidation.  And Jolee's eyes look beyond the arcing electricity to witness the shadowy figure before him who continues to bear his friend's naked face.

So, finally, Jolee has arrived at the determination to reach Revan and puts one step forward against the force of the lightning.  This act imbues valor into his companions.

Juhani's mind swirls with the thought that they came to this place with a clear purpose.  By the end of today she will have returned the favor that Revan did her and guide him through to the choice of redemption before the turning to new beginnings.

Bastila probes for an inkling of the bond they once shared and is met with an absent void.  She is more certain than anything that the true dark lord stands before her.  The form he takes is irrelevant.  Revan either possesses or has repossessed her husband.  Any grand gestures she might make will be treated unmercifully now.  And while setting upon this course Jolee's valor touches Bastila's mind.

She will not refrain from striking
Revan down if necessary.

The saberstaff pulsates up her arm
as if rejuvenated by Bastila's commitment.

A crimson laser sword whirls overhead that she narrowly ducks out of the way for.  The air gusts following Juhani's leap toward Revan, which Bastila stretches a pleading hand and hopeless whisper.

BASTILA:  No.

Revan's saber returns in time for Juhani and him to cross blades and neither locks guard for a second while constantly probing each other's defenses.  Both twisting and turning, Juhani ducks a couple strikes while Revan handily blocks every one of her own.  She has taken the role of aggressor out of fear that she cannot stand blow for blow as she had tried in the grove and was then a friend, though, she little knew it.

The dark lord steps back into an all-consuming shadow that resides to one side of the bridge and makes it as if his saber floats in mid-air.  Juhani looks and thinks she can see a faint outline.  He leans forward to appear ever so slightly in the light once more.  Revan has donned more familiar robes.

His lightsaber flies toward Juhani without Revan's hand and he in turn draws the blue lightsaber of the prodigal and charges from the darkness for Bastila and Jolee.  Poor Juhani is left alone to contend with the lightsaber that can pivot freely in any direction though there be little strength behind the strikes whereas Revan has the others stepping back with every thrust.

Bastila bumps into another body and looks back to stare into Carth's frozen face.  Both he and Canderous are trapped in stasis fields.  And Revan's next strike is aimed for across Carth's chest.  Bastila leaps into the path with her amber sword and locks with him, which he force pushes Jolee to the side and bears down on Bastila to complete the strike he was set upon.

REVAN:  Good and faithful warriors.

You stand united, but face the wrong enemy.

Have you still learned nothing?

CARTH:  Why don't you tell us Revan?

BASTILA:  Carth?

REVAN:  You were among the servants of the Republic.
Now you will lead it into destruction.

CARTH:  I didn't start your personal war with
the Republic.  But given a chance I'll finish it.

REVAN:  You spent all that time with me aboard the
Ebon Hawk.  And you knew nothing, did nothing to
learn the truth.  Your opportunity shall never come again.

BASTILA:  Revan...

REVAN:  You killed my hopes for the future that day.

He disengages to strike up the middle of the saberstaff.  The crystals fuse against the touch of plasma and the weapon is hopelessly destroyed.  Jolee Force pushes Bastila out of the way of the next blow and the red lightsaber breaks from Juhani to fly towards him.

Revan stalks toward Jolee as the old Jedi is preoccupied with the deadly avian.  He defends against the attacks in quiet desperation as Revan draws near, near and near.  Juhani leaps toward Revan again and he dips his blade to avoid ever making contact with hers and stabs Juhani across the chest.  Juhani's lightsaber begins to fly, but Revan slices it in the air and Bastila's hand is left empty.

At the moment Revan's back was turned to strike out at Juhani's hilt Jolee was also able to land on Revan's.  So Revan turns bathed in azure prepared to confront Jolee.  Jolee glances to one side and Revan looks to see Bastila's terrified face.

REVAN:  You see the truth of the Order, Jolee.

But you know nothing about the ways of the Force.

JOLEE:  Would it have made any difference if I stayed?

REVAN:  You hadn't the strength to keep me from leaving.

Jolee begins to circle Revan to the left who pivots with him.  Revan makes no motion towards him as Jolee crouches down to examine Juhani.  Jolee rises again to continue circling him.

JOLEE:  I'm here now.  I can make a difference.

REVAN:  The Jedi are a delusion.  So are the Sith.

But useful for my purposes.

Jolee stops circling.

REVAN:  Does that surprise you?

JOLEE:  No.  I wasn't looking at Bastila.

Revan turns to discover he has fallen in line with Canderous' blaster.  The Mandalorian strains against the stasis field and manages one pull of the trigger.  Revan raises his lightsaber to deflect the bolts and Jolee pushes the rest of the team beyond the door and closes it behind them.

JOLEE:  It's just you and me now.

REVAN:  I will be your destruction.

You should have fled.

JOLEE:  Wouldn't be the first time 

a student turned on me.

As Carth and Canderous stir from being able to stretch their muscles again Bastila hopelessly wails her fists against the blast doors.  Carth bends over Juhani.

CARTH:  Bastila?

She doesn't turn around.

CARTH:  Bastila, can you do anything for her?

She still doesn't turn and closes her eyes
while leaning her forehead against the door.

BASTILA:  I feel that she is already gone.

Canderous cradles Juhani's head.

CANDEROUS:  She was good.

CARTH:  And we lost both of them.

Bastila opens her eyes again and discovers
the door is clean and allows for some reflection.
She sees Arzilla's face looking back at her.

BASTILA:  I know what to do.

Bastila reactivates an underpowered wall console
and begins to look up the floor plan.  The screen
starts to go dark and she smacks the housing.

BASTILA:  The Apocalypse shall not keep him.

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