Revan: Departure 3

Revan: Depature, Chapter 3

For the most part, the crew didn't notice Hodge's change in behavior. Bastila asked once or twice why he seemed so distant, but Hodge simply dismissed it. As they discussed and planned what was going on, Hodge found it best not to inform his friends about his sudden realization. Such knowledge would bring concerns, and the crew seemed to have enough of those on their hands already.

On Board the Hawk, Hodge noticed a rather large group gathered near the Swoop Bike formerly owned by the Hidden Beks. As he came closer, he realized that all the members were gathered around a lone figure, slumped on the floor.

"Phew! And I thought you smelled bad for not showering, Big Z!" Mission said, waving her hands.

"<It's common for my kind not to shower, though I'm eager to hear why a Mandalorian doesn't.>" As Zaalbar grunted, as Hodge came ever closer.

"Canderous," Carth said, raising his voice to bring attention. "The crew has a point. It's time for you to get up and bathe. Or at the very least, leave the ship so we don't have to keep smelling dry Tarisian ale."

When Hodge finally caught sight of all the commotion, he almost didn't recognize the rather broken individual in front of him. Canderous, for all of his might and strength, had become reduced to wearing tattered clothes, lying on the floor in a deranged stupor and mumbling almost incoherently (although to Hodge's greater suspicions, the Mandalorian did this on purpose.) Also, Canderous had grown a rather filthy, gray beard in the process.

"Canderous, everyone agrees," Hodge defiantly stated. "You've been drinking too much, and… not shaving enough. Time to get up."

Sadly, the aged Mandalorian refused to comply. At this point, Hodge was tempted to use the Force and simply lift him out, but tried his best to restrain himself. However, it was the Cathar female that finally caught Canderous' attention as Juhani stepped forward.

"This is the great warriors that drove my people, my family from their homeworld? I laugh at this pathetic example of a warrior. To think, that I used to be afraid of your kind."

Almost immediately, as if caught off guard, Juhani found herself staring down the nozzle of a heavy blaster rifle. Being surprised, Juhani only drew her lightsaber moments after Canderous could've pulled the trigger. Clearly, the advantage was his to begin with.

"I may be drunker than Brejik was on power, but I can still aim this blaster well enough to kill a small Republic patrol," The Mandalorian put down his rifle to hold his throbbing head, seeing as the crew's peaceful attempt to get him to leave proved inefficient.

Hodge turned to the group and sighed, "Hey, guys. Do you mind leaving us alone? I think this is a personal matter."

Carth sighed, "Be my guest. But just to let you know, if we're flying, I'm leaving the Docking Hatch open. If he doesn't get sucked out, then at least the stink might."

After the rest of the group managed to return to their hiding spots, the Prodigal Knight slumped down and sat with the Mandalorian. In their time together, Canderous had shared many tales of his youth and his glory days. In fact, out of all the group, he managed to become a liked acquaintance to Hodge. Perhaps, he became even a friend. However, Hodge even doubted he could goad the once proud warrior to stop his binge drinking. Even so, Hodge tried anyway.

"Canderous, what's wrong?"

He scoffed, "As if you would understand."

Hodge shrugged his shoulders. "Well, Canderous… Considering all the other Mandalorians would want to shoot you or are lying on the Cantina floor, who else would you consider?"

The grey warrior turned and stared at Hodge for the longest while.

"Revan."

The Jedi rolled his eyes, "Very funny."

"Only Revan would understand what to do in this situation. A Jedi with the skills of a Mandalorian. If he were here, he would tell me what to do. Instead, I get his shell. His new form, only broken and unable to remember anything vaguely relevant."  

At this point, Hodge wanted to reach for one of the Tarisian Ale bottles and start chucking down. Since Canderous had already made the feat impossible, Hodge had to resort using his mouth for other purposes.

"Well, I'm about as close to Revan as you're ever going to get, so spill it."

Canderous paused for a moment, looked at the Jedi and sighed.

"What place does a warrior have in this stagnant time? What purpose do they have when a war's over? I've encountered many Mandalorians. Most are either thugs, mercs or thieves. They don't represent the glory we once had as a race. Now, we're just… cheap labor, shells trying to relive the glory days. What am I going to do: find another crime lord and work for him for another decade, hoping there's a battle worth fighting? That's not for me anymore."

Hodge turned back, and leaned against the swoop bike, "Why don't you take Carth's advice and join the Republic Army?"

"Hah!" The Mandalorian scoffed. "Those 'Commanders' aren't worth licking my boots! Give me a week and I'll be running that place. No, the Republic's weak forces don't interest me. Question is, what does?"

Suddenly, the Jedi turned and looked to see that no one, especially HK-47 was watching. When he figured the coast was clear, he leaned towards Canderous.

"What if I told you, that the war's not over?"

"You mean those Sith still on Korriban?" The warrior shrugged. "They aren't worth hunting down. They'll kill each other off, now that the power balance is off."

"No, I'm talking about something worse than that. You see… there's something waiting for us in the Unknown Regions, waiting to strike."

Hodge knew that he was on the right track, when Canderous drunk stupor suddenly vanished as he turned his head and stared right back at him. His glazed eyes, suddenly became focused and full of anticipation, much like a Kath Hound hungry for fresh meat.

"Go on."

"Somehow, this dark force is waiting for us, preparing to strike. Of course, you knew about that, didn't you?"

Canderous nodded his head. "We knew. But we forgot. We thought the Sith cowards for fleeing the war."

Hodge patted his friend on the back, "My friend. There is a major difference between fleeing and a tactical retreat. So don't rest easy just yet. I still have one more mission for you."

Canderous nodded his head. "Aye."

As both Hodge and the Mandalorian picked themselves off the ground, the Jedi quickly left the Garage only to find Carth, in the shadows.

"Nice job lying to Canderous like that…" Carth whispered.

"Yeah… lying." Hodge merely smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hodge quickly came out of his shower, drying his hair as he glazed at the galactic map he set up in the middle of the room. He couldn't say his mornings were exciting, especially since the crew had returned to Coruscant, but he could still ponder about several things.

"HK, come here."  

"Answer: As you wish, Master. How may I help you today?"

Hodge continued to dry his hair, as he pointed to several locations on the map. "What do you make of these formations?"

"Observation: The conquest of key worlds is excellent strategy in my opinion. Abandoning several unimportant worlds in favor of these select worlds would be highly important concerning galactic domination."

"Alright…" Hodge said, punching in new data from after 'Revan' was captured by the Jedi. "Take a look at this, what do you think?"

The droid seemed to give a dismissal, somehow making the clicking tongue sound that humans used when disappointed.

"Dismissal: Oh, Master. Surely, this is a mistake. Indeed several key worlds are destroyed, but it is sloppy, unfocused and all and all a weak attempt to charge right towards Coruscant. It is perferrable that one plan attacks in precise order, rather than charging like a blind Boma."

"HK, the two coordinates I showed you are before and after the trap that Bastila set for Reven-Er.. me. With the exception of Telos, I was very selective of worlds I conquered and nothing seems straight-forward. But, when Malak took over, nothing but dead worlds. HK, what do you think?"

And for a moment, Hodge witnessed something, he'd never thought he'd see: HK actually being silent as his photo-receptors blinked for several long moments. Finally, his vocabulator spoke with his answer.

"Statement: Master, if the information you inputted was accurate, then I believe that you were planning for another invasion force and reinforcing worlds so that they stood a sufficient chance of surviving."

"And what's the invading force?" Hodge asked.

"Statement: I was just about to ask you the same question, Master."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once breakfast had been taken care of, Hodge, Bastila, Juhani and Jolee gathered together. They headed toward the Council chambers (thankfully, the Council decided to continue the trial at the Temple rather than flying back to Dantooine) waiting for the Council to call them in. However, the Council seemed to take their time, allowing Hodge to talk to his friends.

"Juhani, are you going to be alright?"

The Cathar smiled. "I thank you for your concern, but it is no matter. I trust in the Coucil's wisdom. As for… personal matters, if they do not arise, I will not say anything."

"Hmmph! Good luck with that!" Jolee scoffed. "If the Council's the way I remember it, they're still as stubborn as Bantha eating their fodder."

Hodge then turned to his partner, "Bastila, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She said quickly, and to the point. "I-I will remain firm in my stance and see to it that they don't separate us."

Just then, Master Vrook appeared. His presence signaled for part of the group to come in.

"Ah, Jolee Bindo. It is good that you've come. I heard you were a great aid in the war."

The other elderly Jedi did not take this lightly. "Ahh, save your lecturing, old man. I'm not here for your wisdom, unless it's my turn in the trial."

"Wait," Hodge whipped towards Jolee. "How old are you?"

"Like I said, head full of hair and a town with a well."

"Ever brash, ever impatient." Vrook scolded. Apparently, he seemed to think of Jolee in the same vein as Hodge when he first joined. "Luckily for you, Revan came and showed you back to the path of the Light. You should be thanking him for allowing you an opportunity to become a Jedi once more."

"Stuff it!" Jolee said in a rage. "I can serve the light while not being bound to the Order. Did you ever consider that?"

"Jolee, difficult as it is to believe, but the Council truly forgave you for your actions during the time of Exar Kun. There was no dishonor when you showed mercy, only when you left without telling us."

"As if you would've let me leave…" Jolee muttered under his breath.

"The Council will now see Bastila." As Vrook finished his sentence, the Padawan accompanied him to the chambers, Hodge could only help but watch as his partner was about to face the judgement of the Council all by herself. He clenched his hand, feeling frustration coarse through his veins, but he remembered his training. With a deep breath, he composed himself and awaited his turn.

"What do you think they'll ask us about?" Juhani questioned. The Cathar had become somewhat restless after waiting so long.

"That's simple…" Jolee muttered to himself. "They likely ask you to become a full-fledged Jedi Knight, and me to come back to the Order, not that I'll accept of course. As for Bastila, I suspect it won't be about her fall to the Dark side."

"What do you mean?" Juhani asked.

"Something tells me that even if we've beaten Malak, the war's far from over."

Hodge couldn't help but agree with the Elder Jedi, in silence of course. If what he predicted as well as what he felt were correct, then the Council was asking Bastila about the dreams they shared. For what he would've considered doing, Hodge hesitated informing Bastila about their shared dream. And for some reason, Bastila never confronted him about it. This meant either one or two things: their Force Bond was weakened to the point of being deaf to one another, or she was still spying on him. Either way, Hodge knew both of their fates relied on his answer. Just then, Atris appeared in front of them.

"Atris!" Hodge smiled. "A pleasure to see you again!"

"Save your false modesty, fool! The Council shall see you now."

Hodge breathed a deep breath, and entered the chamber. There, straight in the middle stood Bastila, almost but never quite helpless. There, sitting in their rather comfortable chairs were Masters Atris, Vandar, Vrook, Kavar, Zez-Kai Ell and Lona Vash.

Naturally, Master Vandar spoke first. "Bastila informs us of a most disturbing vision. We… would like to inquire of what exactly you encountered."

Suddenly, a terrible, gut-wrenching thought struck Hodge, just in the middle of the trial. "What if I explain my dream, only to send more Jedi Knights there? What if they fall to the dark side as I did?" Quickly, he dosed his fears and predicted, hopefully, that he would know of the right answers to the questions.

"Firstly, did you have any dreams about your past life?" Kavar asked.

"Yes," Hodge answered.

"And what happened in the Unknown Regions, where you and the rest of your fleets went?" Lona Vash's words conjured up more fears in Hodge as he had to quickly deflect them to avoid revealing what was there.

"I felt a disturbance in the Force. I felt something strong in the dark side, strong enough to corrupt the Mandalorians. So I chose to take my army and fight it."

"Interesting…" Zez-Kai Ell responded. "Still, we must still ask about what happened back there."

Hodge walked the fine line between truth and lie. He would deceive the Council, by withholding information.

"I fell. I understood the power of the dark side and embraced it. So, I trained my soldiers to walk the path of the Sith. And we came and conquered the Republic."

"Funny you should mention that." Vrook said, opening up a map of the Galaxy in the middle of the Council Chambers. To compensate for the many details, the lights had dimmed somewhat to show the simulation of the stars.

"We had been discussing your war strategy during your time as Darth Revan. What interests us the most is that while some worlds were conquered, several others were aligned with the Sith."

"In fact," Whenever Atris opened her mouth, Hodge began to sweat more "You could even say that this was meant to restructure the Republic, rather than destroy it."

"Tell us, do you admit that these actions were meant for something more than simple conquest?" Vandar asked.

This was it; this was Hodge's last chance to deflect the answers and hopefully get away with whatever answer he was thinking in his head. He mentally cursed Revan for being such a brilliant strategist. There was no mistake in his conquest, no flaw. Whatever he had access to, he used it with whatever means he had and did it ruthlessly. Unlike Malak, he wasn't a simple power hungry Sith wanting more. Suddenly, Hodge came up with a brilliant plan.

"I admit it. All the actions I did were for more than simple conquest. I did it to create an empire, to rule all Sith. Thus, I made pacts with several worlds, conquered several resource-heavy worlds, killed several political figures and gave the order to destroy Telos."

"You what?" Atris face had ceased to become human and resembled something akin to a Wookiee missing its meal.

"But we had assumed that Malak gave the order to destroy Telos…" Vrook said, his temper somewhat rising as well. "Are you claiming responsibility for destroying one of the key worlds of the Republic?"

"Did you think Malak had the ability or the intellect to lead the Sith Armada? No, I was the one who gave the order. What better way to cripple a Republic than by destroying one of its worlds?"

"You-you… Fool!" Atris screeched. At this point, her thin veil of peace and serenity had fallen apart. She was now on a rampage. "You dare to not only admit your crime but to take such pleasure in it, to bask in its destruction is a true sign of the dark side."

"Atris, calm yourself!" Master Vandar spoke in vain.

"You would stand in front of us and laugh in our faces at the destruction of one of its worlds! You deserve no mercy, not even for your supposed 'redemption'! I will see to it that-"

"Atris, stop!" Zez-Kai Ell said. "Your judgement is clouded. I strongly suggest you take this time and meditate."

"I-I" The Silver-maned Master took a deep breath and calmed herself. She quickly excused herself and went off to a separate room. Hodge fought every muscle in his body not to crack a smile, seeing Atris put in her place.

"I'm afraid we cannot continue this trial…" Master Kavar said. "With the Mistress of the Archives in her… troubled state, we will not be able to pass judgement."

Hodge quickly turned to Bastila and with a quick nod of the head, she immediately knew what he was planning.

"I object!" He said, trying to look dramatic. "Atris is but one Master of the Council. I demand judgement for Bastila and myself if we are present."

"He's right," Bastila responded, playing along. "Surely 5 Jedi Masters are enough to continue"

"You have no right to make demands!" Vrook responded, care not to let his temper rise. "The opinion of a single Jedi Master is as valid as the entire Council's judgement. We cannot and will not continue without Atris."

"Please do remember," Master Vandar said. "The Jedi Order has significantly weakened. Had we more Masters, we would gladly have Atris withdraw her opinion on the matter. However, with so few of us left, we have no choice but to suspend the trial."

"You may feel free to leave with your companions for the time being." Master Lona Vash stated.

At first, both Bastila and Hodge breathed a mental sigh of relief at their circumstance. However, just as Bastila was about to head toward the door, Hodge turned to the Council.

"Actually, wise Council. I have but one small request to ask…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You did-what?"

Needless to say, Jolee's mood had gone rather sour at the notion that he of all people, was recommended to join the Jedi Council. The entire Ebon Hawk had filled with the sounds of his angry screams. Of course, his reaction was as shocked as the entire Council was at the request. Problem was, Jolee was not bound to any code and thus was allowed to vent his anger to Hodge.

"C'mon, Jolee!" Hodge smiled. "Admit it! The Council could use someone like you aboard."

"No thanks!" The gray Jedi said. "I have no intention of joining those stuffy individuals and their Code. As far as I'm concerned, this might as well be a bad joke!"

"Honestly, what's it going to take for you to join?"  Hodge threw up his hands in frustration.

The Elderly Jedi turned and looked at Hodge. "Tell you what. You find me a young Jedi. Now, hold on, whippersnapper! Not just any Jedi, but one whose heart and mind are so open to suggestion and wisdom that they would dare not question my orders. Someone young and so pure of heart. And when that Jedi joins the Council, then I'll gladly be a part of it."

"That might take a while," Hodge smirked.

"Hmph! As long as I'm not sitting next to or across from Vrook, then I'll manage."

Both shared a hearty laugh, echoing the halls of the Hawk. As the laughter died down, both Hodge and Jolee sat down in the med bay, smirking to one another. Their journey had been long and hard, but after all that, there was still time to laugh and poke fun at one another. As they settled, down, Hodge turned to whisper to Jolee.

"I might be going somewhere soon."

The Bald Jedi turned to Hodge, curious by his statement.

"Somewhere far, perhaps?"

"Yeah," The Young Jedi nodded.

"Are we talking Mid-rim or Outer Rim?"

"Further."

After all of Jolee's smart mouth humor as well as his lecturing, he had finally been caught speechless. He thought for a moment and turned to the young man.

"And if you're going alone, for what purpose would you do such a rash, reckless thing?"

Hodge turned and smiled. "To lead snakes into the desert."

At that moment, Jolee understood his own metaphor being used against him. After being silent for a long moment, he turned to the young Jedi.

"You're not going to tell the others?"

"No. I can't. They would… interfere."

Jolee then cleared his throat. "Speaking from a professional deserter, such as myself, I would recommend settling all business before leaving."

"Where would I begin?" Hodge thought out loud. Just then, a yell was heard from the Starboard side of the ship.

"I don't care if he paid the charges; I'd rather be a Gammorean Slave than talk to that Bantha-for-brains!" As Mission stormed past the main hall, Jolee turned to Hodge.

"Well, that's a start."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Coruscant…

Hodge ran up to kiss Bastila on the neck, completely catching her off guard. The Young Padawan looked aghast as she pouted at the young Jedi.

"I highly doubt that's appropriate for a servant to the Light, such as yourself." She scolded.

To this, Hodge simply replied with an even deeper kiss. Suddenly, Bastila's open protests had become silent.

"I think there oughta be an amendment to the Jedi Code. 'There is no hatred. There is love'."

"Somehow I doubt the Council will approve of that, just as I doubt they'll approve of Jolee joining the Council."

Hodge smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey, I just thought if all the Masters do is lecture, there should be a comedian in the Order."

Bastila turned and smirked. "I think the Order already has its hands filled with you."

"That's true…" Hodge smiled. He opened the window to let the cool night breeze in. As he stepped out into the patio, he gazed at the marvel that was Coruscant during the dark. All the landspeeders and their hover crafts whizzed by as the lights of all the buildings lit up the sky. Sadly, because of the saturation of said light, Hodge could not see the beauty of stars as he could on board the Ebon Hawk. His sculpted body was met by a pair of curious hands, feeling their way around his chest.

"It makes you think…" The Prodigal Knight said. "How all worthwhile all of this is."

"I know. Still, you were always willing to play the hero." Bastila turned and embraced her lover yet another time. Hodge, naturally, felt the heat off of each kiss and became more aroused. However, as his lips continued to stay in contact with her's, he felt something wrong. He felt Bastila's fear and hesitation. As he broke the kiss, he held her face up gently and stared into her eyes.

"Bastila, what's wrong?"

The Young female turned away, unable to stare him straight in the eye. She gripped her chest with much anguish and began to speak.

"Our bond allows us glimpses into each other's minds. And what I saw, what we saw, terrifies me more than anything."

He had known this moment would arrive. He wasn't prepared to face it. Now, his lover, his soulmate was questioning what he thought of the dream… and what he planned to do about it. His attempts to settle her fears by comforting her were denied instantly as she quickly moved away from him. At this point, Hodge felt defeated, subject to more questions to the one person he couldn't lie to.

"What did you see there?" She said, turning around.

Hodge sat down, taking a deep breath. "The thing that corrupted the Mandalorians and caused the Mandalorian Wars."

"Then… you went to fight it, and tried to save the Republic?"

The Prodigal Knight took a slow breath, "Not all at once. When I… we failed, I turned to the dark side. I succumbed to it, if it meant saving the galaxy. If I had to kill a system to save the Republic… so be it."

Bastila was shocked. Instantly, her breathing grew heavy, trying to comprehend what she was hearing.

"Are you saying you regret destroying the Star Forge?"

Hodge looked her straight in the eye. "Never for a moment. My-Revan's memories were buried too deep. If I had taken the Star Forge, I would've been no better than Malak. I would've destroyed everything, without any thought or mindfulness."

The young Jedi sat down. Bastila's mind was reeling from all of this revelation. Her face contorted with all sorts of distress and fear. Finally, she stared at her lover, a question begging to be asked.

"Who did you fight there?"

Hodge remained silent for a rather long moment. The question to this answer would surely send her to a rage, but he had no choice. The time for deception was long past. Now, there was only truth.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's human."

"Then it's settled. We'll inform the Republic and start planning.-"

"Bastila, no!" Hodge said, nearly pulling his hair. "You don't understand! Sheer numbers won't work!"

"I don't understand; why tell me this, if you don't plan to do anything about it. I could help you. My Battle Mediation could rally the troops and-"

Hodge grasped her firmly by the shoulders.

"I can't. I wish with all of my might I could, but I can't. I took an entire fleet, and my best friend to face this evil and all that was accomplished was us becoming Sith. I…I corrupted them, and I can't do that to you. Not to anybody. I just can't."

Bastila broke away, and stormed into the room. Hodge was in no mood to follow after her. He simply sat on the patio, watching as the stars, both in the sky and in the city float past him.