Fic: Savior (Chapter 6: The Aftermath) FINAL CHAPTER
Title: Savior (Chapter 6: The Aftermath)
Fandom: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Rating: Teen
Pairings: None
Warnings: Non-graphic violence and character death
Genre: Drama
Disclaimer: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel belong to BioWare and LucasArts. The song Savior belongs to 30 Seconds to Mars.
Summary: The war with the Mandalorians is raging across the galaxy. Mala Noor, also known as Revan, has led the Republic in countless victories. Her leadership is put to the test, however, when she discovers an ancient threat that could destroy the galaxy. With only her oldest friends to aid her, she must embark in a search for the truth before all that she has worked to protect is lost.
Masterlist
First chapter | Previous chapter
Notes: This is the final chapter. I hope you've enjoyed this story. If so, feel free to let me know with a comment! Thank you for reading!
- - - - -
Revan saw to it that the medical teams reached Halae's ship first. More than a few members of the crew were dead, though Halae was only injured. The teams arrived to find her desperately working to save the life of a tech, ignoring her own wounds. It was only once he was stabilized that Halae allowed herself to be transferred to one of the medical ships.
Revan knew which ship it was, but she couldn't bring herself to visit. She didn't go to any of them. She'd sent those people to their deaths; to comfort them now felt like spitting in their face. She limited herself to obsessively reading reports of Halae's recovery.
She was surprised at how slow her friend was progressing. Halae was a skilled healer in her own right, and was capable of entering a very potent healing trance. None of the reports bore any mention of this. Was she somehow punishing herself?
When she wasn't studying Halae's reports, Revan was busy planning what to do with the rest of the fleet. She still needed some way to escape and search for the Star Forge. The solution appeared upon analyzing the records of the battle, which showed remnants of the Mandalorian fleet escaping into the Unknown Regions. The senate viewed her as a messiah for killing Mandalore and ending the war, and was more than happy to approve her plans to chase after them. No one would notice when she and Malak disappeared.
She was working on troop deployments for the Unknown Regions when Malak entered her room.
"Do you ever plan on knocking?" she asked, not looking up from her console.
"No," he said. He sat down on the edge of her desk. "I found something interesting when I was studying the casualty lists."
"A depressing hobby."
"I just thought someone should, and since you haven't done it yet..." When she didn't respond, he continued. "I found two unexpected names."
Revan stayed silent.
He continued on. "The first was Dira Rimora."
"Halae put her there. We can't find anything to indicate that she managed to escape before the destruction began."
"But we don't know."
Revan glared up at him. "No. We don't. However, if she is alive, then she hasn't contacted us, which means she doesn't want anyone to know where she is. I just thought that proclaiming her dead would be appreciated."
He nodded. "I can see that."
"Good." She looked back to her console. "Now will you let me get back to work? I have a lot of work to do before we leave."
"There's still the second name." Revan stiffened. "Mala Noor."
A thousand different comments flew through her head. Each sounded more stupid than the last. "So?"
"You're looking remarkably fresh for a dead woman." Revan ignored the joke, and Malak sobered. "Halae will see this, you know. She probably already has."
Revan leaned back from the computer. "She had to find out eventually. Why not now?"
"You'll never be able to speak to anyone as yourself again."
Revan shrugged. "What else is new? Our lives are changing. How many of our old friends will want to chat with Darth Revan and Darth Malak?"
Now Malak seemed to be the one with no response. He shifted his position slightly. "Have you been to see her?"
"No. You?"
He shook his head. "I can't."
"I would tell you off for that, but... you know. Pot. Kettle." Revan smiled, though it was weak. "If you want an excuse not to go, I can put you to work."
"Please."
"I want you to start looking for any archaeological records of structures similar to the Dantooine ruins. Just in case we don't find anything useful there."
"I'm sure we will," Malak said, standing. "After all, the Force is on our side." He walked briskly from the room and the door shut behind him.
"I hope so."
- - - - -
Revan didn't stop watching after Halae's progress. Because of that, it came as quite the surprise to both Revan and Malak when Halae entered her quarters.
Revan immediately ducked behind her terminal, hoping to hide her eyes. Her contacts were in their case on the other side of the room.
"I didn't realize you'd been released," Revan said. She quickly closed out the map of Dantooine that she had been studying.
"I know," Halae said. Revan had to look up when she heard her voice. It was quiet and hoarse, and there was a quality to it that she couldn't place. She'd never heard Halae sound like that before.
Something was horribly wrong. Not something physical, though her arm was still in a sling. All living beings had a connection to the Force, no matter how weak. Halae had none.
"Malak," Halae said. "May I speak to Mala alone?"
"Of course," he said, bowing to Revan as he left.
"So." Halae sat down on the edge of the bed. Revan studied her as best she could while attempting to hide her yellow eyes, and was not pleased with what she saw. Halae's normally bright and energetic expression had fallen. It was as if everything about her had been dimmed. What happened?
"How are you feeling?" Revan asked.
"I think I'm still a little shell shocked. I wasn't expecting it to be that bad."
Revan peeked out from her console further. Halae's eyes were downcast. "And your injuries?"
"Minor, really. I... I couldn't heal them. The force of all of those deaths is still weighing too heavily on me. I don't know how long it will be before I recover."
"You'll manage."
Halae nodded. "Did you hear about the council?"
"You mean that they're calling for our return? Yes. They think that just because Mandalore is dead, we're no longer needed out here."
"Is it true?"
"The threat is still out there." That was true, and vague enough that she wouldn't question it. "I'm going to pursue the Mandalorians that escaped."
"I heard." Halae was still staring at the floor. "Is this what war is? So much death, and then hardly any break at all before you go chasing after an enemy who is already beaten, just in case they can hit you in their death throes?"
Revan thought long and hard about that question before answering. "Yes."
Halae nodded to the floor. "I remember the early days. Back when we were just thinking of leaving. Do you remember how worked up we would get over the council's inaction? We were so passionate."
It pained Revan to hear her friend using that flat tone, her face expressionless. She was never like this. "I still am," Revan said firmly.
Halae shook her head. "I can't keep doing this, Mala. It's too much for me. I'm going back to the Jedi."
"They'll punish you for leaving."
"I'll deserve far worse."
"Don't say that."
"You saw what happened to the fleet at Malachor. I did that."
"Only because I ordered you to. Besides, for every life that was taken there were thousands more saved."
"That isn't how it works. Those people are still dead, I still did it, and I deserve all of the punishment which comes as a result."
If Halae was returning to the Jedi, they would eventually clash. A very large part of her wanted to kill the woman now, to save the trouble later. She had yet to fall so far to the Dark Side for that to be an easy decision, however. She studied the frail, broken woman before her. Revan closed her eyes.
"If that's what you want to do, I won't stop you."
"Thank you. I... I wondered if you would."
So did I.
"We had a good run," Revan said, mostly just to fill the silence.
Halae nodded. "We did."
"When are you leaving?" Revan asked.
"Today. After I leave you here." Halae finally raised her eyes to meet her friend's, and Revan resisted the urge to look away. She wanted to look into those beautiful blue eyes once more before she left. Their brightness was dimmed, but there was still an echo of the warmth that had once filled them. "You... Mala is gone, isn't she?"
The words were like a shock to Revan. She hadn't thought of it like that. Mala Noor was officially dead, yes, but some part of her still considered that to only be the official version. Was she still Mala, though? She searched within herself, and found herself unable to lie to those piercing eyes.
"Yes."
Halae nodded. "I was afraid of that."
Revan wanted to say something. She wanted to comfort her old friend, to tell her that she was still the same girl that would sneak out of her room at night so that they could play in the caves. She wanted to tell her not to leave. She wanted to tell her that all of this was for a good cause. She couldn't.
Halae stood. "Goodbye. We... may never meet again."
Revan nodded, her tongue stilled by the lies between them.
Halae reached out with her unbound hand, but froze before she could complete the gesture. Without another word, she walked out. The door shut on the closest friendship that either woman ever had.
"Goodbye."
-The End-
Fandom: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Rating: Teen
Pairings: None
Warnings: Non-graphic violence and character death
Genre: Drama
Disclaimer: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel belong to BioWare and LucasArts. The song Savior belongs to 30 Seconds to Mars.
Summary: The war with the Mandalorians is raging across the galaxy. Mala Noor, also known as Revan, has led the Republic in countless victories. Her leadership is put to the test, however, when she discovers an ancient threat that could destroy the galaxy. With only her oldest friends to aid her, she must embark in a search for the truth before all that she has worked to protect is lost.
Masterlist
First chapter | Previous chapter
Notes: This is the final chapter. I hope you've enjoyed this story. If so, feel free to let me know with a comment! Thank you for reading!
- - - - -
Revan saw to it that the medical teams reached Halae's ship first. More than a few members of the crew were dead, though Halae was only injured. The teams arrived to find her desperately working to save the life of a tech, ignoring her own wounds. It was only once he was stabilized that Halae allowed herself to be transferred to one of the medical ships.
Revan knew which ship it was, but she couldn't bring herself to visit. She didn't go to any of them. She'd sent those people to their deaths; to comfort them now felt like spitting in their face. She limited herself to obsessively reading reports of Halae's recovery.
She was surprised at how slow her friend was progressing. Halae was a skilled healer in her own right, and was capable of entering a very potent healing trance. None of the reports bore any mention of this. Was she somehow punishing herself?
When she wasn't studying Halae's reports, Revan was busy planning what to do with the rest of the fleet. She still needed some way to escape and search for the Star Forge. The solution appeared upon analyzing the records of the battle, which showed remnants of the Mandalorian fleet escaping into the Unknown Regions. The senate viewed her as a messiah for killing Mandalore and ending the war, and was more than happy to approve her plans to chase after them. No one would notice when she and Malak disappeared.
She was working on troop deployments for the Unknown Regions when Malak entered her room.
"Do you ever plan on knocking?" she asked, not looking up from her console.
"No," he said. He sat down on the edge of her desk. "I found something interesting when I was studying the casualty lists."
"A depressing hobby."
"I just thought someone should, and since you haven't done it yet..." When she didn't respond, he continued. "I found two unexpected names."
Revan stayed silent.
He continued on. "The first was Dira Rimora."
"Halae put her there. We can't find anything to indicate that she managed to escape before the destruction began."
"But we don't know."
Revan glared up at him. "No. We don't. However, if she is alive, then she hasn't contacted us, which means she doesn't want anyone to know where she is. I just thought that proclaiming her dead would be appreciated."
He nodded. "I can see that."
"Good." She looked back to her console. "Now will you let me get back to work? I have a lot of work to do before we leave."
"There's still the second name." Revan stiffened. "Mala Noor."
A thousand different comments flew through her head. Each sounded more stupid than the last. "So?"
"You're looking remarkably fresh for a dead woman." Revan ignored the joke, and Malak sobered. "Halae will see this, you know. She probably already has."
Revan leaned back from the computer. "She had to find out eventually. Why not now?"
"You'll never be able to speak to anyone as yourself again."
Revan shrugged. "What else is new? Our lives are changing. How many of our old friends will want to chat with Darth Revan and Darth Malak?"
Now Malak seemed to be the one with no response. He shifted his position slightly. "Have you been to see her?"
"No. You?"
He shook his head. "I can't."
"I would tell you off for that, but... you know. Pot. Kettle." Revan smiled, though it was weak. "If you want an excuse not to go, I can put you to work."
"Please."
"I want you to start looking for any archaeological records of structures similar to the Dantooine ruins. Just in case we don't find anything useful there."
"I'm sure we will," Malak said, standing. "After all, the Force is on our side." He walked briskly from the room and the door shut behind him.
"I hope so."
- - - - -
Revan didn't stop watching after Halae's progress. Because of that, it came as quite the surprise to both Revan and Malak when Halae entered her quarters.
Revan immediately ducked behind her terminal, hoping to hide her eyes. Her contacts were in their case on the other side of the room.
"I didn't realize you'd been released," Revan said. She quickly closed out the map of Dantooine that she had been studying.
"I know," Halae said. Revan had to look up when she heard her voice. It was quiet and hoarse, and there was a quality to it that she couldn't place. She'd never heard Halae sound like that before.
Something was horribly wrong. Not something physical, though her arm was still in a sling. All living beings had a connection to the Force, no matter how weak. Halae had none.
"Malak," Halae said. "May I speak to Mala alone?"
"Of course," he said, bowing to Revan as he left.
"So." Halae sat down on the edge of the bed. Revan studied her as best she could while attempting to hide her yellow eyes, and was not pleased with what she saw. Halae's normally bright and energetic expression had fallen. It was as if everything about her had been dimmed. What happened?
"How are you feeling?" Revan asked.
"I think I'm still a little shell shocked. I wasn't expecting it to be that bad."
Revan peeked out from her console further. Halae's eyes were downcast. "And your injuries?"
"Minor, really. I... I couldn't heal them. The force of all of those deaths is still weighing too heavily on me. I don't know how long it will be before I recover."
"You'll manage."
Halae nodded. "Did you hear about the council?"
"You mean that they're calling for our return? Yes. They think that just because Mandalore is dead, we're no longer needed out here."
"Is it true?"
"The threat is still out there." That was true, and vague enough that she wouldn't question it. "I'm going to pursue the Mandalorians that escaped."
"I heard." Halae was still staring at the floor. "Is this what war is? So much death, and then hardly any break at all before you go chasing after an enemy who is already beaten, just in case they can hit you in their death throes?"
Revan thought long and hard about that question before answering. "Yes."
Halae nodded to the floor. "I remember the early days. Back when we were just thinking of leaving. Do you remember how worked up we would get over the council's inaction? We were so passionate."
It pained Revan to hear her friend using that flat tone, her face expressionless. She was never like this. "I still am," Revan said firmly.
Halae shook her head. "I can't keep doing this, Mala. It's too much for me. I'm going back to the Jedi."
"They'll punish you for leaving."
"I'll deserve far worse."
"Don't say that."
"You saw what happened to the fleet at Malachor. I did that."
"Only because I ordered you to. Besides, for every life that was taken there were thousands more saved."
"That isn't how it works. Those people are still dead, I still did it, and I deserve all of the punishment which comes as a result."
If Halae was returning to the Jedi, they would eventually clash. A very large part of her wanted to kill the woman now, to save the trouble later. She had yet to fall so far to the Dark Side for that to be an easy decision, however. She studied the frail, broken woman before her. Revan closed her eyes.
"If that's what you want to do, I won't stop you."
"Thank you. I... I wondered if you would."
So did I.
"We had a good run," Revan said, mostly just to fill the silence.
Halae nodded. "We did."
"When are you leaving?" Revan asked.
"Today. After I leave you here." Halae finally raised her eyes to meet her friend's, and Revan resisted the urge to look away. She wanted to look into those beautiful blue eyes once more before she left. Their brightness was dimmed, but there was still an echo of the warmth that had once filled them. "You... Mala is gone, isn't she?"
The words were like a shock to Revan. She hadn't thought of it like that. Mala Noor was officially dead, yes, but some part of her still considered that to only be the official version. Was she still Mala, though? She searched within herself, and found herself unable to lie to those piercing eyes.
"Yes."
Halae nodded. "I was afraid of that."
Revan wanted to say something. She wanted to comfort her old friend, to tell her that she was still the same girl that would sneak out of her room at night so that they could play in the caves. She wanted to tell her not to leave. She wanted to tell her that all of this was for a good cause. She couldn't.
Halae stood. "Goodbye. We... may never meet again."
Revan nodded, her tongue stilled by the lies between them.
Halae reached out with her unbound hand, but froze before she could complete the gesture. Without another word, she walked out. The door shut on the closest friendship that either woman ever had.
"Goodbye."
-The End-