Homecoming Chapter 2: On Our Way Home
I was looking through my journal wen Atton announced that we had landed on Coruscant. Nicol walked in after a few minutes and a few pages later.
“Ready to go?” she asked.
I nodded. Better now than later, I suppose. I followed Nicol off the Ebon Hawk and into the hanger that now housed our ship. As we passed several officers, open-mouthed comments or whispers crept into our ears, most about the possibilities of where I’d been. A mysterious planet of ancient Jedi came up. Another was a secret mission for the Council. Guess rumors and the real thing weren’t that far from each other. We continued to walk until we reached the communications center, expecting to find everyone to turn and stare. Instead, what we received was very interesting.
As soon as Bastila and Scarline looked up from the holographic battlefield, both drew their lightsabers. Scarline’s was still the dark green of a Jedi Master as I remembered it; interestingly enough, so was Bastila’s.
“Nicol, I thought you said you found Revan. This doesn’t look anything like our Revan,” Scarline said.
“If we had known you were going to bring us a Sith spy-” Bastila began to explain before her lightsaber, along with Scarline’s, were Force-pulled out of their hands and into my empty, waiting hands. They both stared at me; Scarline’s eyes were filled with anger, while Bastila’s were filled with surprise.
“You let your attention focus too much on Nicol. You didn’t notice my fingers slowly moving to loosen both of your grips. Now if you want proof that I’m really me and not some spy, then let’s have a duel, right here and right now,” I proclaimed. I tossed both their lightsabers back to them before reaching for my own.
Bastila just kept staring at me, finally making the connection. “It is you. I didn’t think she’d bring you back like she had promised,” she whispered.
I stood up straight, attaching my lightsaber back onto my belt. “I know you’re still angry that I left, Bastila, but I had good reasons to. I can’t explain right now, not until I’ve talked with the Council, but I will tell you everything. I promise,” I replied.
Scarline looked at me with a bit of suspicion in her eyes. “Speak to them about what, Revan?”
I turned my attention back to her. “Not to be disrespectful, Scarline, but you don’t need to know unless the Council dictates that you should know.”
A hologram came online just as Scarline and I redrew our sabers. The hologram was that of the High Council.
“Scarline, Isaac, stand down. Fighting is not needed at this moment. We have more important matters to attend to,” High Council leader Isela Lanmei instructed firmly. Her voice held so much power in it that we both quickly clipped our sabers back to our belts.
“High Council member Lanmei, please accept my apologies. I did not mean to offend you,” Scarline said, bowing before the hologram.
I also bowed before Lanmei. “I also give my apologies, Master Lanmei. It is a pleasure to speak to you again after all these years.”
Lanmei nodded. “The same goes to you, Isaac. I must know, though, if your mission was a success or not.”
I shook my head. “Unfortunately, it was not. I did find one of The Trial’s bases on the planet of Dathomir, but Darth Yarves managed to capture me before I could relay any information back to the Council. I was held against my will for two years, frozen in ice.”
“Well that explains our current situation,” Lanmei said in a soft, yet sad, voice.
“If I may interrupt, Master Lanmei, what do you mean situation?” Bastila asked, finally speaking up.
“We have just lost contact at the Jedi Temple located on Alaris Prime. I fear the Sith have started their attack on one of our largest Jedi planets in the Mid Rim.”
“No! We need to get there now!” Bastila shouted, her voice filled with fear.
“We can’t, not without a large attack force, which could take hours to organize,” Scarline countered.
“We’ll, we can’t just stand by and do nothing to help those innocents.” Nicol joined in the argument.
“ENOUGH! We must come up with a solution together. Scarline, it does not take long for us to organize a nice size of troops for a counter-attack on the Sith. We could have enough forces there to keep innocents from dying even more and have enough time to send more if we need to. Bastila, we allknow Emily and Jake are present on Alaris Prime, but they’re very powerful Jedi padawans, just as you were. you need to have faith that they can make the right decisions while still being able to help others through the situation,” Lanmei said, calming down all the tensions in the room.
Emily and Jake were on Alaris Primse while The Trial was attacking? This wasn’t good at all. I had to get them away, especially if The Trial weren’t only after me, and if what Lanemi said about them, being powerful padawans, was true.
“High Council member Lanmei, if I may speak, I may have a solution to this situation that may satisfy all of us,” I spoke up finally.
“You may speak, Isaac,” Lanmei replied with a nod of her head.
I took a step forward. “I’ll lead a small task force in the Ebon Hawk to Alaris Prime, save the civilians and padawans that I can, and bring the defense back online for a more planned counter-attack against the invading Sith.”
“It’s too risky. Plus who do we have to spare? I need all the men I can get for the leading counter-strike. I can not risk sending any more of our troops into this crisis as I have to,” Scarline countered, yet again.
“Isaac’s right. If we take a small task force to Alaris Prime, then we can bring defenses back online quicker and with less military casualties for Scarline,” Nicol said, catching onto my plan.
“Very well. It is decided. Scarline, you will organize troops for the main counter-assault on the invading Sith while Isaac, Bastila, and Nicol will be our small task force. As soon as defenses are up, Isaac, I want a report on the casualties that you can figure,” Lanmei ordered.
“Understood. We’ll leave immediately,” I replied, bowing once more to Lanmei.
Lanmei ended the conversation with the flick of her wrist, the holoprojector finally turning off. I took a breath, one that I had been holding for most of the debriefing. Bastila had her eyes on me, studying and trying to understand what my intentions were. Scarline, on the other hand, was glaring at me, probably for interrupting her plan and her control. She had definitely changed since I had last saw her. Nicol just smiled with a small nod.
“We need to get going,” I said, passing Bastila and Scarline on my way back to the runway.
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I was finishing the preparations in the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk when I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Why did you leave? What was the mission that Lanmei was talking about?” Bastila asked.
“I left because of the mission. That and because my nightmares were leading me towards that mission,” I explained, checking the pilot’s instruments.
“So you left me for a mission? A mission where you could’ve been killed? Hell, I thought you were dead!” Bastila almost yelled, steam practically about to come out of her ears from the anger that was building inside her.
“I left so I could protect you, Bastila! If I had known you were pregnant, though, then I would’ve stayed and suggested another Jedi to take my place,” i told her, turning to face her.
“So you know about them then,” Bastila said softly.
“That Emily and Jake are my kids? Yes. That you and Carth are engaged? yeah, knew that too. Did I know that Emily and Jake were going to be in trouble on Alaris Prime because I couldn’t finish my mission because I was encased in ice for two years? No, I didn’t, but I knew there would be consequences,” I replied, anger in my voice. I took a deep breath to calm myself down.
“Isaac, I-” Bastila started to say before I interrupted her.
“No, don’t explain. Be happy with Carth and the Twins. I waited, too, to be back beside you. I guess it won’t happen unless we’re on mission together,” I said before taking my spot in the pilot’s chair.
I heard the cockpit’s door slide close. I sighed. It had to be done; I didn’t want to put her in a bad position like I had when I left all those years ago. It wasn’t until I felt arms around my neck, her lips against my ear, did I realize that she hadn’t left.
“I’m sorry Isaac. I thought you were gone. I thought you were dead. I couldn’t love anybody like I’ve loved you,” she whispered.
“But you’re engaged to Carth, Bastila. How can you not love him when you’re engaged to him?” I asked, moving her arms away.
“I do love Carth, but I love you more, Isaac,” Bastila whispered again.
“Be with Carth. He’d make a better husband for you than I would.”
Alarms started going off as we exited hyperspace. Bastila jumped into the co-pilot’s seat when the ship started to rock violently from side to side.
“What’s going on?!” she shouted.
“Gravitational pull on Alaris Prime is being disrupted on purpose. The Trial’s fleet is definitely attacking the planet. Hang on to something!” I shouted just as loud.
As we came closer and closer to the planet, we saw the amount of ships in The Trial’s attacking fleet. Three large cruisers and about ten starships. Looked small, but they were packing a huge punch against the planet. I pulled hard on our steering, hoping to straighten out the Ebon Hawk. I had to at least try and get the ship to land and not kill us.
I don’t know if it was good luck or not, but I managed to land the Hawk in a large tree, not far from a Jedi Temple. The landing spot itself was good, but the landing was hard. I knew I’d feel sore tomorrow, that is if I made it to tomorrow.
“Nice landing, Isaac. Haven’t had one of those Revan landings in quiet a while,” Nicol said, coming into the cockpit holding her head in one hand.
“It was either that or crashing into the ground. I chose the stiff landing in the tree,” I told her, standing up out of my chair, my legs feeling like jelly. I looked over at Bastila, her head leaning forward. “Bastila?”
Nicol went straight over to her and pulled her back against her seat. She looked at me. “She’s just unconscious. Probably going to have a concussion from the landing.”
Damn it. Bastila couldn’t stay here alone. I looked at Nicol. “Stay here with her then. If she wakes up, don’t let her follow me. That’s an order.”
Nicol gave me her you’re-crazy look, but nodded in defeat. “Just be careful at least, Isaac. Nobody can risk losing you again.”
I nodded. “I know,” I said before leaving towards the landing ramp.
