The small freighter, the Dawn's Eagle, drifted slowly near Orilon-6, where the crew had recently restocked supplies. Beyond a meager marketplace and a small mining colony, Orilon had little to boast about, evidenced by its minuscule spaceport, tiny by galactic standards. Laughably, the Eagle had only been granted a three-hour berth because it occupied a dock intended for loading ore freighters.
In fact, starships were rare in the Orilon system, aside from cargo vessels and the occasional trader. Consequently, the Eagle attracted too much attention, a fact that greatly displeased its current pilot. Attention was the last thing HK-47 needed.
The reason for the delay in departing this utterly unremarkable star system was Revan's command: "Wait."
For a full week, the former Jedi had been absorbed in studying the datacron obtained from Scourge. This, however, didn't stop him from monitoring the progress of Maul and Skywalker. His apprentices had recovered relatively quickly from the devastating effects of Dromund Kaas. The Zabrak, being intimately familiar with the consequences, returned to normal the very next day. Anakin required slightly more time. The boy was shocked that his own mind had so easily succumbed to temptation and betrayed its owner. And he had been so certain of the righteousness of his actions! However, this valuable experience demonstrated to the young Force adepts their vulnerability to the true power of the dark side. Skywalker finally took up meditation seriously, aiming for self-knowledge and control of his own emotions. Maul, following Revan's advice, focused on self-discipline.
Daily, their mentor checked his pupils' progress. The Zabrak grew better with the staff each day, adapting the basic forms to his style. Sparring sessions with the master became increasingly intense. Speed grew along with the apprentice's experience. Revan skillfully restrained himself, motivating Maul with the near-triumph, always evading the apprentice's blade by only a fraction of a second.
Skywalker also displayed an impressive talent for lightsaber combat, mastering Shii-Cho quite rapidly. Anakin absorbed knowledge like the sands of Tatooine soak up life-giving moisture. He only needed a single explanation of a technique and two or three demonstrations of the correct stance and movement for the boy to successfully repeat it.
Two days ago, the boy began training against two practice drones simultaneously, and Revan was already considering beginning training spars. After all, Skywalker's reaction speed and overall physical conditioning, under the observation of Maul and HK, had reached the necessary minimum for a Padawan of his age group, at least by the standards of the Old Order.
At this moment, his apprentices were resting. The former Jedi himself was in meditation, hovering a meter above the floor of his cabin. Orilon had been chosen for refueling and resupply for one other reason, unknown to the rest of the crew except for Revan and perhaps Maul: the concentration of neutral-colored Force energy.
The system was uninhabited during the time of the Old Republic and remained sparsely populated four thousand years later, which preserved the natural "oasis" of the Force from the influence of living beings. Orilon was an excellent place for deep meditation, second only to the gardens of the Jedi Temple, but unpopular within the Order due to its distance from the Core Worlds. This suited Revan perfectly.
Meditation had always helped the former Republic Army General quickly process and analyze large amounts of information. And what he had learned from the datacron of the last true Sith required careful and comprehensive study.
The information was fragmentary and interspersed with a heap of useless, and sometimes frankly delusional, data. The knowledge was presented in an unstructured and vague manner, but upon detailed examination, it assembled into an interesting picture.
First and foremost, the datacron did contain some hints and conjectures about how Vitiate managed to return to the world of the living. There were even references to records of experiments conducted by an ambitious Sith woman named Zash.
Transference of consciousness... Seizing another's body... A ritual developed by Tulak Hord... All of this seemed like insane fantasy at first glance, yet Revan clearly remembered what Sith alchemy and the ancient knowledge of the dark Jedi were capable of. Vitiate was one of those examples that aren't easily forgotten.
Examining the symbols that frequently appeared in the records of Zash and Scourge more closely, Revan confirmed that his initial impression during the cursory review on Dromund Kaas hadn't been wrong. He had encountered the exact same drawings in the Trayus Academy.
Could Tulak Hord himself have had a hand in establishing the Academy on Malachor V? Quite possibly... Did Vitiate have access to the knowledge hidden within the Academy? Undoubtedly. The Emperor knew that Revan and Malak had been to Malachor during their first encounter, and he was not surprised by the fact. Moreover, he had been pleased by it.
But according to the records, Zash never left the Sith Empire's territory... And by the time of the invasion into Republic space, Meetra had already utterly destroyed Malachor and the Academy with it.
"Did something survive? Or did she find the records of Tulak Hord's ritual in the Temple on Dromund Kaas? Or maybe on Korriban?" Revan mused. "Hmm... no, Zash arrived on Korriban significantly later. So, it must have been Dromund Kaas... Or any other Sith world... Hutt!"
He could guess endlessly. The only thing known for certain was that Vitiate knew about the Ritual. Moreover, if Scourge accurately described the process of how he achieved immortality, then some symbols etched onto the walls of, well, presumably Vitiate's laboratory, were very similar to those used by Zash.
This meant that the Emperor refined Zash's ritual, supplementing it with Sith alchemy, and preliminarily tested the strengthening concoction on Scourge? Or was this merely a stage in his experiments? Most likely the latter.
Revan frowned. He was missing something.
Reaching out to the Force currents, the former Jedi channeled them through himself, driving away fatigue and clearing his mind.
Concentrating again on the datacron, he began to piece together the fragments of the mosaic anew, trying to see the complete picture.
Zash required the ritual chamber of the Dark Temple and the relics of Tulak Hord to attempt to transfer her consciousness—no, her entire essence, into another body. Furthermore, she selected a young and strong candidate for the role of the new vessel, which suggested she could not influence the recipient's connection to the Force or the amount of Midi-chlorians in their blood. Otherwise, anyone would suffice. Or perhaps she simply didn't want to waste time on development?
On the other hand, Vitiate had no such problems. His colossal power manifested in Valkorion as well. And no artifacts were required. The Emperor was able to resurrect without any external help. Or was that not entirely true?
"Too many gaps," the thought flashed through Revan's mind.
The former Jedi was forced to admit that one datacron was insufficient to unravel the secrets of immortality. However, the information it contained provided hints, and sometimes direct indications, of where to seek more accurate information.
And the first two locations were quite obvious: the Dark Temple and the Trayus Academy.
To Revan's displeasure, both places were presumed destroyed. However, the situation with the Temple was not so clear-cut. According to Scourge's information, the Prophets had established a base there. Which meant the Temple itself survived... or at least partially survived.
As for the Academy, its destruction was confirmed by Meetra, Scourge, the Order's archives, and even the galactic maps, from which Malachor V had been removed for thousands of years.
However, as Kreia once said, "Scripts do not burn, and holocrons even less so."
It's not so easy to destroy ancient repositories of knowledge; otherwise, the hundreds of dark pyramids would not be locked away in vaults on Coruscant, hidden from outsiders, but would simply be scattered into dust.
Could something have survived among the debris of Malachor?
Revan listened to the Force, as he had thousands of times before. No disturbances, which suggested his judgments were not mistaken. Moreover, the Force seemed to be gently urging him to go precisely to Malachor. This was encouraging. The former Jedi was well acquainted with this sensation—like a barely perceptible itch beneath the skin, compelling one to pay attention to its source.
Revan focused on his memories of Malachor. His consciousness tangibly drifted away, then sharply shifted directly to the remnants of the once-large planetoid, now stretched out along its former orbit around the local star as a new asteroid belt.
Revan could not fail to recognize the site where the Mass Shadow Generator was deployed. Malachor V. Once a habitable world, it had been under the rule of the true Sith, the Rakata, and the Mandalorians, but it did not survive its encounter with Revan.
The superweapon struck the unfortunate planet twice, wiping it from the face of the galaxy, leaving behind only dust and stones. And along with Malachor, the Trayus Academy vanished...
But not its knowledge.
In the cloud of swirling Darkness that had permeated this star system for long millennia, amidst the deafening echo of hundreds of thousands of deaths from the two fleets, several bright crimson lights shone through. Unseen by other sentient beings, they were clearly visible to one who knew exactly what to seek.
The sources of the blood-red glow were holocrons. Three surviving pyramids containing the knowledge of the ancient Sith, which had outlasted the planet's destruction, thousands of years of the Order's search missions, the assaults of scavengers, and attempts by dark-side adepts to find fragments of past might.
A genuine treasure.
A long time ago, the former Jedi had held these holocrons in his hands. He had studied what was concealed within them. Only back then, immortality was not his goal. It was not what he sought, and thus he paid no attention to the ancient Sith's vague reflections on eternity. A mistake.
All of Revan's senses screamed that this was what he needed! These holocrons held something that would help him! He had to reach them!
Suddenly, a shadow fell over the pyramids, dimming their glow.
Someone, or something, was also searching for the holocrons.
Revan concentrated harder on the sense of alarm that flared in his mind. A blurry image emerged in his consciousness: something massive, slowly making its way through the asteroid belt.
A ship.
The vision abruptly cut off, as if someone had sharply shoved Revan away, preventing him from learning more.
The former Jedi's eyes snapped open, and he barely managed to catch himself with telekinesis to keep from crashing to the cabin floor.
Rising to his feet, Revan allowed himself to catch his breath, clinging to the echoes of the vision and trying to remember all the details clearly. The ship's location, its surroundings, how far away it was from the holocrons? Who commanded it? And, no less importantly, who could have ejected him from the vision?
Five minutes later, wearily wiping his face, Revan approached the small holo-projector that occupied a third of his cabin's desk. Obeying the former Jedi's command, a galactic map unfolded above the table.
"HK," Revan opened the channel via the intercom.
"Pleased: I hear you, Master!" the droid's lively voice replied.
"Set course for the Malachor system. Fast and quiet." The former Jedi was just peering at the map of his destination. "Try to exit hyperspace near Malachor III. And be careful, there may be an enemy in the system."
"Query: Is there information on the enemy?"
"A large ship. I'd say cruiser class. Nothing specific."
"Affirmative, Master."
The communication channel shut off.
After standing over the Malachor map for a moment longer, Revan deactivated the projector and left the cabin, heading for the arsenal equipped by HK, where, in addition to weapons, tools and a repair workbench could be found. After the fight with Scourge, Revan had restored his damaged blade, replacing the power cell. However, it turned out that one of the focusing lenses had shifted, causing the plasma arc to occasionally destabilize and lose density. The former Jedi noticed this a few days ago during one of the training sessions with Maul, but hadn't found the time to fix the malfunction until now, for which he mentally chastised himself. After all, a lightsaber was not just a tool and a weapon. It became a part of the Jedi. So, Revan genuinely believed he should have taken better care of such a valuable artifact. Especially considering its origin.
The hand of the former Jedi, returned to life, rested involuntarily on the hilt of the damaged blade. His fingers traced the threading on the grip, bringing back memories of Bastila. Everything was for her. Only for her return had Revan decided to begin the hunt for immortality.
"I should have taken better care of her last gift then," Revan mentally reproached himself.
He could offer only one justification: the information from Scourge's datacron.
For, besides the fragments of data about the ancient Sith experiments, it also contained something else. Something dangerous... and powerful.
It was upon stumbling across these files that Revan lost track of time and did not leave his cabin for almost a standard day, even missing one of the training sessions with his apprentices.
And the cause of the former Jedi's condition was it... the Star Forge.
The ominous artwork of the Rakata masters, a monstrously large space station capable of manufacturing virtually anything, using the Force and... stars to do so.
Four thousand years ago, the Republic fleet destroyed the Star Forge in orbit above Rakata Prime, also known as Lehon. After a difficult battle with Malak, Revan personally ensured that the station could not survive. The Republic was supposed to close the system to access so that no one would even consider using the remains of the Infinite Empire's technology. The station's wreckage remained in orbit around Rakata Prime.
However, Revan distinctly remembered one amazing feature of Rakatan technology. It possessed a semblance of consciousness and, more importantly, could self-repair.
The star maps by which Revan first found the Forge were destroyed during the fall of the Rakatan Empire. Yet slowly but surely, over thousands of years, they were able to restore themselves to a working state. The copy on Kashyyyk even managed to restore an artificial intelligence that set a trial for Revan.
No, the Star Forge that was destroyed near Rakata Prime could not have restored itself. Not that quickly. In four thousand years, it wouldn't even have reassembled its core structure. But Scourge's datacron wasn't talking about that one.
Earlier, on Tatooine, before meeting HK and Anakin, Revan recalled the Infinite Engine Seed, hidden on Nar Shaddaa. It could become the core of a new station, but again, not in such a short period.
Having met Skywalker and followed the will of the Force, Revan decided to delay the search for the Seed, focusing instead on the boy's destiny and studying the current state of affairs in the Order. But the coordinates of the strange object on the border of the inhabited systems, to which the Rakatan Star Map pointed, were not forgotten by the former Jedi.
The datacron suggested that the Seed was discovered on Nar Shaddaa during the war with Vitiate's Empire. According to the preserved reports, the semi-sentient mechanism managed to evolve into an AI and was the size of an entire city block.
"To think! Three hundred years, and such progress!" Revan marveled. "This artifact was evolving even faster than the Star Forge. What must have become of it in four thousand years?"
The reports stated that the artifact was dismantled and removed from Nar Shaddaa, then handed over to Imperial Intelligence. Further information was cut off because it was classified, and Scourge decided to defect to the Republic side, which is why he lost the ability to delve into the Empire's secrets until the victory. And there, the trail completely vanished.
Several times, R2 rolled up to the Jedi, who was busy working on his weapon, offering his assistance. The curious droid was clearly interested in understanding the inner workings of a lightsaber. Revan performed the repair and final tuning of his lightsaber almost unconsciously and declined the astromech's help. His thoughts were preoccupied with the prospect of regaining control over the Forge's power, even if it was incomplete.
Was it worth it? How strongly would the artifact affect its owner? Would it be just as steeped in the dark side?
Questions... too many questions!
Revan finished the repair and activated the blade. The weapon was once again in perfect condition, ready to defend its owner at any moment.
The lightsaber was simple and understandable. It was a part of the Jedi or the Sith and obeyed the slightest movement of the hand.
The Forge, however, was a semi-sentient artifact created with the help of the dark side. It was more like a dangerous beast that constantly needed to be kept under control. Relax for a moment, and it would devour you.
Wasn't that what happened to Malak? He stayed on the station too long... He delved too deeply into the Darkness.
"My mistake... My fault..." Revan recalled the last words of his old friend. "You were right, Alek."
The former Jedi clipped the saber to his belt and leaned against the workbench. In light of the latest information dumped on him by Scourge and Meetra, Revan might have no choice left. A storm would soon erupt in the galaxy. And to cope with it... well, just to stay alive, an army would be required.
The Forge was necessary...
Even despite the risk.
"Forgive me, old friend," Revan shook his head. "I will try to avoid the mistakes of the past. But I can promise nothing."
The flight to Malachor took slightly less than a standard day. By the time they exited hyperspace, Revan was already in the cockpit. The feeling of unease had not left him, and the anxious thoughts about the datacron's contents only fueled the fire.
HK, occupying the pilot's seat, flawlessly brought the Eagle into orbit around Malachor III, on the opposite side from the asteroid belt that had once been Malachor V.
"Status Report: We have exited hyperspace, Master. Passive sensor data shows no other vessels in the system," the droid reported.
"Could a ship be hiding from us in the asteroid belt?" Anakin, who had followed Revan into the cockpit, inquired.
"Easily," Revan shrugged. "It's an old trick, used thousands of years ago. However, the space dust and small asteroid fragments, not to mention deposits of certain metals, in such a cover would blind the sensors of the one hiding as well. So, we don't see them, and they don't see us."
"And what if we try to find them?" the boy suggested.
"Instructional: Using active scanners is not recommended to avoid the possibility of detection," HK-47 replied to the question. "With displeasure: Did I not advise you to memorize the manual on the interaction of small fleet units in probable enemy territory, authored by Forn Dodonna, you dim-witted meatbag?"
"It's over three thousand pages..." the boy grumbled.
"Irritated: And that is only a small fraction of what you should know, meatbag."
"But..."
"Anakin, don't argue," Revan sided with the droid. "That knowledge is truly important. Admiral Dodonna's manual contains many citations from my own works on fleet tactics, as well as excerpts from combat operation reports. All of this is based on real experience and was created at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives of soldiers and officers who made the very mistakes these manuals warn against."
"But I'm not going to be commanding a fleet!" Skywalker protested.
"How do you know, Anakin? How do you know..."
The boy could not find a response to that argument. His thoughts drifted far away, to the bridge of his own flagship, no less than a General. What child doesn't dream of becoming a heroic commander?
Revan smiled faintly, noting the change in his apprentice's expression, guessing the contents of his thoughts.
"I understand, Master," Skywalker finally replied. "I'll read Admiral Dodonna's works today."
"The volume will be too great for a single evening," the mentor shook his head. "To miss nothing and remember better, try recalling the text during your meditations. Believe me, you'll quickly feel the benefit of that method."
"I'll try, Master. Thank you."
Nodding graciously, Revan turned back to the assassin droid.
"HK, head to this sector." The former Jedi input the coordinates where he had sensed the presence of the holocrons during his meditation into the navigation computer. "But try to draw as little attention as possible. We don't know exactly what might be lurking in that asteroid field."
"Affirmative, Master."
The Dawn's Eagle began to move slowly toward its destination.
They passed Malachor IV orbit without issue. There was still no sign of an enemy. Revan was beginning to doubt that anyone was truly in the system other than their ship. Yet the Force still warned of danger. And its source was clearly not the holocrons.
Right on the border of the asteroid belt, HK suddenly sharply reduced speed and drew the attention of those gathered in the cockpit.
"Alert: Attention! Flash at coordinates 23-43-A17, mark 5. Presumably fire from a ship-mounted blaster cannon." The droid pointed a manipulator at the viewscreen.
Revan peered into the sea of rocky debris slowly drifting in the blackness of space, trying to discern what had caught the droid's attention. And a few seconds later, he noticed a crimson flash.
"R2," Revan called the astromech, "can you adjust the sensors to a narrower coverage sector without increasing our chance of detection?"
The droid beeped something encouraging in response and connected to the main computer. A few minutes later, an image of something vaguely resembling a ship appeared over the holo-projector. Apparently, this was what the sensors had detected at the flash coordinates.
"Can you clear up the image?" Revan asked.
The astromech whistled doubtfully in binary.
The former Jedi, meanwhile, scrutinized the vaguely familiar outlines of the possible enemy. And with every second, he became convinced that the ship was not just familiar.
As that thought flashed through Revan's mind, the sensors transmitted a new batch of data, and the hologram became much more discernible. The starship's outlines became sharper and recognizable. To his surprise, the former Jedi realized he knew the ship type! Long ago, in his past life, these formidable predators tore his enemies to shreds on the battlefield. A six-hundred-meter curved hull, divided horizontally in two, slowly floated among the planet's debris. Majestic and deadly.
It was an Interdictor! A heavy cruiser of the Republic Army that became the core of Revan's Imperial space forces.
Battered even by its appearance, with numerous signs of repeated repair work, but still an Interdictor!
"Great Force," Revan breathed out.
"Observation: The ship's external parameters correspond to a Republic Interdictor-class cruiser, manufactured at the Corellian shipyards."
"It must be almost four thousand years old!" exclaimed Anakin, barely restraining his fanatical ship enthusiasm.
"What the Hutt is it doing here?" Revan grumbled, not really hoping for an answer, trying to understand if they could avoid an encounter with the vessel.
And to the former Jedi's displeasure, the Force insistently hinted that their paths would indeed have to cross with this cruiser. The holocrons were already aboard it.
"Query: Is something troubling you, Master?" HK inquired, hearing the stream of curses from his creator's mouth.
And many things were troubling Revan. And the first item on the list was time. If the cruiser had arrived in the system to find the holocrons and had already completed its mission, it wouldn't linger here long. Tracking it in hyperspace with the Eagle's capabilities would be impossible. Which meant there was no time for lengthy deliberation. Either act now, foolishly and recklessly, or lose the holocrons, and with them, the hope of Bastila's return.
"Hand over the controls," Revan commanded, sitting down in the pilot's chair.
The droid obeyed without further questions.
The former General of the Republic forces, mentally cursing the unknown cruiser with every known expletive, steered the freighter toward the sector where the flashes were increasingly frequent. Clearly, the cruiser was blasting its way out of the asteroid field. Time was running out.
"HK, inform the crew. We are preparing to assault an Interdictor-class cruiser. Provide everyone with copies of the blueprints for the interior corridors and compartments from the auxiliary hangar to the bridge, and brief data on the ship."
"Affirmative, Master."
Revan, meanwhile, was trying to calculate the probability that the freighter would appear on the sensors as just another small asteroid fragment, long enough for a close approach. Based on its appearance, the ship's sensor matrix was unlikely to be in perfect condition. Hence, the chances were high.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Tira burst into the cockpit. "Have you meditated your brains away? That's a cruiser, for Force's sake!"
"Addendum: The standard crew complement is five thousand two hundred forty-four individuals," HK announced, apparently continuing an argument the beginning of which Revan hadn't heard.
"And three and a half thousand troops!" the Nomad snapped back.
"Threat Assessment: The probability that the full crew complement is on board..."
"What difference does it make! It's a cruiser!" the mercenary yelled. "A minimum of three hundred sentients just to get that bucket of bolts moving!"
"Confirmed."
"Look, I realized you're missing a few screws in your head a long time ago," Tira didn't let the droid continue. "But your Master hasn't been insane until now."
"There is no choice," Revan replied, realizing the last words were addressed to him.
"This is suicide! I didn't sign up to storm a whole cruiser with a group of two fighters, a kid, and a couple of psychotic scrap heaps!"
"I will go onto the cruiser alone. Your task is to cover the Eagle and extract it if I am delayed," Revan answered calmly, focusing on piloting.
"What?" the Nomad repeated. "Alone?"
"Query: Elaborate on your plan, Master."
"Master?" Like everyone else in the cockpit, Anakin was perplexed by the news.
"On the Interdictor, the energy shield does not cover the hangar doors, so as not to impede craft launch. The containment field, which prevents atmosphere loss in the hangar, is deactivated in cruising position and only automatically activates three seconds after the doors are damaged," Revan began to explain his plan. "I will breach the auxiliary hangar doors on the upper deck and guide the Eagle inside. HK, Tira, your task will be to destroy the hangar defense turrets before they penetrate our freighter's shields. It will take no more than a minute for a trained crew to lock down the hangar after the defense system is destroyed. Within that time, I must break into the cruiser's interior compartments, otherwise..."
"Otherwise, you'll be jettisoned into open space," the Nomad interrupted.
"Yes," Revan nodded in agreement.
"The plan is idiotic, you realize that?"
"No other can be executed under the current conditions. I need to get onto that ship."
"Why?" the Nomad persisted.
"It has information I need on board. And if that cruiser leaves the system, I will lose it forever," Revan whispered the last sentence.
"You haven't paid me yet," Tira reminded him, understanding she couldn't dissuade the former Jedi.
"I don't plan on dying," Revan replied without a hint of a smile.
For a minute, the mercenary drilled the back of his head with her gaze before turning and heading to the weapons control console.
"HK, prepare yourself," Revan ordered. "Three minutes. Anakin, strap in."
"Recommendation: The hangar blast doors are too strong for our ordnance. Requesting authorization to deploy a proton torpedo," the assassin droid requested, unconcealed delight in his synthesized voice.
"Just ensure the hangar itself isn't too damaged. Without atmosphere and a containment field, I won't be able to exit the Eagle."
"Accepted, Master."
"If there is any danger of our ship being destroyed, or if I am delayed on the cruiser's deck too long, leave. I will find my own way out."
"Accepted, Master."
"Overconfident idiot," Tira muttered.
"Sometimes, when rational options run out, acting like an idiot is the only path left," Revan replied, his gaze fixed on maneuvering the ship through the chaotically drifting stone blocks.
"The words of a true idiot."
"Those words, actually, were first spoken by Canderous Ordo," the former Jedi chuckled.
A disgruntled grumble in Mando'a was his only reply.
The cruiser was clearly visible ahead now, even to the naked eye. Revan reached out with the Force, centering himself on the freighter's flight path and the surrounding debris.
"If only they don't decide to fire upon this harmless little rock flying in from the starboard side," Revan thought, sincerely hoping the cruiser's sensor array, choked with interference, wouldn't distinguish the Eagle from an asteroid.
The next second, the Interdictor fired. A battery of laser cannons blasted several stone blocks drifting near the ancient ship's course into dust.
Revan exhaled. That could have been the Dawn's Eagle.
"Prepare to open fire," the former Jedi commanded.
"Warning: Master, new information," HK-47 interjected. "Observation: The vessel's current state is far worse than anticipated."
"Are you suggesting it won't withstand a proton torpedo strike on the hangar?"
"Assessment: Such a probability exists."
"There is no alternative."
"Accepted, Master."
The Eagle banked sharply, changing its trajectory and locking a course for collision with the cruiser.
"Fire!"
The freighter shuddered, as if struck by a turbolaser volley. Though the launcher was mounted aboard, the transport vessel was not truly rated for such a weapon's recoil.
The blast from the proton torpedo, though minimal power, tore the armored hangar doors to shreds, revealing the cruiser's dark interior, into which the Eagle plunged without hesitation.
"Suppress the defense systems!" Revan ordered, cutting speed sharply and slamming the freighter down with a thunderous clang onto the unexpectedly vacant flight deck.
Contrary to expectations, not a single shot was fired.
The hangar looked abandoned. Only emergency lamps provided illumination. There were no small craft ready for launch. Corrosion from durasteel oxidation coated everything, a result of the oxygen-rich atmosphere and indicating severe life support system malfunctions.
"Tira? HK?" Revan asked, seeking confirmation of his suspicions.
"Nothing to shoot at," the mercenary replied. "Not a single turret. They're all destroyed."
"Confirmation, Master," HK-47 seconded. "Defense systems were rendered inoperable long before our arrival."
"What the Hutt is going on here?" Nomad whispered.
The hangar's containment field activated, a delayed reaction.
"Warning: Master, atmosphere is stabilizing. If you intend to proceed with your plan, I advise haste."
Revan did not need to be told twice.
By the time the hangar's pressure normalized and HK-47 reported a breathable atmosphere, Revan was already standing at the cargo ramp, ready for combat.
"Remember, if danger presents itself, leave."
"Is that dangerous enough yet to leave?" Tira chuckled back over the comms.
"A little more dangerous," Revan quipped in return.
The humor helped to steady their nerves and prevent the crew from succumbing to panic.
The moment the ramp sealed against the hangar floor, the former Jedi darted toward the exit with a speed impossible for an ordinary human, using a Force Push to literally tear the locked door from its frame.
The open corridor was also unlit... and showed no sign of a crew. Only a sinister silence and the icy chill of a minimal life support system remained.
However, the moment Revan stepped into the corridor, he was overwhelmed by a sudden, violent current in the Force. His vision blurred, his mind filled with a chorus of voices, and he felt the presence of thousands of sentient beings. A shadow slipped past, followed by another. A flash of pain lanced through his head, and his ears were filled with a deafening clamor.
And just as suddenly, it all vanished.
Revan ignited his blades and looked around warily. Everything was exactly as it had been a moment before. Emergency lighting and no sign of a crew.
Yet, an unsettling feeling had emerged. Was this ship... familiar? Had he been aboard before?
"HK," the former Jedi called to his faithful droid over the comms. "Try to interface with the cruiser's computer, with R2's help. Find out whatever you can."
"Accepted, Master."
Revan, for his part, began moving cautiously but quickly through the ship's corridors, guided by the Force toward the holocrons. It seemed whoever commanded this vessel had decided to hide the artifacts in their personal quarters. For it was precisely in the section of the ship where Revan recalled the captain's cabin being located that he could sense the cursed pyramids.
What troubled the former Jedi was the near-total lack of living presence aboard. Such a cruiser could not be run by one person, however. A minimal crew, even one composed of droids, was necessary. Furthermore, the entire vessel was saturated with Dark Side energy, clouding his sight and preventing him from utilizing his full potential as a Force-sensitive.
Suddenly, a figure appeared from around the corner.
The sound of a shot rang out, but Revan was prepared for the attack and easily deflected the blaster bolt back at the shooter.
Cautiously approaching the attacker's motionless body, Revan couldn't believe his eyes.
Before him lay a Sith Empire trooper in easily recognizable silver armor and a helmet with a mirrored visor. There was no life to sense within it.
"A droid?"
Resolving to confirm his suspicion, Revan used the Force to tear the defeated opponent's breastplate off. As he had thought, the armor contained a droid. The manufacturer was impossible to identify, but this at least explained the lack of sensed life aboard.
The former Jedi encountered no one else on his way to the captain's quarters, a fact which only heightened his unease.
Just as he was ready to tear the next door off its hinges, a distinct presence of a living being emerged behind him. Powerful... Force-sensitive...
"Master!" HK-47 simultaneously cut in over the comms. "Cautious: Master, we have successfully accessed the vessel's computer—"
"Not now, HK..."
Revan whirled to face the potential adversary and froze in his battle stance, grateful his mask concealed his expression. For the sheer shock he felt in that instant was something he could never have hidden.
Opposite him stood a figure clad in painfully familiar armor and a Mandalorian mask, so identical to Revan that for a moment, he thought he was staring into a mirror. Even the aggressive stance of Juyo was an exact copy of his own. If not for the lightsaber, which glowed a blood-red color, Revan would have been certain of it.
"You will go no further, imposter," a surprisingly high voice echoed from beneath the opponent's mask.
"Insistence: Master, this is vital."
"HK..." Revan tried to object.
"Insistence: Master, this is the Obsidian!" the droid pressed, not allowing him to finish.
"What?" the former Republic Army General and commander of the heavy cruiser Obsidian asked in stunned disbelief.
"Explanation: We are aboard the Obsidian, Master."
"What the Hutt…"
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