CHAPTER ELEVEN
"No..." Kyle shook his head, his voice mixed with disbelief and despair. "Toah can't be dead...you're lying!"
"I'm afraid that I am not," the masked man said with what sounded like genuine sadness. "His last wish was for me to continue his mission in stopping the Glorians."
Anakin eyed the warrior warily. "How do you know Toah? Why did he trust you?"
The cold gaze he had felt earlier returned. "We met on Dromund Kaas, the last planet Toah visited in search of history on his father. He discovered the Glorians there and attempted to stop them, but he was, unfortunately, no match for them. And thus I have made it my one mission to stop these invaders and avenge his death."
For the first time, Jedi Master Gaaraddik spoke, growling in the Wookiee tongue. <But who are you?>
The man seemed to hesitate before speaking, his voice almost as quiet as a whisper. "I am the Revanchist."
"The Revanchist?" Master Sadoon repeated. "Wasn't there a group of Jedi called the Revanchists that fought in the Mandalorian Wars?"
"Indeed," the masked warrior replied. "And I have decided to name myself after their leader and founder, for reasons I shall keep to myself."
Suddenly, a faint howl echoed throughout the ruins of the old Jedi Enclave. Anakin and the others stared at the Revanchist who simply said, "They are coming. Go."
Deciding that it was useless to argue, the four Jedi and their troopers ran back the way they had entered the enclave. As he looked back, Anakin could see the Revanchist reactivating his violet lightsabers as dozens of beings, similar to the one they had encountered earlier, charged towards him.
"Does he really think he can take on all of those guys himself?" Arek Cobalt exclaimed as they ran. "He must be crazy!"
"He seems to be handling it well," Anakin muttered, watching as the Revanchist swiftly cut down two Glorians while throwing back five more away with the Force. As the team finally reached the fields outside of the enclave's ruins, they lost sight of the warrior, but could still hear the sound of his lightsaber clashing against the Glorians' blades.
Master Gaaraddik glanced back at the former Jedi Enclave and growled. <We should still warn the others at the academy. I don't think we can trust this Revanchist person.>
"But what if he's telling the truth?" Arek asked. "What if we do tell them and they try to stop these Glorians? What if the Revan-whatsit is the only one who can stop them?"
After a moment, Sadoon said, "There are too many 'what ifs.' The probability of the Revanchist telling the truth is equal to him lying."
The Kel Dor Jedi Master looked back at the ruins of the Jedi Enclave and sighed. "And right now, I am not prepared to take any chances." He turned to face Kyle. "Master Katarn, you, Anakin, and the troopers shall leave Dantooine. Master Gaaraddik and I will stay and watch over the academy."
Kyle frowned. "Are you sure? What if the Glorians reach the academy? Will you be able to defeat them?"
"<If one man alone can stand against dozens of them, then so can an academy of Jedi,>" Gaaraddik said proudly.
Hesitant at first, Kyle soon nodded. "Very well. May the Force be with you, Masters."
"And with you, Master Katarn," Sadoon replied as Anakin, Kyle, and the eleven troopers turned and headed back for the Adventurer.
* * *
From the bridge of his Victory I-class Star Destroyer, Admiral Nave Noradan stared with uncertainty at the world of Kuat. For the longest time, all he could think of was why the Moff Council would send a fleet to blockade a world that had once produced ships for the Empire for decades.
True, the Kuat Drive Yards were no longer under direct Imperial control. But the Galactic Alliance Defense Force had allowed the Remnant to use some of their ships in exchange for their loyalty to the peace treaty between them.
And now Noradan's fleet was close to betraying that peace by having Star Destroyer surround the planet that had manufactured them. Noradan supposed there was a philosophical irony to that...
His musings were interrupted when the bridge of his ship's hologram projection pod suddenly activated and the life-sized, shimmering of a cloaked humanoid appeared, giving the admiral frightening recollections of the few times he had seen Emperor Palpatine in person when his father took him to meetings many years ago.
"Admiral Noradan," the figure said in a voice Noradan did not recognize. "I speak on behalf of the Moff Council. Your fleet is to attack the Defense Force's base on Kuat."
Noradan's eyes widened. "Attack? May I ask why?"
"You may not," the figure coldly replied. "Instead, you shall do as I say."
The admiral glanced around the bridge, looking for assistance or support from any of his crew. He found none.
"I would like to have an order directly from the Moff Council," Noradan finally said. "Perhaps you could get Moff Teron or Moff Sarreti on the line?"
"I'm afraid I can not do that," the stranger replied. "You will simply have to heed my word. You wouldn't want to risk losing your job, would you?"
Noradan frowned. "No..."
"That's what I thought." With that, the holographic figure dissipated.
For what seemed like forever, Admiral Noradan stood in silence, all eyes on him, while he himself stared at empty space, blankly.
Finally, he turned to the ship's captain and said, in a voice that was his own but in words that were not, "Begin the attack."
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