CHAPTER SEVEN
"So," the Revanchist said as he sat across from Master Baran. "Where would you like me to start?"
"I suppose," the Grand Master said, "you could start by recounting everything you did after leaving Ossus ten years ago."
The Dark Jedi leader let out a sharp laugh. "Everything, Master Baran? So shall I recount every time I have eaten breakfast, used the restroom, and so forth?"
Baran glared at him. "I see you haven't lost your sense of humor. I meant everything important."
"That does narrow it down a bit, but not by much." The man once known as Toah Jarsan leaned back and clasped his hands over his midriff. "Alas, my tale is a long one, but I shall tell it. I will tell you this, though...."
The Revanchist tilted his head and Baran could see the outline of his dark eyes behind his mask's visor. "The things I have seen...are unnatural to even those who use the Force."
-Ten years ago-
The dark side's tendrils seemed to wrap around the Vulture as the YT-2400 light freighter approached Dromund Kaas. Toah Jarsan sat in the ship's passenger seat, watching as the ancient Sith world came closer into view.
"Are you sure about returning here?" asked the Vulture's pilot, Raj Braven. "The place kind of gave me the creeps last time."
Toah nodded. "I am sure. Trust me."
Raj shrugged. "Don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Moving into the planet's atmosphere, going through its murky clouds, the ship soon made its way to the ruined city where Darth Vorath's Sith Order once dwell. Once the Vulture had landed, Toah got up from his seat and headed for the boarding ramp, with Raj and his crew behind him.
Once Toah had stepped down from the ship, Vima-Da-Boda, an elderly Jedi whom Raj's team had found on Nar Shaddaa, immediately came up behind him.
"Bad," she croaked. "Bad place is this. Vima does not like it. Vima thinks we should leave."
"You are welcome to do so," Toah replied. "But I'm not going anywhere. I must know why my father turned to the dark side."
Vima hung her head, concern creasing her already wrinkled face. "Only darkness will you find, young one."
Toah took no heed of her words and instead made his way towards the palace at the far end of the street....
-Present-
Jaden and Toah Jarsan rode out of Deraln's Central Plaza in the former's rented landspeeder and, under Toah's direction, drove out of the city for the residence of Atha Prime. Jaden was tempted to ask who this Atha Prime was, or, at the very least, how Toah met him, but he figured that he would soon find out.
The landspeeder eventually came to a stop before a simple, one-story, silver-colored building built on the outskirts of Deraln. It looked very plain and, if he didn't know better, Jaden would've thought it was simply a large metal box.
The two men climbed out of the speeder and walked up to the front door. Toah knocked on it and the door instantly slid open in response.
"Is he expecting us?" Jaden asked warily.
"Kind of," Toah replied. "I'm pretty much the only visitor he's ever gotten."
"Enter," a raspy voice came from the shadows.
Jaden and Toah stepped through the door and into a dark room, which was then illuminated by a rather dim light. Standing before the two men was a humanoid figure encased in crimson armor, with a maroon robe wrapped around it. A pair of glowing eyes stared at them from the visor of a helmet which concealed the wearer's face. The being's overall appearance struck Jaden as familiar.
"Why...have you returned, Toah?" the armored man asked. "Haven't I...told you of everything I know?"
"I have a friend who I would like you to meet, Atha." Toah gestured at Jaden. "His name is Jaden Korr."
Atha Prime's gaze moved to Jaden and his eyes brightened. "Jaden...Korr."
Jaden nodded, growing more wary about this visit. "You sound as if you know me."
"Not...personally." Atha's gaze returned to Toah. "Does he know about...?"
Toah shook his head. "No. That's why we're here."
"I see." The armored man turned around and slowly walked towards a desk, from which he brought out a small cylindrical object.
"Jaden Korr," he then said. "Do you wish to know the truth of Toah Jarsan's origins?"
Jaden blinked, slightly taken aback by this odd question. "Is there any reason why I wouldn't?"
"Plenty," Atha Prime said darkly. "Please, take a seat."
-Ten years ago-
"I have a bad feeling about this," said Raj's Rodian partner, Neelo, as he and the rest of Toah's group walked through the abandoned Sith temple.
"Zip it," Raj hissed. "That phrase always jinxes people."
"There is no such thing," Vima-Da-Boda whispered back. "The Force decides our fate, good or bad, and brings us there."
Toah brought the group to a halt. They had reached what appeared to be the main chamber. He recognized it as the same throne room where Darth Vorath had "officially" revealed himself, though the decorative red drapes were absent, as was, quite strangely, the throne itself. In its place was a large, vaguely cylindrical-shaped object, hidden by a black veil.
"What the heck is that?" Neelo asked.
"Well, we won't know unless we find out, right?" Toah replied.
Just as he was about to move towards the object and remove the cloth, a cold voice suddenly called out from the shadows.
"I wondered how long it would take you to come here."
Raj, his wife Cera, and Neelo all aimed their blasters in the direction the voice had come from.
"Who's there?" Raj called out.
"Lower your weapons," the voice said, "before someone gets hurt."
"Do as it says," Toah told the others.
Raj gave him an incredulous look. "Are you serious? Why do you trust a disembodied voice?"
"Who says I do?" To the voice, Toah said, "Would you please show yourself?"
"With pleasure." Emerging from the shadows was a vaguely humanoid-shaped being, clad in crimson armor and a maroon cloak.
Reluctantly lowering his weapon, Raj eyed the newcomer with suspicion. "Who are you?" he asked.
"They call me Atha Prime." the stranger said. "Who 'they' are varies on occasion."
"Mind explaining to us why you're here?" Toah said.
"I think the better question is: why are you here?" Atha Prime splayed out his hands. "I do believe I owe an introduction from you as well."
"My name is Toah Jarsan. I am here to find out why my father, Aron Jarsan, fell to the dark side."
Atha Prime tapped the "chin" of his helmet. "Aron Jarsan..." he murmured, as if he recognized the name. "Would he be better known as Darth Revan?"
"To some, yes."
The crimson man chuckled. "That's what I thought. It's good to see that the memory I had forged was convincing."
Toah gave the armored being a bemused look. "I beg your pardon?"
"You are indeed correct when you say that Darth Revan is your father," Atha Prime said as he move past Toah and the others and approached the cloaked cylinder. As he put his hand on the black veil, he turned his head to Toah, who saw a strange gleam in his eyes.
"From a certain point of view."
In a graceful manner, Atha Prime removed the cloth and Toah Jarsan gazed in horror at the water-filled tank that was underneath it.
Hovering in animated suspension, staring back at him, was himself.
*
Author's note: Yeah, I'll be retconning Toah's backstory, let's just leave it at that.
No comments:
Post a Comment