† DISCLAIMER - This story is not based on Ashlar. It is just a story I used to write for fun. †
He sat inside his small cell pondering what was to come next. He sat on the durasteel bench that was affixed to the wall leaning his back against the cold stone. The musty scent of decay assailed his nostrils. The dim light from the fixture above was causing his eyes to hurt from strain so he closed them. He relaxed himself and concentrated on reaching out. He could feel his awareness expanding throughout the cell, but could not pass the walls or door. The cell must have been specially designed for one trained in the ways of the Force.
He gave up and decided to meditate to allow his body time to recover from the latest round of "recruiting" by the Sith. The past session had been especially brutal. A young Sith had assaulted him with wave after wave of Force lightning. All of the torture was beginning to take its toll on him. He could feel himself beginning to break. He recited the Code to himself.

There is no emotion; there is peace.

There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

There is no passion; there is serenity.

There is no death; there is the Force.

Usually reciting the Code would allow him to refocus himself, but with all that he had endured in the last two weeks, it was no longer as effective. Sometimes he questioned if he had made the right decision, but subconsciously he knew he had.

He had weighed the alternatives for many days before deciding not to follow Revan and Malak into battle with the Mandelorians. He and Revan had been good friends for many years. Many an hour was spent by the two training together or discussing the issues confronting the republic. It was this bond he shared with Revan that made the decision so difficult. In the end, he decided to trust in the wisdom of the council. He didn?t regret his decision until Revan and Malak returned as Dark Lord of the Sith and Apprentice. Many times he thought to himself that if he had gone with Revan, he may have been able to keep Revan from falling. But then there was always the possibility that if he had followed them he may have fallen to the dark side as well. He may have even become Revan?s apprentice. Revan was a very charismatic young Jedi who inspired others to follow.

It was this friendship the Jedi Council hoped to take advantage of when they assigned him with the Jedi Strike team that boarded Revan?s ship. After fighting their way to the bridge, they confronted Revan in a grueling battle. The Sith Lord?s strength was unmistakable, and the anger and hate being emanated was palpable. This was not the Revan he had known.

While most of the Jedi focused on destroying the Dark Lord of the Sith, he tried to reason with Revan, tried to convince Revan to turn away from the dark side. During one of his appeals, he felt a momentary fluctuation in Revan?s power. He decided to take advantage of the opportunity and projected an image of the two of them talking and laughing to the Dark Lord?s mind. Seconds later his mind own mind was filled with horrific images of his fellow Jedi being murdered in various brutal ways. Realizing what was happening, he had no choice but to make himself enter a state of trance-like unconsciousness or risk being driven mad. After a few seconds he awoke to find Bastila Shan as the only other surviving member of the strike team. As he was getting to his feet to resume his efforts of saving Revan, the ship was struck by cannon fire from Malak?s ship. The navigation console behind him exploded before he could fully surround himself with the Force. He was thrown across the ship sustaining minimal burns in the process and was slammed into a communication station.

The resulting blow took him to the edge of consciousness, but he fought his way back. He could feel blood trickling down his face from a gash on his forehead and the burns on his back began to sting. He took a moment to calm his mind, using the Force to block the pain screaming through his body. He gathered himself back to his feet only to find Revan motionless on the floor, Bastila crouching over him deep in meditation. She turned to him looking for guidance.

"Revan is alive, but I fear there may have been extensive damage to the mind. What should we do?" she asked a genuine concern in her eyes. He could feel the conflict within her. One side of her wanted to finish Revan off, destroy the Dark Lord of the Sith once and for all. The other side of her held fast to the Jedi teachings. The Jedi did not kill their prisoners.

"We will take him with us to the enclave on Dantooine and seek the wisdom of the... " his words were cut off by a transmission burst from his intercom.

"Interceptor to the Jedi strike team. We have to go now! The Sith forces are quickly destroying our fleet. If we don?t leave now, we are doomed!" screamed the panicked voice of Jacen Tolondru, a young Republic pilot.

He looked at Bastila then at Revan and the other Jedi who had sacrificed their lives for the mission. He reached out with the Force to touch the fallen Jedi, but felt no spark of life within them. He focused his mind on Revan?s listless body and formed a protective barrier around it. He gently lifted his former friend off the ground and opened the door leading from the bridge. The hall to the elevator was largely deserted as the evacuation order had been given. The ship had sustained a hull breach on several decks from Malak?s barrage. As they stepped into the elevator, he slowly set the Sith Lord?s body on the ground and began meditating; he didn?t even hear Bastila?s call to the Interceptor to signal for pick-up.

Carrying Revan using the Force was draining. When the doors opened to the hangar deck, he refocused and again picked the Dark Lord off the ground. The chaos of the hangar helped them slip past undetected. Only a few of the scattering Sith soldiers took notice of the small transport vessel landing in docking bay, and they quickly returned to securing their routes of escape. As soon as he, Bastila, and Revan were aboard the Interceptor, he placed Revan on a row of seats lining the side of the ship.

"Stay here with Revan, do whatever you can." He told Bastila before heading for the@#$%pit.

"The Valiance was destroyed, the other capital ships have retreated. The Sith are swarming all over. What do we do?" Young Tolondru asked as the Jedi sat in the co-pilots chair.

"Set a course for Alderaan. The republic has a fleet there. From there we can catch transport to Dantooine on another capital ship. More importantly, we will be able to contact the Council." He could sense the fear radiating from Jacen and used the Force to exude a sense of comfort, and confidence. He could see the young man?s body language become less rigid.

"What about all of the Sith fighters?" Jacen asked noticeably calmer.

"The Sith forces are too confused and scrambled to be a threat," he pushed his sphere of awareness as far as it would go before continuing, "When you exit the hangar, fly underneath this ship and head towards the moon. There aren?t many ships in that sector."

With that Jacen lifted the shuttle off the ground and deftly flew it out of the hangar. Jacen dodged the Sith warship as it sunk toward the planet of Moertoo, caught in its gravitational field. He would have been worried, but the planet was barren. The warship would crash harmlessly into the planet?s surface. After they slipped to the other side of the planet, they made the jump to Alderaan.


Upon arriving..