Pursuing through the dense thickets of an ancient forest is initially a very difficult and unwise undertaking, especially when you have to pursue someone familiar with the terrain, and the terrain is the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk. To catch a beast in such a forest is not even worth trying.
Revan understood this perfectly. The nature of Kashyyyk was deadly and extremely dangerous, as the former Jedi had personally confirmed during his search for the Star Forge. And therefore, instead of a reckless chase after a swift predator, even if significantly slowed down by the need to drag prey with it, Revan chose slow progress through the thickets, guided by the images and sensations brought by the Force's echoes. The katharn moved away from the group, but did not zigzag or try to throw the pursuers off the trail, as one might expect from a wild beast. Instead, the predator moved in a specific direction, without deviating. It gave the impression that it was moving straight through tree trunks and bushes. Of course, this impression was deceptive, but it allowed one to understand where the beast was heading. And it was heading to the very place whose coordinates were hidden behind the puzzle on the Tree of Life.
The padawans should have been sent back to the settlement, but even with the escort of HK or Tyra, there was no guarantee that the two restless ones would not disobey their mentor's orders and return, thereby exposing themselves to even greater danger. It was better for them to remain under supervision... and it was time for the students to start training in real conditions. At their age, Revan had already accompanied Kreia and learned her wisdom, analyzing the cruel injustices of the galaxy with her. His mentor instilled in the future hero of the Mandalorian Wars the habit of always calculating the consequences of even his most insignificant actions and trying to look at the situation more broadly to understand how it would affect not only its direct participants.
And now, making his way through the thickets, Revan reflected on Kreia's lessons as applied to his current situation. And there was much to think about. The silhouette of the "Star Forge" on the wall of the Wookiee hut already said a lot and made one wonder who the owner of the dwelling was. Revan had not paid proper attention to the scrap of fabric in which the lightsaber was wrapped at first... but he remembered the fragment of the pattern applied to it. Three circles on a red background, connected to each other... and an ornament around a fourth, very similar to the cross-shaped belt on Revan's old armor. For the second time since his resurrection, the former Jedi had stumbled upon a follower of the "Revanites," an ambiguous secret society that originated in Vitiate's Empire after an unsuccessful attempt to kill the Emperor. Revan was considered dead, although he was actually a prisoner of the immortal Sith. But this fact did not prevent someone from elevating him to the rank of a near-deity, who, according to rumors, managed to defeat the Emperor and secretly take his place. He was called the Chosen One, the embodiment of the balance of the Force... How mistaken they were. Revan disliked fanatics, and that is what the representatives of the "Order of Revan" had ultimately become. There was nothing wrong with following someone, learning from them, and heeding their wisdom. But one must not lose one's own reason and ability to doubt, analyze, and ask questions. Blind faith and fanaticism turn the mistakes of one into the mistakes of all who follow him without doubt. This is what ruined the "Revanites." About their end... and even about their very existence, Revan found only a few short mentions in the Temple Archives and Scourge's notes. They blindly followed someone who called himself Revan... became enemies to all... perished along with the disappearance of their self-proclaimed leader. The former Sith himself did not remember these events. Individual fragments surfaced as if in a fog, but could not form a coherent picture. As if someone had reshaped his personality again, similar to what the Council representatives had done to him after Malak's betrayal.
However, these could only be the consequences of the fact that he had been dead for a long time... but had not become one with the Force, had not dissolved into it, becoming only a particle of its power... Or do the gifted never experience oblivion? Despite all their knowledge of the Force, the Jedi and Sith could not find a clear answer as to what happens after... death? There are theories, there are guesses, there are entire philosophical teachings, but there is no unity. There is no clear answer as to whether a gifted person retains self-awareness after they go into the Force. Yes, there are ghosts, there are spirits, there are immortal entities that can be reborn again and again, but the point is that they have not completely merged with the Force. Force ghosts remain tied to a specific location, object, person, or a specific goal... and often represent only a residual trace of a former personality that was not ready to rest. But if there is nothing holding you in this world anymore, if you have found inner peace and are ready for the unknown that awaits "on the other side"? What then? After all, gifted people do not wander the galaxy by the hundreds of thousands of restless ghosts. Jedi believe that they all merge with the Force, finding peace and dissolving into it, thereby continuing to live in every gifted person... in every particle of the galaxy.
The Sith view is more prosaic. Death is death. It is defeat, the consequence of your mistakes, and the price for weakness. What happens "next" does not matter. Do not let yourself be killed, do not let death take you. Conquer it! Become stronger! And some have indeed achieved this.
Revan shook his head, dispelling thoughts of the afterlife that were currently superfluous, and focused on what was happening. He was definitely expected ahead. The Force brought echoes of a couple of sentient beings and dozens of large living creatures around them.
"You've already figured out where Rrogrru was taken, haven't you?" Bastila asked, also having managed to sense the alien presence.
"Yes," Revan replied curtly.
"One of them is a strong gifted one..." Shan shared her feelings.
"And the second is probably Rrogrru. And he's still alive," the former Jedi agreed.
"And they are now where the holocron should be hidden," Bastila summarized.
"And this is not a coincidence," Revan said grimly.
First Risa Farr, who called herself the last of the "Revanites," who tried to gain trust but served another master. Now another... follower. And Revan was sure that the one waiting for him ahead was precisely a Revanite, who lived in that hut... Rrogrraz - Rrogrru's grandfather. The one who knew how to tame a katharn, who disappeared into the Shadowlands many years ago, and who was trained in Force techniques. Revan could be mistaken, but his intuition rarely failed him on such matters.
"Teacher," Rina suddenly said.
Revan turned his head slightly towards his student, indicating that he was listening, but at the same time continuing to monitor the surrounding forest. They had been accompanied for several minutes by three predators, who moved along the branches slightly above and to the side. HK, judging by the blaster pointed into the thicket, had also detected them.
"I feel strange," the Zabrak whispered.
"Describe it to me, as detailed as you can," the mentor asked.
"It's not like the usual feeling of an alien presence in the Force... Something more... chaotic. Like the scraping of claws, instead of a whisper," Oda'Barr tried to describe her state.
"A beast," Bastila suggested, having once again taken control of Tyra's body.
"What?" the student asked.
"You feel the beasts around you. Their hunting instinct, hunger, excitement. Zabrak naturally have a well-developed sense of danger. Your species has lived for generations in harsh conditions on Iridonia and Dathomir, and has acquired a number of qualities useful for survival, and the Force only enhances these qualities. The Shadowlands of Kashyyyk and their fauna must have provoked the awakening of your natural abilities," Shan replied.
"The Force connects us not only with the sentient inhabitants of the galaxy, but also with all living beings... with rare exceptions. They think differently, chaotically, relying on instincts and immediate reactions. I never had a special talent for controlling animals, but I, like all Jedi of my generation, were taught this technique. I can still distract a predator for a couple of moments or subdue something small, but I am far from full control. Mitra is good at this," Revan added.
"Ahem," Bastila drew attention again.
"What? You too?" the former Jedi asked with slight surprise.
Shan nodded with a mysterious smile.
"You never mentioned it."
"And you never asked," the girl shrugged.
"Then, will you help?" Revan pointed to the Zabrak.
"Of course," Bastila agreed.
Then Anakin suddenly raised his hand, like a youngling in a group lesson at the Temple.
"Mmm, I have similar feelings too," Skywalker reported.
Revan smiled silently and nodded towards Tyra.
"My jaw feels tight..." the boy added.
"And it feels like you want to bite someone," Rina immediately nodded, completing Anakin's description.
"These are not your feelings, but echoes of the predator's instincts, which the Force conveys. Fence yourselves off from them, just as you were taught to close your minds from external interference. Do not break the connection completely, so as to monitor the animal's movements and intentions, but do not let it influence you. Imagine that your beast is on a leash... do not let it pull... Hmm..." Shan frowned.
"Is something wrong?" Skywalker inquired.
"It's better to completely fence yourselves off from these beasts. You won't be able to tame them..." Shan said, peering as if through the leaves.
"They are already under control," Revan guessed.
He himself felt the presence of predators and tracked their movement, but did not even attempt to intercept control. An attempt at influence could provoke the animals, and given that the beasts were controlled by someone from the outside, Revan's actions would reveal that he had discovered the surveillance, and then an attack would follow immediately.
"Anakin, Rina, stay close to Tyra and HK," the former Jedi said sternly.
"But, Teacher! I can help!" Skywalker protested.
"We are in unfamiliar territory, in the domain of a gifted individual capable of controlling a pack of katharns, and if your more experienced mentor shows caution, then you, as a padawan, should heed his instructions," Revan said in a cold tone, turning his head slightly towards his student.
"Especially when the instructions come in the form of orders," Tyra added.
The Mandalorian mercenary knew what she was talking about. Her mentors traveled the galaxy, gathering information for clans, or acting as mercenaries for those who could afford to hire Mandalorians. Although after Galidraan, and under the pacifist Duchess, the reputation of the Mando'ade, and with it the number of orders, left much to be desired, Tyra had managed to get her share of training under blaster fire.
Thinking of blasters, the mercenary involuntarily glanced at the assassin droid, who had been assigned the role of a nanny... or rather, a firearms instructor for Revan's students. And it had to be admitted, the iron maniac had managed to instill in the overconfident children respect for the blaster and those who knew how to handle it.
The droid in question was silent at the moment and carefully observed his Master, slightly twitching his mechanical finger, barely touching the trigger of the blaster carbine. All the analytical centers of HK's computational core agreed, believing that if the droid were to express a truthful assessment of the tactical... and simply mental abilities of the Master's students, then in addition to firearms training, there would also be lessons on terrain analysis and adaptation to the surrounding environment. And HK would rather blow himself up with a grenade than increase the mandatory training time with small bags of meat... or shoot them right here... if he could deceive the logic block that prevented him from violating the Creator's order.
Revan was focused on his surroundings, so he paid no attention to Tyra and HK's exchanged glances. He was more concerned about the fact that if the situation escalated, protecting the students would require significant effort. Perhaps taking them with him was a mistake. But, on the other hand, they already handled weapons reasonably well, and real-world experience could not be replaced by training.
The former Jedi closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, banishing the oppressive feeling of anxiety. He needed a clear head. Fear was only useful when it was controlled. The enemy was ahead, very close… and he had a hostage. After briefly giving instructions to the Padawans and HK, Revan moved forward, cutting through the thicket of bushes and hanging vines.
The rest of the way took only a few minutes. The forest abruptly ended, as if instead of the edge, the group had emerged onto a clearing, the creator of which had not only cut down trees but had also walked over the ground with plasma, burning the undergrowth and soil to a glassy state. But it only seemed so at first glance. The shiny, hard surface underfoot was polished metal, part of one of the Rakatan climate control installations left on Kashyyyk since the fall of the Infinite Rakatan Empire. Revan had encountered something similar on this planet, near the Star Map. However, there was a difference. In that area of the Shadowlands where the map was hidden, the installation had grown into the ground, almost completely absorbed by the Kashyyyk forest, leaving only a small part on the surface, including the Star Map itself. Here, someone had diligently cleared the installation of the planet's flora and fauna, protecting the remains of the ancient machine. The installation itself rose just a hundred steps ahead, its sharp spire reaching far up under the very canopy of the lower branches of the wroshyr trees. The material, darkened by time, from which the installation was made, looked like stone from this distance, but it was not. The alloy, related to the one from which the Star Forge was created, was much stronger than any mineral and more durable.
The installation was not functioning; the absence of any signs of energy in the nodes of this engineering marvel clearly indicated this. No lights around, only the dead darkness of the grayed and patinated metal… and cold. And at the foot of this structure, alien to Kashyyyk's nature, stood a Wookiee… a very old Wookiee, whose fur was almost entirely covered in gray, making him stand out like a white spot against the Rakatan installation. Behind him, pinned to the ground by a Katharn's paw, lay Rrogrru. The arm that the predator had grabbed him by was badly torn and bleeding, but the poor fellow was still alive. The former Jedi explained the latter by the fact that the one who controlled the pack of Katharns had no intention of killing Rrogrru. His capture was just a lure… But why was it necessary to bring Revan here… to the same place where the holocron with data about the Infinite Engine, which could become the heart of a new Forge, was supposed to be hidden? The former Jedi intended to get the answer to this question from the elderly Wookiee.
"I thought Wookiees were more reverent towards their offspring. Why would you unleash a pack of Katharns on your own grandson? Even for the Hrrtaik ceremony, this is too much, and it's too late at this age," Revan said loudly, addressing the one he considered Roggrarz, Rrogrru's own grandfather.
Behind the former master of the Star Forge stood his students, who were covered by Tyra and HK on the sides. Or rather, judging by the lightsaber in the Mandalorian's hands, Bastila was "at the helm" again.
In response, the gray Wookiee bared his teeth and growled something menacingly. Revan understood perfectly.
"You were waiting for me?" The interrogative intonation in the former Jedi's voice was so subtle that it gave the impression he was asserting rather than questioning.
Revan was tense, even his students felt it. The former Jedi's suspicions were confirmed. They were waiting for him specifically. And, judging by Roggrarz's growling, someone had warned the Wookiee about the arrival of the one who would seek the Forge tens of years ago… long before Plagueis accidentally pulled Revan's essence from the flow of the Great Force. Or was it accidental? A second Revanchist, waiting for Revan's return?
Or were the conclusions hasty? The Wookiee behaved much less friendly than Risa Farr… though that was a poor example. After all, she served another master and was only gaining trust, preparing for betrayal… as any Sith, raised according to the ancient dogmas of the Empire, would do.
"Whom do you serve, Wookiee?" Revan asked imperiously, pointing the tip of his lightsaber at the gray-haired native of Kashyyyk.
Bastila herself flinched at the tone of his voice, for a moment seeing before her the image of the very same Lord of the Empire she had encountered on the bridge of the "Obsidian" thousands of years ago.
The Wookiee roared and burst into an obviously angry speech in his native language, almost spitting saliva at Revan. The beasts around, of which the former Jedi counted almost two dozen, sensing their master's mood, supported him with a menacing roar.
"You, not otherwise than out of your own foolishness, dared to call yourself my follower, and you even dare to call me an impostor? Placed here by someone even more foolish to guard what belongs to me, you dare to stand in my way?" Revan said with icy calm and a touch of mockery.
One of the Katharns lunged at him, but was immediately pinned to the ground by the Force, so hard that its bones cracked.
"Lie down, cur," the former Jedi said contemptuously, not even looking at the beast.
The Wookiee continued to rage, and from his screams and roars, even without translation, the meaning of his words was clear.
Revan merely observed his opponent with such an indifferent expression that for a moment Bastila thought her husband had completely forgotten about the presence of the students, herself… and the hostage. But a short, barely noticeable nod, with which Revan had once signaled his comrades "do not interfere," somewhat calmed the alarmed Shan.
A lightsaber appeared in the gray Wookiee's paws.
"So, your mentor made you swear an oath? Which one? A Jedi who went mad, realizing only a fraction of the power he discovered in his aimless wanderings through the galaxy? Or the one who instilled in you the foolish idea that you could truly become a Revanchist? Or that I need such worthless followers?" Revan said, clearly provoking his opponent arrogantly.
And the reaction was not long in coming.
The Wookiee lunged forward, intending to chop the impudent one down. Towards him, Revan sent a powerful Force push, which the opponent dodged… but he was not the target. The blow landed on the Katharn that was holding the wounded Rrogrru, catching him and slamming him into the wall of the Rakatan climate control installation with terrifying force.
The Wookiee jumped at Revan from above, but his blow missed when the Jedi, with a single swift movement, stepped out of the line of attack and, ignoring the gray-haired one, dealt with a pair of Katharns who were just preparing to jump in three quick strikes. The Wookiee's new swing passed above Revan's head, while the counter-thrust of the black blade pierced the giant's knee. However, the former Jedi did not continue the attack, but instead sent lightning from his second hand, scorching two more predators who were trying to pounce on the Padawans. And although the beasts' heads were pierced by shots from HK's carbine the next moment, by then they were already dead.
Roggrarz seemed to be enraged and shocked simultaneously. His opponent simply ignored his attempts to engage him in combat, lazily batting away or dodging attacks. It seemed that Revan didn't even perceive the gray giant as a threat, systematically reducing the Katharn population. Then Roggrarz decided to punish the impudent one for his carelessness and, intensifying his control over the pack, sent all the predators into attack at once. He intended to tear Revan's companions apart before his eyes, so that he would understand what mistake he had made by underestimating his enemy. And the first targets were the children…
Only the Wookiee was the one who underestimated his opponents. But he realized it too late. When the droid, instead of a carbine, suddenly used grenades, showering the thicket where the Katharns were hiding with thermal detonators, and the small lad unleashed a Force push of such power that it knocked down three predators at once, along with a substantial piece of bark from a centuries-old tree behind them, Roggrarz understood his mistake. The group of strangers, among whom were two children and a female, dealt with the beasts in a matter of seconds, destroying a pack that could have dealt with an entire village of his kin… trained hunters and warriors accustomed to the dangers of Kashyyyk.
"Is that all?" Darth Revan's cold voice rang out over the Wookiee bent over his damaged knee.
Yes, before him was the one whose image he was supposed to be loyal to and whose path he was supposed to follow. In the old man's eyes, his opponent could be no one else. Roggrarz suddenly realized that all this time he had been looking at his opponent's feet. From the moment the Wookiee sent the pack into attack, his opponent had not moved from his spot, and his lightsabers were almost resting on the shoulders of the gray-haired native of Kashyyyk, scorching his white fur from old age. Death was separated from the Wookiee only by his opponent's curiosity, who wished to observe how his students, in whom he had not doubted for a second, would deal with the predators… and, possibly, the desire to ask Roggrarz one more question…
At least, that's what the elderly Wookiee thought. Revan, on the other hand, had been provoking his opponent from the very beginning, wanting to force him to reveal more details of his mission here or the name of his mentor and show all his hidden trump cards… which turned out to be none. The former Jedi was ready at any moment to cover the polished platform in front of the climate control installation, where the battle was taking place, with a real storm of lightning, but Bastila and HK, with the support of the Padawans, managed on their own.
As for the information, the Wookiee managed to blab and demonstrate enough. He turned out to be a student of the very Jedi Yoda mentioned, and from him, he received the mission to protect the holocron hidden here with information about the location of the already grown embryo of the future Forge. He became a Revanchist, it seemed, much later. In the Wookiee's movements, Revan discerned a distorted form of Jjem So, adapted for attacks using brute force. A heavy and slow style, favored by the vanguard warriors of the Sith Empire, who sought to demonstrate their superiority and power. But the Wookiee had studied it for a short time and could not grasp its essence… and he had apparently not encountered well-prepared opponents before. An under-trained individual, who was taken as a student, presumably, only because of his talent for controlling animals. Why was he left here? And why was he ordered to wait?
The Wookiee hurried to whimper apologies, sharply changing his attitude, which surprised Revan.
"Now do you believe that I am Darth Revan, returned from oblivion to bring balance to the galaxy?" the former Jedi asked, barely hiding his surprise in his voice.
The gray-haired one hurried to explain, briefly recounting his story. Roggrarz initially treated the oath given to his Master very lightly, leaving the Order and continuing to wander the galaxy for most of the time, in pursuit of adventures… until one day, returning to Kashyyyk to check his Master's hiding place, he stumbled upon an unknown individual who turned out to be a powerful Sith, who almost killed the Wookiee. The poor fellow was saved by his gift for communicating with animals, discovered in the Order and developed under the Master's supervision. The Sith was intrigued by Roggrarz's abilities and offered him to become his student. However, there was no real training. The new mentor kept the Wookiee, in his own words, in the Shadowlands for fifty-six days, training him… or rather, torturing him and instilling in his broken consciousness the need to serve…
"Repeat, whom were you supposed to serve?" Revan clarified, with a barely perceptible tension in his voice.
The Jedi flinched noticeably at the answer.
"Translation: The Emperor…" HK obligingly voiced the Wookiee's speech for the Padawans.
Revan barely suppressed a shiver that ran down his spine. This title was associated in his memory with only one… creature.
A whimpering growl was heard again.
"Translation: Revan," HK added.
"What?" the former Jedi asked, shaking his head to drive away the disturbing thoughts.
"Translation: We are followers of Revan, we walk his path and serve his will, left to us after his departure into the Force."
"Then what does the Emperor have to do with it?" the former Jedi demanded.
"Translation: Revan was the lord of the Sith Empire. My mentor told me the legend of your rise and fall…" the droid paused for a moment and stared at the Wookiee.
"HK? That's not all, is it?" Anakin asked the droid, wanting to know the essence of the conversation.
"Approximate translation: On your deathbed, you uttered a prophecy about your return and the Great War that would follow."
Revan gestured for the droid to be silent and step aside, along with the Padawans. He needed to sort out the nonsense the Wookiee was spouting.
"I need details," he said to Roggrarz, pressing the Wookiee's consciousness with the Force.
The Wookiee did not resist the interrogation, willingly telling everything he remembered. However, either the old man had gone mad over the years of solitude, or his consciousness had been so distorted by the one who undertook to make him a Revanchist. Although, the Wookiee's second mentor, if he had any relation to Revan's followers, it was extremely conditional. He had made up the entire legend the Wookiee told. Revan found only a few events that more or less corresponded to real events. Not to mention the prophecy, allegedly uttered by himself. Revan did not remember the moment of his final death, but he was sure that he would not have scattered prophecies. Especially such absurd ones… although, who was he to talk about absurdity, considering his own return to life after departing into the Force. The Great One, it seemed, had a funny sense of humor and a tendency to prove that the impossible is possible.
Be that as it may, the Wookiee did not know the name of his second mentor; he couldn't even describe him in detail. A dark robe, a mask on the lower half of his face. No race, no distinguishing features. The old man couldn't even name the skin tone. "Either red or gray" – such an answer did not bring clarity.
For a moment, Revan managed to catch a glimpse of the mentor's image in the Wookiee's consciousness… but it was of little use.
"Could it have been Plagueis?" Bastila suggested.
"Based on the description and what could be found in his memory, his height does not correspond to a Muun. Closer to a human in build… and that's most humanoid races in the galaxy. Togruta, Twi'leks, and similar can be excluded, as Lekku and Montrals are difficult to hide in such a way that they don't show up in combat," Revan shrugged.
"This information is of little use," Tyra snorted.
"I agree. And in general, this Wookiee doesn't know much… he was left here as if for a joke. He wasn't properly trained, was instilled with heresy, and abandoned to guard… or not guard. I wouldn't leave such a guard near anything important," the former Jedi said thoughtfully.
"Perhaps the one who left him here didn't consider the holocron important?" Nomad concluded with Shan's silent agreement.
"Or there's simply no point in guarding it," Revan suggested.
"So the holocron is useless?"
"Rather, there's no point in guarding what is meant to be found."
"You think someone wants you to find the Forge?" Tyra asked in surprise.
"A lot points to that. Risa was looking for the archives of the Trayus Academy when I first encountered her. She claimed to be following my path… but what if her task was different? We already know that she served someone? The archives contained not only information about Dark Side rituals but also about artifacts discovered in ancient times. Including Star Maps. I know this for sure – I read these records four thousand years ago."
"But what's the point of helping you with your search? Or were you not supposed to be helped, and it all happened by chance?"
"There are no coincidences, only the Force," Revan replied almost without thinking, quoting the famous wisdom of the Force adepts.
"No philosophy, please," Tyra snorted.
"I agree that it's all too far-fetched. But what if, for some reason, you couldn't follow 'my path'? Even after familiarizing yourself with the contents of the holocron, you couldn't find the way to the new Forge?"
"And you needed someone connected to this Rakatan artifact…" Bastila guessed.
"And there aren't many of those. Me, Malak, and you – that's essentially all who are more strongly connected to the Forge than others."
"And in her madness, Risa summoned my ghost specifically…"
"Too many coincidences," Revan nodded in agreement.
The reflections of the two Jedi and the Mandalorian were interrupted by HK.
"Clarifying request: How important is the preservation of the life functions of furry bags of meat, Master? Judging by the sensor readings, both will self-destruct soon," the assassin droid stated.
While the information was being discussed, the culprit of the confrontation was under the guard of HK-47 and the Padawans near the wounded Rrogrru, to whom Rina provided medical assistance to the best of her abilities. However, it seemed that the younger Wookiee's injuries were more serious, and he had lost a lot of blood. The old man, on the other hand, began to weaken rapidly after talking with Revan, as if the Force could no longer support him… or he himself wished to merge with the Great One sooner, for his duty was finally fulfilled.
Fortunately, the gray Wookiee had revealed the holocron's location at the beginning of the conversation, pointing to a niche at the base of the installation's spire, hidden under a sliding panel.
It was decided not to waste any more time and to return to the upper levels, where the wounded could receive qualified assistance. The holocron had been obtained, and its contents could be examined in a calmer environment… as well as to think about what it all meant.