Once again, the infirmary of the "Obsidian" received guests. Since their return under Revan's command, this had been happening more and more often, but the former Sith Lord tried not to dwell on this trend. The old medical droid could barely move, but it performed its job reliably. Although this time, medicine could not help the patients... because no one had yet learned to treat the dead. However, only Risa Farr could be considered truly "dead." The dried and disfigured body, deformed by the distorting influence of the Dark Side, with Bastila's lightsaber-burned heart, clearly did not belong to the list of the living. Yet, the girl's chest, now resembling an old woman, rose, and blood flowed through her veins... albeit of a strange, almost black, color. The medical droid, encountering several logical errors when trying to assess the patient's condition, simply stopped trying to scan this medical phenomenon, requesting assistance from more competent specialists and an immediate update of its medical databases. According to the preliminary conclusion, the patient's heart was damaged beyond repair, but at the same time, blood continued to circulate throughout the body, and even without a single hint of internal bleeding, which indicated that the wound in the place of the heart had healed not only from the outside. The conclusion that the heart both existed and did not exist... again caused the droid to reboot.
"I have no explanation for what is happening, and how the patient remains alive despite the injuries..." the droid stated in response to Revan's question about Risa's condition... or rather, Mitra Surik, who had taken over Farr's body.
"With great difficulty," Surik rasped from the cot, attracting Revan's attention.
"Mitra?" the ancient Sith approached the cot and looked into the golden eyes of his former student.
The Force, however, had already given a clear answer to the question.
"Although I feel much worse than I look... it's still me," the Exile Jedi tried to smile, but winced from a flash of pain.
"How... How did you manage?" Instead of asking about her well-being, Revan decided to clarify a more important point at the last moment.
"I have no idea, to be honest. I remember that the Sith who only used a projection did something with the ritual, which caused me to be literally physically pulled towards him. Force Ghosts can interact with the real world at levels unattainable for 'living adepts'. There are many mentions of this in the Jedi Archives, and there is plenty of information about something similar in Sith holocrons and legends. In rare cases, a spirit can even possess the body of a Force-sensitive and take control of it... but there is also the danger of becoming a prisoner of a stronger adept yourself. I think this was planned for me, but I managed to find another vessel. I didn't know if it would work, but I woke up in Risa Farr's body... with a terrible pain in my chest," Mitra said in an even tone, barely moving on the cot.
"Judging by what HK managed to record during the brief clash between Tia and Risa, the ritual was intended to summon and capture Force Ghosts. Bastila was needed by Farr for something... but she was apparently used as a test sample to see if the ritual would work at all," Revan hypothesized.
"Spirit capture... It's quite in the style of ancient Sith alchemists. Did you encounter any mentions of this in the Trayus Academy?"
"No. But Vitiate was looking for something similar. He never stopped trying to strengthen himself further, and therefore often experimented and constantly organized excavations in regions where adepts of the Force might have lived in ancient times."
"That tomb on Korriban... could it have been one of those places?" Surik hissed, overcoming a new bout of pain.
"It can't even be called a tomb. The architecture is not right. There's no burial chamber. It's more like the place was originally created as some kind of altar and ritual hall..." Revan mused thoughtfully.
"Do the names Kallig and Ergast mean anything to you?" Mitra suddenly asked.
"Hmm, I'm sure the names are familiar... I don't remember exactly where from, I'll need to meditate to recall. I'm almost certain they are united by the ancient Sith lord - Tulak Hord. And if Kallig lived around the same time as Hord, about which there were even official notes at the Academy on Malachor, then the second one... Something related to the research of Hord's ritual, which the ancient Sith used to absorb the power of his enemies..." the former Jedi mused aloud.
Revan had a good memory, but no matter how gifted he was, he couldn't constantly keep in his head the vast amounts of information he had gleaned from the Trayus archives or from the Emperor's memory. Especially if the question concerned something that Revan did not consider particularly important. And alchemy and ritualism did not fall within the sphere of interest of the Republic Army general, and then the ruler of his own empire. To remember something, he needed to immerse himself in meditation and find the answer.
"So, the entire place was originally built as a trap?" Mitra clarified.
"Uh-huh. And Risa became an excellent bait for Tia."
"Not to mention that it was a great way to lure you to Korriban, and then me," Surik agreed, hissing at the end of the phrase from pain.
Revan nodded. Someone knew very well how the former Jedi and his entourage would act. Unknown individuals could have obtained information about his students and Revan himself from Farr... But how did they know so well how Mitra would act? No one knew for sure that she was watching Revan. Guesses, yes, but without any specifics. Although... there was one thread.
"What about Scourge?" Revan asked.
Surik's eyes flashed brighter for a moment, and she exhaled sharply.
"I thought of him first too," the girl nodded in agreement.
"And?"
"I don't think he organized it all. He could have leaked information, but organizing the ritual is beyond his capabilities. He has not shown success in alchemy over the past years. No matter how hard he tried to remove the curse of eternity placed on him by Vitiate, he achieved no results. He lacks the abilities for Sith secret knowledge."
"And who does?"
"I have no idea. Oh, I'm sorry, but I'm only staying conscious now thanks to the Crucitorn and Dark Fury... which, as you can imagine, is not easy..." Surik almost growled, beginning to lose control.
"How can I help you?" Revan asked calmly.
The medical droid had already done all it could. All that remained was to immerse Farr's body in a bacta chamber, which was already being prepared.
"You can't. I haven't forgotten how to heal yet, although, I admit, I've forgotten how awful it is to be alive..."
Revan nodded understandingly and smiled. He himself still remembered how bad he felt in the first days after his resurrection. And he had almost a perfect body, unlike Mitra's new vessel.
"And what about returning to ghost form?" he clarified, becoming serious again.
"I can't leave on my own. And I'm not sure that destroying the vessel won't forcibly send me to the Force. Otherwise, I would have already taken my own head off," Surik grimly smiled.
The former Jedi shook his head. Mitra's condition was unclear. In his life, Revan had encountered Force Ghosts and creatures possessed by ancient spirits. But in those cases, the spirit was not bound and could leave its vessel at any moment, restoring its ghost form. Mitra, however, found herself trapped in a dead body... the body of Revan's deceased student. Although he had only been her mentor for a short period, the responsibility for her life was still on him.
"What about Risa? Is anything left of her?" he suddenly asked.
"If you're talking about the situation with Bastila and your blue-skinned student, then our case is different. I occupied Farr's vessel when she had already passed into the other world. Whether she has joined the Force, I don't know, but I don't feel her presence."
Revan nodded, accepting Mitra's explanation. His soul was burned by regret, and the Force streams only intensified the effect, further worsening the former Jedi's mood.
"She's even a little bit pitiful," Surik added sadly.
"Sith always betray each other. They manipulate feelings... and use, never revealing even a fraction of their true intentions. Risa should have understood this," Revan said, inwardly cringing at his own words.
The beautiful and convenient excuse sounded false coming from him. Although it was one hundred percent true, it didn't make things easier. He had failed Risa, as a mentor, by simply ignoring her condition. Yes, she was someone else's student. Yes, it was quite likely that she was spying on Revan and his entourage, passing information to the other side. She was obsessed with the desire for power... And this desire was directed at Revan, making him an anchor for her madness. But she had voluntarily accepted his tutelage and sworn to follow Revan. Was her desire sincere, and could the former Sith have saved the girl from a fatal mistake if he hadn't been so preoccupied with training others and chasing the chance to bring back his beloved?
A chance that, in the end, was not needed...
Revan's gaze shifted to the cot hidden behind a screen, occupied by another of his students. The one who had the good fortune to survive. Although in her case, "good fortune" is a highly debatable question.
"I feel like we'll be dealing with everything that happened for a very, very long time," Mitra rasped, noticing the direction of Revan's gaze.
"This isn't a dream or an illusion, is it? She's really back?" the man asked aloud, involuntarily voicing his anxieties.
"I can't say I know exactly what happened, but I felt Bastila's presence very clearly. And you, surely, felt it all yourself. It's her. The part of her that refused to dissolve into the Force and waited for your return. Although, I don't think she planned to return exactly like this," Surik smiled and coughed at the end.
"We need to do something about your condition."
"I'll manage on my own over time. I just need more bacta, meditation, and preferably a stream of Force saturated with the Light Side. The body will adapt. We've both seen this before, more than once. Injuries from uncontrolled darkness in living tissues, although they look terrible, are treatable. Otherwise, Sith would have decayed as acolytes during training," Mitra assured her friend.
"You know yourself that it's not that simple..."
"I know. But I'm much more inconvenienced now by the absence of a heart, which forces me to pump blood through my veins using the Force and extreme control over my own body, which requires concentration. And conversations don't help with that."
"I understand. I'll be quiet. The bacta chamber is almost ready..."
Revan was interrupted by the returning droid, who announced that preparations were complete. Amidst Mitra's indistinct muttering about "long-awaited blissful silence," she was taken to a separate room where several bacta chambers were gathered. On a ship of this size, there should have been many more, but the medical bay was damaged and only partially restored. And in Revan's time, tanks with a much more expensive and rare substance - kolto, mined only on Manaan - were used, which limited the number of chambers. On Hammerhead-class cruisers, for example, there was only one chamber. On the "Obsidian," the bacta chambers were of a more modern design, clearly purchased recently, which was quite understandable. There was no point in restoring the kolto tanks.
Revan's thoughts about the leap medicine had made with the invention of bacta were interrupted by a premonition brought by the Force. The second patient in the medical bay was regaining consciousness.
When, after the clash with the Sith in the cave on Korriban, Tia, in whose body Bastila was now also present, suddenly lost consciousness, Revan was seriously frightened. Everything was exacerbated by the fact that Mitra also needed help. Fortunately, HK was nearby. The assassin droid, of course, immediately offered to relieve Mitra Surik of her suffering and extract only a slightly less useless bag of meat, which the Master, for some reason, called by another name. This is what HK, concerned about his creator's condition, told Revan on the ship.
Meanwhile, Tia let out a pained groan and rubbed her forehead, not yet attempting to open her eyes.
"How do you feel?" Revan asked, approaching the cot where Nomad lay, changed and covered with a sheet.
Before answering, Tia stirred and opened her eyes, which immediately had to be closed against the light, albeit dimmed. Her hand reflexively went to her cheek in search of her helmet, and then darted to her chest, but she did not feel the expected impact on her chest plate.
"Where is my armor?" Kira asked sternly, realizing she was not wearing any armor or under-suit.
Revan had no doubt that it was indeed Nomad. It was impossible to confuse her with Bastila, even without using the Force.
"It's on the table nearby. The medical droid needed to examine you. The armor was in the way," Revan explained.
Spotting her belongings, Kira nodded. "Thank you."
Revan didn't know where to start the conversation. He was glad Kira was okay... but still, a part of him was disappointed that it wasn't Bastila talking to him now. The realization made him feel sick... but it was pointless to lie to himself. Revan was happy about Bastila's return and didn't want to lose her again. But he genuinely regretted that it was Kira who had fallen victim to the ritual. He had grown fond of this Mandalorian, not to mention that they were bound by the Force.
"How are you?" he finally asked when the pause stretched far beyond decency.
"Strange," Nomad shrugged.
The girl looked away and frowned, as if deep in thought.
"Do you remember what happened?" Revan asked a new question.
Kira nodded.
"And..."
He didn't have time to finish. Nomad shot him an irritated look and interrupted him with her own question.
"You're worried about HER, aren't you?" the Mandalorian almost growled.
There was no need to answer. Nomad understood everything herself; she was far from a stupid girl. Revan felt waves of the Force washing over him, which the Mandalorian unconsciously sent in an attempt to "read" him, something that hadn't been observed in her before. Perhaps the union with Bastila or the influence of the Force in that hall had affected Kira more than expected and spurred the development of her abilities and sensitivity to the Force? After all, combat meditation was a rare gift, and there wasn't much information about its development.
Out of curiosity, Revan even lowered his shields to allow Nomad to read his superficial emotions. That was enough for the girl... however, the reaction was not what the former Jedi would have expected.
There was no flash of resentment or anger. Not a hint of humility or despair. However, one shouldn't expect that from a Mandalorian.
"I understand everything. And I realize that for you, there is no one closer to her. But, as I told you, I'm not going to give up so easily! I'm not going to retreat and sit quietly on the sidelines. This is my body! And you both will have to reckon with me!" Kira said confidently, proudly straightening her shoulders.
For the first time, the upbringing of Aristocra Aru'Tir'Anude was very clearly evident in her.
"I never thought of asking you for anything like that. You are you, and no one will infringe on your body. I give you my word. We will find a way to separate you," Revan assured, though he was not entirely sure of his words.
"You owe me a kiss," Nomad grinned.
"What?" Revan asked, thinking he had misheard.
"You kissed Bastila in that hall. You kissed me without permission. And I want compensation," Kira said in a firm voice, trying not to look Revan in the eyes.
The girl's face changed hue slightly from the blood rushing to her cheeks. She couldn't completely hide her emotions.
"I'll put it on your tab. I'll collect it all at once later. Don't forget – Chiss have very good memories," the Mandalorian said, lifting her nose, suddenly reminding Revan of a capricious teenager.
But at the same time, this behavior was so similar to Bastila's feigned arrogance, which she used as a defense when she was very embarrassed or nervous. Did they have so many common traits? Or was it because they now shared one body?
"Do you feel her presence?" Revan asked, simultaneously changing the subject of the debt, trying to find out how closely Kira and Bastila could interact.
The Mandalorian thought for a moment.
"A very strange and unpleasant sensation. As if someone is constantly standing behind me and looking over my shoulder. There in the cave, I could even communicate with her. I heard her thoughts as my own and could respond. Now... she seems to be dozing. I still feel her nearby, but her thoughts and emotions are more like white noise. If I concentrate, I can even 'see'... her image in my mind."
"Is she okay?" Revan asked worriedly.
Kira winced slightly but nodded.
"Yes. She's just tired. In the ritual hall, I gave her control because I understood that she would handle the situation better. But I could take back control of the body at any moment, which I did several times during the fight. It's easy for me, but for her... I think it's because the body is mine initially, and she's just an implant. It takes a lot of effort for her to regain control. At least for now."
"But how can you be sure she's okay?" Revan asked, his question filled with concern.
"It's hard to explain... I just feel it," the girl shrugged.
"Can I talk to her?"
"I don't know. I don't think it's possible right now. I have clear signs of a concussion, even if it's been treated with medication. And I had to participate in a fight in that state, jumping like a womp rat across the dunes. We are both weakened and exhausted."
"I understand. I'll leave you... you... to rest," Revan hesitated slightly with his answer.
The girl nodded gratefully.
"By the way, what about Farr? I have strange images in my memory. As if she rose from the dead..." Kira called out to Revan, who was already about to leave, frowning.
"In short, you didn't imagine it..."
"May Hutta crawl over me! How?!" Nomad almost jumped out of bed.
"Quiet, quiet... Risa Farr died by Bastila's blade in your hands. But the same ritual that united you with Shan caused Mitrah Surik to be trapped in Farr's dead body..."
The entire story, with Kira's constant clarifying questions, took almost an hour. By the end, completely exhausted, Nomad expressed all her thoughts about the Force and its abnormal adepts and fell asleep. Revan didn't understand part of her tirade, which consisted mainly of a mixture of Mandalorian and Chiss languages, and not particularly censored.
Leaving the blue-skinned Mandalorian to rest, the former Jedi left the medical bay and headed for the temporary bridge. Despite what had happened, the plans agreed upon with Dooku and Sienar could not be changed. Another chance might not present itself.
On the way, in one of the corridors, Revan was forced to press himself against the wall to let a pair of padawans rush past him. As it turned out a moment later, Anakin and Kira were not rushing anywhere, but away from someone. Namely, from HK-47. The assassin droid pursued the couple with the persistence of a Dantooine hound, periodically sending several blaster shots into the backs of the fugitives. To the credit of the padawans, they managed to dodge or even deflect the shots with their lightsabers.
"Not with combat ones, you monster!" Skywalker shouted on the run.
"Joyful remark: Master has authorized enhanced training to instill in you, foolish and underdeveloped bags of meat, a sense of responsibility," HK replied, not slowing his pace or firing.
One of the shots deflected by the padawans almost hit Revan, but he had moved out of its trajectory in advance. However, HK noticed the students' carelessness.
"Threatening remark: Punishment will follow for carelessness!" the droid said with obvious anticipation in its synthesized voice, passing Revan.
The former Jedi merely smirked. HK had not been stripped of the restrictions on killing students, so he wasn't worried about the padawans' lives. But they deserved a thrashing, so the droid had been given permission for such extreme training. After all, for what these overzealous amateurs had managed to do to the cruiser in less than a day, the punishment was still mild.
They had to manage to bring the ship to the wrong point, which was strictly specified in the flight plan and fixed in the navigation computer! And the coordinates had been checked three times! First by the pilot droid after receiving Revan's message, then by Kira during her brief visit to the "Obsidian" before the pursuit of Risa, and then again by the responsible HK before his departure after Nomad. Nevertheless, the cruiser emerged from hyperspace near some smuggler asteroid base, off the required hyperspace route. The sight of the warship frightened the poor souls to hiccups, forcing them to evacuate hastily and throw all their forces to cover their retreat. The battle, as such, did not take place... The droids left on board did not intend to obey the padawans' commands... which became the primary cause of the trouble. Anakin, as an "experienced pilot," took control of the cruiser himself... for which he was forbidden to even come close to anything that flies, except for a simulator, for a year.
How the padawan managed to ram the smuggler base... remains a mystery. Skywalker remained silent, like a Republic scout under interrogation by the Sith. Apparently, not having achieved obedience from the gunners, the "pilot" decided to administer justice differently. However, it was more likely due to the control being blocked for an unauthorized user. Only by the will of the Force did the cruiser graze the asteroid with the very edge of its hull. Fortunately, by this time, Revan had found the "Obsidian" by its beacon.
"These padawans will be the death of me... again," Revan grumbled, continuing his way.
He needed to prepare for the conversation with Sienar and Dooku, who had already reported the preliminary agreement. The "Obsidian" would be rebuilt, but discussing the new design and blueprints threatened to take more than one day. However, it was worth it.
Bastila's return, albeit in this form, gave Revan strength and confidence, but there was still a lot of work to be done. To prevent the sad story of his brief married life from repeating, he needed to bring order to the galaxy. And for that, he would need allies, strength, influence, and money... and all of it in very large quantities.
No time to rest!