Smile

The air was dense with the heat-vapor generated by the machines; the metallic rumblings echoing up the access shaft, as she strode forward confidently, satisfaction filling her. At last! She thought, the trials of the preceding months a clear recollection in her mind. She turned back to her entourage, the loyal ones who’d followed her across the Galaxy:

“Wait here.”

They nodded silently, shrinking slightly under her gaze.

This place… she thought as she moved past a massive bulkhead, deeper into the factory’s heart. It radiates power, like the natives said… She looked on as work droids scurried along the edge of the corridor, off to perform some unknown task.

***

She came to a large set of doors, which slowly hissed open as she approached; inside two monstrous colossal droids faced her and trained blasters at her. She grabbed her lightsaber and dropped into a combat stance, opening herself to the Force and letting it guide her hand to ward off the coming blaster bolts.

They never came.

Even as she was readying her first strike, the droids gave off a curious sound, deactivated their cannons and slowly moved aside. Behind them, a second set of doors slowly opened.

She kept her saber on as she slowly moved past the droids into the next room; the photoreceptors tracked her every move, but they remained where they were. She stepped into a cylindrical room, with no other windows or decorations asides from a panel on the far wall; cautiously she raised her hand to it, and immediately the doors closed behind her, and she felt the room vibrate. Fool! It’s a turbolift! She cursed herself for her apprehension, as the lift descended into whatever lay below. Finally the doors opened, to reveal a massive walkway laid out ahead of her. Confidently she moved forward, towards the center of the room, where a big dais contained a spherical device, wrapped in thousands of pipes and conduits.

She moved towards it, ignoring the voice in the back of her head that wanted her to get back on the ship and leave, closer and closer until she was right beneath the sphere. She reached up with her gloved hand, to touch one of the conduits, but when she did, the Force screamed inside her head; she felt as if she was standing in thermal plasma as her mind began to overflow with images she didn’t understand: abhorrent creatures, fleets of ships rushing through space, worlds burning. And the ghostly image of a humanoid, more beast than man, wearing a headpiece decorated with massive horns floated towards her, filed teeth open in a mocking laugh, even as her scream filled the chamber.

***

He was worried about her. The logical part of him kept objecting that it was simple nonsense; she hadn’t needed looking after since the days of their youth, yet he couldn’t shape the feeling that they shouldn’t have come here; that they should get out while they still could. There was something about this place; it seemed to be aware of them; the heavy working of machines sounding like a creature stirring from a long slumber.

He had no trouble following her; whatever this place was, it had been abandoned long ago, and he could tell from the various walkways and open doors, where she had gone. He came to the turbolift and stepped in, his hand nervously resting on the hilt of his lightsaber. Something was wrong, usually his friend was always a beacon in the Force, ever since they were young, they had always been able to find each other. Yet now it was…it was as if the Force itself was smothered in this place; a dark shroud covering every surface.

The lift descended quickly, and as he stepped out into the walkway, he saw the shadow of a figure, outlined by the massive glowing sphere that dominated the center of the room. He walked forward, calling her name, relieved that he’d found her until he noticed the scorch marks on the walkway near her. He heard the sound of metal against the walkway, and saw her battlemask lying on it, as she slowly reached up and undid her raven-black hair. He took a few more steps forward, his hand again reaching towards his lightsaber, when she laughed. But it wasn’t her laugh; the warmth and encouragement he’d always heard in it was gone, this was a cold, hard laugh; echoed by the mocking tone of her voice:

“You would raise your weapon against me, my friend?”

Before he could reply, she spun around to face him; and what he saw stopped him in his tracks. Her face was a sickly grey, with veins decorating it like some twisted ritualistic pattern; and her eyes glowed a piercing, predatory yellow. But that smile, so different, yet somehow the same as he always remembered.

***

Her smile was the first thing he saw as he turned at the sound of the rustling tent behind him: “You want to tell me what that was about?” she asked.

He frowned: “What… was what?”

She laughed at his hesitation “Oh come on; don’t act like I can’t read people’s emotions.” As if to illustrate her point, she reached down and padded the helmet hanging from her belt; “Most others might not see past this, but wearing it doesn’t make me think like a buckethead.”

She moved over to the cot and sat down, not taking her eyes off of him: “I got all night, how about you?”

He sighed; there was no point arguing with her once she set her mind to something: “Alright” he said “for all the good it’ll do.”

She flashed him a smile again “Good, Jedi Malak; you’ve taken your first step into a…”

“…Blah blah, larger existence, blah blah infinite wisdom, yes oh wise Master Revan” he finished the motto they’d shared since their days as Padawans.

“Hey, I haven’t let you down yet, have I?” she said, putting her cloak aside on the cot. “So, how about it?”

He couldn’t help but admire her figure for just a second; she was his best friend and he was a Jedi, but if there was ever a woman who’d make him forsake his beliefs about relationships…

He forced the thought out of his head; act your age.

“Alright. What do you want to know?”

She arched an eyebrow at him: “You mean asides from why you suddenly threw your food rations halfway across the mess tent? Supplies are short enough as it is. “ she paused, her voice dropping just slightly lower as she continued “it’s not like you to lose your temper like that, Mal. It…worries me.”

He rubbed his face with his palms, the same question had been repeating itself in his mind ever since.

“I don’t know. I really don’t…” he began “we’ve been out here for months now; and the fighting’s only gotten worse. The Mandalorians conscript more recruits with each planet they take and their tactics become more and more brutal. It’s like they worship the carnage.” He paused and looked at her “And it’s gotten worse because of us, I think sometimes…”

She looked at him, puzzled.

“From what we’ve heard of the Mandalorians, the battle is the honor; they seem willing to raze entire planets to find worthy opponents.” She said.

“Exactly” he answered “and what better opponent than the Jedi? I mean, I believe it’s the right thing we’re doing here; that we’re helping the Republic, but I can’t help but feel like we’ve escalated this conflict beyond our wildest predictions when we got involved.” He shook his head “and when I heard those troopers in the mess tent going on about how many Mandalorians they’d killed, how they were all animals who would bow down when faced with the Jedi, I…I lost it; this isn’t some game! Spast!”

He looked at her again “I can’t help but wonder if this whole war will require us to become as brutal as the Mandalorians are, in order to defeat them…”he finished, looking down at the ground.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then, as he was starting to think it’d been a mistake telling her, he felt her hand touch his cheek softly, lifting his head up. She locked eyes with him for a second “How long have we known each other?” she asked him, softly.

He gave a slight grin and held his hand at around her chest height “Since I was this high with a full set of hair”

She returned the grin, but her eyes were still dead serious “I promise…I promise that it will never come to that. We will stop the Mandalorians, but we will never become them.” Her hand moved to his shoulder, and he felt her squeeze. “Alright?”

Slowly, he nodded “Alright…heh, never was much use arguing with you?”

She laughed warmly “You’re right, I outrank you.”

He couldn’t hold back his own laugh at that “Oh yes, I’d forgotten; Master-Commander Revan”.

“Careful” she added with a hint of mischief in her voice “I can still put you on guard-duty for the night.”

“You’d have to discipline me for sleeping at my post in the morning, though” he replied. “I think it’s been what? 46 hours since I slept.”

She glared at him; “Sooner or later that’s going to affect your health.” She rose “I’ll get one of the Padawans, maybe Delita to do the guarding tonight, we’re not expecting trouble.” She reached down and gave his shoulder another squeeze “Get some sleep; things’ll look better in the morning. And if you need me; I’m here…”

He looked at her and nodded once “I will…”

Nodding, she picked up her cloak and exited back into the darkness of the night, stopping briefly at the door and giving him one last smile.

***

Her smile was all he saw as she moved in a blur, he himself hopelessly slow as her blade sprang to life and swept across his face. As he fell into unconsciousness, still transfixed by her smile he heard her voice: “You will make an able apprentice…once I’m through with you.”