Light

What if Revan had managed to turn Malak back to the light side before he died?

(By-the-way, I have this problem with proportions quite often when I draw. If anyone can see any problems with it, please point them out. Any help is appreciated.)

Dressed in a long, flowing evening dress and white dress gloves, she walked away from the large victory party.

 The Star Forge was destroyed. Revan was destroyed. In her stead was Ashley Fallon, Jedi Knight and Savior of the Republic. She gazed out across the sands of Lehon, her wine glass in hand. It was a beautiful night. And it was a night to celebrate. The Star Forge was gone, and so was Malak.

As she thought about him, her mind flashed back to that moment on board the giant space station when he had finally fallen...

* * *

I dove out of the way of the humming red lightsaber, my own violet blade raised to parry another blow and another. With a deft flick of my wrist, Malak's lightsaber was low and to the right... I plunged my lightsaber in the opening. Malak was caught in the chest. He gasped, his lightsaber deactivating and dropping out of his fingers. He gazed down at the hole in his chest and the violet blade through it. With a little sob of exhaustion, I killed the blade. Malak slumped to his hands and knees on the cold metal floor.

Fatigue and my own injuries started to catch up to me. Pain blossomed in my left ankle and I knew there was blood crawling down my face from a cut above my eyebrow. My knees wobbled and I felt myself fall down onto them, a hand span from Malak. I could feel vibrations through the deck; see fighters zooming by the windows... I felt so alone.

Malak's shoulders were quivering. Sweat was running down his face in torrents. Blood was pouring out his nose, making his jaw plate red. He looked at me, his eyes growing dim.

Suddenly, the loneliness hit me full-throttle. It squeezed my heart and I knew that this was the end. The Star Forge was going down. I grasped Malak's shoulder to steady myself. We could still make it...

Malak's yellow eyes met mine, "I... this is impossible... I cannot be beaten... I... am the Dark Lord of the Sith," he rasped. Even his jaw plate could not hide the weakness in his voice.

"The... the light will always shine through the darkness," I said; now in so much pain that blackness was starting to nibble at my vision.

"Still... still spouting the wisdom of the Jedi Council, I see," Malak said. Was that a hint of sadness in his metallic voice? "Maybe there is more truth in their code than I ever believed."

His yellow eyes turned to the floor, "I wonder, Revan, what if our positions had been reversed?" his face had taken on a faraway expression, "What if fate had decreed that I had been captured by the Jedi?"

He looked back into my eyes, "Could I have returned to the light as you did?" He looked away, at the stars outside, "I always blamed you for leading me down the dark road... but now I see that it was my own fault for continuing down it."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off, "No... It doesn't matter now. I alone must accept responsibility for my fate," his face tightened in pain. I wasn't sure if it were physical pain or the pain of distant memories.

"I wanted to be Sith Lord... ruler of the galaxy. But that destiny wasn't mine, Revan. It might have been yours... perhaps. But never mine," his eyes grew dim, some of the yellow was fading, "You know... there was one moment when I fired on your ship that I thought maybe I could return to the Jedi... but then I thought of all the endless months of searching for the Star Forge and Sith teachings... I couldn't put it all to waste."

 His broad shoulders shuddered as he tried to take a deep breath, "And in the end... as the darkness takes me.... I am nothing."

I gripped his shoulders with both hands, a new-found urge had strengthened my will to remain strong, to stay alive... just for a moment, "No, Malak, you are something! And I won't let the darkness take you!" I exclaimed, "It's not too late!"

Malak considered me, "You think the light could accept me back, after all that I've done?"

"Heh, look at me," I let a small and painful grin cross my face.

His expression softened and a slight smile tugged at the corners of his eyes, "Who would have thought, eh?" the voice was soft, even with the metallic hint.

We were both silent for a while, both sitting on the floor... both thinking...

Malak was the first to speak, "Thank you, Cazai," he said. To my astonishment, his eyes had returned to a natural gray color.

Suddenly, my mind was blasted with light. It was a pure and joyful feeling. And just as suddenly, Malak was gone.

"Goodbye... Alek," I fell into a deep and dark sleep... no, I saw the light. I would never slip into darkness again.

* * *

Ashley turned at the sound of a soft step. It was Malak... or at least, something like him.

In place of his jaw-plate, he had a natural and strong chin. His black and wavy hair flowed to rest on the nape of his neck, and his eyes were a beautiful dark gray color. This was Alek.