Meeting the Chosen One

You march briskly beside Count Dooku, the trip spent in silence as he leads you to the main hanger. Fingertips brush excitedly at the polished silver of your lightsabers. If there was anyone in the galaxy with enough raw power and natural talent to cross blades with you on more equal footing, it was Skywalker himself. That old adrenaline buzz had you eagerly anticipating the duel. The final stretch to the hanger was a simple elevator ride, and as you call the lift to your level, Dooku pauses several paces behind you, implying you would be meeting the Jedi Knight alone; perfectly fine with you. It was during this pause when you decide to break the silence.

"You certainly have an impeccable knack for timing, don't you Master Dooku?" you state lightly.

"You of all people should understand that there's no such thing as coincidence in matters of the ****, Master Hazelton," he replies in turn as you board the elevator. "Brash and hotheaded as he is, Skywalker remains a formidable opponent. You would do well not to underestimate him."

"Thank you. Your warning is noted."

With a hiss, the elevator hatch locks shut and you begin your rapid descent to the hanger. Skywalker was closing in on the frigate quickly, but even with his speed, you would still have a few moments to prepare your battlefield to your liking. Upon arriving in the hanger, you were pleased to see a distinct lack of droids or crew. Given the largely skeletal nature of the Munificent line, there was little need for massive and spacious hangers compared to dedicated carrier groups. The Scarlet Dawn's complement of vulture and tri fighter squadrons were neatly aligned along the exterior of the hull, hidden within the various nooks and crannies. What remained here was numerous landing craft for the garrisoned battle droids, including Dooku's personal Geonosian Solar Sailor.

Opposite of you was the bright **** field locking in the atmosphere against the vacuum of space, and so you decided this would be the perfect backdrop for your duel. With a wave of your hand, the lights dim to near darkness, granting you an aura of menace that would make any Sith proud. To be fair, you were indeed borrowing a bit from Vader's introduction to Luke on Cloud City, but you were a God. What kind of deity would be without a little dramatic flare from time to time? You loved the end result. The shield cast an eerie, indigo hue across the hanger, marked by sporadic reds and golds of active machinery, and beyond its shimmering form, you caught the glint of an approaching starfighter. Crossing your arms, you cloak your presence in the shadows and wait with bated breath for the Chosen One's arrival.

The sharp, dagger-like body of a Delta 7-B gently hovered into view, its normally soft-spoken engines screaming loudly within the silence of the hanger followed by a thunderous thump of its landing. Its cockpit popped open with a snap-hiss of depressurization, and from it climbed a cautious Anakin Skywalker. Keen, steel-blue eyes swept across the hanger searching for a presence his senses could no longer detect. Concluding himself to be alone, he reaches for his comlink.

"Master, the **** signature I felt on the Scarlet Dawn has disappeared," you hear him say. "I don't know how it happened but it's making me uneasy. The hanger is empty as if they were waiting for me."

"Be cautious, Anakin," you hear Obi-wan's reply. "I felt it too. You might be walking into a trap."

Understatement. Time to make your entrance. A wave of your hand yanks the comlink from Anakin's grasp into yours and a clench of your fist crushes it into pieces. Your sudden and nigh overwhelming presence in the **** has Anakin jumping back into a defensive stance, the Chosen One summoning his lightsaber from his belt in preparation for battle.

"The **** is with you, young Skywalker..." you say with a booming, reverberating voice as you step out of the shadows. "But you're not a master yet."

Anakin glares up at your position on the catwalk, hands gripping his lightsaber tightly in anticipation for a fight.

"You have a lot of nerve setting things up like this," he answers back to you. "Who are you? And what do you want?"

You step lightly from the high ground and land with a thud at Anakin's level.

"Who I am is in need of no introduction if you've paid any attention to your studies as a padawan," you declare, tapping your mask as a hint. "As for what I want, you have nothing in your possession that would interest me. The Count and I have become business acquaintances of sorts since the war began and he felt it appropriate to introduce me to one of his more... dangerous adversaries. It seems you've made quite an impression on him. Bravo."

"Then he's here after all. My business is with Dooku, not you. Stand aside and I'll let you live."

"So quick to ****," you say, shaking your head. "I'm not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of what the Jedi have become since my departure so many millennia ago. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that's not possible. You shall go no further than this point."

"Then make your peace with the ****. If you decide to stand against me, then you're my enemy."

You chuckle at his bravado.

"Spoken like a true Sith."

Anakin growls at your taunt and leaps forward, spinning in flight to bring his lightsaber crashing down upon you. Violet energy roars to life as you lift your own blade to meet him, the two sabers crackling against each other as Anakin struggles to overpower you. With an effortless heave, you throw him back and allow the duel to begin in earnest. As expected, Skywalker's skills and power are leaps and bounds above Barriss' display back on the Star Forge, and he shows such with an elaborate storm of spins, strikes, and ripostes. You met his persevering Djem So with the resilience of Soresu, parrying and redirecting his energy away with practiced grace. It irritated the young Jedi to no end being met with his Master's favored form by, in his eyes, a Dark Sider. Twisting your wrist inward, you spin out of Skywalker's reach and follow up with a powerful **** Push, sending him skidding backward and breaking the duel.

"Impressive," you compliment. "Your dedication to Form V is to be commended and yet, there still seems to be something lacking... why?"

"As if I need to explain myself to you," Anakin sneers back.

A sweep of his hand sends cargo crates and lighter machinery hurling in your direction, yet you elegantly dance through the onslaught, cutting through anything that could strike you with ease. Anakin doesn't let up, steamrolling forward against you before the dust could settle. In a furious exchange, his lightsaber crashes against yours, each blow he sends in your direction growing with intensity as the duel progresses. His impatience was beginning to show, but to his credit, he was far from tired. Your lips begin to twitch upward in a smile as your blades lock together once more.

"Ah yes, I see it now," you speak once more. "You're holding back, aren't you? A commendable effort for a Jedi, but for someone like you? Disappointing."

You press forward against him, making Anakin strain against your own power. Inch by inch, you **** his guard back against him, his azure blade hovering dangerously close to his face yet still he glares back at you in defiance. It was then that he decided to make his move. Shifting his feet, he allows your weight to slip to his right, giving him an opening at yours. The warning comes screaming towards you through the **** and you tumble towards his flank, his lightsaber barely grazing your armor and leaving an angry orange mark of molten steel in its wake. The Chosen One managed to score a hit on you.

With the lock broken, Anakin presses forward once more in the offensive just as you regain your footing, but this time you meet his power with a swing of your own. You discard Soresu for your own fashion of Djem So. What followed was a thunderous exchange of blows, Anakin's unstoppable **** butting head to head with your immovable object. You could feel the durasteel plates beneath your boots shivering with every impact. Anakin's potential knew no bounds. It was no wonder Sidious wanted him as an apprentice so badly, and yet still you found him unwilling to truly unleash his untapped wellspring of power. A bit more goading was in order.

"Surely you can do better!" you taunt, striking him in the temple with your hilt.

He roars back in fury, unleashing a booming blast of **** energy against you. It slams against your chest with the weight of a freight train, lifting you from your feet and sending you crashing into the wall. Momentarily stunned, you allow yourself to fall forward in a daze with your lightsaber clattering to the side, giving Anakin a small victory to enjoy. It was for only a moment but you managed to tip him into losing control. The conflict warring within his spirit had become too glaring to ignore now, even to him. Light wrestled with dark for control over the Chosen One. You could hear Skywalker's labored breathing as fatigue begins to grip him. A little bit more will nudge him over the edge, you could feel it. It fills you with glee as you embrace your darker emotions, riding the euphoria of the Dark Side with a low cackle. Slowly, you rise to your feet as the first flickers of fear begin to dance in Anakin's mind.

"There... that's better," you say softly as you return to full height. "Control is essential for any Jedi devout of the Order, but you're far from devoted, aren't you? People like us... we must embrace a much larger view of the ****."

"Shut up..." Anakin rumbles underneath his breath.

"You've known all along, haven't you? The stares? The comments? The distrust?"

"Shut up...!" he bites back a bit louder.

"They fear you, Skywalker. They fear what you're capable of, what you can become. They all do."

"Enough!" Anakin bellows with anger. "It's a trick of the Dark Side! I won't let you get into my head!"

"I'm already there."

Bringing his lightsaber to bear, Anakin charges towards you, his fury roiling around him like a hurricane. Grinning behind your mask, you recall your lightsaber to your hand and, fingers of your left splayed out, you send a surge of **** Lightning into the blade. It crackles menacingly from the overload of power, its refined structure taking on a far more sporadic and "feral" appearance as white-blue tendrils of electricity dance along its edge. Whether out of pure anger or ignorance, Anakin ignores this new danger and carries on barreling forward. His sweeping strike was met with a two-handed swing of your own, your lightsaber reverberating fiercely in your hands.

A blinding flash of light erupted from the point of contact, your power effortlessly besting Anakin's. An exchange of dynamism follows as the concentrated lightning flows through the Chosen One's lightsaber much like a circuit connecting. The sudden surge of excess energy not only shortcircuits the blade but overloads the power supply within the hilt. This once elegant weapon of a more civilized age had, in an instant, been converted into a pipe bomb, a pipe bomb gripped tightly in Anakin's hands. He screams in pain as the shockwave throws him across the floor. His bravado had once again cost him, leaving him heaving for breath in excruciating agony. His robotic right arm had been stripped of its protective leather exterior, exposing the circuitry and skeletal frame beneath; far from damaged beyond repair, still functioning even, but his left was a much different matter. He cradled the mangled, bloody mess to his abdomen, sweat pooling upon his brow and dripping down his paling face. The Chosen One, the Hero Without Fear, had been bested soundly by you.

"Game... set... match," you declare with finality.

"Wh- what are you...?!" Anakin manages to say between gritted teeth.

A curious question. You could of course answer with the truth and yet, such words felt hollow on your tongue. You thought back to what you had already done and plan to do, thought back to what you've been saying in your power fantasy, or even since this entire journey began. You had already jumped this far down into the rabbit hole. What were a few more steps?

"I... " you begin as you lift the struggling Jedi with the ****. "... am Revan."

A silent wish from you pins Anakin to Dooku's ship with overwhelming might. This writhing Jedi Knight was completely at your mercy. You could end it right now if you truly wanted, but would you? So much hinged on this boy since his birth, a miracle that was quite truly the Will of the ****. He had a destiny to fulfill, to bring balance between light and dark. Godly as you were, if you were to act out against the **** itself, against what was quite literally the will of the Universe, could that invite another power or being to be born to overthrow you? You were beginning to understand if only just a little why God Himself kept such a hands-off approach back home.