Star Wars_ The Old Republic_ Revan - Drew Karpyshyn [120]
Glancing around the cave he realized the scream must have been confined to his mind; neither Meetra nor Revan had reacted in any way. She was sitting in the same cross-legged pose Revan had often assumed during his time in Nyriss’s prison. Revan was kneeling in front of T3-M4, hunched forward as he rewatched the holovid of his wife and son.
Scourge shook his head, trying to push away the remnants of his dream. But the memory stayed with him, and he began to realize that what he had seen was something more than a mere nightmare.
The experience lacked the hazy, surreal feel of a dream. It had been too vivid, the details too sharp and precise to be a figment manifested by his subconscious. There was only one possible explanation for what had happened: the Force had given Scourge a vision.
Scourge’s hands began to tremble slightly as he realized he had witnessed his own destruction at the Emperor’s hand. Even worse, the vision made it clear that both Meetra and Revan would suffer the same fate. He had opened himself up to the Force, and it had shown him that their coming mission would end in failure.
He glanced over at the Jedi, wondering if he should warn them. Even if he did, would they believe what he said? Could he believe it?
His training at the Academy had taught him little about the prophetic abilities of the Force. Was what he had seen inevitable, or was it a fate he could somehow avoid? Maybe his strong connection to the dark side would somehow color his visions, distorting them so they showed the worst of all possible futures.
The simplest course would be to tell Revan what he had seen and hear his opinion of it. But Scourge knew his allies’ trust in him was already fragile. If he admitted he thought their mission was doomed, it could convince them he couldn’t be trusted. They might even decide it was his presence that caused their failure; after all, he was the one who had seen the vision.
Scourge continued to struggle with what he had seen, trying to understand what it meant and what he should do about it. But after several more minutes of silently talking himself in circles, he realized he simply wouldn’t find the answers on his own.
He pushed himself to his feet and went over to where Revan was sitting. T3 paused the playback of the holovid as he approached, but left the still image of Revan’s wife and son hovering in the air.
“May I speak with you?” Scourge asked, taking a seat beside the Jedi without waiting for a reply.
“You may,” Revan said, not bothering to tear his gaze away from the projection of his family.
“I want to know more about the Force,” Scourge said. “I want to understand it as you do.”
Revan turned to give him a quizzical look. “You want to know this now?”
“This might be our last chance,” Scourge said. “I’ve been thinking about something you said to me the last time we spoke in your cell.”
“What is that?”
“You knew Meetra was coming to rescue you because the Force had given you a vision.”
Revan smiled. “Actually, I was bluffing. I was trying to trick you. I was hoping you might dream of me escaping, and think the Force was guiding you to help me.”
“Is that how it happens?” Scourge asked, slightly miffed at Revan’s confession. “They come to you in your dreams?”
“No. A Force vision is more powerful than any dream. There is an intensity that jumps out at you, and the details do not fade. But I figured you wouldn’t know the difference.”
I do now, Scourge thought.
“I won’t apologize for lying to you,” Revan said, mistaking the reason for his companion’s silence. “And if it makes you feel any better, I actually did have a vision of Meetra after we spoke.”
“That seems a highly unlikely coincidence,” Scourge noted.
“That is the way of the Force,” Revan said. “Cause and effect are not a simple linear relationship. The Force transcends space and time; it flows through us and around us; it influences our past, present, and future. Maybe I spoke to you of visions because I knew the Force