Star Wars_ The Old Republic_ Revan - Drew Karpyshyn [81]
Bastila shrugged. “When he found out Revan had left, HK decided to go after him. But I refused to tell him where my husband had gone.”
“A wise move,” Meetra said. “The last thing Revan needed while helping Canderous and the Mandalorians was a homicidal droid following him around.”
“HK stormed off, swearing he would track Revan down on his own,” Bastila continued. “That was the last I heard of him until he showed up again with you.”
“There must be some part of his programming that compels him to seek Revan out,” Meetra muttered. “If I had known that, I would have been more careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“I left HK under the supervision of the new Jedi Council. I didn’t think it was safe to have him roaming the galaxy, and I assumed he would be content to stay with the Jedi, awaiting further orders. But he disappeared soon after I left. Now I realize he’s probably gone in search of Revan again.”
Suddenly worried, Bastila asked, “Is there any chance he’ll find him?” She directed her question to T3. “Did you tell him anything about what happened to Revan?”
T3 responded with a negative buzz that sounded almost offended. Clearly the astromech felt the same reservations about involving the hunter-killer droid as his human counterparts.
Relieved, Bastila muttered, “Someone should try to track him down. Find and disable him before he hurts anyone else.”
There was little conviction behind her words; as dangerous as HK was, he was only one droid. She had more important things on her mind. Her husband was still missing, and for the first time in years, she was on the verge of being able to do something about it.
“The Jedi are already searching for HK,” Meetra assured her. “Don’t worry about him.”
Bastila nodded. “Tee-Three,” she said. “Tell us the rest of your story. What happened next?”
The astromech continued his tale.
After finding the disassembled bits of HK-47, he fell in with Meetra, joining her as he had joined Revan many years before. By the time he learned Bastila was alive, he was once again caught up in a battle for the Republic’s survival. Despite his instructions, he knew he couldn’t abandon Meetra until the safety of the Republic was secured.
His confession caused Bastila to feel another surge of bitterness. T3 had chosen to help Meetra instead of following Bastila’s instructions. He’d put the Exile’s mission above his loyalty to Revan.
The emotion passed quickly, replaced by guilt and shame. Bastila’s love for Revan had once again momentarily blinded her to logic and reason. Her husband was one man; it was foolish to value his life against the fate of millions. If Revan had been standing in the room, he would have congratulated the droid for putting the greater good above personal wants and desires.
“Revan would be proud of you,” she told the little droid. “I’m proud of you, too.”
“I think our path is clear,” Meetra declared. “I will go to Nathema and see if I can learn Revan’s fate.”
“You?” Bastila said, her voice showing more anger and surprise than she intended. “What about me? You expect me to just sit here and wait, not even knowing if he’s alive or dead?”
“What has changed since Revan left?” Meetra asked softly. “You stayed behind to care for your son. Are you prepared to leave him behind now?”
“Of course not!” Bastila spat. She almost added, I’ll bring him with me, but at the last second she realized how reckless and ridiculous that would be.
Revan had left because he believed there was something in the Unknown Regions that was a far greater threat than any the Republic had ever faced. Guided by his visions of a storm-covered world, he thought his journey was the only way to protect the future of his family. Following in his footsteps might expose their son to the very threat Revan was trying to stop; it would be a betrayal of the very principles that had sent him on his journey in the first place, and it would endanger their child.
“I’m sorry,” Bastila whispered. “I didn’t mean to … I just … I miss him. I feel so helpless. So useless. All I do is wait. You don’t understand