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1!!This page contains unmarked spoilers for ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''.
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3[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sw_revan.jpg]]
4''Revan'' is a ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' novel by Creator/DrewKarpyshyn, author of the ''Literature/DarthBane'' series and senior writer on ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', to which it serves as a DistantPrologue. It wraps up the story of Revan, player character of ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', and the Exile, player character of ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''. The story takes place 2-5 years after the end of Knights and three hundred years before ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''.
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7!!This novel contains examples of:
8* ActionGirl: Subverted with Bastila since she never gets the chance to fight alongside her husband again. She even makes clear that she feels useless doing nothing but wait for him. Played straight with the Jedi Exile Meetra Surik though.
9* AlphaBitch: Though she only appears once in the story, Atris is in top form here.
10* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler: Both Revan and the Exile's Force Ghost are trapped in this at the end, with Revan kept in stasis and the Exile bound to Revan, but they both find purpose in respectively fighting the Emperor's mind reading attempts and giving Revan strength to resist.]]
11* AmnesiacDissonance: Upon receiving his mask, [[spoiler: Revan remembers everything, including his time as a Sith. He handles it well enough that it's essentially a massive power-up though.]]
12* ArmedWithCanon: Drew Karpyshyn [[spoiler:giving the Exile a name and giving Revan a child by Bastila (although ''[[VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic The Old Republic]]'' had already pretty well confirmed the latter)]] and took a shot at Kreia (and her accompanying DeconstructorFleet arguments) by having the Exile dismiss everything she ever said out of hand.
13* AtrociousAlias: Revan's opinion on ''Avner'', the name Canderous gives to the other Mandalorians. He turns out to be correct when it turns out everyone immediately figured it out.
14* AwesomeByAnalysis: Lord Scourge frequently considers every possible scenario before acting, and is quite good at it.
15* AxCrazy:
16** Lord Scourge is big on violence and hate, but it makes sense given that he's a Sith Lord.
17** Even though he never makes a physical appearance in the story, HK-47 is still confirmed to be very much a prime example of these tropes, to the point that neither Revan nor the Exile chooses to bring him along because of his psychotic tendencies possibly hampering the mission.
18* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: "Mandalore has returned! I am Mandalore the Preserver, and I will restore the honor and glory of my people!" - [[spoiler: As Canderous Ordo claims Mandalore's Mask.]]
19* BadassBoast: "I am [[spoiler: Revan reborn]]. And before me you are nothing."
20* BadassNormal: Canderous and Veela Ordo.
21* BadBoss: The Emperor, who takes it to new levels even by Sith standards. [[spoiler: When Darth Nyriss' betrayal is exposed]], the Emperor not only has his Imperial Guard eradicate her entire portion of the Empire, but then kills [[spoiler: every single member of the Dark Council, even the ones who were still loyal to him.]]
22* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: Revan's having experienced both the Light and Dark Sides gives him a very unique insight into the Force that makes it all the more easy for him to get on Scourge's good side by giving him little bits of his knowledge over the course of Scourge's many visits to his prison cell.
23* BastardBastard: Tenebrae/Vitiate. His mother was a farmer's wife, but his biological father was actually the local Sith Lord.
24* BattleCouple: Averted with Revan and Bastila, as she does not accompany him on his journey. Briefly played straight with Canderous and [[spoiler: his wife]] Veela Ordo. [[spoiler: Then that alliance turns sour when Veela discovers Revan's identity and [[ShootTheDog Canderous and Revan have to kill her]]]].
25* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Despite Revan's warning [[spoiler: to Scourge]] that Force Visions are only possible futures that are shaped by the actions of today, [[spoiler: Scourge betrays Revan and the Exile as soon as he sees a vision of a different Jedi defeating the Emperor.]] On the other hand, [[spoiler: Scourge]] could have been playing the odds, as he did see Revan [[spoiler: victorious]] in some visions, just estimated that the alternative had a better chance - and in the end, he was right (though how much of that is influenced by his decisions is hard to tell).
26* BedmateReveal: The novel opens with Revan waking up next to his wife who isn't identified. His wife is revealed to be Bastila two pages later.
27* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The Exile and T3-M4 die, and Revan is [[AndIMustScream imprisoned by the Sith Emperor]], destined to never see his wife again and never getting to see his son period. On top of that, the Sith do wind up invading the Republic, and perhaps worst of all, the Sith Emperor remains a KarmaHoudini.]] The only thing keeping the ending from being a ShootTheShaggyDog ending is the fact that while he [[spoiler: fails to stop the Sith Emperor outright,]] Revan is able to keep the Sith invasion from happening for almost 300 years, sparing the galaxy from the wrath of the Sith Empire for years. This also has the added benefit of sparing his wife, son, and grandchildren from ever having to experience the Sith Empire's invasion in any of their lives.
28** Although that doesn't spare ''all'' of Revan's descendants, as his great-great-great-great-insert correct number of greats granddaughter Satele Shan and her son Theron have to fight first [[spoiler: the Sith Empire ''then Revan himself''. And apparently Revan's mind-link with Vitiate never once lets him know that he's also the all-powerful Emperor of a ''whole other empire'' that has the military capability to take on ''both'' of the established superpowers ''and win''. Of course, even if he did know, conquering the galaxy might have been a means to challenge the Eternal Empire on even footing.]]
29* BlackEyesOfEvil: TheEmperor's eyes are completely black, and apparently were from birth.
30* BodyguardBetrayal: Scourge's plan for the Emperor when the Jedi from his vision shows up.
31* BrokenPedestal: For those who are familiar with Bastila's [[HolierThanThou general personality]] in the original ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' game, her views on the Jedi Council here might come off as a bit of a surprise. Given the events of the game, this is not entirely shocking, but still a surprise.
32* TheBrute: Scourge is a giant of a man and mostly serves as muscle for Nyriss. He grows a bit wiser than most examples and has long term plans of his own, [[spoiler: ending the book by becoming TheDragon to the Emperor - and a DragonWithAnAgenda at that.]]
33* BullyingADragon: Some of Sechel's interactions with Lord Scourge have shades of this. [[spoiler: No surprise, Scourge winds up killing Sechel, though its at least in part because he believed that Sechel [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness had become a liability]] in his and Revan's plan to kill the Sith Emperor.]]
34* TheButcher: Revan is apparently called this by some Mandalorians now.
35* CatchAndReturn: Revan uses this against Darth Nyriss' Force Lightning. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, the Emperor's Force Lightning]] is too powerful for Revan to catch.
36* TheChessmaster: Revan, Nyriss, and the Emperor all have shades of it.
37** DiabolicalMastermind: Again, Nyriss and the Emperor. Scourge also begins to get in on the act as time passes.
38* ClingyJealousGirl: Bastila Shan becomes suspicious of Revan and the Exile's relationship, though she accepts that the Exile must search for him alone, while she looks after their son. The Exile later admits that she's slightly jealous of Revan and Bastila's relationship, but clarifies that she loves Revan like a father. This despite the fact that there is implied to be far less of an age difference between Revan and the Exile than between Revan and Bastila. Remember, the Exile was already a full Jedi Knight and Revan's HyperCompetentSidekick at the time of the Mandalorian Wars, while Bastila was, in her own words, "a young padawan".
39* ColdBloodedTorture: Revan is subjected to it after getting captured by Lord Scourge and Darth Nyriss but his tolerance for pain backed up by the Force allows him to resist it well. [[spoiler:He later gets subjected to it again via imprisonment in a stasis pod where the Emperor feeds off of him. But both the support of the Jedi Exile's Force ghost and [[TheDeterminator Revan's own determination to ensure that his wife and son never have to experience the return of the Sith]] sustains him]]
40* CoolMask: Mandalore's Mask and Revan's Mask.
41* CurbstompCushion: While the Emperor ultimately overpowers him, Revan gives him a hard enough fight to both shake him and fascinate him - which is part of why he spends the next three centuries studying Revan.
42* DarkActionGirl: Veela Ordo, Canderous' estranged wife and the leader of the Mandalorian clan the two encounter.
43* TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget: Inverted. The light side made Revan forget, and his mask, the symbol most closely associated with his Sith self, made him remember.
44* DeaderThanDead: [[spoiler: T3-M4, as the only character who could conceivably return from death/deactivation]], is ''disintegrated '' by the Emperor.
45* DeadpanSnarker: Revan has his moments.
46* DelayingAction: Both Revan's initial attack on the Emperor, [[spoiler:as well as his subtle hints through their shared mental link when he is kept in stasis]] delay the Sith Empire's attack on the Republic by almost 300 years.
47* TheDeterminator: Revan really, really, really, wants to stop whatever it is he's having visions about. And especially after learning more about the threat in question. [[spoiler: Even after being imprisoned by the Sith Emperor at the end of the story his determination to keep the Emperor from launching an attack on Republic space for as long as possible keeps him going.]]
48* DistantPrologue: To ''[[VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic The Old Republic]]''.
49* TheDragon: Scourge is this first to Nyriss, then to [[spoiler:the Emperor.]]
50* DragonWithAnAgenda: Scourge becomes this to [[spoiler: the Emperor - he foiled the assassination attempt after estimating it was too likely to fail anyway, and promptly spent the next three centuries waiting for an opportune moment to stab the Emperor in the back]].
51* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: T3-M4's]] final action is to blast the Sith Emperor himself with a flamethrower and [[HeroicSacrifice save Revan's life]]. For a [[spoiler: little utility droid]], that took balls of pure steel.
52* EliteMooks: The Imperial Guard are skilled enough at fighting to last at least a little while against Revan, Meetra Surik, and Lord Scourge. Also, [[spoiler: when the Emperor learns of Darth Nyriss' betrayal, his Imperial Guard make swift work of her forces, even the Dark Force users.]]
53* EmptyPilesOfClothing: [[spoiler: The Exile]] may have pulled this, as her spirit survives, but not in the usual way of Star Wars. Her spirit binds itself to [[spoiler: Revan, and helps keep him alive while the Emperor feeds on his power.]]
54* EnemyCivilWar: The Dark Council. No surprise since they're all Sith Lords and betrayal is the name of the game for the Sith.
55* EnemyMine: Scourge, Revan, and the Exile team up to face the Emperor.
56* EnfantTerrible: Vitiate was evil enough to [[SelfMadeOrphan personally kill his parents]] at age 6, had conquered his planet by killing the local Sith Lord (his biological father) by the age of 10, and at 13 was made a Sith Lord and declared legitimate ruler of his world by then-Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos.
57* {{Expy}}:
58** The Sith Emperor and his Imperial Guards are, as one could guess, this to Emperor Palpatine and his Royal Guards.
59** T3-M4 is, as always, a total {{Expy}} of R2-D2.
60* EvenEvilHasStandards:
61** The whole reason the Dark Council oppose the Sith Emperor is a mix of this trope and PragmaticVillainy.
62** Also, when the Sith Emperor shows Lord Scourge [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead what it's like in his head]] the experience is described as indescribably horrific. Keep in mind that this is a typically merciless, ruthless, and at times sadistic Sith Lord that we're talking about here.
63* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Played straight with Revan, whose true name is never revealed (and possibly lost forever thanks to the Jedi), but averted for formerly nameless characters the Exile and the Sith Emperor (Meetra Surik and Tenebrae/Lord Vitiate). In the case of the Emperor, it is specifically stated that the Emperor stopped being Tenebrae/Lord Vitiate the moment he completed the ritual that killed Nathema, and is now only the Emperor.
64* EvilCounterpart: The Dark Council are this to the Jedi Council.
65* EvilMakesYouUgly: Scourge is momentarily taken aback when he sees a beautiful statue of Darth Nyriss and then sees she is now a shriveled and aged hag despite the statue depicting her only two decades earlier. He mentally reminds himself of the cost the dark side has on one's body.
66* EvilVersusEvil: The Dark Council against the Sith Emperor as well as the various power struggles the Dark Council members have with one another.
67* ForegoneConclusion: Revan's adventure at the end of Act I is clearly not going to go well for him, seeing how he's still missing by KOTOR II.
68* TheGoodChancellor: [[spoiler: Revan's son]] winds up becoming a politician and, eventually, Supreme Chancellor.
69* GoodIsNotSoft: Both Revan and Meetra Surik are very much Light Side, and are fighting to stop the Sith [[OmnicidalManiac Emperor]], but when or if they get attacked, neither one has any problem with using lethal force. Scourge even notes that the Exile was not afraid to kill, although she didn't enjoy it either. [[spoiler: Revan winds up utterly destroying Darth Nyriss when he redirects her Force Lightning right back at her!]]
70* GreaterScopeVillain: The Sith Emperor was responsible for Revan and Malak's fall, and thus the events of the ''KOTOR'' games. He takes the Big Bad role for ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''.
71* GunsAkimbo: Revan briefly wields dual blasters while hiding his identity as a Jedi.
72* HeroKiller:
73** Lord Scourge murders [[spoiler: the Exile and puts Revan under the bus.]]
74** The Sith Emperor utterly destroys [[spoiler: T3-M4.]]
75* HeroOfAnotherStory: Invoked with the Hero of Tython [[spoiler: in that seeing a vision of him/her killing the Sith Emperor prompts Lord Scourge to betray Revan and the Exile.]]
76* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: T3-M4, Revan, and the Exile]] all sacrifice themselves in attempt to kill the Emperor, and the latter two fight him as best they can when they are trapped in an AndIMustScream situation by the Emperor. To their credit, their actions prevent the Sith's invasion of the galaxy for roughly 300 years.
77* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler: Revan kills Darth Nyriss]] by redirecting her own Force Lightning right back at her.
78* ImmortalityHurts: The price the Emperor [[spoiler:and Scourge]] must pay for their immortality is a constant pain at first, then total numbness to all feeling.
79* InTheBack: Scourge kills [[spoiler: Meetra Surik]] with a lightsaber to the back.
80* InsufferableGenius: Sechel is a non-force sensitive Sith Pureblood who overcompensates immensely with his intelligence agent.
81* InvincibleVillain: The Emperor. As a teenager he killed fifty Sith Lords at once, a feat more suited to a Anime/DragonBallZ villain than a Star Wars character, he can feed on an entire planet at once, and has all of the powers of KOTOR 2 BigBad Darth Nihilus dialed up to eleven, without any of the weaknesses. Oh and he overpowers ''Revan'' [[CurbstompCushion (though not without considerable effort)]].
82* {{Irony}}: Revan tells Scourge he will "understand [his role] in time". He says this merely to gaslight Scourge into eventually helping him escape. Indeed, Scourge does understand his role by the end: the one to imprison Revan in an even lengthier sentence so that the true Emperor killer can rise.
83* {{Jerkass}}: Atris, Lord Scourge, and Sechel.
84* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: The Emperor and Lord Scourge]] both get away scott-free with all of their crimes. If the Hero of Tython does indeed end up killing the Sith Emperor, it is yet to happen for real.
85* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: In order: Veela Ordo, Murtog, Sechel, Nyriss, T3-M4, and Meetra Surik]]
86* LackOfEmpathy: Lord Scourge's initial reaction to [[spoiler: TheReveal of what the Emperor [[MoralEventHorizon did to an entire planet]]]] is about as callous as you can get. Then he actually experiences it in person. He very quickly concludes that Nyriss was right and that the Emperor [[OmnicidalManiac is mad]].
87* LaserBlade: It's ''Star Wars.'' Obviously.
88* LateArrivalSpoiler: If you haven't played [[Videogame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic either of the original games]], a large number of things are ruined for you, most notably and forefront being the fact that the first games [[PlayerCharacter PC]] [[spoiler:is Revan.]]
89* LimaSyndrome: While not romantic, Lord Scourge becomes steadily obsessed with [[spoiler: Revan as he continues to visit him in prison]].
90* MayDecemberRomance: [[spoiler: Vaner Shan is 54 during the epilogue. While his wife's age isn't explicitly stated, it's implied to be significantly younger as Bastila initially considered the age gap between them too big.]]
91* MeaningfulName:
92** Both of the Emperor's names: Tenebrae is very similar to tenebrous, meaning shadowy or obscure, and Vitiate means to spoil or mar. Similarly, his home planet of Nathema is one letter away from Anathema, which means to set apart, as in [[spoiler:set apart from the Force.]]
93** Revan's son is named Vaner, an anagram of Revan.
94** Canderous calls Revan "Avner" when among Clan Ordo; Revan is not impressed, and a few angry Mandalorians figure it out.
95* {{Midquel}}: Of sorts. The first half of the novel happens between the two ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' games.
96* MuggleBornOfMages: Sechel is a rare Sith Pureblood who has no connection to the force. Scourge notes that most of these are put to death (and is borderline tempted to smite the guy himself when they first meet) and the ones who survive are mainly from influential families who can afford to put them out of sight.
97* MythologyGag:
98** Revan's features are described as nondescript and average, in keeping with players being able to choose his appearance.
99** Apparently, it's often said that [[Film/AttackOfTheClones if something doesn't appear in the Jedi Archives, it doesn't exist]].
100* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Lord Scourge. Especially after getting a [[spoiler: new title: the Emperor's Wrath.]] Xedrix lampshades this.
101* TheNapoleon: Murtog is described as being short and stocky.
102* NeckSnap: Lord Scourge kills [[spoiler: Sechel this way.]]
103* NoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler: When Darth Nyriss' betrayal is exposed]], the Emperor not only has his Imperial Guard eradicate her entire portion of the Empire, but then kills [[spoiler: every single member of the Dark Council, even the ones who were still loyal to him.]]
104* ObviouslyEvil: The Emperor, Lord Scourge, and Darth Nyriss. Really, just the Sith in general.
105* OhCrap: Sechel's response to seeing the recording of Scourge capturing Revan instantly tips off Meetra that he knows more then he's letting on during their meeting.
106* OmnicidalManiac: The Emperor, and [[EvenEvilHasStandards its why the Dark Council plots to have him killed.]]
107* OurGhostsAreDifferent: [[spoiler: The Jedi Exile/Meetra Surik]] after becoming a Force Ghost.
108* PowerOfTheVoid: The Emperor, to an even greater extent than Darth Nihilus. When Nihilus feeds, he creates a Wound in the Force. When the Emperor feeds, he creates a complete ''Void'' in the Force, and takes away color and nearly all sound in the area.
109* PowerNullifier: No one can use TheForce while on Nathema, or any other Void in the Force.
110* PhysicalGod: The Emperor is among the most powerful Force users in history, if not ''the'' most powerful. It is testament to Revan's vast power that he gives him a real fight.
111* PosthumousCharacter: Malak and Mandalore the Ultimate.
112* PragmaticVillainy:
113** The Dark Council opposes the Emperor because his being an OmnicidalManiac is not conducive to their dreams of galactic conquest.
114** Lord Scourge takes it even further than anyone on the Dark Council and makes it practically an art-form.
115* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The Mandalorians as always.
116* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: T3-M4 and the Exile,]] although it is at the end.
117* ScaryBlackMan: Murtog, Darth Nyriss' chief of security, is described as having very dark (red) skin.
118* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections[=/=]SmugSnake: Sechel thinks he can boss around and insult Scourge just because he is a high ranking servant of Darth Nyriss. [[spoiler: Scourge eventually kills him, of course.]]
119* SealedGoodInACan: [[spoiler: Revan]] at the end.
120* SelfMadeOrphan: Tenebrae/Vitiate killed his father with the Force when the poor farmer reacted angrily to the fact that his wife had a child with a Sith Lord. Then he tortured his mother to death for dishonoring the family with her adultery.
121* SenseLossSadness: A few characters experience this while cut off from the Force on Nathema, and have to struggle not to throw up or go mad.
122* {{Sequel}}: Part one follows Revan after the events of the first game, Part two follows the Jedi Exile after the events of the second game.
123* SexSlave: Meetra offers to buy Sechel's slave, feigning attraction to him (She really intends on setting him free). She's upset when Sechel responds he'll only let her rent him out for some... private services.
124* ShockAndAwe:
125** The Sith Emperor can unleash some nasty Force lightning. Fitting considering who he's an {{Expy}} of.
126** Darth Nyriss, being a Sith Inquisitor, is also quite good at this, [[spoiler: as she demonstrates in her fight against Lord Scourge and Meetra Surik. Then Revan wakes up and effortlessly redirects Nyriss' lightning and utterly destroys her with it.]]
127* ShootTheDog: When [[spoiler: Revan's true identity]] is outed by the Mandalorians he and Canderous were working with, they have to [[spoiler: kill them all. Canderous even has to kill his own wife]].
128* ShootTheShaggyDog: Revan and Exile are betrayed by their alleged ally, suffer an AndIMustScream fate, and the Sith still invade and curb-stomp the Republic anyway. However, their sacrifices do delay the Empire's advance for roughly 300 years and [[spoiler: Revan's connection to the Emperor in stasis allows him to mentally influence the Emperor and help bring about the the Treaty of Coruscant, allowing new heroes to rise and successfully combat the Sith, including the rise of the Hero of Tython, who ultimately defeats the Emperor.]] Viewed in the long term, it becomes much more of a BittersweetEnding.
129* SleazyPolitician: Averted with [[spoiler: Revan's son]], who proves to be, as his mother puts it: "exactly what the galaxy and the Republic needed" after all of the wars with the Sith.
130* TokenEvilTeammate: [[spoiler:Scourge]] becomes this for Revan and Meetra.
131* TookALevelInKindness: Bastila is no longer a {{Tsundere}} towards Revan, and her HolierThanThou attitude has been removed.
132* TortureTechnician: Lord Scourge is stated as having shown a natural affinity for torture early on, and puts his skills to use on Revan after his capture. [[TheDeterminator He is left with nothing but frustrations and dead-ends]].
133* UndyingLoyalty: T3-M4, Bastila, Canderous, HK-47, and the Exile all have this to Revan.
134* VillainousBreakdown: Once her treachery is outed and the Sith Emperor sends his Imperial Guard to kill her and all of her followers, [[spoiler: Nyriss gets PISSED and becomes a raging hag who is hellbent on [[TakingYouWithMe taking Lord Scourge and Meetra Surik with her.]] Of course, then Revan redirects her Force Lightning right back at her and turns into a pile of dust.]]
135* VillainProtagonist: A lot of the book focuses on Scourge, who is a willing servant of the Empire.
136* VoiceOfTheLegion: The Sith Emperor's voice is described as echoing, as if the voices of many can be faintly heard within it. This effect is carried through in the audiobook. Scourge wonders briefly if all the souls the Emperor absorbed on Nathema to gain immortality are perhaps still alive in him, slowly powering his continued existence.
137* WickedWitch: Darth Nyriss. She's even called a hag at one point in the novel.
138* WouldHitAGirl:
139** Lord Scourge kills a female Sith Acolyte working for Darth Xedrix with a disturbing amount of brutality and sadism and also [[spoiler: murders the Jedi Exile]].
140** Also Revan, seeing as how he was willing to and did kill female opponents, and Canderous, who wound up having to [[spoiler: shoot and kill his own wife]].
141* YinYangBomb: Revan.
142-->Instead of charging forward, he opened himself to the Force, letting both the light and dark side flow through him like twin rushing rivers.
143* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Lord Scourge kills [[spoiler:Sechel after he gets him the evidence he needs to incriminate Nyriss because he believes him to be a liability by that point.]]

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