A/N: in which i take liberties with new adasta, lys takes liberties with the dark side, and davri takes liberties with basically everything

also ft. davri's mom bc she is actually The Best

my editing is getting more and more hand-wavey as we go since I'm so short on time so apologies for that. also I'll probably end up posting 22 early next week bc I actually have a free day for once so

Despite all the time she'd already spent on Ziost, Zaara had only actually made it into the capital a few times.

There had been a formal dinner the night before the headquarters were officially opened, dutifully organized by Lana for the top advisors and agents and Darth Zhorrid. Then there was the play she'd attended with Vector — suggested by Lokin, of course — and the surprisingly delightful comedy club she'd dragged them both to in return.

New Adasta had been a brilliant mix of sleek Imperial influence and the vibrant, thriving culture that existed just beneath it. Zaara had a difficult time picturing herself settling down anywhere, but if she ever did, it would've been Ziost.

But the city she was walking through now wasn't a lively cultural center.

The area they'd landed in was mostly empty, the streets filled with rubble and ash and enough bodies to unsettle even Zaara. Quarantine, they'd called it, blockading parts of the city to isolate as much of the affected population as possible. From the looks of it, they'd just created a larger problem.

"Kovach, where's that captain we're supposed to meet?" She turned to face the agent, waiting as he stared down at his datapad.

"Sorry, Agent Ven," he apologized, tapping at the implant that wrapped around the back of his head in explanation. "Emergency broadcast," he reported. "Mandatory curfew, effective immediately, with orderly evacuations to follow."

"Evacuations?" Zaara echoed. "Where to? And how? We don't even have the forces necessary to get that many people off-planet, and even if we did — what? We drop the entire population of a planet on Dromund Kaas?"

Kovach grimaced, tucking the datapad away and leading Zaara further into the capital. "I don't believe this is a situation where logistics takes precedence. We can save the people first, then worry about what to do with them."

She shook her head; someone needed to be asking these questions, even if there weren't yet answers. "Our mission isn't to save anyone, Kovach, it's to stop whatever these possessions are. If every last person on this planet has to die for that to happen, then we let them." Of course, that was hardly the optimal solution — Zaara wouldn't ever willingly let that happen, but they had to be prepared for every outcome. Kovach, as far as she could tell, was thoroughly unsettled by the possibility of being unable to save everyone, and Zaara needed him focused.

Kovach was remarkably hesitant for such a high-ranking agent. She'd have to talk to Lana about that.

However, he didn't argue, merely pressing his lips into a frown and leading Zaara over to a building adorned with a pair of Imperial banners. "The armory. The captain and her men retreated here once the quarantine went into effect."

When they entered, they found only the captain from the holo, seated and clutching at her rifle. She barely looked up as they approached her.

"Captain?" Zaara prompted, glancing around at the half dozen corpses.

"Agents." She stood slowly, eyes wide as they flicked erratically between Zaara and Kovach. She remained tense, not relinquishing the grip on her rifle. "Captain Adina Kartier. My men, they… I had to. I killed them. It was— he was in my mind."

Immediately, Zaara reached for a blaster; she hadn't seen the possessions up close — only over holo and in reports — but the captain seemed lucid, if a bit dazed. "You were possessed?"

"No. He tried," she clarified, "but I've got training. Mind tricks, meant to use against Jedi. He wanted me to kill them, but I wouldn't and he turned them against me and I killed them anyway."

All things considered, that was a significant turn in their luck. They now had a better grasp of the source of the possessions — an incredibly powerful Sith, it seemed — and they knew it could be resisted. The average civilian wouldn't have a chance of holding off the influence, but as the captain had said, there were soldiers who'd been trained to fight Jedi — standard training for field agents in Intelligence.

Still, it was a start, and much more than they had a few moments ago.

"Captain, we need to report in to Minister Beniko, and I need you to explain to her about the possessions. After that, we can either call a shuttle for you," Zaara offered, "or you can help us check in with the other outposts."

Kartier blinked, glancing between Zaara and Kovach before nodding. "I'll help. I can help. I just— I just need to get out of here for a bit."

"You're both holding back."

Lys stalked along the edges of the training room, the hum of the apprentices' training sabers the only sound besides her footsteps. Hands clasped behind her back, she kept her eyes trained on both Ashara and Jaesa, watching as they prepared for another attack.

Jaesa had long surpassed anything Lys could teach, but her skills were proving a perfect match for Ashara. Lys had taken to training with the togruta, ever since they'd spent mornings sparring together months ago on Yavin 4. Darth Nox had, of course, protested at first, but had since practically told Lys to take over Ashara's training altogether.

They were a good fit, even without the obvious advantage that their similar combat styles afforded them. Ashara also provided balance to Jaesa's training; with Jaesa, Lys tended to focus on meditation and quiet conversation, but Ashara was far more eager to prove herself through combat.

With that, at least, Ashara was incredibly talented and Nox's teachings had clearly been valuable. Her proficiency with the Force, however, was lacking, but between Lys' and Jaesa's assistance she was improving. Ashara's understanding of the Sith code and its values were… underwhelming. Nox, to no one's surprise, had been more interested in turning the former Jedi to the dark side and assuring her allegiance than she was actually training her. But Lys had learned long ago with Jaesa that it was far more valuable to simply let her apprentice grow, to utilize both Jedi and Sith teachings to allow her to find her own place within the Empire.

So far, that approach was proving successful with Ashara as well.

Today, though, she seemed distracted. Ashara hesitated, eyes locked with Jaesa and lips pressed into a thin frown of concentration; she took a step backwards, the dull ocher of her training sabers flaring momentarily as she readjusted her grip.

She easily avoided each of Jaesa's attacks, blocking some and stepping out of the way of others, but making few attempts to follow up with strikes of her own. As their sparring came to a lull, Lys spoke up again.

"Hesitation will not serve you well in battle, apprentice."

Lys had expected a reaction from Ashara — a flare of pride, at the very least — but there was nothing, and instead of attacking she motioned for a break. "Sorry, Master, I'm… distracted," she apologized, the disappointment clear in her voice.

"Is everything alright? You've done well lately," Lys pointed out, unable to keep a tinge of pride from creeping into her voice. "Perhaps you just need a break for the day."

"I… I think that might help." Ashara paused again, staring for a moment out the windows over the sprawling, rainy city. "Darth Nox took a third apprentice," she explained as she placed the training saber back on the rack against the wall, the words abrupt and uncertain. "She barely has time to train both me and Xalek, and… I guess I was finally starting to figure out where my place was with her."

"Then perhaps your place is not with her." It was the first time Ashara had ever referred to herself as one of Nox's apprentices, and Lys hadn't missed the confusion — well-hidden, but still present — beneath her words. Ashara was neither Jedi nor Sith, and Lys was certain she could help her discover the role she would play within the Empire.

As lost as she was in her own thoughts, Lys nearly didn't notice when Quinn slipped into the training room to stand beside her. "Priority holocall, my lord," he informed her quietly. "Upstairs, from both Darth Marr and Minister Beniko. Agent Ven has also reached out to you. I don't know the exact nature, but it seems there's a situation on the planet Ziost."

"I promise, Mom, it wasn't my choice." Leaving her holocomm where it sat on the counter, Davri stood to pour herself another cup of caf. Over the holo, her mother planted her hands on her hips and frowned as Davri moved out of sight. "I'd rather not have to deal with this senate hearing at all, but I have to be there, and that just doesn't leave enough time for us to get all the way to Alderaan and back in time."

"I keep telling you — if you just stayed out of trouble, you wouldn't be under investigation all the time."

Davri grimaced as she sat back down, setting her cup to the side. "But getting into trouble has done me so much good."

"You getting into trouble hasn't done a bit of good for anyone," Aric countered as he made his way into the kitchen, far more alert than Davri but still heading straight for the pot of caf. "Hi, Kida."

"See?" Kida raised an eyebrow, giving Davri her best told you so look. "Listen to your husband. How have you been, Aric? Davri, ask him how he's been."

"He's fine. Here — Mom, he's still here." Davri swiveled the holocomm to face Aric, leaving the two to their conversation and taking the opportunity to duck out of the kitchen. Caf in hand, she made her way into the bedroom to finish getting ready for the day.

Not that there was much to get ready for; with the ongoing investigation into Garza and Eclipse Squad — and Havoc's role in it all — Davri and the rest of the squad were stuck on Coruscant for the foreseeable future. The risk she'd taken in having Agent Ven add the names of Eclipse into the Revanite files didn't seem to be paying off — yet. Given the exhaustive size of the list of traitors throughout the Republic, only one member of Eclipse had been revealed as a Revanite so far; one wasn't surprising, two might be written off as coincidence, but Davri suspected that once a third member of Eclipse was uncovered, the investigation would take a different turn.

So far, it was just a long, drawn out process that had effectively removed Havoc Squad from the war and would undoubtedly end with Garza's removal as well.

Kida had been so enthusiastically looking forward to Life Day that year — mostly because it would be the first year since Davri and Aric had married that they'd be spending it with her and Davri's stepfather on Alderaan — but instead Davri would be forced to watch the end of the career of one of the most respected women in the Republic military.

Her own reputation would likely be affected, but Davri almost didn't care; serving the Republic was far more important to her than whatever their opinions of her were.

Which, as Kida liked to put it, had a tendency to get her in trouble. At least she seemed to understand Davri's frustrations.

Not that it would matter for long, anyway; if this whole ordeal didn't end with Davri being kicked out of the military, she'd be taking a long look at retirement. She had a promising future as a vid star, she was certain — likely in a low-budget holodrama, its success dependent solely on her fame.

It would be nice, she considered as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, to end up on one of those talk shows Kida loved so much — and for a good reason, not something that caused her to send a half-dozen alarmed messages to both her and Aric.

That had been the best thing about Havoc's quieter ops, back when Davri had first joined — it was that much easier to lie to Kida to keep her from worrying.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as her second holocomm — the one she used solely for military business — chimed; she gritted her teeth as she reached for it, assuming it had to do with the trial. Davri stifled her surprise as the Supreme Chancellor's image flickered to life in front of her. "Saresh."

"Major Sohms." Saresh paused as she inspected Davri; she was always looking, always scrutinizing. "I understand your current… responsibilities have you on Coruscant for the time being."

"That's correct."

"I'll get straight to business, then. We've very recently learned of a prime opportunity to front a crippling offensive against the Empire, and I'm personally requesting that Havoc Squad lead the initial attack." Before Davri could argue, Saresh pointed out, "The situation with General Garza can be handled without you, but the presence of you and your squad here could be the key to victory."

She didn't trust Saresh, and Davri wasn't certain she really wanted to take part in whatever victory the Supreme Chancellor foresaw. While Davri could appreciate Saresh's willingness to take risks, she didn't appreciate the fact that most of those risks were unnecessary and cost far too much. "Look, Chancellor, we can't just leave. I'd—"

"Then allow me to clarify, Major," Saresh interrupted. "By request, I mean I'm ordering Havoc Squad to take part in this offensive. The remaining relevant information will be forwarded to you, and you will meet at the established rendezvous point."

"Yeah, sure, we'll be there." Davri ended the call, letting out a slow, frustrated sigh.

Aric appeared in the doorway, frowning. "What was that about?"

"Saresh is ordering us around." Reaching for her datapad, Davri pulled up the information Saresh had sent, scrolling through the reports. "Some golden opportunity to strike at the Empire."

He said nothing for a moment, clearly sharing Davri's hesitation at whatever Saresh was planning. "Good," he offered slowly. "It's past time that Havoc got back in the fight."

Normally, Davri would've agreed, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about the whole situation. "She's sending us to Ziost, apparently. The capital city is our main target."

"Why?" Aric crossed his arms, eyes narrowing. "What makes it so valuable?"

"I don't know. This doesn't—" She cut off sharply, shaking her head as she found the part of the report she'd been searching for. "Says here Saresh has had an agent on Ziost for a few months now, and there's some sort of… civil uprising?"

"If civilians are our target—"

"Then Aric the Moral Compass would keep me from agreeing to the mission," Davri interrupted lightly. She wasn't typically too concerned about civilian casualties, but targeting them directly was too much even for her. "The Republic's just there to take advantage of the chaos. Saresh wants Havoc to go after the— Oh, this'll be fun."

Lips pressed into a thin line and expression one of suspicion, Aric reached over and gently tugged the datapad from Davri. "The new Sith Intelligence headquarters. With blueprints and security codes— Wait, is Saresh actually making decisions that make sense?"

"It's not reckless enough for her. We're going to get there and find out Ziost's one giant swamp or in the headquarters they're always playing one of those really catchy pop songs you can't ever get out of your head."

"Hey."

Cori glanced up as Kira flopped down on the couch beside her. "Hey, yourself. I take it Doc finally gave you the all-clear?" she asked, setting her tea and datapad down.

"Nah, I got out of the medbay a while ago. Rusk is still down there, I think." She shrugged, then looked up at Cori expectantly. "I… Master Satele called. Actually, the whole council sorta called."

"And?" It didn't come as any surprise; they'd been sent by the council to assist with a mission on Brentaal — hence Kira and Rusk's extended stays in the medbay — and though Cori would be reporting to the council in person, a holocall wasn't exactly unexpected. That they turned to Kira first was unexpected.

Kira fidgeted, glancing away before finally confiding in Cori. "They think it's time for me to take a padawan."

"Congratulations," Cori beamed. "For what it's worth, I think you're more than ready. You'll do great."

"Thanks. And yeah, I think I'm ready, too." The statement wasn't meant to brag or boast, but seemed to be Kira's way of trying to convince herself. "It's just… You know Master Neiri?"

"The Barsen'thor. What about her?"

"She left the Order."

Cori's surprise at the news overshadowed her confusion at how Master Neiri was connected to Kira training a padawan. "Left?"

"Yeah. Just… walked right out." Kira shrugged. "Problem is, she still wants her padawan to be trained as a Jedi, and the council doesn't think that's possible unless she's being trained by a Jedi." She trailed off, staring down at the floor for a moment before turning back to Cori. "They think we'd be a good fit. We're both spirited, according to Master Satele. And you'll be here to oversee everything, you know, keep the spirit levels down."

Taking a few seconds to temper her pride, Cori gave Kira a warm smile. "Keep you from having too much fun, you mean. But yes, I'll be there every step of the way, I promise." She took one of Kira's hands in her own, giving it a soft squeeze. "You've come so far, Kira, and I know you'll be a wonderful teacher." She was, without a doubt, more proud of Kira than she ever had been of anyone or even any of her own achievements.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll make me blush," Kira teased, though pink already colored her cheeks. "Besides, it's not—"

She was cut off by the holoterminal crackling to life, indicating an emergency transmission. Eyes going wide and praise forgotten, Cori took the call and waited, standing patiently in front of the holoterminal as the image slowly flickered to life. "Theron?"

He looked up, relief clear on his face. "Finally. I've been trying to reach T'sereen," Theron muttered, "but no luck. Listen — I'm in Imperial space, trying to reach a ground team I've got on Ziost. I need—"

"Ziost?" Kira interrupted, brow furrowing in surprise. "Look, Cori's sweet on a Sith, too, but you don't see us invading Imperial planets."

"Kira," Cori warned quietly, hoping to keep her from making any further remarks. "Theron, what do you need?"

He gave a short, sharp laugh at that. "I need to get my team out of there. I'm sending clearance codes, coordinates, everything you'll—" Theron paused suddenly, looking up at Cori. "Tell me you're not in the middle of a mission, or on the other side of the galaxy or anything."

Kira crossed her arms and gave a tight-lipped grin. "Nope. Looks like one thing's going your way today."

"Theron, what's going on?"

He didn't answer immediately; it was difficult for Cori to tell over the holo whether he was hesitating or concentrating. "I've been keeping tabs on Sith Intelligence. They started getting reports about a week ago — mass possessions, skirmishes between soldiers and civilians, all sorts of nasty stuff. Our friend Lana didn't seem too concerned, but I sent a team in just in case, and now… I think it's the emperor."

For a moment, it was as if a weight had settled on her chest; Cori wasn't prepared to face the emperor, not again, not so soon. But it wasn't like she really had a choice. "The emperor… You're certain?"

"Certain? No. But the Imperials have called in reinforcements, in the form of the Wrath and a representative from the Dark Council. That, and I lost contact with my team before they even landed, and they…" Theron grimaced. "Let's just say that if this were anything else, they'd be able to resist it."

"Okay." Cori took a deep, steadying breath. "We're on our way. What do you need us to do?"

"Nothing, yet. I should be able to slip in, see if I can meet with an… inside source I've got in Intelligence. Hopefully we can track down my team and figure out just how bad things are." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "If it is the emperor…"

"We'll be there," Cori promised.

Theron nodded. "Good. I'll be in touch."

As the transmission ended, Kira placed a hand on Cori's shoulder and offered a warm smile. "Hey, don't worry, Boss. At this point, you and me have plenty of practice going up against the emperor. And if we're lucky, you may even get to see our friend Lana."

"Maybe. We should call the council, tell them we'll be delayed."