A/N: in which zaara has thinky thoughts, davri bonds with theron over being walking disasters, and cori manages to still deny she's head over heels for lana
so i'm technically late but my excuse is i stayed up finishing kotet and. well. i have some Strong Opinions.
but! more importantly - we've just got one chapter left for ostensibly. then it's on to the timeskip fic ft. pining oh god so much pining. also, apologies bc this chapter is... long. it got longer each time i edited and it's another one of those "oops i accidentally wrote something twice as long as i meant to" chapters.
She had an office, now. It was mostly empty, just a room with a desk and a holoterminal, sitting unused in the heart of the Citadel.
Commander Ven, working alongside Minister Beniko at the head of Intelligence.
It certainly wasn't the future she'd imagined all those years ago when she'd begun her training. She'd been nothing more than a young alien alone in Kaas City, at the mercy of the two Intelligence agents she'd unwittingly tried to rob. You nearly made it through our defenses, they'd told her, two charming Chiss with the means and money to offer her training and opportunities and connections.
The Empire recognizes and rewards talent, they'd said.
She'd started her career by being praised for a failure — an impressive failure, one that showcased potential — and Zaara was now almost certain that's how her career would end, as well. It was certainly the case now, being promoted in the wake of Ziost.
It wasn't her failure, perhaps, but it was a failure she'd overseen and the blame should've rested with her. But she'd told Ravage and the Council the truth — Intelligence had done its best given the circumstances, even if its best wasn't enough. There wasn't anything they could've done differently to combat Vitiate. At least, nothing they could've done that would've made a difference.
There were steps to take, however, and Zaara had to admit that Lana had some good ideas on how to proceed. She'd meant it, when she'd reported to the Council after Ziost and said that Lana's performance had been satisfactory. She'd meant it, too, when she'd said Intelligence should be better than that.
In the Minister's defense, her shortcomings had nothing to do with a lack of effort; Lana had worked herself as hard or harder than any other Intelligence operative in New Adasta, and her seemingly endless dedication that Zaara had first seen the year before while planning the strike on Tython had certainly been serving them well now.
It was also a welcome change from the cold, somewhat sterile demeanor of the previous Minister.
Zaara had been careful in her criticisms of Lana; the Sith hardly needed her feelings spared, but Zaara also knew that she would be taking their losses just as hard as anyone else. She couldn't have said that about Lana's predecessor — at least, not with any certainty. Either way, there was no reason for Zaara to burden Lana with any unnecessary guilt or shame. She'd been clear and concise when reporting in, both of them more focused on Intelligence's role in cleaning up after Vitiate than wasting time placing blame.
As it was, the new role of Intelligence Commander was becoming more and more of an unprecedented problem with each passing day. The balance of power had shifted; even if Lana had treated Zaara as an equal within the organization before, they now actually were equals, and that presented its own complications between the two of them. They weren't friends any longer, not really, and a detached professionalism seemed to color them both even outside of official business.
Zaara's desk — not empty, not when she'd walked in that morning — held an outline of Lana's proposed reorganization of Intelligence, including how to best divide tasks between herself and Zaara. Her position of Commander would remain more hands-on, while the position of Minister remained more of a desk job. In the case of a crisis — such as Ziost — the Commander could be on-site and the Minister could monitor from the headquarters.
Mobile headquarters, if Lana had her way.
After reading through all the suggested changes, Zaara had to admit that most of Lana's ideas were certainly an improvement over current situations. Some would have to be refined, and others likely wouldn't work, but overall, she was confident that Intelligence was in good hands. Now, Zaara just had to determine what to do about the previously proposed joint force to search for Vitiate; in the wake of Ziost, a temporary alliance with the Republic seemed even more inevitable, and Zaara wanted some say in all of it. There had been rough preparations made before, but considering the Republic — and Satele in particular — had been hesitant to agree to anything, nothing had ever been finalized.
So now, Zaara sat at her desk in her office, reading through all the suggestions put forth by Marr and Lys and Lana and anyone else involved. She'd worked out an Imperial team, and had listed two Republic teams — one that would work best with the Imperials, and one that the Republic would likely actually send. There were multiple scouting missions that she'd already put together, a total of eleven to cover different areas of the galaxy with different configurations of teams.
It was busy work, challenging tasks just to keep her mind and her hands moving, and Zaara had nearly overwhelmed herself when her thoughts were interrupted by a quiet knock.
"It's nice. We were curious what the office of the Commander of Sith Intelligence would look like."
Zaara turned, unable to hold back a small smile as Vector entered the room. "I don't plan on using it," she admitted, pushing her datapad to the side. "Not much, anyway. Lana and I still have to work out the division of power. There's never been a position like this in Intelligence."
"You'll figure it out. If anyone can, it's you and Lana." Hands clasped behind his back, Vector continued to inspect the relative emptiness of the room. "Have you heard from your sister?"
Zaara let out a short huff of a sigh, trying to push down the frustration that bubbled up at Vector's question. "No." She remained silent for a moment, fingers tapping along the desk. It was less of a risk now, reaching out to Cori, considering the relatively abundant attempts at a temporary alliance that had occurred after Ziost; coincidentally, those same talks were the source of a significant portion of Zaara's frustrations. "I should have. The last time we spoke, she told me Satele was considering cooperating. If I don't hear from her soon…"
"You will," Vector assured her, taking another moment to glance around the office before holding a hand out to her. "Dinner? The Wrath is lovely company, but we would prefer an evening with our wife. If you aren't too busy," he added.
Guilt sparked through Zaara, though she knew that hadn't been his intention. She'd been so engrossed in her work, and the last time they'd had a proper night out had been… Life Day, perhaps? Only a few days before Lana had called her back to Ziost. But there was still so much to do, all of it far more important than any of Zaara's personal affairs, and even though she was currently waiting on both the Republic and the Dark Council it felt wrong to simply push things off until the morning.
Though it was a sad statement that Lys was home more often than Zaara.
"I have time," she decided, grabbing her datapad as she stood. She took Vector's hand, trying to force the tension from her body and focus on the calm that emanated from him. They'd been through so much together and she relied on him for so much, and Zaara hated when their work kept them separated; she doubted she'd be able to work through her stress without Vector there beside her, though she pushed the thought from her mind almost as soon as it appeared.
He was there with her now, and that wouldn't ever change, and Zaara held onto that like a lifeline.
Stepping back onto Ziost's surface was disconcerting, in a word.
Dust sprung up around Rei as she walked, leaving ashy smudges on her heavy boots. There was a wind — ever so slight — that whistled in her ears, tugging at the edge of her hood. Tents were set up at the far end of the landing zone — three of them, one larger than the other two. Vitiate's presence was no longer more than… an echo, perhaps, or the slipping image of a faded memory.
He was gone, as was everything else on Ziost.
Rei had made her peace with the now-familiar weight of the failure and the responsibility and the sheer emptiness that now remained, but that wasn't making it any easier to return. For the past few weeks, she'd become used to spending the majority of her time working — on her own mental abilities, on tasks to further their efforts on Ziost, on anything that would potentially help in the fight against Vitiate — but this, visiting Ziost while Acina was already planet-side to oversee operations, felt… extravagant. It was unnecessary and a waste of time, but Rei couldn't shake the need to go at least check and see how things were proceeding.
The main camp — and the only camp, as far as Rei knew — had been formed in the remains of the military compound just outside of the capital. A decent portion of the walls still stood, and had been reinforced in places. Any gaps and openings were guarded by a combination of droids and troopers, and a few soldiers patrolled around the landing zone. There was only one building still standing, but it seemed to be unused; any activity originated from the tents at the far end, where Rei had been informed she could find Acina.
Despite the mission to reclaim Ziost being a cooperative effort, the Science Bureau was currently leading the charge, collecting data on the planet and issuing warnings as needed. Once they'd surveyed enough to satisfy Acina, the Reclamation Service teams would move in to recover whatever pieces of culture remained. Rei was tempted to stay and monitor the progress, but she'd decided to settle for leaving Talos and Vrynn while she went out to track down whatever artifacts and relics that had been removed from Ziost.
She wasn't entirely certain what to do with it all once it had been collected; a vault in Kaas City had already been cleared out in anticipation, but Rei had no desire to keep so much history locked up. There was still months of work to do before they even reached the point where she'd have to worry about that, though, so for now Rei was still focused on actually recovering everything.
But first, she needed to check up on the Science Bureau's progress, which meant meeting with Acina.
It was a short walk from the landing zone to the largest tent, where Rei could see the other councilor, standing amongst tables filled with equipment and containers and other odd things Rei couldn't make out even as she approached. "Darth Acina."
She nodded, not moving from where she leaned over a strange display of what looked to be simply dirt. "Organic matter is virtually indistinguishable from remains of what used to be buildings, or weapons, or rocks." Acina picked up one of the contained remains, inspecting it and holding it up to Rei. "To the eyes, at least. We're learning to scan for differences. The Science Bureau officer in charge here tells me it's been a very fruitful expedition, thus far."
Rei frowned. "What good does that do us?"
"It tells us what we need to study," Acina said, scoffing a bit. "Given that we lost all the Jedi we intended to use in our research, we're lacking in organic specimens."
"There were dozens of Sith and Imperials who were possessed as well," Rei shot back, reaching to pick up one of the containers of dirt — or not dirt, or whatever it technically was now. She'd already had to defend herself in front of the Council after handing the Jedi over to Theron, and it was an argument she was tired of repeating.
Acina's lips pursed, her eyes tracking every movement as Rei handled the container. "Oh, we've already begun with them. But it's in somewhat poor taste to force more suffering on them when it could've been Jedi. Moreso considering the circumstances."
They were interrupted by an Imperial entering the tent, giving a crisp salute to each of the Sith in turn. "My lords. One of our teams to the south has uncovered the New Adastan Cultural Center." Turning to Rei, the officer gave a quick bow of his head. "Lieutenant Danmar Tai. I'm heading up the Science Bureau's efforts here. Under Darth Acina's guidance, naturally."
"You have excellent timing, it seems," Acina observed, though it was unclear whether she was speaking to Rei or Tai. "Good work, Lieutenant. I've already requested the list of notable artifacts held at the Cultural Center. Begin cataloging anything you can recover and get to work cross-referencing as soon as you're able. Darth Nox can accompany you, if she's so inclined?"
"Later, perhaps," Rei decided; a new thought was beginning to form in her mind, inspired by the progress she'd already seen. If the rest of the expeditions were as well-run as the capital's seemed to be, she wondered if their efforts on Ziost would move more quickly than she'd originally imagined. "I'll organize some teams from the Reclamation Service. I've had… an idea. About the Republic."
Even as she spoke, the stray idea began working itself into a plan. Without another word, Rei turned and walked out of the tent, heading straight back towards the shuttle she'd arrived in. Once alone, she pulled out her datapad, glancing through the information once before contacting Darth Marr. With all they'd already discovered, perhaps they could convince the Republic of the value of the information.
"You have something to report, Nox?"
"Not quite. It's more of a thought. Or a request."
Marr crossed his arms. "Does it relate to Ziost?"
"Yes." Rei nodded, pausing for a moment as she debated retracting her entire statement. It was a rather outlandish request, after all. "Satele is unwilling to commit to a joint force as of now, correct? Would a show of…" She paused again, gesturing nonsensically as she searched for an appropriate word. "A show of good faith, I suppose. Would it help?"
Marr remained still, a quiet hmm the only indication that he was thinking over her question. "The Empire will seek out Vitiate, regardless of Republic support," he finally said. "If the promise of our resources did not sway the Grandmaster, why would a show of good faith?"
Rei held up her datapad, giving it a little wave. "Data. Everything we now know about Vitiate's effect on Ziost. Useless for now, but once we know more about how he possessed people, we could pass the information along to the Jedi." She gave a nonchalant wave of her hand. "For healing, or something. I'm sure they'd appreciate it."
"No." Rather than disapproving, Marr's tone was thoughtful. "But we could offer. Information that could possibly assist in healing their Jedi, fully at their disposal once they commit resources."
"And we still have prisoners," Rei pointed out; her initial request hadn't been entirely thought out, but the concept — an exchange of sorts with the Republic — was promising. Not only could they make it work in favor of the Empire, but it would prove they were sincere about working alongside the Jedi to track down Vitiate. "Most of the troops we captured from the Republic's initial assault were taken to the defense station before they were possessed. They won't be any use to us in figuring out the mind control." She had originally planned to use those soldiers as a way to get her hands on artifacts from Ziost that were currently in the Jedi's possession, but it didn't matter. Artifacts could be taken by force.
Marr nodded. "Do you plan on returning to Kaas City?"
"Soon, yes. I have some calls to make and things to arrange, but I believe things are running smoothly enough here that my direct oversight won't be necessary."
"Good. Once you're here we can work out the exact terms and contact Grandmaster Shan. If she agrees, we'll have much to prepare. If she doesn't…" A wryness crept into Marr's voice. "At the very least, it will be amusing to hear how she plans to explain that the Empire is the more cooperative and diplomatic in the fight against the greatest evil this galaxy has ever known."
Davri wasn't sure if she'd ever been to Coruscant as a civilian. At least, not the upper levels, and certainly not the actual Senate Tower — she'd spent plenty of time in Jaxo's apartment, and they'd definitely been off duty then. Otherwise, it had always been to check in with Garza or deal with some political bullshit.
Today was, technically, the latter.
She'd been summoned by Satele, for something about Yavin 4 and Ziost and the fact that Saresh was making a rather good case for keeping Havoc out of the field for as long as the Chancellor held a grudge. Which, really, wasn't all that difficult, considering Davri had ignored direct orders, fired on Republic troops, handed over vital information to an agent of Imperial Intelligence… Her career was over, so if the Jedi wanted to send her off one last time before she retired and moved in with her mother, that was fine with her.
Speaking of her mother, Davri really needed to call Kida before she read too many holonet gossip articles and got the wrong idea about what had happened on Ziost. It would have to wait a bit longer, though; Davri trudged through the Senate Tower, working her way through the winding halls back to where she was supposed to meet Satele. She knew it was just her imagination, but Davri could practically feel the stares of people as she walked, watching the soon-to-be disgraced Havoc Squad commander with open curiosity. She always felt exposed without her armor or the weight of the assault canon, always felt idle and useless without a mission on the horizon.
It didn't help that she was relatively familiar with the Senate Tower; Davri was halfway to Garza's old office before she realized where she was headed, and turned back to wind back through the tower to where she was to speak with the Grandmaster.
Davri hadn't realized she wouldn't be the only one meeting with Satele, but the room was nearly full; Master Cori sat near Satele, Theron was in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk, and a cathar she didn't recognize stood near the door, arms crossed. "Am I late or just interrupting?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe and hoping this mystery meeting would end with a promising mission. Cori seemed to always be in the middle of a good fight, Theron certainly made for interesting company, and the cathar had a certain look about him, making Davri wonder if he was with the military — she'd been on missions with stranger groups.
"Neither. We were just getting started," Satele assured her. "You already know Cori and Theron, and this is Agent Nadal with the Yavin 4, Darth Marr approached me about the possibility of a small joint force to search for the Emperor. I was wary, originally, but in the wake of Ziost…"
"You're sending us?" Davri raised an eyebrow; she'd already worked with enough Imps to last a lifetime or three.
"We aren't sending anyone, yet," Nadal clarified, "but we need to gather a group for negotiations. You were the clear choice of representative from the military."
"Negotiations?"
Nodding, Satele explained, "Marr reached out to me and we… discussed our options. We've both agreed to meet so we can determine how best to proceed. The Republic can't blindly dedicate resources, and I won't commit to anything until we're certain of the Empire's motives." The Grandmaster paused, lips pursing in thought. "They seem sincere about it so far, however."
Davri frowned, crossing her arms as she mulled over the new information and the offer of a position as a representative. If that was even what it was — it almost seemed as if she was being appointed, rather than it being a choice. "So we play nice with the Empire for a while. To what end?"
Nadal shared a quick glance with Theron before shrugging. "We stop Vitiate. Nobody knows how, but we figure if we all stop shooting at each other for a bit we might be able to work something out."
"I was working on organizing something," Theron added, "even before Ziost. I had teams and resources planned but it's… out of my hands, now. I've given everything to Taavi—" he motioned towards the cathar, "—but the Jedi are still insisting they need minimal assistance. Obviously they're willing to work with the SIS and military now, which is better than before Ziost, but…" Theron trailed off with a sigh and a pointed glance in Cori and Satele's direction.
"We've tracked the Emperor down more than once," Cori explained. "We can do it again, but Ziost made it clear we underestimated his strength. The Jedi won't be turning away any allies, not with so much at stake."
Theron gave an exaggerated shrug. "Because ignoring an offer isn't technically turning it down."
Satele sighed, glancing from Cori to Theron before reaching for her datapad. "It's not up for discussion."
The combination of the inflection in Theron's tone and the sharpness in Satele's made Davri instantly curious. "What isn't?"
"Nox and Marr made a proposal for a… trade, of sorts," Theron explained. "They want a handful of artifacts from the Jedi, in return for all kinds of information and data on Ziost and the transfer of at least some Republic troops being held prisoner from the Orbital Defense Station."
"And…?" she shrugged, her curiosity dampened. Those sorts of trades didn't happen often with the Empire, but even when they did, it wasn't a process she was typically a part of.
"And," Satele interjected, "the Jedi have decided not to pursue the negotiations. Those artifacts cannot simply be—"
"Returned to them?" Theron finished, crossing his arms and glancing back at Davri with a pointed look, as if Satele was proving his point for him. "I've looked into it. Everything they're asking for originated on Ziost, and we'll get everything from atmospheric readings to soil samples." Frowning, he added, "Not to mention the troops we'll be bringing home."
Satele looked as if she had more to argue, but Davri spoke up before the Grandmaster. "All due respect, but if it involves Republic troops, it isn't really up to the Jedi, is it? Not completely." She understood why Satele wouldn't want to make deals with the Empire — it typically remained low on Davri's list of preferred courses of action — but trading a few dusty Jedi relics? Worth it, especially for the chance to figure out just what had happened on the surface of Ziost.
"The final decision rests with the Jedi," Satele countered smoothly, "because the artifacts are important pieces of Jedi history."
"And if the next world Vitiate hits is a Republic planet? We need a better understanding of Vitiate's power, and I think we've all agreed that searching through Surro's mind isn't the way to go."
"Theron has a point," Davri agreed. "We got lucky. What if Coruscant is next?"
Nadal made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl. "That's what this joint force is for. We stop the Emperor before he can attack a Republic world."
"Theron and Major Sohms are right," Cori interjected calmly. "We've gone up against the Emperor unprepared before, and it… it didn't end well. We can't afford to let that happen again."
At that, Satele shook her head and stood. "It's clear we aren't prepared to meet with the Empire, either. Cori and I will continue to gather information and determine our options for proceeding. Major Sohms, Agent Nadal, we'll contact you when when have something more concrete."
Davri frowned but didn't argue; she didn't think Cori would continue to stand up to Satele, not really, and the Grandmaster just needed more time to change Cori's mind for her.
She waited until Nadal had slipped out of the room, then turned to Theron. "You I still need to talk to." Davri pointed an accusatory finger at him, but did him the courtesy of waiting until they'd left Satele's office before continuing. "Your girlfriend's trying to kill me."
He frowned, saying nothing for a moment. "She's what?"
"She placed a damn bounty on my head. I had an assassin in my kitchen last night."
"You're Havoc," Theron pointed out. "It can't be the first bounty that's been put on you. And how do you even know it's Nox?"
"My kitchen," Davri repeated, not certain Theron understood just how inconvenienced she'd been. "Dead or alive, preferably alive, placed by the office of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. All it takes is a holonet search — it's Nox, and it's—" Her words cut off with a sharp laugh.
For whatever reason, Davri's… disposal of Eclipse Squad the year before had drawn Nox's attention.
"I cleaned up one of the Republic's messes and Nox didn't want it cleaned up," she explained. "The gift that keeps on giving. Might've just been easier to take a demotion, like Garza."
She'd expected some continued argument from Theron, but he just sighed. "And? What do you want me to do about it? It's not like we're in contact, I don't—" His words cut off with another sigh.
Davri almost felt bad for even bringing it up. "I know. I'm just giving you shit."
"Everyone always is these days."
"Exactly. We'll bond over it. Strong drinks, ruined careers, and saving the Republic."
There was something refreshing about seeing padawans training in the temple courtyards again. It had been nearly a full year since the Sith attack on Tython, and in the months since, Cori hadn't spent enough time here.
The temple and the fields surrounding it had become her home, moreso in the year prior to the attack than even since she'd begun her training. It made her head spin, thinking of the way she'd hid away upon her return from Ilum, spending more time in her meditation chambers than on a battlefield. It had been her way of healing, of realigning herself and finding balance in her life again after what had amounted to two and a half years of hunting down Sith.
She couldn't imagine it, now; the galaxy needed her, more than it had needed her before, and any time she spent here on Tython was a small miracle. It was only her third time returning since Yavin, and she'd been so busy with each trip that it hadn't ever been the respite she'd hoped. But now, at least, she had a few hours to sit and watch and think.
It was late in the evening before the padawans cleared out, leaving Cori alone to her meditation in the southern courtyard. Soon after that, when the sun had just fully dipped beneath the horizon, Kira joined her.
"You okay?"
Cori had the sense that the question was in reference to Vitiate and to Ziost, but that wasn't where her mind was at the moment. She nodded, enough to assuage Kira's concern, then breathed deeply and concentrated on the ebb and pulse of the Force on Tython.
But, as had been the case in the weeks since her return, Cori was unable to focus entirely on Tython; there was a presence, like a beacon, shining at the edge of her awareness. She shied from it, not wanting to acknowledge it. Not yet.
"You sure?"
"Kira, I—" Cori stopped, sensing a shift in the presence. It blinked, like a spark of inspiration or a sudden revelation. Letting her hands rest still in her lap, Cori opened her eyes and turned to Kira for the first time since she'd arrived. "I'm fine. I've been thinking about Ilum."
Kira's brow furrowed and Cori could sense the dull spark of doubt that ran through her. She sat, cross-legged, on one of the stone benches, a knowing edge to her voice as she spoke. "About Ilum, or about after?"
"After. But it's different this time, I think." She wasn't alone, for one. And they would — mostly — be working with the Empire, instead of against them. But the biggest difference, this time, was that the crippling sense of being chosen, of being the only one capable of striking down Vitiate, had lessened if not vanished. "I've still got you," Cori pointed out affectionately, "but there's plenty of other Jedi this time, too. And Zaara and Lys and… lots of capable allies."
She didn't say the name at the tip of her tongue, the name that filled her mind and her chest and the presence that was just outside of her reach. She didn't say Lana, didn't trust herself to confide in Kira and spill every secret, every conclusion she'd come to while meditating.
"Capable allies," Kira repeated thoughtfully, her voice remaining level but a teasing smirk beginning to tug at the edge of her lips. "Is that what they call it these days?"
Cori pulled her knees up to her chest, leaning back to rest against the bench Kira was sitting on. Of course she knew. "You know what I mean," she chastised quietly. "I have people I can trust. People to rely on." Even as she spoke, Cori became aware of a presence growing nearer, a now-familiar Force signature creeping around the edge of the courtyard. She tried to hold back a smile at Karina's attempt at stealth. "And I have Karina, now too. We can't forget about her," she reminded Kira, shooting her a knowing look.
"How could I? She's the one who keeps eating all the cookies on the ship."
"Do not!" There was a rustling in one of the neatly-trimmed hedges, and Karina burst through the plants and stuck her tongue out at Kira. "It's Scourge!"
"Of course it is." Cori reached over to scoop Karina up, pulling the now-laughing girl into her lap. She didn't need to burden Karina, not with Ziost or the Jedi or her own personal matters. "Just like Scourge spilled tea all over the couch in my meditation chambers and tried to cover it up with pillows?"
Karina stopped in her playful struggle with Cori, her eyes going wide with feigned sincerity. "I saw him."
"Then it's a good thing I have you with me, isn't it?"
