Chapter 51

Revan

"Just like old times," Lassiter smiled when the doors closed on them. Compared to the narrow recycling tunnel with its rust stained walls the bright lift was a sterile contrast for its gleaming white walls. Taking a breath Revan noticed the air here was free from the lingering sour odor of waste that prevailed in the corridor. Most likely the air vents for the laboratory were kept on a separate circuit from the rest of the building. A fail safe mechanism Revan understood should any accidents occur in the laboratory.

"Is it?" asked Revan him while allowing a smile to flicker over her lips.

"When this is all over let's sit down and talk over dinner, you deserve to know your past Revan," he told her seriously. This was followed by a shrug and he added giving her a knowing wink, "That is if Admiral Onasi doesn't object. I sense his feelings for you are strong, but then, you do inspire men to greater heights."

"Perhaps. You could shed light on a few issues," Revan said looking away. "I keep thinking of Demagol lately. Can't remember if Alek or Meetra rescued myself and the others from him."

"After we destroy this lab I'll tell you all I can," replied Lassiter before inhaling deeply. She sensed a moment of worry from Lassiter, truly he knew nothing of Demagol. Revan couldn't recall where she had been during that time, but she knew Malak was the one who suffered at that lunatics hands. Grunting Lassiter twisted and cracked his back as he stretched, then exhaled with a huff.

"Hope those gun turrets are down."

"They will be," Revan replied holding the edge from her voice. Internally she bristled for the implication Carth had not shut down the security defenses of the laboratory. Clasping her hands at her back Revan pushed the emotion away. It would serve no purpose but distract her.

It shouldn't have taken me this long to see through you Lassiter.

With a sideways glance at Lassiter she found herself frustratingly close to recalling his face. But the memory lurked just beyond her grasp. The more she reached for it the further it swam into the dark recesses of a buried past.

"Sure Mission will be okay on her own?" Lassiter asked looking at her.

"She's a smart girl and a good shot with the blaster," said Revan, reaching for her right lightsaber. At the same time Lassiter unholstered his own.

The lift came to a stop and the doors rolled back. Sterile as the elevator the white walled hall stretched out to a set of sealed doors. A set of gun turrets were mounted on the floor at the halfway point, flush against the walls. Czerka equipped the hallway leading to the lab with not just automatic turrets but four droids. They were Czerka's own Mark I assault models. Flanking the doors two were positioned at each end of the hallway. Under the bright lights their metal shells gleamed.

Quickly the pair stepped out of the lift. Revan went left and Lassiter spun right. Simultaneously their lightsabers ignited. The droids barely had time to raise their heavy blasters when the blades came smashing down on them. With an overhand stroke Revan severed one of the droids arms and on her return swing separated the second. In a shower of sparks she finished the Mark I with a diagonal swipe across the machines body. Wobbling briefly the droid clattered into a heap on the floor. A moment later and the second droid fell in several pieces after the volley of strokes Lassiter unleashed.

At the far end of the hall the remaining droids were firing on the pair. Wordlessly Revan and Lassiter sprang down the length of the hall. Aided by the Force they were only a blur of motion. Casually deflecting a few of the luckier bolts from the blasters Revan closed the distance and swung. Her blade hummed through the air and connected with the droids leg. It sagged sideways under the damaged support and Revan made a second overhand stroke aimed at the Mark I's head. The droids head dropped, bounced once, then rolled into one of the deactivated gun turrets.

Through it all Revan was been mindful of the way Lassiter moved. He matched her for efficiency but wielded his lightsaber with more brutality than she did. Where she targeted a few key points to disable the Mark I's the droids he had taken on were left in several pieces.

Lassiter turned to her, the blue light of his weapon glowing at his side. He smiled and passed a hand through his blonde hair.

"Not quite the challenge I'd hoped for," he remarked lightly.

"We aren't here for sport," Revan reminded him turning off her lightsaber and rehanging it on her belt. She reached for her communicator. "Mission?"

"I'm here Revan. This would be faster if I could come down." Mission's voice crackled for static. Buried beneath the factory the reception was poor but it couldn't mask the disappointment in her young friends tone.

"Walk me through this," Revan insisted. The thought of Mission being down here made the Jedi nervous. Though the hall was wide it would be cramped if it came down to hand to hand combat. And each moment at Lassiter's side made Revan certain only one of them would be ascending the lift the alive.

On the other end of the communicator Mission began walking Revan through the steps to slice the more advanced door lock which kept the lab sealed. For the sake of efficiency she passed the radio off to Lassiter. Though he switched off the lightsaber its hilt remained clasped in his free hand. Revan read off the screen and Mission quickly responded with the next step. Carefully she followed instructions while Lassiter held up the communicator.

Just before the locks thunked open Revan felt brief temptation to ask Mission to come down. The system proved trickier than anything she had encountered, each new step was a frustrating puzzle to which Mission automatically knew the solution.

"Thank you Mission," said Revan taking the communicator from Lassiter when the locks finally gave way. On the control panel the option to open the door illuminated.

"Sure thing, what do you want me to do now?" Mission asked.

"Stay on guard. I'll see you soon," she replied.

"Clever Revan," Lassiter half laughed. "You surround yourself with some very useful people. Makes me think working alone is more trouble than its worth."

Clever Revan. You called me that once before, I know you now.

"They serve their purpose," Revan said dismissively. The laboratory doors softly hissed open after she tapped the control panel. With cold certainty any doubts about Lassiter disappeared. She was not about to confess how much her friends meant to a man who served the Sith.

They turned together, looking into the laboratory. Spacious, gleaming white, the room formed a large square with a few workbenches. On the back wall six kolto tanks bubbled away. Revan sighed, relieved to see they were empty. Cautiously they entered. Walking into the room she sensed an unfamiliar presence. It wasn't the deactivated droid standing at the workbench on the left, the Force guided Revan's attention to her right. Lassiter was looking in the same direction.

There was a single heavy door mounted into the wall, resembling an airlock more than anything else. Beside it a control panel glowed red indicating it was locked.

"Viral samples are kept inside," said Lassiter, gesturing to the door with the hand holding his lightsaber. Revan dipped her chin to acknowledge the statement.

Somewhere beyond that door a virus which nearly killed her was being stored. The memory of that crippling illness was still fresh to Revan. Just as the fevered ravings which called forth ghosts of the past were. Undoubtably the virus would be weaponized if it remained in Czerka's hands. Jedi and Sith would fall together. Even those like Carth might be in danger from the virus. It had to be destroyed, but as she stood on the threshold of completing the task, Revan felt sinking despair. Single-minded determination to stop Czerka led her blindly to make an ally of Lassiter Osh.

Lassiter Osh of Dromund Kaas. Lassiter Osh, interrogator and enforcer for the Sith Emperor. Lassiter Osh, tasked with questioning and torturing herself and Malak until they had broken.

Clever Revan. Maybe not as much as I thought I was.

The control panel switched from red to green with unseen machinery whirring in the walls. Slowly the heavy door began to rise. On the other side a woman gaped at them in astonishment. She was older, a set of deep lines hugged her thin lips and her hair was pulled back tightly and pinned into a bun. Revan presumed this was Doctor Khaar, the woman who had struck the deal to purchase the blood sample containing the virus.

"This is a secure area!" the woman cried shrilly.

"Doctor Khaar?"

Stepping forward Revan intended to pacify her. Lassiter moved fast, his hand lashing out in the woman's direction. In a moment Khaar struggled for breath caught in the crushing grip of the Force Lassiter wielded. Khaar's face contorted into terrible agony.

"Release her Lassiter!"

With a hideous expression of pleasure Lassiter ignored the command. The fingers of his left hand hooked into claws and Khaar was lifted from her feet her toes scraping the floor. Revan looked on with horror as the doctor exhaled a spray of blood into the air. Lassiter was twisting the Force into a weapon, using it to crush bones and organs, killing Khaar.

Sweeping her own hand out, palm facing Lassiter, Revan delivered a blow through the Force strong enough to knock him from his feet. He hit the opposite wall, the breath knocked from his lungs and dropped to the floor on his knees. Still his lightsaber was clutched tightly in one hand. Recovering quickly, a look of anger clouding his face, he straightened and faced Revan.

"She deserves this," Lassiter exclaimed standing his ground. Revan was kneeling at Khaar's side hoping to heal the woman's wounds. Fear filled Khar's pale face as she looked up at Revan. Gently the Jedi placed a comforting hand on the other woman's arm. The wounds were too much, Revan could heal little as the older woman struggled to draw air into her crushed chest. Extending the Force Revan alleviated Khaar's pain as she took her final breaths.

"I said no bloodshed Lassiter," Revan said in a quiet voice. She turned to look and finally recognized his face as it twisted into contempt. At his temple a vein throbbed.

"She would have turned that virus into a weapon to kill us all. This is no less than we owe her," argued Lassiter his lip curling up, revealing an incisor.

"No bloodshed," she repeated through a clenched jaw. Revan looked down at Khaar as the last of life drained from her broken body. Gently she closed Khaar's eyes, sighing for the loss.

"Don't mistake me for some mindless Revanchist or toadying padawan. I do as I please," Lassiter growled.

"What about your master? As I recall the Emperor doesn't like his people doing as they please," Revan asked without looking up. Lassiter cracked a grin then a slow chuckle rolled from his chest. He pushed his hair from his face. Laughing he shook his head and gestured his lightsaber at Revan.

"I was starting to think you were never going to figure it out. Tell me what gave it away, I thought I'd been doing a fairly decent job putting this by you," Lassiter smiled.

"I owe you Lassiter. For what you did to Alek and me. To Doctor Khaar and so many others I'm sure," Revan said rising to her feet. Grimly she unhooked one of the hilts from her belt, her right hand curling reflexively about the weapon. The weight of it was comforting.

Lassiter squared his shoulders his expression becoming serious.

"I have no intention of killing you Revan. You'll be a suitable prize to return home with, the Emperor will reward me well for it," he told her. Revan sensed him funneling the Force and she prepared to counter him. Lightening leapt from Lassiter's fingers and Revan raised a hand to absorb and disperse the bolt of dark energy.

When he ceased the attack Revan calmly said, "You'll find I'm more of a challenge when I haven't been drugged and tortured."