Leon stared at the Chiss woman with eyes full of conflicting feelings. She had saved them, and she seemed to have some unspoken bond with Theron Fel from before he became Revan, but she was an unknown. Erea had flat out advocated against informing Marien about their mission at all, claiming that it was a danger to give the information to one they did not know. Logically, Leon knew that the Commander was correct. Marien was from Coruscant and had suddenly barged into their mission, almost as if she had been sent. Erea thought the woman had been sent by the Triumvirate SAS.

Contrary to what Commander Naga believed, Leon wasn't so sure that Marien's loyalties lay with the Triumviracy. Whenever he tried to explain it to Erea, why he felt compelled to trusted the Chiss woman, he could only try and explain it away with "a gut feeling." He knew that Marien, whoever else she may have been, was the key to getting the drive back and booking it off planet. How, though, Leon had no idea.

"I'm going to ask you again," Marien began as she leaned against the wall of the apartment Leon and Erea were squatting in, "are you related to Theron Fel?"

Leon smiled. "I'm flattered, really. That'd be an honor in the Empire. Unfortunately, no. Gray eyes and dark hair aren't too uncommon on humans."

Marien shook her head. "It's not just that – you carry yourself like he did, at least before he was Revan."

"Handsome and skillful?" Leon asked.

"I was going to say pigheaded and stupid, based on you," Erea half-joked. Leon glared unamusedly at her.

Marien chuckled dryly. "A bit of both, actually," she pointed out. She pushed off from the wall. "The lightsaber at your hip didn't help things, either. If I didn't know he was dead, I'd say you could be him. But..." Marien looked sadly at the ground.

The room was quiet for a while. Finally: "How did you know Revan?" Erea asked. She was looking at Marien with slightly less distrust. Still a lot, though. "It sounds as if you think you were close."

Marien snarled at the human woman. "I'm sorry for my friend. She thinks she's knows everything," Leon explained, half joking. He walked over towards Marien and shot Erea a glare that commanded she stop acting like that. It didn't seem to help. "How did you know him?"

Marien smiled nervously up at Leon. "He... He came down to the midlevels a lot. You see, I... am pretty good at getting in and out of places unnoticed. It's natural for me, really. One day I was hired to steal information from one group of thugs and get it to another. Theron ended up killing all of them while I watched. After that, he... Theron kind of just stumbled onto me.

"No one ever sees me, not when I don't want them to. But he did, and I really didn't want someone who simultaneously took out four of the ten most dangerous bounty hunters in the system finding me. He didn't kill me, as you can see. I don't understand how, but I suddenly became his tipster. Snitch, if you will. I told him about gang wars that were going to erupt, nasty things going on. He said he wanted to work out aggression constructively. I became his friend, his only one then. He was like, seventeen. Parents had just died, big news on the holonet, cause they were still 'searching' for who did it then. I think he needed a friend his age. I was about fourteen, just reached maturity. So we were friends."

"Is that all?" Erea asked. Leon saw her hand was clenched tight.

"Yes. Last time I saw him, was Treaty Day, two, three years ago. He said he was taking out the Red Vong... Jedi swarmed the place I told him to go a few days later. Whatever he did, obviously it didn't fix things," Marien explained. She punched the wall lightly. "Then he went and got himself killed by that bitch Jedi."

"Bitch?" Erea asked.

"The Triral who killed him. Seems as good a name as any," Leon noted.

"I would go with skilled, personally. Respecting an enemy and all that," Erea pointed out. Marien and Leon ignored her.

Leon frowned and clicked his tongue. "Marien?" he asked. The Chiss looked at him. "How did you find us?"

Marien frowned sheepishly. "Accidentally, actually. I've been following Red Vong around the sector for a few years now, trying to find their hide out. When you guys loudly arrived last night, the cultists I was following made a beeline for the crash site, shrieking and all sorts of kriff about how their leader wanted what came down. You two were already gone when I got there. I stayed all night; Vong picked the place clean long before Corsec got there. From there, I just wandered, looking for new Red Vong to chase down. After that, you two made enough noise that it was easy."

Leon looked over at Erea. "So it was the Red Vong that took it," he said.

"Took what?" Marien asked.

Erea glanced past Leon and towards the Chiss woman. "Do you have any clue about where the Red Vong make base? Or if they have a secondary camp?" she asked. She stood up from the ratty, broken chair and walked up to Marien so that the three of them stood in a tight circle. "It's paramount we find what they stole."

Marien scoffed. "Do you think we're friends or something?" she asked mockingly.

"Excuse me?" Erea asked angrily. She took a deep breath. "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry. Please help us."

The Chiss shook her head. "I helped Theron because we were friends."

"But you want to take down the Red Vong, right?" Leon asked. He was confused.

"I was hired to do that. Sure, I helped Theron find out about what was going on down here. We were friends, and he'd help me out too. Friendship takes time, and you two are weird strangers. Mean strangers in her case. And, sure, I'd love if the Vong disintegrated. I'll do what's 'right,' of course, but I know that you two can get me something infinitely valuable," Marien explained. She laced her fingers behind her head and sighed contentedly.

"And I thought you and your episodes were bad enough," Erea said under her breath. Leon glanced at her indignantly. To Marien: "What the kark do you want?"

"I'd think that was obvious, Miss Perfect," Marien snapped. "Theron was my friend, I'm not happy about his death. You're taking me off planet with you, back to the Empire."

"No. We don't even have a way to get two people off planet!" Erea hissed. She looked at Leon. "Back me up here."

Leon bit his lip for a second. "Sure, I think it's a good idea," he stated. Erea and Marien stared at him incredulously. "You're the only way we'll find the drive the Vong stole, and you seem like good travel company. More fun than the Commander, that's for sure."

"Hey!"

"I'm... mostly kidding," Leon said with a wave of his hand. "But yeah, you can come along." Leon smiled at Marien. The Chiss smiled back, actually gracious for this opportunity.

"Um... thanks," she whispered nervously. Her blue cheeks tinged slightly violet. She shook her head. "But, I'm going to need this to be official."

Leon shrugged and held out his hand. "I guess we should introduce ourselves. My friends call me Leon. I'm... well, I suppose now I'm the commanding officer of the Sith Special Forces," the human said. "Grumpy over there's Erea Naga. Commander, bodyguard, important person."

The Chiss woman smiled at each in turn, though the smile she shot Leon was less forced. She clasped Leon's hand. "You can call me Mari." She looked past Leon at Erea. "You can call me Marien."

"Charmed, I'm sure," Erea drawled sarcastically.

Leon clapped, oblivious to the mood in the room. "Let's get to it!"

SWSWSWSWSW

Triumvirate Dead Drop C722K-4FY60

Location: Redacted

Time BRD: Redacted

Partially Redacted Transcript of Conversation

Between Revan and Sith Scientist Redacted

Topic: Redacted

Redacted: "... [no] sense. None at all."

Revan: "I am well aware, Doctor. When I last saw someone like this, the Redacted behaved completely differently. Defensively it was useless, offensively even more so. A tool for self-mutilation or torture, but now the Redacted is so different. As if it's being changed, shaped."

Redacted: "But, my Lord, the Redacted are all gone. Most left the galaxy, and the ones that did not..."

Revan: Sight "You do not need to tell me about the Triumvirate's hidden sins, Redacted. However, -di (static interference) was the only one besides the Redacted themselves that understood the Redacted on such an intricate level. No, the only possible answer is that some Redacted survived the Triumvirate's campaign. The one that is left is driven only by anger, desire for retribution."

Redacted: "Sounds like a Sith. He could be an ally."

Revan: "NO! Whoever this is, they are no longer driven by any passion remotely redeemable. No Sith that serves me will be driven by such a dangerous outlook. No being who serves me, who served the Empire, will behave in such a way. This Redacted, once I learn where he or she is... we will kill them. Any who would threaten innocent lives in such a way deserves only my rage." Revan pauses for some time, moves closer to Redacted. "He could have been an ally, especially with such a deep hatred for the Triumvirates. Instead this Redacted set loose their skills upon the innocent, those who had no involvement in what occurred. Who were incapable of defending those who did these things. Perhaps even hated the Triumvirate just as much. He kills his allies Doctor Redacted. Such a person does not deserve to survive."

Conversation continues on different topics.

Beamed to Triumvirate High Command, Coruscant

Expect more data in three days

Time elapsed since last sent message...

1.7 standard years

SWSWSWSWSW

"The Red Vong field base, for lack of a better term, is somewhere in this sector over here," Mari said, placing her finger on the spherical map of Coruscant. The hologram buzzed for a fraction of a second, then pinged and zoomed in. A User Interface popped up, a drop down menu for choosing from the thousands of levels that made up the Coruscanti ecumenopolis. One of Mari's fingers dragged downward until the cursor settled on 1313. "From the Old – and kriff do I mean old – Marketplace Square to Hoth Parkway, and anywhere between 6192nd and 6225th."

"That still gives us almost... 100 square blocks to cover," Erea pointedly noted. She glared at the blue holo-map representation of 1313-6.2.

"Do you know how hard it is to narrow down the location of a single building within a quarter of the galactic city?" Mari asked. She moved around the table until she stood next to the Commander. "Very. Very. Difficult."

Erea shut her eyes and stifled a nasty comment. "Oh, I'm sure it is," she replied. She opened her eyes and looked over at Mari sarcastically. "You know, you should be a bounty hunter, you're so good at it!"

Mari rolled her eyes and shook her head. As she was about to retort, Leon cut her off. "Okay, honestly, I don't know what the kriff it is that is going on right here. This is the lady who begged me to not kill a Jedi, and she's acting like a schutta, so forgive me if I'm a bit confused by how you're acting, Erea," Leon said, drawing both women's attention. "But it's obvious you have an idea."

"It is?" Mari asked. She shook her head. "It is. So get on with it."

Erea looked at Leon with a frown. She raised her hand to the map. "Do you have any information about the Red Vong you've seen in this area? Data you've recorded?"

Mari sighed and nodded. "Yeah, just a sec," she said. She leaned towards the holopad projecting the map and brought up a file. Arrows popped up across the surface of the hologram, beginning and converging at different points. A majority exited and entered a single building. Mari pointed. "So that's where they are."

Erea made a noise that sounded partway between a scoff and laugh. Leon noticed her eyes were closed. "Not quite," she said, opening her eyes. Her finger traced across the surface of the hologram for a moment until arriving at a building three blocks away from the most busy point, where no Vong ever appeared.

"There's no one there," Mari said, worried she had just gotten in bed with morons.

"But it's not stupid!" Leon said as the concept dawned on him. He laughed and gestured at the map. "Look! There are Red Vong markers that cover almost every block of the map. The most busy point? It's a smokescreen."

Mari stared, jaw slightly open, the cogs in her brain winding as she began to understand as well. "That's the only place where no Vong showed up within a two block radius. They've been avoiding it."

"To try and prevent anyone from finding an entrance to their secondary – or primary, if we're lucky – base," Erea finished. She uncrossed her arm and deactivated the map. "Which only leaves one other important question."

"How do we get there before the Trirals figure it out," Leon agreed. He glanced over at Mari. "They obviously know the Vong picked the crash site clean. And I'm willing to bet they know where the cult's headquarters is already."

Marien grinned toothily. "Well, it's a good thing I have a bead on a shipment of stolen speeders. And I bet my employer would rather pay me one of those than the creds he promised."

Leon and Erea looked at each other. Leon looked back at Mari. "Finally, some good news."

SWSWSWSWSW

Grand Admiral Taas stood in his office, staring out of the window. Construction droids scurried about stories below, fixing the still smoking damage left by the Sith escape pod. Around that, life seemed to scurry around at a speed that would be unheard of virtually anywhere else in the galaxy, even Kaas City. Somewhere out there was the data for which he had attacked the Jagged Fel.

Van's mind flashed back. "He escaped!" the Jedi screamed. He struggled against the droids that were trying, and failing, to shove him in a bacta tank. The Jedi's blue eyes contorted in rage and pain; some of the blonde hair on his scalp was melted into his skin. He screamed again. "They have it! They have the data! I'm going to kill him!"

Van shook his head and turned back to his desk slowly, struggling as he shifted his weight from his left leg to his cane and back. He winced in pain as his right foot slid against the floor. "I wish you would sit more," woman said as Van turned to the holocommunicator. The blue hologram flickered as an insect passed through it.

"Well, if our best friend hadn't tried to kill me, I wouldn't be in this position," Van replied as he hobbled over towards the chair. He sat down and looked at the woman's hologram, then down at the digital picture frame displaying an image of that time so long ago. Theron, for he was actually Theron then, was in the center grinning in one of the few times Van had actually seen him happy. Ana was next to him on the left, the two of them nervously dodging their mutual attraction. Rhen and Van were on either end. Every member of the group had their arms wrapped around each others' shoulders, and everyone was dressed in those stupid gala outfits that Horn had made them wear.

"That was a good night, huh?" Ana asked. Van smiled and made a laughing noise with his breath, somewhere akin to a good natured scoff. "Yeah, maybe not for you. Didn't a... damn, was it a Saurian trying to get frisky with you?"

Van laughed boisterously at the memory. "It was a Trandoshan," he said. Van groaned and grimaced. "She was scary."

Ana laughed for a moment along with Van, but the two quickly began to wind down. The memories hurt just as much as they gave feelings of joy. "You didn't call because you wanted to relive... those memories. What is it?"

Ana sighed and nodded. "You're right, I do have news. I'm on the trail of anything that was in the escape pod that crashed last night. It was picked clean by some cult in the midlevels, witness says they're the Red Vong. Unfortunately, I'm not the only one that knows this. Imperial presence on the planet has just risen, and they're on the trail of the data as well."

Van shook his head. "Dammit. Well, I'll have Corsec sent to the Red Vong's headquarters. I'm sure that they already have an idea of where it is. It'll take almost a day to mobilize enough men for it to be a safe op, though."

"I hope that's enough, Van. Ana Gann, out."

SWSWSWSWSW

Leon fidgeted uncomfortably outside the speeder body shop, Bek's. Mari had gone in alone, claiming her connect would be grumpy and unsteady should strangers be involved. Instead of a grumpy criminal, Leon was stuck with a slightly less grumpy Erea Naga. The red head glared out into the smoky gloom of the Coruscanti midlevels, a scowl on her features as she leaned against the rusted railing. Leon leaned with his back against the railing and stared up at the dim moonlight that snaked its way downward, bouncing along the countless mirrored surfaces of the windows above. The two were silent for a while.

"You really don't like Mari, do you?" Leon asked finally without taking his eyes from the dome of the false sky.

Erea turned towards her gaze to her compatriot, then back into the distance. "What of it?"

"I know I've only known you for one day, but everything in my gut says this is out of character for you," Leon replied. He turned around and placed his hands on the rail. His gaze rested on Erea. "You made me save an enemy up there, and now you don't want to trust this woman at all?"

"I have my reasons, Leon," Erea replied quietly. She looked at him again, but her gaze averted his intense gaze. "She's dangerous."

"That's not the feeling I'm getting from her, Erea," Leon said. He leaned further onto the railing, elbows on the metal. He ran one hand through his hair. It had been four months since his last military-mandated haircut, so his one time crew cut had become a close cut, with some hair straying into his vision. His mouth clacked as it opened. "She's a friend."

Erea looked back to him. "I hope so, Leon. For -"

Leon held his hand up. "Do you hear..." he looked into the distance then grabbed Erea's arm and ran towards Bek's door. "Sirens from around the corner. I've heard a dozen blaster shots and no sirens."

"Then they're here for us," Erea agreed. She ran next to him.

"Mari, time to go. Tell me you got a speeder," Leon said as he neared the negotiation in the back of the garage.

"Who are these people?" the owner asked, a dark skinned human. "I said come alone!"

"Dammit, I don't have time for this," Leon growled. He walked up to the man and landed an elbow to his face. Erea's blasters stunned the surprised bodyguards into submission. To Mari: "Don't bother leaving whatever info it was he wanted. We're taking one of the speeders, and we don't need any more Trirals on our tail."

As if in response, a blaster bolt echoed through the front door, followed by a cop's voice. "Surrender yourselves, Sith. We don't want any bloodshed tonight!"

Leon grabbed the activator for a speeder from Bek's table. He noticed Bek starting to get up, and slammed his foot into the man's gut. Leon grimaced. "Sorry... Time to go," he said as he ran off. Erea and Mari both took off after him, all three sprinting for their lives.

Later, Corsec would enter the building with a tactical team. The Corsec officers were searching for soldiers of the Sith Empire and any abetting them. They would instead find evidence on a speeder and swoop boosting circle that had been beaten down like they were kids fighting a rancor. The perpetrators, two humans and a Chiss, were already gone when Corsec made their way in.