"Trust is in short supply right now," Lana sighed as she walked down the passageway with Cipher 9. "I know it's asking a lot, but I need you to try, now more than ever."
"I think I can manage," Cipher agreed.
"Good, thank you," Lana sighed, relief evident as Senya caught up to them from the bridge.
"I would like to join you on your search for the Lady of Sorrows," the knight said without preamble.
"Of course," Cipher replied cheerily. "I'm sure you'll be much more of a talker than Darth Imperious, he mostly just stands there and broods. Sith," she huffed with an exaggerated eye roll and smile. "You and I on the other hand… I can think of quite a few things to talk about."
"One or two," Senya agreed
Relieved, Lana bowed and said, "May the Force ever serve you."
She left the pair in search of Koth, not looking forward to the impending confrontation. She found him on the bridge overseeing repairs. As soon as he saw her, he directed her off the bridge to a nearby empty room.
"Have you come here to apologize for not pulling that loose cannon off me or to tell me she's off my ship?" He leaned against the bulkhead, a forced relaxed position, but Lana could clearly see the tension in his eyes.
"Neither, and it's not your ship." Lana crossed her arms in a defensive position as she glared at him, "I told you from the beginning to keep your opinions about Valkorian to yourself. You're lucky she stopped when she did considering you were advocating for the man who destroyed her home be put back in power."
"I don't believe this," Koth yelled, pushing off to pace. "After everything we've been through, everything I did for you, this is how you repay me?"
"I was very clear about this," Lana insisted.
"Do I mean that little to you," Koth asked. "What about us?"
"There is no us," Lana shot back. She had been clear on that too. Koth froze, looking like he'd been punched in the gut. She took no pleasure in it, but Nox was right, she needed to make this clear sooner rather than later. "Koth, you have been a close friend, a rock when I needed it…"
"And a good fuck, is that it," he demanded.
"No. Wait, that's not what I meant," she huffed in frustration, steepling her fingers and resting her forehead on them as she gathered her thoughts. "What we shared was more than just a way to relieve tension, but…"
"Yeah, your heart was never really in it," he sighed, defeated.
"Neither was yours," Lana pointed out. He wanted to argue with her, mostly on principle, but knew it was pointless.
A silence descended that was neither awkward or comfortable as they examined their own thoughts.
"So who is it," he finally asked, anger drained.
"I'm sorry?"
"Which one out of the group we rescued," Koth clarified. "Come on, don't insult my intelligence. We needed the Outlander, but given your insistence we rescue all of them you can't tell me one of them isn't the reason you're walking away from me."
"I fail to see how that's relevant to this conversation…"
"Is it that Imperious guy? Cause I can totally take him," he joked, glad to see her laugh with him.
"No, to both of those statements," Lana smiled. "He has a wife."
"Well, Nox and the two Jedi and that Cipher chick are out, not your type," he thought out loud. "You made clear your low opinion of Captain Pierce… no… don't tell me."
"I really don't think it's wise to continue," Lana advised.
"Her," Koth demanded, his anger returned. "You're picking that soldier over me? Is that why you're here defending her?"
"I'm here because you were both wrong," Lana countered, defenses up again. "You were the first one I found."
Koth turned his back to compose himself. When he could speak again, he said, "She gets one chance. If she goes after any member of my crew, I will personally deal with her."
"If that happens, it'll only because you got to her before me," Lana promised.
"Then you better go find her," Koth sighed.
"Are we…?"
"We'll be fine," he promised, turning to look at Lana. "Now get going, I'm going to need a minute to get over all this."
She gave him a weak smile before heading out. Koth turned back to face the wall, listening to Lana's footfalls as she left the room. It wasn't long before he heard them returning and stop just outside.
"Go away Lana."
"Apologies," Ace's voice rang out, "I hope you don't mind the intrusion."
"Master… I mean Ace, no, not at all," Koth stammered at the Jedi standing in the doorway. "I thought… well…"
"I can guess," he replied sympathetically.
Koth's eyes shut as he was hit with a wave of embarrassment. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough," Ace answered, "but don't' worry. I was alone meditating nearby, no one else was around. I came to see if there was anything I could do. If you would prefer to be alone…"
"No, stay," Koth insisted. "If I'm alone I might change my mind about kicking her off the ship. I could use a distraction."
The Jedi smiled at him at took a seat on a nearby crate. "I've always enjoyed seeing new worlds, and I fear what little I've seen of Zakuul is poor representation."
"That's an understatement," Koth laughed.
"I'd like to hear about it, from your perspective, if you don't mind."
"Sure," Koth agreed, taking the perch next to him, trying to decide a good place to start.
Talk completed with Koth, Lana now searched for Aneira. She to impress upon her how such actions were unacceptable, no matter how much Lana may have agreed with her sentiments.
It took a bit, but she finally found the major tucked in a corner in one of the recently cleared out store rooms. She looked up when Lana entered and any anger the Sith was feeling drained away when she saw how broken Aneira looked. Sighing, she sat down next to her who silently offered her a drink from the now mostly empty bottle.
Lana raised an eyebrow. "You know I only drink Correlian brandy," she quipped, a weak attempt at humor.
Aneira graced her with a small smile and replied, "I wouldn't have offered if I thought you'd take it."
"You may wish to consider cutting back," Lana advised, sensing how drunk she was. Aneira waved her off, and Lana took that as her que to change the subject. "We need to talk about what happened on the bridge."
"He wants to put that monster back in power," Aneira snarled, anger and liquor making her words slur. "That fuck destroyed my home and then his evil spawn stole my memories, twisted them for her amusement.
Lana's gut twisted and without warning, Cipher's words from the day of the rescue came back to her, taunting. She saw her façade cracking and knew Aneira wouldn't be able to hold back much longer. Unsure of what to say, she gently laid an arm on her shoulder. Whether because of her trust in Lana or the liquor weakening her defenses, the dam holding back her emotions broke, and she started sobbing, shattered.
Lana had been waiting for this moment, but it still crushed her to see the woman she cared for broken like this. She gently mover the hand from Aneira's shoulder around her back wrapping it around the crying woman. Lana held and rocked her gently as was wracked with emotions bottled up over the past five years breaking free.
"It's all gone," she hiccupped after she'd started to calm. "Every happy memory with my parents, you… all replaced by nightmares. I was only able to protect feelings from her, and then only barely."
"She has that kind of power?" The closest Lana had ever heard of anyone with that kind of ability were the Dread Masters.
"What she couldn't do on her own, she supplemented with various machines and drugs," Eira answered with a shrug, eyes still distant. "She started with recent memories, twisting Yavin, Rishi, even parts of Ziost. Some of the changes are subtle, others she didn't even hide her tampering."
"What did she do," Lana asked, not sure she wanted the answer.
"Ziost, she amplified the emotions: the fear as we tried to stop Vitiate, the despair watching him suck the life from the planet, the anger at Theron for putting me in between you and him over Master Suro, the sorrow when you walked away," she whispered thickly. "Vaylin especially liked that one."
"Aneira," Lana started, not sure what to say. She had been furious when Brooke wouldn't let her take the Jedi, and betrayed that trooper said nothing. Looking back, it was clear Maj. Horner had no choice, and in her position, she would have done the same. Something she never got to tell her.
"I would have let her go with you," Aneira said earnestly, finally turning to look at Lana, not bothering to stop the few tears that had fallen again. "She wanted to go, she wanted to help, even if it killed her. I would have let her, but I couldn't go against Brooke and Theron, not like that."
"I know," Lana replied. "I'm sorry I reacted as I did. Days of fighting off Vitiate's influence… I wasn't thinking clearly."
"None of us were," Aneira conceded. "An excuse I used when I got pulled into a Senate hearing for telling Suresh to fuck off."
"I'm sure you were more diplomatic," Lana offered.
"Nope, and that's why I got an ass chewing."
"You weren't punished?"
"Oh I was," Aneira smirked. "Got a Letter of Reprimand put in my file. Would have made re-upping difficult if the war had been over once my contract was up. It was a wrist slap since I didn't say it in front of a large audience and because of my accomplishments. Saresh clearly never forgave me though."
"Did Vaylin do anything else," Lana asked, hating that she had to ask, but she needed to know what all had been done.
Aneira looked down at the liquor bottle and answered quietly, "She focused initially on our interactions, mostly because in the early days I used them as a source of comfort. I'm still not really sure about anything before, just that I'm pretty sure that you never held me down and forced yourself on me in that shuttle on Yavin. You really don't seem like the type."
She said the last part as a weak attempt at a joke, but Lana still heard the pain in her voice. Vaylin had twisted a moment she treasured into a source of pain for the woman next to her. Forcing all anger out of her voice, she answered, "I can assure you that was not the case."
Aneira nodded, "Too much anger in the memory, definitely more Vaylin than you. After she got done with those, she destroyed my memories of my parents. She messed with some of the ones of my father, changing reprimands with him to beatings I know never happened, shouting when he was more of the quiet disciplinarian."
She paused to take a breath. Swallowing thickly, she pressed on, "Mostly, however, she zeroed in on my mother. Apparently, she and Senya had several things in common and used her as a surrogate for her own pain. I don't remember anything good about her… I can't even remember what her smile looked like," her voice broke at the confession. Aneira cleared her throat, determined to get it all out. "The only memory she left unaltered, if feelings heavily amplified, was the day my father was executed. She used that memory to taunt me, changing her face to others. Garza, Dorne, you," she trailed off, emotion cutting her voice off. Clearing her voice, Aneira sighed, "She took it all from me. I'm nothing more than an empty husk."
"That's not true," Lana countered gently. "You're still you, and you'd never abandon someone who needed you. You have persevered despite everything you've endured, and you saved my life back in that swamp."
"And then cowered from you once we got back to the ship," Aneira confessed, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked away in shame.
"What?"
"After Kor was done patching me up, I went to find you. I watched you angrily shoot lighting at the droid pieces and suddenly I was back at the Spire, watching Vaylin destroy a dozen of sky troopers with that force lightening thing for the hell of it before… well… suffice it to say sex and violence went hand and hand with her," she said as she took a large gulp from the bottle. "I practically slammed into Darth Nox as I ran away like a fucking coward looking for a corner to curl up in."
"Aneira," Lana started, but didn't know what to say. She had no idea Aneira had seen her, or that venting her frustrations had that kind of effect. She pulled her closer and tried not to be hurt when Aneira flinched away, separating herself entirely from Lana. "What you went through, all of you, it's not something you just get over. Cipher has been trained to withstand torture, and she reported what you all endured was substantial." She still refused to look at Lana, but she could see the vacant look in Aneira's eyes. Lana felt helpless as she said, "I wish I knew what I could do to help you."
After a long moment, Aneira sighed and rested her head on Lana's shoulder before whispering, "I don't want to be afraid of you."
"I don't want that either," Lana quietly replied. She made a note to be more mindful of her emotions around the major. It was easy to forget everything she'd been through with the front she put up.
"It wasn't a dream, was it? When I visited you in the white room?"
"No," she answered. "It's highly unusual for one who doesn't have a strong command of the Force to reach out like that."
"What does it mean?"
"Either you have some latent Force ability or your willpower is strong enough that the Force itself bends to it. Regardless, we appear to have formed a bond that is highly unusual outside of a Master-Apprentice relationship."
"What happens now?"
"Right now, you're going to sleep off whatever cheap liquor that is. After? I guess we'll have to see."
"I'm ok with that," Eira mumbled sleepily. Soon after she was asleep while Lana attempted to contemplate that question.
Overwhelmed, Brooke knelt to meditate. She had a lot to sort through, it was the deciding factor in why she sent Cipher 9 and Darth Imperious with Senya to Zakuul in her place. Slowing her breathing she tried to find calm, but Valkorion would not be ignored. He appeared, towering over her.
"Your foolish desire to proceed without my help is unwise. It almost cost your Sith friend her life."
"But it didn't," she pointed out with a sigh. So much for meditating.
"A foolish gamble considering the instability of the soldier in your company. You would be wise to put her down or take measures to control her before she becomes a liability."
"Or you could show her a mercy she has been denied these past 5 years. There's always a choice," whispered the voice from the swamp. Slowly, the form of Orgus Din materialized next to Valkorion. "Hello old friend. Seems like it's not just my rules you keep breaking."
"Master Orgus? You said on Rishi I wouldn't see you again."
"That's the impression I was under too, but it appears the Force has other plans for you. Besides, thought you could use another voice to counter his to help keep you focused and remind you who you are."
"This is ridiculous," Valkorion scoffed. "What wisdom could this dead Jedi possibly share?"
"This 'dead Jedi' broke through your shields once to help her, and I can do it again. Some advice: you fought his control once when he forced it on you. Don't give it to him now just because he said please."
"Save your speeches," he sneered. "I offer a chance and greater power."
"He gives nothing without cost," Orgus warned.
"I'll keep that in mind, Master. Now do you both mind? I'm starting to get a headache with your bickering."
"You heard the lady," he said to Valkorion, unaffected by the Emperor's glare.
"Think well on what I can offer you," he warned before disappearing.
"Chipper fellow, isn't he," Master Orgus quipped with a small smirk.
"It's the whole immortal but no body thing that's getting to him," Brooke snarked. "That and no one here is giving into his God-complex. Except Koth, but he doesn't count."
"Almost enough to make you feel sorry for him," Orgus joked back. "It's good to see you again, all things considered. I'll leave you be, but if you ever need me I'll be around. And it goes without saying if he shows up again I'll be there."
True to his word, her old master disappeared leaving the Battlemaster alone with her thoughts.