A/N: in which scorpio is helpful, rei is not helpful, and everybody makes bad decisions.
I'm going to try to start posting more regularly. I'm way ahead as far as writing goes, but the editing is taking forever so assuming I can get better about that, I can tentatively say I'll be posting a chapter every 1-2 weeks.

"C'mon, I didn't carry all this caf up here for everyone to ignore it."

Rei lifted her head just enough to glare at Kira. The Jedi was sitting across the room at the terminal, feet propped up on the main console, managing to look equal parts bored and amused. It should've been too late in the morning for Rei to justify being as tired as she was, except that she'd spent the entire night before reading; it was well into the early hours of the morning when she'd finally made it to bed, and she wasn't sure whether she was more frustrated with the fact that she was such a slow reader, or that she was such a light sleeper. The normal morning sounds of the rest of her crew had been enough to wake her, and Rei had forced herself out of bed. "You might have mentioned it earlier, then."

"I did," she shot back.

As Rei grabbed one of the three cups — one of which had already been claimed by Raina, judging by the lipstick marks — she asked, "What about everyone else? Zaara and Ashara and…" she paused, trying to remember who had all been at the safehouse when she'd called down earlier that morning. "Teeseven, I think, and Lana and Theron. Where'd they all go?"

She shrugged. "Revanite warehouses. There's a few across the cove, and they went to see if there's any useful information. We're waiting on any of them to call in."

"Most of them are abandoned, or mostly, anyway," Raina clarified. "Zaara and Ashara went to one up the coast, Cori and Teeseven are on their way back from one on the other side of town, and Kira and Andronikos are already back."

"Yeah, the one we looked into was a dead end. Just a bunch of old stuff from the Nova Blades. Now that they're gone, there wasn't anything useful there." Kira crossed her arms, looking thoughtful for a moment. "The one Lana and Theron went to was an actual safehouse, though. They might actually find something."

"They took Jakarro and Deefour with them. I think Lana was worried they'd run into trouble."

Rei stared down at the caf, resisting the urge to make a face; she still wasn't used to how strong the stuff on Rishi seemed to be. "And when they get back?"

Temple hesitated. "Hopefully, we'll be closer to finding their main base. SCORPIO mentioned she may be able to work out a location based off their communications, but—" She was cut off by the holoterminal springing to life, Zaara's image flickering into view.

"Tell me we've got a location."

"Nope," Kira reported. "Nothing. Still waiting on Lana and Theron, though."

Zaara crossed her arms, frowning. "Is Raina still there? Tell her to go check on SCORPIO. I want those coordinates ready by the time I'm back."

"You got it."

Temple excused herself as the call ended. Rei watched as she left, then turned to Kira. "That book you let Ashara borrow."

She broke out into a wide, knowing grin. "You're hooked."

Rei briefly considered denying it, but knew there was no point; she'd spent the previous evening curled up on the couch with her nose buried in the novel, even while most of the rest of the group had piled into the main room with food and drinks and a game of sabaac Rei was certain they didn't actually ever finish. The meeting with the Mandalorians hadn't been cause for celebration, but they'd celebrated nonetheless, needing a momentary break from their nonstop attempts against the Revanites.

"I'm interested."

"You're hooked," Kira repeated, "and let me guess — you want the other books in the series."

She crossed her arms, hardly able to believe she was about to ask a Jedi for Republic literature. "Yes."

"Tell you what, I'll send it to you, and before we leave Rishi you, me, and Ashara can watch the first movie."

Forgetting entirely that she was attempting to hide her enthusiasm, Rei was about to demand to know more about the holovids when she heard Jakarro return. She couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but he didn't sound particularly happy. Lana cut him off sharply, then there were footsteps leading up to the main room, and Kira and Rei shared a concerned look.

"Yes, maybe then Theron wouldn't have been taken."

"What?" Rei sat up at Jakarro's words, twisting to face the doorway.

Lana stopped Jakarro from making any further comments with a stern look. "Theron was taken by the Revanites. There was little we could do, and as unfortunate as it is—"

"Little we could do? We could have taken them!"

"As unfortunate as it is," Lana continued, raising her voice, "Theron is now in a position to do what he does best. Should they decide to question him, he'll be able to gather more information than we could using our current strategies."

Kira was now sitting rigidly upright, not quite glaring at Lana. "And why do I get the feeling you were planning on this little opportunity for Theron to gather information?"

"You can say interrogate. We all know why they took him." Rei frowned as she stood, glancing back at Kira as she tugged her hood back up into place. She was surprised at how heated the news was making her; a good thing, ultimately — she was more than prepared to take care of the rescue mission alone. "Where did they take him, exactly?"

Lana hesitated a moment, her confusion clear. "Their base, I would assume. Nox, why—" She cut off with a short sigh. "You can't go alone."

Rei shot her the most challenging look she could muster. "Of course I can. Unless you're coming, Kira?"

The Jedi glanced between the two Sith, as if uncertain whether she could still trust Rei. "I'll go find Cori and Teeseven," she decided, "and we'll meet up with you."

"Fair enough." There was something about the entire situation that unsettled her, though she couldn't quite place what it was. It wasn't that — if Jakarro was to be believed — Lana had allowed it to happen. As much as she hated it, Rei was almost surprised something like this hadn't happened earlier.

She'd hoped Rishi would give her some time away from Sith and their damned calculated maneuvering.

Lana was right, of course. She was always right. The current situation placed them — or would, once they got Theron back — at an advantage, but that didn't mean Rei had to like it. At all.

"Next time we have to send someone to be captured, send Zaara. She likes that sort of thing," Rei announced as she made her way to the entrance of the safehouse.

"Nox."

Rei made it out to the alleyway before Lana caught up with her. "If you don't want me to go alone," she conceded, turning to face her, "fine. I'll take SCORPIO with me."

"That's a good idea, yes. But you can't just go storming into the base," Lana argued. "We never got the exact coordinates, but if it's in the general area we believe it to be, there's a Rishii village nearby. Go there, secure whatever assistance you can, and when Zaara and the others return, we'll join you."

Lips pursed, Rei considered the suggestion. It was the smarter way to go about it, certainly, but it was also an unnecessary waste of time. "Or, I could just storm the base."

"And risk Theron's life in the process. We have to be smart about this, Nox."

Her shoulders drooped. "Yes, fine. Alright. I'll get SCORPIO and we'll go to the village."

She didn't regret her decision.

Lana had known that Nox would be upset. Though, honestly, she'd expected a more violent outburst; if there was one thing Lana had learned since Nox's arrival on Rishi, it was that she was fiercely protective of those she cared for — namely, her crew and Zaara and more recently, T7 and Theron. That Nox had simply stormed off to rescue Theron was, somehow, much more troubling.

Zaara, at least, would understand, and between the two of them Lana was certain they could work out a successful rescue operation and get Theron back safely. It was a calculated risk, and one she would make again if needed. She would prefer not to, of course; even disregarding her personal feelings towards Theron, she had no desire to unnecessarily facilitate the capture and torture of anyone in their little group.

Still, the destruction of the Revanites was far more important than the opinions of any one person.

Lana stood as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs, relaxing as Zaara joined her. "SCORPIO has coordinates," the agent announced. "I was thinking I could head over with Raina and Jakarro, scout out the area and get a plan together, but then I ran into Kira. She says I should get an explanation from you?"

"Yes, and she's understandably upset, given the circumstances. Theron was captured at the Revanite safehouse, and we believe he's being held at their base." Lana kept her gaze focused on Zaara, trying to gauge the agent's response. "Nox is… unhappy. But it was a carefully considered decision, allowing the Revanites to take him. I assume you understand."

Nodding slowly, Zaara leaned forward. "Risky, but there's a lot we can learn." She stood, clasping her hands behind her back and beginning to pace in front of the couch. After a few moments of silence, Zaara turned to face Lana. "What sort of rescue do we have planned? I'll need to alert Lokin. Raina and I are the obvious choice for a rescue team, though Teeseven could be useful. Keep Rei and Cori nearby. What do we know about the base itself?"

"Just the location. There's a Rishii village nearby, and Nox is already headed there. We planned to meet her once everyone was gathered again, and we can formulate a plan from there. Her preferred method, I believe, is a full assault on the base."

Zaara was silent for several moments, staring down at the floor. "When you say carefully considered," she asked, voice terse, "you mean for you. Theron wasn't informed."

"Yes. I couldn't risk discovery by the Revanites," Lana defended. "And I couldn't even be certain he'd agree to it."

"You realize he's likely done this before? I've done this before. It comes with the job." Zaara placed her hands on her hips and she shook her head, giving a humorless chuckle. "Lana, you're brilliant, but this is a disaster. You don't send someone off on a mission without telling them everything they need to know. Especially not a mission like this."

Lana crossed her arms, frowning; she didn't need a lecture from Zaara. "In any case, it's done, and we should focus our efforts on Theron instead of arguing amongst ourselves."

"Right. I'll gather a team. Send me the coordinates and we'll get started. Oh—" She paused before reaching the doorway, "—and for future reference, if you ever decide this is the best way to proceed, I'm volunteering right now. I'll go. You can fill me in without worrying I'll back out. And if you're not sure if I make a convincing prisoner, ask Lokin about Corellia."

Rei paced along the path in front of the hut the rest of the group was in, glaring up at the bright noon sun.

She was impatient on the best days, and today hadn't exactly been off to a stellar start. Between waiting for Lana and trying to get everyone caught up on the situation, they'd spent far more time talking than Rei could stand. She and SCORPIO had decided before they'd even reached the village that the two of them could easily make a quick, concentrated strike on the Revanite base. If that's where they were keeping Theron, they'd find him and leave. And if not, there had to be some valuable information within the base.

Despite being incredibly unnerving, SCORPIO was a valuable ally. Not that Rei trusted her enough to admit it, though.

Still, she was the only other one who wasn't shooting down every suggestion that Rei made — Lana seemed to disagree with everything she said, Zaara kept insisting they needed to handle the situation carefully, and Cori was too lost in her own thoughts to contribute much. Rei had endured their arguing for most of the morning, but had finally left when Zaara began suggesting they investigate the nearby camps before even hitting the stronghold.

More than the rest of the group, though, Rei was frustrated with herself. She was… well, worried didn't seem to quite cover it. There were a dozen different emotions roiling within her — worry was one of them, yes, and anger, and impatience. She'd learned long ago that she could turn this situation into an advantage — to harness the discord and let it fester and simmer within her until she was ready to channel it.

But Rei was too tense, like a wire pulled taut, and needed an outlet to keep her from snapping.

Pacing wasn't helping much.

In the relative quiet of the afternoon, with little but the sounds of wildlife and the distant crackling of the fire to distract her, Rei had far too many opportunities to think. She didn't want to think, she wanted to do, but wasn't left with much choice except to wait for Zaara and Lana to come up with a plan. As much as Rei was certain that she could tear through the base herself — especially given the unexpected intensity of her reaction — the others were concerned that if they revealed themselves to the Revanites, Theron would be seen as no more than leverage, and possibly not even that.

Theron wasn't expendable.

So Rei paced, avoiding everyone until Zaara approached her after what seemed like hours of deliberation. The agent stood beside her, arms crossed, amusement clear on her face. "You're worried," she commented lightly.

She was teasing, and Rei felt obligated to argue. But every protest fell flat, and she finally settled for a cursory glare up at Zaara before giving a frustrated sigh and frowning.

"You are worried." Surprise colored her voice now, though the teasing edge hadn't quite disappeared.

"I'm… I don't know," Rei admitted, the irritation clear in her voice. It wasn't necessarily the concern that had her on edge, but the fact that it was connected to Theron. And she didn't particularly feel like talking about it. "But I do know I'd feel much better about this all if we would actually do something. We've waited too long," she decided. "This could've been taken care of hours ago if I'd gone alone."

"Or it would've been a disaster, and we'd be searching for Theron and you. He'll be fine, you know. I don't know the extent of his implants, but he's mentioned pain inhibitors, at the very least. And I've—" Zaara's words ended abruptly, and when she spoke again, her voice was deceptively lighter. "Well, I happen to know the Republic trains its agents well."

Shoulders slumping, Rei tossed an exasperated glance at Zaara. That subject had been the one line of thought she'd been trying to avoid; she was no stranger to torture, giving or receiving, and the thought made her more than a bit uncomfortable. "Training or no, people break," she deadpanned.

"Which is exactly why we need to handle this delicately," Zaara reminded her.

"Handling it delicately has just meant sitting here doing nothing. We should—"

"Except," Zaara cut her off, "we haven't been doing nothing. We've got a plan. In a couple of hours, we'll be finished here and should be in a much better position to plan out a final strike against the Revanites."

"And?" she prompted.

"You were there when we discussed the camps to the south of the main base? Raina, Teeseven, and I will infiltrate the camps — the Imperial side will be simple, and I've got a couple ideas for the Republic camp — while Cori and SCORPIO make their way to the Revanites' fleet." Zaara gestured as she spoke, pointing out at vague points on the horizon to illustrate her plan. "At best, we can send out some sort of false report to lessen security, at worst we'll at least have more information on the base itself. When we're ready to hit the base, Cori will do what she can to take down as many of their ships as possible, and SCORPIO will force her way into their systems." She gave a satisfied nod, placing her hands on her hips. "In one quick, simultaneous strike, we'll do a lot of damage."

Rei waited for her to continue; when Zaara didn't, Rei prompted, "Theron? And what about me—you don't expect me to sit here and wait, do you?"

Staring out towards the Revanite camps, Zaara chewed at her lip a moment before answering, her own concern begin to show. "We're assuming he's at the base. If not, we'll have to rethink the second part of the plan. And you," she turned to Rei, any hint of hesitation gone, "will join us at the stronghold. Between me and Teeseven, we should be able to come up with something to clear you a path." Before Rei could argue, she added, "It's too risky to bring you with us to the camps. We need to be quick and quiet, and a Sith would stand out too much."

"Fine."

There is no passion, there is serenity.

Cori focused.

The distant thrum of the ocean, waves rolling in at a pace similar to her own heartbeat. The too-warm sun on her face, the heat severe enough that beads of sweat would soon slip down her forehead. The barely-there scent of the smoke, drifting slowly towards her in the stillness of the Rishi air.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

And underneath it all, behind every sensation and every thought she tried to capture, was Lana. It had become increasingly difficult to drive the Sith from her thoughts when she meditated, especially since their…

Cori refused to call it a date. But ever since then.

It was no longer a simple matter of constantly having Lana on her mind — that had been simple. Now, it consumed her, never allowing her a moment of peace, emotions churning within her that she didn't even have names for.

Meditating wasn't working.

She pulled herself to her feet, taking a slow breath to try and steady herself before turning to the Rishii hut they were staying in. Both Zaara and Lana looked up as she entered, and Cori took another breath. "I need to speak with Lana." Her sister left them alone without question, and Cori realized she had no idea what to say.

Lana spoke first, after several moments of silence. "Typical, I suppose, isn't it?" Her voice didn't shake, but it was more than a little uncertain. "It's the cunning Sith who betrays the trust of the alliance?"

It was confirmation enough. Still concentrating on her breathing, Cori smoothed her expression and waited until she was certain her voice wouldn't waver before she spoke. "You did allow Theron to be taken, then?"

"Yes, I did." She paused. "It's a decision I stand by." Another pause. "Cori, I—"

Cori shook her head, turning to go back outside. "I should prepare. We have a lot to do." She ignored Zaara's concerned comments, instead walking silently down the path towards the main village. She had no specific destination in mind, and wouldn't stay long, but Cori needed a few moments to collect herself.

She could hear masters' voices within her thoughts — Orgus, Kiwiiks, Satele, even her own voice — berating her. This is what attachments lead to. Not to mention all the warnings about Sith that she'd continued to ignore, ever since first meeting Lana on Manaan.

Of all the times she'd found herself tempted, and it was Lana who she'd felt strongly enough about to try and follow through. Nothing more than brief, experimental dalliances as a padawan, not her initial attraction to Kira, not even when Doc had shown interest and Cori had craved the sensation of being wanted.

She didn't share the Order's view on attachments — not entirely, anyway. They were inevitable, whether the other Jedi admitted it or not; masters bonded with their students, young padawans bonded with each other, and the only real danger was when these feelings ran too deeply.

Which was her current predicament.

But they had larger concerns than trying to figure out how — or if — she could reconcile with Lana after this. Yet despite every rational thought and ingrained lesson telling Cori to move on, to put these emotions aside and push past Lana, she found the prospect near-impossible.

Cori understood — truly understood, for the first time — why attachments were such a frightening thing.