A/N: in which rei pines, theron is rescued, and revan isn't actually revan

Whatever Zaara had done while at the Republic Revanite camp, it had created enough chaos that Rei could easily slip through the fighting and make her way towards the main stronghold. The entrance had just come into view when an explosion rocked the platform to her right, and Cori spoke over their comm line.

"One ship down. SCORPIO found a console that should let her access the main systems. We'll keep you updated."

"Good." Zaara's voice was nearly inaudible. "We made it into the base, but there's two Jedi guarding the entrance. I assumed they'd leave with the other Revanites to investigate but they haven't, and… it's put us in an unenviable position. Do hurry, Nox."

Rei sighed and offered a dramatic, "If you insist." She picked up her pace, allowing herself to focus on the Force and the dark energy that simmered within her as the two Jedi came into view. As the hot magenta of her lightsaber blade sprang to life, the mirialan Jedi took notice of her.

The second Jedi, a slender human, leapt at Rei, flourishing a blue saber mid-strike. She stepped out of his reach easily, arcing her own lightsaber in a blow he barely blocked. The human's swings were practiced yet hesitant; Rei assumed he'd either not seen much actual battle, or hadn't ever fought a proper Sith.

Either way, Rei disposed of him easily. The real challenge came with the mirialan — she was impossibly quick, and Rei found herself on the defensive almost immediately, wasting too much time and energy blocking to make any attacks of her own. Letting the battle and the distant sounds of fighting drive her, Rei pushed back with renewed vigor.

Blaster fire rang out — much closer than the conflict in the nearby camps — and Rei caught a glimpse of both Zaara and T7. It stopped the Jedi just long enough for Rei to reach out with the Force, the mirialan's lightsaber dropping to the ground as she reached instinctively for her throat.

There was no rush of fear or despair from the Jedi as Rei had anticipated. Unsatisfied, she pressed further.

Her eyes met the mirialan's as she struggled against Rei's hold, gasping and attempting to force out words that Rei was entirely uninterested in hearing. She kept her gaze trained on the Jedi for several moments, watching as panic finally crept into her eyes, mixing with the defiance there. With a wide sweep of her saber, Rei let the mirialan crumple to the ground.

"We're in a hurry, aren't we?" Rei stepped over the body, clipping her lightsaber back to her belt as she met Zaara, Temple, and T7 at the entrance of the base.

"We are," Zaara confirmed with a curt nod. "There shouldn't be too much resistance inside. As I mentioned earlier, we managed to draw most of the forces over to the camps. SCORPIO and Lana pointed us towards the main security room — it's right up front," she motioned over to her right, "and should get us access to everything we need. Oh," she added, "and on the off-chance Revan is here, I'm sending you after her. The rest of us can take care of Theron."

Rei searched for a reason to argue, but found none; she was the best equipped to confront the former Sith. Frowning, she cautioned, "I would think Lana or I would be able to sense if someone as powerful as Revan were here."

"Like I said, on the off-chance. Cori," she added, speaking over the comm line, "how's it going on your end?"

There was silence for several moments; when Cori finally spoke, she was breathing heavily. "Good. The largest ships are all taken care of." More silence. "But this isn't a fleet, Zaara. This is just a few ships."

Zaara sighed, squeezing her eyes shut until she answered. "You think the fleet itself is already off the ground?"

"That, or the Revanites have done a lot of exaggerating."

"Either way, that's fewer ships they can use against us. Check in with Lana when you're on your way back. Nox is here; we're heading in." Zaara jerked her head towards the interior of the base. "Let's go."

As predicted, they ran into little trouble once inside the stronghold itself, save for a few patrol droids that were easily dealt with. Zaara led them straight to the security room, inspecting the main console as soon as they'd taken care of the lone guard in the room. Rei had barely entered the actual room when the holoterminal in the center flickered to life.

"I applaud your continued efforts, but I'm afraid I have to put an end to them."

Grip tightening on her lightsaber, Rei joined Zaara at the terminal, inspecting their newcomer. The man wore a hooded robe and what looked suspiciously like Revan's mask. "Who are you supposed to be?"

He gave a low chuckle. "I am Revan."

"No you aren't."

"Regardless," Zaara pointed out, already searching through one of the terminals, "you're in charge, aren't you? You've orchestrated all of this."

"I have." He turned to address Rei. "The title, like the mask, has been passed down to me. I claimed the burden and accepted the honor of cleansing the galaxy, as was intended 300 years ago."

"Noted." Still hunched over the terminal, Zaara glanced back for a moment to ask, "So, are you going to tell us where Theron is, or am I going to have to figure it out on my own?"

"Theron's fate is inconsequential."

Rei crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes as she glared up at Revan's image. She hadn't ever been fortunate enough to Force-choke someone through a holocall, but she was fairly certain she could, if she set her mind to it. "See, I'm going to have to disagree with you, Revan. I didn't force my way this deep into your base just to walk away empty-handed."

"Nox," Zaara called, "I've got a location. Theron should be just a few rooms—" She cut off with a frustrated curse. "Temple, see if you can access the security system. Pull up the camera feeds."

"It's amusing to watch you scurry about like this," Revan admitted, voice smug, "when you have no hope of stopping me."

"No hope?" Rei shot back. She was well aware that Zaara and Temple could work just fine under pressure, but she figured it couldn't hurt to keep Revan distracted until they were finished. "We've taken your pirates and your Mandalorians, and your most powerful agents within both the Empire and Republic. We've destroyed your base, and your fleet is probably little more than dust by now." Still glaring at Revan, she shrugged. "I'd say we're well on our way to stopping you."

Before Revan could get more than a few words out, he was cut off by Temple. "Zaara, open the east door. I've got the video— Zaara!"

Arms crossed, fingers tapping impatiently, Rei's focus remained on Revan, even as a door to her right slid open. Out of the corner of her eye she caught blaster fire, then a blur of red, then more blaster fire; she took little notice, preparing a retort to the brief defense Revan had been able to put up. "However irrelevant Rishi is to the rest of your plans, the point is — we stopped you. And we'll stop…" Rei trailed off as she realized Revan was no longer paying attention to her.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you were able to escape so quickly, Theron. Though I should've expected it, considering our shared heritage."

That was enough to break Rei's stubborn concentration. "Theron?" She turned to find him next to Zaara, breathing heavily and looking… well, Rei had expected worse. Considering the circumstances, she was more than happy to have been proven wrong. An unexpected wave of relief flooded through her, and she couldn't hold back a wide grin. "And here I was already planning revenge." Her voice was deliberately light, any genuine concern pushed roughly aside.

"Yes, Theron's back and ruined your chance at a heroic rescue, and now it's very important that we leave." Irritation colored Zaara's already tense voice. "I'm sending anything relevant to SCORPIO, and once I overload the—"

"No time." Theron shook his head. "Revan's got a signal jammer blocking communications in the Rishi system. The fleets—" He cut off with a grimace. "The Republic and Imperial fleets," he continued, more slowly, "will drop out of hyperspace right on top of each other."

"Right," Zaara interrupted before Theron could explain any further. "How does the entrance look, Temple?"

"Mostly clear." She pulled up the security feeds on the monitors above the terminal. "A few droids out towards the main hallway. I can access the exterior security if you give me a moment."

"No, Theron's right — we don't have time. Nox, you go ahead and clear the way. We have to get back to the village as quickly as we can."

"Look, I appreciate the concern, but I should be—"

"I know." Zaara kept her voice even; in Theron's position, she wouldn't even have made it to the Rishii hut they'd turned into a makeshift med clinic. Honestly, she was surprised he wasn't arguing more than he was. "But you don't have to be. Not yet. SCORPIO is still working on that data, and I think between the rest of us, we can come up with a plan for the signal jammer. Plus, it looks like we have a bit of breathing room for the moment. There will still be plenty for you to do by the time Lokin's finished with you."

He scoffed. "That doesn't sound threatening at all."

"It shouldn't," she shot back lightly, though the playfulness in her tone disappeared almost immediately. "He's got plenty of experience with agents and won't keep you here a moment longer than necessary. Just…" Zaara paused, biting at her lip. There was too much at stake for the tense mistrust that had arisen from Theron's capture, however warranted it was. "I know it doesn't help, but for what it's worth, it wasn't personal. She saw an opportunity, and she took it. It was the right idea, if badly executed."

"I know. And no, it doesn't help."

"I've spoken with her about it, at least. And if Nox gets her way, Lana won't be living this down for a while."

"Nox?"

Zaara gave an exasperated chuckle, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Nox. I suppose you did miss the part where she was ready to tear the base apart alone once she learned you'd been captured."

Theron tossed her an impressed look, his surprise evident though it faded quickly. "She's threatened to do that every day for the past two weeks," he pointed out.

"Threatening to do something while she's sitting with her nose in a datapad is different than actually marching all the way down here by herself. Speaking of," Zaara paused, glancing up at the doorway, "I should go check on the others. I know we have some time to spare, but I'd rather not press our luck." She excused herself, slipping out of the makeshift clinic; she'd intended to meet with Lana and SCORPIO, but changed her mind when she caught sight of her sister.

Cori was sitting a few meters away from the main hut, on a small overhang that faced the remains of the Revanite base. It wasn't clear whether she was meditating, or had simply stepped out for a bit of peace.

"Busy?" Placing her hands on her hips, Zaara stared down at Cori, trying to see past her calm focus.

"I spoke with Lana," she admitted after a moment. "About… Theron."

It was Zaara's turn to hesitate; even if she could find the words to explain why Lana's actions weren't as damnable as Cori likely found them, Zaara couldn't be certain that Cori would even understand — she'd been a Jedi for far too long. "She's Sith," she offered awkwardly.

"I know. And I've seen it — what Sith can do — and I've heard Lys talk about… well, about all the times she's been betrayed, I just never…"

"Betrayed?" Zaara echoed. She sat beside her sister, crossing her legs and giving Cori a nudge with her shoulder. "Lana's a lot of things, but she's not a traitor. Efficient, pragmatic, a bit ruthless, maybe. She's Sith."

Turning to look at Zaara, Cori titled her head a bit, caution shining plainly in her deep brown eyes. "Would you have done it? Would Darth Nox?"

"I would've arranged for myself to be captured," she answered automatically. "Full disclosure, rescue plans, backup — none of this spur of the moment mess. But yes, I would've."

Her voice hardened. "That's not what I asked."

"Would I have sent an ally — a friend — unknowingly to be captured and tortured for the sake of a mission?" Zaara sighed, lips twisting into a frown as she mulled the question over in her mind. "Yes," she finally answered, drawing the word out slowly. "If there were absolutely no other options. Which, in this case, I believe there were."

All the Jedi training in the galaxy couldn't have hidden Cori's disappointment. She recoiled at Zaara's words, eyes searching her sister's face before she turned back to stare out over the terrain, folding her hands delicately in her lap.

It was clear Zaara was no longer welcome; standing, she placed a gentle hand on Cori's shoulder. "There's a reason I'm glad you ended up with the Jedi, Cori." Leaving her to her thoughts, Zaara made her way back to the main hut. She found Raina at the main terminal, with Lana and Rei in quiet conversation.

"Between what Theron told us and the data SCORPIO retrieved, we have a few hours before we need to worry," Lana informed her as she approached. "The rest of the team has been alerted. I'll see what I can do about securing transportation, and let you know if anything changes."

Rei figured she shouldn't have been surprised when Zaara shooed her out of the hut. Her pacing, apparently, was distracting.

She couldn't help it. She'd been on edge all day, even once they'd found Theron. Or perhaps, moreso after they'd found him; Rei was practically buzzing with relief and concern and white-hot rage — though that was directed at Revan, not Theron. Her frustration with Lana had dulled, at least.

Pacing outside wasn't helping anymore than it had inside. She had no other way to expend her energy, though, at least not for the moment, so she continued making slow circles across the lower Rishii village. It wasn't until she saw Lokin leave the smaller of the two huts — the one he'd set up in to make up for the lack of a proper medclinic — that it occurred to her to actually go and check on Theron.

The makeshift clinic was small, almost uncomfortably so, and littered with various medical equipment — some of which made Rei suspicious despite having no idea what any of it did. Although, the fact that it all belonged to Lokin was more than enough to make her skin crawl. Theron sat on one of the two cots, with his jacket tossed on the second. He was rolling down his sleeves as Rei approached, raising an eyebrow as he caught sight of her. "Looking for something?"

"I wasn't, but now I'm thinking I may need to find a kolto tank for you." Her remark was deliberately blithe, any genuine concern pushed aside for her less genuine lightheartedness. It occurred to Rei that she hadn't actually yet seen the extent of his injuries, considering how chaotic things had been at the stronghold; with Theron on the low-sitting cot and the clinic as small as it was, Rei was close enough to see the bruises and the discoloration around his implants and the half-healed split in his lip that divided his grin.

She was staring.

Clearing her throat, Rei slipped past Theron to inspect the equipment at the far side of the hut, carefully picking up a syringe filled with a liquid far bluer and more iridescent than any medicine had a right to be. It wasn't until she turned to face Theron again, syringe discarded on the table, that he responded to her earlier comment.

"When this is all over, sure," he shrugged. "There's too much to take care of for now."

With a quiet hmm in agreement, Rei crossed her arms, tilting her head a bit and suppressing the urge to argue. It must've been an agent thing, she supposed, to refuse to stop when there was still work to be done. Zaara was the same way, and it was just a frustrating when she did it.

Though less worrying, Rei corrected herself, frowning; it wasn't her concern for Theron that was perplexing her anymore, but her relief that he was safe, which she still hadn't entirely processed.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Theron's voice. "Nox—"

"Rei," she corrected automatically; her name slipped out before she was even aware, but as soon as she spoke she was certain it was a revelation she was comfortable making. When Theron offered only a confused look in return, she clarified, "Reiyaxa. My name. Nox is—" she gave a light wave of her hand, hoping to downplay the significance, "—little more than a title."

"Rei." He spoke slowly, almost thoughtfully, as if trying to determine if the name was a good fit. "You look a little… tense."

She couldn't hold back a quiet laugh. "Is it that obvious? Zaara said the same thing." The same agitation from before flared up again, tempered only by the fact that Theron was sitting right in front of her, safe. "I suppose I'll feel better once we find Revan. Or, whoever. I plan to give him a very personal, very painful explanation as to why this all was incredibly intolerable."

"Right. That's very… Sith." Despite his tone, Theron's expression was amused, one eyebrow raised and a smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

"And you expected…?"

He shrugged. "Point taken."

Rei tapped her fingers against her arm, growing restless in the sudden silence. Vague threats and blase remarks were easy to make, and it should've been easy to offer a simple I'm glad you're safe, but she couldn't seem to force the words out. "You know," she managed, voice not quite as nonchalant as she would've liked, "this whole look — the beaten and bruised thing — it's not very flattering." She reached out, unthinking, fingers brushing lightly over the discoloration on one of his cheeks. Almost immediately, Rei pulled her hand back, clearing her throat and crossing her arms tightly.

"Rei?" Theron — to Rei's relief — looked almost as conflicted as she felt. "I appreciate the rescue. Even if, you know, it wasn't really needed. It was nice to see a friendly face — weird as it is to say that about a Sith."

"Well, it was nice to see you were still mostly in one piece." Having finally managed what she'd been trying to say, Rei flashed an uncertain smile and excused herself, feeling far more victorious than she knew she should. As she ducked out of the makeshift clinic, Rei nearly ran straight into Ashara.

Her apprentice rolled her eyes before even saying anything. "Lana's looking for you. She and Zaara have worked out a plan, but the fleets are almost here so they want to head out soon." She paused, frowning a bit before adding, "Do I… do I even want to know?"

"Know what?"

Ashara glanced towards the clinic, then shook her head. "That look, like you— Actually, no. You know what, I don't want to know. Are you coming, or should I tell Lana to start without you?"

Rei waved off her comments. "Lead the way. And there's nothing to know, so you're not missing out."

"Whatever. That's what you said about Zash, and you've been pining over her for years."

"You'd understand if you met Zash when I did. She was beautiful, and clever, and the first woman to really treat me with the respect I deserve, and yes, I did admittedly hero-worship her a bit," Rei pointed out, vaguely aware she was rambling but unable to stop. "But if I was really so hopeless for her like you claim, wouldn't I still be trying to make things work? The whole trapped in the body of a Deshade thing doesn't really matter, since I have no desire for a sexual relationship, ever, and—"

"Nox, you're pining over Zash again."

Rei scoffed. Ashara might have had a point about Zash and missed chances, but it really wasn't fair to compare a years-long, complex and evolving relationship with some minor infatuation that she was still discovering.

Although, that was how it had begun with Zash, back in the Academy; except now, Rei was one of the most powerful Sith in the galaxy and not just an inexperienced acolyte constantly overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices to make each day. The only thing stopping her was herself.

Regardless of the fact that it was a terrible idea, her feelings for Theron would become irrelevant once they dealt with Revan, anyway. And really, what sort of Sith would she be if she didn't allow herself to indulge a bit — even if only momentarily?

Before they entered the hut where Lana and the others were gathered, Rei placed a hand on Ashara's shoulder and sighed. "This is all your fault, and I just want to let you know that you'll be subject to any updates and all the details."

"At this point, I'll take that instead of having to listen about Zash."