Carth was stewing. Sarah wasn't quite certain what he was stewing over, but he was. It had the tinge of something he wanted, but didn't believe he could get, it was more than familiar after all of these months. And that very familiarity was enough to stir the coals of her outrage. What did he think he couldn't have, now? He should have everything he wanted...

Her comm beeped and she glanced down at it. Who here on Brentaal would even know she was here to contact her, much less have her information to make that possible? The number of people who knew that Sarah Onasi 'existed' was tiny, and the majority of them were on Coruscant.

Except that this message did originate on Coruscant. She sighed, heading for the 'fresher and locking the door behind her. Did she even want to see this? She'd been cleared... or rather, she'd been cleared by the Temple. This came from High Command. Was it their turn, now? Did they want an investigation and a trial too? It would just be her luck...

Report to Admiral F. Dodonna, Brentaal Naval Command.

Report? Report?! She wasn't supposed to be active. Admiral Dodonna should only know her as Carth's fiancee, as a... She sighed, cradling her forehead in her hand. Dodonna knew her as a Jedi knight. She'd said as much right before they'd boarded the Star Forge. Although a world as large, as important, as Brentaal would have Jedi on it. Actual Jedi, posted by the Temple. Jedi who were supposed to be here to work with Admirals such as Dodonna.

What a disaster. It would be so much easier if this was a stranger, not someone that Carth obviously respected. Surely they were smarter than this...nothing would turn Carth faster than having his trusted and respected command responsible for jailing his fiancee? But duty was duty...

She sighed, leaning against the wall. It had been easy to hope that this was over with, but did she really deserve it to be? Was this why Carth was so stubborn at the moment? Had he already been informed? If he had, it couldn't be too bad, he wasn't in the room with her, planning an escape. He'd proven that he was more than ready and willing to take that route, if necessary. She needed to stop her near constant low grade panic, to focus on the situation...

Nothing feels off.

Well, nothing felt off in a bad way. It felt...weighty. Important. A piece clicking into place...

No, not that. Not here. Not now. She needed to stop doing that. Unfortunately, to stop doing that meant she needed to stop relying on the force for things like this. It was like prodding a sleeping tarentatek, too dangerous unless she was willing to deal with the problems that came after.

She opened the door, moving through the apartment with a purpose. "Something's come up." She said when they stared at her, "I'll be back." She wasn't certain how many of them would actually obey the underlying command under the phrase, especially since she was not willing to put any weight into it. They were her family, they deserved better than to be pushed into things just because she didn't want to talk them out.

Remarkably, Bastila and Dustil stayed put. Unsurprisingly, Carth did not. He stood as quickly as he could manage and fell into step behind her, remaining silent until the apartment door closed behind him and they were alone on the walkway. "What's up?" He asked, leaning against the door.

For a long moment, she considered not telling him. He had too much on his plate as it was, but it was another one of those things to where if it went bad, he'd be coming to get her. "I'm to report to your admiral."

"Dodonna?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm." That was enough to calm him down, a good sign. He stepped into motion, moving past her and flicking his fingers to let her know he would lead the way. "She may just want you to report on Rakata Prime."

Or there was that. Even though she had already given reports, those had been filtered through the Temple. "There's not much I could tell her above what is in my report, already." She wasn't stupid. One of the unspoken parts of her continued freedom was the understanding that she would toe the line. She would need to fit the Sarah Onasi background that the Temple had created for her. It was in her own best interests to do so, if she truly wanted what she had told them she did. It was both a gift and a test, and she fully intended to accept the gift...pass the test.

"Hopefully." That would be great. Unfortunately, it didn't quite feel that way. This felt heavier than just another report. More... integral. Integral to something she wasn't allowed to see or know without risking another shutdown. That was floating right there, under the surface. She needed to learn the ones she could reach for and the ones that would be yanked away from her, leaving her scrambling to recover.

"You'll like her." He was so certain of that. It was almost enough to make her laugh out loud. Of course she would like Dodonna, because he did.

"Right." She'd give it to him, at least for now. It might change after she'd met the woman, went through whatever this was that was coming. She'd also prefer to do this alone, but it was obvious he intended to see her there. It made sense, he knew the way, he'd see her through any security, but this made her nervous. The last thing she wanted was to put him in a position where he had to choose between her and his career...not unless she had to. They'd already come close enough to that.

It was a short trip, Sarah taking time to absorb her surroundings. Brentaal was not a lovely world, but it buzzed with a frenetic activity. It would not be her first choice to settle on, but it was hardly her last. It felt achingly familiar, she had either been here before, or been somewhere very much like it. Both were possibilities... she'd deliberately avoided actually asking the Temple for her pre Revan files. Half of her thought they'd be useful, especially for times like this...she ought to at least know where she'd been before. But the other half skittered away from digging into anything that might put her back on a path she had narrowly escaped from.

Sarah had never really seen Carth in his usual surroundings before, never felt how those who knew him as Captain Onasi and not Carth judged him. But she could feel it now, see it in how the naval personnel around them reacted to him. She knew the difference between paying service to his uniform, his rank, and respect to the man in it. He was on edge of being pinned with the highest honor that the Republic had, that would either be considered valid...or bring up rejections. She couldn't see where anyone would truly have grounds to reject this, but she had possibly only seen him at his best. From her own history, she knew that she had a propensity to bring out the best in those she depended upon, for her own betterment. She needed those around her to be great, so she made them great...

No, Carth was great before you got a hold of him.

And that was upheld in the response of those they encountered on their way to his admiral's office. People respected him.

They have to. It's the only way this will work...

She missed a step, stumbling slightly before she could push it back into its dark corner and slam the door on it. No, not going there. She had things to do, situations to get out of.

He glanced warily over at her, but she gave him a smile and a slight wave. She was fine. Everything was good. He just needed to keep going. They approached the largest building in sight, across an open plaza, and Sarah fought down a chuckle. It looked just like every other headquarters building she'd ever seen and even if she couldn't remember them, it certainly felt like she'd seen plenty of them. Maybe even this one, but that didn't quite feel correct. No, not this one. Just its twin. Or triplet. Or littermate.

"What?" Carth asked, moving slowly along, doing his best to make it seem as if his limp was gone. She knew better, but was in no hurry to get there, either.

"I'm debating if this is a headquarters I've been in, or was it one that looks just like it. Pretty sure it's the latter."

He snorted in half repressed laughter, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. It does look like quite a few of them. Don't know if you've been on Brentaal before or not. I wasn't stationed here until after..." He let the words peter out with a vague shrug.

After Malachor. After I vanished. He was part of the group sent here to fill the gaps that I left.

Well, taking a good portion of the Republic Navy's combat proven fleets with her had opened up career opportunities...

She almost replied, but sanity returned. She was just steps from a major military headquarters. In the open. Nothing here was private, everything here was on camera, captured, her lips would be read. She could possibly obscure it, but that attempt might draw attention in itself. There was no need for it, she didn't want the risk. Just want to be a civilian. Just want to be his wife.

A twi'lek lieutenant opened the door for them and Carth walked across the threshold, through the security beam, with the ease of long familiarity. She followed a step behind him, feeling the moment she passed through the beam as well. There was nothing, as she was almost certain would happen. When the Temple moved, it moved with a purpose. Amasri Idarn had been scrubbed, replaced by Sarah Onasi. She guessed she was still marked as dead in the Republic's databases, but again, that was research she didn't want to touch.

The inside was cooler, dimmer, packed with naval personnel. Most of them scattered before Carth, giving him more than enough room to move comfortably down the hallway. He seemed at ease with it all, nodding along with the occasional greeting thrown at him. A quick elevator ride brought them up to the top level, much quieter than the ground floor...and that edge of familiarity jumped up when she stepped into the hallway.

"No, Idarn. This is insane. You are insane."

A whisper. A voice from the past. Hardly new, the only real noteworthy thing about it was that Sarah could identify it. Ayala. Mundi Ayala had stood, where Carth stood at her side now, in the same damn uniform, in a corridor like this one and had called Sarah out. And she'd been correct. And then she'd...gone. She'd been there for Malachor, but she had gone no further.

"You okay?" Unsurprisingly, she had stopped walking and Carth was standing protectively close. He hadn't reached for her so she had kept her balance. That was an improvement. She was upright, conscious. All in all, not bad.

"I'm fine."

"Sure."

She wrinkled her nose at him, shaking her head. He could be a fusser, she already knew that. And she certainly needed someone to fuss over her, she was all too often a disaster. "No, really. I'm fine." At least she was at that moment. She still didn't know what his admiral wanted her for.

"Her office is at the end of the hall. Mine is..." He motioned at the door behind him. "...in there. Come find me when you're done."

"Right." She watched him go, taking a deep breath when the door closed behind him. Not a big deal. This is not a big deal. What can she do to you, anyway? Logic told her the answer should be not a whole hell of a lot. She didn't answer to the Navy, she never had. She had always either used it, or led it. Unfortunately, beyond that door was one of the few people who had reason to look through 'Sarah Onasi' with some sort of doubt. Dodonna had been at Rakata. She had identified Sarah as a Jedi. She knew too much as it was. Well, the only answer was to face it and get it over with. She sighed, squared her shoulders, and pushed her way through the door.

It opened into a reception area overseen by a stern faced petty officer sitting behind a rather impressive looking desk. "Can I...help you?" He asked dubiously, and she knew that she had done a superlative job of coming off as a wayward civilian. It was hilarious and entirely comforting. She could do this.

"Sarah Onasi. I'm to report to Admiral Dodonna, on orders from High Command." This had probably been easier when she'd been Idarn. It would probably be easier if she'd chosen to wear robes, but those came with assumptions and responsibilities she wasn't ready, willing, or entirely able to fulfill at the moment. And it had definitely been easier when she'd been Revan, that went without saying. I ruled then.

He opened his mouth to say something, but whatever it was, it never got the opportunity to pass his lips before a chime from his desk communicator interrupted him. "Show her in. I've been expecting her." Yes, that was the voice that Sarah remembered. Calm. Assured. Even in the moments when things were going so badly for her fleets at Rakata, she'd maintained that tone.

"Of course, Admiral. This way." He motioned Sarah around his desk and led the way down a short hallway to a single door, pulling it open for Sarah and stepping back to allow her to pass.

According to Sarah's fuzzy memories, there were two types of Admirals' offices, the showy, cleanly ordered and strictly minimal ones and the 'we do work here' ones. Dodonna did work in hers. There was a method to the madness, everything seemed to have a place, but there was a lot of it. Datapads, screens, print offs, all stacked into piles, rested on every centimeter of available horizontal space. Dodonna sat behind a much less impressive desk than her aide commanded, and she gave Sarah a smile. "Sarah Onasi. It is good to finally get to meet you."

She was difficult to read, but Sarah didn't know how much of that was simply her own trepidation. Obviously she'd gotten a glance at Dodonna, but that seemed like a lifetime ago, she'd been extremely distracted and it had just been a holo. Her mind had been filled with resolve and plans, barely making any note of Carth's admiral except as a tool that needed to be kept in its place. And Carth had been the one to do that part of the equation, not her. "It's good to meet you, as well."

Dodonna stood, extending her hand in greeting. Sarah was unsurprised that she was tall, but then, most people were taller. That was just something she'd dealt with her entire life. Dodonna was exactly what Sarah had been expecting; she had a severe, utterly professional appearance, but then, Carth in uniform was mostly the same. Mundi in uniform had been mostly the same. It just was. But there was nothing under that expression that raised any alarm bells, no...she seemed to be just what she claimed to be...happy to finally meet Sarah. And there was a hint of a smile that still clung to her eyes, the corners of her mouth.

They shook hands and Sarah accepted the quick motion that indicated she should sit. "You're looking good. We were afraid for you. Carth has..."

"Been through enough." Sarah completed the sentence and Dodonna nodded in confirmation. Yes, he'd been through more than enough. Hopefully, this wasn't the beginning of him being put through more.

"That is true. It's good to see life finally beginning to come back together for him. I understand that you and he are engaged? It's a large coincidence for you to have the same surname..."

"No coincidence. I carry it because it's his. And yes, we plan to marry." Sarah measured her response very carefully, drinking in how Dodonna sat, the set of her brows, her lips. Even without resorting to the Force, she was good at it. Acceptance, a touch of relief. Still good. Dodonna didn't feel like she was the bearer of bad news, she'd been willing to go there immediately and without reserve.

"Good, good." She gave Sarah a half smile, and for reason, it made Sarah almost uncomfortable. It fed directly into that heavy, weighty importance that this whole thing stank of. This needed to happen. It needed to be. Even if Sarah didn't appreciate it, if Sarah didn't want it, no fleeing from it, no turning away from it... "You know that he is on the board for the Cross of Glory?"

"Yes." What else was there to say to that but the obvious? "He deserves it."

Dodonna nodded, pulling a blue folder out from under her desk. "Yes, he does. And according to High Command, so do you."

"I...I..." Most certainly did not. The very idea was staggeringly inappropriate. It was an outrage, a mockery. What value did the Republic's highest award have if they were willing to give it to Revan, the Butcher? The greatest traitor that the Republic had ever produced? Carth deserved it, absolutely, but the most she could hope to deserve was to simply be left alone to live her life. "No."

Yes.

Dodonna stared at her for moment, before chuckling and opening the folder, turning it and sliding it across her desk. "High Command thinks otherwise."

Sarah stared at the page it was opened to, two names highlighted on it. The first was expected: Onasi, Carth. The second was not: Onasi, Sarah. Who the hell had dropped the ball on this one, this badly?

No one. One more step you have to take.

Why? She'd done the vaunted hero step already. And then she'd utterly destroyed it. Were they repeating history? Was this a cycle she couldn't escape from? Hero. Monster. Hero...monster?

"Thank you, Admiral. Is this the reason why I was to report?" It took every dram of self control to fight back a dismissive snarl, to remain pleasant enough. This was not an underling, this was Carth's admiral. Even with his name on that folder, she could do terrible things to his career. She could put him in places he might not get out of. And she wasn't to blame for this. Someone else was, and when Sarah caught up with that unfortunate person...

Stop.

Fine, fine. She'd stop it, for now. It didn't help that Dodonna was trying to stare through her, she had get control back. Smile, shake the admiral's hand, and leave.

"I take it that this was unexpected?"

"You could say that. Any other surprises I should know?" Now she just wanted to be certain that there weren't any other problems rising that she needed to deal with. Not that she understood how to deal with this one. Any argument against this would require her to say things that were better left unsaid. How was she supposed to keep hiding when the Republic decided to put focus on her with its highest honor? This was a disaster, an unmitigated disaster, one she had never seen coming in her worst dreams.

Dodonna reached over and flipped a page up and Sarah glanced at it. Well, if Carth got one and Sarah got one, then Bastila deserved one as well. She'd shouldered a huge burden to bring them all out of this and that sat just fine with Sarah. "That's it. You were to report to me to be informed of this, nothing else. Congratulations, twice over. For this..." She tapped the folder, "And for your engagement. I hope everything works out well for you and him."

"Thank you." What else was there to say? It wasn't Dodonna's call, she was just the messenger. She had no clue, all she knew about Sarah was that Sarah had been the Jedi knight leading the push into the Star Forge itself. The successful push into the Star Forge.

Exactly.

A hero, again. Sarah didn't know whether to laugh, cry, emit a garbled mix of both, and simply chose a silent retreat instead.