Chapter Summary: Lana takes Vestra and the crew to scout a remote planet called Odessen. [Four years into five-year timeskip.]
Lana's next summons did not come through the emergency transmitter – a small blessing. Instead, it was an invitation through a call on their encrypted holocoms, Lana teasing Vestra's curiosity with a search for a planet, a safe harbour for 'future endeavours'. She did not reveal more, out of paranoid precaution, but there was no need to fatten the bait. Darth Avriss wasted no time blocking off a week on her schedule for 'secret labours', picking choice artifacts from her hidden cache to mask her mysterious absence as a Force-guided quest for ancient relics.
With the Fury resupplied, she flew to a shadowport deep in Wild Space, where they picked up a familiar passenger holding the coordinates to their next destination. A planet overlooked and overshadowed by the callous majesty of the Eternal Empire, residing deep in a remote sector of Wild Space, far from established trade and patrol routes. Most did not give it a second glance, Lana explained, and she would have done the same when she had last flown through the sector to avoid a Zakuulan patrol – had she not felt an undeniable pull in her chest, and slowed her shuttle's engines against better sense. Even then, Lana had only given the planet a cursory glance from a safe distance, before plotting an exit vector to throw off any tails.
She'd called on Vestra for assistance to scout this forgotten planet with an experienced crew and, more importantly, a starship equipped with better sensors than any shuttle Lana could acquire.
"So, you want us to do grunt work for you?" Vestra said drily from the captain's seat, watching Lana and Andronikos adjust the ship's plotted course on the navigation console.
"Just a simple planetary survey. Treat it as…a holiday." Lana smiled back at her.
The journey took four days. When Odessen came into view, white clouds streaming over azure waters and verdant land mass, Vestra took a breath and felt the same pull that Lana had described. Though it was not so much a pull, as it was a gentle current that drew in those who were willing to follow.
The sensation was…strange. When the ship dove through Odessen's atmosphere, it was akin to surfacing after a long dive in the ocean. Vestra couldn't help but breathe deep, tasting the faint metallic tang of recycled air, while the Force…enveloped her. And did nothing more. It did not sink upon her shoulders, an unbearable weight demanding prostration as did the oppressive air in a Sith tomb. Nor did it try to lift her burdens, coaxing her into a state of serenity beyond the trifles of base emotion, like the temperate confines of a Jedi enclave.
It did nothing. It just was.
Part of Vestra's mind remained transfixed by this subtle peculiarity, while Lana directed Andronikos on deliberate flight paths, performing aerial scans of the planet's landscape. They identified several locations suited to provide shelter – and perhaps support a base of sorts, in future – before Andronikos brought the ship down in a large forest clearing, between a mountain range and a wide ocean.
Vestra took her first step on Odessen's soil with the rest of her crew, soft grass flattened under her boots, fresh air drawn into her lungs. As she watched the others amble out of the Fury's shadow, stretching their legs and marvelling at the untouched, natural beauty around them, she finally knew how she felt about Odessen.
She disliked it. The Force on this planet – it felt too pristine, too whole–
"Lovely, isn't it?" Lana's voice broke Vestra out of her brooding, the hand she laid on Vestra's back an unwitting anchor. "I'd felt that Odessen was something special, but I never expected the Force to feel so…perfectly balanced."
Lana looked at her, golden eyes bright and expectant, and Vestra realised her silence had been mistaken for enchantment – that she had been looking at the forest around them in wonder, instead of feeling like she did not belong. Lana was right – Odessen was indeed perfectly balanced in the Force, and it made Vestra feel like an invader, creasing a perfectly smooth canvas with her trampling weight. She was the boot on the soft grass of Odessen's air, and she wanted to leave.
But she did not have that choice and, even if she did, she could not make it – if only to keep the glint of hope in Lana's eyes alive.
She smiled gently, hoping Lana could not discern the effort behind it. "I've never experienced anything like this before."
"Neither have I. Hopefully, this won't be the last time we're here."
Vestra was spared the need to reply, when Ashara stretched her arms towards the skies and broke out in delighted declaration, "This place feels so good!"
She turned around, to where Lana and Vestra still stood at the foot of the boarding ramp. "Vestra, we've got to do a little camping while we're here."
Vestra's lips had curled, when Talos broke in, "Oh, that's a wonderful idea! What better way to unwind on such a beautiful world?"
Khem Val's expression remained neutral, while Xalek tilted his head with interest. Only Andronikos reflected Vestra's reluctance with a quiet grimace.
She was about to protest – no one could make Darth Avriss sleep in the wild – when Lana shrugged beside her. "Why not?"
Damn it.
They passed the first day with a cautious venture into the nearby forest, taking note of wildlife that crossed their paths, and gathering fruit for a taste of Odessen's natural produce. After setting up a basic security perimeter around the Fury, they chose to sleep on the ship for the first night, in case anything dangerous and unfamiliar tripped their sensors in the dark.
The night passed without incident; only skittish woodland creatures poked around the ship's perimeter, before running back into the forest's cover. Taking it as a good sign, Ashara and Talos set up camp in the clearing, away from the Fury's cover to afford a view of the sky. Xalek and Andronikos resumed their scouting from the previous day, while Lana and Vestra did the same in another direction to cover more ground, leaving Khem Val to watch over the ship.
Vestra strolled with Lana under the thick canopy of leaves, both holding nav devices to chart their surroundings, neither willing to quicken their lackadaisical pace. Chatting as they walked, Vestra spoke of the Empire and elements within who had pledged their support to her, and Lana of her contacts in the Republic, who promised a small but growing pool of allies who craved action against Zakuul. A promising start, and Vestra had no doubt the numbers would grow in future. Soon, they would have to worry about pulling resources to build a proper resistance and – if Lana's fledgeling vision came true – a base of operations here on Odessen.
Vestra's mind had gone to Nar Shaddaa, mapping out her underworld contacts, when Lana's hand slipped into hers. Later, she decided, meeting Lana's fond gaze. She is all that matters now.
She anchored herself to Lana – in the present, where they strolled under the shade of trees together, far from the troubles of the galaxy.
"You've been well, I hope."
"Quite well, considering how many close encounters I've had with Zakuulan patrols." Lana wore a wry smile, when Vestra looked at her in a mix of curiosity and concern. "Never directly. I've grown quite adept at evading them. Don't worry about me."
"You say that like I have a choice," Vestra uttered, getting a soft chuckle from Lana.
"Try, at least. And I'll try not to worry about you." Lana tugged her close, a gentler smile on her lips. "And you?"
"I am still alive and kicking, as you can see. Thank you for asking."
Lana knocked their shoulders together, a mild reproach. "You're being difficult."
Vestra heaved a sigh. "I'm fine. Sleep still eludes me some nights, but that's old news."
"Is something on your mind? And don't bother deflecting," Lana added when Vestra opened her mouth. "I can feel it. Like a secret you're surprisingly bad at hiding."
Vestra growled, low in her throat. Something had been on her mind, and she was surprised how deeply it bothered her. She considered denying it, or directing them onto another subject, but…this was Lana.
"You know I have elevated Xalek to Sith Lord." She waited for Lana to nod, then continued, "He has requested to be discharged from my service, to serve the Empire as an independent agent."
"I see. I suppose it was only a matter of time." Lana's head tilted in thought. "Have you granted his request?"
"Yes. And…he is not the only one. Ashara wants to take a leave of absence as well. To 'grow outside of this crew'," she repeated the exact words Ashara had said, that she pondered in quiet times. Had she stifled her disciples' progress in her trust and reliance upon them? Or had they simply outgrown her, and sought knowledge beyond her ken?
"Ah. Are you troubled that they're leaving?"
Walls started to rise around Vestra's heart, but she pushed them down. "How can I not? They have been with me for years. Things will be…different in their absence, but I will not keep them caged against their will."
"They follow you because they want to, Vestra." Lana's hand slid up to clasp her elbow, a steadying gesture. "Do they intend to return?"
"They have said so, yes. But…"
What if they never returned? What if they were turned against her, and returned with lightsabers in hand, seeking blood? It was hardly an uncommon story among the Sith, students seeking to surpass the master with ruthless determination. Vestra found that she feared this possibility – she did not wish to be the one who killed them.
"Do you believe them?"
Xalek, in his blunt, straightforward manner. Ashara, with a reassuring hand on her arm.
Yes, she did believe them, and did not know if she was a fool for it.
"I suppose," Vestra conceded, quiet in uncertainty. "But things happen."
"They do. All you have to do is wait and see."
Vestra regarded Lana – who had left her repeatedly, who had left her for an entire year, and yet always found a way back to her side.
Perhaps they, like Lana, saw something in Vestra worth coming back for. Only time would tell.
She rested a hand over Lana's, breaking into a wan smile. "You've set a good precedent, at least."
With a soft laugh, Lana pecked her on the lips. "I am glad to be of service, my lord."
Vestra left the refreshers with a yawn, head wrapped in a sleepy haze as she walked towards the airlock, not bothering to change out of her sleeping tee and pants.
After spending three days exploring the wilds of Odessen, the crew had chosen to take a day off, resting their tired bodies and puttering about the ship, tending to their own personal projects. It was precious time they could scarcely get while in the Empire's service, and Vestra was more than happy to let them idle for the rest of their stay in Odessen. Stars knew what crises awaited them when they returned to Imperial space.
Vestra herself hadn't bothered to work on anything for the entire morning, merely receiving a kiss on the head when Lana left their quarters, then rolling over to go comatose for as long as she could manage. It turned out to be a few hours, before Vestra slid off the bed to sate her growling stomach with a cold pastry, and hit the refreshers to wake herself up.
She didn't have a plan as she strode down the boarding ramp, receiving the first sunshine kiss on her cheeks when she left the Fury's shadow. Tilting her head up, Vestra closed her eyes and took a deep breath, holding it in. In her serene state, she could feel the Force in full again – its perfect equilibrium on Odessen. Her unease had lightened with each day on the planet, after she learnt to stop searching for the strong currents she was accustomed to, and merely float upon its tranquil waves.
A fleeting thought to meditate alone in the forest crossed her mind, when Vestra noticed the bright red ladder secured to the ground, extending up to the lower strike foil of the Fury's right wing. She took a few steps back, until she could spy the back of Andronikos' brown shirt from her low vantage point, and…a few missing panels below the ship's exhaust port?
"Niko?" Vestra called. "Is something wrong with the engines?"
"Just who I need!" Andronikos looked down, waving her up. "Get up here and take a look."
Curious, Vestra climbed the ladder, joining Andronikos on the wide metal edge of the Fury's wing. He had removed two panels below the exhaust port – no small feat, considering that they matched his height, and were made of heavy durasteel. A maze-like network of thick pipes was left exposed, and extended into the ship as far as Vestra's eyes could see. Only a most determined contortionist could squeeze their way in – and Andronikos seemed to be considering the possibility, with the way he peered between the pipes, angling his flashlight this way and that.
"What are you doing?"
"Something's gotten into the engines, but I haven't been able to catch it. Or even see it," Andronikos explained, stepping back with a sigh. "All this metal's blocking my way."
Vestra hummed a flat note, staring at the wall of pipes until she spied a shadow moving within, too quick for identification. It wasn't on the floor, but on a horizontal pipe above. She moved close, pressing her face up to the pipes to peer through a gap, but failed to catch sight of the creature.
Giving up, she retreated to where Andronikos waited.
"Stand back."
Raising a hand, she bent the Force to her will, and exerted pressure on the thick pipes. When durasteel began to groan audibly, Andronikos jumped in panic and waved an insistent hand before her face.
"No, wait! Stop!" He returned Vestra's glare as she lowered her hand, releasing her hold on the pipes. "Don't look at me like that. If you get any of these broken, we're stranded here. Unless we call for help. Outside help."
Which Lana wouldn't like, and Vestra would like to avoid. They had come to Odessen for its obscurity, and anyone else they brought to this planet would risk its location being revealed to the wider galaxy.
Vestra clicked her tongue, moving forward to peer through the gaps again. Andronikos didn't want her to use the Force, and they could hardly squeeze through any tool that could help them extract the creature. While she pondered, she heard skittering and bumps from within.
"Ugh, this is stupid."
Spying a gap wide enough, Vestra thrust her hand through, groping down towards the shaft of space between pipes where she had spotted movement earlier. Her fingers grasped at thin air, moving in random sweeping motions, until they brushed across rough-textured skin.
"It feels…scaly," she reported, as the creature hopped out of range.
"Scaly? A reptile, then. Gotta be small to squeeze in there. Must be a baby something…"
While Andronikos mused, chin in hand, Vestra chased after the creature. She had managed to grab onto a thick, elongated bit of flesh, before it wriggled out of her grasp.
"It has a tail."
"Tail. Small. That sure narrows it down," Andronikos groused, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Could be a blasted gizka, for all I know."
"Does it even matter?" Vestra groaned. She pushed her arm further in, going elbow-deep in the pipes, sweeping her hand around impatiently, until it slapped across a bony little head. She heard the faintest growl from within the pipes. Before she could withdraw her arm, what felt like two blunt knives clamped down on her hand, locking just above her knuckles.
Vestra shrieked in shock and pain, pulling her arm out on raw instinct, then yelped again when the creature's head bumped against the pipes, preventing her withdrawal. The impact caused the teeth-knives to scrape across her knuckles, and she had to grit her own teeth to prevent another scream.
"Oh, damn." Andronikos bent down to peer at the creature. "It is a gizka!"
"Get it off!"
"Okay, okay. Hang on." Andronikos drew a blaster from his hip, and stuck its barrel through the gap, nudging the gizka's head. It only irritated the gizka more, and it ground its teeth over Vestra's hand, right into her very bones.
"It's chewing me, stop that!" Vestra yelled.
"I'm trying to help!" Andronikos tried to insert the barrel's tip into the gizka's mouth, intending to lever it open, but there wasn't enough space between its teeth.
"You're useless! Back off!" Vestra burst out, nerves frayed.
"I was just–, hey. Hey!"
Vestra had summoned a crackle of lightning about her arm, but was forced to stop when Andronikos grabbed onto her.
"What!" Vestra roared into his face.
"You'll fry the damn engines!"
"It's chewing my fucking fingers off!"
"At least we won't be grounded if your fingers–"
"Andronikos Revel!"
"What's going on up there?"
They must've made a loud commotion, to have drawn Lana's attention from inside the ship. Vestra angled her head back, catching sight of blonde hair over the edge of the ship's wing.
"Get up here, Lana," Andronikos called down.
Vestra waited – an impossible task given the creature trying to eat her fingers for lunch – but she survived until Lana came to stand on the wing with them.
"What's going on?"
"Kill him!" Vestra spat.
"Don't kill me, get her hand out first!"
Lana frowned, and joined Vestra where she stood by the pipes, peering through the gap. She hissed in sympathy.
"You're bleeding badly."
"Get it off!"
"But no lightning!"
Vestra kicked one leg out at Andronikos, who jumped out of range.
Lana clicked her tongue. "Calm down. Here."
She set a gentle hand on Vestra's bicep, and joined with her consciousness through their bond. The connection was turbulent, thanks to Vestra's pain and anxiety, but she could feel Lana isolating the Force within her own body. In their minds' eye, Lana drew a clear boundary between Vestra and the external living signature that was the gizka. Lana carefully gathered the Force around the creature, which seemed to sense something afoot, and started to grind its teeth harder on Vestra's hand.
Vestra winced, and Lana's hand tightened on her arm in shared pain. But Lana remained focused on the gizka, getting a steady hold on its body, and twisted it quickly. A sharp, bony snap reached their ears from behind the wall of pipes, and the teeth on Vestra's hand loosened its bite. With a nudge from Andronikos' blaster barrel, the gizka fell from her hand, allowing Lana to draw her out by the wrist.
Despite the hint of white under red, the bunched muscles in Vestra's shoulders relaxed, as Lana held her hand aloft. She let out a relieved sigh, resting her head on Lana's.
"This will hurt a bit," Lana murmured, weaving the Force over her hand.
It did sting, forcing flesh to regrow over bare bone, but the pain was brief and less vexing than the pain of a gizka bite. The healing took a few heartbeats in Lana's practised hands, and her flesh was whole again, below a sticky mess of blood and saliva.
"Better?"
"Much." Vestra pulled back, mirroring Lana's smile. But the expression vanished when she heard Andronikos muttering behind her.
"Damn. Now we gotta clean the blood, and get the body outta there."
Vestra started to whirl around, ready to raise hell. But Lana's grip on her grew firm, and she couldn't reach far enough to shove Andronikos' shoulders in anger.
"Come, let's get you cleaned up," Lana said. "Leave the ship to Andronikos."
A sulk came to rest on Vestra's face, but it only drew an amused smile from Lana. With her love's grip still on her wrist, Vestra jumped off the wing's edge with Lana, softening their landing with the Force. Following Lana's lead, she allowed herself to be steered up the boarding ramp.
A low chuckle from Lana drew her gaze, and she noticed Lana still looking down at her bloodied hand, thumb rubbing her wrist gently.
"My dear, terrible Darth Avriss…master of the Force, conqueror of worlds – brought low by a simple gizka."
"Oh, shut up," Vestra retorted, with a half-hearted attempt to pull her hand away.
"As you wish, my lord," Lana humoured her. "It shall be our little secret. At least, until it becomes good blackmail material…"
Vestra scowled, and Lana could not hold back her laughter any longer.
Word of her bloody gizka encounter spread among the crew, and it was the main story for entertainment during dinner that night, eliciting laughs and teases that left Vestra sulking into her bowl of noodle soup. It took Lana's arm around her waist to prevent Vestra from turning the teases into a dramatic little argument – most of her true anger had evaporated anyway – and she was relieved when Lana stole her away from the campfire to spend some time alone.
Against her expectation of being pushed up against a wall in heated embrace, Lana had given her an electric lamp to clip on her belt, and led her into the forest. Vestra followed without a word, content to spend time with her love in the wilderness. Not that she really enjoyed it; she preferred being pampered in a regulated environment, with chilled air on her skin, luxuries within reach, and a woman's touch whenever she desired it. But being in the outdoors was something Lana enjoyed, and Vestra was happy enough to play along.
Then Lana brought her to the foot of a wooded hill, and the hike began.
Halfway up the slope, with calves burning and heavy breaths, Vestra tossed her head back and let out a tormented wail. Lana, who marched at a steady pace in front of her, looked around and broke into a chuckle. She knew Vestra did not like hiking, and seemed to take dastardly pleasure in taking her to hike anyway.
"How are you, love?"
"I'm dying. I'm being tortured."
"Is it really that bad?"
"We have speeders on the ship, Lana," Vestra complained. "We could've taken one to the hilltop in a fraction of the time, and without sweating like pigs!"
"Now, where's the fun in that?"
"You're sick. I hate you."
Lana rolled her eyes, though the smile on her lips didn't waver. She walked back to where Vestra was trailing behind her, and took her hand – in encouragement, and to ensure that Vestra couldn't take off back to the ship. Or just roll down the slope in rebellion.
"Come on, we're nearly there." Her tormentor tugged her hand gently, and Vestra was forced to trudge along.
The cover of trees thinned as they hiked to the hilltop, and finally stopped in a quaint little clearing with flowers dotting the grass.
Lana turned around, looking at her expectantly. "How do you like it?"
Vestra took a deep breath to quell her beating heart, standing akimbo as she looked around. "It's a hill."
"Of course it's a hill." Lana rolled her eyes. "I found this place yesterday. Thought I'd bring you here to look at the stars."
"Well, you brought me here, alright. Too bad it's not on a speeder–"
"Stop complaining, you brat. You handled it just fine." Lana clicked her tongue. "Now, lie down."
That was a command she had no problem following. Vestra flopped down on the grass gratefully, letting Lana kneel down to unclasp the lamp she'd forgotten on her belt, and set it on the ground above her head. Lana did the same for her own lamp, then lay down beside Vestra with a satisfied sigh.
This hilltop was a good choice for stargazing, Vestra had to admit. Circled on all sides by the woods, lying on a bed of grass thick enough to feel soft against their backs, while they looked up at the stretch of stars dotting the night sky. A gorgeous natural display, and it was all for their viewing.
Her body relaxed as they lay side-by-side in peaceful silence, and she was tempted to close her eyes, when a warm touch slid over her hand in the grass. She opened her fingers, and Lana slipped between them, puzzle pieces locking together naturally.
"Thank you," Lana murmured. "For coming here with me."
"To this hill?" Vestra replied flatly.
Lana laughed, and she could hear the exasperation in its softness. "No. To Odessen."
"Oh." She shrugged. "You called. What else can I do but answer?"
"And I am grateful." Lana's fingertips played over her knuckles. "Feels like ages since we've been together like this."
Vestra snorted quietly, lips curving. "It's hard to steal these moments in war."
"And we are perpetually at war."
"It's the only thing this galaxy knows," Vestra sighed. "And here we are, planning to throw ourselves right into another one."
A low chuckle in Lana's throat. "Having regrets?"
"As long as I'm with you, never."
Silence – and Vestra could almost hear Lana replaying their past conversations in her head, finding assurance in Vestra's unwavering declarations before.
"Do you still doubt?"
"Always," Lana replied, ever the realist. "But I will not stop now."
"Good, because you are building something that could save our lives. Save the galaxy. And that is worthy of trust, of action."
Lana's hand tightened over hers, and she squeezed back gently.
"But didn't you bring me here to look at the stars?"
A quiet, husky laugh. "Yes. Yes, I did." Lana took a breath, and exhaled through her mouth slowly. Her palpable tension in the Force faded, fingers easing their tight grip on Vestra's. "And they are more beautiful than I'd expected."
Vestra turned her head, spying a smile on Lana's lips, under the dim glow of electric lamps. "Yes, they are."
One heartbeat. "You're not looking at the stars."
"I am."
Lana met her gaze, smile growing wider in amusement. "I can't tell if that's a blatant lie, or you're trying to be romantic."
"I'm being romantic."
Lana hummed, lips taking on a gentler curve, as she stared at Vestra in appraisal. "A little cheesy compared to your usual fare, but I like it."
"Really? Are we being graded now?" Vestra protested, though she didn't fight the hands reaching out to cup her face, and the kiss planted on her lips. "If you want to start, I have so many that you–"
"Mm-hm." Lana kissed her again, and again, silencing the weak arguments as they left Vestra's mouth.
Vestra held Lana's hips as she was pushed onto her back, Lana's weight resting comfortably on her body. Pinned to the ground, Vestra slid her arms around Lana's waist, holding her love tight as she was held captive with kiss after hot kiss, a faint moan in her throat when Lana's tongue dipped in for a taste.
She chased after those lips when Lana withdrew, and her love smiled, gifting another soft kiss. Golden eyes glowed with affection in the dark, and Vestra drew blonde hair back by the fingertips, tucking it behind an ear, tracing a thumb down the hard angles of Lana's jaw.
"You are beautiful," Vestra whispered, breathless.
Red-painted lips arched into a smile. "And you are beyond compare." Lana kissed her again. "My love." Another kiss on the edge of her mouth. "My life."
"My heart," Vestra breathed. Heat bloomed in her chest under the kisses trailing down her jaw, the weight of her love's hips fitting between her thighs. "My soul."
A/N: A lighthearted chapter, like a beach episode except the beach is Odessen lol. Meant as a prelude to heavier Alliance chapters to come.
Updates here will be slower due to BG3, but I do have more planned for SWTOR!