#darth evris tag

[ohlawsons]

having some faction swap au thinky thoughts

rei and cori have existed for a while (since the DvL event ages ago) but i miss doing the class stories so there’s. more now.

lys (originally sw) will be... interesting. i’m not sure if she’ll end up light side or not, just bc i don’t see her putting up with the jedi’s bullshit for long. we’ll see! one thing is for sure: she absolutely will not romance doc lmao. possibly koth later on?

rei (originally inquisitor) is definitely not avoiding the fractured alliances story arc atm, so she’s relatively caught up as far as story content goes. light side, still a nerd and a menace on the council -- just a different council this time -- and still with theron.

zaara (originally agent) is who i’m working on atm. tentatively lightside?

cori (originally jk) is somewhere in kotet, abandoned once i realized her lana romance had bugged out :( she’s the second of three coris that have failed to properly romance the sith wife and i’m over it!! she’s smooching jaesa though bc i think we can do that now? anyway lord coryn “bad with feelings” ven is more cool calm and collected than her jedi self but also more inclined towards murder

t’sereen (originally jc) is fun bc even in her canon, she studied at korriban before being captured by the jedi and eventually joining them. considering she’s dark side even as a jedi she’s gonna be a mess as a sith. absolutely romancing andronikos

davri (originally trooper) is uh. well... she’s... look i have no clue how the fuck it’s gonna go, given that she’s as subtle as a brick. it’ll be fun, it’ll be messy, i’m excited to just let it happen and figure it out as i go

[ohlawsons]

i’m in love??

[ohlawsons]

guess who just got to iokath, which means quinn + a new outfit

[ohlawsons]

hashtag quinn angst wip

i didn’t finish before work but i’m gonna finish this on my lunch probably 

Her hands are shaking as she wakes. There’s been far too much of this, lately, of falling and waking and her body is beginning to protest. 

Lana and Theron fill her in on the situation, and as important as the mission on Iokath is, she’s most looking forward to speaking with Malavai again. She rubs at her forehead and sighs and asks to be left alone, if only for a few minutes, but when Malavai appears in the doorway she doesn’t hesitate to invite him in. He stands before her, hands behind his back, and seems uncertain how, exactly, to begin.

It was like this once before, years ago, when they first returned from the ship en route to Corellia. He’d been just as uncertain, then, and as much as she’d wanted to immediately forgive him it was so hard, but they’d had so much time back then and she’d always taken their slow, steady progress for granted. Now, she doesn’t know what to expect from one day to the next; a younger Lys would’ve waited, would’ve asked for an explanation and a careful bearing of hearts, but now she just motions for Malavai to join her on the medical cot. 

He sits beside her, and she offers a hand and he takes it. She knows, to an extent, what the past few years have been for him, even if he hardly went into detail that morning at the command center. Part of her wants to know it all, to take in every detail of the time he spent without her — but that’s time she fears they won’t have, so she gives his hand a squeeze and asks the one question that’s been sticking in her throat, the question she knows Lana and Theron will ask if she doesn’t. 

“Malavai… did you have anything to do with the sabotage of the throne?”

Without hesitation, he looks up at her and his eyes are filled with such conviction that Lys doesn’t even need to hear his answer. “No. It was a miracle that I regained your trust the first time. I would never again—” There’s a break in his voice and he doesn’t quite finish the sentence, but he doesn’t have to; she believes him, and there’s no reason for the rest of the Alliance to know that his loyalty was ever in question.

[ohlawsons]

lys post-story screenshot dump pt 1!

featuring all two of the screenshots i got from sor, lys and her flashy lightsaber, and a pair i like to call “vette is shaped like a friend” 

this is where game and fic canon diverge wildly for lys. game!canon lys is not fond of rishi, but yavin is okay, i guess, bc remember her jedi friend from belsavis? lys is thrilled to have more interactions like that bc she finally, finally can sit down and have a proper conversation with some jedi. also it’s her first time meeting satele since the brentaal star way back when, and she’s a bit less starstruck but no less reverent. 

kotfe is a Bad Time, but in typical lys fashion she decides to Help All The People and really, liberating zakuul from val/arcann/vaylin is right up her alley and a good way to distract her from the fact that all her friends are gone. 

also listen vette gets a huge hug and immediately makes lys feel like maybe all of this is possible and we don’t forget that the two of them have already been through so much together

[ohlawsons]

belsavis, or, lys makes a jedi friend, and voss, oh god it’s the emperor are you seeing this quinn look quinn the emperor 

we also found vette’s sister and the “lys and vette chat about long lost sisters” fic is back on the to-do list of things to write

lys is... angry. at herself, mostly, but also at baras. she’s 110% dedicated to serving the emperor, though, and her new job and quinn are like the two best things in her life atm. 

she is my child, and i love her, and so we are not doing the transponder station tonight 

[ohlawsons]

lord lys sala || darth evris || the empire's wrath (i did something similar for my sr bosses a while back, so i figured why not do it for the swtor kids. canon outfit/armors, plus any other outfit or body headcanons.) 

» “casual" armor, consisting of relatively simple robes and very light armor that's more about appearance than durability. i specifically remember buying simpler/smaller boots for her (the battleworn engineer or w/e i think??) » typical day-to-day armor, meant to be elegant and fitting of her station as well as to be functional. » post-timeskip armor, though it’s subject to change at this point. it’s softer, less sith-y, and 100% about protection over style. » pretty orange/red crystals bc Aesthetic. her offhand saber is the original one she got while baras' apprentice. her main lightsaber is actually cori's first lightsaber from tython, given to her after ilum (...long story). » she likes red and looking like a Fancy Sith

[ohlawsons]

“Recompense” Outtake [SW, IA, Lana]

This is a piece I'd written a few months back when I started rewriting Recompense. It takes place after ch. 1 -- towards the beginning of Forged Alliances -- and doesn't quite fit in with the condensed outline I'm working with now. However, it's got a couple important plot tidbits in it, and honestly I really like how I wrote Lana here, so I figured I'd go ahead and post it. on AO3 and FFN as ch. 6 of PARALLELS

Lana hated pacing. Ultimately, all it did was expend an unnecessary amount of energy and didn’t do anything to increase productivity.

And yet, she found her self doing precisely that — pacing around Arkous’ office, pausing every so often to check for new messages. Lana had little else to do until Arkous returned, and the time-sensitive nature of their mission was beginning to test her nerves. Arkous himself had gone to greet the Wrath; he considered it to be only proper to be there to meet her in person when she arrived. There had been no further word from Cipher Nine — Arkous had confirmed her identity, it seemed — only that she had agreed to meet with them.

As Lana slowed again, picking up her datapad, she was stopped by the appearance of two women — one togruta and one human — in the doorway to the office. Gently placing the datapad back down, Lana cleared her throat. “Agent Ven, I presume?”

“Miss Beniko, I presume?” the togruta echoed, tone serious but expression playful. “I spoke with Arkous when we landed. He said his advisor would be waiting for me.”

“Yes.” She gave a curt nod. “Darth Arkous should be returning momentarily. I can brief you, in the meantime, but your associate—”

“—is part of an incredibly classified Intelligence initiative,” Agent Ven finished. “This is Ensign Temple. She’s training under me. She goes where I go.”

The ensign glanced over at the agent, but said nothing. Lana supposed she could accept the explanation, and chose not to pry about the woman’s connection to the Force — it was well-hidden, faint but still unmistakable. A curiosity, but ultimately irrelevant.

“The final decision will be up to Arkous,” Lana cautioned, “but for now, she may stay.”

“Good. And I don’t think he’ll have any objections. We met earlier,” Ven explained, voice nonchalant, as if working with esteemed members of the Dark Council was an everyday occurrence. Which, given her reputation, it might’ve been. “He wanted to have a few words with the Wrath first, but they should be along soon.”

“Understood.” Lana once again checked her datapad for messages — this time suppressing her urge to pace — and, as Ven had suggested, it was only a few moments before Arkous arrived, followed closely by the Emperor’s Wrath. Instead of the sleek red and black armor she was known to wear, Darth Evris was in simple crimson robes, her loose blonde hair cascading down her back. She was accompanied by two other humans, both of whom Lana recognized — one was Darth Evris’ apprentice, the other was her husband, a captain who’d served with her for as long as she’d been in the public eye.

Lana supposed it would be in poor taste to comment on their recent wedding, given that they’d gone to such lengths to avoid the continued public interest in the affairs. Instead, she gave a quick bow. “My lord, it’s an honor.”

Evris nodded in acknowledgment. “The honor is mine. Darth Arkous speaks highly of you.”

“I’m only doing my duty to my lord and my Empire, same as anyone.”

“Indeed,” Arkous commented, “but there are those who serve because it is what they know, and those who serve with unmatched dedication and tenacity. The two of you — Darth Evris and Agent Ven — are the latter, and will bring glory to the Empire today.”

[ohlawsons]

ostensibly | ch. 30/30

SUMMARY. Monumentally terrible ideas are what Darth Nox does best – and going to Rishi is her worst one yet. Between the Revanites, Theron Shan, and trying to navigate increasingly complicated Sith politics, Nox finds she may have gotten more than she’d bargained for. Will follow Shadow of Revan through Ziost. NOTES. i in which cori and lana have A Very Important Talk, the wrath and the barsen'thor both make plans, and rei takes things seriously i would say something about how much i love and appreciate everyone who’s read or left kudos or likes or follows, or something about how i’m still pissed at rei for forcing me to turn a 700 word one shot into a 100k fic  but honestly right now i’m the human equivalent of 57 exclamation points in a row -- bc  it took a year and many many words but it’s finished. LINKS. [ AO3 ] [ FFN ] [ other chapters ]

Rei stared out the window, the heavy rainfall obscuring all but the darkness of the forests below and the occasional spark of lightning that crept across the sky. Behind her, an early morning news program played on the vidscreen, and its blue glow flickered throughout the room like a soft echo of the storm outside. The wind and rain beat against the windows but otherwise it was quiet, the only other sound coming from the dull tapping of Rei’s short fingernails against the arm of the chair she was curled up in, focused less on the weather and more on her own scattered and aimless thoughts.

She was Lord Reiyaxa. Darth Nox. Dark Lord and Forcewalker and head of one of the Empire’s most prominent Spheres.

But before all of that, she was a survivor. She fought and she clawed her way to each of those titles and positions, and she held on to them so tightly that no one could ever tear them from her grasp.

And now the galaxy was changing, and Rei was still clinging to her titles and power as if it were inevitable that she would lose them. The Empire must change if it is to remain strong, Marr had told her once, when they were planning the infiltration of Makeb, and Rei assumed this wasn’t what he’d had in mind. They’d lost their Emperor, allied for a time with the Republic, and watched as the life force of an entire planet was drained. Rei had lost as much, and had found herself caring for someone she would’ve previously seen only as an enemy — an agent with a cocky half-grin and a penchant for disaster and a spark of idealism and devotion.

That changed nothing, she told herself, not really. She was still Lord Reiyaxa. Darth Nox. Forcewalker. The Empire needed her, even if it was a shifting, struggling Empire; she had no room for doubts or hesitation or even the remnants of grief from Ziost. The things she wanted for her happiness were less important than the things she needed for her survival. The ache in her chest was less heavy than the burden on her shoulders.

The Empire was changing, and Rei still clung to her titles and power as if she could stop it from happening.

[ Read the rest ] 

[ohlawsons]

recompense | ch. 1/4

SUMMARY. Assaulting a Jedi temple, reclaiming the Sith Academy, uncovering a massive, galaxy-wide conspiracy -- all in a day's work for the former Cipher Nine.But that doesn't mean that she, or any of the old friends and new allies she finds herself working with, are prepared for the consequences. NOTES. This is a re-write of the forged alliances fic i wrote last year. it was my first real swtor fic, and honestly was a bit of a mess. so! it's been reworked to flow better and line up better with ostensibly, both stylistically and plot-wise. it's also much shorter, so there'll be less focus on the in-game events we've all played through a dozen times and more focus on anything new/changed. LINKS. [ AO3 ] [ FFN ] [ other chapters ]

Lana’s original dossiers had deliberately not included Darth Nox — she was volatile, and far too quick to act for such a delicate mission. But Arkous was fond of his fellow councilor, and had insisted on arranging a meeting with her regardless. From the looks of it, he hadn’t been successful in convincing Nox to join them.

“I’d hoped to take advantage of her hands-on approach,” he stated simply, not quite admitting that Lana was correct. “She did, however, speak quite highly of an Intelligence agent she worked with recently. Ven, I believe the name was. If memory serves, that was one of the names on your list, wasn’t it?”

Well, it seemed there was a positive outcome to Arkous’ meeting with Nox.

Pulling up the information she’d collected on the agent, Lana crossed the room to where Arkous was now sitting at his desk, handing her datapad over with a sharp nod. “Agent Zaara Ven. She worked with Imperial Intelligence for several years before it was disbanded. Her… unique achievements have put her in an unusual position — she declined the position as Commander of Sith Intelligence, and has since worked as an independent agent in collaboration with the Empire. Her accomplishments are quite extensive.”

Arkous scrolled through the information thoughtfully. “Assume you’re right, and this is the Cipher Nine… I may be more familiar with her accomplishments than I had realized.” After a moment, he set the datapad on his desk. “She’s worked alongside the Wrath.”

“Yes.” Clasping her hands behind her back, Lana paused as she tried to recall the details. “A few years ago, on Tatooine, and more recently on Makeb. Both collaborations were extremely successful.”

“I see.”

[ Read the rest ] 

[ohlawsons]

wip wednesday

have some super rough kotfe/timeskip fic

The acolyte looked up suddenly, his hood sliding back as he sat up straight. He fumbled for a moment, sliding the datapad he’d been reading onto Colsten’s desk and tucking a pair of glasses away. “Lord Wrath.” The greeting was spoken as an apology; the acolyte stood and bowed, the momentary panic in his eyes fading as he gathered himself. He was a Pureblood, with ocher eyes and deep crimson hair that was pulled into a braid that rested on his shoulder. “Zhaire Maisar, my lord. It’s an honor—”

“Speak when spoken to, acolyte,” Colsten interrupted, crossing his arms and watching the Pureblood with a hard stare until he sat back down. “Apologies, my lord. Money and a fancy education don’t always mean manners. This one,” he jerked his chin towards Zhaire, “thought he’d be clever with his trials.”

Lys gave a nod of acknowledgment to the overseer, but when she spoke it was directed at Zhaire. “What sort of education?”

“Basic schooling where I grew up on Felucia. The best schools, of course, and eventually a private university on Dromund Kaas. I spent a year abroad, on Corellia, four or five years ago. And there was an internship one summer, on Ziost, and for six months before I came to the Academy here, I was on a research ship that—”

“It’s extensive.” Colsten silenced the acolyte with another glare. “I can give you the files if you’d like, Darth Evris.”

“Yes, thank you. I was mainly curious as to how he finished so early.”

Zhaire gave a quiet pfft and rolled his eyes. “Translating a single tablet of Sith text? Written in the local dialect native to Korriban? I didn’t even have to leave the tomb to finish.”

Lys pursed her lips, hoping to hide both the surprise and satisfaction that was bubbling up within her. She’d hoped to find an apprentice that saw beyond Sith power plays, perhaps even one with no interest in the power structure at all. She suspected that whatever ambition Zhaire held, it was largely personal; that, combined with the fact that he seemed to have more of an education than Lys’ entire crew put together, was already making him a clear choice for her apprentice.

But, to an extent, the trials would make that decision.

“And combat?”

Zhaire, hands clasped in front of him, simply tapped his fingers and offered no clever comment. Colsten frowned, and admitted, “The first trial wasn’t strictly combat-based, but he did survive the k’lor slugs. Even if it wasn’t particularly impressive.”

“They didn’t teach me to stab things in college,” Zhaire grumbled.

[ohlawsons]

ridiculous [sw/quinn]

prompt from imzy on AO3 and FFN as ch. 5 of parallels

“It’s ridiculous.”

“Nonsense, Malavai,” Lys chided, giving her husband a soft smile before leaning against the open doorway, watching as Ada ran across the wide balcony. “Look at how much she’s enjoying herself.”

The evening had seen a break in the rain, and Ada had been quite insistent over the past several days about trying out  her new nexu-print rain boots, sent to her by her Favorite Auntie Vette -- a title Lys was certain the twi’lek wore with pride -- and was now splashing around in the puddles left by the recent downpour.

“She certainly deserves a break,” Malavai admitted, still managing to sound somewhat nonplussed despite his expression being one of pure adoration. He watched Ada for a moment longer, a frown beginning to form as he declared, “She could’ve sent something in a more sensible color.”

So the annoyance did stem from the fact that Ada enjoyed Vette’s gift over the drab rain gear currently sitting in her closet. “Yes, the bright blue does clash with the bright pink raincoat and umbrella, doesn’t it?” Lys teased, feigning a thoughtful expression.

“Perhaps we should--” Malavai’s words were cut off as Ada squealed in delight as the rain picked up once more, racing across the balcony to drag Malavai out with her.

Ridiculous, Lys thought with a smile, content to simply continue watching the two of them -- at least, until Ada returned, giggling, to pull her mother out into the rain.

[ohlawsons]

ostensibly | ch. 21 & 22

SUMMARY. Monumentally terrible ideas are what Darth Nox does best – and going to Rishi is her worst one yet. Between the Revanites, Theron Shan, and trying to navigate increasingly complicated Sith politics, Nox finds she may have gotten more than she’d bargained for. Will follow Shadow of Revan through Ziost. NOTES. in which i take liberties with new adasta, lys takes liberties with the dark side, and davri takes liberties with basically everything. also ft. davri's mom bc she is actually The Best also -- everyone else finally makes it to ziost  and vitiate does the equivalent of ~I'm not touching you~ with their minds  LINKS. [ AO3 ] [ FFN ] [ other chapters ]

Kira fidgeted, glancing away before finally confiding in Cori. “They think it’s time for me to take a padawan.”

“Congratulations,” Cori beamed. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re more than ready. You’ll do great.”

“Thanks. And yeah, I think I’m ready, too.” The statement wasn’t meant to brag or boast, but seemed to be Kira’s way of trying to convince herself. “It’s just… You know Master Neiri?”

“The Barsen’thor. What about her?”

“She left the Order.”

Cori’s surprise at the news overshadowed her confusion at how Master Neiri was connected to Kira training a padawan. “Left?”

“Yeah. Just… walked right out.” Kira shrugged. “Problem is, she still wants her padawan to be trained as a Jedi, and the council doesn’t think that’s possible unless she’s being trained by a Jedi.” She trailed off, staring down at the floor for a moment before turning back to Cori. “They think we’d be a good fit. We’re both spirited, according to Master Satele. And you’ll be here to oversee everything, you know, keep the spirit levels down.”

Taking a few seconds to temper her pride, Cori gave Kira a warm smile. “Keep you from having too much fun, you mean. But yes, I’ll be there every step of the way, I promise.”

[ohlawsons]

ostensibly | ch. 14/30

SUMMARY. Monumentally terrible ideas are what Darth Nox does best – and going to Rishi is her worst one yet. Between the Revanites, Theron Shan, and trying to navigate increasingly complicated Sith politics, Nox finds she may have gotten more than she’d bargained for. Will follow Shadow of Revan through Ziost. NOTES. n which rei is a smartass, cori isn't as sneaky as she thinks, and zaara is sad about her friends LINKS. [ AO3 ] [ FF.net ] [ other chapters ]

“It’s unlikely we’ll find anything useful as far as hard data goes,” Zaara spoke up, placing a hand on her hip. “It’ll be more reliable to bring someone back for questioning. Alive, please, Nox,” she added, turning to Rei, “and without any lost limbs this time.”

“Thanks for clarifying.” She rolled her eyes; that particular incident had happened nearly a year before and really wasn’t worth holding a grudge over anymore. “If that’s everything, I should get going. We’ll send anything relevant to Zaara and find someone to question.”

“Absolutely not,” Satele argued coldly. “If there is any questioning to be done, it will not be at Imperial hands.”

Marr didn’t seem fazed. “We can discuss specifics when Nox returns.”

“No, she’s right,” Rei mused, fighting to hold back a grin, “since the Jedi are so well known for their incredibly successful interrogations, and Sith are notorious for failing to adequately reprimand members of their own order. Or — wait, I may have gotten that backwards.”

Zaara rolled her eyes. “Just — leave before I adequately reprimand you.”

[ohlawsons]

partners

parallels and connections | ch. 3 [Warrior, Vette] SUMMARY. Set during the Black Talon flashpoint, during the initial call from Satele. LINKS. [ AO3 ] [ FF.net ]

“Grandmaster. It’s an honor, truly.”

Vette watches with some surprise as Lys gives a deep bow to the woman on the holo, her voice filled with the same respect she gives to Baras. Vette shares a quick glance with the captain before turning back to see how these negotiations will play out.

Sith and negotiations aren’t something she typically paired together in her mind; but first time for everything, and all that.

The Grandmaster’s surprise is quickly concealed. “I hadn’t expected to encounter such civility from a Sith. Perhaps we can resolve the situation without further hostility.”

“I believe so.” Lys takes a few slow steps as she paces in front of the holoterminal, never going far enough to step out of the Jedi’s view. She does that often, Vette has noticed — pacing, fidgeting, playing at the edge of her robe sleeves — and though they haven’t traveled together long, Vette can already sense a pattern.

Do the best thing for the Sith, do the best thing for the Empire, kill as few innocent people as possible. Rinse, repeat. When any of the three goals are at odds, Lys gets nervous; Vette wonders whether it’s letting a Jedi walk away or the possibility of disobeying Kilran’s direct orders that have Lys so on edge.

“We have discovered an Imperial prisoner aboard the Brentaal Star,” she reveals. “Return him to us, and we may depart peacefully. If not, we can and will take him by force.”

“No. Your prisoner has a role to play within the Republic. You will leave without him.”

Vette only just holds back a snicker; as far as negotiations go, this is a fairly terrible one.

“Remember this.” Lys doesn’t turn her gaze from the holo, though her words are directed at the captain. “When offered a peaceful solution by a Sith, the Jedi choose not to cooperate. My deepest apologies it had to end this way, Grandmaster.” With another small bow, she cuts the line and turns to sweep out of the room, beckoning for Vette to follow. “Prepare a shuttle, Captain.”

Trailing behind Lys, it isn’t until they’re standing opposite each other in an elevator down to the shuttle bay that Vette notices the Sith’s wide-eyed stare and the way her jaw clenches. “Are… you okay? My lord?” The title is added on as a hasty afterthought; the ever-present weight of the shock collar on her neck reminds Vette to keep her concern in check.

Nice or not, Lys is still Sith.

“Stupid,” she mutters in answer. “Stupid, stupid, stupid. Can you believe it?”

“Believe what?”

Lys turns to her, shoulders slumping and the panic clear in her expression. “That was the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order,” she states plainly. “Satele Shan. And I ended the holocall on her.”

It takes a moment for the words to really sink in, and Vette’s surprise is the only thing that keeps her from laughing outright at the absurdity of the situation — she’s traveling with the one Sith who would worry that she’d disrespected a Jedi. “On the bright side, she’ll probably forget all about it once she finds out you’re attacking her ships.” She dares a sidelong glace towards Lys, instinctively expecting some display of outrage at her glib comments.

But it’s Lys, and not those overseers and lords from the Academy, and she cracks a tight-lipped smile. “I suppose she will, won’t she?” The elevator reaches the shuttle bay, and she motions for Vette to lead. As they near the shuttle, the officer standing nearby regards them with complete and utter confusion.

“We’re prepared for departure, my lord. I, ah, wasn’t aware you’d be bringing your, erm… slave?” He falters, tone rising questioningly at the end of the sentence.

Vette rolls her eyes and bites back a smart comment; the combination of blasters and shock collar seem to confuse most of the Imperials she and Lys have met. But Lys corrects him, sharply insisting that Vette isn’t a slave, though she doesn’t clarify what exactly she is, either. It’s a question Vette hasn’t quite mustered up the courage to ask, despite the fact that it’s been eating at her since… well, since they first ventured out into the tombs together, and her wry taunts towards Vemrin were met with an approving grin from Lys.

Once they’re seated in the shuttle, she brings the topic up the best way she can think. “Can’t really blame the guy, can you? I mean, slave collars do usually go on, you know, slaves.”

Lys offers a sympathetic smile, and begins what Vette assumes is an apology, when she suddenly stops and grimaces. “Baras, he… gave you to me? You’re… mine? To do with as I wish?”

Vette freezes, subconsciously beginning to lean away from the Sith. The only comfort — and it’s an incredibly minor one — is how entirely uncomfortable the words seem to make Lys. “Yes?”

“So I could… take it… off?”

“…yes?”

As if struck by some sort of inspiration, Lys motions for Vette to come closer and removes the collar, letting it clang loudly onto the shuttle floor. She looks far more pleased with herself than Vette thinks she really should, but she certainly isn’t going to argue. She rubs at the back of her neck, glad to be free of the collar’s weight. “If I’d known it would be that easy, I would’ve asked back on Korriban,” she jokes, giving a quiet laugh that’s more than a little nervous.

Sith aren’t supposed to be this… whatever it is that Lys is, but she seems as uncomfortable and awkward about the arrangement as Vette is.

“I don’t know that I would’ve removed it then.”

Ah. Well that, at least, was appropriately Sith-y.

“I might have,” Lys continues, clearly conflicted by they hypothetical situation. “I would’ve liked to, but I wouldn’t want to have appeared to be undermining Lord Baras’ authority. But now, I don’t believe that’s a concern any longer. There’s no need for you to continue to be mistaken for a slave.”

Vette leans back, stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing them at the ankles. Her capture on Korriban has certainly led to… curious circumstances. “So… how do we continue?”

“Partners?”

“Partners,” she repeats, the word strange given its current connotation. “Me and my friend, the Sith. I think that could… work.” She can’t trust Lys — not completely, not yet — but neither can she deny that she’s far different from other Sith. She debates leaving — not now, of course, not when they’re rushing headlong onto a ship filled with angry Jedi, what what about later? When they arrive on Dromund Kaas, or whatever other planet they end up on? It would be too easy to slip away — she’s good at that, after all — and get back to everything she’d been up to prior to Korriban.

And yet, the prospect of working alongside Lys as equals is almost beginning to sound… appealing. It’s certainly not going to work as a longterm arrangement, Vette suspects, but for now? If Lys keeps her word, Vette could see herself sticking around for a bit.

[ohlawsons]

recompense | pt. 4/5

ABERRATION summary.  zaara has done her honest best to stay off of powerful sith lords’ radars, and somehow continues to draw their attention. as if getting caught up in arkous’ campaign to take tython isn’t enough, zaara finds herself at the mercy of yet another dark council member when she leads a chaotic rescue mission to liberate both korriban and darth nox. notes. features zaara ven, alyssa sala, cori ven, and davri sohms, with mentions of reiyaxa. takes place during forged alliances, at the beginning of manaan. links. [ AO3 ] [ FF.net ] [ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ] [ Part 3 ]

Zaara felt as if she’d only just slid into bed when her holocom began to beep; it had been several hours, but it was still too early in the morning for her to concern herself with work. After a few moments, Vector stirred beside her.

“Zaara?”

“Leave it,” she mumbled, curling up closer to him. “It’s only important if it’s Lana, and she’ll come yell at me if she needs me. I’ve been up for two days straight, and I just want to sleep.” By then, the beeping had ceased, and Zaara drifted back asleep.

Cori frowned as her call went unanswered for a second time. She’d never had trouble getting a hold of her sister before, and now, when she needed her, Zaara wasn’t picking up.

“I’m sorry,” she sighed, giving her most apologetic look to Davri and Theron. “I’ve never had an issue before. I really thought she’d be able to help.”

“It’s fine.” Theron shook his head, sighing and turning back to the screen with the facility’s layout. “I’ve got one last contact I can meet with, if your... friend doesn’t come through.”

Cori nodded. She trusted Theron and Davri, but hadn’t yet wanted to tell them about Zaara; still, if she’d been telling the truth the last time Cori had spoken to her a few weeks ago, then the Empire was just as desperate to catch Arkous and Darok as the Republic was. Surely, if they pooled their resources and information, they’d be successful.

“Contact or no contact,” Davri pointed out, “we’re here and Darok is here. We need to get a plan together and strike before he can leave. Let’s take care of what we came here for.”

“Right.” Theron motioned to the layout of the facility. “Not a lot of information on this place. It’s purpose isn’t documented, but I’d be willing to bet it’s used for research. Which, makes sense, considering.” He pointed to one of the entrances. “I’ve arranged transportation to drop you about here. There’s some pretty heavy security further in the lab, and I’m guessing they won’t just let you walk through.”

“I’ll alert my squad, and we’ll head out whenever you’re ready, Jedi.”

The third time Zaara’s holocom beeped, she finally gave in and crawled out of bed. She didn’t make it to the holocom in time, but got dressed anyway and made her way down to Lana’s makeshift office, where she found both Alyssa and Lana waiting.

“Commander,” she greeted her warmly, a smile playing at her lips. “You could’ve just answered your holocom, but I suppose it’s good you’re here.”

Zaara shrugged. “I figured after three tries, it was worth coming down in person.”

“I only called once,” Lana clarified, “to let you know the Wrath has arrived, and we’re ready to strike as soon as you are.”

“Right. Okay.” Her curiosity was piqued, but Zaara had far more important things to worry over than who’d woken her up with an early call. Refocusing on the task at hand, she did a quick mental run-through of all the information she’d helped gather over the past week. “You’re all caught up?” she asked, turning to Alyssa.

The Sith nodded. “Lana filled me in as soon as I arrived. The entrance we’ll be using, the information you have on the lab itself, everything you’ve got on Darok and Arkous -- I should know everything you do.”

“Good thing I came prepared. If the shuttle’s ready, let’s go.”

The ride over and the first several minutes within the lab were quiet and uneventful. When Zaara and Alyssa finally did encounter resistance, they made quick work of the security and continued on deeper into the lab. They were halfway down the next hallway when Lana’s voice came on over the comm.

“Commander, I... have company. I’ll elaborate further later, but--” The line went silent for several moments. “We have some interesting new information.”

“Lana,” Zaara whispered harshly, “you’ll elaborate now. What company? What new information?”

“A Republic team has also entered the labs, with the same intentions as ours. While they’re looking into securing a possible ally, we have a change of plans -- I need you two to investigate some strange energy readings. There should be a console on the lower levels you can connect to.”

“Energy readings?” Alyssa questioned. “What importance do they hold?”

“They may be Rakata. If you can establish a connection with a console,” Lana explained, “we can confirm if they are or not.”

“Who’s we?” Zaara prodded. “I’m more concerned with your company than energy readings.”

“As I said, I’ll elaborate further later. Those energy readings are your priority now.”

Zaara gritted her teeth. Deviations from the mission plan were, quite possibly, her least favorite thing. “Let’s go,” she decided with a sigh. “Most of my crew is still asleep, but I can send someone down there if she doesn’t explain.”

Alyssa was silent for a moment. “You have no idea who it might be?”

Shaking her head, she sighed again. Either Lana was very good at hiding her concern, or her mysterious company truly wasn’t a problem; regardless of which it was, Zaara and Alyssa had other concerns for the moment. “Doesn’t matter. We’ve got a job to do.” Leading the way back through the hallway in the direction that they’d come, Zaara muttered, “Thought there was an elevator-- there.”

Once on the lower level, they easily located the consoles Lana had mentioned. She gave a brief confirmation that they’d established a connection, then fell silent again, ignoring Zaara’s demands for an explanation. “It’s not important right now, and this isn’t the time or place,” she insisted.

Alyssa and Zaara continued further into the labs, with Zaara attempting to lead them closer to the central labs based on layouts of the facility that she’d memorized over the past week. She occasionally tossed empty threats over the comm, still doing her best to get Lana to elaborate.

Eventually, one of her threats was responded to, but it wasn’t Lana who spoke. “So, anyway...” the voice drawled in response to Zaara insisting she’d reorganize Lana’s filing system. “I’m assuming I’m the one you want Lana to tell you about. We’re working together, for the moment.”

Zaara said nothing, simply listening, trying to place the accent, the voice -- anything to give her a clue about who Lana was with.

“How close are you to the central lab? There’s a scientist named Gorima there, and I’m getting some pretty heavy Rakata energy readings coming from the lab. My team’s already headed there, but if that’s where Arkous and Darok are, they’ll need the backup.”

Alyssa looked to Zaara for an answer; she frowned, but decided to cooperate until they knew more. “We’re close. I’m... familiar with the facility. As long as we don’t find too much resistance, we’ll be there in a minute or two.”

“Good.” He paused. “You’ll make it there before my team, actually.”

Already heading towards the main lab, Zaara debated for a moment before asking, “So does your little Republic team know not to open fire when they see us? Or are you just going to tell us not to shoot?”

“You’re as bad as Davri. Don’t worry -- they know to expect you. Why don’t we try to make it out of here without anyone shooting each other?”

“Sounds good. We’re at the lab.” There didn’t seem to be any more security so deep within the facility, but Zaara readied her rifle just in case. “Gorima.”

The scientist barely glanced up, continuing to poke and prod at another Selkath on a stretcher before him. “You aren’t with Arkous,” he pointed out. “You’re trouble.”

“We don’t have to be,” Alyssa reasoned. “We need information on Arkous and Darok. Where are they? What interest do they have in this facility?”

“Cyborgs,” Zaara guessed, grimacing as she glanced around at the lab’s contents. “What is it they want? For you to engineer an entire army?”

Gorima nodded. “Eventually. These are just the first recruits.”

“So, Mr. Republic Friend of Lana’s,” Zaara spoke into her comm, “you mentioned Rakata tech readings?”

“That’s right. Should I assume you’ve come to the same conclusion I have?”

“Self-repairing cyborgs.”

Alyssa’s eyes widened. Turning to Gorima, she demanded, “Is this true?” When he nodded, she shook her head. “This can’t be allowed to continue.”

“Not for Arkous and Darok, it can’t.” Zaara pointed her rifle square at Gorima. “You’ll be coming with us. I’m sure there’s some doctors in the Empire that would be very interested in this research.”

“Zaara!”

Before she could react to Alyssa’s protest, the sound of loud, deliberate clapping echoed through the lab. Arkous stood at the far side of the room, beside Darok. “Well done, Agent.”

Cori coughed and sputtered as she pulled herself up out of the water; it was only about knee deep, but her robes were completely soaked through. She found Davri similarly shaken but alright.

“What the hell was that, Theron?” the Major demanded, practically shouting into her comm over the rushing water and blaring alarms. “We were hit with some sort of explosion. Fell through the floor.” Davri paused, but no answer came. “Theron.”

“I apologize, Major Sohms. Theron is... occupied. Dealing with my team, actually. He was speaking with them when the explosions began. I’m afraid you’ll simply have to trust me, and I’ll help guide you to an escape shuttle.”

“I’m sorry,” Cori breathed, still shaken but not too out of it to try and keep Davri from overreacting, “but who is this?”

“Master Cori, I presume? My name is Lana Beniko. There will be time for proper introductions later.” There was a pause. “I’ve sent coordinates to a nearby docking hatch. My team will meet you there.”

Davri planted her hands on her hips, shaking her head. “Great. First the floor collapses out from under us, then we have to work with the Imps. It’s up to you, Jedi. I’d almost rather take my chances with the rest of the facility,” she admitted.

Cori took a deep breath, motioning for Davri to follow as she led the way down through the waterlogged hallway, towards the docking hatch Lana was leading them to. “We have to trust her. It’s our best chance to get out of here alive.”

“Right. Not sure I agree, but I’m following you.”

They had nearly made it without incident when Lana came back on the comm. “I’m getting strange readings from up ahead of you. Theron believes it may be one of the cyborgs being created at this facility. It’s... I can sense its power from here. Be careful.”

Davri groaned. “No offense, but this is why I typically avoid taking assignments with Jedi.”

“What do you mean, wait?“ Zaara snapped. “Arkous and Darok got away, Gorima got away, the facility is coming down around us, and you want us to wait?”

“It’s not like you’ll have much of a choice.There’s one last door between you and the docking hatch, and it’s locked. I can’t override it from here, and my team is... busy.”

“Is there a way around?” Alyssa reasoned. “Some way we could both help your team and make it out before everything collapses?”

“No. It would take too long to go around, and I don’t even know which hallways are still standing.”

As they rounded a corner, the locked door in question came into view. “Found that door.”

“Good. My team ran into one of Gorima’s cyborgs. A finished one. I’ve got them overrid--” The facility shook violently, and the comms fizzled out for a moment. “--or. You should be able to head straight through to the shuttle.”

As the door hissed open, Zaara and Alyssa barreled through, both coming to a complete stop as they came face to face with Cori.