Chapter 19: Temporary Alliances

As she usually did, Lana began her morning routine by checking in with all of her contacts to see if any trace of Revan had been found. It had been weeks since the battle on Rishi, and she was starting to get anxious. The longer Revan eluded them, the more opportunity he had to prepare, and the more likely he would be able accomplish his true motive. Whatever that may be. That was another thing that was quite irksome. It was obvious that whatever Revan’s goal was, it certainly wasn’t to the benefit of most of the galaxy, but the fact that they were still unsure of the exact goal didn’t sit well with the Sith. Some of the individuals in Sith intelligence argued that his goal was to destroy the Republic and the Empire and take control of the galaxy, but Lana wasn’t convinced. Revan had a legendary history, and for him to suddenly come back from the dead and simply desire galactic domination? It didn’t add up. There was something else at play.

Quickly scanning through reports, Lana wondered if Theron was having better luck. They had kept in touch sparingly, mostly just brief check-ins and quick relays of any interesting data. Although, she surmised, he couldn’t be doing that much better, since she hadn’t gotten word from him on any new developments since they last spoke. Of course, the Republic could have found something and decided to try to handle it themselves, but even Lana didn’t think they were that idiotic. And she was certain Theron wouldn’t support such a foolhardy endeavor.

She was almost to the end of her list when she did a double-take. Leaning forward in her chair, Lana steepled her fingers as her eyes darted back and forth, absorbing the coded report from one of her agents. As she reached the end, she immediately started again, confirming that she hadn’t missed anything or made an incorrect leap in logic. After her second readthrough, she was convinced.

“Vera!” Lana shouted, practically leaping to her feet as she strode toward the holotable. The bounty hunter appeared in the doorway to her cabin, leaning against the frame, looking unfairly attractive in cargo pants and a bra.

“Yes, darling?” Vera replied, stretching an arm lazily above her head.

“Set a course for Yavin. We’ve found Revan on one of the moons, and I’ll be damned if we’re going to let him slip away again.”

“Sure thing.” Vera crossed the catwalk that separated her chambers from the main area, then paused behind Lana, who was busy tapping away at the holotable’s control panel. “And what are you going to do?”

Tossing a quizzical look over her shoulder for but a moment, Lana said, “I need to inform Theron as well as Darth Marr.”

“Might want to change up your wardrobe a bit, then,” Vera observed, squeezing one of Lana’s bare ass cheeks before she continued to the cockpit. “Not that I don’t mind you showing off, but Theron might be caught off guard.”

Glancing down, Lana took in her current state of dress, which consisted of a sheer tank top and a thong, as well as the sensory blindfold they’d used last night hanging around her neck. Sighing, she withdrew her hands from the screen and quickly made her way down the steps to grab something a little more suitable for the company.

—

“Shit, that’s a lot of trees,” Mako said, craning her neck as she attempted to survey the entire surface of the moon they were currently passing over. “Are we gonna be able to find a place to land?”

“Eh, if I come down with enough force, I can make a place to land,” Vera drawled, her focus alternating between the scenery and the screen displaying all the Distant Slayer’s sensor data.

“I would rather you didn’t,” Lana responded sternly, though she was fairly certain Vera was joking. Still, she wouldn’t put it past the woman to actually try it if she was feeling particularly reckless. “There should be a landing area up ahead. The forward operations team set up a base in some ruins and cleared out a bit of jungle.”

The forest canopy showed no signs of abating as they soared through the sky toward the coordinates Lana had been given. Lush green leaves and vines of all types were occasionally so dense it looked as though they formed a solid plane, several stories above the moon’s surface. A glint on the horizon caught Lana’s eye. Leaning forward, as if a few extra feet would matter, she squinted her eyes, trying to discern what the glint had come from.

“Is that the temple there?” Vera was locked on to the same spot that Lana was, and now that she had mentioned it, the object in question did appear to be the top of a stone structure.

“It matches up pretty well with where the coordinates are leading us, so I’m guessing so,” Mako stated, pressing her cheek against the window as she continued to observe the flora.

As they approached, several patches void of vegetation appeared near the structure. Given the uniformity of the clearings, it was most likely the work of the recon team. The ship slowed, and Vera headed toward one of the clearings to see if there was space to land. The first clearing they passed unfortunately was already fully occupied, with several ships of both Republic and Imperial markings present, in addition to a half dozen hastily erected building modules. The second area had plenty of room, with only one other single person fighter occupying space.

Vera initiated the landing sequence, and they all waited for the slight bump that indicated touchdown. As Vera powered down most of the systems, Lana checked that her lightsaber was present at her side. The squeak of the pilot’s seat accompanied Vera rising to her feet. The bounty hunter grabbed her helmet as the trio walked out of the cockpit and down the stairs to the landing ramp.

“I’m going to make sure we’re secure here, and then probably check around for rations and stuff,” Mako said, confirming the energy level of her blaster before slipping it into the holster at her hip. “Just give me a call on the comms if you need me.”

“Sure thing.” Vera slipped her helmet on as she pressed the ramp control. Pistons hissed and various components groaned as the boarding door slid open and the landing ramp descended, dropping into the dirt with a soft thud. 

As they moved down the ramp and Mako veered off toward one of the temporary shelters nearby, Vera waved a hand ahead in a pretentious manner. “Lead the way, my lady,” she said, the teasing in her voice slightly masked by her helmet.

Lana rolled her eyes. “Come on, bounty hunter,” she responded, striding purposefully in the direction of the large temple they’d passed over. “And don’t call me ‘my lady’ ever again. It sounds far too much like Sith politics for my liking.”

“Whatever you say, my queen.”

—

Upon arriving at the temple, Lana and Vera were met by a cacophony of activity. Republic troops were working on setting up a shuttle landing area, while a group of Imperial officers were sorting out the armory with a pair of Jedi. Even though both Darth Marr and Jedi Master Satele Shan had pledged to put aside their differences to face this new threat, Lana had to admit she was surprised with how quickly it had come to fruition.

As they walked through the activity, they heard snippets of conversation, and for the most part, people were focused on their tasks, with only a small number voicing their distrust of the opposing faction. Still, far less discontent than Lana had expected so early in the temporary truce. Obviously Master Shan commanded the same level of respect from her troops as Darth Marr, which was fortunate. They were going to need to minimize any amount of infighting if they were to have any hope of triumphing over Revan’s fanatical followers.

“Any idea where we’re supposed to go?” Vera asked, snapping Lana out of her musing. They had been walking toward the temple, but now that they’d arrived, Lana realized that she did not, in fact, know where they were supposed to be going. She was not planning on admitting this, but apparently the very brief lack of response was enough for Vera to catch on. “Yeah, me neither. I’ll let you figure that out. Ping me when you need me.” With a brief brush of her fingers over Lana’s, the bounty hunter headed toward the edge of the camp, her ass swaying seductively in a way that Lana was fairly certain was on purpose.

—

Over the next couple of days, the size of the camp expanded far more than either Lana or Vera was prepared for. Tensions had risen a bit since that first day, and there was more than one case of some individuals needing to be separated, but as Lana had expected, both Darth Marr and Master Shan tolerated no infighting from their troops. Though ships were still arriving, either a critical mass had been reached or just the right people had arrived because the leaders called a meeting with a select group of individuals. Lana had been working closely with Darth Marr and had seen a list of names consisting of both Republic and Imperial leaning people, and assumed that they were who Marr and Shan had been waiting for.

Standing somewhat back from the table, just behind Darth Marr, allowed Lana an easy view of all those gathered. Given that she wasn’t expected to be leading any of the conversation, it gave her the ability to observe those in attendance. 

Of course Satele and Theron Shan were there, arranged in similar positioning to herself and Marr. Next to Master Shan stood Kayora, her expression exuding the calm determination that was so befitting of her character. Surprisingly, her padawan Nadia was absent, though as Lana glanced around, she realized just how select the grouping was. Surely Nadia was out with the gathered troops, or perhaps the rest of Kayora’s crew, waiting for the results of this session.

Next to Kayora was a green-skinned Mirialan who was noticeably short and slender. Although she didn’t boast any obvious musculature, she looked to have more of a dancer’s physique, topped with black hair styled into a mess of chaotic spikes. A youthful energy surrounded her, and she shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she waited for the meeting to begin.

A Republic Special Forces soldier was next, arms crossed and, curiously, their helmet still on. They appeared to embody the stoic soldier personality, which was contrasted dramatically with the Nautolan woman who leaned against the table, her facial expression a cross between bored and bemused. Yawning, she stretched her arms over her head, exposing even more of her already bare midriff.

Tapping at a datapad before tucking it back in her pack was a dark skinned woman who looked to be part of Imperial Intelligence. She was a fairly tall and imposing figure, with a scar across her eye and a set of armor that had seen a lot of action. Lana was somewhat surprised she didn’t recognize the woman, though Sith and Imperial Intelligence didn’t cross paths as often as one may assume.

Vera had also opted to keep her helmet on, standing casually between the intelligence agent and the two Sith women who made up the last of the group.

The Sith were talking quietly to each other, though both were keeping an eye on Marr and Shan. One was an orange skinned Zabrak, her face adorned with intricate tattoos and the crown of her head ringed with small horns. She bore the scars of someone who had been a slave, though she now carried herself with confidence and power. The Sith she spoke with was a red skinned pure blood, with small amounts of gold jewelry pieces embedded along the ridge of her cheeks and the edges of her forehead.

It was a rather eclectic group: four Force users, two Sith and two Jedi, a Republic soldier, an Imperial agent, a bounty hunter, and honestly Lana had no idea what profession the Nautolan held. Perhaps some sort of pilot or smuggler? Whatever it was, they had quite a number of different proficiencies covered with the assembled crew. Hopefully it would be enough.

Master Shan’s voice cut through the air like a blade. “Let’s begin, shall we?” Nodding to Darth Marr, she directed everybody’s attention to the table in front of them, holoprojectors springing to life. Instantly, the table was filled with a map of the surrounding region, as well as various symbols, numbers, and other indicators. 

“You all know why you’re here,” stated Darth Marr, his voice deep and imposing from behind his mask and spiked armor. “Revan has returned, in some form, and it has become increasingly apparent that he is an enemy of both the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. Master Shan and myself have both agreed that it is in our best interest to eliminate this threat quickly and definitively with a united front, less our inaction lead to ruin.” If he had hoped for his grave declaration to be met with a noticeable response, there was none to be had. All present seemed to be well versed in the stakes, and more than likely had faced plenty of impossible odds in their own journeys if they were here.

“As Darth Marr has stated, we wish this operation to be over as soon as possible. The longer we take to contain this threat, the more likely there will be irreparable outcomes.” Master Shan waved a hand over the map and it shifted, now showing the location that was the most likely place that Revan would be, according to their intel. “We have already been sending squads out to gather information and disrupt the Revanite’s plans as we observe them, but the true attack begins now. Each of you will be assigned a series of tasks that must be completed for us to adequately prepare to confront Revan. Once successful, a strike team will move in and, Force willing, we will eliminate this threat. Are there any questions?” Her own question was met with silence, a few of those around the table glancing at each other, but nobody looking unsure or even concerned.

“Very well.” Darth Marr tapped at one of the control panels, and several locations on the map lit up. “Here are your assignments.”