Chapter 19: Welcome to Yavin

As they waited to hear about any new information regarding Revan, the crew of the Star of Ryloth continued assisting the people of the galaxy. No matter what was happening in the grand scheme of things, there was always the constant of the less-fortunate needing someone to lend a helping hand. Luckily for Kayora, being as independent as she was, they weren’t beholden to only Republic planets, which allowed them a much wider range of options. 

To Nadia’s surprise, their crew grew smaller over this period as well. Although she knew that none of them were particularly tied to Kayora, except perhaps herself (speaking to the fact that she was Kayora’s padawan, so she would have stayed with her even if their relationship hadn’t bloomed), it had always felt like they were going to be together for a long while. Zenith had chosen to remain behind after a particularly violent campaign on Felucia, believing he could provide invaluable experience to the rebels fighting there. Though he did appear mildly regretful to part ways, it was obvious that he was much more in his element there, embedded in the ground battle. Nadia hadn’t spoken with him much (honestly, he hadn’t spoken with any of them much), but she knew his strong moral compass would be an asset to the people of Felucia.

When Tharan had stroked his goatee and announced that he was going to stay behind on Coruscant after one of their check-ins with the Jedi council, Nadia was very disheartened to hear that, though it was mostly because Holiday would be departing as well. The AI had promised they could still communicate over the holonet, and that she wasn’t going to stop pestering Nadia for details about her and Kayora. The two of them had continued having a girl’s night every so often after that first one, and Nadia was definitely going to miss them. Though she wasn’t going to miss being grilled on how good Kayora was in bed, which she had managed to avoid answering in too much detail thus far.

Qyzen and Felix both affirmed they were in it for the long haul after Tharan said his goodbyes. Nadia learned that Qyzen had essentially pledged his loyalty to Kayora shortly after meeting her, where a series of events led him to believe Kayora to be linked to the Scorekeeper, the deity that Qyzen worshiped. Felix just appreciated the ability to do good without being bound by the red tape that he always had to fight through when he was an enlisted soldier. Also, he actually got along with Kayora, which could not be said for a lot of the commanding officers he had served in the past.

It wasn’t long after leaving Tharan on Coruscant that the four of them received a message from Theron, their fauxhawked SIS agent. He and Lana had followed Revan’s retreat and finally found him on one of the moons in the Yavin system. Apparently it was a jungle world with a population of Sith, though not the current Pureblood race that was prevalent in the Sith Empire. No, the society on Yavin 4 was a much older Sith race that generally kept to themselves. 

Even more unexpected than that was the fact that apparently a contingent of both Republic and Imperial forces had joined together and were setting up an offensive on Yavin against the Revanites. It appeared that their intervention on Rishi had swayed the opinion of at least some individuals from either faction, enough to put aside their conflict for the moment and face something far more dangerous.

The hologram of Theron disappeared from the holocommunication table, and Felix rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Set course for Yavin 4, commander?” he asked, already making his way to the galaxy map.

“Affirmative.” Kayora stepped back from the table, but didn’t move to follow Felix and Qyzen as they headed to the cockpit. Instead she turned to Nadia, eyes twinkling. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing who has responded to the call,” Kayora said, taking one of Nadia’s hands in her own and rubbing a thumb over her knuckles.

Even after all this time, the simple gesture sent a tiny shiver up Nadia’s arm. “I don’t know how to react when you’re talking business and yet acting so sweet,” she said in mock frustration, though her smile betrayed her true feelings. Kayora blessed Nadia with her melodic laugh, then leaned in to kiss the padawan all too briefly.

“Sometimes I can’t help myself,” the Twi’lek said softly. “I like being able to share moments like this, even just a simple touch can feel like so much more with you.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Nadia stole another kiss before heading toward the steps leading out of the room, tugging Kayora along behind her. “Come on, let’s go check in with the boys before we get underway, then we can find a way to kill time during the hyperspace travel.”

—

As promised, Yavin 4 was very jungle-y. It was honestly surprising that as many ships that were present had been able to find a place to land. Nadia observed the passing terrain from the co-pilot’s seat, noting how many different vessels were nestled between thick tree trunks and scattered boulders, often with vines already draped over them haphazardly. She hoped somebody had cleared a spot for them that didn’t require a five kilometer hike to where they were supposed to meet the others; the Star of Ryloth was not a small ship.

“It looks like that’s where the main base is located,” Felix stated, gesturing to an area of ruins where dozens of individuals were milling about, clad in several different types of outfits. Nadia could clearly pick out the white armor of the Republic soldiers, as well as the dark grey of the Imperials. There were also Sith and Jedi scattered throughout, usually sticking to themselves but occasionally grouped up with others outside of their creed. “Any idea where we can set down?”

Kayora gave a noncommittal hum as she piloted the starship over the treetops, alternating her gaze between the map and the window. Much to Nadia’s disappointment, they didn’t seem to be slowing and continued to head away from their destination, which did not look promising regarding a short walk.

“We’re going to be walking for an hour just to get back to the base,” Felix griped, voicing Nadia’s own concern. Qyzen said something in Trandoshan, his lips pulling back over his many sharp teeth, to which Felix rolled his eyes. “Don’t give me any of your ‘it enhances the hunt’ nonsense. We’re not currently hunting anything, so don’t act so surprised that I don’t want to trek through the jungle, just to learn about the next mission, which will certainly involve more trekking through the jungle!” Qyzen made an odd hissing sound, which Nadia had learned was his laughter. She still wasn’t very good at reading the reptilian, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by it.

“We can set down here,” Kayora stated, pulling back on the throttle as they passed by a small crumbling rock structure flanked by a beautiful waterfall. “And you can all stop your bickering, a shuttle is heading out to meet us. It’ll be here by the time we’ve disembarked.”

“And that’s why you’re the best commander I’ve ever had,” Felix remarked, hopping up from his seat to go grab his gear. Qyzen followed, muttering something, to which Nadia heard Felix respond “I was being facetious, there’s a lot of other reasons why she’s the best commander.”

Chuckling, Kayora finished the landing sequence and went through the motions to power down the ship. “I’m glad those two get along as well as they do. I was worried the crew that I gathered wouldn’t mesh very well outside of completing our mission.”

“With you leading them, it was inevitable that they’d find more common ground,” Nadia commented as they both passed through the door and headed toward their respective quarters. “I’m just lucky that the person I got along best with was you.”

Kayora scoffed as she entered her room. “Flatterer.”

As she headed down the stairs toward her own room, Nadia couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face.

—

The shuttle ride was uneventful, but luckily that was made up for by the sight that greeted them as the boarding ramp extended. Even though they had already seen it from the air, the intermingling of Republic and Empire was astounding. Nadia noticed Felix was focusing hard to keep his hand away from his weapon, and his entire body was tense. Kayora must have noticed too, because she placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

“Why don’t you and Qyzen find somewhere to set up? I’ll let you know what your assignment is after the briefing.”

Relaxing his posture only slightly, the ex-soldier nodded at Qyzen and the two of them peeled off, heading toward a trio of what looked to be Republic scouts by some makeshift tables. Nadia and Kayora kept on toward the large stone arch that appeared to be the centerpoint of the camp. Though she tried to keep her eyes straight ahead, Nadia couldn’t help sneaking glances at the other individuals they passed. She could feel the same tension that Felix had present in many of the others there, and commended whomever had gathered these forces that they were able to instill such a loyalty to keep fights from breaking out. She glanced over at her master, who seemed as calm as usual. She could definitely inspire such loyalty, Nadia thought firmly.

Upon reaching the arch, a pair of guards stood beneath it, one Sith, one Republic. The Sith looked over a datapad and glanced between Nadia and Kayora. “Master T’ven can enter, but you’ll have to stay out here,” the guard stated, making a note on his pad.

Nadia almost thought to object, but realized that there were certainly going to be a lot of individuals involved in the planning, and security had to be tight. Letting out a small sigh, she turned to Kayora with a shrug. “Looks like you’ll have to fill me in when it’s over,” she said, somewhat despondently.

Smiling gently, Kayora placed a brief kiss on Nadia’s lips. “I’ll be back soon.” She turned back to the two guards, who were both doing a poor job of concealing their surprise at seeing such a display of affection from a Jedi master. Nadia stifled a laugh as Kayora rolled her eyes and strode through the archway. 

Looks like it was time to find somewhere to wait. Hopefully somewhere with less tension.

—

Luckily, Nadia had caught sight of Vette almost immediately after looking around. She’d made her way over to the collection of crates off to the side where the blue-skinned Twi’lek was sitting and they chatted to pass the time. Over the course of the briefing, they’d seen a rather eclectic collection of people head through the arch, most of whom had a companion or two that was made to wait outside, like Vette and Nadia. A Republic special forces soldier, a red-skinned Sith pureblood, and a Nautolan smuggler were among the invitees. Nadia also saw Syn and Kira, though wasn’t able to catch their attention before Syn headed inside and Kira wandered off in the other direction.

“This Revan guy must be a big deal, since it’s got all of us working together,” Vette mused, spinning one of her pistols around her trigger finger.

Eyeing the spinning weapon with just a touch of trepidation, Nadia voiced her agreement. “I’m not naive enough anymore to believe this is the beginning of a better era of coexistence between our two factions, but it is nice to see the camaraderie, even if some of it seems … less than sincere.” She tilted her head toward a pair of soldiers, one Republic and one Imperial, who looked like they were a few sharp words away from coming to blows.

Vette laughed, slipping her pistol back into its holster. “Well, Juri and I aren’t really all about the Sith Empire thing, but I see what you mean.” Before Nadia could press the Twi’lek gunslinger on what she meant, there was a flurry of activity as the participants of the briefing filed out of the courtyard. Catching sight of Kayora, Nadia bade a hurried goodbye to Vette before going to join her master, who was deep in discussion with the Sith pureblood she’d seen earlier. As she got closer, Nadia was able to notice more of the woman’s features. Her red skin was complemented by dark red hair, pulled into a tight bun resting at the nape of her neck. Several gold pieces of metal were embedded in her skin, a few under each eye and on either side of her forehead. Nadia wondered whether it was a Sith thing, but it gave the woman an aristocratic air, though she carried herself in a much humbler manner. A Togrutan woman was walking beside them, with orange skin and beautifully patterned white and blue headtails. They stopped and Kayora met Nadia’s gaze as the padawan reached them.

“Nadia, I’d like you to meet Mishka Arterri, previously a member of the Sith Dark Council. This is her apprentice, Ashara Zavros.” Both Mishka and the Togruta gave Nadia a warm smile, which was not what she was expecting from the two supposed Sith.

“It’s nice to meet the two of you,” Nadia said diplomatically. She still wasn’t used to working with Sith, given that the only positive interaction she’d had with any were Juri, who by Vette’s own admission wasn’t really invested in the whole Sith philosophy. However, perhaps this Mishka was of the same mind, especially considering Kayora’s comment that she was a previous member of the council. Did she leave voluntarily, or was she forced out?

“Mishka and Ashara will be helping us gain access to an Imperial Guard facility located within the Revanite’s territory. Darth Marr believes that the individuals stationed there may be able to provide us some intelligence on what Revan is planning.”

“The Imperial Guard were the Emperor’s elite shock troops. It is unlikely that the Revanites attacking them was a coincidence,” Mishka stated, her voice as soft as it was firm.

“There’s a shuttle waiting to drop us off at the edge of the compound. Let’s move.” Kayora headed toward the landing pads, Nadia falling in step beside her. She brushed her fingertips along the hilt of her lightsaber, blowing out a breath to calm her mind. Although she hoped that they would be able to stop Revan here, Nadia also knew that it was only going to get harder from here on out. She needed to be at her best.

Sneaking a glance at her master, she was pleased to see Kayora looking her way as well, a small smile gracing her lips. Just another reason to take care of Revan as quickly and efficiently as possible. Because as much as she wanted to protect the galaxy from an insanely powerful force wielder, she also wanted to spend quality time with her incredibly wonderful master and partner.