Chapter 20: The Oncoming Wave

As the hum of lightsabers filled the Imperial Guard building, Nadia wondered if she’d ever get used to fighting alongside people who were identified as Sith. There was a scream as a Revanite met their end at the end of Mishka’s crimson blade. The acrid smell of burnt flesh was thick in the air, several dozen cultists lying unmoving on the stone floor. Nadia leapt over a low slash thrown at her by her opponent before cleanly piercing their breastplate with her own weapon, withdrawing it as the enemy slumped down to join their brethren.

“Behind you!” Mishka’s voice warned Nadia of another impending attack, but as she spun on her heel to address the threat, she was just in time to see Kayora’s lightsaber arc through the air, cutting down the cultist before they could strike. The green blade blurred as it spun, returning to the Twi’lek’s outstretched hand. Giving a nod of thanks, Nadia was rewarded with a grin and a wink, before the two of them returned to the battle.

To be fair, the Sith that Nadia had worked with were definitely not what she would refer to as typical dark side wielders. Juri had been a little harsh and unforgiving, but one could easily attribute that to pragmatism. Kicking a cultist’s weapon out of their hand, Nadia thought back to the couple times Vette had alluded to them not being with the Sith order as well. She still wasn’t sure what that meant. A blaster bolt passed a little too close for comfort, causing Nadia to jerk to the side and let out a hiss. Quickly, she darted toward the offender, changing her trajectory constantly as she moved to make her a harder target to track. The Revanite only got one more shot off that missed by a wide margin before their threat was ended by Nadia’s blade.

The two Sith they were with now seemed exceptionally far from the norm as well. Both exuded strong Jedi-like qualities, both with their calm, pleasant demeanors and their lack of brutality during battle. Maybe, just maybe, it was a little absurd to divide everybody into Jedi and Sith, the padawan thought, glancing around and seeing no further enemies. Even though Kayora represented the best of the Jedi, Nadia was starting to see that even she didn’t follow their doctrines blindly. Sighing, Nadia deactivated her blades. She still had a lot to learn.

The four of them regrouped in the middle of the carnage. “The inner sanctum is still locked down,” Kayora explained. “That should be where any of the remaining guards are located, and thus any information that may help us in facing down Revan.”

“I should be able to disable the security protocols,” stated Mishka. Nadia still couldn’t get over how level the pureblood’s voice was at all times. She thought Kayora was calm, but Mishka was almost zen in her attitude.

“Okay, Mishka and Ashara will go in and see what they can find. Nadia, you and I will keep an eye out for reinforcements and check all the cultists here for anything that may be of use.” After the group all agreed on the plan, they split up into their respective pairs, the two Sith heading through the archway that led further into the structure. Nadia waited until they were out of sight before smirking at her master.

“Old me would have asked you if you were sure that it was a good idea to send two Sith to get the answers we’re looking for.”

Kayora returned the smirk, though hers was a little warmer. “And the new you?”

“New me knows that it’s important to judge people not by their supposed allegiances, but their character, and that if we hope to work together and succeed, we must be willing to put trust in those who we wish to trust in us.”

The smirk turned into a full blown grin as Kayora dipped her head in deference. “It would appear that the student has become the master, my wise padawan.”

“Oh stop that,” Nadia laughed, gently swatting at the Twi’lek’s arm, though she did take a moment to bask in the high praise.

            They lapsed into silence for a while, combing through the dead cultists to see if there was anything of note. They came up empty, as expected, and reconvened near the center of the room. The air was a strange mixture of stale and charged, and it made Nadia wrinkle her nose at the sensation. Kayora laughed softly, then leaned in to place a lingering kiss on Nadia’s lips. The younger woman’s eyes widened in surprise before closing as she let out a pleased hum. “What was that for?” she asked as Kayora pulled back.

            “Do I need a reason?” the Twi’lek asked coyly, before laughing again, making Nadia’s stomach flutter. “You just look very cute when you wrinkle your nose like that. I couldn’t help myself.” Nadia knew she was blushing, but didn’t try to hide it, instead just gazing at her master happily. A warm feeling started to bloom in her chest, and before she could overthink it, she let the words that had been slowly percolating over the past several weeks tumble out of her.

            “I love you, Kayora,” Nadia said softly, forcing herself to maintain eye contact even though every part of her was screaming at her to look away in self-preservation. She was both elated and terrified at the response she might get, unable to decide whether she should hope for the best or prepare for the worst. She heard Kayora inhale sharply, and saw a tear forming in one of her purple eyes. Before her mind was able to fully spiral into damage control mode at the reaction, it was interrupted by another kiss, much more demanding and insistent this time. She felt Kayora grab at her waist and her own hands instinctively wrapped around the taller women’s neck as the kiss deepened, their mouths opening slightly to let the other in. Letting out a moan as Kayora’s tongue swiped across her own, she was caught off guard when the Twi’lek suddenly broke away. Her confusion was short-lived as she met her master’s eyes.

            “I love you too, Nadia,” Kayora said just as softly. “I love your drive to learn, your willingness to make mistakes, and your conviction to do better. I love that you still wish to see the best in people, and that you haven’t rushed me or made me feel inexperienced in our relationship. And I definitely love this adorable face.” Kayora nuzzled their noses together briefly. “And I want to be perfectly honest that I am scared by it. I’m not prepared for these feelings, and I don’t know what to do with them, but I trust in the Force, and I trust in you.” The sheer adoration in her face was overwhelming, and Nadia had to fight back her own tears. “I may not know what to do, but I know that I want to do it with you.”

            Nadia lost the battle, and felt several tears run down her cheeks, cutting trails through the dust present from the earlier combat. She buried her head into Kayora’s neck, breathing in her scent as she embraced her tightly. The other woman instantly returned the embrace, and they stayed like that for several moments, letting the amplitude of what had just transpired wash over them. Of course Nadia had hoped that Kayora had felt the same, but as per usual, her overachieving master had managed to exceed her expectations with her response. She sucked in a breath then pressed her lips firmly to Kayora’s neck, leaving a little bit of wetness as she drew back.

            “How do you always manage to say exactly the right thing?” she asked jokingly, blinking away the last few happy tears.

            “I think it’s more that I’m saying it to the right person.”

            “Oh my gods, you’re going to make me cry again!” Nadia pretended to try and push herself away, but easily let Kayora pull her back in for another peck.

            A pointed cough caught their attention and they turned to see Mishka and Ashara back in the room, an amused look on the former’s face. “Apologies, are we interrupting something?” the red-skinned woman said, the faintest hint of teasing in her tone.

            “Leave them alone, Mishka,” the Togruta at her side said. “You should be happy that a pair of Jedi have realized that you don’t have to swear off love to uphold the Light side of the Force.”

            “You’re one to talk, tazi kee’tch*,” Mishka responded, eyes sparkling. Ashara narrowed her eyes as a visage of obvious endearment spread across her face, and she leaned over, grabbing Mishka’s chin in her hand and kissing her soundly.

            Now that they were all sporting some level of smile, Kayora turned to her Sith ally. “Were you able to get any information?” A flicker of sadness was present for just a moment on Mishka’s features before she spoke.

            “Our discussion with the Imperial Guards who were still present was … more violent than I had hoped,” Mishka said, regret evident in her voice. “We did learn what Revan is planning however, and its implications are far more ominous than we had expected. Revan intends to kill the Sith Emperor, but to do that, he first has to resurrect the Emperor’s spirit to a physical form, which could have terrible consequences.”

            Kayora was quiet for a moment, brow furrowed in thought. “We must bring this back to the others,” she finally said, immediately turning to leave the building. “I hope that our allies have been successful in their plans to delay Revan, because we are going to need to strike fast and strike hard if we are to stop the ritual.” Exiting back into the jungle landscape of Yavin, they prepared to journey back to the basecamp.

            Unable to help herself, Nadia gave voice to what she was sure was on all of their minds. “What happens if we don’t stop the ritual?”

            Kayora looked at her, and Nadia saw fear and uncertainty in her gaze. “I can’t say for sure, but I know that it will change the course of the galaxy, almost certainly for the worse.”

*little bird in Togruti