"Can you sense anything?" Theron asked.
Next to him, Darth Marr was silent for a moment. The full-body armor suit made him hard to read, but Theron was nothing if not determined. "No. Revan must not be present here."
"Well, maybe one of the teams in another temple had better luck. Let's get out of here."
"Very well."
Theron nervously turned around in the cramped tunnel and shimmied past Marr's bulk. The Revanites had set up in a bunch of satellite temples in the vicinity. As Revan wasn't in the main temple yet, they were trying to find him and set up a strike team before he could get to where he was performing the ritual. The various Force users thought it would be easier to take him down if he weren't given time to ensconce; Theron was inclined to agree.
The tunnel was dark had the still quality of an undisturbed tomb. It suggested the Revanites weren't using it – not that anyone would use it, it was narrow and twisty and obviously a drain for the rainy season's downpour. Theron breathed shallowly and tried not to let the creepy surroundings get to him.
"Wait-"
But Theron had already put his weight on a stone that clicked. Trust the Sith to build traps was the last thought he had before he saw black.
The world buzzed. Theron groaned. Urgh, why was he awake this early? He needed his sleep if he was to-
"Agent Shan? Agent Shan!" someone urgently whispered at him.
Theron blinked his eyes open to see a helmeted face staring down at him. Darth Marr. Of course. They'd been scouting and Theron had fallen.
It was much brighter than it should be. Theron put a hand on the ground – grass – and tried to push himself up so they could exit the tunnel. His head swam and he thumped down as his vision whited out.
"We are outside the complex," Marr said. "You hit your head on an ancient death trap."
"Urgh." This Revanite mission was going really badly for him. Theron swallowed bile. "Was it just some heavy block?" Marr was silent. "I'll take that as a no."
"The stone was imbued with some curse. I could not determine while you were unconscious."
And now he was conscious. For now. "What about now?"
Marr placed a gloved hand on Theron's forehead and went still. There wasn't even the closed eyes and frown of concentration Jedi got, as Marr's face was covered by his helmet.
Eventually, Marr straightened himself and let his hand fall from Theron's forehead. Yavin's warm air felt cold in the imprint it had left. "Is it serious?"
"Yes," Marr said. "It is ... an essence-sucking curse. Were you Force-sensitive it would have incapacitated you by now."
"Please don't tell me it's terminal," Theron sighed. First Lana getting him captured by the Revanites, now this. He winced at the headache that hit him.
"I am no healer, but I can perform first aid."
Theron tried to tell him to get on with it, but pain lanced through his temple. "Okay," he said, trying not to move his head.
Marr's hands went to the neck of his suit. With a hiss, he disconnected the seal and took off his helmet, revealing a pale-skinned face with graying hair and bright yellow eyes. Theron tried to make a joke about how he was surprised Marr had a face, but the words didn't come.
"I will perform an essence transfusion." It was odd to hear Marr's voice without the vocorder. "It will not cure the curse, but it will stop it for long enough that you can be brought to camp."
Theron didn't have a chance to reply before Marr leaned down over him. His question was interrupted by Marr's lips hitting his.
Theron's mind short circuited. Marr's tongue had slipped into his mouth and his lips were dry against Theron's. He gasped, opened up his mouth to the buzz-
Marr drew back. "There. Now we should return to camp."
Theron made an embarrassing noise he would rather forget, then distracted himself rolling to his feet while Marr put his helmet back on. The headache was gone, as was the dizziness. He shook his head and felt nothing amiss.
"Come," Marr said, helmet back on.
Theron followed him through Yavin's undergrowth. His lips tingled. He was Satele's son; of course Marr would want to keep him alive. The kiss was just some ... palliative measure. It didn't mean anything. It couldn't.
His lips still tingled.