Disaster and Opportunity, Together

At the shuttle port, Nox had been getting strange looks from the military personnel there. No one said anything. They just kept sneaking surreptitious glances at him as he strode past them.

Nox strode out of the brightly lit landing pad, then into and across the much darker grounds. Its well manicured lawns and precisely trimmed hedges were not easy to see in the late evening, especially after having his eyes blasted by the powerfully brilliant lights illuminating the landing pad.

Finally, Nox entered the headquarters building, with Khem Val trailing behind him. Again, the personnel began giving him those strange looks. The soldiers tried not to stare, but they kept sneaking looks at him.

He wondered, "Why isn't Khem saying anything to these worms for looking at me the way they are?"

In fact, Nox could swear, "Khem's smirking at me!"

He thought the troops were resenting him for sacking all of their officers, but he didn't see resentment in their eyes and instead felt shock, and even some awe, in their emotions. It was most puzzling to him.

He wondered again, "If not resentment, then what?"

On reaching Vulgren's offices, the first thing Nox noticed was that the officers present were all new to him. He spoke to one of them, a young female Human Ensign.

Nox called to her and demanded, "You! Ensign! Where's Vulgren?"

She snapped to attention, replying crisply, "He's in conference with Darth Komo in his office, Dark Lord!"

A Chiss officer with cobalt blue skin, bright red eyes (no whites, just red), and a full head of white hair, cut military short, approached Nox. He snapped to attention, saluted Nox sharply, then relaxed his stance after ending his salute.

He said to Nox, "My lord Darth Nox, I am General Riiy'enni'sansa. My core name is Yennis. I command the 897th Infantry Division. You deeply honor us with your heroic presence, for you've come straight from the battlefield!"

Annoyance starting to edge his tone, Nox asked, "What of it?"

The General replied as though he hadn't noticed Nox's growing irritation, "Well, it's just that you're covered in cuts, bruises, dried blood, and are still bleeding, Dark Lord." The general waived a hand at one of his subordinates and ordered, "Summon a medical droid here, immediately."

Nox found a reflective surface, to inspect his wounds. He found that, not only was he badly cut and bleeding, but his hair was a mess! His face was smeared with blood soaked dirt, and looking down onto his vestments, he realized they were also filthy, smeared with clay dirt and dried blood.

Nox thought to himself, "This explains the funny looks I've been getting since I've returned." Aloud he said, "This is nothing. I was merely struck with a tree."
Yennis asked with mild incredulity in his tone and in his eyes, "You were struck with a... a tree, Dark Lord?"

Nox hid his amusement at the general's reaction as he replied, "Yes, with a tree. A Jedi Master threw it at me."

Yennis' eyes changed from expressing mild incredulity to showing realization, as he replied, "A Jedi Master did this to you." Then with great concern for what that implied, added, "A Jedi Master is on this planet..."

Nox, pleased that the general quickly understood the emergent nature of that bit of information, ordered him, "Summon your staff officers for a briefing in the conference room."

General Yennis, stomping his boot and coming to attention, replied crisply, "As you say, Dark Lord!" General Yennis then turned to his adjutant and ordered, "Major Geld, summon my command staff to the conference room for a debriefing. They are to report immediately."

Major Geld, a Human with dark tanned skin, also stomped his boot and also came to attention as he replied, "Yes, General!"

As he set about to carry out his orders, Nox thought to himself with some amazement, and with some approval, "The officers have already been replaced? That's fast! And these soldiers are better disciplined than that last bunch. Good."

Yennis returned his attention to the Dark Councilor and said, "I beg your pardon, Dark Lord. Is there anything else you need of me? If not, then I shall see to it my intelligence section goes through the items collected by the Black Ops team in time for the debriefing."

Unreasonably, knowing they wouldn't be done in time, Nox ordered, "Get to it, but don't be late. I shall begin as soon as I'm done speaking with Vulgren and Darth Komo."

Nox turned and walked to Vulgren's office without waiting for the general's acknowledgement.

Nox entered the office without announcing himself, and interrupted the meeting between Vulgren and Komo.

He accused Vulgren, "You did not greet me when I returned, Vulgren. Has my presence here lost its novelty for you?"

Khem Val, suppressing a snicker, entered behind Nox and took up a position in the far corner of Vulgren's office.

Vulgren bent to his knees and pleaded, "Forgive me, Dark Lord. I..., I have very bad news to report."

Nox turned to Komo's image above the holo-projector. Komo shook his head, looking terribly displeased.

Nox returned his darkening gaze to Vulgren and snapped, "What bad news? Spill it!"

Vulgren, still kneeling before Nox, kept his eyes averted at Nox's dirt smeared, armored-booted feet, and reported, "Darth Komo – in response to your orders to replace Igus Nann and his failed officers, has sent General Yennis and his command staff to immediately take over command of the Western Sector. They arrived by shuttle less than thirty minutes after you departed with your servant to destroy the commando bases.

"Yennis' security team ejected everyone, from Nann's command, out of their offices and desks and immediately began scanning for spying devices. They found many of them planted throughout the headquarters, Dark Lord."

Nox's anger began to build as he realized what this implied for him and his secret search, but he continued to listen quietly as Vulgren continued his report. Vulgren could feel the heat of Nox's building rage, and could feel the increasingly oppressive power of the Dark Side flowing from Nox the longer he spoke.

He felt suffocated as he labored to speak, "They arrested Lieutenant Millie Kine for espionage. They found... recorded conversations... on Lieutenant Kine's desk, Dark Lord,..." Vulgren paused for breath and gulped down his fear before resuming. "... including conversations held... by your subordinates... in Lord Frennus' office."

Nox shouted, "Enough!"

Vulgren was startled, at Nox's shout, but became silent. The oppressive weight of Nox's Dark Side aura pouring from him pressed down on Vulgren's body, pushing down on him. He ended up on his hands and knees before Nox, working hard to hold up his weighted down body, but somehow, he kept his head up enough to look at Nox's feet. Vulgren waited for his end to come. The pressure of Nox's fury and Dark Side power continued to increase until Vulgren started to gasp for breath.

Vulgren felt death caress his soul. He closed his eyes, thinking, "My luck has abandoned me."

After a moment to rein in his wrath, Nox asked, "Who is your security manager? Why didn't he detect these breeches in security?"

Vulgren, surprised that he hadn't yet been killed, answered, "The security manager... was Lieutenant Millie Kine. She..."

Nox cut him off, "Get out, Vulgren. I need to speak to your master, and I don't want you here for that."

The oppressive Dark Side energy was suddenly gone.

Vulgren, suddenly able to breath again, simply replied, "Yes, Dark Lord."

He scrambled quickly to his feet and fled from his own office. As the door slid closed behind him, he ran towards the exit of his headquarters. His officers in the outer office, also recovering from Nox's toxic aura, watched him flee. Vulgren didn't notice his officers' panicked stares, as he gave serious thought to flee from the planet as well.

Nox took a moment to collect his thoughts. Then he walked to the back of Vulgren's desk and sat in his chair. After several moments to think about what damage may have been done to his secret search, Nox finally looked up at Darth Komo's image above the holo-projector. Komo had been shaking his head slowly, his face cast down with a look of disgust on it.

When he realized Nox was looking at him, he looked up to face Nox and asked, "What is your will, Dark Lord?"

Nox said, "There have been way too many mistakes committed here, Darth Komo, serious mistakes."

He paused for a moment to see if Komo would say anything to that. Komo remained silent.

Nox continued, "One or two errors committed by subordinates is one thing, but this level of security breech should have been detected at all levels, not just at the local command."

Nox paused again to see what he would say. Komo said nothing.

Nox concluded, "This is something that I have no choice except to report to your master, Darth Acina."

Komo closed his eyes and bowed his head in resignation.

When he opened his eyes and looked up again, he spoke.

"I propose a trade, Dark Lord."

Nox, instantly incensed, rose slowly to his feet.

He growled out, "You dare think to bribe me?! You dare take me for some cheap politician that..."

Darth Komo raised his hands placatingly, pleading, "No! Dark Lord! Not a bribe! I pray you! Hear me out, Dark Lord! I offer you crucial information in exchange for clemency!"

Nox's fury was tempered by his confusion, prompting him to ask incredulously, "Huh?!" Then he demanded, "What in damnation are you babbling about?!"

Komo, seeing a chance for negotiations, answered straightforwardly, "Darth Acina has learned something scandalous about you and intends to use it against you at the up coming Dark Council meeting to discredit you. She intends to bring you down by planting rumors about this scandal among your power base and to chip away at your support. In fact, she has already begun."

Nox sat down again, falling silent while taking his eyes off of Komo, he became introspective as he began thinking to himself, "So, she is my enemy! Why has The Force brought me into her domain?! Then has Komo been plotting against me, as well?!"

He returned his furious gaze to Komo, and said in a low voice that told Komo he had only one shot.

"I'll listen, for now."

Nox did not notice Komo breathe a silent sigh of relief, as he prepared to gamble and make his play, knowing his life was in the balance. What he said next would save him, or kill him.

He told Darth Nox, "Darth Acina told me that you hold captive, and in your service, a Jedi who has resisted all of your efforts to turn her to the Dark Side of The Force. Darth Acina also told me, that not only has your captive failed to come over to the Dark Side of The Force, but that she has succeeded in influencing your policies and decisions. This Jedi has thus made you an unwitting pawn of her Light Sided objectives."

Nox remained silent, thinking to himself, "He speaks of her in the present tense. Then they still haven't learned of her death."

This told Nox he had no traitors among his closest servants. No one, outside of his immediate circle, knew of Ashara's death at his hands.

Komo continued speaking, "I know it is a lie, Dark Lord. Your actions, and the actions of your power base, your policies, all show the truth of your Dark Side passions! But, since when has that ever stopped anyone from planting the seeds of falsehood within a garden of truth? Since when has that stopped jealous rivals from seizing the opportunity to play along, knowing that it was all lies, simply to bring you down?"

Komo paused for breath. He had been looking at Nox, carefully. He'd been looking for any signs that he might have made an impression on the dark lord, but Nox showed him nothing, except fury and blood lust.

Komo quickly continued speaking, "Of course, I had to report your presence here on Taris. I had to ask her permission before asking for your aid. She knows you are here, my dark lord, Darth Nox. This is when she told me of these scandalous lies."

Nox nodded once, conceding the point. He clearly did tell Komo to ask Acina for her permission to ask for his aid. Komo, seeing this, realized he'd bought a little more time, and continued speaking, but this time he made his play to begin the negotiations.

He said to Nox, "In truth, you hold the key to undo her attempts at scandal and to turn the tables against her. I could play a role in making that happen, Dark Lord."

Nox, his tone dripping with suspicion, asked, "How? What are you thinking?"

Komo dared to hope and answered, "In truth, you have done much more to bring into realization the Empire's goal of resettling Taris. The Empire has given the Republic a black eye when it caused the Republic to abandon its resettlement efforts almost ten years ago. Your actions, under Darth Gravus, made it happen.

"Now, here we are again! Only this time it's the Republic that threatens to black the Empire's eye! And again it is you who is seeing to it, personally, that the Empire overcomes this threat while Darth Acina sits on Dromund Kaas, not even looking into why there has been so much trouble here." After a pause for breath, Komo added, "Unlike Frennus, I send properly accurate reports."

Nox was skeptical.

Komo persisted, driving his selling point home, "Her failure to see to the troubles herself, has forced you to take action, Dark Lord! You have every right to take control of Taris and all of its operations. You have demonstrated the will to see, to the end, the successful resettlement of Taris! It is you who deserves to reap the wealth that Taris will bring when the resettlement project goes into full swing, Dark Lord!"

Then he added the trade he wanted to make, "This will also place me under your direct service, and I'll be able to testify to the Dark Council, for instance, that Darth Acina has asked me to lie about you to the Dark Council."

Nox didn't trust Komo. He didn't believe him, but he didn't want to give Komo anything to use against him.
He lied, badly, saying, "I'll think about it."

Darth Komo wasn't blind. He could plainly see that he'd failed to sell Nox on his proposal. He pushed, and risked a bit of blackmail.

He spoke apologetically, "Forgive my forwardness here, Dark Lord. Darth Acina has required that I discover the purpose of your research here on Taris. Because of Lieutenant Kine's spy recordings of your subordinates, among other recordings, I have discovered an important clue to give to her."

Khem Val made note that this was the second time those recordings were mentioned and decided to give these recordings a listen.

Meanwhile, Komo continued speaking, "However, I've told you before that I was indebted to you. As such, I thought it best not to report what I've learned. In this way, my earlier debt to you for your earlier assistance has been repaid, but it seems that I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my days if you... bring me into your service, Dark Lord."

Nox remained silent. He thought about the Jedi Master who surely knew by now of his objectives on Taris. However, to also have Darth Acina's servants digging around on Taris as well...

He also considered that Acina's ploy to discredit him before the Dark Council had real teeth in it. It was true what was said about Ashara Zavros, his late wife. She was willful, refusing to convert to the Dark Side, and she had modified many of his policies.

"But it was a matter of efficiency, not a matter of egalitarian concerns!" Nox had told himself.

Nox felt cornered. His first impulse was to lash out and to kill Komo, a servant of Acina. However, something in the back of his consciousness, (his instincts?), made him pause. He understood Komo was asking for protection from Darth Acina in exchange for his testimony to discredit her before the Dark Council, but he didn't know if he could trust Komo.

Deciding to follow his instincts and not his impulses, Nox spoke carefully, "It seems Darth Acina has mismanaged Taris to such a degree that it has threatened to make the Empire seem weak to its friends and allies, and to its enemies as well. I'll have to manage the resettlement effort myself. Are you averse to working for me, Darth Komo?"

Nox's facial expression, the coldness of his eyes, and the fury tinting his words over the holo-projector, told Komo that Nox would rather just kill him. Komo realized that he'd probably bought just enough time to produce some results to show Nox his usefulness to him, but he was grateful for the chance.

Nox watched as Komo's holographic image bent to its knees, and listened as Komo intoned reverently to him, "You have proven more worthy of ruling over Taris than she has. You have proven your resolve to make Taris into an example of Imperial might, and to demonstrate the Empire's strength of will to undertake a ruined world, and to make it into a world of prosperity, glory, and great promise! The Empire, as conqueror and as builder, under your wise rule over Taris! It would be my privilege to serve under you, my dark lord. My life for yours, Darth Nox!"

Nox replied, vile disgust and deep anger still tinging his tone, "In that case, your first order of business is to conduct a thorough audit of your security throughout your entire command over all of Taris, including the orbital station. If the SIS has so thoroughly compromised your command at Imperial Settlement Number Three, there's no telling what other damage has been done elsewhere."

Komo, still kneeling, said, "As you will, Dark Lord."

Nox pushed, testing Komo's allegiance to him, "My enemies and my rivals may have spies watching things here as well. Find them and destroy them!"

Komo knew Nox was referring to Darth Acina's loyal servants, and spies, still serving under Komo's command.

His Nexu smile returned as he promised, "It shall be an easy matter, my dark lord."

Nox asked Komo, threateningly, "Do I have to tell you what will happen to you if you betray me?"

Komo assured Nox by pointing out, "Darth Acina would kill me whether I betray her or not. I've embarrassed her with my request to ask for your aid. I've embarrassed her with the need to remove an entire command structure, because of incompetence that you've uncovered and corrected instead of her. The discovery of this security breech will further embarrass her. I at least have a small chance of surviving this while serving you, my dark lord, Darth Nox."

Nox replied, with a warning in his tone, "I hope you don't end up embarrassing me in the future, Komo."

Nox cut the transmission, and wondered to himself, "What has stayed my hand against Vulgren and Komo? Ordinarily, I would have killed them both."
He decided that somehow The Force was guiding him, but to what end he could not divine. The Force's guidance or not, Nox felt disgusted for allowing himself to get to a point where he felt the need to bend to blackmail.

He remained silent for a long while, wherein he meditated on how he would carry out his hostile take over of Taris from Acina. He also pondered what he would need to tell the Dark Council at the next Council meeting to justify his takeover of Taris.

Nox said aloud to himself, "Well, at least I get a planet out of this mess."

He got up from behind Vulgren's desk and left the office. Khem Val silently followed Nox out.