Star Wars: The Old Republic
Marr
~Chapter Eleven~
Justice is determined by a perfect measure of truth and bias.
I whirled on the arresting guard. "On what charges? Identify yourself."
"General Nesor Kayin, Imperial Guard. I was sent on behalf of Darth Taxon and Darth Caliginus of the Dark Council to see to your arrest. Ares Marr, you have been charged with apostasy, blasphemy, and augury."
Before I could respond, Vowrawn laughed. "Apostasy…augury! How grand! Silthar and I are only mere heretics."
"For once in your life, Vowrawn—shut up! This is no laughing matter. I've renounced nothing and I am no soothsayer. I am Sith."
Silthar said nothing, but his furrowed brow and pursed lips suggested he was fast at work calculating his options. On the other hand, Vowrawn preened with the imperious confidence of an alpha varactyl basking on a sun-warmed rock. The unapologetic gleam in his eyes coupled with the brilliance of his smile only served to confirm my suspicion; the bastard was enjoying himself.
"Taxon claims otherwise. This is a matter for the Dark Council. I am charged with bringing you and your disciples before them and you will comply."
"They are not my disciples!" My hand flexed around the grip of the lightsaber I'd won moments ago. "I will not submit—not to you, nor anyone else."
"You dare resist the Imperial guard?" Kayin snapped and initiated his tech staff.
My thumb twitched over the lightsaber's activator and Vowrawn inserted himself between us to stay my hand. He jerked his head, his gaze cautious and complicit. "Perhaps it's for the best, Marr. The pieces are at last, in play. Let the game unfold."
I glared at him as if he'd suddenly sprouted another head and a new suspicion germinated in my mind. The timing of the arrest was suspect. Dispatching our captors was not beyond my ability, but if I did, I would be declared a fugitive, and confronting Taxon before the Dark Council was fundamental to my advancement.
The arrest would serve to hasten the inevitable confrontation. Though he sported a façade of jovial recklessness, Vowrawn was, without a doubt, the most cunning and shrewd man I'd ever met. While my every instinct railed against surrender, it seemed the logical next step.
"I suggest you heed your collaborator, Marr," General Kayin warned.
"He is not my collaborator! Do you not listen?"
"If you resist arrest, I will add that to the list of charges too."
"Arrest me then! If only to refute these ridiculous charges…" I holstered my saber and offered my wrists willingly.
"Cuff him…" Kayin commanded.
A trooper stepped forward to clap a pair of stun cuffs about my forearms. "What of his weapons sir?"
"Leave them…"
"Sir?"
Kayin retracted his staff and attached it to his belt. "I said leave them. A Sith cannot challenge his accuser without a weapon—but if he tries anything, kill them all."
"It's refreshing to see the Imperial guard still adheres to the old ways…honour has become a rare and precious thing in this day and age," Vowrawn declared as we were led aboard the Imperial guard's shuttle.
I spent the three-day journey to Dromund Kaas in seclusion. The cell was as wide as my arm span—a box braced by a wide durasteel plank, which served as both bunk and seating. A compact refresher unit suited only for waste disposal was built into the opposite corner.
Although a porter brought trays of food twice daily, I returned them untouched. I'd survived on less.
At night when the ship grew silent, the darkness reached out to me with its siren's voice—narcotic and sweet—and the temptation to respond only buoyed my resolve to resist it.
I feared time had diluted my hatred toward Taxon, but reflection revealed the vitriol I'd clung to was still there—furious and deep and ready at a moment's summons.
The shuttle dropped into the private bay of the Sith Citadel in Kaas City. A dome of amber energy flickered above us, serving to keep the rain and gusting wind at bay. Lightning came down in bright flashes as we gathered at the base of the boarding ramp.
Silthar and I acknowledged one another with a silent nod but Vowrawn was nowhere to be seen. Even the guards accompanying us seemed concerned.
"Where in blazes is he?" Silthar finally broke the silence between us. "You don't suppose he—"
I shrugged. "I don't pretend to know. Predicting his actions is akin to herding gizkas."
Five minutes later, cloistered by a half dozen guards, Vowrawn emerged from the stern of the shuttle, teeth flashing—his entire being animated with the feral exuberance of a jackal pup. General Kayin tabulated lengthy calculations on his data pad as they descended the ramp.
"My good fellow…no need to concern yourself about my winnings…I'll trust you'll put them to good use—but might I suggest a bottle of Whyren's Reserve? I hear batch number 3803 is extraordinary. We really ought to do this again. I had no idea Sabacc was such fun—and do thank your good captain for the use of his fine quarters. Such a gracious opponent."
The bay echoed with the jackal's laughter. Silthar and I exchanged incredulous, if not somewhat disgusted looks.
"I see you fleeced these men of their wages. Vowrawn…have you no shame?"
"Only a little…they were all quite sporting really. You would find the game far more exhilarating if you embraced spontaneity…like me."
Kayin shot Vowrawn a warning glare. "Enough…Council is due to convene within the hour."
"Excellent. I can't wait," Vowrawn said.
Two pairs of scarlet-robed guards took charge of Silthar and myself while the rest fell in alongside Vowrawn and General Kayin.
The Citadel, with its gleaming arches and vaulted ebony ceilings, exceeded my imagining. Scarlet banners bled from the interminable darkness above and colossal statues of the Emperor passed judgement with inscrutable stone faces. The Citadel smelled like worn leather, incense, and ozone.
While dim, the lighting pained my intolerant eyes and a caustic thrum began to build in the center of my forehead. Even so, I knew I belonged there, in the beating heart of the Empire.
Dark robbed Sith barely visible against the pristine walls feigned indifference as we passed, but their curiosity grasped at us through the Force, seeking to glean the purpose behind our presence. Were it not for the impending confrontation, I might have savoured my first exposure to a world I'd only dreamt of.
The elevator carried us several stories beneath the Citadel. I sensed a palpable shift where the new citadel's construction met the ancient foundation. This was a place of power, the point where every node of dark side energy on the planet converged.
Pock marks and ancient runes marked the stone walls and I was reminded of the ossuary beneath the Sith Academy through which I'd made my failed escape a dozen years ago. The flame-filled sconces flickered, announcing the arrival of two Sith lords.
General Kayin and his company dropped to one knee and the troopers remained in tight formation. Silthar and Vowrawn offered shallow bows and I followed suit.
"Arise…" The elder Sith commanded. "So these men are Taxon's accused…"
"Yes my lord," Kayin said.
"I am Darth Arctis…Head of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge and this is Darth Demolis…Keeper of Mysteries. You will accompany us into the Council's chambers to confront your accuser and answer to the charges against you."
"Wait—" Demolis cut in. He strode toward me and looked me up and down with orange vein shattered eyes. "You're Marr."
"I am."
His lip curled up. "Taxon is a fool to deny you training. I sense the darkness in you—sublime and unequivocal. I understand his fear of you. You are an apprentice no longer—but a true master of hatred and the dark side. How?"
"A far greater master than Taxon schooled me in the ways of the dark side."
"And you bear the lightsaber of Tulak Hord at your side…a relic I had believed irretrievably lost."
"My trial was to claim it from my master during battle."
"May I?" With a pass of his hand the stun cuffs clamping my wrists together fell to the floor.
"Of course." I set the saber hilt across his palms.
Demolis examined the weapon with the sort of keen reverence one would expect from the Keeper of Secrets. "Tulak Hord's skill with a lightsaber was unrivaled. I daresay he was the greatest blade master of all time."
"Until now…"
"I don't understand…"
"He was my master…I bested him and took his blade."
"How was that possible? Hord has been dead for centuries…"
"He revealed himself to me on Dromund Fels as a Force ghost. He took me as his apprentice seven years ago. I was arrested not an hour after completing my trial. I am no apostate, heretic or soothsayer. I am Sith."
"I'm beginning to understand. And what of these men with you—these alleged heretics?"
"They are no heretics. Lord Vowrawn served as Taxon's personal ritualist but defied him in order to assist me. Taxon banished Overseer Silthar from the Academy the day he kidnapped me. He too defied Taxon, in order to assist in my instruction."
Arctis frowned. "That you've inspired such actions as a boy—and already in possession of a power base. That is no small achievement. But how is it you're still alive?"
"Taxon refused to kill me—he believed me useful because of my lineage. Septimus Tacitus was my father—Taxon and his forces killed my parents…as well as those who adopted and sheltered me."
Demolis's thumb flicked the lightsaber's switch in vain and I sensed his excitement to sample the weapon falter. "This lightsaber—is useless…it won't activate."
"It only responds to me…"
"Show me…" Demolis returned my weapon and motioned for the guards to move back.
The blade came alive in my hand, its deep growl a warning. The weapon cast a scarlet aura around me and I slashed at the air to demonstrate its readiness.
"I believe I understand. The weapon is imbued with blood memory. That makes you a—"
Darth Arctis cut him off. "We're wasting time…and I don't care to be late."
"I for one enjoy being fashionably late," Vowrawn oozed.
The doors parted at our arrival. The council chamber was smaller than I had expected—underwhelming after seeing the grandeur of the modern Citadel above.
Private entrances for every governing Sith lined the perimeter, twelve doors in all. A platform filled the center of the oval-shaped chamber and holo projection units flanked the councillor's niches. A monolithic statue of the Emperor dominated the far end of the chamber against a field of scarlet. The guard positioned us at the center of the platform and removed Vowrawn's and Silthar's stun cuffs.
A triad of chimes signalled the start of the proceedings. Dark silhouettes appeared in each council member's niche, as well as a glowing pyramid denoting their sphere of influence. Their niches remained dark and their faces inscrutable as they took their seats.
A bright hot spotlight shone down on us, the light so thick its edge was as defined as a containment field.
Darth Caliginus, Head of the Sphere of Laws and Justice stood to address the council. I remembered the name from Kayin's warrant and took in the measure of the tawny-skinned pureblood. No more than thirty-five, and with his prim posture and mannerisms, I guessed that he came from money.
"My fellow councillors, this session has been called to address Darth Taxon's charges against the accused—Lord Vowrawn charged with heresy. Lord Silthar charged with heresy. Ares Marr…charged with apostasy, blasphemy, and augury. Who speaks on your behalf?"
I stepped forward. "I do."
"And how do you plead?"
"Not guilty—but I have charges of my own to levy."
"There are channels you must go through to do so…your charges are irrelevant here," Caliginus warned.
"A council that accepts one man's charges as absolute truth is a corrupt council. My charges will be heard, your channels be damned."
"You dare challenge the Dark Council…its laws and membership?"
Vowrawn groaned.
"If that's what it takes…then yes. I challenge this council. Each and every one of you. I will be heard."
Taxon leapt to his feet. "Strike this fool down! Who is he to dictate to us? I will tell you! He is nothing—the arrogant child of a heretic and a betrayer."
"Caliginus, silence Taxon! Or I will."
"You do not recognize Darth Taxon's position here…I find your lack of respect disturbing," Darth Cynster said.
"No. I do not recognize him as anything other than the murderer of my parents, Lord Septimus Tacitus and Lady Lilin Tacitus. I charge him with those murders, as well as the murders of my adoptive parents Lish and Ailan Marr. I charge him with the destruction and seizure of their property and with obstructing the Sith paradigm—for removing an overseer of the Academy without cause…with kidnapping a Force-sensitive child and denying that child training without cause…I charge him with confinement and extortion. And I charge him with apostasy and wasting this council's time and my own."
"I will not stand here and tolerate this! Kill him! Kill him now!" Taxon growled.
Darth Arctis stepped forward. "I believe Marr has a right to be heard."
"I concur," Darth Demolis added. "I submit for council's perusal, an audio conversation captured by our security cams, just prior to this session. I believe it will show the reasons for Darth Taxon's persecution of this man."
The chamber fell silent while the audio capture played.
Darth Demolis paused the audio and rolled his hand. "So you see, Taxon knew this man was a descendant of Tulak Hord…and hoped to use him for his own ends…"
"Do you think you will get away with this Demolis? Arctis? You've conspired against me for years…and now you think you will use this blustering child against me to further your goals?"
"I agree with Darth Taxon, this has gone on long enough," Cynster drawled.
Caliginus clasped his hands behind his back and paced, brows furrowed deeply. "Those in favor of exploring Marr's counter charges…Mekhis, Demolis, Arctus, Nilaiha and Lied. Those against? Cynster, Taxon, Ignis, Evilor and myself. We have a stalemate…and in the event of a stalemate, the law demands we uphold the accuser of higher status. Darth Taxon…by merit of his title and membership, the advantage is his. I hereby sentence Ares Marr and his conspirators—to death…"
"Then I challenge his position, title, and membership."
"This is laughable…you're nothing. You have no title…"
"Oh, but I do. I am a Lord of Hatred and Master of the Gathering Darkness…titles bestowed upon me by my Master Tulak Hord."
"Preposterous!" Taxon cried. "A ghost? You claim a ghost trained you? Hah!"
"If the notion is so ridiculous then accepting my challenge should be easy for you. Or are you afraid?"
"I fear nothing—least of all you, Marr."
"Then you are a bigger fool than I thought."
((to be continued…))
