Star Wars: The Old Republic

Marr

~Chapter Thirty-Three~

Cunning is the ability to hide your own weakness while learning another's.

I was one with the darkness. The world fell away, leaving only the insatiable hunger that demanded the life at my feet.

The darkness chafed against what remained of my self-control. It craved Vowrawn's corruption and genius and my rage demanded an outlet the darkness was all too willing to provide.

Vowrawn writhed like a soilworm drowning in the rain. The whites of his eyes flashed, the brightness rivaling only that of his gnashed teeth.

The temptation to end him was too powerful to wraiths descended upon him in a thick black swarm.

His body shuddered, ribs creaking under the crushing burden of the feeding wraiths. His skin paled to reveal the depths of his depravity. The shadows orbiting his eyes gave him the appearance of a skull. I'd always known Vowrawn was vain and spent considerable power to preserve his appearance, but to what degree, had always been as much of a mystery as what lay beneath my mask.

His breath rattled up his windpipe with every labored breath he drew. Somewhere beyond the swirling darkness and flying debris, I heard a scream.

Liaseph threw herself in front of Vowrawn. "Stop! You're killing him!"

"He stole your freedom—stole you away from me—yet you defend him. Why?" I snapped.

"Why? Why?!" She glared at me, her gaze incredulous through her tears. "Because those things," she flung an accusing finger at the wraiths, "they're not who you are."

"No, Liaseph. You're mistaken. This is precisely who I am—who I always have been—and always will be."

She crossed her arms stubbornly and her brows pinched, framing her gaze with dismay. "I don't believe that."

Her eyes wounded me. "Then it's time you did."

"Ares…please. I'm begging you—let him go."

Her voice was barely a whisper now, but it wasn't what she said or how she said it that reached me; it was the way she looked at me—something in her eyes kindled my humanity. The memory of her touch and tenderness awakened a forgotten hunger, the warmth and light of it testing my resolve.

The darkness recoiled at my summons, not nearly so eager to return to the body that caged it as it had been to leave it.

Vowrawn groaned and his head lolled to the right. Liaseph darted to his side and took his hand, warming it between hers. "He needs a medic."

I nodded once but didn't move from where I stood. Liaseph's scent mingled with the air current as she scurried past me to fetch help. I drew a deep breath, savoring the fill of my lungs as if a long time had passed since I'd breathed deeply. How she could forgive his crimes was beyond my understanding.

I could not.

Vowrawn's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm but he didn't stir. Without his grandiose gestures and flamboyance, he appeared leaner and more brittle than he did when he was conscious.

The darkness whispered inside my head, demanding I finish him now that we were alone. I considered the merits of the idea, but before I could decide one way or the other, Liaseph returned with the medical droid in tow.

"He's over here. He—fainted. We're not sure why, " Liaseph added quickly. "That's why I got you straightaway," she explained to the droid.

She averted her eyes and crossed her fingers behind her back as if this would somehow give credence to her lie. In truth, I was stunned that she felt the necessity to lie for me at all. Perhaps self-preservation in a place such as this demanded it. Truth was a luxury only the Sith could afford, and yet few indulged in it.

The droid dutifully scanned Vowrawn's body and injected a course of stims against the side of his throat. If it noticed the pulverized chandelier or the fine dusting of glass crumbs over the enormous black desk, it was clever enough not to let on. Vowrawn's flesh began to change from an ashen white back to the colour of faded wine.

After a final stim to Vowrawn's chest, the droid straightened and repacked its bag. "It would appear the master is suffering from acute enervation and diminished blood oxygen levels. I have stabilized his condition and recommend fluids and bed rest for the next two solar days. He should regain consciousness presently. Shall I summon security?"

"No, that won't be necessary. Thank you, IC-U1."

The droid's designation rankled me and my glare followed it out. I prodded Vowrawn's side with the toe of my boot hard enough to rock his body. "Everything is a damn game to you, isn't it," I muttered, half expecting him to wake with his usual inane smile and scoffing laughter.

Vowrawn didn't respond and I turned my back to him. The darkness hissed in my mind and I shuttered it away with the Force.

Liaseph flung herself against me, somehow wheedling into my arms. She pressed her body as close to mine as my armor would allow and closed her eyes.

The once familiar warmth of her body seemed foreign after so long an absence. Undaunted, she persisted in holding me, thin arms gripping tight against my sides, as though she understood that she was all that anchored my dwindling humanity.

I drew a deep breath and trapped her in my arms, my right hand cupping the back of her head. My anger dissipated and I was transported to another night—our first under the star filled Alderaanian sky.

The memories of what we were coursed through me, resurrecting all that I felt for her, and in that moment, I wondered, if perhaps we were each holding onto the best of the other to keep it from slipping away.

She would never fully understand what I was or accept it. I would need to keep secret the power that fuelled me—defined me—but for her, I would strive to preserve her illusion of me.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered against my chest. "I can't believe you're really here, after all this time."

"Nor I," I managed. There was much I wanted to say—needed to say—and dreamt of saying, but the words fell short, inadequate to all that I felt.

"What is it?" She reached up to trace the grooves etched into my mask and smiled meekly. She struggled to keep her eyes on mine but lost the battle.

I lifted her chin and raised her gaze to meet mine. I wouldn't allow shame to rule her. "Not a day has passed, when I didn't imagine this moment…but now—now that it's upon us, I'm at a loss for words."

Her lips bowed with a smile. "We only need three—I love you."

"And I, you. I love you more than I can prove."

We clung to one another like survivors who had narrowly escaped a catastrophe. We were home, but in the way that no physical domicile could define. All that we needed, we had in each other, but the moment wasn't to last.

Vowrawn stirred and when he came to, he used a chair to steady himself enough to stand.

Liaseph rushed to his side. "My lord, you shouldn't be standing…please rest." She abandoned him long enough to fetch the chair from behind his desk and position it behind him.

"My dear, you truly are a treasure, but I'm far more robust than it would appear." He cupped her face and smiled, his thumb skimming the apple of her cheek.

He sat and she doted on him, fetching him a blanket and then water. The way she served him bred questions in my mind that I didn't want to consider. She knelt before him and he petted her hair. "I'll be all right, Liaseph. I assure you."

"Don't be so certain of that, Vowrawn," I warned.

When she was certain he needed for nothing else, she returned to me. She dropped her gaze to the floor and clasped her elbows.

"It would seem, we've both had our share of secrets," Vowrawn wheezed, his voice still hoarse.

"Don't patronize me, Vowrawn. I've no interest in your secrets or your slaving empire or the war you orchestrated in order to seize it. The only reason you still live is because she desired it. You will free her and you will do so, now."

"Loathe as I am to part with her—she truly is a rare and most exquisite gem—she is yours and she is free to go."

"It's not that simple, Vowrawn. I demand restitution on her behalf. She will have her own wealth, and you will release her in writing. No one will dare impugn her character or her status as a free citizen of the Empire. No one. Not you. And certainly not Ravage."

"I understand you, loud and clear. Had I known…I can assure you, that neither of you would have endured this unpleasantness."

"But you did know. Shall I summon Broysc? Or perhaps Ravage's bounty hunter Vex?"

"Dear me—you've certainly stepped up your game. Well done. I'm proud of you." Vowrawn clapped slowly and the inane smile I was accustomed to seeing, returned. His colour had almost returned to normal. He shifted his chair behind his desk and took up a data pad. After a moment's thought, he tapped several keys and offered the pad back to me.

"I trust that will suffice?"

I eyed the figure and passed the device to Liaseph. She glanced at the pad and pushed it back at me dismissively. She dropped her face into her hands and wept.

"Clearly it doesn't." I slid the device back to Vowrawn.

He swallowed and re-entered a new figure and passed it back. Liaseph glanced at it and held herself. "You don't understand…three hundred million credits won't restore what I've lost. No amount will. I was a lady and I lost something precious to me…" she hesitated, quickly biting back her words before she revealed too much. She averted her gaze. "I can never forget the filth that…that…touched me."

Vowrawn stood. "My dear Liaseph. You are every bit a lady still—never doubt. That much has never changed and never will. There are qualities in a person…in a woman—that no adversity will ever take away, and you have those qualities in abundance. But if it helps, I know a ritual—it's quite simple really…I could make you forget…"

She shook her head slowly. "Everything that's happened is a part of me now—I would be at a disadvantage if I were to forget that I was capable of surviving such horrors. Can we leave now? Please?"

"Of course, one moment." Vowrawn prepared the final documentation and transfer of funds and passed it to her. "You will be missed, my dear."

"Goodbye my lord." Liaseph curtsied and bowed her head. She kept her eyes lowered like a proper slave, and I mourned the haughty defiance I'd come to love about her on Alderaan.

I resettled the cloak over her shoulders and she took my arm.

I paused by the door and glanced back at Vowrawn. "Whatever we were, we're finished, Vowrawn. Cross me again, and not even her grace will earn you my mercy."

"Understood. I quite take your meaning. But before you go—there is one more thing." He tapped the tip of his index finger against his chin. "Are you not the least bit curious as to the Jedi's fate and Ravage's involvement in it?"

"No. I'm not."

Liaseph paused and looked between us. "Who is Lord Vowrawn referring to? Is he talking about Master Rylister by chance? Where is he? Is he all right?" Her eyes grew round and her grip tightened about my wrist.

There would be no keeping the truth from her, that much I realized.

Vowrawn rounded his desk and leaned against the front of it, his arms folded over his chest, and feet crossed at the ankles. "All I can tell you is that he's on Korriban—but he no longer responds to that name."

"What does that mean, my lord?"

"It means he's becoming Sith," I muttered.

Liaseph shook her head. "No! You can't allow that to happen. It'll destroy him. The Jedi Code—it's his life."

Silently, I cursed Vowrawn and his renewed attempt to draw us into his intrigues.

"I'm afraid that's no longer true. He doesn't answer to the Jedi Order any longer."

"So who does he answer to?" Liaseph blurted.

"Why to Darth Ravage, of course. He's his new master."

"I can't believe this is happening." Liaseph cupped her forehead.

"Don't test me, Vowrawn. I won't be a party to your schemes. If you attempt any contact outside of council concerns, I will end you—that is my oath to you." I jabbed my index finger in his direction and swept Liaseph out of his office.

"You can't allow this to go on. He needs our help. We have to get him out…send him home to the temple on Coruscant," Liaseph protested.

"We have much to discuss, but I will not do it here."

Pockets of curious onlookers whispered in the halls and fell silent as we passed. The party in the private wing had resumed, cantina music leaking into the corridor and then I sensed the one presence that incensed me more than Vowrawn.

Ravage.

((to be continued…))