Author's Note: This was supposed to go out yesterday, but I was driving the back roads and out of town looking for wildlife with my husband as a part of his Birthday celebrations… so I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry this is late as we had a fantastic time even if we were unable to find the Great Gray Owls we were looking for :)
Enjoy!
Edit: I don't normally remove reviews and I would rather leave all options for reviews to the story open as not everyone has an account.
So; as a courtesy to your fellow site user, if you would like to offer constructive criticism, please sign your post. Anything without a name that is clearly inflammatory or derogatory (ie: flaming), will be removed. Thanks. -Jade
Chapter 45
Vader's Flag Ship Exactor - Month Twenty Four, Day Twelve PEF
Mid-day
Lulls.
Vader hated combat lulls.
Back when they'd been fighting the Trade Federation's droid armies, there had never been lulls like this. There had never been the need; droids were tireless - when properly charged - and hadn't needed to regroup or pull back to lick their wounds. They were mindless automatons that came marching quickly and steadily into battle with their sheer numbers, often winning the day.
The battle outside between the fighters was fast and furious with minor damage to the Exactor, and two of the four ships he needed eliminated already out of the fight. The first had gone down somewhat easily, to his dismay, but the second had been hard fought. The third and fourth might very well require a fifth and a sixth if the Exactor sustained any major damage. Unfortunately, his supply of fighters wasn't limitless and neither were his pilots - but then, neither were their enemies.
Enemies he still hadn't determined the identities of.
With a frown, he paced around the small office that served him while in command. It had been almost twelve hours since the beginning of the engagement - a record for any fleet against his Exactor - and the drawn out battle was starting to irritate him. Stuck on the bridge when he'd rather have been at the helm of his fighter had sucked much of the fun from this endeavor and only caused mountains of frustration when fighter wings failed to perform to his specifications.
"Lord Vader?"
Turning towards the door, he found a nervous Major striving to appear calm - and failing. "What is it now?"
"We've just received a report sir; the fleet's breaking off."
Vader frowned and the Major took a half step back - except the Sith Lord wasn't angry; he was confused. "Breaking off?"
"Yes sir. They've sustained heavy casualties and are headed for the fifth planet of the system."
"Have the General set a pursuit course; they're not to get away."
"We're already in pursuit, my Lord, but it will take several hours-"
Vader waved him to silence and the young man blanched - he hardly noticed. Several hours to catch a rag tag band of ships that had ambushed them? His commanders had failed to notify him of the situation and precious minutes had been lost while they debated who to send to him with the news. "Thank you, Major. Return to your station."
"Yes sir."
On the heels of the fleeing Major, Vader strode onto the command deck. "Colonel."
"Ah, Lord Vader," the man had the gall to smile. "As you can see, the fleet arrayed against us has chosen to flee before our superior might and - urk!"
"They chose to flee and you delayed in the pursuit, wasting valuable time."
The Colonel clawed at his neck. "I... thought..."
"Never think, Colonel," Vader advised, snapping the man's neck with a twitch of his fingers and letting the body drop. Scanning the room, he spied the Major who'd come to find him. In two long strides he was by the pit as the man descended, freezing on the lower rung as Vader appeared in his view.
"Major."
"My lord?"
"Who plotted the intercept course?"
"I did, sir," his voice quavered. "But the Colonel didn't think it was necessary."
"The Colonel will no longer burden us with his thoughts. Your name, Major."
"Adams, sir. Connor Adams."
"Very well; you've the deck, Lieutenant Colonel Adams." Without waiting to see what the reaction to the sudden promotion would be - likely nothing as they happened with frequency - Vader headed for the turbo lift. "Keep me informed, Colonel."
"Yes sir."
With the doors closing behind him, Vader selected the level where the main flight deck was located. It not only housed the main attack fighters, but his own and - conveniently - Artoo. Since the beginning of the engagement, Vader had felt a sense of purpose that had gradually declined only to be replaced by a sense of frustration. For all his powers, he was curtailed and limited by the men on his ship.
Wanting nothing more than to be free of the lot of them, or at the very least away from them, Vader ignored the crew as he stepped out into the hangar bay. Bypassing those who would stop to speak with him, he headed straight for a small hangar where Artoo and he spent most of his free time.
Free time that was currently non-existent.
His thoughts turned dark as he reflected on the reasons he'd had precious little free time of late - not that he would normally complain at having Padmé locked in his rooms - but until the night before, she'd been anything but receptive. It didn't help that when he'd finally gotten her into his bed where she belonged, she'd responded as ardently - more! - as ever only to take what they'd shared and vehemently deny it.
As he neared the shop, his steps slowed and a craft he didn't expect to see caught his eye. The sleek lines belonged to only one other person on the ship and his fists clenched at his sides as he realized something he should have known days ago.
Asajj was here.
Suddenly Padmé's accusations made a kind of sense they hadn't before. True, there were no doubt holo records of his encounters with Asajj - possibly with her bent over his desk screaming at him to finish it - but Padmé had no way to use the units that were required to access the security footage. Which meant his apprentice must have informed her personally of something Vader believed she hadn't needed to know.
Lips tightening in a thin line, Vader bypassed the shop and headed for the adjoining corridors. Ventress would be in one of two places - her quarters or the training salon. Fortunately for him, as he neared the hangar bay door, she made it easy and stepped through the door he'd been a few steps shy of entering. Stopping, he crossed his arms over his chest and waited.
Asajj saw him immediately and pulled up short, her head tilting at a stubborn, prideful angle for a heartbeat before she dipped it in greeting. "Master."
"Ventress." She stiffened at his curt greeting. "I was unaware you had returned."
"My mission concluded more quickly than anticipated." Taking the last couple of steps to meet him, she glanced around the hangar deck. "I felt it best to return and await further orders."
Vader's arm snapped out, his speed enhanced by the Force, and his fingers closed deliberately about her neck. His eyes blazed with orange fire as they narrowed on hers. "Was your trip successful?"
"I've brought you-" mechanical fingers tightened uncomfortably around her neck and Asajj gripped them in an attempt to stall their closing. "-proof!"
"You've a love for several things, Asajj," Vader told her evenly, his tone deceptively conversational. "Killing Jedi and tracking those who have no wish to be tracked. These skills I have a use for."
"What did I-"
"What I don't have a use for," he dragged her closer, his fingers tightening ever so slightly and ignoring the way her fingers clawed at his. "Is your wagging tongue!"
Her eyes widened in shock and fear as Vader physically closed off her wind pipe, her hands digging at the leather covered metal of his fingers and gaining no purchase. Spots danced in front of her eyes as she stared at him, the edged of her vision dimming and her feet lashed out, trying to kick him without success. As unconsciousness threatened, and her limbs began to go numb, Vader released her, dropping her to the deck in a heap.
Asajj coughed, her abused throat making sounds like a croaking wheeze, as her body struggled for the oxygen it craved.
Vader knelt next to her, grabbing her face in his hand, his fingers digging painfully into her cheeks even as her breath shuddered in and out. "If you wish to keep it, refrain from using it around my wife." Casting her back to the deck disgustedly, he stared at her for half a heartbeat.
The Force adept lay gasping for breath, fully aware of just how close she'd come to never inhaling another of those precious air molecules ever again. She glanced up at him, hatred visible in the depths of her gaze. "She approached me." Gasping, she forced herself to speak normally. "It would have been rude to ignore her."
"And you felt obligated to discuss your terms as my apprentice? To volunteer information to someone who betrayed you?""
The gleam in Asajj's eyes turned malicious even as her words were deferentially strained. "I simply called her by her proper title now that she is with you; she appeared to take offence."
Vader's tone was deceptively even. "She is no longer a Senator."
"I am aware of her social standing."
"Then what did you call her - and choose your words carefully or your tongue may become permanently attached to the floor."
"Lady Vader."
Vader stared at the Force adept, the appellation ringing through his head and his lips twisted as he recognized the truth of her statement. Padmé wouldn't have appreciated the title. "And her title naturally evolved into a discussion of your previous duties as my apprentice."
"I enlightened her to the situation, Master." Hatred shone from the depths of her gaze with great satisfaction. Just by this discussion, Asajj was aware she'd caused further problems between Vader and his wife - and darkly delighted by it. "No doubt something you would have done had you been here."
His hand whipped down, cracking her across the face with the back of it and Asajj was thrown to the side, blood dripping from her lip when she was able to push herself back up to look at him.
"Your motivational incentives are none of her concern."
"Two women sharing the same-" Another blow, this time from the other side, struck her, cutting her off and her teeth dug into her lip again.
"Shared; past tense." His tone turned almost smug, musing but in a superior sort of way. "I have no need for you for that with her on board... and I do believe she'd kill you for it - given the opportunity."
Something about Vader's tone drew Asajj's gaze back to his and the meaning in his words was unmistakable. Asajj seethed silently, her displeasure obvious to the Dark Lord as was her conviction she'd driven a wedge between them by that conversation. Vader knew the last thing Asajj would have wanted was to drive him and Padmé together.
"Is she as welcoming as you remember, Master?"
Reaching down, he grabbed Asajj by the face and hauled her back to her feet. The crack of bone was audible as something in her skull shifted as pain flooded her features. Vader squeezed slightly and she was forced to focus on him. His blue eyes glittered dangerously, shining with sadistic pleasure.
"Speak with her again; see what happens."
Asajj hit the deck with a thump as Vader threw her towards the door and turned on his heel, speaking over his shoulder. "See Medical, Ventress; you'll want to be healed for your training session in the morning. This chase should be well over by then."
Not waiting to see if she'd do as he said, Vader turned back to the hangar deck and surveyed the area. One bold technician waved him down to ask a question about a laser modification on their starfighters. Asajj crept from the deck almost unnoticed.
It wasn't until she paused in the doorway to glare at Vader's back and he turned to meet her gaze that she seemed to take the full impact of his statement. A silent shadow, she slipped away to do as he bid and Vader turned back to the technician with grim intent
Asajj would bear watching.
