Star Wars Infinities: The Master

Chapter 9

By: Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: All of the characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by LucasFilm Ltd. They are used here without permission for fan-related entertainment purposes only. This original story is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine.

"We are within two standard hours of the Mon Calamari system by hyperspace," Palleon stated. Thrawn nodded slowly and then continued to eat his dinner. Palleon shrugged and began to eat his own meal. They continued in silence until dessert was served by a crimson-plated protocol droid. Palleon could not take it anymore. Thrawn could see that his friend, his only real friend, was curious beyond the point of self-control.

For many weeks now the Warlord of the Empire had kept silent about how he planned to lure the Death Star out of hiding so that the Sun Crusher could be used against it. He had picked up on the speculation of the officers under his command; everything from a secret deal between one of Daala's generals to a magic spell weaved by Thrawn himself. The simplicity of his plan was that it was so obvious that nobody would have ever guessed it. "A spy," he finally said.

Palleon nodded. He had guessed as much and he couldn't resist asking who it was. Thrawn shook his head slowly. "Only myself, the spy and our Lord Ravage know and I intend to keep it so until it is time to reveal them. Suffice to say I have gotten someone into the higher echelons of Daala's inner circle."

"That could be a large circle if the truth about her…appetites is true," Palleon commented. He had never actually met her as Tarkin had kept her, as well as her rank, secret when he was part of the Empire. Daala had been Tarkin's personal protégé, lover and skeleton in the closet. Palleon did not harbor any prejudices against women serving in the military; in fact, he wholly supported it because the New Order needed as many competent officers as it could get.

Despite the new policy of welcoming those alien species that wanted to get along with humans, there had been no significant changes in the make-up of the officer corps of the AFNO. Palleon had always expected that Thrawn himself would have pushed for more non-humans, but then that would have been beneath him. Thrawn got to his position not because of his birth, but because of his skill. If there was a non-human out there that could hack it as an Imperial officer, they had yet to show themselves.

And that bias extended towards women as well. Palpatine, despite having a female apprentice, saw the "fairer" sex as weak, serving no other purpose then being a breeding chamber with legs. Daala's rise to her new seat of power was simply amazing, put her in the same class as Thrawn as far as sheer determination. The coming battle would decide if she was his equal at warfare.

"What she does outside her normal duties tells very much about her. If the rumors are true, and I have it on good authority that they are, then we have to assume her desire to win is great. She is a seducer, willing to take her time. She will observe her target and get a feel for it before committing to the hunt." Thrawn reached for the wine and took a small drink. His pupiless eyes narrowed. "She will bring the Death Star out at the very edge of the Mon Calamari system."

Palleon had assumed as much if not from a tactical view, but from a practical. "She can't afford to bring it too close to the mass shadow of the planet itself. What about her escort fleet?"

The Warlord did not respond immediately. "She will deploy it out ahead to deal with any possible picket vessels, but she won't let them stray too far. Unlike Tarkin, she will not be too trusting of her weapon. She trusts nothing but herself, which makes the challenge of having a spy in her midst all the more challenging."

Palleon did not say anything seeing as his opinion would be uninformed. Thrawn was playing a deadly game with Daala, making several assumptions about her without actually knowing her. He had no doubt that the Warlord was formulating his plans on the personal observations of his spy, but he could not shake the feeling of uneasiness over the entire affair.

Maybe he was simply upset that he was being kept out of the loop. "What about Corellia?" he asked, wanting to change the subject slightly. Palleon had only visited the world but he grown quite fond of it and its people. "I wonder if the rebellion there will succeed."

Thrawn got up from the table and Palleon immediately stood as well. Military protocol dictated that once the Warlord was finished with his meal, so were his junior officers. Thrawn kept the glass of wine as he strolled over to the viewport. In this part of the cabin there were no holographic representations of the artistic works of the galaxy. Often times he would sit in that part of his private quarters and study the paintings and sculptures of a hundred different cultures, his sharp mind being honed on the passions of each piece. "Corellia will be a matter for another day, but our Lord Ravage has a plan for it that I must confess betrays his origins in its intricacy. It impresses me."

That was quite a profound statement because Palleon did not remember Emperor Palpatine being a great tactician. Of course, he reminded himself, he never dealt very much with the Emperor to begin with. "Very well, then may I ask exactly what our plan of attack shall be?"

"I will leave you to come in on the flanks of her fleet," Thrawn began. "You will do everything in your power to disable and not destroy even the most insignificant of vessel. Any ship we can take for the New Order will only benefit us in the long run." Palleon indicated he understood. It would be years before the shipyards of the galaxy would be back up and running to build military equipment. "If we follow my plans exactly and we do not incur any more losses than I have accounted for, this battle will shift the power in the galaxy."

"Even with the ships we could get as salvage from this battle, sir, I don't think it will give us the military advantage we need to start unseating the New Republic. In fact, any Rim World we even glance at is going to bring us into conflict with the Corporate Sector Authority." Palleon shook his head. "Forgive me for doubting your plan, sir, but we are going after the Death Star to try and end the three-front war."

"And who knows what other resources they may have," Thrawn said almost in passing. "A worthy consideration, but not one you need to worry about. My goal is to secure the Core and Mid-Rim. I assume I will be long retired by the time the New Order is ready to push out any farther."

"Pardon me, Sector-Admiral, sir," Dash said as he leaned on the communications table to look down at the flat screen. "But I'm afraid I do not understand."

The man to whim he was speaking to, who was safely sitting in his private stateroom onboard a Victory-Class star destroyer, gave the former mercenary a smug look. Dash immediately felt like he had just walked into a room halfway through a joke and everyone knew the punch line except him. "Where is Administrator Calrissian?" the CSA officer asked.

Dash didn't even bother to lie. For the past week, strange things had been happening all around Cloud City. Security agents were being found murdered without a single mark on their bodies. Lobot, one of Lando's closest advisors, had simply disappeared and couldn't even be tracked through his cybernetic link to the city's computers.

Flight control was missing several key members of the staff and at least three Imperial vessels had been spotted on long-range sensors, including an Imperial-class star destroyer that had its IFF turned off. Absolutely nothing made sense and every attempt Dash made to contact local CSA military forces had been refused. It was almost like Cloud City was being cut off. "Lando isn't here right now, but I am," Dash replied angrily. "I would like some answers."

"What? So there are Imperial vessels in the area; Cloud City is a tourist attraction," the Sector-Admiral replied. "The Corporate Sector Authority has not taken sides in the galactic civil war." It was the same corporate byline that the heads of the conglomerates inside the CSA proper used when interviewed by state-run news agencies.

Dash heard a slight grumbling from behind him. Out of view from the transmission, Leia stood with her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach. It was the only thing keeping her from running over and pounding on the communications bench. The past week had been difficult for the Jedi because of something tingling their senses on the very edge of the Force. Dash assumed it might have something to do with the Imperials.

And that bothered him as well because he hadn't been able to find anyone that looked even remotely Imperial. He had searched most of the casinos and even checked out some of the private brothels (which was strange considering it was the first time he had ever gone to one on actual business). There was nothing except some shuttles that were clearly marked as belonging to the AFNO.

Lando was upset as well, but Dash had made the recommendation that he remain out of sight, especially with Lobot missing. "Military vessels are not authorized for landing without proper clearance. There are no records of the clearance given!"

"The Corporate Sector Authority does not take sides, Mr. Rendar," the Sector-Admiral repeated, again with the knowing smile. Dash knew that the man was on the take, that he had sold Cloud City out, but he couldn't even begin to guess why. It was in the Imperials interest to keep Cloud City free. "I suggest that perhaps you go out and have a drink. Maybe you should look up that cute little Jedi girl; I have heard that they can do it all night…"

Dash ended the transmission with his palm on the emergency break button and then turned around to see Leia laughing. "Does everyone think that female Jedi are easy?"

He felt the anger leave him and he couldn't help but chuckle. For a brief moment, he felt as if he were looking at the two of them from outside his body. Almost six years before, he had been the cocky, irresponsible mercenary who had been pulled into the Rebellion by some nostalgic need to save his home world. Leia had been the hotheaded princess of the richest planet in the galaxy.

Now she was an easy-going Jedi, seeming relaxed despite the odd circumstances. He was now the respectable security chief of Cloud City, in a tizzy because procedure had not been followed.

The two of them had been nearly inseparable since she and he had been reunited and Corran did not seem to mind. Dash knew the two of them were engaged and he was shocked by how much Corran trusted the both of them. Dash liked Corran, but he couldn't help but admit to himself that he was more than just attracted to Leia. The years had been good to her, giving her muscle tone and filling her out. She was no longer a girl; she had become a woman.

Her look made him think she was reading his mind and he quickly threw up some miscellaneous thoughts as a defense. "You really care about your men, don't you?"

Dash nodded. "In a city this big, it is possible for someone to go missing, but it happens so rarely here. Most of the people who live here know each other. It's a tight-knit community. I've got almost a dozen missing persons and potential hostiles just roaming about." He walked over to the small bar he kept in his office and grabbed some liquor. He offered her a drink and was surprised when she accepted.

He could not know that she had been at odds with herself the entire time they had been together. Every other minute she told herself to leave because she could feel his desire for her through the Force. It wasn't the gentle, warm feelings that Corran put out constantly. It was a hot, steady flame just in the verge of becoming a roaring fire.

A part of Leia wanted to fuel that fire and she had to ask herself if it was her heritage? "The Millennium Falcon is almost repaired and I talked to an officer on a picket ship I'm good friends with. Booster Terrik has moved on, so it should be safe for you guys to leave." He didn't bother say that he felt it was in their best interest to do so. He took a drink and sighed heavily. The past few days had been rough on him and trying to keep the Jedi out of the limelight had been even more taxing.

The issue was Kyp Durron. Dash didn't particularly like or dislike the kid, but at least three times he had to pull various beings off of him once he was recognized. Kyp was a galactic messiah and his reputation only grew the more he tried to dissuade people from that notion. The aliens, all three locked up in the bowels of the city, were fervent in their belief that Kyp was born to bring back a natural order to the galaxy.

Dash had been most surprised that it had been Leia that had suggested putting the aliens in the city jail. She certainly was not the bleeding heart she had been on Dagobah. "You've really changed," Dash said finally, not knowing what else to talk about.

Leia took a large swallow and let the liquor burn her throat. "The galaxy changed first," she replied. "I discovered that my entire life had been a lie; certainly a lie to protect me, but it didn't change the fact that everything I knew was false." She set the glass down on the bar and leaned on one elbow. Dash heard her lightsaber, hanging loosely on her belt, hit against the bar. It reminded him that she was a powerful fighter behind her dark eyes.

"I wish I could relate…"

"Weren't you a stormtrooper once?" she asked.

He nodded and finished his drink. "Something like that, but there is a huge difference. I lied to myself, I convinced myself that the Empire stood for everything that was right in the galaxy." He poured himself a second glass and offered to top hers off. She took the bottle from him and filled her glass to the rim. "I was wrong and I've paid a price for it ever since. I lost my honor, my dignity after I realized the things I had done in the service of the Emperor."

"At least you had honor to lose," Leia groused. "Everyday I'm compared to my mother…my father…my brother…"

Dash nodded and moved away from the bar towards his desk. Leia didn't wait for an invitation and instead moved to plop down in one of the seats in front of it. She spilled a little of her drink, but caught it with the Force and moved it back into her glass. "That's handy," Dash said, truly impressed. He had seen Corran try to move things with his mind as he trained under Kyp and when he couldn't do it, assumed it was simply to hard a talent. Leia had done it without thinking.

"Remember my heritage; it isn't that hard," she said. "If I had stayed in politics, I probably would not have been able to develop skills like this. It's like anything else, if you don't use it, you lose it." She took another hefty drink and Dash wondered what she was trying to drown. Leia was wondering that herself.

If it had been only a few years before, she would have been appalled by her behavior at that moment. She was drinking like a lonely space pirate and acting not-too ladylike. The royal court of Alderaan would most definitely frown upon her having more than a casual drink with someone of such "low birth". She felt immediate shame at the thought; the term had been something she had used herself on several occasions as a teenager. "Corran's a lucky guy," Dash said.

Leia nodded. "That's what I hear, but I think I'm the lucky one," she admitted. She didn't want to talk about Corran, though. "So, why haven't you gotten married?"

Dash choked on his drink. After a few moments of sputtering and trying to get his breath he finally was able to croak out an answer. "Haven't found that special lady I guess…or maybe there's too many to choose from."

The Jedi apprentice leaned forward, putting her elbows on her thighs. She suddenly felt the need to tell him the truth, that she was unsure of marrying Corran. For all of the great things he represented, he was simply too perfect for her. He had no flaws besides being too caring and maybe, she supposed, she was seeing him through lens filters.

The awful truth was that she was starting to think she wasn't as in love with Corran as he was with her. She looked at the cool blue eyes of Dash and realized that she was more than attracted to him. She felt actual desire creeping up her spine. In her mind, her fears about marrying were becoming something else and through the Force she thought she detected something…dark.

Darkness followed her everywhere, though, every waking moment and every second she was asleep. The Force didn't just call to a scion of Anakin Skywalker, it raged and screamed for attention. Once Leia had begun to develop her abilities, she had to learn to deal with a hold new set of feelings. Several times she had wondered if she shouldn't just surrender to the darkness. "I guess the competition is fierce," she said.

Dash stood up and walked to the front of his desk. He pulled out his blaster from its low-slung quick draw holster and set it down on the top. Then he sat on the corner and gave her a hard look. "Look, your worshipfulness," he said with light humor. When they had first met, he had teased her about her position and rank, something she had never encountered as a princess. "Something is bothering you, I can tell. You've been pacing around this city for almost two weeks now. Obviously you don't want to talk to Corran or Master Durron about it…"

She detected the sarcasm when he talked about Kyp being their leader. "I'm fine," she said before finishing her drink. There was a light buzzing in her head as the drinks started to have an effect. "I guess I'm just tired of talking Jedi mantras and stuff like that."

"I always imagined you becoming the Chief of State of the New Republic," Dash told her. She laughed at the idea but he told her it was true. "You would have been a great leader of you hadn't become a Jedi."

She reached for the bottle at her feet to refill her glass and he made no move to stop her. "There's that old Corellian bias against the Jedi…"

"I just meant that now you have a different path to follow, but I suppose we all do." He ran a hand through his red hair and Leia caught the scent of his cologne. It was apparent by the cleaner clothes and more acceptable appearance that Lando had been having an effect on him. "Hell, I thought I'd end up dead on some battlefield somewhere, fighting for a few extra credits. Instead, I've become respectable."

"I agree we have different paths to follow, but there isn't anything wring with being a Jedi…"

Dash leaned towards her as she poured. "The monastic lifestyle? Robes, hoods, celibacy…"

She grimaced at the last word. "I don't think so. It's a different Jedi Order now. The old Order frowned on things like love and marriage, but its different now."

Dash nodded. "Sure, whatever you say, princess." He stood up and took the bottle from her and went back to the bar. He came a few minutes later with a bottle of what Leia knew from her royal court days as an extremely expensive brand. "I figure its time to break out the good stuff." He produced two empty glasses and poured. The liquor smelled strangely like spices and flowers on a spring day.

Leia tasted it and was surprised by its sweetness. It didn't burn either as it went down her throat. "Careful, it's a lot stronger than that Alderaanian swill we've been drinking." Leia reached out through the Force and touched on his mind and found he was telling the truth.

Despite her training she probed a little deeper into his mind, sliding past the weak defense he had put up and managed to keep his attention by asking where he had gotten the bottle. As he remembered the day he had confiscated it from a free trader that had not paid his dock fees, Leia slipped into his inner thoughts. Darkly she chuckled inwardly as she realized he was nearly consumed with lust for her and that he had selected his positioning so he could peer down her jumpsuit.

She shifted slightly and could taste his disappointment at being foiled. It was a game where she held all of the sabbac cards. She took another drink and began to peel away the layers of his personality. She discovered that while he felt bad about wanting to sleep with her, and only because he saw Corran as a friend, he got the distinct impression that he could have her if he wanted. His confidence was so refreshing!

She realized that one of the things that had been bothering her about Corran was that he always felt inadequate to be with her. He failed to take into account his own qualities and Leia was simply tired of trying to prop him up emotionally. It was draining. In Dash she found a man who was not only confident in his own abilities, but in his place in life. "Cocky, aren't you?" she said suddenly.

A wry grin crossed Dash's face and she felt a change in him. The game was over for the moment. Somehow, without the benefit of the Force, had determined she was more than slightly interested in him. "I guess I should walk you home," he said truthfully. A line had been reached and he was not willing to cross it until he gauged her reaction.

"I hope Corran doesn't get mad you got me drunk," she said, a wicked smile crossing her face.

Later that night, Leia sat naked in a chair our on the balcony, watching the purple clouds of Bespin float by. She shivered as she wept, trying to remain silent as Corran slept soundly in the room just beyond the balcony doors.

Over and over she dissected the events of earlier in the night, when she had used the Force to violate the mind of a friend. She had betrayed the very basics tenets of the Jedi creed and the worst part of it was that she enjoyed it. She had actually been aroused at the idea of learning and then fulfilling the fantasies of Dash Rendar.

Leia did not know what was happening to her and that caused her even more despair and as that occurred, she could feel the Dark Side trying to creep up on her. It called to her sweetly, promising her that all of her desires would be realized if she just surrendered.

Leia shivered again as the Dark Side laughed at her.

Laughed at her with the voice of her brother.