Daala crossed her arms under her breasts. "How is the search progressing?"
Governor Highla's humongous ridges, big even for a Neimoidian, dropped low as he frowned. "Not good. We have not found it."
Daala blew air out her mouth. "It shouldn't be this..." she blinked. One whole branch of Highla's grandiose navy had been on the search for months now. "Do you have any leads?"
Highla's ugly face scrunched and un-scrunched, and he mumbled words furiously. The Neimoidian clearly had something to say.
He continued his routine for another few moments before Daala got annoyed enough to stop him. "Yes or no, Governor?"
Glowering at her, he responded. "Be patient, human. I'm not your servant. I'll answer when I want to. No, I don't have a lead really. The smuggler Commander Binjoy interrogated said he did see it briefly but then it vanished into hyperspace. He didn't know where it was going."
Keeping her fury in check, Daala sat back in her chair. "Where did he see it?"
"The Klorpus system. He said that its trajectory was somewhere closer to the edge of the galaxy, possibly the Ssi-Ruuk Star Cluster. Binjoy went to Klorpus, but there's no way he could know where's its going."
Daala scowled. "The Ssi-Ruuk Star Cluster? No, they wouldn't go there. Zonama Sekot is trying to stay away from conflict. I hope your Commander isn't going there."
"My men are doing the best they can," Highla countered. "And Commander Binjoy is one of my best. He will find Zonama Sekot, then commandeer it," he finished, pumping his fist at the monitor.
Daala looked at him quizzically, annoyed beyond belief now. "Have caution, Mindar. A living planet will not be easy to conquer. The Yuuzhan Vong will make that even more difficult. Tell your man to approach the task with caution."
Highla nodded.
"Especially with those Chiss patrols," Daala insisted. "Be very careful."
"I have told a thousand times over that Binjoy will," Highla snarled. "What does it take to convince you of that?"
Anger and more annoyance rose inside Daala's beating heart, but her quizzical expression remain unchanged. "I'm sorry," she said, disgusting herself, apologizing to this unworthy man. "I know you're men and women trying your best, and being careful." This was unnerving.
"Y-yes," he stuttered uneasily. "We are."
Daala nodded in acknowledgment. "The Scylla is on its way to the station. ETA three standard hours. The next session of the Assembly will be held as soon as we arrive."
Highla's ugly head nodded. "Agreed. I will see you then."
Daala cut the channel straightforward. She snatched her hand back, breathing fast and hard. Turning the chair to look out her personal viewport, Daala let her anger and pride swell up in her as she gazed out at the coldness of space. Finally, it got to be too much. Her teeth gritted, and her lips curled up in a villainous fashion. The Admiral swung her chair around and pounded her small fist onto the tabletop of her desk.
"Men!" she spat. "They always think their superior. I can't wait until I am ruler of this galaxy. 'He will find Zonama Sekot,'" she impersonated Highla. "'Then commandeer it.'" Daala snickered. "And then maybe he'll get himself killed, and take you with him too, if I'm lucky." Her rage was causing her to grunt. "Men...(grunt)...stupid men(grunt)!" She shouted the last word, now heaving in anger. It turned to pain in her heart, the sum of all the anger and fury from the entire day. Everything from Joffandor's bold mocking to Highla's boasting. But Daala knew the consequences of her craze. Desperately, the copper-haired Admiral madly reached under her desk, frantically searching for the black crystal ball hidden there. She panicked as each grab went through only air.
"No!" she cried.
Her grabs got more fierce as her pulse quickened and she could feel her heart pounding against her chest. Her blood flowed at faster-than-light speed, threatening to break her body apart. Her veins jutted out of her skin. Tears of anger filled her eyes. And then joy filled her body and her brain as her hand wrapped around the fist-sized ball. But despair instead ruled her inner body and soul. She tightened her grip on it and whispered fiercely.
"Reapus!"
A pause of deep breathing and despair.
"Reapus!"
Daala swallowed hard. And then, all of a sudden, her rage and fury began to be wisped away by new feeling. It was a mixture of soothing and joyous relief, like medicine attacking and killing a vicious virus. The energy from the crystal ball in her hand rippled its way through her bloodstream, past her heart, and into her soul and essence. The core of her body became cleansed and relieved, with a renewing sense of security and purpose. Daala now felt as if she already ruled the galaxy, and all she could see, or would permit, were women. They were her advisors, her partners, her commanders, her officers, her soldiers. Daala's Dominion had achieved it's creator's goal. She saw a galaxy that knew no fear. All the other kingdoms bowed down to her. Her military crushed any resistance bold enough to face it. No one dared to oppose Daala.
And the men. They were the best part, and they played the best part–the slaves. They toiled in the spice mines of Kessel; they broke their backs in the asteroid field mines; they served the Dominion's highest ruler and governors; the Assembly was now all women. Daala attended entertainment sessions where men were decapitated and/or disemboweled. And she enjoyed it; every minute of it. They were now the sex slaves, the oppressed ones, the Sith spit of the galaxy. They had finally gotten what they deserved.
Only then did Daala realize that her eyes were closed. She breathed easily again, inhaling and exhaling at a calm, steady rate. Her heart beat at a stable pulse, blood flowing naturally in her veins, which had now sunk back into her skin safely. A lock of Daala's copper hair lightly brushed her face, soft to the touch. The Admiral brushed it back and then used that same hand to wipe the salty tears from her eyes. She swallowed again, the taste of her own saliva somehow giving her refreshment.
What she had seen during those moments of relief and joy had been a vision. A vision of the future. Daala's future.
She squeezed the crystal ball in thanks. "Thank you Reapus." Gradually, she released her grip and brought her hand back up towards her.
Satisfaction was the last she thing felt before returning completely to her own senses.
The dark side of the Force was indeed a strong magic.
Daala breathed, her pride giving her strength and confidence. She swivelled her chair back to the monitor and opened a channel to Captain Mash.
"Set a course for the Schuazhar system, Captain. Get all craft back into their hangar decks. Engage as soon as you are ready. Daala out." She cut the channel. Almost soon after, her door chimed.
Daala smiled brightly and sighed. "Finally. Come in," she called. The doors hissed open, and three of Daala's best friends, whom she had just seen about ten minutes ago, entered. Moff Selena, Moff Terret, and Moff Kuresca all came in, bounteous, beautiful, and proud as Daala. They marched in and stood at attention, jokingly.
Daala chuckled. "Please. Sit down, for all our sakes."
The three giggled and grabbed chairs from all corners of Daala's office, pulling them over to the center desk.
"Have you talked to that toad Highla lately," Selena asked.
Daala made a face. "Ugh, just got off a line with him. His man still hasn't found Zonama Sekot yet."
Selena snorted from across the room. "Figures."
Terret, normally silent, spoke in her usual mechanical scratchy voice. Years ago, her vocal cords had been destroyed in a barely-survived scuffle with a rogue Imperial captain. "I told you to send me instead. I would've found it by now. Neimoidians are bumbling idiots."
It was at that moment that a pulsating wave rippled briefly through Daala's office. Outside the viewport, the stars stretched widely, and were soon replaced by a dark blue tube of light. Daala pressed a button on her desk control panel, closing down the blockers to her viewport.
"Yes," Daala answered Terret. "But I need you here to help Kuresca and Selena, and me keep the Assembly in order. Plus I can't afford to spare any ships for a search mission like that."
The comlink opened. "Warlord Brill to Grand Admiral Daala."
Daala glowered and snapped the receiver. "We're going to the Schuazhar system Brill. I know that's what you were about to ask. I'll explain later." She cut the channel, then switched off her desk panel. She would here no more transmissions until she switched the panel back on. Turning her attention back to her friends, she sat up straight. "I believe territory assignment is the topic today–"
Daala stopped when she noticed Kuresca's estranged look. "What?"
The middle-aged Moff licked her thin lips. "Nothing. Its just–you look....different."
The other women swallowed, an accidental gesture. Panicky feelings flooded her body. "Different in what way?" she asked quickly. She knew what Kuresca was noticing.
Obviously taken aback by Daala's reaction to the question, Kuresca looked away for a moment then back at her friend. "Your skin complexion. It seems a little duller than it did at the meeting."
Daala laughed nervously. "You must be seeing things, Daylia." She smiled. "As if I need more insane people right now, what with all those male Moffs."
They all, including Kuresca, exchanged laughs. Out of the corner of her eye, though, Daala saw that Kuresca's eyes still retained a look of doubt and suspicion. The older women wasn't going to yell at her friend for making her feel uncomfortable, but she couldn't risk having her secret be discovered now, so early in the development of her plans. How did she notice so soon?
"Those males are annoying, aren't they?" Selena commented, breaking Daala's attention on Kuresca.
"Severely."
"Which reminds me. Why'd you let Joffandor get away with...with...insulting you like that? I would've shot him."
"I think I got the message through to him though. All that blood must have woken him up a little to my protocols." She shot a quick gaze at Kuresca, looking at her for a brief, acknowledging second. "You were able to get that blood off your hands weren't you, Daylia?"
"Yes."
Daala nodded in satisfaction, still not looking at her. "Good. But Joffandor still has to pay himself, I forgot. Thank you Forge," she finished to Selena. The ex-wife of Wilhuff Tarkin swivelled her chair towards the com panel, switching on the panel as she did. "Grand Admiral Daala–" Sithspawn she hated that manly rank–"to Executor Weylu." Her empty black monitor came to life. The golden-aged, semi-wrinkled face of Military Executor Luka Weylu appeared. Seeing the Executor's semi-old-looking face reminded Daala of Kuresca's observation again. Weylu's bright orange eyes, rare amongst humans, looked awake and alert, as was her attitude often. Daala had come to rely on the women to carry out any military operation, at any location, at anytime. The Executor fit her job well. She was well on her way to a seat on the Assembly. Daala knew she'd eventually have to have one of the Moffs killed for some reason. Most likely, that man would be Joffandor.
"Yes, ma'am?" Weylu said militarily.
Daala thought long and hard about her plans for Joffandor. She smirked when she found a plan of action. "Upload a copy of the book The Adventures of Star Admiral Galaxy and Cadet Wellington for the Imperial database. Take a security team and then go to Moff Joffandor's suite aboard the ship and deliver it to him. Stun his guards that may challenge you." She paused for a moment of amusement and pride. "And then castrate him. Daala out."