Author's Notes: Phantom of the Opera (the movie is AMAZING) and Christmas conspired to make me throw the party in this chapter. Also, what I said about Sith meditations and music is true to real life, in a more limited capacity - I speak from personal experience on that - I literally get shivers listening to Phantom of the Opera. Chocolate products for anyone who can tell me the first name of the person whose last name Revan borrows, in this chapter (this should be easy, for some of you, as she does hang around the GotOR forums all the time - yes, I did ask permission to use her name, and yes she will get chocolate if she answers the question herself :p ).
Dark Lord Daishi: Glad you liked it. As for Cassie, some time after the Jaw Incident, I think - definitely not next chapter. Haven't decided who'll catch her, but I do know who'll kill her.
Rascarin: Thanks. Here it is.
F-15 Eaglestrike: Yeah, that red herring actually wasn't deliberate... but I did like its evilness.
RollingSkull: Yes, she is. She does still love him, though, which is worrying for a Sith Lady like her - love will only lead to weakness and the risk of falling to the light side. HK hasn't had that word ingrained in its programming yet, Skull - be patient.
Erin Banana: I fixed that problem. Derrin lives, yes - much more fun than the "Trask lives" rubbish, too, since Derrin is less 2D than Trask (randomness). Yes, she is indeed a bitch. Ah ha, you feel sorry for Malak... then my work here is done ::smug grin:: don't worry, though, I won't stop writing yet :p Firera: HK is supposed to be annoying - it's from Malak's POV, and Malak is very annoyed by the droid... hey, that rhymed! Yes, darkness is fun to write... this chapter is less-dark, but I will be exploring Malak's jealousy of Revan's rule in a very... interesting way.
Cantankerous 84: Actually, I love long reviews - love to hear details about what people think of my writing (good or bad, though I prefer good). Still, glad you liked it - I'd bet on it only getting to 30 chapters, tops, though :p I wish you all a Happy New Year, this is my second of two seasonal presents to all of you, and the best present you can give me in return is a nice looooooooong review. Also, because I rushed to get this done for New Year's, the next chapter has not even been started yet, so it might take a while.
"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation,
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination,
Silently the senses,
Break down their defences,
Helpless to resist the nighttime world,
For I compose the music of the night.
Close your eyes, for your eyes will only tell the truth,
But the truth isn't what it ought to be,
In the dark, it is easy to pretend,
That the truth is what it ought to be.
Softly, deftly, music will caress you,
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you,
Open up your mind,
Let your fantasy unwind,
In the darkness that you know you cannot fight,
The darkness of the music of the night"
-Music of the Night, Phantom of the Opera.
x x x
Chapter 14 - Games
Midas City was on the arable planet of Avaricia, in neutral space between Sith territory and Hutt Space. It was a city based purely on commerce, covetousness, and capitalism (seriously, that's part of the city's motto). Not surprising, considering the city was built around the headquarters of the single most greedy, acquisitive, materialistic, money-grabbing interplanetary organisation in the galaxy. Czerka Corporation.
Why would Revan want to come here?
Malak could sense that Revan was on one of the top floors of the Czerka building, when they arrived. He took Derrin and Bandon with him when he went down to the city.
Midas was an... interesting city to walk through. The place was loud, garish and very in-your-face, in every way its inhabitants could think of. People did not wear normal clothing here - they either wore a Czerka corps uniform, or they dressed in incredibly extravagant clothing to try to out-do everyone else. The Star Forge's idea of a fashion-disaster, which Malak wore, looked relatively civilised, compared to some of the things he saw here.
The Czerka building itself, at least, was elegantly done. The tallest building in the city, a towering plasteel monolith, lined in duracrete. Intimidating to most, though Malak had seen better, even before the Star Forge.
Inside was sleek and efficient, yet still managed to look extravagant. A vast atrium led to a grand staircase up to a balcony running around the second level of the three-story atrium. Offices were visible off the balcony walkway, and pillars loomed up to the unnecessarily high ceiling - a krayt dragon would probably find this place a bit too roomy (though it'd certainly like all the walking snacks around). There were elevators to the rest of the building clearly visible off to the sides, and a reception desk that looked too big for the blonde human woman sitting behind it.
Bandon was the first to speak, when they entered the building. "This place reeks of evil." he stated bluntly.
"Either that, or it's Czerka." Derrin noted, cheerfully ignoring the cold looks he received from passing Czerka employees, for that remark.
Bandon shook his head, "No, I'm pretty sure it's evil."
"There's a difference?" Derrin asked snidely.
"Point taken." Bandon muttered.
"Midas City is one of the galaxy's centres of dark energy." Malak said calmly, "Like Dreshdae, Acheron and Angelus' Cities. It focuses the dark side, making people act on their darker impulses. For the same reason the Sith chose that particular location on Korriban for their Temple, Czerka chose this place for their headquarters. Both were - and still are - drawn to the darkness. Nice place, really." he smirked at Derrin, who scowled.
"How'd you know that?" he asked Malak.
"I read." Malak said flatly.
"Didn't know you could read." Derrin muttered.
With a wave of his hand, Malak sent Derrin flying across the atrium of Czerka HQ, crashing into one of the pillars - both Derrin and the pillar remained undamaged. Several Czerka employees looked up at this.
"Ah, you must be Revan's associates?" one of them asked, approaching Malak.
"And you are?" Malak growled, as Derrin picked himself up and tried to look inconspicuous.
"I am Janen Morgal, Assistant Manager for Czerka Corporation's Legal Department. I have instructions to escort you to the meeting room on floor seven-four-two, when you arrived. Your Master is already there." Janen was a young-looking Twi'lek woman, with pale green skin. She wore a Czerka uniform, and clutched a clipboard like it was a lifeline. She didn't bat an eye at the message she was delivering, as if Sith Lords just walked in here every day.
With Czerka, it wouldn't surprise Malak if they really did deal with evil overlords of one sort or another on a regular basis... they were right next to Hutt Space, after all. Not to mention the fact that the Exchange planet of Ravnos was practically in the next system.
Malak nodded, and the three Sith followed the Czerka minion to the elevator to the upper levels. Malak took note that there were several underground levels as well. Seven hundred and fifty floors above ground, and another thirteen basement levels. Janen pressed the button for floor seven-four-two, and they began their ascent.
"So what do you do here? I mean, I know Czerka have their hand in a lot of things, but what do you, specifically, do?" Derrin asked conversationally. Malak had to make an effort to refrain from asphyxiating Derrin - that Zabrak could be so impertinent and irritating.
"I help run the Legal Department." Janen answer, smiling, "We basically outright destroy any complaints or law-suits anyone may have regarding Czerka Corporation. We are very efficient. The last time we lost a case was five hundred and eighty-three years ago."
"Impressive." Derrin said, grinning, "Sounds like fun."
"Oh, it is." Janen said enthusiastically, "Our lawyers are trained in all known galactic legal systems, and our contracts are all durasteel-clad. We could out-do the Hutts, for economic jargon."
Derrin let out a low whistle.
"I think you'll find Revan more of a challenge than a Hutt crime-lord." Malak said coldly.
"We have no reason to argue with your Master, yet... so we could neither confirm nor deny that statement." Janen said calmly.
"Czerka are evil enough, but Czerka lawyers?" Bandon asked, "I thought becoming a Sith meant I got to out-evil all the non-Sith?"
Malak chuckled, but didn't get a chance to comment on that remark, as the elevator door opened to reveal a vast room. Revan stood, in full mask and cloak, at one side of a long wooden table. A middle-aged human man stood opposite her, wearing a Czerka uniform. On the table sat several pieces of paper. On the floor were more pieces of paper, crumpled, torn, and singed... there were also a few suspicious piles of ash on the floor, too, most likely more paper that was thoroughly burned.
Revan looked up as Malak entered the room, "Did it go well?" she asked.
"Yes. Very well." Malak answered promptly.
"Good, good." Revan said, turning her attention back to the man opposite her, "Have you decided yet?"
"Yes." the man said, removing a commlink earpiece, and setting it on the table, "Our legal department has looked over your offer, and our marketing division is eager to seal this deal with you." the man said calmly. "However..."
As the man began prattling in Legalese (not a real language, but alien enough to Malak that it may as well have been), Malak could feel an intense wave of frustration from Revan, like this was far from the first proviso she had encountered dealing with Czerka, and she really didn't want to hear another one.
'Want me to kill him for you?'
'Do you have ANY idea how much more paperwork that would conjure up for us?' Revan replied in his mind, as she listened half-heartedly to the Czerka official, 'I want this alliance partly because Czerka are certifiably evil. Evil enough to asphyxiate you with bloody red tape. It is necessary, Malak, to fight fire with fire - for Mandalore, an honour-duel - for Jorak, a show of strength - for Czerka, contracts and negotiations. For the Jedi, logic.'
Malak looked up at her, but didn't respond to that. He hadn't thought ahead to the possibility of fighting against the Jedi. Their old Masters. The idea was intimidating... but also inevitable, given their chosen path.
'Look, I don't need any muscle to back me up here... and you clearly don't follow legal jargon. How about you go and find something fun - and not too destructive - to do elsewhere on the planet? Blow off some steam. Get non-fatal revenge on Derrin for your hair. Something. Anything that doesn't involve heavy artillery.'
'Cute. Real cute. We just got here.'
'You made your report to me. You can go now.'
Malak made a noise somewhere between an exasperated sigh and a growl, then turned, ordering Derrin and Bandon to follow him.
x x x
Most of the social locations in Midas City were clubs and cantinas. The cantina nearest the Czerka building was relatively high-class, and Derrin didn't shut up until Malak agreed that they could go there so Derrin could intoxicate himself.
Sitting in the cantina, Malak felt highly out of place. It was full of bright colours and loud voices, and the atmosphere was one of revelry and anticipation.
"Why is everyone acting like it's Solstice Eve?" Bandon muttered coldly. The holiday he mentioned was celebrated on different dates throughout the galaxy... the turning point of winter, shortest day of the year, on whatever planet and hemisphere you happened to live on. It was usually more important to arable planets than any others - Tatooine settlers actually celebrated it in summer, when the days began to get shorter and the hottest time had passed. It went by different names on different worlds - Bandon probably called it by its older name because he was raised on Dantooine; a planet which does still use that name for the holiday.
But it was mid-spring, on this hemisphere of Avaricia. "I do not know." Malak said... but the feel of the city itself was indeed a festive one. It made Malak mildly nauseous, actually... and the fact Derrin was already well on his way to being drunk didn't help matters.
Bandon got bored with sitting watching Derrin make a fool of himself, much more quickly than Malak, and grabbed a passing waiter, "Why is everyone so... cheerful... today?"
"Oh, you're off-worlders, aren't you?" the waiter asked, in a condescending tone. Bandon nodded, glaring. "Well, this is the Founding Day celebration - five hundred years ago, today, this city was founded. It's a big party, for us."
"Oh great." Malak said coldly, "We're going to be stuck here in the middle of a holiday... I'll bet Revan'll be pissed."
'Actually, I'm very pleased.' Revan's voice said, in his mind, 'We're close to finalising the deal, and we've been invited to the Founding Ball in the grand hall at Czerka HQ. Apparently, it's a great honour for someone not employed by Czerka to get invited.'
'Delightful.'
'Oh, cheer up. It'll be fun. I've never been to a formal Ball like the one they're planning. I like the sound of it... and you will also attend. I suggest you acquire something suitable to wear by 1900 hours tonight.' it was clearly an order. Great, just what he needed.
Derrin got drunk enough to start singing after only a couple of hours. Malak decided to delegate the undesirable task of carrying the drunken fool back to the shuttle... Bandon got stuck with that thankless duty.
Meanwhile, Malak walked in a different direction, hoping to get back late enough to either avoid Derrin or miss the party... both, if he was lucky. The city was still bustling and writhing with life, much to Malak's distaste. Darkened alleyways were more his style, really... and he found one that cut across on his way back to the spaceport pretty easily. Malak was much more suited to a dark and gloomy mood than the bright and lively streets of the rich and hedonistic city.
Turning a corner from one dark side-street into another, he all but tripped over a body on the ground. When he caught himself, he turned and looked at what had tripped him. A young girl - she couldn't have been older than thirteen - unconscious but still alive. There was an angry-looking bruise on her pretty face, and her clothes were dirty, bloodstained, and ripped in a couple of places.
He debated just leaving her to the mercy of the next predator to find her... but then he sensed something else. A glimmer of the Force in her. He frowned at the girl for a moment, before making his decision. He knelt next to her and carefully scanned her injuries... nothing broken, no internal bleeding, but a bad concussion and hypothermia. If she was left out here much longer, she would probably be dead within the hour.
Against his better judgement, and sure that Revan would pitch a fit, Malak carefully picked up the injured girl and carried her the short distance back to their shuttle. Pointedly ignoring an unconscious Derrin in the middle of the floor, Malak laid the girl down on the only thing that could pass for a bed in the living area of the tiny shuttle - it wasn't any better than the one in the medbay on the Defiant, really.
He gave the girl a shot of kolto, and an adrenal stimulant to help her recover faster. It was still only 1145 hours, so he had plenty of time before the party... unfortunately. Incidentally, even for Derrin, this was unusually early to get so pissed out of his mind.
A muffled sound from the other room of the shuttle drew Malak's attention, and he looked out to see Derrin sitting up in the co-pilot's seat, muttering in a language Malak didn't know, into a commlink. This was definitely not normal. Derrin had appeared to be falling-down-drunk moments ago. It appeared the brat was more conniving than Malak had given him credit for.
A soft moan from behind Malak drew his attention back to the girl he had rescued. She was awake. She tried to sit up, but couldn't seem to manage it.
"Hey, it's ok. You're safe." Malak said in a gentle tone, closing the door to keep Derrin out.
"Where... where am I?" the girl asked, looking around nervously, "How did I get here?"
"I found you unconscious in an alleyway." Malak explained, "You probably wouldn't have survived much longer if you'd been left there."
He moved to her side, and helped her to sit on the edge of the so-called-bed. She seemed very frightened, but he could sense that she was recovering physically, at least. "Thank you." she whispered, looking up at him, "Who are you?"
"I could ask you the same question." Malak said evasively, "And while we're at it, what actually happened to you?"
"I was mugged." she said, shrugging, "It happens sometimes if you go out on your own at night, on this world."
"Then why were you out on your own? Where are your parents?"
"My parents are both dead." she said quietly, "Mommy got sick and died when I was three, daddy was killed for ratting on the Exchange. I tried to get a job with Czerka - they pay well and are amoral enough to employ someone who's underage. Least, I thought they were."
"Where do you live?" Malak had initially considered sending her back wherever she lived on this world, but if he did that Force knows what the money-hungry vermin of this world would do to her.
"If you mean where's my home, I don't have one." she said, frowning at the floor, "Now it's my turn to question you - why did you help me? Avaricians, as a rule, don't help someone unless they're likely to get money out of it."
"I'm not from this world." Malak answered.
She looked up at him, "What is your name?"
"My name is Malak. What's yours?"
"It's-" she frowned, as she suddenly noticed the state of her clothes. Her hands flew to the tear on her trousers - a pocket ripped off so it hung by one corner, incapable of holding anything, "Damnit!" she yelled, "They took my fake ID! That cost me a hundred credits!" She quickly reached up to her neckline and pulled out a chain she wore. Feeling the pendant hanging there, she signed with relief.
"What is that?" Malak asked.
"You ask a lot of questions." she muttered, "It's my mother's necklace. It's not worth much money, that's probably why they didn't take it." she looked very upset, at this point. "What do I do now? I have no money, nothing of value, and no way to get work on this planet." something clicked in her mind, and she turned to look up at Malak with pleading eyes, "Could you help me? Take me offworld, anywhere, I don't care, as long as it's somewhere I won't be treated like dirt the way I am here."
Malak smiled - the Force felt stronger in her when she decided so definitively as she just had that she wanted something. She could probably learn to use it. Why the Jedi hadn't found her before probably had something to do with the fact they never go near Avaricia... but she certainly had the potential. Maybe Revan wouldn't pitch a fit when she found out, after all. A new minion for her.
"I could do that." Malak said in a measured tone, "In fact, I know somewhere that you might like to go. Somewhere you could learn to become more powerful - no one would be able to treat you like dirt, ever again."
Her eyes lit up at that thought, "Really? How?"
"You could be taught to use the Force... with that sort of skill, none of the Force-blind filth that you find on this world, or any like it, would be able to hurt you again. What do you think of that?"
"Yes, please." she said eagerly.
"Alright, then. When we leave this planet, we'll take you with us." Malak said, smiling at the girl in what he hoped was a comforting way. "You, get some rest - being unconscious after a beating cannot be counted as a restful night's sleep - I have to go and deal with a few things, I'll probably not be back until later. Alright?"
"Yeah. Thanks again."
"You still need to tell me your name, you know." Malak noted, standing and taking the two steps it took to get to the door.
"My name's Selene."
"I'll be back later, Selene. If you need anything, ask the Zabrak - he's annoying, but he's not stupid."
She giggled as Malak left the room, closing the door behind him.
Derrin was sitting in the middle of the floor, looking up blearily at Malak.
"Keep an eye on her, would you?" Malak asked him. Derrin blinked blankly. Malak kicked Derrin in the stomach, and left the shuttle to the sound of gagging.
x x x
The Founding Ball was truly spectacular. Malak had never seen a party like this, before. The only parties he had ever seen were those in clubs on Coruscant... and those really did not compare in any way. The grand hall was vast, stretching the whole breadth and width of the top floor of the Czerka building. Glittering decorations were draped from the ceiling and walls, just enough not to look too gaudy.
Revan had insisted that Malak dress appropriately. It was a formal event, which had a strict dress-code, so Malak had had to acquire something suitable to wear from one of the many many shops on this world. The outfit he had finally chosen (more at Revan's mental prodding than for any other reason) looked a bit like a black-with-silver-trim version of a Republic Admiral's dress-uniform (which is usually white with gold trim), except without the insignia... or half the other crap decorations.
It was a formal dance, however, and Malak found himself standing back near a wall, watching the dance floor with some fascination. The dances were unfamiliar to him, but they all seemed to follow a pattern, which he could recognise repeating, as he followed any specific couple with his eyes. It didn't look overly complicated, really. He ran over the steps in his mind, half thinking he'd never really need to know this, since Revan would likely just choose to lurk in a corner and not wish to dance anyway.
He could sense her approaching. The elevator came out on the upper level, where a short corridor led to the top of a sweeping and mostly-decorative flight of stairs down to the main hall. Revan had just stepped off the elevator.
Malak looked up as Revan reached the top of the stairs... and he just stared, mouth agape, at what he saw there.
It was Revan... but she wasn't wearing her usual cloak and mask. Instead, she wore a long flowing dress, the same shade of red that her robes used to be. It was sleek and elegant, with a low neckline that showed off her cleavage very well. The thin straps of the dress left her shoulders exposed... but she wore long gloves of the same red material, which covered most of her arms.
Her hair was braided and curled into a beautiful arrangement on top of her head, with only a few strands curling down at the back of her neck, and one down the side of her face. Her eyes still gleamed golden, but her face looked beautiful... probably due to the fact she was wearing makeup to conceal the little detail that her face was otherwise pale with veins clearly visible. Her skin - of which there was quite a bit visible, thanks to the low neckline and split up to her thigh - was still pale, but Malak could have told you without needing to look that the only veins that were normally visible were on her face.
She walked slowly down the staircase, with elegant poise that would make royalty jealous. Attracting stares from everyone in the room, she crossed the floor heading straight for Malak. "You're staring at me." she said bluntly, reaching a gloved finger up to his chin, pushing it up to close his mouth with an audible click of his teeth.
The memory came to Malak first, but Revan felt it almost immediately, "I am?" he asked, smiling slightly.
She tilted her head to the side, feigning innocence, and quoted their shared memory word-for-word, "Actually, you're not just staring, you're gawping. If it were any more obvious, your jaw would have hit the floor."
"Nice imagery." he murmured.
"Thank you."
"Though, tonight, I have every reason to stare at you." Malak said bluntly, "You look... stunning."
She smiled, "Your Master couldn't make it to the party, Lord Malak." she said, clearly amused. Malak raised an eyebrow at that, and she added for clarification, "I am here as your escort and lover." 'A little roll-reversal, for one night. Make the most of it, love.'
Malak stared at her, stunned once more, and unable to think of what to say to that. Revan smirked, and reached up to close his mouth again. That brought him back to his senses, "Would you like to dance, then?" he asked, offering her his hand.
"I'd love to." she replied enthusiastically, accepting the offered hand. Though the knowledge in the back of his mind, that she had no idea how to dance, was strong. He smiled, telepathically sharing his observations of the dances he had watched with her, as he led her to the dance floor.
It was like a sort of dream. They danced seamlessly together, as if they were of one mind... then again, the Force-bond they shared was as near to that concept as you could get with both sides maintaining free-will. Revan really did look like an angel, tonight.
After a minute, Revan closed her eyes, practically melting into the music by the way she reached out with her senses, feeling the music around them as if it was physically tangible. She then gave him a none-too-subtle telepathic nudge telling him to open his mind in the same way. When he closed his own eyes and did as Revan 'suggested', it had an effect similar to Sith meditations... except it focused their minds on the emotion the music around them conveyed, instead of darker emotions like anger and hatred. The song spoke of love.
It felt like walking on air- correction, dancing on air. 'That's exactly what we are doing, dumbass.' Revan's thoughts intruded bluntly.
Mental image of sticking his tongue out at her, as the music slowed and he felt his feet touch the ground.
'Don't stick your tongue out at me unless you plan to use it.'
'Actually, I like the sound of that.' Malak thought, giving her quite a different mental image, which made her cough to disguise an indignant splutter.
'Actually, that's a very... appealing thought.' Revan noted, amused, 'Just... not right now... unless you want to make even more of a spectacle of yourself.'
Malak opened his eyes to see everyone staring at them. "Well, we certainly made an impression, didn't we?" Revan said far too innocently.
"So it seems, angel." he saw her eyes flash at the nickname, but she didn't react to it in any other way. She turned, still holding his hand, and led him off the dancefloor.
"Lord Malak, I didn't see you come in." the man Malak had seen Revan negotiating with earlier said, as soon as Malak stepped onto the carpeted surface at the edge of the dance floor.
"Probably because I arrived before you." Malak noted coldly.
"And who is this lovely lady?" the man asked, ignoring Malak's tone completely.
"This is my date for the night." Malak said bluntly, debating the merits of using the Force to either persuade this man to leave, or to choke him instead. But that wouldn't be polite, now would it? Maybe later.
"Where is Lord Revan? I heard he would be here." the man asked.
Revan raised a delicate eyebrow, "He couldn't make it." she said, emphasising the word 'he' slightly.
The man looked at her sharply, "And your name would be?"
Revan offered him her right hand, and curtsied politely, "My name is Nova Stari."
The man took her hand, and inclined his head in a polite pass for a bow. The formality looked uncomfortable and forced on him, contrasting sharply with the fluid ease of Revan's every gesture. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Stari."
'Miss Stari?' Malak asked in her mind, 'Mystery?'
'Indeed. I found it amusing.'
'I'm barely keeping a straight face, angel.' he noted... which was the truth.
"My name is Vernon Mannors." the man said to both of them, before turning his attention back to Malak as if Revan was invisible, "I am the head of Czerka's Acquisitions and Mergers department. My department manages all negotiations and, ahem, treaties with other... organisations."
Malak looked the man in the eyes, reading the emotion behind what he was saying. He was most unhappy with the treaty he had negotiated with Revan, it appeared. "And I assume you reached an acceptable agreement with my Master?"
"Yes, indeed." Mannors lied quite blatantly. It would be difficult for a Force-blind to detect such a lie - there were no obvious signs of it on his face - but the deceit was clear in his thoughts. "Most satisfactory."
"I see." Malak said, unimpressed. He idly wondered what threats Revan had made to finalise a treaty that the other party was so averse to.
'Force grip.' Revan answered in his mind, 'And not on his throat.'
Malak flinched slightly, but pushed that thought quickly away. Revan really did scare him sometimes.
x x x
Several hours later, the party was still going strong. Malak had become exceedingly bored, and since Revan had decided to play the game of being his obedient servant for the night, he decided to see exactly how much he could get away with.
He led her off into a small side-room. A sort of lounge, unoccupied except for the two of them, with couches on all four walls, and a low table in front of one of the couches. Malak closed the door behind them, as Revan looked around with feigned naiveté. "What are we doing in here, Lord Malak?" she asked innocently, folding her arms in front of her - by this stage in the night, she had removed her gloves, claiming she found the material uncomfortable.
"If you would prefer the middle of the dance floor, it could be arranged." he said, smirking. He was pleased to see her blush slightly at that thought. "But I thought you might prefer some degree of privacy."
"And what is it that you wish to do?" she asked, her tone one of genuine deference. He knew with absolute certainty that after this night he would never hear that tone in her voice again.
"You know perfectly well, angel." he saw her open her mouth to snap at him for calling her that name, then she stopped herself in time and shut her mouth again.
He caught her by the waist, and pulled her against him. She looked up at him with an obviously fake clueless expression - the way her golden eyes glittered belied any pretence of innocence she could offer. He tried to kiss her, but she turned her head to one side, 'Don't want to mess up my makeup.'
'You're very vain for someone who hides her face all the time.'
Revan wrinkled her nose at him, but didn't argue. If she didn't want to kiss him, he would do something else with his mouth. He pushed her back onto one of the couches, and pinned her down, kneeling astride her, hands holding her delicate wrists up next to her head. Then he leaned down and kissed her throat.
She squirmed slightly, putting up a bit of a fight... though he could sense her quite consciously not reach to the Force when she struggled. If she wanted to, she could easily throw him off her with the Force. He looked at her face, carefully, before saying, "I am the Master, tonight, am I not?"
"Yes, Lord Malak." she answered promptly.
"Then if you want to play, you will not fight me." he said, in a tone that made the simple statement an order. He glanced at her fingers, which were curled so he could see the crimson-painted nails clearly... very sharp nails, "Especially not with those." he added.
Revan pouted cutely, but then uncurled her fingers and relaxed, "As you command, Lord Malak."
Oh, he really liked the sound of that. He kissed her neck again, moving slowly down to her right shoulder, pushing the strap of the dress off her shoulder to get it out of the way. A fleeting thought in the back of his mind - Revan's thought - told him that this was fun, but not violent enough for her liking. When he sensed that, he bit her shoulder, quite sharply.
Revan yelped in surprise - Malak hadn't thought about the action before he did it, so it had caught her off-guard. He tasted blood, and looked at her shoulder with a flicker of concern - he hadn't meant to bite her that hard. She twisted her wrist out of his grasp, and grabbed his hand, herself... a chill ran up his arm, as she used the Force to steal just enough energy from him to stop the very light bleeding on the bite-mark. It left a faint, but distinct scar on her shoulder.
Malak licked the drop of blood off his lips, and smirked, "Now you're mine, angel."
She rolled her eyes, 'Why must you persist in using that name for me?'
He resumed kissing and nibbling gently on her neck, 'Because that's what I think you are. And I can get away with it, tonight.'
'Stubborn git.'
'Thank you.' Malak smirked, as his hand moved down her right side - brushing over her breast, which made her shiver slightly - to her thigh, where the dress split.
As he let go of her other wrist, she moved both her hands up above her head, in a completely submissive gesture, "For tonight, yes I am yours." she said, answering his last spoken statement.
Malak kissed her lips lightly as he pushed her dress back - that split seemed almost designed to make this easier for him. Revan pulled away from the kiss, "My makeup-"
"-looks fine." Malak interrupted her, "Don't be so vain."
Revan quite noticeably bit her own tongue, and shrugged slightly, "As you command." she said, a note of 'you are going to pay for this later' in her tone, though she didn't actually think it.
She didn't just let him make love to her, she let him dominate her completely. She let him own her, for this one night. The feeling of pure control and power was amazing. He wholeheartedly wished that this moment would never end, that he could have this power over her forever, that he could control her completely, that he could be the Master.
x x x
As Malak checked that his clothing was presentable, and Revan simply lounged on the couch next to him, he heard a voice outside the door.
"They will never find out, I assure you." it was Vernon Mannors, "It is a simple matter, all we do is give them what they are prepared to pay for. They need never know we are giving them goods inferior to those stipulated in the contract."
Malak glanced at the couch, to see Revan wasn't there - he sensed her behind the couch, 'Hide, I want to hear what that prat is on about.'
Malak decided that was probably the best idea, and quickly hid behind the same couch... on top of Revan. 'Since we're here... want to go again?'
'Don't be ridiculous... they would hear us.'
'Hmm... true.'
The door opened at that moment, and Vernon Mannors entered, followed by some random Czerka minion. "It is dangerous to double-cross a Sith, Vernon."
"They will never know. And let's face it, we cannot afford to supply them with what they demanded."
"We also afford even less to lose the territory they plan to conquer." the minion noted pointedly.
"Bah, they will never know."
"You think so, do you?" Malak asked, standing up, and stepping around the couch. Vernon stared, like a gizka in headlights.
Revan also stood, smirking slightly, and making a point of adjusting the strap of her dress and smoothing the material down her front, to make it clear exactly what they had been doing minutes before.
"L-Lord Malak, I didn't expect to see you here." Vernon stammered.
"Clearly." Malak said coldly, "Did I hear correctly, you were planning on trying to cheat my Master out of the contract you agreed on?"
"Ch-cheat is such a strong word."
"Indeed. Who is this?" Malak asked, glancing briefly at the random Czerka minion. A human man, no older than Malak himself, with dark brown hair and a pinstriped suit that looked quite frankly hideous even to Malak's fashion-blind eyes.
"I- I am the vice-chairman of the Acquisitions and Mergers department here. My name is Larin Hart."
Malak nodded slightly to Larin, "It sounded like you were trying to talk him out of his foolish idea of trying to trick my Master."
"Y-yes, I was." Larin said, nodding quickly.
"Good. You're his second in command, is that correct?" Malak asked calmly.
"Yes, that's right." Larin answered.
"Then you can deal with the paperwork." Malak said bluntly, before holding up his hand, and using the Force to grip Vernon Mannors' throat. "No one, and I do mean no one, cheats Revan and lives to tell about it." he growled, as the poor fool clawed futilely at the thin air that was strangling him.
Larin just stared at this. He didn't look particularly shocked, certainly not as shocked as he really should considering his boss was being strangled to death right in front of him.
"Larin, I've been looking for you, I-" Janen Morgal stopped mid-step and mid-sentence, when she saw what was happening, "Oh, never mind." she said, also staring dispassionately at the scene.
Vernon Mannors dropped dead in the middle of the floor, and Janen spoke again, "I was going to say that Mr Mannors wanted that report on the Systech merger on his desk in one hour or else... but I guess that is irrelevant, now."
"So it would seem." Larin said, "I will, as Lord Malak pointed out, be far too busy with the paperwork for this to deal with Systech for the next few days."
"I'll stall them for you, then." Janen said, nodding curtly, "Should I get someone to deal with that?" she asked, pointing to the body.
"Yes. That would be a good idea." Larin turned his attention back to Malak, and bowed low, "I assure you, My Lord, that I will not make the same mistake as my predecessor."
"See that you don't." Malak said pointedly, offering Revan a hand, which she accepted. He led her out of the room, and around the edge of the dance floor. They weren't heading to the staircase, but as they passed foot of it, Revan flinched noticeably, her hand moving to her stomach as if she was in pain... but that was not what he sensed from her, he sensed shock.
When Malak turned to face her, her eyes were wide with what looked like fear. "I... I have to go." she turned and ran up the stairs. Malak hesitated for a second, before following her at a run. As he reached the top of the stairs, he saw her disappear into the elevator as the clock chimed midnight.
x x x