Chapter 13 – Alone at Last
Arkus studied the sleeping princess with interest as she lay restfully in the bed nestled in one corner of his small bedroom. She had been unconscious with episodes of fitful nightmares for over a day now but had settled into a much more peaceful sleep for the last several hours. She would be waking up soon, he knew. Until then, he was content to watch her from a few meters away while absently picking at the dinner on the table before him.
Getting her here had been easier than Arkus had expected. Vader had apparently handled the inevitable protests from Tarkin, conceding only to the Governor's demand to have additional guards posted outside Arkus' quarters. An insult that, but one Arkus could tolerate for now, especially since no additional security or monitoring devices had been installed in the interior. Having his father as an over-eager advocate had proven useful after all. Arkus had taken advantage of the time Vader's intercession with Tarkin had saved him to gather what amenities he could for the Princess and to catch some much-needed rest for himself.
Arkus was fully recovered now, both physically from the long and cramped journey and mentally from the strain of the interrogation, and was faced with the problem of determining just what he intended to do with the Princess. She did have Force talent, of that he was certain. It was the only explanation for the strength of the empathetic connection he had made with her and the power with which she had driven him off. However, she was also definitely not trained in using it. This made it difficult to assess just how powerful she could be without running a blood sample to check her midi-chlorian level, something that was most certainly not an option with Vader lurking around. Her talent had to remain a secret for now, though he could already feel whisperings from the dark powers urging him to train her.
Arkus immediately shut down that line of thought. Matters were complicated enough with Vader vying for power. The introduction of another Sith would only exacerbate the situation, and he knew the Emperor would never allow it. The Master would most likely destroy her outright rather than risk her falling under Vader's control. The Princess's training, if she proved suitable, would have to wait until that power struggle was resolved. Right now Arkus still needed to open her mind to the potential of the Empire, and judging from her past stubbornness, that would prove difficult enough.
She began to stir, and Arkus sensed the first bubble of conscious thought emerging through the haze of her sleep. He immediately shifted his full attention to assessing her state of mind and found the expected disorientation coupled with an acknowledgement of pain and discomfort. Arkus continued to watch her waken with interest, careful not to make a sound that might alert her to his presence prematurely. Nudging her very gently as she lay on her back, he sought to get her to turn her head toward the wall so she would not immediately see him upon opening her eyes. He wanted full realization to come slowly to better gauge her reaction.
*
Leia tossed her head to the left with a moan, fighting the coming wakening and bringing her hand up to rest against her forehead as her body slowly communicated its protests. Her mind sluggishly began to interpret those signals within the context of what she could remember.
'Stiff, yes, from sleeping,' Leia computed groggily, 'but why this awful headache?' She opened her eyes just a fraction, seeking additional information, but was greeted with only with the sight of dull gray durasteel. She wasn't home. 'Where?' she questioned herself. The memories came back slowly, bringing unwelcome recollections of additional sources for her pains. 'The cell,' she finally reasoned with another moan.
Waves of worry and uncertainty flooded into her thoughts as she tried to recall what, if anything, she had revealed. Exhaling heavily, she turned her body slightly to push her head harder into the soft pillow and brought her other hand up to press against her temple. Then the inconsistency clicked. The surface she was on was soft and warm - not the cold, hard slab in her cell.
Leia's eyes snapped fully open with that shocking realization. She quickly moved to upright herself on the bed but only managed to prop herself up before an onslaught of dizziness and nausea forced her to slowly collapse to her back again. Feeling as though she might pass out, she shut her eyes tightly against the spinning room and cradled her now throbbing head.
"Easy, Your Highness. You've had a rough day. I suggest you move a little more slowly for a while," a voice advised from her right, alerting her that she was not alone.
Leia managed to contain her startled dismay at the unexpected address, more out of pure physical weariness than any exertion of control. While the voice was unknown to her, the phrasing of the greeting was all too familiar. Unsure her auditory senses weren't playing tricks on her, she slowly turned her head toward the speaker and tried opening her eyes once more. The sight she beheld provided a sufficient distraction for her to forget her discomfort and brought her mind into a sharper focus.
The speaker was indeed Arkus, leaning back in a chair in the corner of the room directly across from her, with a half-eaten dinner before him. He was still dressed in the black nerf-hide and satin overshirt, but the mask was no longer completely in place. The bottom half had been removed to expose his face from just below the cheekbones and nose down to his neck, presumably to allow him to eat. His left elbow was propped on the chair's arm with his gloved hand placed against his upper lip and his chin resting lightly against the thumb in a pose suggesting contemplation. This managed to obscure most of his exposed face from Leia's view, but she could clearly see his right jaw line. She studied it with curious interest as she noted the smooth and youthful appearance of his skin, so different from what she had imagined. There was nothing at all to suggest a reason for him wearing the mask.
"Yes, I'm human," Arkus said with a sour smirk as he moved his hand away from his face to allow Leia a clearer view. Of all the reactions he had anticipated from her, curiosity had not been among them.
Leia snapped out of her fascinated study of him, angry with herself for having allowed it to occur at all. Calling upon her defiance, she turned her eyes ice cold as she adjusted her gaze to glare directly into his still masked eyes.
"Physically, perhaps," she retorted in an attempt to deliver a scathing response. But with her dry throat protesting such use, her voice came out as crackling croak completely lacking the malice she had intended to communicate. The smile that crept onto Arkus' face as a result served to infuriate her further.
"My, don't we wake up in a good mood?" Arkus teased her, pleased again to see that she suffered no long-term ill effects from the interrogation.
He reveled in the anger that emanated from the Princess as she began moving slowly, methodically to upright herself in an attempt to regain some dignity and thereby diminish her appearance as a weakened and helpless captive. After her efforts met with some success, Arkus gestured casually toward a glass and pitcher of water setting on the night table next to the bed. "Drink some water," he offered. "It will help that voice of yours and should alleviate your headache."
Leia shifted her eyes to the night table and noted the objects placed there for her. She eyed the already filled glass suspiciously, both for the possible masked contents and for the realization of what its presence meant. Arkus had likely been watching her closely from that chair for some time. Even though she felt certain she had not been physically touched, she was still deeply disturbed by the idea of being in what had to be Arkus' private quarters, with him hovering over her while she had been unconscious.
"Don't be so suspicious, Your Highness," Arkus scolded, picking up on her emotions but choosing to address only the most apparent reason for her hesitation. "If I wanted you drugged I would hardly have to resort to such devious methods."
Leia glowered at him, reminded of his violation of her mind during the interrogation. Or had that been a nightmare? She couldn't remember clearly, nor could she be certain she hadn't inadvertently given up the location of the Rebel base. If she hadn't cracked, then why was she here instead of still in the cell awaiting the next round of torture? Or was this some new tactic Arkus was trying on her? Too many questions for which she had no answers. She was reluctant to trust anything at this point.
Arkus gave a soft sigh of frustration. "You're going to have to drink eventually, unless you wish to dehydrate yourself to the point of requiring an intravenous solution. While I don't doubt your stubbornness, you might want to consider which method of fluid intake would be more pleasant."
The veiled threat had no affect on Leia, but she had to concede the point. There was little reason for him to tamper with the water unless he was hoping to receive some perverse pleasure from watching her drug herself. Possible, she considered, but unlikely, and she *was* incredibly thirsty. She would just have to stay on guard for whatever he had planned. Setting aside all thoughts concerning the Alliance on the chance this was a ruse, Leia gave him a final defiant stare and reached for the glass as she swung her legs about to sit on the edge of the bed.
Arkus watched in satisfaction as the Princess first sipped, then gulped the water down. All in all, he was pleased with this small progress. The strength of her determination continued to impress him, even as the equivalent strength of her stubbornness frustrated him to near distraction. Most rewarding, however, was the demonstration of her fledgling ability to close her mind. Now that he was looking for it, he had been able to sense her subconsciously using the Force to construct a primitive wall in her mind against him. Given training, that ability might develop into a most useful skill, if she proved strong enough. For now, he simply respected her wishes and offered no challenge to her shutting him out.
Arkus waited until the Princess completely drained the glass and returned her attention to him with a "what now" look before proceeding. "If you're hungry, I can order a dinner for you," he offered, then pointed out the refresher across the room with a flick of his wrist before continuing. "You'd just have time to clean yourself up before it arrived."
Leia let her eyes follow the motion of his gesture and was once again stunned by what she saw by the foot of the bed. Hanging from the door of the clothes locker just outside the refresher was a formal dress of the sort worn in Imperial court, carefully displayed for her review. Modest and elegant, the dress itself was made of deep purple satin with a black inner shell sewn into the pleats of the full, floor-length skirt. The scooped neckline was accentuated with a black velvet wrap that attached at the shoulders to cascade down the long, tight sleeves and drape gracefully to the waist around the back of the dress. A black velvet sash wrapped around the tight waistline and a pair of black, ankle high dress-boots completed the ensemble.
Leia's jaw fell slightly open in utter and complete shock as the possible motivations behind Arkus providing such a dress began to scroll through her mind. Dumbfounded to the point of speechlessness, she turned back to him with an incredulous look displayed untempered on her face.
Arkus was immensely pleased by her reaction and chose to continue in his effort to impress her. "If there is anything else you require, you have access to contact a lieutenant that is at your beck and call," he said with another gesture, this time toward the small comm station embedded in the wall to his left. "Consider it a token display of the power I can place at your fingertips," he explained further in answer to Leia's increasingly stupefied look.
"What is it that you want from me?" Leia blurted out, finally finding her voice again.
"For now, I would like for you to relax," Arkus answered with smirk. "You are here as my guest and likely will be for some time. May as well make yourself comfortable."
Arkus' smug smile quickly turned the vestiges of Leia's shock into open disgust, spurring her defiant spirit to revolt. "I want nothing from you!" she yelled at him, reaching over to forcefully shove the water pitcher to the floor to fully demonstrate her disdain.
Arkus, completely bewildered by Leia's physical outburst, watched in astonishment as the pitcher hit the floor and sprayed its contents far enough to nearly reach him. This behavior was not at all to be expected from such a refined and controlled individual, and he was quite certain he had done nothing to deserve its display. Inexplicably hurt by this vehement rejection of his hospitality, Arkus still managed to control his instinctive reaction to respond in kind, save for a scowl creeping onto his face.
"Perhaps you would prefer it back in your cell, Your Highness?" he hissed bitterly at her.
"I believe I would!" she snapped nastily at him and stood abruptly to confront him further, her growing anger blocking away the rush of dizziness at the sudden movement. "What is it you think you're doing?" she demanded, throwing her arms out to her sides in a gesture of disbelief. "How is it that you could possibly believe I would ever be interested in serving or joining - or whatever - an evil creature like you?! Do you really think you can just brush aside your rape of my mind by offering a few trinkets? I want nothing to do with you!" she screamed, pointing a finger in harsh accusation. "You, Vader, the Emperor - beasts the lot of you - destroying and perverting everything you touch! I would undergo a thousand interrogations at Vader's hands before I would ever accept anything from you!"
"You ungrateful, spoiled brat!" Arkus exploded, flying out of his chair and knocking the table before him clear out of his way with just a wave of his hand. Unable to control his sudden rage, he charged Leia with a fury sufficient to force her back onto the bed with the mere approach of his suddenly imposing stature. "You feel abused over passive observation and mild deception? You don't know the true meaning of abuse! I could wrench that Rebel base location from your mind and leave you begging for the bliss of interrogation! Vader is capable of nothing compared to the hell I can put you through!"
Arkus loomed over her shaken and subdued form, clenching his fists and peeling his lips back in a vicious snarl, so tempted to bring down the brunt of his wrath on her. But the fear he saw reflected in Leia's eyes as she realized what price she might now pay for her outburst brought forth an unfamiliar sting of guilt from his dark heart and caused him to pause. Snorting loudly, he slowly drew his lips together and shuddered violently as he worked to contain his built up energy, lest he unleash it upon her anyway. Unable to bear the sight of her any longer, he spun violently to his left, releasing some anger by forcefully punching the wall at the head of the bed before wheeling about to storm out of the room.
***
Leia continued to hold her breath in absolute terror for a few moments after Arkus left the bedroom, waiting tensely until she heard the exterior door in the room beyond slide shut again following his stomping exit. Then, collapsing what remained of her composure with quick, ragged breaths, she allowed herself to tremble uncontrollably in shocked relief at having been miraculously spared the punishment Arkus had promised. It was all she could manage to keep from bursting into tears as she struggled to recover from the worst of the panic. Never before had she felt such powerful, hate-driven anger focused so intensely on her. Never before had she known such fear.
Lulled into a sense of familiarity by his past indulgences of her retorts, she had clearly underestimated his temper and had nearly suffered what she was certain could have been dire consequences. Yet, he still hadn't laid a hand on her. 'Why?' Leia asked herself, her sudden curiosity helping to calm her rattled nerves. She had certainly given him adequate provocation, and he had been visibly straining not to give her a taste of what he was capable of inflicting upon her. So why did she warrant such continued leniency from him, and… protection?
The utter shock of that thought was immediately followed by a sense of confirmation strong enough to drive the remains of her fear away. 'Yes, he has been protecting me,' Leia re-affirmed as she ran through her past encounters with him. On Balitar he had known she was a Rebel, had told her as much, but had seen her escorted safely away. In that meeting on Imperial Center and again before the second interrogation, he had all but offered her his personal protection if only she would cooperate. What she had interpreted as threats before, she now saw as warnings. Even his impersonation of Winter in her mind seemed now, on some level, to be an attempt at protecting her by seducing the desired information from her willingly rather using more brutal methods. And this last, bringing her to his quarters, putting her under his wing.
'But to what purpose? What possible interest could he have in me?' Leia's stunned mind tried to reason. The offering of wine, caring for her needs, displaying his power, that dress - were these genuine attempts at courtship? Truly a strange play for a Sith Lord who could likely bend anyone to his will. No, this was about trust, she suddenly knew. For some reason he wanted her to trust him, and for reasons beyond discovering the location of the Rebel base.
That thought brought back to Leia's mind the threat Arkus had made - "I could wrench that Rebel base location from your mind..." So, she hadn't cracked in that interrogation session. Relief flooded Leia's thoughts. She had managed to buy the Alliance one more day to learn that its base was in jeopardy and evacuate it. Would it be enough? She doubted she could withstand another round of mind probing with both Vader and Arkus at her.
Leia turned back to give the dress another look. If Arkus had truly been protecting her, then perhaps he would continue to do so if she gave him motivation. Whatever he wanted from her, no matter how horrible, if she could play along perhaps he would delay additional interrogation sessions. A shudder ran down Leia's spine as she contemplated just what she might have to endure for that role, but it would be worth it to save the Alliance.