Like Lamb to the Slaughter
The doors hissed as they opened for his presence. His sable helm was destroyed, but the vehemence within formed its own protective barrier around him. The Force was his shield, his sword and his way to complete and utter power. The determined expression in his gait was overt. The smile on his face exuded confidence and the dark ideas behind his mutilated visage continued to form. This war would come to an end soon enough—the victor would be declared within a handful of weeks. Malak was certain he would win, but no… he would find a surprise waiting for him. A surprise that went by the name of Darth Seth.
As he passed through the doorway and made his way onto the bridge, several officers had to visible hide their disgust, while others could only gape at the image of the Dark Lord. He paid them no mind. He had more important things to do. As he walked up to the viewport, he once more found himself buried in the thoughts of his dead brother and his soon-to-be dead brother. Oh, you will know pain when you cross my path once more, Dante, he thought. I will force you to join me or die by my hand. You shall join me, for we could never resist the temptation of power. After all, it's in our blood. And when you do join me… oh Malak will fear us both. Nothing will stop us.
Before he could continue with his sweet thoughts, the sound of footsteps approaching forced him to pay attention towards his visitor. It was Vincent Baroque.
"My Lord."
"Yes, Baroque?" He turned around and his eyes pierced through the soul of the young Dark Jedi that stood in front of him.
Stifling the urge to vomit profusely all over the floor, he began to force the words out of his mouth immediately. "We're nearing the final star system. What are your orders, Master?"
"Inform the good captain that we will not interfere with the Jedi. No… I have other plans for them." He turned his back on the Vjun native, which inadvertently caused the young Adept to exhale in relief. Seth only smiled at the apparently uncomfortable Adept. "However," he began, "I want you to inform Master Hessian that he will be taking a small task force of our soldiers and assault droids down onto the planet's surface, wherein he can ambush the Jedi. And then… he can retrieve the keys."
"Yes, my Lord." The young Dark Jedi turned around and hesitated for a moment before he swung back to ask a question to the Sith Lord. "And what about Mistress Xa, Master?" He was eager for her go and die, all so he could finally move higher into a position to gain his most coveted prize.
"She will… be dealt with shortly. I want Dierak to go down to the planet—without the aid of any of our Dark Jedi."
"Yes, my Lord." With that he turned and began to leave.
"Oh, Vincent?" Seth called, causing the younger man to pause momentarily.
"Yes, my Lord?"
Seth turned around and brought his right hand up, squeezing his index finger and thumb close together, causing Baroque to start wheezing and struggling for air. "Question me again and you shall find that being the son of a financier will not save you from my anger." He continued for a few moments, realizing the young man would be better suited alive, for the moment. He released his grip, the invisible fist no longer crushing the Vjun aristocrat. "You may leave."
The officers on the bridge, including a few Sith soldiers, noticing the transaction were surprised by Seth's slightly darker mood. The Sith Lord normally kept himself under much control, but something had severely caused the Dark Lord much grief. Instantly realizing that Vincent had left the bridge in a hurry, they quickly continued their previous chores, eager not to earn the wrath of their Lord. Some were even eager not to earn the wrath of Vincent; after all, the aristocrat had glared at some of the officers who had noticed the exchange and the Vjunian seemed eager to release his anger on someone.
Smirking to himself, the Dark Lord turned around and continued to gaze out at the blue vortex that had enveloped the Inferno. He ignored the comments, the gazes. He found himself returning to his thoughts of absolute power, where nothing—not even the vaunted power of Nathaniel, himself—could stop him. Seth growled softly, his memory of the recent encounter with his long deceased brother had upset him greatly. Nathaniel had found a way to cheat death. So had the Jedi Master who wielded the viridian blade Seth had now clipped to his belt. In fact, Seth had a good idea who the Jedi Master was now. Alec, he thought. You will be my key to unlocking the power I crave so desperately. You will be the key to accosting Dante to the Dark Side. He shall join me. The truth shall set him free. The smile slowly returned to his face as he began to plan how he would begin to teach his brother about the true ways of the Force. The Unifier would be the perfect way to bridge the gap between both brothers. Not even Malak could stop him.
How could he insult me like that! Vincent stormed through the corridors of the Inferno, rubbing his throat from the invisible vise-like grip that had wrapped around it. Seth had slowly become unstable, making the transition from calculating to sadistically uncaring. Vincent shoved his way past two Sith soldiers walking along the hallway, eager to make his way to the infirmary to see the damage that the Force-grip had inflicted on him. He could still taste the coppery blood within his throat. The Dark Jedi suffered from a profound bout of asphyxiation, the Force induced constriction on his throat had made certain that he would very well suffocate, had Seth decide to be lenient enough to spare his life. Vincent stormed through the corridors of the , rubbing his throat from the invisible vise-like grip that had wrapped around it. Seth had slowly become unstable, making the transition from calculating to sadistically uncaring. Vincent shoved his way past two Sith soldiers walking along the hallway, eager to make his way to the infirmary to see the damage that the Force-grip had inflicted on him. He could still taste the coppery blood within his throat. The Dark Jedi suffered from a profound bout of asphyxiation, the Force induced constriction on his throat had made certain that he would very well suffocate, had Seth decide to be lenient enough to spare his life.
He walked through the doorway and went to a medical droid—sentient doctors were becoming a bit of a luxury. As the droid made its rounds upon the aristocrat's body, scanning and applying kolto treatments to the wounded area, Vincent found himself wondering what would have happened if Seth held on for a few moments more. The thought sent shivers down his spine. Death. Something that would inevitably claim him and Seth. After a moment or two, the door hissed open and in walked a sight he could rarely stand.
"I thought you might have hid out here." She smiled teasingly at the young man, no more than a year or two younger than her.
"Oh stuff it, schutta," he replied sourly.
"My, my. I think that Lord Seth wouldn't enjoy you speaking like that to his apprentice."
The way she said it, made his skin crawl and caused him to fight the urge to use the laser scalpel against her pretty face. Such a carving would probably put Alderaan's famed artisans to shame. "What do you want, Lotus?"
"Oh, just to see how you are." She blinked twice, feigning an innocent expression. "I think it is quite unfair how Lord Seth treated you."
"Oh really?" This caused his attention to stir. He began to listen closely to what she said.
"Of course. I mean, if he could do that to you, then why didn't he decide to throw you out of the airlock instead? After all, it would have made things a lot easier." Her expression broke out into a smile. "The poor droid wouldn't have to waste valuable kolto on you, not to mention," she leaned closer to him, "it would rid us of the one who ordered the fleet to try and open fire on the station." Her expression became darker.
He looked at her, realizing that she may be on to something…something that could cause Seth to commit to something far more worse than the Force-grip. "Now—now wait a minute, Lotus. You know I didn't order that."
"Are you sure? Because the ship's computer told me otherwise."
"Well, you must have sliced it then." His expression slowly began to pale.
"Well, Dierak was there with me when we found out." She leaned closer, her eyes slowly twinkling with the promises of many possibilities of the pain and suffering the Dark Jedi would endure. "You doomed our mission to failure from the beginning, Adept. What I would like to know—and I think that our Lord and Master Seth, would like to know too—is why did you order the task force to open fire on the station?"
He was silent. He knew that she more than likely knew the information. She knew that he had caught Stormov unawares and ordered the group to open fire on the station. He knew that she promised him thousands—if not more—ways of suffering. He could only shrug, swallowing hard the growing lump in his throat. "I didn't open fire. Whatever information you have is obviously fabricated. I would never do anything like that to jeopardize my position nor the mission. We both know how important it is to Lord Malak." He stressed the name as much as he could, trying to pour fear into Lotus. If it worked, she obviously didn't show it. "Besides," he added nonchalantly, "you are Seth's apprentice. Therefore, you would try to capture him in your own web of lies and deceit, killing him and taking his place in the process. Who's to say he won't believe me?"
"You're right," she said, after a few moments. "But then again, I am not the one who almost suffocated. How is your throat, by the way?" She tried hard not to laugh and it only caused the young man to flush red with anger and embarrassment.
"Stuff it. I swear, if you cross my path—"
"You'll do what?" She asked him. Her expression was serious, warning and grave. "You'll tell Darth Seth your own lies? You will try to kill me? Good luck, nothing short of Malak, Seth or even Bandon could stop me. And you'll go tell Revan? He's dead and as far as we're all aware, he's not coming back. Malak made sure of that."
There was silence for a few more moments.
"If you so much as try to take matters into your own hand, I swear, by all that is the Force, you shall learn what pain really is, rich boy. Just because you're stuck here as opposed to being on the Star Forge does not make you special. Your daddy won't help you here. And neither will your wealth. I own you, boy. Don't you ever forget that." With that, she walked out of the room, the doors hissing softly behind her.
He swallowed once more, eager not to cross her path or Seth's. It appeared there was more than what meets the eye when it came to the both of them. What's more, he found himself curiously enthralled by what Lotus' angle was in this mission. Perhaps she may be looking for more than the status of Sith Lord. He rubbed his chin, his eyes glowing with anticipation at the myriad thoughts that could give him the upper edge against her. He would find a way to make her his slave. She would be exposed and he would own the lives of Seth and Lotus Xa. As for the Mandalorian, Vincent would have to act quickly against making sure all variables were his alone. Dierak Hessian would be dealt with.
As she walked out of the room, she smiled, content in the knowledge that she would force the aristocrat whelp to be exposed and dealt with. She knew he was strong in the Force, but she also knew he lacked the experience to deal with her. He was a great duelist, that much was for sure, but Vincent preferred using a double-bladed lightsaber. His fighting style relied a bit more on speed and raw power, as opposed to her, which relied on skill and precision. If it ever came to a duel, she would make certain that she had the upper edge.
As she continued walking towards the hangar bay, she found herself drawn to the fight with the young Jedi Knight weeks prior to her rise as an apprentice to Seth. He had been skilled, his sapphire blade managed to hold off against her two crimson blades. She ran a hand over her raven hair, her emerald and azure eyes looking over the austere, scrubbed air bay. The bright light shone on the black floor, reflecting towards the ships themselves, shining on some of the flat solar paneled Sith fighters.
She made her way towards one vessel in particular, a gunship that appeared out of the norm from the bay. The vessel had carbon scoring and was non-reflective silver. It was the Vaapad. She jogged into the ramp that doubled as the cargo bay doors, between the twin oblong engines. Her lightsaber hilts flung side to side on her hips, her dark leather outfit reflected some of the light that came from the bay. There was someone there she wanted to see. Someone who had known the Jedi she had fought against.
"What are you doing here?" He called out. His peppery hair was mangled and the dark grease spots had formed along his scarred cheek. He held a hydrospanner in one hand and a—now grease-soaked—stained white cloth. He rose from a console he had been working on. His grey jumpsuit had been stained with the black grease that had come from the interior engine fuselage.
"I thought that perhaps you could use a hand, Hessian." She smiled amicably. It was odd that she felt somehow comfortable with him. The Mandalorian was a fellow warrior and she respected the fact that he could handle himself well in a fight—especially against Jedi. Over the past while they had been traveling together, Lotus found that both warriors had formed a comfortable kinship.
His eyes soaked in the image before him. She had a dark leather outfit that was once more form fitting, with a dark coat that met her waist. She pointed her finger upwards, urging the Mandalorian to look upwards—at her face.
"Up here, soldier boy."
"Uh… sorry." He shook his head, still admiring the sight before him. He looked around and pointed at the engine. "Well, there's not much you can do, I'm afraid. I'm done here, so you came here for nothin'."
"Oh well."
"What's on your mind? You didn't come here to help me out on the Vaapad." He threw his spanner into a toolbox, finding a seat on a stairway that led up to the main hold of the gunship. "So?" He said after a few moments. "You gonna stand there, or say something?"
"Oh, well, I just wanted to let you know that Seth wants you to go with a platoon down on the planet's surface."
"Ah I see. So what's the catch?"
"He wants you to go. Without me."
"Ah. Do I get the rich boy?"
"No, he wants to you do this on your own."
"Hmm. Seems things are looking up for me, eh?"
"Could be. But I don't need to tell you to watch your back."
This caused the Mandalorian to look at her curiously. "Lotus. You haven't gone all sentimental on me, have you?"
She snorted at the thought. "Oh please. I am just telling you to be careful because rich boy's going to freak over the investment if something were to happen to you."
He grinned. "Well, I guess that wouldn't be the first time lil ol' Baroque fretted over a lost credit."
She smiled. "Well, as I said, you better be careful. Besides, I think Seth would have a fit if you don't make it back."
He grunted.
"Well, if you don't make it back, we could always take that precious ship of yours." She winked at the seasoned veteran.
"Over my dead body."
"What was your first clue? Oh, I believe Vincent is on to us now."
"Is he? Well that's certainly pretentious of him. What makes you say that, anyway?"
"Well, I told him that we know he is responsible for opening fire on the station."
Dierak groaned. "Well, I guess it couldn't get any more worse than that. Besides, last I heard, he's in no position to dictate terms. Seth must have really been angry. I haven't seen anyone so willing to kill their financier without a second thought. He put an angry wookiee to shame. So, what's really on your mind?"
"Remember that Jedi?"
"Which one? I've killed a bunch of them."
"Well, the one you seem to have a grudge against."
"Ah, him." He looked curiously at her. "What do you wanna know?"
"How could someone like him best you?"
"The same way he could best you."
She snorted. "As if. We had a stalemate, not that you'd remember. But really, what's the deal with him?"
"You really wanna know?"
She nodded.
"All right," he sighed. "Pull up a chair and I'll tell you about the boy-who-doesn't-quit. I ran into him while in the Mid-Rim. This was during the Mandalorian Wars. He was part of the Jedi who chose not to fight, but were thrust into the war because of Revan and Malak. We decided to ambush a few freighters that were fleeing. We knew the Republic had an escort group, so it just made sense to enrage and test our skills against them. More like target practice for the inexperienced. We were evenly matched. They didn't know what hit them." He smiled. He leaned in closer and said, "and that was when we ran into him and his Master. Ah yes, Alec and Dante…"