Chapter 30: Nobility
It was a four day hyperspace flight to Alderaan. During that time, Arkunov seized every record he could find that pertained to the world. He wanted to know everything about it, to know exactly what kind of world Jaesa Willsaam had come from. What he found, disgusted the Sith.
Bickering noble houses, civil war and worst of all politics. Arkunov's lip curled, he knew the type. Dromund Kaas had it's fair share of petty nobles, though admittedly there were Sith among them. So such bickering was to be expected, to a point. Though this was all historical data dating back hundreds of years, and it surprised him how much the past resembled the present.
After discarding that information, Arkunov turned his attention to military reports. He quickly learned that the Empire was working through a proxy on this world. House Thul had been exiled from Alderaan centuries ago, but had returned with assistance from the Empire. Now they were one of the most powerful houses on the planet and one of the main contenders for the throne. Even if they were opposed by the majority of the other houses.
Turning his focus onto the other houses, Arkunov settled on two main contenders that Jaesa Willsaam could have come from. House Alde and House Organa. Both were allied with the Republic, as such it would have been a simple matter for the Jedi to lay claim to the girl.
It was fortunate that Arkunov had done all this research, for when he arrived on planet he was... displeased.
From the instant that he sam him, Arkunov despised Duke Kendoh. Darth Baras had informed him that the duke, a minion who he had acquired during the treaty negotiations on Alderaan ten years ago, had been proving unreliable. Arkunov soon discovered that this was something of an understatement.
The Duke was pacing before a holoterminal, a pair of Thul noblemen glaring down from the projection. Standing around the finely decorated room, was a squad of Sith Warriors. Every one of them noticed Arkunov immediately and rested their hands upon the hilts of their lightsabers. Arkunov did not respond in kind, he simply crossed his arms.
Arkunov felt Quinn tense behind him, the Captain's mind zeroing in on the potential threat. Though he was wise enough not to reach for his weapon, not yet anyway. It would be rather foolish to threaten a group of Sith unnecessarily. Fortunately, Quinn was not that foolish.
The lead Sith, a large human in heavy armour, narrowed his eyes, as if he was trying to place Arkunov. Suddenly his eyes widened and he quickly withdrew his hand from his weapon. The other Sith, noticing their commander's reaction, quickly followed suit.
Arkunov dismissed this and returned his attention to Kendoh. The Duke's holocall had ended and the nobleman was now glaring at the floor, muttering curses under his breath.
"Duke Kendoh, Darth Baras sent me," Arkunov announced. This got the Duke's attention, his eyes narrowing in distrust and disgust.
"What? You're not on my schedule. I don't appreciate being interrupted," Kendoh grumbled. He didn't seem afraid. Perhaps it was overconfidence, either due to the presence of his Sith bodyguards or his noble status. "Baras isn't even on my radar, Sith. I have a war to wage and personal ambitions to achieve."
Arkunov's eyes narrowed and a smirk fixed itself to his face. He was going to enjoy this.
"I'm here to adjust your radar, Kendoh."
Quinn was impressed. The threat in Arkunov's voice was subtle, yet noticeable. Quinn also noticed the dropping of Kendoh's title. It was obvious what Arkunov was trying to do, well, obvious to anyone who knew anything about the Sith at least. The lords of the Empire took great pleasure in manipulating their foes, often driving them into states of overconfidence or anger.
Kendoh laughed at Arkunov, "A threat? You see these Sith I have attending me? Your corpse will be my message to your master. FimmRess, make this intruder a distant memory, will you?"
The lead Sith, FimmRess, turned to face Kendoh. A look of cruel amusement on his face, as he gladly disobeyed the Duke, "I'm sorry, Duke Kendoh, we are assigned to protect you and support your interests in the struggle for Alderaan. But we serve the Emperor first. And we will not cross Darth Baras, or his apprentice. Arkunov, the Breaker of Balmorra!"
Arkunov quirked an eyebrow at this. He hadn't heard that epithet before, though he did quite like the sound of it, and he pleased to learn his reputation was beginning to spread. He smiled at FimmRess, "It is good to know some people have respect."
"We consider you an ally, friend," FimmRess replied, bowing deeply to Arkunov. The other Sith followed suit, each one of them showing submission to Arkunov.
Needless to say, Kendoh was rather unsettled by the display. "Okay... that was rather unexpected," he said, looking down at his own shuffling feet. Briefly, his eyes flicked up and locked onto Arkunov's. They seperated quickly, Kendoh was unable to handle Arkunov's yellow tinted gaze. Hesitatingly, Kendoh continued, "It seems I may have been hasty regarding your master's needs. Please, allow me to make amends."
Arkunov's smirk widened, "You can start by bowing to me, too."
"Of course," the Duke replied, his voice taking on an oily tone, one that had been honed from years of political backstabbing. It disgusted Arkunov. He bowed deeply to the Sith Apprentice, so low that his face was entirely hidden. No doubt an attempt to hide his anger, but that didn't stop Arkunov from sensing the emotion. Straightening up, Kendoh continued, the oil still noticeable in his voice. "Consider it a small demonstration of my repentance. I pledge the same level of repentance that had me so absorbed in my own work. I pledge myself to your directives, and perhaps as I aid you, you'll aid me in mine."
This last part was a statement not a question. For the Duke, like many of the nobility on Alderaan, was used to having every sentence treated as an order. As such, when Arkunov replied, "We'll see. Time will tell. For now, just do as you're told."
"I am focused and at your service," Kendoh replied. Initially this response sounded completely cooperative, but if one listened closely, or was attuned to the force, they could sense the anger building within the Duke. Clearly the man hated taking orders. Kendoh continued, "As I recall, Darth Baras wanted information on a young Alderaanian girl who was taken off-planet to train with Jedi Master Nomen Karr. I was to locate her family, so you could... send them a message."
"For your sake, I hope you were successful."
"Well," Kendoh said, nervously shuffling from one foot to another. "The truth is, information about this girl is difficult to come by. I only managed to find one lead. Nomen Karr's Padawan fits the description of the former handmaiden of a noblewoman in House Alde, named Lady Renata."
Arkunov frowned, he could not be certain, but he wouldn't have been surprised if Kendoh had pulled this lead out of thin air. Just to save his own skin and the look on FimmRess' face strengthened Arkunov's suspicions. Even if it did sound somewhat promising. For Arkunov's own research had determined House Alde as a likely suspect.
"I'd have questioned her already," Kendoh continued, "but Renata is protected by House Alde's greatest champion. The man has never met his match in melee."
"He's never met me," Arkunov replied. Behind the Sith, Quinn smiled. From anyone else, even other Sith, that would have sounded like foolishly arrogant boasting. Yet when Arkunov said it, the statement sounded like a simple fact.
"Of course, my Lord," Kendoh replied, bowing deeply once again. He remained in that position and said, "My Lord, if I may, once you've eliminated her protector and gotten what you need... I would personally be indebted, if you'd arrange to have Lady Renata brought to House Thul. For questioning..."
Arkunov glared back at the Duke, distaste colouring his expression. He knew full well that Kendoh had more than "questioning" in mind for Lady Renata.
"I am no flesh merchant," Arkunov snarled back.
Kendoh backed away, his eyes momentarily flicking toward his Sith guard. But they made no move to help him.
"Forgive me, my lord. I just hoped that we could forge a more... cordial relationship."
"Don't count on it, Kendoh."
And with that Arkunov turned and left the room. Quinn following a step behind him.
Upon arriving at House Alde, Arkunov's disgust for Alderaan deepened.
Before he had left House Thul, the Sith Apprentice had learned that the Imperial ally was laying siege to Alde, but had yet to break through. He had assumed that this was due to a valiant effort on the defender's part.
As such, Arkunov was disappointed to find this wasn't the case. The Thul army was pathetic, highly disorganized and seemed to only be making a token effort to breach Alde's walls.
Turning to Quinn, Arkunov said, "Captain, why am I looking at this?"
Quinn paused for a moment and translated the Sith's meaning. He then said, "From my understanding, my Lord, the Thul were a competent army until a few weeks prior. However, a Jedi Knight captured their top general, Jharkus Thul, the so-called Wolf Baron, and ever since our allies have been lacking a truly effective commander."
Arkunov's lip curled. "I see," he said. "Something will have to be done about that. I will attend to it myself, if no else does soon. You mentioned a Jedi. Did you get a name?"
Quinn though for a moment, before answering, "Suria."
"Suria. I'll make sure to remember that."
"Very well, my Lord," Quinn replied, smoothly. "If you do begin such a mission, it would be a similar operation to your efforts on Balmorra, if I might be so bold."
"Yes Captain," Arkunov nodded. "Though I think long-term Sith oversight is required here. I wouldn't trust the Thul nobles alone for longer than necessary."
"I quite agree, my Lord. In my opinion a Sith of either yours or Darth Lachris' class would do quite well here."
Arkunov merely grunted in response to this. Instead he said, "No matter, Captain. That is something that can wait for another day. Our mission now takes priority."
"Of course, my Lord. I am ready to proceed when you are."
Breaching the Alde defences had been a rather simple matter, Quinn mused. At least it had been with a Sith of Arkunov's calibre. What would have required a number of squads, or even a whole platoon, had been accomplished by two men.
None of the Alde guards could stand against him, and the raw terror that his presence instilled guaranteed they would never get the chance. This also allowed Quinn to perform at his best. The Captain placed precise shots into enemy guards and evade their with minimal effort.
As Quinn watched the Sith apprentice fight, his appreciation grew for the devastating skill and power that Arkunov could unleash. From what Quinn could tell, Arkunov knew exactly how his efforts benefited Quinn. With what Quinn knew about the Sith, the Captain wasn't surprised.
When Darth Baras had assigned the Captain to Arkunov's service, the Dark Lord had provided him with a dossier on his apprentice. It included everything Baras had been able to discover about his background, training and tactics. As such, Quinn knew exactly who Arkunov's father was, which more than explained his understanding of Imperial Military tactics and how best to utilize those in its ranks.
Once inside the walls, it hadn't taken long for Arkunov to find Lady Renata's chambers. An Alde guard had easily given up the location, once the Sith Apprentice's lightsaber was levelled at his throat. He had thought it would save his life. It had, for a few seconds.
Soon enough, Arkunov had ripped the doors from Renata's chamber and was striding through the doorway, burning lightsaber in hand. His eyes flicked over the room, assessing everything in an instant.
A noblewoman, who Arkunov presumed was Renata, sat at the head of a large wooden table. Surrounded by a gaggle of gossiping attendants and fellow nobles.
Just behind Renanta, a large man in heavy armour stood at the ready. His posture tense and alert; his hand twitched, reaching for the colossal staff slung across his back.
Arkunov raised an eyebrow, he neither saw or sensed any fear from the women. Surprising, but undoubtedly foolish and born from overconfidence in their protector, and their own noble status. The bodyguard stepped forward and placed himself between Arkunov and his mistress.
"My lady," he began. The bodyguard spoke slowly, as if every word was a struggle for him. "We have intruder."
Arkunov completely ignored him and directed his words at his mistress, "Lady Renata, I seek the family of your former handmaiden, Jaesa Willsaam."
"What's this nonsense you're spouting?" Renata scoffed, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Lady," the bodyguard said, "let me kill this Sith. Like last one Duke Kendoh sent."
Arkunov raised an eyebrow, that explained the confidence Renata had in her protector.
"Windredd, you don't need my permission to kill an enemy that comes barging through my door. Just make it fast."
Arkunov smirked, "Don't worry I will."
He leapt through the air, lightsaber burning and cleaving towards Windredd's neck.
However, Windredd remained unpashed. He raised his staff and interposed it between himself and Arkunov. This did not phase Arkunov in the slightest, who continued with his attack. He fully expected his lightsaber to cleave through the staff, and cut Windredd from shoulder to crotch. As such, he was horrified when the blade of his lightsaber vanished, the moment it made contact with the staff.
Shocked by the sudden disappearance of his weapon, Arkunov was unable to prevent the staff from slamming into his jaw and sending him staggering backwards.
As he stumbled away, a single word flashed through Arkunov's mind.
Cortosis.
The mindless brute had a cortosis staff.
Okay chapter 30 is done!
Bit of a cliffhanger at the end. But I felt this was the right place to end this and I was honestly just a bit burnt out by the time I got to this. Had a really busy and stressful month. So I was pleased that I got this done.