Chapter 31: General Gesselle Organa
Arkunov felt the bruise begin to swell over his left eye. Blood and a few teeth filled his mouth.
Stupid and careless. Stupid and careless. He would not forget this.
He staggered backwards, getting out of reach of the bodyguard's follow-up attack. Snarling, Arkunov spat the blood out his mouth, two of his teeth following. Yellow eyes flicked towards the useless lightsaber in his hand. It would be a few minutes before the weapon would be fully operational. Right now, the weapon was useless.
He tossed it aside.
The bodyguard stopped in his tracks, eyes widening in surprise. Clearly he hadn't expected Arkunov to his lightsaber inside. Arkunov smirked, he had thought that would make the brute hesitate. The Sith apprentice completely understood his opponent's tactics. The cortosis staff would short out a Sith's weapon and then allow the bodyguard to make a devastating counterattack.
It was an effective strategy, and the tactics effect on the bodyguard's opponents would make it even more effective. Doubtless, many Sith would waste their time trying to get their lightsaber working, and thus leave themselves open to defeat.
Arkunov would not make such a mistake.
He charged forward, coming at the bodyguard with his bare hands. It would have been easy to just crush his opponent with the dark side, so easy. But Arkunov did not want that, he wanted, needed, to feel the bodyguard die by his own hands. Nothing else would satisfy his pride.
Or his rage.
Soon enough, Arkunov was within range of the staff. Dodging to one side, Arkunov avoided the blow that swung for his head. This forced the bodyguard to overextend and as a result was left momentarily off-balance.
That was all the advantage Arkunov needed.
Arkunov slammed a fist into the bodyguard's chest, sending his opponent staggering. The bodyguard's grip on the staff loosened fractionally, allowing Arkunov to grasp the weapon and rip it from his hands.
The bodyguard's face twisted into an expression of stupefied horror. Which quickly vanished, when the head of the staff crashed into his mouth. The bodyguard was sent staggering, blood and teeth pouring from his lips.
Arkunov did not give the man a chance to recover.
The staff spun around once again, colliding with the other side of the man's face. So that now both sides were left a bloody, ruined mess. The sheer force of Arkunov's blow sent the bodyguard crashing to the ground, his blood staining the beautiful stone floor. He tried, vainly, to pull himself to his feet and continue the fight.
Yet again the staff crashed towards the bodyguard's head. Blood sprayed through the air as the bodyguard was knocked to the ground. But Arkunov wasn't done.
The staff crashed down again. And again. And again.
Arkunov continued to bludgeon his defeated opponent until there was nothing left but a pulpy mass of blood, bone and brain matter.
His black armour now stained crimson, Arkunov turned to face Lady Renata, a cold-blooded smile fixed to his face.
"Now, Lady Renata, I think there might be something you want to tell me?"
Kendoh smiled to himself. Even he had to admire the genius of his plan. There was no chance that Baras' apprentice would survive his assault on house Alde. Even if he managed to cut his way through the house guard, Alde's champion would make short work of him.
The Duke had learnt that the hard way. That brute Windred had bludgeoned the last Sith to death. Kendoh had no doubt that Arkunov would meet the same fate, and this way Darth Baras couldn't blame him for the death. After all, it wouldn't be Kendoh's fault if Arkunov was careless enough to get himself killed.
He swirled the glass in his hand, watching his own smirking reflection in the amber liquid.
The Duke was interrupted from his musings by the sound of a door opening. He thought that it had to be FimmRess, returning to inform him of Arkunov's death. He lifted his eyes up and they widened in horror at who stood before him.
Arkunov's armour and face was coated in patches of blood. Burning yellow eyes glared back at Kendoh from under a red mask. In his right hand he held a bloodstained staff. Yet it was what Arkunov held in his left hand that truly horrified him.
Lady Renata's head stared back at him. Her face fixed in an expression of utter despair.
"Do not try such clumsy manipulation again, Kendoh. I will always survive. Always. Here is a reminder of the consequences."
Arkunov tossed Renata's head across the room. Letting it come to a stop at Kendoh's feet. Her unfocused, terrified eyes gazing into the Duke's own.
"Now tell me everything you know about Gesselle Organa."
After confirming their next target, Arkunov and Quinn retired to a set of rooms set aside for their use.
The Sith wanted to be fully rested and prepared before they set out to find Gesselle Organa. Yet before they reached the rooms, Arkunov called Vette. After a moment the Twi'lek's image resolved.
"Hey boss, what's... whoa you look like you got on the bad side of a rancor dance troupe. What happened?"
Arkunov scowled back at her, "I was careless. That's all you need to know. Is that understood?"
"Okay. Okay you got it. So what do you need?"
"Report to the Thul palace, I need you to bring this back to the ship."
He raised the cortosis staff up to Vette's eye level. Her eyes widened fractionally at the blood, but she didn't comment on it.
"You got it," she replied. "I'll be there soon."
The call disconnected and Arkunov turned away from the terminal. Quinn stood just behind him, ready and at attention.
"My lord, could I ask you something?"
Arkunov grunted his affirmation and Quinn said, "Why do you want Vette to take that weapon, my lord?"
"It shall serve as a reminder," Arkunov explained. "To never underestimate an enemy."
Quinn nodded, "Of course, my lord. I understand completely. A prudent lesson indeed."
"Let's not dwell on it any longer, Quinn. Tell me, what is your assessment of Kendoh's plan?"
The Captain thought for a moment, before answering, "It's sound, my lord. If the force field operates on an emergency power tap, when the system transfers to backup sources, the tap will have to be re-engaged."
Arkunov nodded, "Very good. Do you have any other thoughts to offer?"
Quinn hesitated for a moment, as if he was uncomfortable with what he was about to say. "Well, my lord, I don't wish to cast aspersions but the Duke did propose the plan rather quickly. Far more quickly than I would have expected. At the time I attributed it to fear, but now I'm not quite as sure."
"Speak your mind, Captain."
"I believe that the Duke may be using this plan for his own benefit. His mention of other Thul nobles using the system is rather suspect. Especially when you consider the argument we initially witnessed. It is my opinion, that the Duke may be planning to strike against his family members, in some reckless bid for greater power."
"Yes. I had that impression myself. Good work, Captain."
"Thank you, my lord. Do you wish to disrupt Duke Kendoh's efforts?"
"No," Arkunov answered, "we have little evidence to base it on, other than our own assumptions. Besides, Alderaanian family squabbles are none of our concern. For now, we shall leave the Duke to his scheming. Unless, he drags me into it."
It was a simple enough matter to disable the planetary generator. The explosives that Kendoh had provided were more than sufficient.
Soon enough, Arkunov and Quinn were storming the Organa command bunker.
Waves of soldiers stood in their way, blaster bolts flying towards them. Arkunov redirected every one of them, sending them right back to the ones who fired them. Quinn, taking advantage of the lack of fire heading towards him, returned fire and took down those few left untouched by Arkunov's lightsaber.
Between the two men, it didn't take long to reach the bunker's command centre. The doors were made of thick layered durasteel, impossible to break through with conventional weapons.
Unfortunately for the Organa's, it stood no chance against Arkunov's lightsaber. As the Sith Apprentice began to cut, he heard muffled voices from inside the room.
"...standing army is being wiped out! Someone... thing is on it's way here!"
"...field reset, but we're still a sitting duck!"
The doors burst apart and Arkunov heard, "There have been several assassinations of House Thul officials whose security systems were downed by the generator explosion. In my opinion, House Ulgo is behind all this."
Arkunov smirked, it seemed Kendoh had acted just as he expected, and the Duke had put his head on the executioner's block. Banishing thoughts of the idiotic noble from his mind, Arkunov turned his attention to the people in the room. There were four of them. Three men and one woman, obviously Gesselle Organa. All four wore military garb in the colours of House Organa.
"Your opinion is about to change," Arkunov announced. "I'm here for information about Jaesa Willsaam's family."
"Intruder!" One of the men, the oldest and fattest, yelled. He leveled a blaster at Arkunov.
But before his finger could tighten around the trigger, Arkunov ripped the weapon from his hand and hurled it across the room. Burying it in a monitor.
The youngest man placed himself between Arkunov and the Organa General. "Gesselle, get behind me!"
Arkunov's eyes narrowed in interest at the movement, though he didn't comment on it. Instead he focused on Gesselle.
"None of you panic. I'll handle this," she said.
Pushing past her subordinate, Gesselle confronted Arkunov, "Sith, did I hear you right? You've perpetrated all this in search of my former handmaiden?"
"I doubt you would've taken my call," Arkunov responded, dryly.
"It might have worked. I'm a practical woman."
Her eyes narrowed in thought as she spoke.
"You have decimated my forces outside. They were about to be deployed to secure a part of my front that's about to fall to House Ulgo. Now I have no reinforcements. You seek information only I have, and my front needs bolstering. Perhaps we can help each other."
Arkunov's eyes narrowed and his hand twitched, eager to reach for the lightsaber at his hip. He restrained himself, for the moment. Instead he turned his attention to Gesselle's entourage. More specifically, to the man who had thrown himself between the Organa general and the Sith. A cruel smirk worked it's way onto Arkunov's face as he said, "I'll kill your entourage one by one until you give me what I want."
Gesselle's face remained impassive, though Arkunov sensed a flicker of panic pass through her mind.
"Go ahead," she replied, her voice controlled and level. "I'm not a commander with a soft heart. My actions are always dictated by a bigger picture." She gestured to the men behind her, making the movement as dismissive as possible. "Kan'grell, Prinn and Blenks knew the risks of serving a general. It will be a waste of effort to kill them. Even if you destroy my flea of a servant," she said, eyes flicking toward Blenks, the man who had jumped in front of her, "you'll still get nothing from me unless you agree to defend my lines from Ulgo."
Arkunov almost believed her. He might have too, if Gesselle's eyes hadn't lingered on Blenks for a fraction too long.
Sighing, he said, "Fine. Might as well kill him anyway."
Reaching out with the dark side, Arkunov grasped Blenks' neck. Crushing his windpipe in a telekinetic grip. Blenks fell to his knees, gasping for air, clawing at his throat. None of it made a difference. Yet Arkunov did not look at him; his focus was reserved for Gesselle.
"This isn't working Sith," she ground out, from between clenched teeth. Her eyes flicking rapidly between Arkunov and Blenks. "I'm not so easily... broken."
Arkunov's grip tightened.
Blenks fell to the ground, his eyes wide with horror as he struggled to take in a breath. These eyes locked onto Gesselle's own, desperately pleading with the woman. It was this that finally broke her.
"No! Stop!" Gesselle cried out, rushing to Blenks side. "Please. Blenks is my lover. I'll tell you everything, just please don't kill him."
"Speak quickly. For his sake."
"Jaesa Willsaam's parents are servants in Castle Organa! They are stationed in the central tower! Now please, stop choking Blenks!"
"Your silence has sealed his fate."
Arkunov's fist closed, and in the same instant Blenks' neck snapped.
Gesselle wailed, misery and pain filling her voice.
"No! Blenks, my love!"
Arkunov felt the despair filling churning through Gesselle, and the horror that darted through Gesselle's other commanders. Arkunov feasted on their emotions, each one of them feeding the power of the dark side within him.
Gesselle glared up at him, hate twisting her beautiful face into something ugly.
"You..." she hissed, "you are cruelty. I hope my Organa brothers cut you to shreds as you invade our castle."
"You will never know," Arkunov replied. "Your life is about to end."
Master Volryder watched as the Sith killed the Organa's.
Sighing mournfully, he closed the channel. There was nothing he could do. He had been too far away when Gesselle contacted him. The only consolation was that her death granted him some warning that the Sith would be here soon.
The Jedi had hoped that the General would be strong enough to stand up to the Sith. Yet her will had broken. This was why the Jedi discouraged attachments, they led to weakness and vulnerability. Volryder had thought Gesselle had understood that, yet she had proved as weak as everyone else.
No matter. He still had time to evacuate the Willsaams.
Turning his mind from the Sith, Volryder turned to the Organa captain who stood just behind him.
"Prepare a shuttle, I want to have the Willsaams out of here within the next hour."
For a moment, the man didn't reply, his mind still reeling from what he had just witnessed. Yet another who was distracted by the folly of emotion. Eventually he said, "I'm afraid we can't, Master Jedi. The Thul-Imperial forces have us under constant bombardment. Any shuttle that we launch will be shot down."
Volryder's eyes narrowed, Organa castle had come under siege recently. Led by a Sith named Urtel Moren, the enemy forces were attempting to annihilate a Jedi strike force, brought to Alderaan by Master Nomar Organa. Yet he hadn't realised quite how bad it had gotten.
"Very well then. We shall make our stand here."
Okay Chapter 31 is done!
Should only be one more on Alderaan and then we'll be into the final part.
Just wondering, what would you guys think if I divided this story into three separate stories?
This story would be renamed: Sith Warrior- Hunt for the Jedi.
The second would be called: Sith Warrior- Plan Zero
And the final part would be called: Sith Warrior- The Emperor's Wrath
I'll have a poll up on my profile by the time this chapter is up.