"Why were there so few Sith? The simplest reason was that they rarely trained others as Sith. When one of their Order would take an apprentice on, he would not want to raise a potential adversary. He would rather have a minion or even a puppet that could never surpass him. Unable to match their fully trained and self-realized opponents, these Sith minions were easily defeated."
-The Sith War Illustrated
21: Evil Psychologist
Lavender and butterscotch weren't the only colors of Bespin. As Osaka passed over its mighty globe, the days passed through a bouquet of hues, from blue days where it seemed they hovered in an infinite summer sky to eerie phosphor green nights that had the citizens retreating behind locked doors.
It wasn't surprising that Ayumu had attained such a mellow, zen-like state here… but the dreamlike environment just didn't do it for everybody. "I'm bored," Tomo keened, "I thought protecting a Prin—!"
Kagura clapped a hand over her mouth. "Be… more… careful!"
"Sure, sure, fine…" the Honorable Captain said, brushing her hand aside. "I just thought it would be more exciting, this job."
The two of them stood on one of Osaka's many observation decks; were Ayumu more commercially minded they might have had a thriving tourist industry. But as it was, the city supported itself industrially, refining Tibana-gas and carbonite, isolated from the galaxy at large and content to remain so.
Outside, blue clouds scudded across a mass of gray—the inversion was a very strange sight, but it didn't interest Tomo in the least. She paced the confined deck like a caged wildcat, her hair all but standing on end from tension.
Kagura wandered away from her and sat back in one of the lounge chairs, closing her eyes. She had once heard that the wise person knew when to be lazy and when to be crazy… and it was definitely a time to be lazy. Not lax, mind, they still had to be careful. But a little energy-saving was in order.
"Chill out," Kagura suggested. "You don't want it to be exciting."
"Oh, don't I?" Tomo replied. "I've been looking forward to a little swashbuckling, a little danger!" She withdrew the lightsaber and swung the unignited weapon around a bit. "I want to be able to have lived through something awesome!"
"Assuming you live through it. And put that stupid thing away, you don't even know how to use it."
"You sound just like Yomi…" the Captain pouted, sticking it in a deep pocket. She hadn't kept the all-shiny outfit, instead opting for simple trousers, a cream shirt and a brown vest. If she didn't know any better, Kagura might have thought that perhaps she was rubbing off a little on the other.
The room's atmosphere calmed by about three degrees; Kagura didn't have to look to tell that Ayumu had entered. "Hey, your highnessness," she greeted flippantly without turning.
"Ohaa…" Ayumu returned absently, moving to the viewport and putting a slender hand against it. She looked lost, but Kagura wasn't sure whether to ask her about it. "I was meaning to ask you," she said instead, "What's with that freaky gray mask you had on your wall?"
"It's an ancient superhero mask," the answer came matter-of-factly, "He was a giant that saved his world from terrible monsters."
Kagura chuckled. "A real selfless guy."
"Don't you believe in heroes?" the Baroness asked in mild surprise, turning. "I do."
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Tomo cut in, "How would a giant even wear that thing?"
"He would put it on and then grow."
"…really?" Tomo asked, eyes wide. Her companion laughed again and turned over, sliding into a shallow sleep.
"Oh, yes. The hero of his age," Ayumu affirmed. She meandered to one of the other lounge chairs and lay back on it, staring into the clouds. Tomo could see the streaks of blue and gray reflected in her eyes. "I came to tell you… an Imperial transport, the Abhay, is stoppin' here for a few days." At the word 'Imperial,' Kagura was instantly awake.
"You'll have to take new rooms deeper in the city, in the construction zone where nobody's allowed."
"Damn," the soldier sighed, sitting up. "What were the odds? It's like they're still tracking us or something." After a moment she realized with a pang of annoyance that she'd just gone against her own admonition to Tomo.
For a time, the only sound was the Captain's pacing.
"The clouds are relaxing, aren't they?" Ayumu commented, her voice far away. "You can look at them and imagine yourself anywhere you want… you don't have to be what you are…" She fell silent for a few seconds, eyes drifting shut. "Tomo, please keep to your room while they're here. I don't know what I'd do if… if something happened to you." Her breathing evened out and she was gone, snoring gently, her expression troubled.
The guests left quietly. "You notice something… off about her?" Kagura asked.
"She was always like that," the other replied dismissively. "Half the Profs at Livingston thought she was narcoleptic."
"No, I mean recently. She seems so tired and haggard all of a sudden. You think worrying about us is…?"
"Ah, she'd tell us," Tomo waved a hand in the air, "Don't worry about it!"
"That's not for you to say."
"What do you think about that superhero stuff, though? Do you think…?"
"I… I don't want to be a Sith!" Ayumu protested.
Darth Nochichi loomed behind her chair, somehow seeming to cast a shadow over her even though the light in the room made it impossible. This visitation had turned out to be as stressful as any other; Lobot had taken away her "Burgundy Consolation," but he didn't know about the bottle of "Raspberry Heaven" hidden under her bed…
"I wish I were a bird," Nochichi replied derisively.
"Huh?" she blinked at the odd statement. "What would you do if you were a bird?"
"It doesn't matter one bit. I'm not a bird, I'm an Eddorian. You shouldn't concern yourself with such things either." Ayumu yelped as her chair was twisted around by invisible hands and she was brought face-to-face with his huge mask. "You cannot hide the bleakness of your spirit from me. You will serve me, as a Sith… or otherwise."
"No…!"
"Then stand against me! I can feel the anger rising in you! Surrender to your rage and master it!" A grip of the Force formed around her throat. "This is your chance to ascend! Strike back! If you don't want to be broken, now is the time!"
Staring back at him with enormous, frightened eyes, Ayumu slowly shook her head. Nochichi made a filtered sound of disgust and released her, bobbing higher into the air. "Useless. You should know that I am waiting here for another potential student. Hopefully she has more spirit than you."
"What'll ya do…" Ayumu massaged her throat and dredged up a little defiance, "If she's too spirited for ya?"
"I was thinking I'd freeze her in carbonite and take her to Eddore."
"But… but our equipment in't made for preservin' livin' things!"
"Hmm… I will need a test subject, then."
Ayumu sat bolt upright, chilled. "Wh—but—y'can't…!"
"Don't worry. I will not take one of your citizens… but perhaps I'll use Captain Takino. That seems a good solution."
"T-Tomo? No!"
"If you want to try to do something about it, feel free. Just remember what happens when I get… annoyed." Purple energy crackled around the end of one of his tentacles. "And perhaps I won't just take my annoyance out on you."
He seemed to fade away and vanish, though Ayumu was pretty sure that he was throwing up an illusion and zipping away. Suddenly alone, she sagged back in the chair with a quiet sob. Am I just a conditioned animal? she wondered, looking at her hands. I… I can't stand up to him. Why do I fear him so?
She made up her mind to warn Tomo immediately, but that thought was smothered by a memory of Nochichi's lightning, and the need of hundreds of Osakans depending on her… Ayumu put a hand over her eyes. Sickened, confused and utterly trapped, the Baroness cried.
"No," Matsuyama said, trying his hardest to keep irony out of his voice, "I honestly can't imagine what could be happening."
"I find it very disturbing," Grand Moff Kimura replied with veiled anger, "These men are my only hope of ever regaining Kaorin."
"But you were the one who wanted to…" the Intelligence Chief held off at his superior's dangerous look. "Of… of course, I'll look into it. I'm sure, though, that they're just finding the tracking devices and destroying them. Bounty Hunters don't get far in their professions by being stupid, you know."
"I would have thought so, too, but Greedo's was the first one to go. They've been blinking out one-by-one ever since."
"I'll do my best," Matsuyama assured him. There was only one other item for them to discuss. "If I may bring it up, some of the lower officers are petitioning to move from the Endor construction site. They're having trouble with the locals."
"Exterminate them."
"Uh… the locals or the petitioners?"
Kimura shrugged. "The locals, of course. It's our world, now. They're just primitive humanoids anyway."
Matsuyama's breath caught. Of late, he had only seen the "Bloody Poet" whilst he was mooning over their Rebel Princess, and had quite forgotten how heartless the man could be. "Y-yes, sir. I'll pass that along…" he started to leave, but something brought him to a startled halt. "Sir? What…? Look there!"
The specks on Kimura's console that represented their Bounty Hunters changed course and started towards a single point. All fifteen remaining hunters had evidently had a sudden inspiration, or more likely received a tip, at more-or-less the same time. "What could that mean?"
Kimura smiled slowly. "It means they've found my Kaorin."
It was a dimly orange night, the air cool and strangely sweet. Osaka had plunged into a colossal bank of tangerine clouds that afternoon and everybody seemed to be in a better mood for it. Kagura jogged alone on one of the upper concourses; the next night the Abhay would arrive and she'd be cooped up for a while.
As she ran, her mind wandered in a way it didn't, usually. Was it this dreamlike landscape or perhaps her bizarre circumstances? Whatever the cause, she found herself imagining life after the Rebellion had won, when the galaxy wouldn't need soldiers anymore. What would she do then?
So wrapped in these dismal thoughts was she that she almost missed the slight figure leaning on a rail near the very peak of the walkway's arc. Kagura slowed to a light trot and stopped next to Ayumu. "Hi, there," she said.
"Oh… hello." The Baroness was as absent as ever. "You're up late."
"I couldn't sleep. So are you, by the way."
"I never can… are the others?"
"I think Yomi's up reading…"
"Honma?" She giggled a little. "Yomi's reading. I never would have guessed." Kagura grimaced at the lame pun, but before she could respond, Ayumu leaned out over the rail and pointed. "Look, another leviathan."
The soldier looked gamely but couldn't see anything. "Huh," she said noncommittally.
"It must be nice to soar free like they do… I'd like to ride one, someday." Her voice was distant and child-like. "Wouldn't that be nice?"
Kagura leaned on the rail next to her. She normally would have brushed off such a ridiculous statement, but, perhaps because of the kind of a night she was having, the image came to her own mind as well. "Yeah, it would."
There- was that it? A dim, vast shape wending through the burnt-orange clouds?
"To soar…" she leaned a little further. "You know, standing up here, it feels like you could fly away yourself, huh? Even if you jumped off…" Kagura surreptitiously took hold of her sleeve. "Oh, but I can't." Ayumu rocked back on her heels and straightened.
The soldier hesitated, but since things couldn't get much weirder, she went for broke. "Er… I was wondering if lately… um…" The other woman looked at her a little oddly and she fumbled. "We were… too much trouble…"
The Baroness seemed as if she wanted to say something, but then settled for, "It's not your fault."
"That's… good to hear," Kagura was getting seriously strange vibes. There was nothing for her to do but nod politely and continue on her run. Behind her, Ayumu resumed watching the leviathan graze.
"Close, close. You very nearly blew our cover." Nochichi sounded amused.
She didn't bother looking around for the voice's source any more.
Yomi dropped her pack in their new room, trying not to gag on the smell of new insulation. It was pretty much the same as their old one, but without any windows and the power was iffy. Ignoring the flickering lights, she set about to settle in.
She'd spent most of their time in Osaka reading. While most Valerians weren't what you'd call deep thinkers, Koyomi enjoyed the works of ancient philosophers and tacky crime novels alike. And though she wasn't one of those people who loved reading for the sake of reading, her tastes were eclectic enough that any library could tide her over for a long time.
If only Tomo would take it up as a hobby, then their long voyages together would be much more tolerable. But then, being honest with herself, Yomi had to admit that she'd become accustomed to a certain noise level, and when Tomo was out carousing with the soldier, it was almost too quiet.
But what about Kaori? Huh, what about Kaori. What did a lowly smuggler have to say to a Princess apart from humble thanks for the 250,000 she had deposited just twenty minutes before?
"Hey, Yomi, look what I bought on the Promenade!"
"You're already spending our reward?" Yomi yelped, sitting up straight as the Honorable Captain entered. "What the hell?"
As they fell into their comfortable pattern of arguing, she glanced across the hall to where Lobot was showing the others to their room. Kagura spoke to him earnestly. "…always so distant, and just falling asleep whenever and saying these really creepy, cryptic things all the time…" The cyborg looked at her blandly. "I mean more so than usual! Aren't you worried?"
"I don't know what to tell you…" Lobot cocked his head to one side. "I'm sorry, the Imperials are arriving. I'd better head up to greet them."
The Abhay was a standard Imperial light cruiser, nothing particularly exciting. Its captain was fairly standard and unexciting as well, though he didn't seem to realize this. His was a particularly nettlesome brand of cocksure arrogance that made even his own officers despise him.
Fortunately, such types usually hit Ayumu's placid surface and slid off without injury to either. She politely listened to his babbling as they walked deeper into the city, looking for shapes in the clouds. Nochichi had actually been fairly quiet that day… was it too much to hope that he had left? Sometimes he would get bored, like the cat he vaguely resembled, and simply fly away without carrying out his heinous threats.
"…what do you think?" the Imperial captain finished.
"Well…" Ayumu racked her memory, but what her visitor had said just four seconds before was irrevocably gone. Somehow, she didn't mourn the loss. "I think…"
"Baroness!" a messenger rushed up to her in a panic. Though he was a good bit taller than her, Ayumu seemed to look down to him. "'Sup?" Saved by the bell!
"There… it's… we have a situation."
His tone of voice tugged her down to ground; her eyes were suddenly clear and focused, her voice less vaprous. "Tell me." The three of them walked together, a little slower than either of the men would have liked, but she was an Imperial Noble, however low, so neither could really complain. Osaka's control room wasn't far away, anyway.
"It's two unidentified vessels," the messenger explained nervously. "They're coming in on different vectors; neither of them have hailed us. Their weapons are charged and they're going full-burn. ETA four minutes on one, seven on the other."
"I assume you've tried hailing them," the captain said imperiously.
"Y-yes, sir. No response. We've sent out our Cloud Cars to the nearer one, but they aren't very well-armed, so…" And then they broke into the babble and hubbub of Osaka Central, which normally had the same breezy atmosphere of the rest of the city and wasn't taking too well to the new stress.
"Sensors confirm," Lobot announced, "That's the Killer Laa, a Bounty Hunter's vessel." His fingers flew over one of the many consoles before him and an image appeared of a Naboo fighter, painted black and covered with pictures of flaming skulls, eight balls, eyeballs and the like.
"Blackheart Binks!" one of the technicians cried, "What in the name of the Sith is he doing here?" Nobody noticed Ayumu wince at his curse. They did, however, notice when she raised her voice. "Call back the Cloud Cars! They…"
She was cut off by a radio feed as their pilots accosted the intruder. "Unidentified vessel, this is Osaka Perimeter Enforcement. Power down your weapons or—!" Static. The Killer Laa's blaster cannons spoke again and the second Cloud Car burst apart in an oily gout of flame. "Yee-ha!" the cruel bounty-hunter squealed, "Meesa get phat paid!"
Would you let two lousy Cloud Cars delay a 15 million credit payday?
"The other vessel is unregistered," Lobot said. "It's reasonable to assume that it is bounty hunter as well. Another vessel is entering the system- it appears to be a privateer of some kind. The… Nova Eater. Three more are approaching, but we cannot identify them."
"What is this, a convention?" Ayumu massaged her temples. "Gather the security forces, we've gotta protect the residential areas and…"
"With respect, baroness, now that the Nova Eater is here, we don't have enough men to—"
"Well, what am ah supposed to do?" Ayumu swallowed her accent again as she looked back and forth between an impassive Lobot and a smirking Imperial captain. This was something she'd heard about; whenever the Empire decided to tighten its grip they always sent soldiers in on some pretext…
But the people here were happy! They'd celebrated their de facto independence from the Empire when she'd first been posted here! What would the stormtroopers bring with them but oppression and misery? "Another two vessels have arrived in system. They appear to be fighting one another."
"C-captain Ganner…" Ayumu's lips trembled slightly. She was trapped. "I request that your men aid in the defense of Osaka."
"Of course!" he replied, "We're always up for a good… defense." It was amazing how you could twist the word "defense" to make it sound like "occupation." He withdrew his comlink with a flourish; the Baroness thought she was going to be sick.
"Military operations aren't my specialty," she said, as calmly as she could. "I'd only get in the way here. If anybody needs me, I'll be in my office." Ayumu left the control room to Ganner's admittedly capable hands, trying to get out of sight as quickly as she could. When she finally found an empty corridor, she sagged weakly against the wall. "They're going to… they're going to cover my city and… Why… why is it turning out like this?"
"Because it's so much more entertaining when you're forced to bring it down on yourself," Nochichi informed her from wherever he was.
She flinched at the sound of his voice, and then violently struck the wall. "I HATE YOU!"
"We're making progress, then."
