The Force's Shepherds
Chapter 124
The Impostor
Fools, all of them. Incompetent, idiotic, blind, fools!
Sidious grit his teeth as he leaned back in his chair, glowing eyes focused on the report on his desk. He steepled his fingers, exhaling as he struggled to rein in his furious rage. He was not in his royal palace, where he could let his powers run rampant to his heart's content. He was in his office in the building that was once the Republic Senate, now just the Imperial Senate. A neutered governing body that was for show rather than having the ability to exercise any real authority. Even though the Senatorial body lacked power, he still had appearances to maintain. If it ever came out that the Jedi were correct in claiming he was a Sith Lord-
There will be a lot more bodies to bury. He thought, furrowing his brow as he studied the report once more.
He kept the shades drawn in his office, blotting out the piercing Coruscant sun and allowing him to conduct his business without the worry of any outside eyes peering in. This piece of business was especially sensitive for him. It had nothing to do with policy, or petty rebellions, or even propaganda (a tool he was very fond of employing).
Someone had discovered a secret he had buried long ago. A secret that could be used against him in such a way that it could damage his credibility with the masses. Tarnish Palpatine's squeaky clean image. An image he needed to maintain. The people were more likely to follow the appearance of a benevolent ruler, in the wake of the Republic's death, than they were to follow someone like Sidious.
For the first time in a long time, he had been outmaneuvered politically. He glared at the report once more, given to him by one of his Inquisitors. The headline on the report, a news article from Naboo, read: THE EMPEROR'S SON SPEAKS.
He grit his teeth, feeling the fuming leviathan that was the dark side within him stir. Who could have possibly discovered that he had a child? Even worse, who had the gall to impersonate him?
In the Emperor's opinion, the imposter looked nothing like a Palpatine. But according to the masses, the press, and the infernal Senate, he greatly resembled their ruler. There were even links to articles on the holonet pointing out how similar the imposter's facial structure was to Palpatine's mother. His Mother! Like the press could even comprehend what she looked like.
The imposter wore an arrogant smirk that made Sidious's blood boil. He appeared charming in all of the ways Palpatine knew to be idiotic. More focused on impressing people than actually winning them over permanently. A false facade of charisma built up by a clever con artist.
The worst of all of this, he was spreading nonsense. False stories passed off as truths. Fake news! The audacity of this fool. The audacity of Sidious's propaganda officials for not catching this ridiculousness and smothering it immediately. The sheer audaciousness of some senators when they asked him about the article baffled him. Rarely did anything leave him lost for words.
Oh yes… there will be bodies to bury. The imposter will die for this, first. Then perhaps a few senators that like asking too many questions.
There was also a nagging thought in Sidious's mind though. Any good liar, any artist of deception, even the lowliest of con artists and imposters knew that the best lies always contained grains of truth. Whoever this imposter was clearly did his research. He managed to deceive the masses with his physical appearance. Perhaps that was the grain of truth.
No, no one would dare do this unless they knew the truth. Sidious sat up in his seat and moved a knobbly finger towards a button on his desk, The real truth.
He pushed down on the button. A small chime sounded from the hologram generator on his desk. He waited for a moment, his impatience growing with each passing millisecond as the person he was attempting to contact failed to answer. With a growl, he was about to disconnect the call when someone finally answered.
Commander Cody's blue image appeared as a small, full body hologram on his table.
"Your excellency." The Commander said, bowing low at the waist.
"Commander," Sidious croaked, hiding his fury at his intended contact not being the one to answer, "Where is Morgan?"
Cody rose back to his full height, "She is currently preoccupied, milord."
Sidious narrowed his eyes. What in the Force could cause his apprentice to not immediately answer his call. The Dark Side churned around him, making the blinds in his office tremble as he barely contained his rage. His jaw clenched tight as he leaned forward in his seat, gaze boring into Cody. The old Clone Commander visibly gulped as the Emperor glared at him through the hologram.
"Preoccupied with what?"
Ragana's eyes glowed with delight. The corners of her mouth were curled back into a giddy grin. Finally, after so long, her ship had a name. She came up with it only a couple hours ago in a mania induced by making a breakthrough within her spellbook.
Her spellbook was one of the few things she possessed from a life she could not remember. Her only link to her past. So she studied it voraciously, tearing through and devouring the knowledge within like a starving survivor stumbling upon bread. Her mind soaked up the knowledge written in neat handwriting that was definitely not her own.
Within one of those moments of intense study, as her Star Destroyer lumbered over the surface of Kuat, she discovered a spell that positively thrilled her. So much so, that she decided it would be the perfect name for her ship.
Now, she could not just have the name etched onto the hull. In her opinion that would be far too boring. Every Imperial's Star Destroyer just had the name carved into the hull. She wanted something that was uniquely her. A symbol to unite her crew, and to warn her enemies of what was coming. Nothing could be better than the spell she discovered in her spellbook. One that spoke to her like an old friend.
"Thoron." She breathed, staring up as the final brushes of blue and yellow paint were placed onto a crackling lightning bolt on the Star Destroyer's hull.
A pleased smile crossed her face. Perfect, it looked absolutely perfect. She jabbed her elbow into Deathy One, who stood by her side as impassive as ever.
"Looks good right? Right?" She said, voice trembling with excitement. She hopped up and down, "Oh wait till the admiralty sees it!"
"The admiralty is going to hate it." A bored voice grumbled nearby.
Ragana's glee filled grin wavered. She slowly turned her head to look at the greatest thorn in her side that ever graced the halls of her ship. Inquisitor number eleven, Galen Marek, aka, according to the files she got one of her soldiers to hack into, Starkiller.
An absurd code name. She thought folding her arms as he quietly approached her, a bored expression on his face. He barely looks like he could kill a puppy. Let alone a star.
So far, she kept this Inquisitor assigned to her at arm's length. Mostly because she could feel her irritation grow whenever he was in her presence. The boy simply had no respect for her or her station within the Empire. She was the Emperor's apprentice, his ultimate weapon, his successor, if all went as she thought it would. Starkiller was simply a soldier. A special operations fighter meant for specific missions where he was told what to do and told not to ask any questions. A useful tool, but nothing more. Nothing special or grand. So the fact that he seemed bored with her drove Ragana nuts.
I'm not boring. I'm awesome! And he should know that.
Starkiller glanced up at the epic lightning bolt etched and painted into the hull of the star destroyer.
"A bit much in my opinion." Ragana's mouth fell open, utterly aghast that he would say such a thing, "Do you really need to do something like that in order to-"
He did not get another word out as the young Sith finally had enough. She allowed many of his snide, underhanded comments to slide, out of respect for her Master's decision. But to insult her taste in ship name and design was the last straw for Ragana. With a snarl, she gathered the force into her palm and shoved him with all of her strength across the massive platform the Star Destroyer hovered over.
He flew across the platform, right for a tanker laden with fuel for the many ships that docked in the Kuat Drive Yards.
I'll just tell Master it was an accident.
Right before he hit the tanker, he spun, using the force to propel his body away from the tanker. He flipped in the air, then deftly landed on his feet. A scowl rested on Starkiller's face as he glared back at Ragana.
Ragana blinked in surprise.
"Alright, so you are capable of doing that."
Starkiller grit his teeth and started to stalk towards her. The young Sith could feel rage emanating from the young teen in powerful waves. A sensation that made Ragana's lips widen in a broad smile.
Deathy One primed her blaster rifle, but Ragana quickly raised her hand.
"No need." She rolled her shoulders, feeling the muscles loosen up as she let her new lightsaber fall from her sleeve into the palm of her right hand, "I think it's time I measured just how strong our tagalong really is."
Her lightsaber thundered to life. A red glow passed over her dark coat. The scarlet glow shimmered in the golden trim of her coat, danced in the blazing light of her eyes, as excitement raced through her veins. Her heart hammered in her chest as a giddy laugh bubbled from her lips.
Starkiller did not stop storming forward. Instead, two lightsabers shot to his hands from his hips. His stalk broke into a sprint. A furious roar erupted from him as he ignited the blades and surged at Ragana, leaping through the air in order to strike at her from above.
Ragana grinned and raised her lightsaber while Deathy One quickly backed away. Starkiller landed hard, slamming both of his blades down on hers. Ragana's arms buzzed from the sheer force behind his strike. She grit her teeth, heels sliding along the slick, durasteel platform as Starkiller shoved down at her.
With a sharp cry, she jerked her body to the side, letting Starkiller's lightsabers slide off of hers and slam into the ground where she had been standing. With a quick flick of her wrist, she snapped her blade out, aiming to slash the tip of her crimson weapon along his upper back.
With shocking speed and agility, Starkiller blocked her strike. He twirled around, using his right blade to execute a savage chop at her left flank. Ragana beamed as their blades connected in a shower of sparks. Starkiller snarled across from her, twirling his other blade and quickly slashing it across her body.
Ragana bounced back, narrowly avoiding Starkiller's swipe. With her right hand, she used her lightsaber to block another quick attack from the enraged teen. With her left hand, she drew her spellbook. Using the force, she allowed her spell book to float directly behind her, letting the pages race from cover to cover until it landed on the spell she wanted.
A quick force push gave her some space. She snatched the spellbook from the air, deactivated her lightsaber, and spun around, lighting already charged in her sword hand.
Like a blaster bolt being shot from a blaster, the thunder spell rocketed through her deactivated blade, firing out like a laser directly at Starkiller. The Inquisitor's eyes widened in surprise, before he ducked to the side. The ground shook as the thunder spell hammered into the platform, exploding in a shower of sparks and static.
He rushed at her, blades held in a reverse grip. A style Ragana was unfamiliar with.
Oh, so we're going to play that way?
She slipped her lightsaber onto her belt and smirked at Starkiller. Just as he closed the gap between them, Ragana allowed purple energy to ignite in her hand.
"Enjoy this Flux!" She snarled, aiming the purple ball of energy directly at Starkiller's abdomen.
An explosion of black and purple energy erupted from her palm, engulfing both her and Starkiller in a dense cloud of smoke.
Ragana smiled to herself as the smoke lingered around her. Was this really all this inquisitor was capable of? Her Master made it sound like this boy had great potential. Then again, potential means nothing unless it is realized.
And unfortunately for Galen Marek, he died long before he could-
Twin bars of red light whirred in front of her face. Ragana sucked in a sharp breath and bent backwards, narrowly avoiding the lightsabers as they hummed over her chest and face. Before she could snap her body back upright, a boot plowed into her gut. She doubled over then felt the force slam into her, shooting her out of the smoke, across the platform, careening into a few weapons crates that were supposed to have already been loaded onto the Thoron.
Ragana shook her head, fighting off the sudden daze filling her as she reeled from the powerful blows. As she blinked stars from her eyes, a knot formed in her throat. Starkiller emerged from the smoke with one blade activated. The other rested on his belt. In his free hand, Ragana saw blue sparks dancing between his fingertips.
Most beings in the galaxy would see such a sight, with the intimidating glare on Starkillers' face, and immediately cower in fear. But Ragana had seen far worse. She had witnessed her Master, the powerful Darth Sidious, angry once before. A brat no older than her was not going to elicit any terror. In fact, she could only laugh as he approached her.
"Oh, that's cute." She chuckled gesturing at the lightning in his fingertips, "Did you figure that one out yesterday? Been practicing in your room?" She threw her head back again as he stopped stalking towards her, lips curling up in a furious snarl, "Galen, Galen, Galen," Ragana tsked, "Never challenge me with lighting." Blue and yellow sparks erupted in her free hand as the pages in her spellbook turned, "You'll only end up dead."
His eyes widened as a ball of blue lighting formed in Ragana's palm. A small core for her arc-thunder spell to wrap around. Through the force, she could feel his presence quiver for a split second as he second guessed his decision to challenge her at her strength. He may be better than her with a lightsaber, she came to that conclusion as soon as their blades crossed for the first time. He had more dexterity, agility, speed, and power behind his physical attacks. But the Force, and the magic within it, was her domain. Her talent in that area was why she was chosen by Darth Sidious to be his new apprentice.
Her lips curled back into a cruel smirk.
"Think my lightning is stupid now!?" She roared pointing the deadly ball of condensed electricity right at a slightly pale Starkiller.
"Lady Ragana!"
Her yellow eyes flicked to the side, where a small shuttle touched down. Commander Cody hopped out of it, a look of panic on his face as he rushed towards her.
"Can't you see I'm busy?" She hissed at him, nodding her head over at Starkiller, "I'm educating the petulant boy."
"You're not much older than me." Starkiller growled, taking a hesitant step forward.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Ragana let the ball of lightning pulse in her hand, "One step forward, and I'll send you to your maker without a second thought."
"Trust me, milady." Cody sighed, "I would not be bothering you in your free time if it was not important." He glanced back at the Thoron, "Oh… that's the new name."
"You like it!?" Ragana beamed. Her smile quickly evaporated as she glanced over at Starkiller again, "He's being a party pooper about it."
"The lightning bolt is a nice touch." Cody nodded.
"Oh thank you. My brilliant idea there." Ragana flipped some of her black hair back, "See?" She jabbed her still lightning covered hand at Starkiller, "It's not a stupid name or idea!"
"There is such a thing as difference in opinion." He grumbled.
"Not on my ship!" Ragana shot back, "Tell him, Cody."
Cody let out a long suffering sigh, "I would love to, ma'am, but the Emperor is calling you."
Ragana blinked, "He is? Well why didn't you tell me right away!"
"I was-"
"You let the Puppy-killer distract me!"
"Puppy killer?"
"I mean really, Cody." Ragana dispelled her lightning and tapped his shoulder with the back of her hand, "Get your priorities straight." She glanced back over at Starkiller, "How about we try to kill each other later? Come, Deathy One."
Her Deathtrooper guard nodded and trailed after Ragana as she stepped onto the shuttle. Cody joined, keeping his hands folded behind his back as he remained rigid near her. Starkiller remained on the ground, probably to make sure all of the Ship's supplies were properly delivered and cataloged.
He may be boring, but at least he can be a little bit useful. Ragana thought as the shuttle raced up to the Thoron's main hangar.
When the shuttle touched down in the hangar, Ragana quickly stepped off and marched towards her quarters. The entire ship buzzed with activity as her crew made final preparations for take off. Their detour to the Kuat Drive Yards had been unscheduled, mostly because Ragana really wanted the paint job to be good. Only the best could work on her Star Destroyer. Since the Kuat Drive Yards produced most of the ships in the entire galaxy, she figured they were the best. Their work reflected that.
But right now, she could not admire her brilliant idea or the exceptional artistry of the ship builders on this world. Right now, her Master waited for her. That was never a good thing.
She stepped off of the turbolift and marched up to her quarters. Cody stepped off to the side of the lift, deciding it was best for him to wait outside. Deathy One snapped to attention beside her door as Ragana slipped into her personal quarters.
Her door hissed shut behind her. As soon as it closed, a wave of piercing cold slammed into her. Her Master's blue silhouette waited for her, standing atop a hologram pedestal in the corner of her quarters. A long frown rested beneath his deep hood as she approached. Ragana took a deep breath and kneeled before the Dark Lord of the Sith.
"Where were you?" He snarled before she could say a word.
The temptation to lie to her Master was tremendous. He probably would not appreciate her taking a detour just to add a paint job to her ship. But… he would know if she was lying. He always knew. He was always in her head, watching every thought, parsing it for specific details that would either please or enrage him. She knew how this dance worked. Now was not the time to be her usual, playful self. She needed to be reverent and truthful towards her Master.
"I wanted to paint my ship." She gave him a small smile, "I thought of a name for her too, finally."
Sidious's frown deepened. Ragana winced a little bit.
"Starkiller thinks it looks bad. I personally like it."
"You are not supposed to go wandering the galaxy doing whatever you want to your heart's content, Morgan." Sidious snarled, making her head snap back down. She swallowed hard as she felt his terrifying presence filled her room, "What progress have you made on tracking down Mace Windu?"
Ragana gulped, "None, Master." The cold hit her with an icy snap, "The Jedi has hidden himself well. I've tried searching through the force for his presence but…" She winced as she could feel his disappointment in her growing, "Master, I feel like something is both hiding him from me, and deliberately blocking my efforts."
Sidious's frustration with her subsided for a moment.
"Explain." He growled.
Ragana pursed her lips, "I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, Master. I tried to search for him once, and instead… someone else appeared in my room." She raised her gaze as she remained on one knee before her Master, "A girl with blue hair."
Her Master's presence surged in the room. It slammed into her mind, causing her to gasp in pain as he burrowed into her thoughts. Without a second thought, Ragana sagged, allowing her master to comb through her memories and thoughts without resistance. An act which pleased Sidious as the pain in her mind subsided.
In her mind, she saw the girl once more, seated across from her. One arm, blue hair, bright blue eyes, and a horrified expression on her face. One that caused a stab of pain to hit her heart for some reason. It still puzzled her. How did that girl know her name, her real name?
Sidious' presence left her mind, "Interesting…" He drew back, sinking into his chair within his office, "I appreciate you being so honest with me on this. We will discuss this… occurrence, in detail later. For now, I have a task for you."
Ragana's heart leaped, "Really!?" She hopped to her feet, "Oh please tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"
"Patience." Sidious chided, silencing his young apprentice. Ragana quickly dropped back to a knee, giving her Master a sheepish smile. Sidious remained unamused, "The task I have for you is extremely delicate in nature. The nature of it must be kept the utmost secret. There is… a certain imposter posing as a family member of mine on Naboo."
"Aw, you care about your family that much?"
The cold returned, silencing Ragana, but not reducing her wry smirk.
"This imposter, must be found. Interrogate him. Find out how he learned of my family, and what his end goal is. Once those answers are uncovered, eliminate him. Am I clear?"
Ragana nodded, "Like crystal, Master."
"Good." Sidious nodded, "That is all."
His image flickered off. Once he disappeared, the cold in her room faded away. Ragana took a deep breath, a smile on her lips. She bounced to her feet and skipped to her door, forcing it open with a wave of her hand.
"Ragana?" Cody questioned as she burst out of her room.
"We have a new mission!" She cheered, waving for him and Deathy One to follow her. She tapped her wrist, opening up a comm link, "Bridge, this is Ragana. Set course for Naboo immediately. I will be up shortly."
"Naboo?" Cody remarked.
"Yeah." Ragana beamed as they boarded the turbolift, "We're going back." She leaned close to his ear, "Someone is posing as one of the Emperor's family, and he is not pleased."
"Ah." Cody nodded, "Capture and interrogate?"
"Oh most definitely." She shivered with excitement, "I can't wait!"
Of all of the places for an impostor of the Palpatine family to be, Ragana did not expect him to be at a seedy cantina in one of the less desirable parts of Naboo's capital city, Theed. The city was still recovering from the deposed Queen's failed rebellion. But from what Ragana could see, it was recovering remarkably well. As it should, considering it is the Emperor's home planet. Ragana knew her Master would spare no expense in order to make Naboo the Imperial model of a planet under the Moff system. Moff Panaka seemed to be doing well enough, although there were still areas that needed to be cleaned up.
Like this place. Ragana thought as she kept her hood drawn over her head, keeping rain from drenching her head, as well as disguising her identity.
She decided to handle this situation as her master instructed her to, delicately. That meant no stormtroopers. Deathy One could not be by her side either. Cody certainly could not appear with her, as he was the public face of the destruction of Naboo's monarchy following the rebellion. One of the biggest reasons why he returned to active service under Ragana's command as well as received high praise from the admiralty was because of "his" swift destruction of the rebellion. The only person she could take, that she knew could handle something like this, despite her own annoyance with him, was Starkiller. After all, capturing and interrogating people discreetly, as an inquisitor, is what he was trained to do.
That being said, there was no way in hell she was letting him take the lead on this mission. As the door to the cantina hissed open, Ragana shoved her way inside first. She glanced back at Starkiller with an amused smirk as the teen followed her in.
"Do you have to be first in everything?" He grumbled under his breath as he drew up alongside her.
Ragana scanned the small cantina. The main bar area was quite cramped and already packed with Naboo citizens looking to drink the day's worries away. She noticed some off duty Naboo palace guards, soldiers Moff Panaka elected to keep in place as a symbol of good will towards the more traditional Naboo citizens. A smart play in Ragana's opinion. The group of guards were occupying a large, round booth in the far corner of the cantina.
The main bar was completely full, mostly with humans. Although, Ragana spotted a couple gungans milling about. Many humans gave them particularly nasty glances, but otherwise did not interact with them.
The rest of the patrons were working class folks. A few crewmen from various vessels docked at the spaceport not too far away from here. Lower class business men, service workers, the usual type of crowd that occupied a space like this on a world as privileged as Naboo. So it really caught her eye when she spotted, sitting in the furthest corner booth against the left wall, a group of wealthy individuals wearing rich clothing and drinking only the finest of wine. All of them were laughing and smiling. Enjoying themselves and their company. Sitting among them was the con artist Ragana was looking for.
"There." She nodded at Starkiller.
Starkiller rolled his shoulders and took a step forward, but Ragana reached out and stopped him.
"Hold on." She smiled, "How do you plan on getting him to talk?"
Starkiller shrugged, "I find fear to be a powerful motivator." He replied as Ragana beckoned for him to follow her to a high table at the center of the cantina. They both took a seat on tall stools. Ragana threw her hood back with a happy sigh, "You probably should keep that up." Starkiller continued.
"Why?" Ragana remarked, "I'll draw more attention if I have it up than if I don't. Naboo is not a place for people trying to hide themselves. So suspicious people in hoods," She gestured at Starkiller's still raised hood, "are bound to attract attention more than a cute girl such as myself."
Starkiller snorted, "Cute… that's funny."
"Screw you." Ragana teased, rested her elbows on the table, "You know I'm adorable."
Starkiller raised his brow, puzzled, as he drew back his hood, "What are you doing?"
"What do you mean, what am I doing?"
"You're acting strange."
Ragana leaned closer, "I'm always strange. But this time it is intentional." She said at a volume so low that only he could hear her, "No one is going to pay attention to a couple enjoying a night out, right?"
Starkiller coughed hard, "I-I'm sorry, what?"
"This is a delicate matter, Galen." She smiled, using his first name instead of his code name, "We can't just come in here, blades drawn ready to choke the life out of someone. Fear may be a good motivator, but in this instance, it would be a bad idea. We need to get information, not make an example. Torture can get you information, sure. But, will it be correct information? We don't know."
"For a small time con artist playing the part of an impostor, it should work well enough." Galen grunted before noticing a waitress droid zipping towards them.
"Anything to drink, darlings?" The droid asked, grinding to a halt on its one wheel.
"Water." Galen muttered.
"What do you recommend?" Ragana asked with a smile.
"The local favorite is Corellian brandy."
"Oh yummy! We should share a bottle, right Galen?" She reached over and took his hand, making the Inquisitor freeze, "It's our anniversary." She told the droid, "Three months of dating!"
"Congratulations. I'll return shortly with your drinks."
"Thank you." Ragana waved as the droid sped away. Once it was gone, Starkiller yanked his hand from hers, "Aw… you don't like hand holding. That's not going to win ladies over."
"I don't care." Starkiller grumbled, "We're here on a mission. We are not here to have fun."
"We can have fun while on a mission. Hell, the mission itself is part of the fun." Ragana smirked back.
Starkiller rolled his eyes, "Whatever. We'll do it your way then." He glanced over his shoulder at the group of wealthy citizens surrounding the false Palpatine, "What is your plan anyways, if not simple interrogation?"
"There are other ways to interrogate other than fear and trauma. Some of them are way more fun." Ragana replied, crossing her legs and studying the group for a moment, "No girls with them. That is strange." As she said this, a woman with deathly pale skin emerged from the restrooms and sat down with the group, "Nevermind, that's very interesting."
"Why?"
"Dathomirian." Ragana replied.
Starkiller eyes widened a little bit, "You don't see one of those often anymore."
"Especially this far into the mid-rim." Ragana replied, "Let alone dressed all fancy like that." She furrowed her brow as the droid returned with a bottle of brandy, two glasses, and a glass of water for Starkiller. Ragana smiled as the droid opened the bottle and poured the glasses, "Thank you so much."
"A pleasure to serve you."
The droid sped away. Ragana plucked her glass and drank a small sip. She winced as the alcohol burned against her tongue then down her throat.
"Gah!" She coughed hard, "I wasn't expecting that."
"Never drank before?" Starkiller asked, eyeing his glass warily.
"I don't remember." Ragana smiled back. Starkiller gave her an uncertain look, "No, really, I don't remember. My memories go back oh… a year and a half now, just about. Woke up in Palps' palace without a clue about anything except my name. So you could say I'm relearning about life as I go."
She glanced past Galen at the con-artist again. The charming man stood up and adjusted his suit coat, buttoning it up as he stepped away from the main group. She noticed the Dathomirian eyeing the man carefully as he moved towards the front door, likely on his way to get some fresh air. It was a bit stuffy in the Cantina.
"She's watching him." Starkiller noted, as he kept the glass of brandy close to his lips.
"I noticed." Ragana nodded, "Very curious indeed." She tapped her fingers along her glass of brandy, "Methinks this is not a normal con. What about you?"
Starkiller arched an eyebrow, "Methinks?"
Ragana rolled her eyes, "You're no fun." She gulped down her glass of brandy, "Time to interrogate."
Starkiller moved to get up as she did, but Morgan raised a hand.
"Nope." She smirked, "Con artist is probably going to like me more than grumpy you." She spun her heel, "Enjoy the brandy for me, sweetie. I'm going to get some air."
Ragana could feel Starkiller's aura pulse with both annoyance and confusion as she sauntered towards the door. Pestering him was quickly becoming one of her favorite activities. He certainly was not like the other inquisitors, who merely irritated her with their presence.
The Seventh Sister was nothing more than the Dark Side's angry puppet, incapable of an independent thought that was not based solely on rage or cowardice. The Grand Inquisitor, while effective with his methods, looked down on her despite her clear authority over him. They both regularly ignored her orders, like during the Battle of Naboo when he decided to go after the Jedi instead of moving towards the palace like they all planned on doing. The only reason she had not killed the Pau'an or Mirialan yet was because her Master still had use of them and she did not want to cross her Master that badly. But she had been tempted to more than once. Especially after how they lied to her when she first met them.
A flash of anger shot through her as she recalled those poor prisoners slaughtered for nothing more than pleasure. It was such a waste. Violence could be fun, but unnecessary violence was just wrong and unfulfilling. That was why she was taking this different approach with the con artist. Sure, it would be easy for her to drag him out of the Cantina kicking and screaming. All she would have to do was wave a hand, call in some stormtroopers, and the man would be arrested and brought before her shivering with fear.
But… she couldn't bring herself to do that. Not just for the reasons her Master gave her, although that was at the forefront of her mind. Simply barging in and getting answers out of the Con-artist by force sounded boring to Ragana. A bored Ragana is a grumpy Ragana. Nobody wanted that, least of all herself.
The rain still fell in a light drizzle over Theed as she stepped out of the Cantina. The sun had nearly set, revealing bright stars and Naboo's three moons overhead. A few soft street lamps flickered to life. Their light glinted off of the puddles in the old roads of Theed. Off to the side of the cantina entry stood the con-artist, having a smoke.
So much for my fresh air theory. She thought, yanking on her coat so she could shake droplets of water from it.
She took a deep breath and decided to start her interrogation.
"Hey, I know you." She blurted out, nodding over to the Con-Artist
He was a thin man. Tall and lanky, with black hair slicked back on his head, and sapphire eyes. Ragana took a hard look at him for a moment and nodded to herself.
Yeah, you could pass off as a young Palps. She thought, Then again, I've never seen what he looks like as a young man. Has anyone?
The man gave her a charming smirk, "Well that doesn't surprise me. I've been all over the holonet recently." He brushed some of his hair from his forehead, "A bit of a circus for me, but-"
"Circuses can be fun." Ragana smirked back.
The Con-Artist chuckled, "That they can be. Um… Consinga Palpatine."
"Morgan." She smiled back, letting him take her hand and kiss it, "Such a charmer."
"Well, when one has my lineage, charm comes naturally."
"Does it?" She blinked, "Oh, right, you're related to the Emperor." She laughed sheepishly.
But if you were half as smart as you think you are you would not have gone with Consinga.
"Indeed." He grinned back, "But not just related to him. I am his child."
"Really!?" Ragana said, eyes genuinely widening at the mention of an Emperor's child.
Oh, Master… this is too good.
"Really." Consinga smiled back.
Ragana folded her hands behind her back and allowed a light blush to rush over her cheeks, "So, Consinga, what brings a nobleman such as yourself down here?"
Consinga's charming grin never wavered, "Well," He flicked his smoking device off and stuff it into his breast pocket, "I like being away from all the snobbery and falseness of high society. Down here, you get to see people at their most genuine," His eyes sparkled as he looked at her, "Their most beautiful."
Okay, you're better than I thought.
Ragana uttered a small laugh, "Beautiful? I guess if this is your idea of-"
"Well of course." Consinga interrupted, "What is more beautiful than the normal citizens of the empire? I find them to be far more interesting than the high society folk who only know how to schmooze and-"
"Ass kiss?" Ragana snickered.
That elicited a genuine laugh from 'Consigna', "Yes," He nodded, "Precisely. You are a very smart girl, you know that?"
"So I've been told." She said, creeping a little closer to his side. She shivered as some rainwater misted over her, "It's a little cold out here. Should we head back inside?"
Consigna smiled at her, "If that's what the lady desires." He gestured for her to go in first.
Ragana sauntered back into the cantina, with the Con-man following her. She immediately noticed Starkiller had moved to a seat at the bar. A smart play by him. It drew attention away from them pretending to be a couple and instead made it seem like the Emperor's son had seduced her away. A believable scenario for anyone foolish enough to fall for the Con-man's ruse.
He gestured for her to join him at his table. Several of his entourage scooted to the side as she slid into the booth. Consigna sat down next to her. Ragana again made herself appear like a blushing, stupefied, dumb girl as he flashed her another grin.
Keep thinking you're in control.
"So who are your friends?" She asked.
"Oh well…" She tuned him out a little bit as he rattled off a bunch of names she did not care about. Then he came to the one that actually intrigued her, "... and my pale friend over there; her name is Nenjashe."
"Nenjashe, a pleasure. My name is Morgan." Ragana nodded across at the Dathomirian. The pale woman returned her nod, but Ragana could feel the hesitation that came with it, "Tell me, how does a woman such as yourself wind up in the company of such a dashing man?" She asked, rubbed Consinga's shoulder lightly.
At the same time, she allowed the force to subtly leak out of her and spread throughout the booth. As she reached out, she felt another force presence flicker near her. Ragana's eyes brightened as she realized the Dathomirian woman was force sensitive. Her plan to simply coax answers out of her with the force was shelved. The woman was not weak willed in the least.
But Consinga is.
She refocused her efforts on the con-man, letting her will subtly grab hold of his mind as the Dathomirian opened her mouth to speak.
"Trading." Nenjashe said simply.
Ragana's grip on Consinga's mind tightened, but she pulled back when she noticed him flinch a little bit.
"N-nonsense Nenjashe." Consinga replied, "It's not just trading-"
Let it slip out. Ragana thought, placing the suggestion into his mind.
"I mean, not many traders come from Dathomir, right?"
Nenjashe's eyes narrowed dangerously at the Con-man. Ragana felt him shift nervously beneath the woman's icy gaze.
"Dathomir?" Ragana breathed, looking surprised, "That's like… really far away. Not easy to get away from either, from what I hear."
"Oh you are quite right." Consinga continued as Ragana prodded his mind into opening up, "Dathomir is a world shrouded in mystery and darkness. It's rare to find a Dathomirian beyond its atmosphere. Especially a female."
"Why's that?"
"Well the-"
The Dathomirian woman rose from her seat, "Consinga, I think you might have had too much to drink."
Consinga drew back, "I don't think I have. I'm just enjoying the company of a beautiful woman." He smiled at Morgan then sighed, "But… if you believe it is best for us to leave, then we shall. Morgan, do you wish to accompany me?"
"Consinga-"
"I would love to, Consinga." Ragana smiled, rising with him and stepping out of the booth.
She smirked at Nenjashe's clearly upset visage. Now she knew who was the brains behind this con. If Consinga had any sort of intelligence, he would have made certain to figure out Ragana's intentions as well as learn more about her. Instead, he was deceived by a pretty face.
But why would Nenjashe want to do this?
As the three of them exited the Cantina, Ragana sensed Starkiller following them from a safe distance. The teen kept to the shadows along the road, but his presence allowed Ragana a sense of confidence in her plan. If it went south, then he would come in with his lightsabers ignited. That is the last thing she wanted to have happen, but if necessary, she would allow it.
"So Nenjashe," Ragana glanced over at the grumpy Dathomirian, "What do you trade?"
Oh, that question stumped her. Nenjashe was not prepared for any direct questions. Ragana could sense small amounts of panic and worry forming in the Dathomirian as she scrambled to figure out an answer to Ragana's question. Consinga appeared to be the one with those answers, but he answered to her. And he was not prepared for such a direct question either.
A nice little conspiracy is forming. Ragana thought as she hung onto Consinga's arm, Someone wants to tarnish the Emperor's reputation.
They rounded a corner and entered an alleyway. As they walked, Nenjasha sped up ahead of them then spun around, drawing a blaster and pointing it directly at Ragana.
"Whoa! Nenjashe, what are you doing!?" Consinga cried.
Ragana pretended to be afraid for a moment, allowing Consinga to put himself between the blaster and her.
"She's not who she says she is, Consinga. She is an assassin sent to kill-"
Ragana started to chuckle, "An assassin, really?" Ragana shook her head, folding her arms into her coat as she spoke, "If I was an assassin why would I bother getting close to Consinga? Wouldn't it be easier for me to just… oh I don't know, hit him from afar?"
A red lightsaber whirred through the air, slicing through Nenjashe's hand. The Dathomirian screamed as she crumpled to her knees. Her blaster clattered to the soaked ground as she curled her body around her wound.
"Morgan-"
Consinga stopped talking as Starkiller emerged from the shadows in front of them, one of his blades drawn. His hood rested over his head, concealing his face in deep shadow.
"Looks like my way works better." Starkiller smirked at Ragana.
"On the contrary," Ragana hummed as Consinga froze in next to her, "Your way would have allowed her to escape without me learning that she's the brains behind all of this." She pointed at Nenjashe, "Isn't that right, Consinga?"
Fear washed over the Con-man's face, "I-I have no idea what you are-"
"Oh don't start with that. We can do this the easy, pain free way, or the hard way." Ragana interrupted, "You're not the ill actor in this entire situation, so I'd much rather not hurt you. Tell my friend who the brains behind your scheme is."
Consinga swallowed hard as Starkiller took a menacing step forward.
"She is!" He cried, pointing at Nenjashe, "It was all her idea. She came to me. I was satisfied with pulling simple cons, but she told me that there were a lot of credits for this job." Panic rose in his voice, "I knew I should not have-"
"Very good. Thank you, Consinga." Ragana cut him off, taking a step towards the terrified man and leaning close to his ear, "I would suggest for you to run but…"
The blaster pistol rose from the ground. One blaster bolt shrieked out of it as Ragana used the force to pull the trigger. The bolt slammed into Consinga's chest. A sharp gasp rushed from the imposter's lips. He stumbled back a step, gave Ragana a betrayed look, then fell backwards, dead in the alley.
"That was easy." Ragana shrugged. She spun around, "Now," She took a few steps towards Nenjashe, "I am very, very curious," She crouched in front of the Dathomirian woman, "about you. Tell me what I want to know."
A wad of spit smacked into Ragana's face. Ragana grimaced, reached up, and wiped it away.
"So that's how it is going to be?"
The Dark Side roared around her. Ragana flung Nenjashe across the alley with the force, slamming her against a building so hard that the stones cracked behind her. A sharp cry rushed from Nenjashe's lips as fear filled her eyes.
"Now," Ragana paced up to her, keeping her pinned against the wall with the force. The Dathomirian's legs dangled in the air as she was held aloft, "Normally, I'm kind of a nice, understanding person. I mean, I did not want to kill Consingna, or whatever his name really was. But, my Master told me I had to, and well, you don't disobey the Emperor of the galaxy." The Woman's eyes widened further, "And you certainly don't impersonate his kid. Hell, I didn't even know he had a kid. So," Ragana assaulted the woman's mind, "where did you get that brilliant idea from?"
The Dark Side slammed into the woman's mind like an unwieldy sledgehammer. A ragged gasp came from Nenjashe as she writhed against the wall. Ragana could feel obscene amounts of pain ripping through the woman's mind, and she relished in it for a moment longer as she attacked her thoughts.
A brick wall emerged in the woman's mind, blocking Ragana from going further. Ragana tilted her head, puzzled and curious. She allowed the force to release its grip on Nenjashe, who fell hard onto the stone road below.
"That's… even more interesting." Ragana worked her jaw back and forth, "Starkiller?"
"Yeah?"
"How common are force sensitive Dathomirians?"
Starkiller furrowed his brow, "I'm not sure."
Ragana nodded, "I see. I bet we know someone who does know."
"The Commander?"
"Absolutely." She stooped over a whimpering Nenjashe, "Hear that? You're gonna meet Cody! He's wonderful, really. But you won't be able to enjoy him for long. He does have a ship to run. So sadly for you, I'm going to be your primary… hm… what would you call me, Starkiller?"
"A childish pest."
Ragana narrowed her eyes at him, "I'm gonna let that one slide for now. Eh, whatever, it doesn't matter what you call me. Because, by the time I'm done with you, your mind," Ragana tapped Nenjashe's forehead, "is going to be nothing but mush. Sounds good?"
"Please," Nenjashe pleaded, "Please don't kill me."
"Did I say anything about killing? No, no, no. My Master wanted me to kill him." Ragana gestured back at the Con-man's dead body, "He said nothing about killing accomplices. Although, because you not only threatened me, but spat in my face, you are going to wish I killed you."
Her fist slammed into Nenjashe's temple, knocking her out. Ragana huffed and backed up.
"You can carry her." She told Starkiller as she turned to march back to the spaceport, where her shuttle waited for them.
"Why can't you carry her?" Starkiller grumbled.
"Because I'm a lady, and you are a gentleman." Ragana smirked back.
Starkiller scowled as he watched her tip toe over Consinga's body, then march away from the alley with a hop in her step. A heavy sigh left his lips before he raised his hand and used the force to pull the Dathomirian over to him. He slung her unconscious body over his shoulder and followed Ragana.
"Hurry up, Starkiller! We've got places to be, torturing to do!" She called back.
"I'm coming!" He shouted back. He adjusted Nenjashe over his shoulder, "You kriffing pest."
He cast one glance back at the dead body of the Emperor's "son". The Emperor's propaganda arm will quickly work to discredit any notion of that fool actually being related to the Emperor. There will be an initial panic upon finding Palpatine's "son" murdered in the streets of Theed, but Imperial intelligence will work out the problems with that. Right now, even though he would not admit it, he was curious as to where Ragana was going with this mission. Their only parameters were to find, interrogate, then eliminate the impostor. So why was she so interested in this Dathomirian?
The spaceport loomed in front of both of them. Soon, they made their way to the docking bay where an Imperial Shuttle waited for them. Deathy One waited at the bottom of the ramp. The Deathtrooper snapped to attention as Ragana and Starkiller passed him, then he followed both of them inside. Once in the shuttle, Ragana grabbed a comm link and turned it on.
"Lady Ragana?" Commander Cody answered.
"Cody, prepare a cell. We're going to be having a guest."
"Yes ma'am."
Ragana turned her comm off and sank down into a chair near the cockpit of the shuttle. She glanced over at Starkiller, then her eyes fell on the Dathomirian lying unconscious on the floor.
Starkiller shifted in his seat as he saw her blazing eyes gleam excitedly. The pest was concocting something in that childish mind of hers. Something that made her more excited than a mission, or painting her ship, or even training. But what?"
The shuttle launched from the spaceport. Starkiller glanced out of the window up to the Star Destroyer waiting above Naboo's surface.
Time to find out.
And chapter! A little Morgan side story time! She is going to have an extremely big role to play in the next major arc of this story, so I need to develop her and her fall a little more. Honestly, she is way too much fun to write. Such an erratic character is far outside what most of the characters in this story are like, so it makes it both a challenge and a thrill to do. I am pulling from legends material for this story. So for those of you theorizing about what might be going on, there's your little hint. We'll have one more chapter of this small side story before we either go to our Falcon crew or back to the Shepherds, we'll see what happens. Anyone who can guess what's coming gets a prize.
Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it! Have a nice day!
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