"Chief Daala, Chief Bwua'tu is here to see you," the voice of Daala's secretary said over the intercom. "He's not scheduled."
"Send him in anyway," Daala replied after a thoughtful moment.
Seconds later, the Galactic Alliance's Chief of Naval Operations Nek Bwua'tu walked into the office and said formally, "Good afternoon, Chief Daala. May I please have a seat?"
"By all means," Daala said, mimicking his formal tone. Once Bwua'tu was seated, she asked, "Now what can I do for you, Nek?"
Bwua'tu then held up a datapad and slid it across Daala's desk. "I want a little elaboration on these fleet movements you've been making me assign. You see, when I took a little once-over at them, I couldn't help but notice that you're having me divert several dozen Star Destroyers at all of these strategically-"
"Cut to the chase, Nek."
Bwua'tu composed himself before he said, "I just wanted to know if you actually intend on starting a war with the Hapes Consortium."
Daala allowed a tense moment to pass before she asked, "And if I am?"
Bwua'tu sighed. "Natasi, I know how much you want to kill the Jedi. But they pose no threat to you since they fled from your jurisdiction. And going to war with the Consortium isn't going to help the GA in any way I see."
"I deal with the politics, Nek," Daala replied evenly. "You're the one in charge of ordering my Navy if we go to war."
"You mean when we go to war."
Daala gave him a slight scowl. "Nek, I don't think I need to remind you of your vow of krevi to the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. You stood by Darth Caedus when he was running this government like the tyrant he was and waging that pointless war with, well, basically everyone who was important in the galaxy. We only need to focus on the Consortium while the Mandalorians deal with the Imperial Remnant, and I don't think the Confederation will care all that much. So you let me worry about what's going to help the GA while you do your duty, whether it's on the front lines or consulting with a bunch of admirals and generals on fleet tactics."
Bwua'tu was silent for a moment before he finally stood up and said, "Very well; by my vow of krevi, which sees that I put my loyalty to the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances over myself and even over my own species, I will do as you ask for as long as you are Chief of State of this government, Chief Daala."
"Good," Daala said. "Will that be all, Nek?"
"It will."
"Then you're dismissed."
. . .
"Try anything stupid," Jacen said to the Sith, "and you're dead." The Jedi patted the lightsaber at his own belt as a wordless reminder that his caged "friend" was presently lacking a physical weapon of his own.
Jacen then deactivated the Force cage and let the Sith out. The freed prisoner regarded his Jedi captor warily before he asked, "So why did you...?"
He trailed off as he began looking around the quarters with a fearful expression. The Sith then raised his hands up to his face before regarding the rest of his body in horror.
"What's going on?!" he cried out. "What are you doing to me?!" He then began to pat away all across his body at invisible—and nonexistent—threats to his life.
What the Sith was going through right now was an intense episode of hallucinations involving insects, arachnids, and all other manner of creepy-crawlies that were generally considered unpleasant by many beings' standards. This was an effect of the Kathol Rift, where Jacen had learned the teleportation technique and flow-walking from the Aing-Tii monk Tadar'Ro. The hallucinatory effect that people who traveled here would endure was amplified when one was Force-sensitive.
It wasn't that Jacen wasn't experiencing any hallucinations himself; he was. Only he learned to ignore the hallucinations and let them play out, knowing that they wouldn't hurt him unless his mind let them hurt him.
That was definitely not something he was ever going to let this Sith, or any other, know about.
"I won't tell you," Jacen said, "but I can make them all go away as soon as you tell me where my cousin is."
"I can't do that!" the Sith responded even as he continued to swat and pat away at every part of his body that he could reach. "The Grand Lord could personally kill me for that!"
"Grand Lord Vol, right? Yeah, don't think I forgot that little bit of info from Andalia. But if you tell me where Ben is, I can personally guarantee that neither him nor any of your Masters will find out that you told me; I'll be gracious enough to tell them that it was through some detective work that had nothing to do with you."
"Okay, okay! I'll tell you where your cousin is! He's on a world called Ziost; that's all I know."
"Ziost, huh? That's where Vestara Khai is, too?"
"Yes, yes, that's where she is, too! Now stop this right now!"
"No, I don't think I will," Jacen replied simply.
"What?!" the Sith exclaimed.
"I can sense through your fear that you're still lying. And just for that, I'm gonna add more bugs and arachnids to the mix. I've always been good with animals, you know." Jacen then lifted a hand toward his prisoner and managed to take hold of his own hallucinations through the Force so that they would be added to the Sith's delusions..
The dark sider's screams increased with intensity and his actions became even more frantic to the point that he fell to the deck, rolling around like an idiot; Jacen thought he actually started to cry like a little girl, so he had to stifle his own laughter.
"Kesh! Our homeworld is Kesh! That's where they are! I forgot the exact coordinates, I swear, but that's the name! Now, please, oh, please, make it stop!"
"Get back into that cage and I'll make them all go away," Jacen demanded.
The Sith hurried back to the cage as if it were sanctuary from torrential rainfall and Jacen reactivated it instantly.
"It's gonna take a few minutes," Jacen said, "but trust me, they'll be gone soon." He then left the quarters at a leisurely pace to return to the Jade Shadow's cockpit.