Twenty
Fury-class starship Fata Morgana
14 ATC
It occurred to Nox that she had left the holocommunicator with Intelligence for analysis and then never gone and picked it up. Well, it was too late for that now; she had already taken her ship out of Dromund Kaas' gravity well and made the jump to hyperspace towards Tatooine.
It had taken considerable wheedling and cajoling to convince Ravage that making the trip on her ship would be the least conspicuous option, and when he'd finally agreed, she hadn't wanted to waste any time in case he changed his mind. That, and persuading him to go along with the whole thing in the first place, had required so much effort that it was little wonder she'd forgotten about Intelligence.
A small part of her was worried. She hadn't had time to sneak into the Intelligence archives and delete the evidence. She could only hope that Seeker would not think to look.
That matter would have to wait until she returned. With the Fata Morgana in hyperspace, there was nothing more for her to do on the bridge. She made her way out into the ship's main area to check on her guest.
Ravage had settled himself in the middle of the floor near the holoterminal, kneeling in a meditative posture. His eyes were closed, though Nox suspected that only made him more aware of where she was and what she was doing. The Force was more discerning than any physical sense.
She strolled over and draped herself in the nearest chair. Dromund Kaas to Tatooine was not a short trip, and if he thought he could go the entire time without having to talk to her, he was very much mistaken.
"Ravage," she said, trying not to sound too delighted at the prospect of having him at her conversational mercy.
He didn't open his eyes, but the frown lines etched across his face immediately deepened. "What."
"I'm curious," Nox said contemplatively.
"Wonderful," Ravage sighed.
"No, really, I am. Why Ravage? I don't see many Sith out there who just append Basic words to their Darth title."
Another sigh, much more irritated than the last. "I didn't pick it."
"Well, I didn't pick my name either, but fortunately Marr seems to have good taste." There was more to it than that, of course; she had felt Marr reach out into the Force, asking, and the dark side had given him an answer.
Darth Nox was more than just a name. It was who she was.
"So," she said after a moment, "Why Ravage?"
He opened his eyes and glared at her. "Why do you think?"
"Well," Nox said thoughtfully, "It seems to me that someone wanted you to be feared, to be seen as someone with a great capacity for destruction—which you are, so good on them. It's just so terribly unsubtle."
"Yes," Ravage remarked blandly. "It is."
"I can't help but think that had to be deliberate."
"It was."
Nox raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"
"No."
"A very final answer. I see."
Ravage continued to glare in her direction. "Is there a point to this, or are you simply trying to annoy me?"
"It's a long flight. I'm trying to keep myself entertained."
"And your idea of entertainment is pestering me. Somehow, I'm not surprised."
"Would you rather sit there and brood the entire time?"
Ravage snickered. "I don't brood, Nox."
"What were you doing when I came over here, then?"
"I was meditating. Scanning for threats."
"Looked an awful lot like brooding to me," Nox said dubiously.
Ravage smiled faintly. "Brooding is for young men who don't have the strength to do what's necessary. I lost my capacity for self-pity long ago."
"I see," Nox said, although she wasn't sure she did. "Is this leading into a discussion of body count?"
"Hardly. It's about quality over quantity. Even you must realize that."
"I realize a great deal more than you know."
"Yes, that reminds me," Ravage mused. "Since it seems we have nothing to do but ask each other unwanted personal questions, perhaps I ought to address the veil of mystery surrounding you."
"I'm not sure I'd consider asking about your name a personal question, unwanted or otherwise."
He ignored her. "At first glance, you appear to be simply yet another example of clawing your way from humble origins to the top of the pecking order. A slave who became Sith who became a very important Sith."
"That's me," Nox said cheerfully. "Making up for my misspent youth, one Council meeting at a time."
"I don't believe you."
Nox gave him a puzzled look. "What is there to disbelieve? My history is all very well-documented."
"Don't insult my intelligence," Ravage said scornfully. "My history is well-documented. I've spent my entire life in the public eye. You, on the other hand, emerged seemingly from nowhere. There is no record of your existence prior to eight years ago, when you were supposedly first brought to the Empire."
Nox maintained her polite expression even as a chill ran through her. She had been so worried about Seeker figuring things out, it had never even occurred to her that other Sith might have made more than cursory inquiries.
She had to maintain her cool. "You actually went to that much trouble to learn about me?" She fluttered her eyelashes. "I'm flattered."
"Don't think it makes you special. I keep tabs on all the Council. It does make me curious, though."
"That's nice."
"If you're trying to distract me from making my point, you're doing a very poor job."
"Distract you? Why would I be trying to distract you? I'm very intrigued to hear what wild theories you've cooked up." That wasn't even a lie.
Ravage shook his head. "You've clearly been very well-educated, although no one apparently bothered to teach you proper military strategy—"
"You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"—and you know your way around Imperial politics far better than most. Your ability to talk almost anyone into almost anything suggests considerable training in rhetoric and psychology, as well."
"I read a lot," Nox demurred.
"That's a miserable excuse, and you know it."
"How is that miserable? I really do read a lot!"
"Two years of reading is not nearly enough to give someone the skills I know you possess."
"Why, Ravage," Nox said slyly, "I believe you just gave me a compliment."
"I am perfectly capable of acknowledging the strengths of someone I personally dislike," he retorted. "It is not a reflection of my opinion of them in any way."
"And here I thought I was starting to grow on you."
"There is a line between 'liking' and 'tolerable for business purposes,' and you are so far away from it I can't even see you."
"You can't see me? Perhaps you need to get your cybernetics recalibrated."
"That's not what they do. Also, they're specially made to be resistant to electrical discharges." Ravage eyed her meaningfully. "For your future reference."
"Of course they are. I wouldn't expect even you to be that stupid." Nox silently rejoiced; she appeared to have successfully distracted him.
"Why, Nox, I believe you just gave me a compliment."
She laughed. "I only said you were somewhere above the lowest possible bar of stupidity. If you want to take that as a compliment, go right ahead."
Ravage glared at her and said nothing.
"You know," Nox said after thinking for a moment, "There is something I've been wondering about."
"Is it time for the personal questions again? Wonderful."
"You see, there's a Sith who works for me, Siada Ilaes, who's told me some very interesting things about you."
Ravage's mouth twisted as if he'd just tasted something unpleasant. "Siada is a lying, grasping, twisted excuse for a being with more ambition than half the Sith on Dromund Kaas and neither the power nor the brains to back it up. If you voluntarily spent more than a few seconds in her presence, you must be a masochist. I applaud your fortitude and patience."
He never does mince words, does he? "My, my," Nox said. "I detect the presence of some resentment."
"I'm sure you do," Ravage said darkly. "And I'm sure you're just dying to regale me with all the sordid notions she put into your head, so get on with it."
"Actually, I'm more interested in why, if you hate Siada so much, you took her son as one of your apprentices."
Ravage's expression turned grim. "Ah. It's this discussion."
"It seems very noble of you to put aside your personal feelings and give the young man the opportunity."
"I made him work for it."
"Of course you did," Nox murmured. "I've seen Tevreth around the Citadel. He has such an air of determination." She let her smile turn sultry. "I admire that in a man."
Ravage waved a hand. "If you're hinting at what I think you're hinting at, by all means, don't let me stop you. It would probably do him some good."
Nox arched an eyebrow with calculated skepticism. "It won't bother you if I sleep with your son?"
Ravage twitched almost imperceptibly. "Why should it?"
"Aren't I the enemy?"
"Tevreth is smart enough not to be too taken in by your wiles. And he could use some motivation." Ravage frowned in disappointment. "He's twenty-five. I was already a Lord at that age. I suspect he's a lost cause."
Nox contemplated not saying the next thought that came into her mind, then went ahead anyway. "If this is what your relationship with your father was like, that explains a great deal about your disposition."
To her surprise, Ravage was silent for a long moment.
"Sith and families are not a good combination, despite all our emphasis on pure blood," he said finally.
"That's news to absolutely no one."
"You're not from a Sith family. You wouldn't get it."
"I mean, I technically am, being descended from Aloysius Kallig and all," Nox pointed out.
"Are you really? I always thought you made that up to give yourself legitimacy."
"I did not! I have Kallig's own lightsaber right here." She patted the double-bladed hilt where it rested on her belt.
"You could have stolen that."
"Doubtful," Nox said wryly, remembering the trouble she'd gone to in order to retrieve the lightsaber. "But if you still don't believe me, when we get back to Dromund Kaas, we can take a trip to the Dark Temple and I'll introduce you to dear Aloysius. He's very chatty for a Force ghost."
"So there are Force ghosts out in the jungle," Ravage said, clearly intrigued.
"Well…there aren't as many as there used to be. But yes." Nox checked the box in the back of her mind where she kept her spectral power sources. They were all still there, still very unhappy, and still inexorably bound to her forever.
Delightful.
"I remember your little display when you fought Thanaton," Ravage said. "Those were actual ghosts?"
"Oh, yes. Not all of them from Dromund Kaas—I went on a bit of a collecting spree." There was no point in being deceptive. Forcewalking was such a rare and obscure ability that it didn't matter what she told him, anyway.
"So if I were to stab you right now, would you die?" Ravage asked curiously.
Nox frowned. "If I said no, would you do it?"
"Not when you were expecting it, no."
"How very dishonorable."
"I've never made any pretense of being otherwise."
"Right, you're Darth 'Murder has no rules.' How silly of me to forget."
Ravage sighed heavily. "I just had this argument with Mortis last week. Do we have to go over it again?"
"No, not at all," Nox assured him. "I've heard all your points many times." In fact, she tended to agree, but she'd never admit that to his face.
"Good."
"So, what did you think of Rictus' latest proposal?" Council gossip would be a safe topic for the next few hours.
"Fifteen years on the Council, and that was one of the most absurd things I've ever heard. Does he really think that…"
Nox settled herself into her chair and decided to time how long it would take, uninterrupted, for Ravage to stop ranting.
