Chapter 45 – Powerless to Resist

Corso stepped forward, moving in front of Vacy. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

The sith's mouth pulled down in a delicate pout. "Tsk, tsk," she chided, walking up to him. "What a shame. Such a handsome man," she said, reaching up and running one black-clawed finger along his jawline. "And no manners. We haven't even been properly introduced." She stepped back, a predatory smile pulling at her lips. "My name is Vaverone Zare. I'm interested in discussing a business matter with Diago Hixan, but it's proving difficult to obtain an appointment, and I have important matters to attend to."

Vacy stepped out from behind Corso, eyeing the new arrival suspiciously. She glanced past her to the sandstorm that still raged outside the cave, then back to the woman who stood before them, unscathed. "What does that have to do with us?"

"Diago has something I want." The sith folded her arms, her eyes narrowing as she stared back at the spacer. "I understand that gives us something in common."

"We ain't got anything in common with you." Corso's voice was low and dark, and Vacy glanced at him thoughtfully, rather surprised. It wasn't like him to be so nigh-openly hostile to someone he'd just met.

She turned to Zare. "I don't get it. If we're after the same thing, why're you here? To warn us to back off?" She shook her head slowly, brows pulled together in confusion. "That's… uhm… very thoughtful of you."

Zare let out a soft, melodious laugh that also managed to be threatening, which Vacy found quite impressive. "The object I seek would be of no interest to you. It is an artifact of great power, but one must be able to draw on the Force in order to use it, and so it would be of no use to lesser beings."

Okay, so she's definitely a Sith. Vacy clenched her jaw, forcing her expression to stay (mostly) neutral. "Let's say I could get it for you. What's in this for me?"

Corso looked at her in shock. "Captain!" His voice was a furious hiss, as though whispering would somehow obscure what he said from the woman who stood right before them. "She's a Sith!"

Vacy lifted her shoulders as though she didn't care. "Hey, I remember somebody telling me that it was important to be nice to ladies. 'Even the bad ones,' wasn't it?"

His mouth dropped open in silent shock, and then he began sputtering, trying to find something to say. "Yeah… but… I mean… she's Sith!"

She turned to him and put her free hand on her hip. "What, so we should just kill her outright?" Not that I'm sure we could, but let's leave that thought alone for now. She shook her head slowly with a dramatic sigh of disappointment. "Riggs. Really. Where's your sense of decency?"

That silenced him completely as he stared at her in disbelief. Zare laughed again. "All I ask is that you arrange a meeting for me with Diago. Do that, and I promise, you'll be well-compensated." She paused, looking Vacy over for a few moments, and her smile was slow and inviting as she stepped closer, her voice dropping to a sultry murmur. "I wouldn't mind rewarding you in other ways as well, Captain," she purred. "I've never had a mirialan before. Just think of that - you'd be the only member of your species who experienced me as something beyond a master."

But when Vacy pressed Flashy's barrel against the woman's midsection, the Sith actually froze for a moment. Vacy smiled thinly. "You know, if you want people to help you? Oughta try not bein' a condescending bitch. Up to that point, I was actually okay with you. Now? Well, now you can go shove your saber hilt up your tight ass. Because I'd rather bathe with a hutt than help you."

Zare's eyes widened in shock and fury, and Vacy abruptly remembered that Sith drew power from fear and anger… which would make pissing one off an incredibly stupid move. Me and my gorram big mouth.

But a moment later, Zare merely smiled. That didn't make Vacy feel any better. "Oh, you have a gun," she said. "How droll." And with a flick of her hand, Flashy was wrenched from Vacy's grasp and dashed against the opposite cavern wall. Corso's rifle was yanked away as well, landing on the ground next to Flashy. He shouldered in front of her again, protecting her as best he could.

Zare's eyes narrowed as she locked her gaze with Vacy. "You will not defy me in this, wretch!" she hissed, lifting one hand. "You want to beg for mercy. You want to kneel before your master."

It was pointless to resist. None of it mattered, anyway; Zare would simply kill them and find another who could fulfill her commands. Obedience was what made sense. Vacy blinked, pushing back at the fog of thoughts that didn't belong to her, recalling the directions she'd been given by her friend Bell'aria, a Jedi. Focus. Clarity. She tilted her chin up and scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Surprise flickered across the Sith's face, but she recovered quickly. "Strong minded. Very well." She glanced at Corso, who'd wrapped an arm around Vacy when she'd gone still. "You." He glared at her silently, jaw set. Zare lifted her hand again. "You want to kill your Captain."

Vacy rolled her eyes. "Again? Honestly, he's even more stubborn than -" She felt his arm drop from her shoulders and glanced up. His expression was blank and still, but it was the emptiness in his eyes that chilled her to her core. "Riggs?" Surely it wouldn't work on him. Couldn't work on him. He was always so solid. But for some reason her mouth felt dry. "Cor?" she whispered.

He finally turned toward her, but his gaze was a bottomless void. "I want to kill you, Captain," he echoed.

Vacy stared at him — the one person she trusted more than any other — in shock and horror. She tried for a smile, but it was weak and wobbly. "C'mon, Riggs," she said, shoving at him a bit. "Snap out of it, okay?"

Without the slightest change to his expression, he turned from her and shuffled woodenly across the cavern toward where Sergeant Boom-Boom, his rifle, lay on the ground.

Move or you die! Vacy realized that pulling Sparkles out of her boot would be a futile gesture. There was no way she would be able to shoot Corso, even in a situation as dire as this. She darted over and scrambled between him and the gun, whirling to face him, and put one gentle hand on his shoulder. "Please, Cor, don't do this. Listen to me."

But he simply leaned down and reached past her, not seeming to hear her at all.

Trapped between him and the cavern wall, she did the only thing she could think of — she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her mouth to his in a desperate kiss. Hey, it worked back on Coruscant… of course, he wasn't actually being mind-controlled in that case.

For a moment he was still, and then an armored hand clamped on her shoulder, pushing her away. She stumbled back, terrified but resigned, and closed her eyes. It was better that way.

"Vee?" When she looked up, slowly, she saw confusion mingled with concern in his eyes as he looked at her. Not through her — at her. "Is.. what…" He shook his head, as though to clear it. "Are you all right?"

She gasped out a sob of relief, resting her head against his chestplate. "Yeah," she said, finally.

"Oh, my," came the voice of Vaverone Zare, and Vacy cringed against Corso. His arm folded around her, pulling her close. "How very enlightening." The Sith smiled as she watched the pair of spacers.

Corso took a breath, gazing directly at Zare. "We ain't gonna help you," he said, his jaw set. Vacy was impressed with how steady his voice was. "So you can jist be on your way."

"Foolish man," she replied calmly. With a casual wave of one hand, he was lifted into the air, clutching at his throat, his feet scrabbling uselessly as he writhed in agony. "Perhaps your partner will be more accommodating."

His eyes widened in horror. "Vacy! No-" But whatever he had been going to say was cut off as Zare clenched her hand. Corso gave one last strangled cough before falling silent, his face darkening as he continued to struggle.

Zare watched him thrash about desperately, her breath coming faster, chest heaving, then turned to Vacy with a terrifying smile. "I don't need you both, you know. How much is his life worth to you?" she whispered, her eyes alight with dark glee.

Corso's eyes pleaded with her, and she found she couldn't look away from him. He was still kicking, slightly, but much slower now. Everything, her mind answered, but she was somehow frozen, as though it was some sort of horrid dream.

Zare's smile broadened as she observed the emotions that flickered across Vacy's expression. She licked her lips. "I'm going to count to five," she said. "But to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't guarantee the well-being of your… friend… if you let me get much past three."

"I'll do it." Vacy wondered how Corso had managed to say anything, given that he was barely moving any longer, but then she realized that the voice had been her own.

Zare regarded her thoughtfully for a few seconds, and then she lifted one shoulder. "I'm not sure I believe you," she said, letting Corso dangle in the air. "Kneel. Kneel and beg for his life."

Without the slightest hesitation, Vacy's knees hit the cavern floor. She was still watching Corso, who now hung limp. "Please," she murmured woodenly. "Please stop hurting him. I'll do anything you want, just please let him go."

"Very well." Corso's body dropped to the ground in a motionless heap. Vacy gave a cry and scrambled over toward her partner as Zare continued, "Don't waste my time; I'll contact you in a day." She turned and walked back out into the storm and disappeared into the wind and the sand.

But Vacy didn't even notice. She had already dumped everything out of her Darmas-bag and snapped a revitastik under Corso's nose, promising him that it was going to be fine, that everything would be all right if only he would just wake up.

Author's Note: More changes here!

Zare shows up after you beat up the thugs who've taken the McGuffin that lets you contact Diago, rather than just kind of randomly later on. Additionally she actually notices that you have said McGuffin, but rather than taking it from you, she just asks you to set up a meeting with Diago for her. It flows well but when you think it over, it really makes no freaking sense.

In my interpretation of her, she's the equivalent of a Jedi knight; I'm not sure what title Sith apprentices are awarded after they complete their apprenticeship. Additionally, maybe it's because the trailer has been all over the place this summer, but I'm kind of feeling a 'Maleficent' vibe from her. I'm something of a traditionalist, though, so it's based on Disney's Sleeping Beauty rather than the new movie with Angelina Jolie (though it looks like she does a lovely job).

Along those lines, Zare doesn't try the mind trick until the second time she meets the smuggler. But I like her as a character — she is incredibly arrogant, but she's just so classy about it! I wanted her to have her own scene, so I pulled some of her elements from the group scenes she's in and put them into this one.