Chapter Twenty
Lom Pyke was following through his usual routine of drinking a glass of wine when his comlink beeped furiously, demanding his attention away from his thoughts. Who or what could possibly be desiring to bother me right now? he asked himself, annoyed that he was bothered this late at night. He was still outlying his part in the assault plans that Darth Maul had revealed to him, which included attacking banks and major food supply areas, when this bother came. "Your Highness, a Jedi by the name of Anakin Skywalker is demanding access into your facilities.
"We have attempted to turn him away but he has begun destroying our soldiers and is currently headed for you in a heated rampage," a Kuat-designed commander unit told him in its transmission. A heated rampage? That is unlike a Jedi Knight to be coming to the place of an unarmed man in anger Pyke thought. Then he remembered that Asajj had reported killing a Togruta Jedi Padawan named Ahsoka Tano.
When that thought came across his mind, it occurred to him that Ahsoka just might have been Skywalker's Padawan before her untimely demise. And since Anakin was known for sometimes letting his emotions get the better of him, Lom knew he was in danger. "Do what you can to stall him for as long as you can, I want to have a little surprise ready for him by the time he arrives to my quarters. However, regardless of what happens, know that you droids have played your part well and without fail as I hoped you would," Lom said and meaning it too.
Ever since he first got them, the Kuat-designed droid soldiers had been nothing short of impressive even compared to the Separatist soldiers. They'll never hold against a Jedi forever but with their numbers, they could stall him until I'm ready for him to come in. Before he destroys me, Skywalker will know the fury of a man defending his homestead from intruders Lom vowed. Unlocking a few combination pads, he pressed codes that would ready his room for the incoming wrath of the Jedi Knight who, powerful as he was, had tunnel vision even when compared to his peers.
The blades hanging on strings in the ceiling were ready for dropping at any time, the lasers on the walls were ready to slice through flesh when Anakin came through the door. But his favorite one, the hidden turrets in his desk which opened up to reveal them to a guest, were ready to blast him down fast. All he had to do now was sit and wait for Skywalker to make his way through the droids sent to defend the fortress and die upon encountering one of the traps. The Jedi have bothered me once too often to avoid paying a price for further intrusion of my daily operations! Lom thought with a snarl.
Vizsla had to admit that the pleasure house was pretty nice considering that it was underwater. He didn't like the idea of it being attacked and floodwaters wiping them out should the windows be shattered. But Lom had already assured him that twenty-six megaton blast doors reinforced in the event of damage and ray shields protected the windows during a security breach such as an army invading. With that said and a few days passing since they first arrived, Vizsla allowed himself to feel comfortable and secure, something he hadn't felt since he was officially Governor of Concordia.
That still left him with just one minor detail to take care of: sorting out the details of what had happened between him and Bo-Katan back on Zanbar. Ever since they had sex that night, she had been more comfortable being around him though she made sure to keep this secret when around other people. Maul sneered at Vizsla whenever the two of them passed by each other, indicating that he knew about his relationship with Bo, their measures to prevent it notwithstanding. Savage would always pass by without actually looking at either one of them and Xizor chuckled whenever he caught the two lovers.
Guess nothing's going to be secret in this organization very long, no matter how much any of us may like it otherwise Vizsla said. He had accepted Bo's suggestion that they not go public with their feelings but would unleashed the full depth of them in private whenever possible. Luckily, they had managed to pull that off just fine and had made love many times since that very first time on Zanbar. And now, as he looked out a window that exposed him to an excellent view of Mon Calamari and the life in it, it seemed she had a similar idea to him as she also approached the window and looked out.
However, unlike how she normally was, he noticed she had not taken to wearing her armor as much and instead, she was wearing a white toga with gold linings and brooches near the shoulders. "Do you like it, sir?" she asked when she caught him staring at her in it. "Oh yeah sure, but you know that's not what I like most about you, right?" he asked. She nodded, having figured out what he did like most after he confessed his feelings for her.
"Enjoying the view?" she asked as she followed his lead in gazing out the window. "It's fine, a lot of creatures stirring right about now and I don't have a name for any of them. If we had been on Concordia or even Mandalore, I could tell you the names of the flora and fauna for hours on end," he admitted. "This is a nice change from being on places like Concordia or even Corlac," she agreed, nodding.
"Do you feel ready to take back Mandalore for Death Watch and the ancient warrior ways?" he inquired. He knew she was loyal and would follow him to the end but if he began to lax in his goals, so would she. "You know I am as ready as you are to take charge of Mandalore and give it back to those honorable days of our people," she replied. "A good answer, my dear, a very good answer indeed," he said with a smile.
"Do you say because you're afraid of something?" she asked. "Me, afraid? No, I just have to wonder: Maul knows of us and I wonder if he'll use that against me when Mandalore is finally ours. Sure we might have done a similar thing to him had the situation been reversed but he is a more loose cannon than we are," he answered.
"Don't be afraid my love, I will never bow to an outsider of Mandalorian culture and society. You have my word on that account," she said as she caressed his cheek with one hand. He grabbed that hand, wanting to keep its warmth on his face for a moment longer, then he kissed her. She smiled when their lips parted and asked if he wanted to have fun later tonight.
"I probably should go talk with Maul and Savage, make sure the battle plans are clear in my head when Lom Pyke finally gets back. Soon as he decides whether he can come or not, we'll get going," Vizsla answered. "After that then?" she asked, winking. "I'll see what I can do but I definitely do want to," he answered, smiling in appreciation.
She kissed him on the cheek and in return, he gave her a light tap on her buttocks which seemed to excite her all the more. With thoughts of love in mind, he hadn't prepared for Xizor stating that there was a problem. "What problem could there be? The plan is flawless, is it not?" Vizsla asked.
"Were it not for the fact that we weren't counting on the Jedi attacking Pyke's fort on Coruscant, yes. Specifically a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker, who as you may know, is an associate of Kenobi," Xizor answered. Has Kenobi caught onto us or is Skywalker acting without any knowledge? Vizsla asked, frightened for what that could imply. "When did he make us aware of this?" he asked aloud.
"Oh, he just sent us an emergency transmission, barely more than a standard hour ago or so. I get the feeling he won't be surviving Skywalker's rampage at least without losing many of his Coruscanti assets," the Falleen answered. Can't imagine why not Vizsla noted mentally. Both of them decided to go and alert Maul and Savage about this, the likelihood they knew this being very low.
Lom was immensely surprised by the rage that drove Anakin Skywalker to cut down his Kuat droids and arrive ever closer to his room of operations. The boy has no class when he's hacking down droids, it's a wonder he's last this long in the war Pyke thought, hating every moment of this. Then it happened: Skywalker's lightsaber plunged into the door and Pyke knew it was only a matter of time before Anakin cut through and the traps needed to be activated. He made sure his finger was on the button of the first one, ready to destroy the boy at any moment and without pause.
When the boy cut out the circle in the door, he stopped after climbing through it and glared Lom down. "You think you can scare me with a mere glare and an ignited lightsaber laddie? I have lived two hundred lives and I have faced much worse than you!" Pyke shouted before pressing the glowing button. Anakin somehow figured out a means to escape because he raised his lightsaber, ducked his body beneath and above the lasers where he needed to.
Smiling, Pyke pressed the button that would get the blades released from the ceiling hold and watched as they fell. His smile faded when they missed the Jedi, who managed to dodge a couple and use the Force to stop some others that would have sliced him in two. "You're hardly any fun Skywalker but not to worry, I have just one more trick that should drive you out of my home," Pyke said, childlike. He moved to press the button when suddenly he felt a pressure on his neck as though Skywalker had grabbed him when he didn't.
"Not another move until you start talking about why you caused those riots!" Anakin shouted, his Force Choke use growing more prevalent by the second. "Torture me, kill me if you like but I'll never talk: I'm protected by a greater power, after all," he said between forced breaths. Skywalker looked puzzled by that comment and expressed as much when he demanded to know what Pyke was talking about. That was before he made the mistake of letting go of Pyke's neck so that he could talk better.
Then Pyke pressed the button too quickly for the Jedi to stop him and he watched as his desk opened on one side to reveal a dozen chain guns. Each of these weapons were specifically designed to fire a thousand rounds per standard minute, more than enough shots to finish the Knight off. But Anakin surprised him even further when he deflected all of the lasers with the Force rather than his lightsaber. While holding them off with one hand, he used his lightsaber to disable each and every single one of the chain guns which then stopped firing rounds due to permanent deactivation.
"I've had enough of your trickery, tell me why who or what is this higher power you mention and why you created the riots?" Anakin demanded, his voice booming. "I don't have to report anything to you, moron! And besides, do you have any idea how much each of those droids would normally cost me were not for the deal I struck? More than enough to bankrupt your precious Jedi Order, that's how much!" Pyke shouted, unafraid of the supposed Chosen One's prowess in the Force.
More Kuat droids came in and while Anakin managed to destroy them with relative ease, Pyke used the distraction to withdraw a hidden pistol. The Jedi Knight turned just in time to see Pyke aiming to shoot him in the head though he deflected the lasers with the ease of his lightsaber. Unfortunately, he also used his proficiency to reflect one that hit Pyke in the gut, a fatal shot for his species. Serves you damned right, greedy scum Anakin thought but didn't say.
As Pyke fell, Skywalker rushed over and caught his head just before it hit the hard marble floor beneath their feet. "Alright now, death is pretty close for you, spice dealer. Does it feel bad enough for you to start talking?" he asked. "Hardly, I nearly died halfway into my existence and it felt exactly like this," Pyke answered.
Though the Jedi guessed it was through the same means, he didn't say as much in the hope that it wouldn't discourage his victim from talking. "Who or what is this higher power and why did they have you start the riot? My Padawan is dead because of a mercenary you paid named Asajj Ventress," he pressed. "Ah so that was your Padawan," Pyke coughed, death circling him now.
"Yes and I need to know who wanted you to do what led to her death," Anakin replied, nodding. "A new force is rising, one that will consume the Republic and the Separatists and spit what remains back out for its dominion of the galaxy. You will never be victorious, the Day of the Red Sun approaches, there will be blood before the end and my master will be victorious," Pyke said, senseless. "Calm down pal, I just need a name before you depart this universe for the next," Anakin retorted.
"Hail... the warrior of red and black... hail his brother. Their conquest will begin soon... you're all going to die more violently than I have," Pyke shouted. Then he exhaled for the final time and his body fell out of the Jedi Knight's arms, purple blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. Anakin rose up, regretting that he had killed the Pyke now that his anger simmered and died with the man.
As criminal has deeds had been and as much as he deserved to die especially after living so long, Anakin was unsettled by the reference to a warrior in red and black who had a brother. What was he going to tell Obi-Wan when he would inevitably ask him about what he found? This meant that his old enemy, Darth Maul, had survived the crash on Florumm along with his brother Savage. Their worst fears, regardless of whether or not it was a personal matter for Obi-Wan were confirmed.
But what would the Council say? Surely they would believe that Pyke was just babbling nonsense as he lied dying but to Anakin, he appeared very cohesive when he spoke. By the Force, what I am wondering is how Maul survived and how Pyke heard of him. Could it be possible that Maul went to him immediately after the Florumm incident and got patched up? Anakin thought to himself.
Then he considered a report he had heard shortly after Florumm that Polis Massa, a medical center in the Outer Rim and not far from Florumm, had been mysteriously attacked. Could that have been them and if so, why would they attack a medical center when they themselves needed help? Unless the asteroid didn't have what they needed and they decided to head somewhere else instead which would make sense. But even going on that theory, where would they go and more importantly, how did they convince the medics residing in that place to help them?
Maul surveyed the damage of the Pyke residence on Coruscant, where Lom had last been. While he honestly had agreed that the plan they had for conquering Mandalore had been nearly flawless, he hadn't counted on this one being one of the few flaws. Lom's death would be a setback unless they acted quickly and without any hesitation on the part of the participants. "Xizor, who would be the best ally to consolidate with after Pyke and Black Sun?" Maul asked.
At first, Xizor could not answer that as he had to shuffle through the list on the datapad he had before him. Then he found it and told Maul who it would be: the Council of the Hutts on Nal Hutta themselves. "Those slugs are our next priority?" Maul asked, surprised he would have to speak with them. "Yes but fortunately, Pyke secured reservations for travel to Nal Hutta under his name before he died which you could exploit for yourself," Xizor replied.
I think I will do that Maul thought to himself. "Now Maul, I hate to not be in on the conquest of Mandalore, I must inform you that I cannot be present on the day of the attack. I have pressing business concerning the reestablishment of Black Sun as a resident power of the criminal galaxy. If I do not secure Black Sun's place, even the Kuat foundries won't be protected for your keeping," Xizor added.
"Go ahead and do what you must, Death Watch, my brother, and I will proceed without you. Just be sure to have the droids we will take shipped to Concordia and wired to our commands before you go about your business," Maul replied, nodding in understanding. "I am far ahead of you on that account, all you need to is go and talk with the Hutts, regardless of the outcome. They will reestablish your presence on Concordia and when you arrive, they will be ready for the final push," Xizor said.
"Excellent, then consider our business concluded for now. When I have need of you and Black Sun's resources, I will request renewal of our contract," Maul stated. Xizor bowed and made for a shuttle he ordered to take him off Mon Calamari, leaving Maul alone with his brother for once. "What do you think of our allies, Savage?" Maul asked.
"Now that the Death Watch leaders have become lovey-dovey, Xizor has left to secure our holdings on Kuat, and Lom Pyke is dead? Aside from the lovey-dovey part, they have worked to our advantage thus far," Savage answered. "I had told you before that Death Watch had honor and wouldn't know of our intentions until it is too late. I'm beginning to think I was wrong on the honor part," Maul said.
"It's hardly your fault brother, when honor is present, love is always sure to follow those who have honor," Savage told him. "And you would know this, how?" Maul asked. "Once we had a younger and weaker brother named Feral, who I protected throughout our childhood. When Ventress came to practice the Dathomir mating ritual, both of us participated only for me to win.
"After my transformation into what you see now, my first order was to destroy Feral," Savage answered. Probably for the better that you removed a weak link in the chain of our line Maul thought. "You were right, honor is another weakness but one that leads to various others. Nonetheless, Vizsla and his lovebird will still prove useful to us.
"Besides, don't the greatest love stories have a tragic ending?" Maul inquired with a smile. Savage also smiled at the thought that gave him, so moving was the prospect of slowly strangling the girl while she watched her man be killed by Maul. Then, when she began to weep in loss for her executed lover, Savage would snap her little neck under his massive hands. Nothing too hard about that and nothing slow about that either though it was all he needed to put a smile on his face.
"As unfortunate as it is, we must wait a little longer for what is rightfully ours. Not to worry though, it won't be much longer before Mandalore is ours, and both Kenobi and Dooku fall before us," Maul assured his brother. "They will suspect treachery on their part, least the girl will," Savage warned. "By the time she has any power to act on her suspicions, it will already be too late and they will be confirmed; besides, we are the masters of the Shadow Collective, not them!" Maul snarled quietly.
Savage nodded in understanding of what his brother was saying with their mastery of the Shadow Collective. They were the ones who came up with the idea, the ones who had recovered from the skirmish on Florumm, searched the galaxy for allies, and brought them together. It was Maul and Savage alone who had the right to take all the benefits of the Shadow Collective if they really wanted to. Their right to leave nothing for their allies but a bunch of pathetic droid foundries that created the soldiers of doom for the Jedi and their Sith enemies.
"That Xizor fellow has me the most worried though, you gave him the authority to control all the Kuat foundries for his own designs as well as ours. What if he decides to withhold them from us in the event of treachery on our part?" Savage asked. Maul chuckled, knowing that Savage was right but being glad that he had a plan to face down even that threat. "I put Black Sun into disarray by killing its leader before, I can do it again," he answered.
"But they recovered after you went there, even if it has been with our help. That's the mistake you made with sparing the rest of Black Sun back then," Savage insisted. "I won't repeat it," Maul said.