After two hours Badesh had finally broken the Ewok. Or rather, Quinn's combination of drugs and his force persuasion had caused Treek to give in. Badesh had attended enough interrogations in the past months to learn that brute force alone hardly ever delivered the desired results. He had shot lightning at Treek at the beginning only to mislead Theron and Kalda about his powers of persuasion. Usually they didn't work on strong-willed individuals and that was why he had asked Quinn to mix a strong hallucinogenic drug with a high tetrahydrocannabinol yield to weaken Treek's resolve and focus.
"We met with the client on Alderaan, he never told us his name but we met in a palace," Treek whispered a smile plastered on her lips.
Badesh sat in front of her, completely focused on her. "Very good, what did he look like?" he asked in the sweetest voice he could muster and waved his hand. "You feel good and you want to tell me everything about the client." Badesh felt humiliated that he had to resort to… this. But resistance was easier when there was something to fight against.
"I feel good… he was a dark-haired human, quite fat and… he complained about Killiks a lot and said mean things to me. The servants in the palace bowed to him. He must be a very important man, but he wasn't the boss ..."
Badesh attempted to get more information with other questions, but Treek was unable to tell more that she already had.
"My Lord, perhaps it is time to plant the suggestions? I doubt that we will get more out of her."
Badesh turned his attention towards Quinn and smiled at him. Of course he was wearing his mask, otherwise he wouldn't have allowed himself to show so openly his affection.
"You are right as always, Malavai. You may step outside, this will take another hour at least. And inform Keeper at the earliest possible occasion."
"Yes, my Lord." Quinn bowed curtly and left.
Badesh focused again on Treek and said calmly: "You fulfilled your contract. You should return to your client and inform him of your success."
"But I didn't do it alone… HK helped me. He is my friend," slurred Treek.
"Of course, you and HK will both return and tell your client about your great accomplishment." Badesh felt slightly sick but continued to compliment Treek and used the force to drive the suggestion home.
ooOOoo
Everybody looked up from their data pads as Badesh entered the main room. He nodded at Quinn and the Major walked past Badesh to Treek. Badesh closed the door behind Quinn and strode towards Vette.
"Alderaan, she said that her client is on Alderaan." Badesh eyed the wonky chairs around the table and decided that he wouldn't sit down. "She was broken in the end, so I tried to suggest that she should return to her client. It worked. The Ewok will comply."
Theron stared at him, disbelieve written on his face. "Just like that?"
"Yes," Badesh growled. "Everything is possible with the force." Strangely enough Badesh heard in his mind how a voice that sounded like Vette added: Yes, the force and the probably best drug-induced trip a Ewok ever had.
"Good thing you made progress, we have gone half-way through the information and found nothing useful. And Alderaan wasn't even mentioned." Kalda threw her data pad on the table. "We should head there immediately. I can't shake the feeling that we are on a tight timetable."
Only after Kalda had spoken Badesh realised that he was also assuming that time was of the essence. But why? The Revanites have been undercutting the Empire and the Republic for years. Perhaps it was the idea of a large scale attack on an imperial world, he mused, Arkous had planned to commit a genocide on his own people after all. No, Badesh felt that there was something more… a disturbance in the force? It was very faint and disappeared as soon as he tried to focus on it. At the same time it had a very strong residue. A tremor in the force… If that was the case the Sith mystics should sense it as well. Badesh decided that he needed to talk to the head mystic on Korriban – if the leader of the Revanites was a powerful force-user that he could feel the coming changes through the force they might had the means to track him down.
"Vette, you and Quinn will go to Alderaan with the Agents – I have other business to attend to," Badesh stated hands clasped behind his back. "Perhaps I will able to track down Revan himself."
"Okay, boss! I guess you will take the Fury?"
"Indeed, Tovee will fly the ship," he replied.
"Is this some force-user-business?" asked Theron.
"Yes."
"Alright, but without you we will be seriously undermanned," Theron said slowly.
Badesh knew that he was putting Vette and Quinn at risk by not accompanying them. At the same time it seemed unwise to not follow up on a possible force trails. He had to bring in Cipher Nine and her partner.
"I will arrange for back-up, Agent Heian. They will meet you on-site."
"Back-up? Can we trust them?" Kalda sounded sceptical.
Badesh simply glared at her. Yet again she questioned him!
"We can," replied Vette in his stead. "I suggest that we meet up at the space-port. Quinn and I need to get our things from the Fury; you can bring Treek to your freighter."
"Agreed," said Theron.
Badesh looked at him. A picture from a shirtless Theron came to his mind and he regretted that he would possibly not have the opportunity to interact with him. There was something very vexing and alluring about the Agent, he wanted to touch him and feel his warmth. Perhaps even bite him… the thought of tasting his blood aroused Badesh. He pictured himself biting Theron's shoulder, blood running down his pale skin… suddenly it wasn't Theron anymore but Quinn. Badesh banished the mental image as fast as possible.
ooOOoo
As soon as they arrived on the Fury Vette and Quinn told Badesh about their encounter with Darth Malgus and their suspicion that the Emperor himself was somehow involved in the conspiracy. Or rather Vette had told him, Quinn was unusually quiet and had an almost pained look on his face.
"Do you want to add something, Malavai?" Badesh inquired and reached out through the force. It was no surprise that Quinn's force signature was unfocused.
Quinn pulled himself visibly together and stood straighter than ever. "No, my Lord. I am merely uncomfortable with the thought that the Emperor could have forbidden Darth Malgus to act in the Empire's best interest."
Badesh hesitantly put his hand on Quinn's shoulder. Then he retraced his hand and said calmly: "I will join you as fast as possible on Alderaan. Be careful."
"Of course," said Vette with her trademark smile, "we always are."
"Yes, my Lord." Quinn denoted a bow.
They turned around and left the Fury. Badesh commanded Tovee to plot a course to Korriban and retreated in his quarters. Finally he had some privacy and Badesh stripped himself from his armour and took a long shower before he slipped into casual robes.
Badesh felt an inexplicable unease, it wasn't his usual tension that could only be relieved through violence… it was something else, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Thoughts of Theron returned to his mind as he tried to read the latest intelligence reports.
ooOOoo
It seemed strange that the Sith mystics would reside in an old tomb instead in one of the modern buildings build over the recent years as the Sith academy expanded. The air was mouldy and the lights were dim, Badesh snorted when he saw a couple of figures with hoods lingering in the shadows. Everything was too theatrical for his taste. The tomb wasn't even a place of dark power...
A masked Sith in a long robe approached him. "Darth Tenebra, I bid you welcome." Judging from the voice it was an old man.
"Lord Ande, I need information about a disturbance in the force." Badesh clasped his hands behind his back.
"Oh, how fascinating – which one do you want to inquire about?"
"The one that has been festering in the force for the past decades. I caught a glimpse of it, but I am a warrior, not a mystic trained to trace tremors in the force. It felt huge and at the same time… small."
"There are of course several such disturbances… I need to reach out in identify the one you were in contact with, Dark Lord."
"Do as you must," Badesh snarled.
Ande led him into a chamber and sat down in front of a small fire in the middle of the room; he meditated. Badesh felt how Ande's greedy and curious force signature touched his mind, but he restrained himself to shut the man out. After a few minutes the session was over.
"Fascinating, it has been several decades since I have last met anybody who is as powerful in the force as you, Dark Lord. The force favours you, she flows around you like shimmersilk around a young maidens…"
"Skip the colourful analogies," Badesh said curtly.
"Of course, Dark Lord. We are aware of the disturbance – it was first felt about ten years ago in the maelstrom nebula. Since then it has resurfaced a few times but only fleetingly. It is very powerful and yet so very… quiet. Like a virgin's touch…"
Badesh ignored the last comment. "How it that possible? If it is indeed as powerful as you say, how can it be hidden?"
"I do not know," answered Ande surprisingly demure.
"Is there a way to trace it?"
"I am afraid that isn't possible, Dark Lord. It resurfaces too quickly only to disappear again."
"Then I need a map with all the information when and where it was discovered." Would a pattern emerge? It was a long shot but perhaps it was the only way to track down Revan himself.
"Of course, Dark Lord!" Ande bowed and left the room.
Badesh stayed behind and looked around, the room was full of Sith artefacts and old records of the Sith history. If somebody could solve the mystery of the force bond between him and his companions it would possibly be Ande – he was head mystic after all. But Badesh didn't trust him, he wished that his connection remained a secret. It could be considered a weakness after all and Ande could trade that information for personal gain.
Ande returned and gave Badesh a data pad. "The Reclamation Service has filed every force event to study them – I downloaded the ones that have a connection with the disturbance you are looking for, Dark Lord."
Of course – there was no need to rely on other Sith to learn about force bonds. The Imperial Reclamation Service was dedicated to study Sith artefacts and records as well; but they were not force-users. Back on Hoth it had been member of the Reclamation Service that had suggested that Badesh could save Quinn's life with a healing ritual by studying ancient texts – what was his name again?
Before Badesh could muse on the Officer's name he felt another unbalance in the force. At first he immediately suspected that it was the disturbance he was looking for, but the feeling was more familiar – involuntary he turned around and expected to see Vette and Quinn standing behind him. Of course they weren't there… and yet he had clearly felt their force signature.
"Dark Lord?"
Badesh turned on his heel and faced Ande again. He bowed quickly and strode out of the room. There was no doubt in his mind that his friends were in danger. Somehow they had reached out to him through the force bond and since they could only feel distress through it, it meant that they were in grave danger indeed.
As he rushed to the Fury he felt them again. Anger boiled up in Badesh; whoever dared to lay a finger on them was going to regret it. An unfamiliar feeling took hold of him as he boarded the spaceship and ordered Tovee to plot the fastest course to Alderaan; it was a nagging, bitter emotion he couldn't understand.
It intensified as he failed to contact either of this companions; even Cipher Nine didn't answer. Badesh couldn't stand this damn feeling and went into the cargo bay that was used by Vette and Quinn for their combat practice. He began to flail at the practice dummy with his bare hands until it was torn to shreds. Finally he calmed down and began to meditate in an attempt to contact Vette and Quinn through the force.