Vultin was hot. It was smack in the middle of Brentaal IV's equatorial region, so it made sense.
What did not make sense was Lon Isoto's apparent hatred of climate control. All the windows and doors of his harem-like chamber, at the top of the spire he had his 'command quarters' located in, were open, allowing the hot and humid air to waft in.
Isoto seemed to draw some kind of pleasure at it, swigging back tiny cocktails, patting his sweaty pot belly in satisfaction and then groping at his concubines. Meanwhile, Baron Fel and I stood there and sweated.
After a few more minutes had passed, Isoto deigned to pay attention to us.
"Ah, gentlemen." He greeted us, squinting as he spoke. I noticed that the whites of his eyes were stained red around the sclera. "Did you enjoy the festivities today…last night now? Hyuck!" He hiccuped and drank another tiny cocktail.
"They were satisfactory. My men enjoyed themselves greatly." Baron Fel complemented.
"I was busy." I answered.
Isoto tried to glare at me but with his reddish eyes it looked more like aggressive squinting. Instead he focused on Baron Fel.
"Ah yes. You begged off sampling the finest women on Brentaal IV, on account of your wife." Isoto mocked. "I always thought a woman that looked like her would be a dead fish in bed, buuuut…" He aggressively groped a concubine's chest. "To each his own."
"Yes, yes. The victory has been celebrated, you've handed out the medals and indulged yourself, Admiral." I spoke up before Isoto could open his mouth again. "Now can we get down to business?"
"The business of what?" Isoto waspishly asked. I noticed that he was making an effort to not look at me.
"As the Inquisitor said, Brentaal IV is still under attack." Baron Fel picked up, clasping his hands behind his back. "Oradin, while not lost, is under siege from rebel ground forces that managed to land when I diverted a squadron to defend Vultin. I've studied the reports and we're only hanging onto our positions by a thin margin. While the Inquisitor's fleet did blunt the advance of the rebel fleet yesterday, our long range scanners are showing that they are massing for another attack."
"We have the advantage, Admiral. We should send reinforcements from the other garrisons across the planet to Oradin in order to secure our positions. Then we can send our naval forces in their entirety to drive the rebel fleet away from the moon and retake the moonbase."
It was an earnest plan, I noted. Earnest and hopelessly naive. Baron Fel was an exemplar of Imperial ideology made manifest. Men wanted to be him, women wanted to be with him, soldiers wanted to fight under his command. But I could now see that Baron Fel's moral excellence had blinded him to the rivalries, infighting and petty hatred that dominated our high command.
"No." Lon Isoto apparently had decided that he would show Baron Fel all those imperfections in the Empire by merely existing. "I have a strategy and it is working. The rebels will continue to attack me here in Vultin. The raids on Oradin are merely feints. I am their true target."
He staggered upright and walked over the balcony. He gripped the railing and stared down at the streets of Vultin. "We shall continue with my current strategy until it proves to no longer be effective. Which will never happen because the rebels know I am the key to Brentaal IV. I expect your obedience to all of my orders, Baron Fel. Inquisitor."
I suppressed the urge to laugh. The fat man wanted to appear intimidating and in control, but his emotions gave him away. Panic, lust, fear, greed. Lon Isoto truly believed everything that he was spewing. How obnoxious. I could see why Isard had chosen him to be the wedge between Pestage and the Ruling Council.
"As you will." I mocked him with a tiny bow. Baron Fel frowned in consternation but followed me out of the room.
"You are not doing all that you can to convince the Admiral to defend Brentaal to the best of our abilities." He chastised me as we made our way down Isoto's tower.
"Oh?"
"You command the most ships in orbit. Ask the Admiral to commit your ground troops to the fighting in Oradin and I could make him see the sense in it after he turns you down." Baron Fel informed. "It would take longer than it should, but we could force the rebels out of the spaceport entirely in a rotation or two."
"That is the problem." I said. "First I would have to propose an entirely reasonable solution to our problem, let's say the plan you just laid out. Then I would have to listen to Isoto shoot it down, then aggrandize himself. Then I leave, you come in later and convince him of the plan's merits, then we actually do the plan."
"It's no way to run a defense of the planet."
"So you're going to do nothing?" Baron Fel managed to sound scandalized through his stiff, military way of speaking.
I considered the question for a moment, waying how much I wanted to give away to Baron Fel, before responding.
"I have spent the past years routing out traitors to this Empire." I said. "And when I am finally called back, I find the same type of weakness, that was our downfall in the Rim, nestled right into our heart. Lon Isoto is a disease in the Empire and I've decided that I am no longer going to contribute to keeping men like him on life support."
"If the Empire wishes to continue putting failures like Lon Isoto in command, they can do it without me." I told a frowning Baron Fel. "So yes, I'm not helping Isoto anymore than I already have, Baron. Let this great genius guide us to victory."
"How many ships have jumped in?" I asked Masal. I was back on the Adamant, having departed Vultin soon after my conversation with Baron Fel. While Isoto had been stuffing his mouth, the rebels used the free time to prepare for the next battle.
Typical, really.
"Twenty-three according to the long range scanners." Masal told me.
"Strength estimates?"
He shook his head, a grim expression etched on his face. "Heavy cruisers and frigates. We've identified Strike-class, Dauntless-class and Assault Frigates. These seem to make up half of their reinforcements. Another Mon Calamari star cruiser. The rest are the typical rebel light ships."
Damn and double damn. I frowned. "That more than replaces the losses we inflicted on them."
"Yes sir." He hesitated before continuing on. "Our scans are showing landing craft heading down to the planet. With our standing orders, they're outside our gun's range."
"So the rebels are able to reinforce their positions on the planet while Isoto fiddles his thumbs." Now I was scowling. "Send a message to General Benzenti informing him of this and tell him to prepare to extract from Oradin if the situation proves untenable."
"Have you been able to talk with the captains of the planetary defense fleet like I asked?" I said, changing the subject.
Masal nodded. "I was. They are…uninclined to publicly side against Admiral Isoto. Simply put."
"Unwilling to risk their own necks." I frowned. "I can't blame them for that. But with Isoto's cowardness, we're stuck in place while the rebels mass for their next assault."
"Is the Admiral really that intransigent?" Masal asked. I felt dismay emanating from him.
"He's exactly what the Ruling Council and Pestage don't want him to be. But of course it would be too much for them to bother speaking with each other about Isoto's command and their mutual dislike of it" I said, perhaps revealing that I knew too much about the situation than I should have, judging by Masal's next words.
"Sir…" He shifted closer and lowered his voice. "The fleet is yours, the men are yours-the important ones at least-, if you give the word…"
He didn't finish the sentence, he didn't need to. The implication alone made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
I wanted to take the offer up and satisfyingly wash my hands of Lon Isoto. A nice orbital bombardment of Vultin to turn him into the carbon stain he so richly deserved to be. Really I wanted it.
I wanted it with an urgency that made my teeth tingle, my breath quicken and the Dark Side pulse in pleasure around me.
I could list out how going warlord right here and now would be a bad move….
But…
Wouldn't it feel soo good to wrest power into my hands?
Wouldn't I enjoy it?
Just let Yiaso, the filthy alien he was, try to hunt me down now! I knew the twists of history! Me! No one could find me if I became a warlord. I'd lurk in the Deep Core for a year or two, build up my forces, then surge out into the Core when the New Republic was still squabbling with Isard and take it all for myself!
Yes, I could see it clearly! The galaxy, open for the taking. Mine and mine alone if I had the will to grab it and squeeze and squeeze and squeeze until it squealed its submission!
All I had to do was say yes and my worries would disappear….
I tasted blood. I was biting the inside of my mouth. The pain and the blood on my tongue made me breath in again. The hazy vision of glory and power and control slowly slipped away back into the Dark Side. My thoughts settled.
Right. Masal was still waiting for an answer.
"It would be disadvantageous to go our own way from central command right now, Captain." I murmured to Masal. "We will wait until events are not pressing against us so urgently."
I clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. "But rest assured Captain, your words of loyalty will not be forgotten. When my hour comes, your star will rise with mine."
"Thank you sir." Masal bowed his head to me. He sidled away.
"Then what is our next step?" He asked. Now that his voice was back to its normal volume, I felt the attention of the bridge crew refocus on us.
"We hold the line and wait for the rebel scum to make the first mistake.."
"My lord, Captain." An ensign came up to us. "We're receiving an urgent transmission from Imperial Center. It's from the Emperor's office."
Masal and I exchanged uneasy looks. I felt the Force prickly at the back of my awareness. Something was happening.
"Set the fleet on high alert." I told the bridge. "Scramble all fighter squadrons and intensify scanning of the rebel positions."
As the bridge erupted into a dizzying, but ordered, mess, Masal and I went back to the communication suite behind the Adamant's bridge.
"Play the transmission." I ordered.
"It's not live, sir." The ensign warned. I shoved away the impulse to strangle the ensign for her impertinence. I needed something to burn away this excess power, I realized.
"I am aware of that." I snapped at her. "Play the message."
Sate Pestage fizzled into existence. He had a hood drawn up over his hawkish head. Was he trying to mimic Palpatine?
"To the Imperial Forces at Brentaal IV, you have fought a brave battle but your position has become untenable." The hologram spoke. "Rebel forces have made it past garrison forces in the surrounding systems and we believe that they are preparing to jump to Brentaal IV to overwhelm your brave defense. Therefore, I am ordering the evacuation of all Imperial assets from Brentaal IV. Rest assured, this is not a defeat. We will return to take our revenge."
The hologram winked out.
Masal and the attending communication officers were stunned, I was just confused. What had made Pestage announce the retreat? I had sent my official report of the battle my fleet had over the rebel moonbase to Imperial Center, and ensured that it had been sent through enough channels that Yiaso would be unable to intercept it.
So what the fuck was going on? I wanted to scream at the hologram. All Pestage has to do is ignore Isard, ignore the ruling council and fucking scramble a fleet to Brentaal IV! Then he wins!
I was too out of the loop. I only had a guess of a guess to go on.
"There are attached orders." Masal told me. "We're to defend the evacuation efforts and guide them back to Imperial Center. The 181st is being attached to us. Admiral Isoto has been ordered to command the rearguard and hold off the rebel forces until the evacuation is complete."
"What do they define as 'Imperial Assets"?" I asked, my thoughts still whirling.
"Everyone of importance on the planet." Masal said, peering at the orders that had been attached to Pestage's 'inspirational' message.
"So anyone who has money, influence, or connections." I clarified.
"Yes sir."
I considered the situation. That was what should happen for this battle, I admitted. I knew that Pestage's position took a major turn for the worse during this battle. Lon Isoto must be a special kind of ball and chain to guarantee political destruction no matter what changes I caused.
"Has Vultin acknowledged orders?" I asked.
"No sir, but it has been received." Okay, okay. At least I had the initiative back. Focus on the positives.
I clapped my hands together. "We've received legitimate orders, so Isoto's opinion no longer matters. Disseminate this to all Imperial ships in the system and get them in line. Send word to Benzenti to lock down the spaceport terminals, we're going to be needing them. Masal, draw up plans to guard the evacuation convoys, I don't expect the rebels to let the wealth of Brentaal to get away without a fight."
"At once sir." Masal confirmed. "Shall I notify Baron Fel of our plans?"
"I will." I said. "In fact I'll call him now. The 181st will be needed to secure the skies above the spaceport…."
The Dark Side surged and my vision clouded.
Blackness, darkness, nothingness.
Then my vision came back. I was high up, on a balcony and it was raining. My vision was tinted red from the visor in my helmet. I could feel my lightsaber humming in my hand. I was staring someone down. Someone I wanted to kill, badly.
I just couldn't make out who. The darkness seemed to blur around them, obscuring them from my sight.
But I could hear the whisperings of the Dark Side. They were so clear. I'd never heard them so clearly before.
The Dark Side told me I should not be there, at Brentaal IV. I needed to be here, about to kill this foe.
But where was here? I looked over and lightning flashed.
On the horizon I could see the Jedi Temple.
My vision cleared and I was back on the Adamant.
"Belay those orders. Masal." I said. "I am…needed elsewhere."
"Sir?"
"Prepare a shuttle for me." I focused on Masal. "Follow the evacuation plan we just discussed but jump the fleet to Esseles instead of Imperial Center. Await further instructions from me once you've reached that system. Conserve our forces."
Masal mulled my words over for a moment before responding. "Is this…"
"Related to what we discussed earlier?" I waggled my hand back and forth. "It might be."
"Understood. I'll have the garrison fleet intercept the rebel fleet when the time comes." Masal might be on a slightly different track than me, but the end result was the same.
"I'll call Baron Fel in my quarters." I said as I left the room. "Do what you can to have the 181st jump out with us."
An hour later, a Lambda shuttle departed the fleet and jumped into hyperspace. The autopilot engaged, I stood up and walked into the shuttle. Finding a good spot, I kneeled on the floor and floated my lightsaber up in front of me.
With a gentle and focusing application of the Force, my lightsaber was slowly disassembled and reassembled. Using that as my anchor, I slipped deep into a meditative trance, pulling the Dark Side into me and leashing its power to my will.
The Dark Side was eager and obedient. It wanted this to happen.
The battle at Brentaal IV had never just been about the planet. I understood that. I had been naive to think I could make all the factors involved with that mess work for or just alongside me.
I would not make that mistake in the future. Disruptive elements needed to be cut out for the betterment of the whole.
I meditated, the Dark Side celebrated and Imperial Center grew ever nearer.
Destiny awaited.
A/N - Woo, 100k words. A nice little achievement, I have to say.
I look forward to seeing you all next chapter for the endgame of Inquisitive Inquisitor.
Till then, stay safe.