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Chapter 13

=Sith=

Part 7

=Sith=

291 AC

Yunkai

The hill crowned by his family's pyramid offered Agnak zo Ghaqa a breathtaking view of Yunkai. The most powerful noble houses ruling the city took pride in that. Yet, now, that very sight brought despair to Agnak's heart.

The Targaryen's Unsullied swept over the walls like a dark tide, pushing the Yunkish army and City Guard back with every passing breath. More of the bastards poured through the breached gate like a stream of poison that spread through Yunkai, poisoning all that was right and proper!

Agnak saw a wave of death and sorcery head towards the docks, intent on taking them, while more angry slaves pushed on the heels of the unsullied in all directions. They intended to trap all the Wise Masters and citizens inside the city! The diplomat's gut clenched at that realization, as if a rebellious slave had stabbed him with an icy dagger.

"We must leave now! Brother, get our wives and children on horses! We must ride to the harbor while we still can!" Agnak shouted.
His older brother and the head of the family moved his bulk as fast as his feet could carry him to join the envoy on the balcony overlooking the fallen gate.

"You must be jesting, brother! Even with Unsullied attacking, Yunkai can't fall this fast…" Qokiz zo Ghaqa trailed off when his gaze fell upon what drowned Agnak's heart in fear and despair.

"We must leave now while we still can!" Agnak pointed at the Unsullied and other slaves the Valyrian Sorcerer unleashed upon Yunkai. "That's our death coming for us!"

Agnak didn't wait for Qokiz to make up his mind or process the madness descending upon their fair city. He dashed back into the pyramid, shouting orders to the guards to drag his family if that was what it took to get them to the docks while there was still time. Agnak's eldest son came from the treasury, followed by loyal guards carrying bags of gold and precious gems.

"I've done as you bid, father!" Ornal mo Agnak waved at the men behind him. "Is it really so bad we must flee?"

"I just saw Unsullied march on the docks. What's left of our army will barely slow them down. We are running out of time, son. We must go now! Get your brother and sisters! We must flee now!" Agnak sharply pointed at the vague direction of the docks, wondering if it might be better to try their luck on the road between Yunkai and Meereen. At least the Targaryen didn't have cavalry to speak of that could chase them that way…

=Sith=

war gallery Ghiscari Pride
en route to Yunkai

They were doing amazing time, or so people kept telling Oznak zo Pahl. That might very well be true; he wouldn't know. The Great Master was no sailor. However, it didn't feel that way, and the less said about the experience, the better. Oznak was learning the hard way why almost all the nobles he knew left such things to servants, sellswords, and, when they could get away with it, favored slaves.

Until now, his sole experience with sailing was traveling to and enjoying nights on pleasure barges. The Pahl scion quickly found the hard way that sailing on a war galley, even the flagship of Meereen's navy, was nothing like that. He had a cramped officer's quarter to himself, which was a far cry from anything he had experienced before. There was no space for salves who would do his bidding, and the less said about the sea turning his stomach with every swing of the deck below his feet, the better.

Traveling from Meereen to Yunkai by warship was supposed to be a short journey. This overnight voyage didn't depend on favorable winds but on the rowers' raw muscle power. The ship's Captain was happy that it was smooth sailing, and if the old seaman wasn't lying through his teeth, then Oznak didn't want to imagine what hard sailing might entail.

After spending hours emptying the contents of his stomach and losing an incredible amount of dignity, the Good Master dragged himself to the tiny, claustrophobic setup for him, wanting to die. He was sure that by the time they reached Yunkai, he would care not if the place was on fire, with Valyrians busy burning it with mythological dragons. At least he could die on solid ground then, ideally with a shred of dignity!

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Just before afternoon on the next day, Oznak felt a bit better, thanks to mulled wine spiked with medicine that the Captain had brought him.

"You need to take it on an empty stomach, Master Pahl," the seaman shrugged apologetically when Oznak did his best to glare at him for not bringing the drink much earlier. Judging by the Captain's lack of reaction, the glower was far less potent than the Good Master intended.

The Pahl scion dared show his face on the deck when he was reasonably sure he wouldn't spell what little water and wine he had in his belly, hoping to regain some of his lost dignity. It was bad enough that so many sellswords saw him last evening. The Meereenese crew and officers witnessing the indignity Oznak suffered were far worse.

Warning cries from lookouts on the lead ships derailed the Great Master's plans.

"Yunkish ships approaching!" that announcement made everyone relax. Those were vessels from their allies, likely coming to welcome the help, not the Targaryen's navy or potentially hostile sellsails Viserys might have hired.

Some distant shouting later, it became clear that those ships were no honor guards sent to great Yunkai's prospective saviors, but instead, vessels fleeing a city being sacked. That bit of news put things into perspective. Oznak no longer felt like dying, though he still resented the need to sail and his decision to be one of the people doing said sailing.

"We'll be too late. By the time we reach port, your men are unlikely to make a difference," The Captain pointed out.

The mercenary commanders sailing on the flagship nodded glumly. So much for easy money holding Yunkai's walls against an assault that was unlikely to come. To be fair, Oznak didn't believe that the Valyrian would dare storm Yunkai, much less succeed, before reinforcements could reach the city. Otherwise, he wouldn't be on board this damned boat!

"We need to know how our enemy breached the walls and succeeded in storming the city," One of the Free Company commanders noted. "Otherwise, the same can happen to us back in Meereen."

That was an excellent point, Oznak decided. He certainly didn't think of it, but now that someone pointed it out, he couldn't get the idea of such a disaster out of his head. Oznak paid no attention to the following argument but instead imagined Valyrians leading Unsullied and countless liberated slaves to butcher their way through Meereen. Such a thing couldn't be allowed to happen, yet it was suddenly a realistic prospect. This was no longer about the threat to slavery and profits! It was a matter of survival!

"We must reach Yunkai and find the truth!" Oznak decided. He was technically in charge of the reinforcements, after all, so even if he lost much face, people still listened to him. Besides, he had to be seen doing something practical to was away the stain on his honor that last night's indignity created.

"We should carefully approach the harbor and decide what to do depending on the situation. If the Yunkish still holds it, we can get any Wise Masters out and get first-hand accounts about how the city fell," the Captain suggested.

That was a good idea, Oznak noted and nodded in agreement.

"It is decided then! Get us to Yunkai as fast as you can!" he blurted out, immediately regretted it.

"Signal the fleet! Have the oarsmen put in maximum effort! We are heading straight to Yunkai's harbour!" the Captain began shouting orders, and soon, the deck below them lurched as if struck as the boat sped up.

=Sith=

Part 8

=Sith=

291 AC

Yunkai

Marching through Yunkai's streets felt odd. Even if he knew better, Viserys couldn't help but be on the lookout for familiar threats, the kinds that, as far as he knew, didn't exist in this world. There was no artillery to worry about, no incoming air strikes ready to incinerate the Unsullied that marched in lockstep behind the Sith. Planetos' orbitals were clear of hostile ships ready to rain enough hellfire to scour whole continents off life.

Storming Yunkai was a boring walk in the park compared to many battles, much less whole campaigns he could remember. The forces Viserys led to the docks faced no organized resistance. On two occasions, small groups of the local military made desperate last stands, which barely slowed down the advance. Even without a bored Sith acting as a spear point, they wouldn't have lasted more than a minute or two against the thousands of Unsullied pushing forward.

At the same time, there was the pointed reminder of the Ironborn raid, backed by unnatural forces, to say the least. Such unfamiliar local dangers could prove to be the worthy challenge Viserys' warrior heart craved to face.

Instead, everything was going according to plan, for the enemy knew not what they were dealing with. As a military man, that should have made him happy. Plans coming together without the enemy derailing them when they got a vote was always a rarity. Instead, all Viserys felt was boredom that quickly warped into frustration. The Force weaved around him, and the Dark Side hungered for action. His heart craved a proper challenge that the Sith was certain would not come anytime soon. If anything, the hard part would come after the city was more or less secure, and it would be painfully tedious to deal with.

They were almost at the docks when the latest groups of defenders rallied their courage to face the invaders. This bunch was different. Even at a glance, it was clear they were all nobles or their retinue. Gilded or otherwise richly decorated armor, tabards, and other decorations made their nature painfully obvious. Viserys could feel their fear, mixing richly with grim determination and resignation.

"We must hold! Our families are behind us, trying to leave!" The defenders' apparent leader screamed in Ghiscari. By now, Viserys had picked up enough of the language to get the gist, though he was by no means fluent in it. After all, it always paid to know what the locals told each other if you would be around for the long haul. He lacked an Assassin Droid moonlighting as a harmless protocol, one to do the heavy lifting language-wise.

Under different circumstances, the Sith might have appreciated the grim fanaticism of the men ready to die to slow him down. Sometimes, such doomed last stands made all the difference in the world by costing time and resources to overcome. Enough of them could derail the course of critical campaigns. That was why, when he had the option, as a Sith, Viserys went out of his way to take prisoners and treat them well. At the same time, most of his piers gleefully did their best to outdo themselves in the war crimes department with predictable results.

Today was not such a day. The people these men wanted to protect were the same who Viserys wanted to make an example of. Many of them fleeing Yunkai didn't feature in his plans.

The Sith's heart beat faster, thirsting for combat, and his hand gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. He could use his frustration to feed the Dark Side and unleash it upon the bastards about to die. Yet, he was hungry for a more personal approach, especially after shattering the last two groups trying to slow him down with the Force.

It would be so satisfying to slam into the loose group of locals and bathe in their blood, to feel his blade part through flesh and bone, and to watch his enemies in the eyes as life left them… The desire for instant gratification was nearly overwhelming. The Dark Side hissed hungrily; however, it wasn't whispering sweet nothings in the back of his mind which made all the difference in the world.

Viserys took a deep breath, inhaling the stench of fear and all the unpleasantries common to cities of this era, pushing aside his desire to indulge in gratuitous slaughter. It appeared that he didn't have to worry just about Dany struggling with the Dark Side and teenage mood swings. He was young again, in a body not yet fully grown, with all that entailed… and this was the first battle he fought where he didn't have to worry about his little sister. The incessant need to just let loose and indulge in his darkest impulses sneaked up on him in a way it hadn't in a very long time. He didn't even have the excuse of the Dark Side edging him one this time; it was just good old-fashioned frustration!

At least he could do something about the frustration to alleviate it. Viserys fed it to the Dark Side, fueling it and channeling the resulting surge of power at the nobles making their last stand. A torrent of angry purple lightning danced across his fingers before he guided and unleashed it into a fan of agony and death.

When all was said and done, the nobles' last stand only slowed down the marching Unsullied due to the need to be careful while stepping over their smoking corpses.

Mere minutes later, Viserys and his forces finally reached the docks. Their rapid advance through mostly empty streets finally came to an end. Whoever wasn't bunkering at their homes, hopping for the best, or running for the Yunkai's farther gates was apparently here. A throng of well-off locals was shoving, pushing, and trampling their way toward still-docked ships, desperately bargaining for passage.

From a somewhat elevated position, Viserys could finally survey his targets. There were a few dozen ships still at the piers. Clusters of what had to be household guards held most of the approaches while the slavers in charge loaded treasure and family members on board. It was painfully clear that Viserys wouldn't get them all here and now, much less in a state fit to make a proper example of them. On the other hand, there was something he could do for some of the ships.

"Secure the piers and as many ships as possible. I want prisoners from the local slavers fleeing like rats," Viserys ordered and waved his Unsullied to advance. Instead of leading or following them, he vaulted on top of a nearby warehouse to get a better vantage point.

=Sith=

Agnak zo Ghaqa couldn't miss the Sorcerer's arrival even if he wanted to. Fortunately for his family, they were already on board a ship, ready to leave. He wanted to pat himself on the back for his quick thinking and the trust his brother had in him. Otherwise, they would have spent precious time arguing back in their pyramid instead of taking all the treasure, easy to pack and transport, before fleeing. Even then, they got on board in no small part because their household guard managed to threaten their way to a ship of an acquaintance still in port.

"We must leave now! They're here!" Agnak shouted at the Captain, even before most of the huge crowd at the docks understood they were all out of time.

Watching it all happen was a queer thing. Most people in the crowd were packed so tight they couldn't even see the approaching Unsullied, much less the mad Targaryen Sorcerer leading them. Agnak, on the other hand, had a great view of the slave soldiers marching down a distant street and slamming into the nobles and merchants trying to flee. Due to his location, he lost sight of the Unsullied at the head of their column within moments of their arrival as the throngs of people hid them. However, there was no missing the Sorcerer, who somehow made an inhuman jump on top of a warehouse to survey his prey.

Distant shouted orders and screams finally alerted the crowd that something was amiss. Dying screams soon followed as the Unsullied scythed through everyone between them and the ships.

At least the Captain was finally screaming orders to get the ship underway. Sailors swarmed all over the place, while the remaining household guards had to use their weapons in anger to buy themselves breathing space to board in a hurry. Agnak could see nearby ship Captains deciding it was time to flee.

Panic spread through the people trying to flee like wildfire. Soon, more and more desperate wretches attempted to overwhelm the guards at the piers, who were, in turn, doing their best to board their only way out of a sudden death trap.

Only when their ship reached the harbor's middle did Agnak figure out how fortunate he and his family were. They could hear the screams of the dying and see Unsullied reach the piers, shoving dead and dying people into the water at spearpoint. By the time they fought through the crowds, most ships managed to get underway, with only a couple being swarmed by the desperate.
That should have been it, but the Sorcerer struck in a way Agnak couldn't miss, proving once again that they all underestimated him.

One of the last ships to leave its pier had its rowers rowing furiously to escape. Instead of gradually picking up speed and heading for safety, the ship slid back right towards the dock it just left. The place was now swarming with Unsullied, waiting for their next target. The boat slammed into the wooden pier with a crash that momentarily silenced the cries of the dying. The Unsullied wasted no time in jumping on board and engaging the crew and passengers.

That madness was no fluke. Screams of terror came from another fleeing ship as its forward momentum abruptly ceased. An invisible force reeled it back like a speared fish towards the slave soldiers waiting to capture its crew and, more importantly, noble passengers.

"Row faster! Row like all our lives depends on it!" The Captain finally got out of his stupor and desperately screamed in a way Agnak had never heard before.

Similar orders and cries came from nearby vessels, and their rowers redoubled their offers.

They were the lucky ones—many merchant cogs and such trying to flee relied on the wind, which was much slower and more ponderous. They were left at the mercy of the Sorcerer and light breeze alone.

Only then did the chilling realization that they might not make it penetrate Agnak's stunned mind, and he felt terror like no other.