Part 6 (1/2)
”The Mandalorian let the daughter of the fugitives live, ” said Darth Howl when the account was finished. ”Can you be sure there is no connection between them?”
”I have examined her thoroughly. She feels no sympathy for the ones we seek. ”
”What say you, girl? Tell me what you remember of your mother. ”
Ax forced her tongue to unfreeze. She had been spoken to, so she must reply. That was how it worked.
”I remember nothing, my lord. That is both a curse and a blessing. ”
”Explain. ”
”My lack of memory means that I can offer no clue as to the whereabouts of the fugitives. That is a curse, because it would be simplest to avoid dealing with the Hutts altogether. But if I did remember, my feelings might indeed be clouded, and you would be right to mistrust me. I offer you my a.s.surance that I am loyal, and that the Hutts can be dealt with. ”
She felt a pressure on her mind, as though a mountain were leaning on it.
”You are confident, ” said Darth Howl. ”Perhaps overconfident. But you are not lying. ”
”Thank you, my lord. ” She bowed deeply.
”That doesn't mean, however, that we can trust you. ”
She straightened. ”If I may address the Council once more, there is something I wish to say. ”
”Speak, ” Darth Howl instructed her.
Darth Chratis shot her a warning glance, but she ignored him.
”This mission is paramount, and not just because of the world we stand to gain. There is something my Master has not raised with you, and it concerns the actions of the Mandalorian, Dao Stryver. His master was once an ally of the Empire, but in recent years Mandalore has been distant, threatening, even. Yet this one knew my history, knew of my biological connection to Lema Xandret, knew where to find me. He knew all these things-how? I believe that finding him and obtaining an answer to this question is critical to the security of the Empire. ”
That provoked another round of whispering. A Mandalorian spy in the Imperial administration? Unthinkable-yet potentially disastrous if it was true. It could signal the turning of hostile Mandalorian eyes onto the Empire. Whole chains of command would need to be scrutinized. Purges would be required. Heads would roll, perhaps even the Minister of Intelligence's. The turmoil could be tremendous.
Darth Chratis stared at her with lips pressed so tightly together he might have been making diamonds out of his teeth.
Then, unexpectedly, Darth Howl began to laugh. It was an awful sound, full of bile and rot and cruelty, and it punctured the tension like a dagger. It echoed through the Council chamber like the sound of breaking gla.s.s, bringing all else to silence.
”Eldon Ax, ” he said, when his malignant mirth subsided, ”you do not fool me. ”
The blood in Ax's veins turned to ice. ”I swear, my lord...”
”Do not interrupt ”The whip-crack of command was backed up by the full power of the Force. ”I know a liar when I meet one. ”
Ax could not move. She could only stare in horror, wondering what had gone wrong.
”You speak of infiltrators in the Empire, of Mandalorian infiltration, ” her accuser went on. ”But I see you clearly, Eldon Ax. I know what stirs in you, which you would hide from all of us. I feel your hatred for the Mandalorian and the desire for revenge. I know that this mission has nothing to do with the Empire. It is all about proving that Dao Stryver was wrong to dismiss you by not killing you. You yearn to turn the tables on him, to defeat him in turn, and then to kill him. That is all you desire. That is what fills your heart. ”
An icy smile spread across Darth Howl's face.
She braced herself to receive the punishment she deserved.
Instead he said, ”I approve. ”
The invisible hand gripping Ax from head to foot relaxed. ”My lord?”
”You have demonstrated to me that you are a true servant of the dark side, Eldon Ax. I endorse your plans, and I advise my colleagues on the Council to do the same. ”
Relief swept through Ax. Coming so soon after her certainty that she was about to die, it made her feel light-headed. ”Thank you, my lord. ”
Darth Howl raised a hand for silence. ”I have just one clarification to make. ”
Ax's Master looked up at him. ”Yes, my lord?”
”The issue at hand is not the security of the Empire. There are a dozen sources from which Dao Stryver could have learned the girl's heritage, including, and not to be forgotten, the girl's mother herself.
The issue is not even the world you hope to bring us, although naturally that would be a significant boon to our preparations for war. No, Darth Chratis, the issue is defiance. Fifteen years ago, Lema Xandret made a stand against the Sith and escaped the punishment that was rightly hers. Now comes this opportunity to correct that oversight. We must take it in order to demonstrate to all that our strength has only increased, and that we never forgive. ”
The Council greeted his p.r.o.nouncement with a murmur of approval. Some eyes glanced at the holoprojector in the center of the room, as though even the absence of the Emperor's image was enough to inspire respect and fear.
Darth Chratis bowed low. ”You have my word, my lords, that an example will be made of the girl's rebellious kin. Their names will be expunged from history, except as an example to those who would defy us. ”
Darth Howl didn't look at Darth Chratis. His gaze remained firmly fixed on Ax.
”I understand, ” Ax told him. And she did. This was a test of loyalty as much as it was a mission to punish forgotten traitors. Being a Sith was not just about feeling hatred and anger; it was finding a way to focus those feelings toward the attainment of mastery. Ax said she had forgotten her mother and held her no affection, but when Lema Xandret stood before her and the time came to deliver her rightful punishment, could Ax be the one to administer it?
She swore that she would. There was no affection in her bones for anyone. Not even her Master.
She stood in silent obedience as Darth Chratis confirmed the details of his plan. The Empire would provide him with half a division to command as he saw fit. They would await word from Ax on Hutta before moving on to their final destination. An Imperial envoy would be sent to provide cover for Ax, but that person would play no significant role in the affair. He or she would simply a.s.sure Ta.s.saa Bareesh that the Emperor wasn't suspiciously disinterested in the auction of her prize.
”Your ambitions are plain to us, Darth Chratis, ” Darth Howl told him. ”Deliver us this world, and you will be rewarded. ”
With one last, overlong bow, Darth Chratis took his leave of the Council, and his apprentice followed respectfully two paces behind.
Only when they were in the shuttle did he turn on her. His slender staff clicked open lengthways at one end and the other retracted, forming the crosspieces and handle of his bloodred lightsaber. It stabbed at her face, stopping just short of her skin, and she froze.
”You surprised me in there, ” he said in a deceptively quiet voice. ”Don't ever surprise me again. ”
She didn't say: You're a fool. You mishandled the whole thing. If you'd let me talk to you beforehand, instead of raging about my inability to remember anything, I could have told you in advance. Instead of betraying you, I saved you, and our plan, from being dismissed out of hand.
”I will not, Master” was all she said.
Satisfied with her compliance, Darth Chratis deactivated his lightsaber and stepped away. Truce, she thought, for now. With a grunt, he settled back to ride out the trip from Korriban back to Dromund Kaas-and from there to Hutta, and the attainment of all their dreams.
CHAPTER 6.
”The Hutts have created quite a stir, ” said Supreme Commander Stantorrs, leaning back in his chair and tapping one finger on his desk. ”I've received four Senatorial inquiries overnight, and I expect more during the day. Whether this auction is a scam or not, we'll have to do something about it now. ”
Ula said, ”We can't be seen to be sitting on our hands, sir. ” Obedience and a.s.surance: that was all the Supreme Commander wanted from his aides. A true meritocracy, however, would have demanded much more from its citizens.