Power and Betrayal: Chapter 30

"Something is amiss."

Kari was almost, but not quite, startled enough to actually jump and scream at the sound of Zedemm unexpectedly speaking to her about a micro-second after she exited from the women's refresher. After catching her breath, she spun around to face him.

"I'm still trying to decide whether this enigmatic former Sith thing you do is cute or annoying, but when you do THIS kind of stuff you creep me right out."

"Apologies, but I needed to speak to you away from the others, and without alerting them to our meeting. This seemed an opportune moment since you had already separated yourself from them for otherwise ordinary reasons."

"Look, you're a nice guy, and we've known each other a long time, but you and I just won't work as a couple. You're a Jedi, and..."

"Well, more's the pity for you then, because I am quite a skilled lover; but that is not why I sought you out."

"Okay Boss, then what did you MISS?"

Zedemm made a disapproving face at her, unsure of whether she actually mis-heard him or was just being intentionally difficult. He shortly decided to ignore it and press on. "Something in this whole business with Annie is troubling me, and I mean to figure out what it is. Both Master Galadina and my father are acting strangely. You, on the other hand, are not. That means I can trust you."

"Trust me with what, exactly?"

"I think that Father is running one of his manipulation games, which itself is not at all unusual--but this time it involves Annie, which very much IS. I further think that Master Galadina is also a part of it, but for what purpose, I can't yet discern. He may be manipulating her, but I think not. Too much of what's happened recently simply doesn't ring true."

Kari was at least a little bit intrigued. "Such as?"

"You yourself witnessed how Father operated in the tribunal. He never has just one plan. He is infuriatingly adept at thinking things through in multiple ways, forming multiple backup plans. He planned ahead to become Annie's Advocate and he made it happen, even after his first attempt had been thwarted. Once he was positioned thusly, he proceeded to parry each and every one of Master Sig-lapp's arguments expertly and even brought evidence to do so, to the point of risking the secrecy of some of his other activities."

"Well, yeah, he came prepared to defend her. That was kind-of the whole point of going to get him. On the way back we talked and planned quite a bit about what we'd all do after she turned herself in. What's so odd about that?"

"He lost the case."

"Well yeah, because of the blind wonder-traitor's sneak-attack."

"...one that he did not contest--and further--one which I believe he must have been expecting. You must understand that Father, besides being a genius, is also singularly gifted in the Force with empathy. If you feel joy, he gratefully shares in that joy with you. If you feel pain or sadness, he shares that burden with you. I believe it is the reason he eschews cruelty and embraces mercy, even as a Sith. It is nigh-impossible to lie to him, and he is a skilled liar. Much of his wealth is the result of successes at gambling, because he is uniquely difficult to bluff. He simply DOES NOT LOSE . . . not unless he's hoping to gain something else in some longer machination, 'losing a battle to win a war' as they say."

"So . . . you're saying you don't think he was really surprised? He looked plenty surprised to me."

"In his youth he was a talented actor, until he left the stage to ply his talent in Intelligence work. Remember that his gift for empathy helps him to know how convinced you are."

"So then why do you think he's acting strangely?"

"Well, there is one thing in which he has ALWAYS been bright-line consistent: protecting the life and welfare of Annie--and, to a lesser extent, myself--until now. Allowing something like this to happen to her is a monumental departure from the norm, and one that I simply cannot ignore--especially in light of Master Galadina's strange behaviour as well."

"Speaking of departure from the norm, what's with calling her 'Master Galadina' all of a sudden? What happened to plain old 'Miss Dina' like you've been calling her for...ever? Is this some kind of rules of decorum thing because of her new title?"

"Call it a mental exercise in de-humanizing her. Referring to her thusly is a way of reminding myself to maintain a distance from the woman we see today and not to think of her as the same person I've known in the past, owing to her unusual current behaviour."

Kari scowled. "Hey Bantha-Brain, she's already NOT HUMAN and there's not a karking thing wrong with not being human." she said, while punching him in the arm just hard enough for it to actually hurt.

"Yes of course. The idiom is commonplace in the Empire, and something which I should have left behind. My apologies."

Kari stopped scowling just enough to imply Okay I forgive you without actually saying it. "So . . . what about your father . . . ."

"He IS human, as I thought you were already aware. Was that not the case?"

Kari groaned as a watered-down version of her scowl returned. "Idiot." she said, punching him in the arm again, but not nearly as hard. "No, what I mean is: can't you just TALK to him? ...ask him about it? You're his son, after all. I know the Jedi aren't big on families and whatnot but he's not really from that culture--"

"No."

"What, so Sith don't do families now? I know that's not true."

"You must understand that this is not a Sith thing so much as it is a Lord Zarvell thing. When I was a child growing up, he would never reveal the answer to a puzzle if you simply asked him. One had to EARN the answer first by solving the puzzle oneself, or at least by showing enough insight to understand the problem and strategize a path to a solution."

"You know, that actually DOES sound pretty Sith-ish--is that a word?--to me. Maybe it's a . . . 'Smart Sith' thing. Like, Knowledge is Power or something, you know?"

"Perhaps. Nonetheless, he'll not reveal himself--not even to me--unless I am able work it out for myself first. It is his way."

"Hmmm. You know, Annie never mentioned any of this to me."

"Well, she wasn't raised in his household until early adulthood as I was. She was still a young child when we came to the Jedi."

"Okay, good point. Plus . . . I love her but she's not exactly the good-at-math type like he is."

"You have . . . no idea." Zedemm said in an ominous tone.

"So how do *I* fit in to all this? I mean, obviously I'm the cute and plucky sidekick to the grizzled detective with a checkered past and a score to settle, but . . . what do you actually want me to DO?"

"Well, aside from reducing the amount of time you spend watching holo-dramas, keep your eyes open. You'll have time and opportunity to speak with him at length on his return trip from Tython. Ask questions, if you can do it discreetly. He'll manipulate you, to be sure, but only because he knows he can trust you to have Annie's best interests at heart. With that in mind, he'll likely reveal things to you that he wouldn't reveal directly to me. Most importantly, use the mental discipline that Annie has taught you to keep your pure motives in the forefront of your mind. It will be normal and natural for you to want to proactively get involved and help her without arousing suspicion."

"Well . . . DUH."

"Plus he has a weakness for the charms of much younger women."

Kari didn't immediately respond, as it took a moment for the full weight of what he'd just said to sink in. "Are you suggesting...?" she asked, letting the rest of her question go unsaid.

Zedemm nodded casually. "I'll leave the details to you, of course, but having already seen you naked myself, I am quite certain that HE will find the experience--along with whatever additional benefits you care to add--thoroughly enjoyable."

"EEEWWW!!!" she said a bit too loudly before toning her voice down. "He's old enough to be my father! Wait, you're older than me and HE IS YOUR FATHER. That kind-of makes him . . . like . . . some sort of uncle to me...!"

"As you say. In the meanwhile I will be doing my part as well. I've already arranged a method of learning Master Galadina's secrets and I'll be arranging an impromptu meeting with a certain ... ahem ... Jedi and watching the comings and goings of a couple of others. Once you've returned and we can combine our information, we can hopefully unravel this, and I'll be able to confront him directly."

"You know, you're pretty much manipulating me too--like, right now, as we speak--and ALSO leveraging the fact that I'll have Annie's best interests at heart to YOUR advantage."

"I suppose that's true, after a fashion. But ask yourself this question as you return to your seat: Given the events of the past few days, and what you know of each of us, whom do you trust more right now? Him, or me?"

Kari sighed. "You know, did it even occur to you to maybe not ask me something like that right after asking me to seduce YOUR DAD...?"

"He's quite wealthy, if that changes--"

She punched him in the arm again. "Now you're just messing with me, aren't you?"

"Do it again."

"I'm tired." she said with a yawn. "I need to sleep."

"Good. You should be frustrated, too. You fail, again and again, because you hold back. Unleash all that you have within."

"I'm trying."

"No you are not. I can feel it. You are afraid. You are weak. You will fail. You are worthless."

"No I'm not."

"Then prove it. Do it again. Do it again, or I will have to punish you."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be."

"I can't even feel my own body in here, and you think you can hurt me?"

"I can."

"What can you possibly do?"

"You can hear my voice, can you not?"

"Yeah."

"Then be warned: If you do not succeed this time, I shall be compelled to do something quite cruel to you."

Dianiss just waited for him to continue.

"I am still capable, even here in this place . . . of singing."

Dianiss didn't know what to say.

"...and I am absolutely, horrifyingly, . . . terrible at it."


The absurdity of it all hit Dianiss all at once. She couldn't help it. She started laughing uncontrollably. "You.... I...." she tried to talk but the words just wouldn't come out. All the frustration that had been built up was suddenly released all at once. She was pretty sure that she was actually crying from laughing so hard.


"THERE!!!" he said, through her laughter. "You are feeling re-energized now, purely through strong emotion. Grab hold of THAT emotion and try again. Reach back and change the universe so that it feels your mirth along with you, and the Unifying Force be damned."

For the twenty-something-th time, Dianiss spoke the name of a planet she had visited.

But this time, she could sense something different as she reached back and relived the moment. She focused on the name of a different planet and felt the Universe gratefully accept it, like it was delighted to share in her moment of mirth. The memory felt solid. It felt real.

"Was the second planet's name Dromund Kaas?" he asked.

"Yes." she answered, still laughing.

"WELL THEN, . . . it appears we're finally getting somewhere."

Continue to Chapter 31 . . . .