Sianid Ascendant: Chapter 11

Zedemm was true to his word about the new transponder codes. The ship was able to enter Imperial space unchallenged all the way to Dromund Kaas. Naturally, Zedemm had done all the talking with Air Traffic Control as if he were piloting instead of Kari. His very genuine Imperial accent went a long way in helping to calm the otherwise nervous security officer who checked the credentials of this unscheduled arrival.

On the final approach to Kaas City Spaceport, they were given a two-fighter escort. Whether that was an honor guard due to the diplomatic status or a precaution against an attack BY them was unclear, but they were able to dock in a reserved hangar.

After Kari set down and finished the final landing and shutdown procedures, she came back to the crew quarters to alert her Jedi passengers, starting with Galadina.

"All right, Dina, remember: We're slaves. Head down, follow behind, be obedient. He's our master."

"Well, that won't be too hard to do...he kind-of used to be." she replied.

"Good, you'll be a lot more convincing with genuine feelings behind it. Now please tell me you also had a crush on him when you were an apprentice--because we need to act like we desire him, too. And don't give me any of that 'no passion...serenity' crap, now's not the time.

"I . . . yeah, I can do that." she half-admitted.

"Good. Play it up. Remember what I told you about distraction. Oh, and to us, he has no name. We call him 'Master' and nothing else."

Galadina smiled like she'd just heard the funniest joke ever told.

--

Sianid's ship was in hyperspace from Korriban to Dromund Kaas, and so Sianid decided it was time to take care of some unfinished business. "Zash, come to my quarters immediately." she said into the on-ship intercom.

Shortly after, Zash appeared at her door. "You called, Apprentice?"

Sianid used the Force to close the door behind Zash without getting up.

"Zash, it occurs to me that we are at an impasse."

"Why, whatever do you mean?"

"Well, in Khem's body, you are unable to harm me. And because of Khem's innate resistance to the Force, I am quite unable to harm you as well."

"Well, yes, I suppose that this reality had occurred to me as well. But why bring it up?"

"Zash, don't play games with me. We both know that I have something that you want, and you'd be a fool not to make a play for it. It is my intention to stop you."

"At the risk of repeating myself, whatever do you mean?"

"Don't pretend that we both aren't aware of what you tried to do to me. Of course you'll want to try again. But the girl is MINE. She has been since birth. You will NOT interfere."

"Why Apprentice, you wound me. I have done nothing but assist you."

"Then you continue to assist me, and do so happily. Because I want to make something clear: in less than a heartbeat, I can sever Khem's connection to the Trandoshan. When I do, he'll come rushing back in, and your little joyride in his body will come to an abrupt end. Do you understand?"

"Of course." Zash replied, with a depressed tone.

"That said, when the ritual is complete, I will have no further need for the girl. Serve me now, and I will entertain the notion of letting you have her, along with the things you need to repeat what you tried with me...."

--

Zedemm finally emerged from the crew quarters where he'd been locked away, alone. Galadina didn't quite understand what he'd been doing all that time, but now it was obvious. His aura--his presence in the Force--was different. Instead of his usual calm demeanor, he had a dark and angry appearance, as if he was embracing the Dark Side. Dina felt a chill run down her entire body, and it had nothing to do with her too-revealing costume.

"Dina." Kari whispered. "I forgot to tell you . . . before he went in to meditate, he told me to warn you not to freak out. Although . . . when HE said it, he used fancier words and said it more eloquently."

"I . . . ah . . . too late."

Kari approached him, head down, respectfully. "Master? Are you ready to disembark?"

"I am." he replied in a stern tone. "Follow."

Dina felt as if she no longer recognized him.

As he lead his slaves to the exit ramp and off the ship, all three were surprised to see a large contingent of almost 30 armed soldiers waiting for them, weapons drawn, and looking both impatient and nervous.

Zedemm approached the officer who appeared to be in charge, and as he did all of the laser sights pointed specifically at him. "What is the meaning of this?"

The officer walked forward, his confidence shaken a bit at the sight of Zedemm's lightsabers. "My Lord, despite your diplomatic access, there are some . . . irregularities . . . with the registry of this ship that we are investigating. While we do that, I shall have to ask you to remain here and . . ."

He paused, not at all wanting to say the next three words.

". . . surrender your weapons."

"HOW DARE YOU ATTEMPT TO DETAIN A SITH IN THIS MANNER?"

"I apologize, My Lord, but it is standard security procedure. I am merely performing my duty." The officer now was definitely fearing for his life.

Zedemm stared at the officer for a full minute, unmoving, until the tension was broken by the chirp of an incoming holocall on the communicator that Galadina was carrying. "Answer it." he said, as he turned his back on the officer to see who was calling.

"Yes, Master." she replied.

When she answered, the image of Zarvell appeared.

"Ah, Apprentice, I see you've landed. Have you brought the slave that I instructed you to acquire?"

"I have, My Lord. Two of them, in fact."

"Excellent. Proceed to the residence immediately."

"I will, My Lord--just as soon as I have dealt with this worm who presumes to delay me."

Zarvell raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I would speak to this 'worm' at once."

"At once, My Lord." Zedemm turned around so that the officer could see the image and be heard by the holo-communicator.

"Officer, introductions are in order. I am Darth Zarvell The Imperius of the Sphere of Mysteries. What is going on?"

"My Lord." the officer said with a quick, but formal bow. "Lieutenant Arthur Graves, Kaas City Spaceport Defense. This is a simple matter of standard security procedures, which I'm sure My Lord will understand. This ship arrived and was permitted to land, but its configuration does not match the information in its identification registry. We are simply confirming its authenticity."

"And who is the listed owner of this vessel?"

The officer motioned for one of his men to hand him a datapad, and skimmed over the information. "It says here that the ship is owned by a Darth Zar--" He stopped mid-sentence as he realized what he was about to say.

"By . . . YOU, My Lord."

"Indeed. Officer, my apprentice is returning from a covert mission into enemy space on behalf of Darth Rictus himself. The details are classified, but I assure you that this inconsistency is a direct consequence of the measures taken to conceal his identity. Now because I am feeling mildly impressed with your devotion to duty, I am going to spare your life by having my staff transmit authorization from the Sphere that I trust will satisfy your inquiry."

"Thank you, My Lord."

"However, I would insist you allow my apprentice and his entourage to pass immediately. I would further expect you to continue this impressive devotion to duty and keep this classified operation a secret. You will erase all records of this arrival, and you and your men will speak of it to no one. If you should fail in this duty, Lieutenant Arthur Graves, you will be seeing my apprentice again--but without the kind and friendly demeanor he is presently displaying. Do we understand each other?"

Zedemm simply smiled a cruel, threatening smile.

"Perfectly, My Lord."

"Excellent. Zarvell out."

As the holo-image disappeared, the officer turned around to address his men. "Stand down. This incident is classified. No one speaks of it again without authorization. Understood?"

The laser sights quickly vanished as the men responded with salutes and a chorus of variations of "Yes, Sir."

The officer turned back to Zedemm. "You are now free to proceed, My Lord."

Still holding his menacing glare on the officer, Zedemm replied, "I WAS FREE TO PROCEED from the moment we landed." At that, he marched directly forward, forcing the officer to step back and to the side to avoid having Zedemm collide with him.

As the spaceport security detail retreated, Zedemm, Galadina, and Kari'arra followed them out of the hangar to the main gate, and outside to hire transportation into Kaas City.

--

"The residence", as Zarvell had called it, was a small compound outside of Kaas City with some modest fortifications and surveillance all around. As they approached the front gate, they were greeted by a young-looking military officer with blond hair and an impeccable-looking uniform.

"My Lord, it is good to see you again. Welcome. I would ask all of you to come inside at once." he said.

"Lead the way." Zedemm replied. Kari and Dina followed.

Once inside, they were led to a parlor, where an older gentleman with a striking resemblance to Zedemm himself sat in front of a computer console reviewing some sort of mathematical information.

"Thank you, Drellik." he said as they entered. "Please fetch Denevee--she'll want to meet our guests."

"Of course, Sir." Drellik replied, then snapped a quick salute and left the room.

"First things first. My Son, please sit and relax. You needn't continue the charade any longer."

"Gladly, Father." Zedemm replied, then sat down in a plush chair and looked suddenly as if he were exhausted and about to fall asleep. Dina could sense the aura of darkness that he had been projecting since they landed fade away and his usual light (but weak) aura emerge to take its place.

"Now then, introductions are in order." Zarvell continued, addressing Galadina and Kari'arra. "I am Lord Zarvell, recently Darth Zarvell. More importantly, I am the father of two children with whom you are already acquainted . . . Apprentice Zedemm, and Jedi Master Dianiss. It is her unfortunate predicament that has brought us together."

As he spoke, his eyes never left Galadina for a moment, looking her body up and down. "Forgive an old man for staring, my dear, but you . . . are magnificent."

Dina was now thoroughly confused, unsure of how to respond or even what she could or should say . . . to say nothing of the awkwardness created by . . . was he flirting?

Kari broke the tension by blurting out "Well, sure, if you're into the short, skinny, athletic type."

"My apologies, Master Jedi, I should have also informed you that you are safe here, AND that you may speak freely. I already know who you are. And, as you are Miraluka, I believe that you will also be able to determine for yourself that I am not a servant of the Dark Side. I hope that this knowledge, along with the understanding that I take a great risk by bringing a Jedi into my home--arguably an act of treason--is enough for you to begin to trust that I am not your enemy."

Dina examined his Force aura carefully and realized that, while it was not quite the same as the aura of a typical Jedi, it was still far more similar to that of a Jedi than of any Sith she'd ever encountered--with the exception of Lord Praven. He was telling the truth--plus, she had to admit, his reasoning was flawless.

"My Lord, I am Galadina, Jedi Knight of the Galactic Republic. It is an honor to meet you." She gave a slight bow of respect.

"And I am Captain Kari'arra of . . . Tython. Call me Kari." she interjected. Kari bent over in a formal bow that deliberately put her cleavage into his line-of-sight.

He immediately recognized the name, and after a passing moment of disbelief, approached to embrace her warmly. The look of attraction on his face that he had for Galadina melted away into the look of a father's heartfelt love for his child. "YOU . . . are Kari'arra?!? How extraordinary! I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am to meet you."

It wasn't the reaction Kari was going for, and certainly not the one she was expecting, but--to her own surprise--she found herself really liking the comforting, safe feeling that she felt from having his arms wrapped around her. He held her close for what felt like a long time, but she didn't mind at all.

"My child, when time allows, I hope that you'll indulge a father and tell me all about her. But . . . we have other responsibilities which must come first."

"Lord Zarvell, ..." Dina responded, "...since you mention responsibilities, I have to ask. Why exactly are we here?"

"Of course." Zarvell said. "And please, have a seat." He gestured toward a pair of chairs across from him. "Also, allow me to apologize for the incident at the spaceport. I expected that your arrival would set off more than a few red flags, and so the best way to cover one's tracks is to convince the tracker to do it for you."

"Now then..." he continued, "...as you may know, the Lady Sianid--Dianiss' mother--has recently ascended to the Dark Council and been granted the title of Darth Nox. Since then, Sianid has worked out a method to take over Dianiss' body and imprison her spirit inside her own mind. She is doing this so that she can physically bring Dianiss back to Dromund Kaas to perform a ritual to steal her power. Since the time I first became aware of this, I have been tracking, researching, observing, and planning how to put a stop to it. At this time there are five major vectors of possible outcomes--but your presence here now, Master Jedi, ..."

"My Lord, if you please, just call me 'Dina'. I hope you'll understand my apprehension at being called 'Master Jedi' . . . out loud . . . here in the Imperial capitol."

"Of course, . . . Dina. And do call me 'Zarvell' as well, both of you. Your presence here now reduces that to three major vectors, only one of which has an unacceptably high risk coefficient, which improves our chances of success dramatically."

"Um, Zarvell, I know what a vector is, ..." Kari said, "...but I get the impression you're not talking about astrogation, am I right? So what's a 'vector' here?"

A groan came from the direction of Zedemm's chair. "Oh . . . dear . . . heavens . . . you DIDN'T..."

"Quite right." Zarvell replied, unperturbed. "Without going into the mathematical foundations, think of a vector as a possible chain of events in response to an action that you take. On a macro level, the Seldon theory postulates that with a large enough group of actors, the number of vectors always approaches ONE--which is, essentially, the will of the Force."

Dina sat listening intently, interested. Kari looked as though she was sorry she asked.

"On a micro level, ..." he continued, "...the principles still hold true if one can hold enough of the variables constant. From this, we form strategies and plan for contingencies, using statistical modeling and alpha-beta cutoff optimizations."

"So what are the three chains of events, as you see them?" Dina asked.

"Well, quickly, the first is that we are able to prevent Dianiss from arriving at the ritual site, which alone has at least 22 variations. The second is a successful negotiation for her, which is unlikely but carries little risk. The third is a direct multiple-front confrontation, which carries a great deal of risk--but the presence of allies such as yourself mitigates a great deal of it. As I mentioned before, your presence eliminates from consideration both a direct single-front confrontation and . . . ah, Denevee."

The blond officer had returned with a young Mirialan Sith at his side.

"Dina, Kari, may I present my apprentice, Denevee. And you've already met my right hand, Lieutenant Talos Drellik." Denevee nodded, while Drellik executed a precise bow. "Denevee, these are two of our recent acquaintances from Ilum, Jedi Galadina and Captain Kari'arra."

Denevee looked toward Galadina with a stunned look on her face. ". . . It IS you."

Dina was similarly stunned. "Wait, Ilum? You were there?" A thought clicked into place. "The third Imperial ship that Kendsel warned us about . . . that was you, wasn't it?"

"Indeed it was." Zarvell replied. "And I think I should like to meet this 'Kendsel' that you mention. I went to a great deal of trouble to ensure that we would not be detected."

Kari smiled a sly grin. "Well, actually, you weren't. Think about that one for a while."

Zarvell raised an eyebrow in response.

Denevee spoke up. "Zarvell, I think I'm ready with the 'technique' you showed me. It's . . . a HUGE drain. I hope I don't have to use it for real."

"And I, as well." he responded. "Regrettably, it is one of those things that comes more easily for those who give themselves over to the dark side."

The computer console in front of Zarvell lit up to indicate an incoming call. He quickly adjusted the settings so that only HE would be picked up by the holo and no one else in the room before answering.

The image of a young Chiss woman appeared. She looked oddly familiar.

"Hey there, Z. I just sighted your Ex and her entourage entering the temple. They had your girl with them. She's pretty. Out cold, though."

"Violet, she is NOT my 'Ex'. We were never married."

"Oh, Sweetheart, I do love it when you go out of your way to remind me that you're single."

Zarvell sighed. "Was the Trandoshan with them? The Dashade?"

"Yes on both counts, Handsome. No sign of the Freak Show, though. So is it really true that I could put a round right between those pretty little brown eyes, and it still won't kill her?"

"My dear, I'll thank you not to attempt it. Your round would not likely reach its target, and you'll simply compromise our operation."

"Anything for you, Zarvie-Warvie." She gave him a wink and subtle "kissy-face" expression.

Zarvell blushed a bit, reconsidering the wisdom of adjusting the holo-camera's parameters so that she would be unaware of the others in the room. She smiled a devilish little smile as if to say 'Gotcha!' and he realized it wouldn't have made any difference.

"I'll be joining you presently. Zarvell out." He disconnected the call.

Kari leaned over to Dina and whispered "I like her already."

"Well, my friends, it appears that the window of opportunity for the first vector has eluded us, and we are now down to TWO. Drellik, take our friends to the site and we'll meet up there. I'm going on ahead, so I'll need you to brief our guests on 'Lucifer Protocol', and their respective roles."

"At once, Sir." Drellik responded.

And after a salutary nod, Zarvell closed his eyes and . . . disappeared.

Denevee shook her head. "And yet THAT he says he can't teach me...."