Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance (9 page)

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 glass, 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 pronouncement 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 assure Tassaa 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 blood-red 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 assurance: that was all the Supreme Commander wanted
from his aides. A true meritocracy, however, would have demanded much
more from its citizens.

"Indeed
not!" Stantorrs exclaimed. "When every world in the
Republic, from the outlying settlements to the Core itself, is crying
poverty, to let a possible source of resources slip through our
fingers would be a public relations disaster, not to mention a
setback for galactic security. "

"When
the Mandalorians are involved, " said another aide, "it's
often a security issue. "

"Indeed.
And that's why I've decided to pursue this, publicly and politically,
to ensure that it can't come back on us later. "

The
martial rhythm of the Supreme Commander's tapping put Ula on edge.
Give it a rest, he wanted to yell at them. It's a smokescreen, a
distraction from the real issue-the cold war you re losing! The Hutts
are exploiting and feeding your paranoia at the very same time. Don't
you see how gullible this makes you all look?

So
wound up was he in his internal dialogue that he almost didn't hear
the Supreme Commander's next words.

"That's
why I've decided to send you, Ula, to Hutta as an official envoy of
the Republic. "

Ula's
thoughts hit the roadblock of that pronouncement and formed a
five-skylane pileup.

"You-what,
sir?"

"I
need someone to investigate and, if necessary, negotiate on our
behalf. Not someone senior-we don't want the Hutts thinking we're too
interested-and not someone from the military, either, since this is a
political matter. We need someone informed and dedicated, and the
reports you filed last night indicate that you are nothing if not
both. Ula, I want you on the first available shuttle. "

The
other aides stared at him with undisguised envy as Ula tried to find
a way out of the situation.

"I'm
flattered, sir, but..."

"Your
portfolios are already full, I know, but there's nothing you can't
delegate. And if it's security you're worried about, I've
requisitioned a full detail. We can't afford to lose someone of your
abilities, Ula. "

Ula
swallowed. Stantorrs had shot down his two major objections in little
more than one breath. While it was indeed pleasing that the Supreme
Commander afforded him such trust, what use was he as an informer in
the wrong sector of the galaxy? He needed to be here, in the office,
not mucking around with filthy Hutts and potentially coming under
fire.

The
gang war that had led to Stantorrs hearing about the Cinzia would be
just a minor skirmish if the ship's home was as valuable as the Hutts
said it was. Of that Ula was certain, and he was an informer, not a
soldier, for a reason. He liked fighting as little as he liked being
in the spotlight. He simply wasn't trained for that kind of thing.

There
seemed no way to escape it, though, so he accepted with all the grace
he could muster.

"Excellent.
I know I can rely on you, Ula. Off the record, I'll expect you to
keep a sharp eye out for Jedi, of course. Satele Shan says she'll
take no official action, but I don't trust her. You know the major
players, don't you? You see one of them, you let me know. "

Ula
nodded. "I will, sir. "

"And
if there's any substance to the Hutts' claims, report immediately.
I'll have a fleet on standing orders to offer the world protection
from the Empire. "

"Yes,
sir. " Like anyone with any political savvy, Ula knew that
"protection" was something many worlds simply did not want,
for fear of the so-called protectors pillaging natural resources and
talent. Also, the mere presence of a Republic cruiser, let alone a
Jedi, was likely to draw the wrath of the Sith, who could be even
worse. "What if it's nothing?"

"Then
we've lost nothing, and you get to keep your promotion. "
Stantorrs stood and held out his hand. "I'm elevating you to
senior aide, effective immediately, and appointing you as acting
envoy to the Bareesh Cartel. Congratulations, Ula. "

Ula
shook the Supreme Commander's hand but barely registered the
soldierly crush of the strong Duros fingers. Numb from head to foot,
he could barely accept what had just happened. The best he could
manage was to find ways to profit from it.

As
his former colleagues pressed in to offer their congratulations, he
realized that this put him in an ideal position to make sure that the
Republic didn't gain from the Hutts' offer. He could downplay the
importance of any information he discovered-even actively interfere
with the auction, if it came to that. Whatever the Hutts had, the
Republic wouldn't get access to it.

And
then there was the Republic fleet that awaited the outcome of his
investigation. If he could send them on a fruitless quest to an empty
sector of the galaxy, that could help the Empire in a dozen tangible
ways. That the Supreme Commander of the Republic's military forces
and parts of the Senate were absorbed in this unfolding drama was
also useful. What had started as a minor curiosity could end up
playing a deciding role in the conflict, if he was careful.