Chương 16: I FOUGHT FOR YOU
'The Lords of the Sith are cowards. Are you a coward?' Leena could remember Occlus's question as she proceeded with her lightsaber exercises by the balcony under the rain. 'No. You're a Sern. Be a Sern.'
The dark is generous.
The dark brings concealment in which their true faces are hidden as well as their feelings within her hearts. With the greatest achievement of hiding the secrets that are not supposed to be reached, even by the stars. The darkness is a kind of comfort and a terror within her heart, but even she knew that the dark is generous for the dark embraces the light. And each time when the light wins, the dark remains victorious.
The dark is patient, with the rain causing the seeds to sprout from the soil they stay. The dark guides her through the lonely journey. The dark is everywhere, with no escape – it was the only companion that she could only trust. With even the brightest light can cast a dark shadow. Even when their true hearts are the shadows that the light cast, the dark protects her from what she doesn't dare to know.
The darkness will always be a part of her, and she has accepted that.
Baras, on the other hand, granted her something she didn't expect. A couple of more slaves running around her stronghold, cleaning up and carrying the heavy stuff that would arrive. He said that they could be also used for "practice" and she knew exactly what that means.
She could feel the blurred line between her best and her worst, Baras was trying to test her for something and she didn't know what it was. She didn't want to know what it was. With the night falls on the civilization in which the Republic deems evil and destructive, the Empire had ideals that usher power into an unknown age under the guidance of an Emperor who never saw the light.
The dark side of the Force gives abilities that some consider being unnatural, and the Jedi look down upon that. With the hatred inside of her, she couldn't be calm like Arrun despite what the dark side did to him. A Dark Lord like Baras has been very much aware of this growing hate, the more he tortures and punishes her – the stronger her connection to the dark side would become.
'There is no truth in the Force.' She remembered Arrun's words as she entered the Citadel to meet with her Master. 'There is only you.'
When Baras laid his eyes on her, he couldn't help but smile behind that mask of his. The Sern who has brought the truth in his eyes, the beauty of power sleeps inside of her and it needs to be awoken. He has forged a weapon that would burn down hundreds of planets across the galaxy. The unnoticeable service she has provided for him would be nothing compared to what he has planned for her future.
"You have proven yourself, apprentice," Baras spoke. A pleased man like him has made her learn from his wisdom and in time, she will learn her secrets – unlock them one by one until she knows everything. All of his knowledge and his power will soon be hers. "And not a minute too soon, your timing is impeccable."
"I live to serve."
"I have painstakingly built a vast network of spies and operatives embedded throughout the Sith, the Republic and the Jedi. I have fingers, eyes and ears everywhere." A man of dark secrets would always have a network of spies – though, she was very much aware that he won't be doing the dirty work.
Spending everyday with Baras was life and death in her eyes, a road to either safety or ruin. Hence, her decisions should never be reckless nor neglected. Taken into account and what she can do, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
'Be familiar with the five cores, and I will be victorious.' She reminded herself. Pretending to be weak was no longer an option, Baras can see right through her skills and talents. "Which one am I? A finger, eye or an ear, Master?"
"You're my enforcer." It's what he has been training her all these years. "Deployed to protect my interest, intimidate my rivals and destroy my enemies. It's time for your tenure to begin." He's expecting great things from her and he will not be disappointed. "A military starship is touching down at the Kaas City cargo port delivering a vitally important prisoner to me. You will meet the Commander Lankyn there and make sure he and his men successfully off-load this prisoner."
"Forgive me, Master but this is beneath my talents." She was trained, tortured and defiled for almost seven years and she was going to be assigned to pick up a delivery. "Commander Lankyn can't handle it himself?"
"Lanklyn competes but that is moot." The Master answered. "We must always assume that we are being plotted against. Especially when the stakes are high. Remember this, apprentice, you must always play the game and assume the worse. The importance of this prisoner cannot be overstated. Go to the cargo port now, stay sharp. You are dismissed."
Excusing herself, the apprentice proceeded to head to the cargo port as instructed. The weather on Dromand Kaas has never been agreeable to her. She disliked the rain ever since she was a little girl, around this time – she was already used to the rain, the cold and the mud. The dreadful energy of the darkness within the planet, the capital of the Empire which stands tall and high for the mighty Sith and its citizens alike.
Dark and gloomy, she doesn't know what the other capital looks like she can't really compare.
"Hey, Leena?" Vette called out to her as they were on the speeder heading towards the area. "Leena!" The apprentice snapped back into reality as she arrived at their stopped. "Don't tell me you were meditating with your eyes open."
"What were you thinking?" The Twi'lek asked as they climbed down the speeder.
"Nothing. Let's focus on the task at hand." When the two of them arrived at the port, Leena was well aware that she had to make sure that this prisoner goes to the Master's in one piece. She doesn't even want to know what the old man would do to her if she fails.
"Alright men." She heard the commander's voice. "Let's hurry up and get this hunk of carbonite to its owner." Rushed in the two Imperial soldiers who are going to pick up the damn thing.
"Hey, Captain oblivious," Vette called out in a cheery yet playful tone. "Boo!"
"Oh!" The commander let out as she turned around to find Darth Baras's apprentice and her alien companion. "I-I didn't see you enter. Lord Baras didn't need to send a welcoming party."
"Obviously," Leena crossed her arms. "Lord Baras feels otherwise."
"My men and I performed much more dangerous duties for Lord Bars." The commander answered in confidence. "The prisoner is frozen in carbonite, so he's not a flight risk and this is friendly territory. Surely, we're safe here."
Leena looked Vette for a while who just gave her a shrug and turned back to the commander. "Sith interests are… rather complicated, Commander."
The commander and his men straighten up. "Yes, my Lord, whatever you say." Let's get this oversized block of ice to your Master."
Leena raised her hand for a moment, signaling the commander to stop for a moment. The Sith apprentice took out her lightsaber and turned to find someone who was not welcomed in the area. "Not so fast. My master ordered that block of ice. So, step away from the carbonite man and no one ends up in a grave."
"It's either my master or yours who will be disappointed, and I do like to keep my head." Answered Leena, knowing that Baras won't be so pleased if this prisoner is not in her hands.
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear." Said the human as he began to point his blaster towards the girl. Not a very smart move. "I'm here to relieve you of your burden. Whether that includes your own lives as well, it's up to you."
When an alien came into the picture, Leena wondered what kind of prisoner Baras even ordered. "Lookie, lookie if it ain't Slestack. Your master be wanting the frozen man, too, huh? Too bad for you. It mine."
"You two know each other?" Leena asked as she crossed her arms. She didn't want any trouble now, like them, she wanted the frozen man.
"To know TuMarr is to hate TuMarr." The human spoke as if they were old friends.
"That go true for you, Slestack! If you don't flee, this be like killing two stone with one bird." Said the alien. Leena didn't even know what kind of mess she got herself into.
"I'm such a fool," the commander stated as he stood behind the Sith apprentice. "I'll never doubt Lord Baras again. What do we do?" Awaiting orders, even the apprentice didn't know what to do. She needed to improvise, while the men were on standby.
Ponder and deliberate before she could make a move. "These gents look reasonable," she said. "We'll reason with them." Not the smartest move but she wanted to avoid any damage to the cargo and make sure that the men weren't injured.
"TuMarr and his mates can't even spell: reasonable!" Slestack spoke in contrast.
"All me gotta be able to spell is kill! K-Y-Y-L!" Vette let out a chuckle when she heard that, Leena on the other hand, saw an opportunity.
"You can spell it," she said as she crossed her arms, looking at the alien. "You can spell it, now prove you can do it." The art of maneuvering.
"Yeah, I prove it, Sith! Boys, first we beat Slestack, then we do the job!"
"There it is, then. A fight for the right to raid the landing party. Won't take but a moment, instigator." And the boys took it upon themselves to fire blasters at one another. Vette who was seemed amused for a moment was slapped back into reality when Leena headed towards the cargo.
"Well done! While they fight, my men and I will deliver the prisoner to Lord Baras. Thank you for buying us time, my Lord." Thanked the commander as they began to head out. Maneuvering someone is rather advantageous. While being undisciplined, multitude, it can be most dangerous.
Boys will be boys and if Leena learned something back in Sith Academy, rivals tend to duke it out most of the time. A person who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle a situation and her troops.
It is usually the wise leader's plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together. In this case, those who wanted to ambush them got their ego to turn the whole situation around. Let them kill each other.
When the two headed back to where Baras was in the city, Leena wondered how well this spy network he has under his wing. The usage of spies is no easy fret. If one spy was found the rest would follow and the source can be killed. Who knows, maybe he has a hundred thousand men and marching them great distances entails a rather heavy loss and great risks, it's one way to drain resources.
Resources that Baras uses very well until each and every one of them are dried up. That's all there is to be a Sith, backstabbing and murdering once you have placed in the right favor for the right price.
Sith Academy was one example, he had a lot of them watching her every move. These, local spies, means he managed to employed students to be his eyes and ears throughout the whole compound. Three years she had to be careful, and she's aware that she needs to increase that level of carefulness.
"Lanklyn informed me of the ambush at the cargo port," Baras spoke as his apprentice arrived right on schedule as per usual. "Apparently, there are more eyes on us than even I thought. I have felt a disturbance in the Force. It leaves doom imprinted on my dreams—a grave and mysterious threat that could bring down my entire power base."
Surely, Leena isn't the one he speaks for now. She has yet to tap her full potential with the Force, Baras was carefully pushing her to the limit and was eager to see how much power she truly has. But she's not there yet, both of them know that.
"This frozen man is a top Republic agent, captured while investigating my most deeply embedded spy on Nar Shaddaa—one of my invisibles." He said as he turned his attention back to his apprentice. "The Force grants me a vision of doom, and immediately, my untraceable spy—who has left no footprints, no trail—is almost exposed. It makes me furious."
From his tone alone, he's at the borderline of pissed and not furious. "Well, instead of whining, why not do something about it?"
"Oh, I'll do something about it, one of the things I do best—torture." Blinking of a moment, Leena didn't want to experience those shocks again running through her body, and feeling the pain of her soul coming out of it. Seeing the torture device and table already in front of them frightens her and at the same time – she didn't feel so stiff when she saw it.
Probably because she already obeys and sometimes, feels nothing when he hurts her. He was trying to discipline her like a common dog.
"I must learn what tipped off the Republic agent. He is the key to uncovering the nature of this threat. Now, while I thaw the prisoner and painfully siphon every morse of information I can from him, I have some concerns that require your special talents."
I don't like the sound of that. The girl thought as she listened carefully. "Well… I'll do anything that could get me out of this room…"
"No rest for the wicked, I guess." Vette sighed.
"I want you to go to the Imperial post in the jungle outside the city within the week. Commander Pritch is a station there. He has a seek-and-destroy task for you."
"Will do my best, master." She bowed.
"While you're at it, I must tend to the torturing oft this miserable Republic agent." Baras's attention then turned to his carbonite cargo. "Waste no time, Sern. I have more for you to do once this is complete. You are now dismissed."
It would take her three days to go there without a speeder, then again, she didn't want to speed things up. Not to mention the rain would annoy her to the bone, either way, it will annoy her most of the time.
That evening, Leena proceeded to her usual meeting place with Arrun by the jungle. With a smile on his lips, he welcomed her with open arms. The apprentice could always feel the weight of her heart lighter whenever she's with Arrun – it was as if she saw the light, the stars up in the dark skies of Dromand Kaas.
"I heard Baras had you pick up some cargo for him." Arrun began the conversation as they walked through the jungles.
Leena couldn't help but sigh. "Carbonite prisoner, he probably became bored with torturing slaves." Despite spending so much time with Arrun, lies come easily to her – much like any other Sith in the galaxy. "He's pleased with my performance."
He smiled as he gently placed his hand onto her head. She always seemed to amuse him, no matter what the horrid situation. He wanted something that matters, and that was her. She may have been an apprentice but, a woman like her has easily won his respect – more or less, besides his mother and Master, she's the only thing that mattered in his heart.
He came home later on that evening with Occlus waiting by the living room. He stared at her for a couple of moments, the Dark Lord removed her helmet-mask, revealing that red hair of hers. She turned around to face her son with a rather disappointed look on her face. "I'm going to be disappointed in this, aren't I?"
"…I asked her to marry me."
"You know why we can't do that—"
"Being Sith isn't always about power, you taught me that." Arrun cut off his mother. "I don't mind being second to her if that means I can be with her and protect her."
"You can't protect her from the grave. Don't confuse love with pity, son." Occlus had a stern tone, placing her helmet on the couch – drawing herself away from the window and slowly walked towards him. "I remember telling you that when you showed signs of fancying her. Get involved with a Sern and you might never see the light of life anymore."
"That won't happen," Arrun assured her. "You trained me, taught me everything I needed to know, you were the one who said that I should look after her—"
"Look after her in the shadows! I didn't tell you to involve yourself with a Sern!" Occlus raised her voice, having her son and apprentice in silence as she continued with the sound of a roaring thunderstorm outside their stronghold. "She's a weapon of mass destruction, Baras made sure that he had his chains around her – tight around her wrists, her ankles, and her neck. What kind of life would you even have with her?"
"She's different—"
"That's what all men say. You're trying to justify a lie you have convinced yourself into." Occlus sighed. "Listen to my son. Baras won't let her go, to him, she's the weapon he needs to control the waves of war and somehow… the dark council. We cannot risk that."
"I'm marrying her." Arrun didn't stand down. "She's not a weapon, she's a girl. Without her, my heart is closed and you know that I would do anything for her."
"Then you just signed your own death warrant." She knows punishment, and she knew that her son does not deserve it. Leena does not deserve it. But the Force has a plan, regardless of her countless questioning on what's the point in all of this. Every event in their lives – the Force has a plan for every single one of them, and they must follow.
How do they know?
She doesn't.
And even a Dark Lord of the Sith such as herself has fears of her own.
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