The Fog of War/Part 12

Vedya reclined on her chaise longue, running her fingers through the miniature aqueduct that formed a lazy river through her private quarters. The sweet music of its flow was soothing, and she nuzzled her head against her silken pillow, content.

She sensed Plaything Number One without, but she made him wait a moment more, drawing her fingers out and letting the drops slip off her nails and back to the flow, one by one. The last few clung stubbornly to her fingertips; she smiled and sucked them dry before finally waving a hand at the door. It opened at her thought, and Plaything Number One entered.

She did not turn to see the way his eyes ravaged her form; the Force told her enough, and she smiled to herself until he remembered himself and knelt. "My lady."

"Lord Karzded." She rolled over to face him. "Are we on schedule?"

"More or less," the Theelin answered. "Lakalt's forces are in retreat; he's trying to extract his forces from the ground. I sent Hokhtan to deal with it."

"Are he and Darth Alecto well?" Vedya asked.

"Still alive, at least."

"I rejoice to hear it," Vedya pouted in a tone of dissatisfaction.

"If Lakalt loses too many men here he's finished," Plaything Number One offered. "He needs to fight hard to extract what forces remain to him. It should be quite the intense battle."

"How fortunate we have brave Hokhtan to dare such a perilous conflict," Vedya said, favoring him with a smile.

"Especially because Vaszas will be occupied elsewhere and unable to assist." Karzded presumed to smile back, but Vedya did not chastise him; it was as good a plan as any, and such trifles seemed to encourage him. "The capital city won't capture itself."

"And Kra'all and Vandak?"

"Kra'all is wiping out what remains of that army division on the island continent. Vandak…"  The conspiratorial smile faded; a look near disquiet infected Karzded's face. "He sows terror as I commanded, but perhaps too effectively. The populace is going into hiding."

Vedya shifted to sit up; she prevented herself from sneering at his unease, but allowed a frown of disapproval. "Vandak's pets excel at finding people who are hiding. And should they fail, turbolasers and bombers will bring the little rats out from their holes."

"We'll need more men to round them up."

Vedya comforted herself that the plaything was too timid to successfully scheme against her; it amazed her from time to time that he found the spine to challenge Hokhtan, though admittedly he hid behind her to do so. "We have the men we need. Announce that those who surrender will be spared, and those who don't will be fed to Vandak.  An army needs to eat, my lord, and an army of Anzati develops quite an appetite."

"I suppose even animals can be put to work," Karzded said with a cold laugh.

Like you, Plaything? Vedya thought. Aloud, she said, "Indeed. Do try to keep them alive; if our noble Darth Hokhtan takes upon himself the danger of imprisoning Lakalt's forces here on Milagro, we can only bow in honor of his courage and stand aside.  But there is no replacement for the fear the Anzati cause.  I have no intention of wasting men and months bringing terrified little shaaks into line."

"It will be as you say, my lady."

"What of the ships that slipped the blockade?"

"Smugglers, I'm sure," Karzded said dismissively. "Trying to run supplies in, or people off."

"Have you captured them?"

"Not all of them," he admitted. "But we've seen no evidence we have anything to fear, either."

Vedya showed him a sulky lower lip. "I want no mistakes, my lord."

He was silent a moment, then laid a hand on her thigh. When she did not kick him away, he said in a huskier tone, "You will have Milagro, my lady. And when the planet and its resources are ours, Denon's throat will be laid bare."

He dug his fingers into her leg, and the hunger in his eyes told her he could imagine many things being laid bare for him to dominate; what he lacked in internal durasteel he made up for in imagination. She gave him a dusky smile. "I know you won't disappoint me, my lord. You have such a talent for pleasing me…"

The plaything took her words for permission. She allowed his hands to explore, but as he began to press toward truly uncharted territory, she laid the thin heel of her boot against his throat and pressed. He tightened the muscles in his neck and resisted her for a moment, but finally fell back to sit on his heels, coughing. His eyes blazed.

"Satisfy me with Milagro, beloved," she crooned, "and I will reward you amply."

She reached over her head, running her fingers through the warm, gentle flow in the aqueduct. She drew her fingers out, holding them over her head as the droplets spattered on her snow-white flesh. Grinning, she wiggled her fingers at Karzded. He buried his instinctive look of distaste and kissed the liquid from her fingers one by one. She brushed them over his lips and down his neck, pulling him in to tug the lobe of his ear with her teeth. Then she pushed him away, adding a touch of the Force for emphasis.

"Go now, Lord Karzded," she commanded, stretching out over the chaise longue an arching her back to give him a final image to take with him for motivation. He swallowed, but rose and left without a word, his gait stiff and awkward with suppressed desire.

When he was gone she giggled to herself, settling her head back on the pillow, and extended her hand back into the river's flow, the warm current of blood slithering through her fingers.