Igniting the Stars/Part 2

"Alecto, here," Darth Saleej commanded, and Darth Alecto took her seat at her master's left hand.

She was not foolish enough to regard it as a promotion, though Lord Rhutizh had taken the seat beside Darth Hokhtan, who sat in his usual place on their master's other side. They all sat together on one side of the table, facing the door as they waited, and Alecto knew her master had put the two deadliest swordsbeings in the room—after himself—at his sides. On Alecto's other side sat Lord Sar-hent, studying his manicured hands with effected disinterest; a front so hedonistic it was almost effeminate masked a Sith Lord capable of cruelty that astonished even Alecto at times, and she felt sure that was part of her master's calculations as well—positioning the fighters to meet the threat head-on while the Force master hung to the rear to work his nefarious magic. Exactly what Lord Rhutizh would contribute to a fight she could not be sure—no one could ever be sure of much when it came to the Devaronian spymaster—but while moving him down the table might be excused as a matter of tactics, excluding him from the meeting altogether would have been nothing short of stupidity, and Darth Saleej was not a stupid man.

The Unquenchable Fire ' s conference room was so bright and sterile, so disconcertingly normal, that it felt anticlimactic for the impending meeting, but as she gave it some thought Alecto saw the wisdom. Their visitor would not be intimidated by the bloodred lighting of Darth Saleej's private bridge or the darkness of a room half in shadow, and such tawdry trappings would only breed contempt. Darth Saleej was a Sith Overlord, answerable in the end only to the Council of Five, no matter what the Council's other, self-aggrandizing servants might tell themselves, and those who treated him with contempt would pay the price.

Would pay a price, Alecto reflected; despite her memorable attachment to Lady Gasald's forces for the conquest of Milagro, she had never seen Darth Saleej interact with even a pseudo-equal in person. Among his own, ruling his fiefdom in the Council's name, his authority made him all but a god; others, answerable to other lords, diluted his power with mortality.

"She is coming," one of the towering sentries at the door stated in monotone, and Darth Saleej nodded.

Alecto had never really given Darth Saleej's bodyguards much thought, even when she had learned they were Kai Latra's handiwork, but now she found herself wondering about the Gossam. Why Sar-hent and not Kai Latra? Certainly Kai Latra could do less without his alchemical spellbooks and cages full of flesh for twisting, but Alecto was sure she had only scratched the surface of the arcane power Kai Latra could bring to bear. She wondered how Tirien had managed to take him prisoner; she hadn't had the time to ask…

She forced the thought from her mind; it hardly mattered now. And besides, she wasn't sure Kai Latra would even process a threat if it wasn't directed at him personally.

Alecto enjoyed a moment of imagining Kai Latra twiddling his thumbs in his chair, happily oblivious to a full-scale battle raging about him. Then the door opened.

Lady Erinyes wore a simple black robe with black embroidered designs that only showed when she moved the right way. The robe defined her angular, chitinous shoulders as she advanced with a slight lean and hung down like a cylinder of darkness when she came to a halt. She wore the robe's hood up, shadowing her insectoid head, so Alecto could only see the rust orange of her exoskeleton on the bone-like hands she folded over her abdomen and the mandibles that just protruded from her robe into the light. She bore no weapons visibly, but with someone like her that meant nothing.

Darth Saleej did not rise to greet her and, following his lead, his Lords stayed seated as well, but the Kaleesh Overlord raised one clawed hand. "Welcome, Lady Erinyes."

The Kobok Sith Lord bowed just a little from the waist, taking neither of her compound eyes off him. "Thank you, Darth Saleej."

Her voice was somewhere between a buzz and a snarl. She sat without waiting for an invitation or moving her hands; as she stepped forward the Force tugged out the chair opposite Darth Saleej, and as she bent her knees it scooted back in to catch her. She laid her skeletal arms on the table, hands still clasped.

"Leave us," Darth Saleej commanded, and his guards stepped out. He did not bother with further pretense. "You are here about Vandak."

"Darth Vandak," Lady Erinyes corrected, "which is the point. A renegade Sith Lord—one of your Sith Lords."

"A Sith Lord currently decimating the Republic," Rhutizh pointed out. "And responsible for the deaths of no fewer than five Jedi, if my sources inform me correctly."

Alecto admired the combination of humility and bait. Humility, to condition his facts on their sources; bait, if Erinyes was foolish enough to challenge their accuracy. Alecto could not recall a time Rhutizh's sources had informed him incorrectly; his archive of knowledge at times bordered on omniscience.

"And how many Sith worlds before that?" Erinyes asked. Waving it off before Rhutizh could respond, she added, "It doesn't matter. He is returning to us soon."

Darth Saleej turned his head to look at Rhutizh; following his lead, Alecto saw the Devaronian had narrowed his eyes. "My spies have heard nothing of this. Vandak's every movement suggests unpredictability bordering on randomness."

"Nothing is hidden from the eyes of the Seeing One."

Alecto did not understand the reference, but she knew better than to ask; none of her colleagues sought clarification, but neither did Rhutizh or Darth Saleej challenge Erinyes's statement, and that spoke volumes. Her master and her three fellows let none of their emotions escape into the Force for others to see, and Alecto only hoped she was controlling her frustration as well. Would there be no end to constantly playing catch-up? Were there always more secrets, more weapons and powers in the Sith Empire about which she didn't know?

"Where?" Rhutizh asked.

"Darth Vandak will strike the Republic next at Gyndine," Erinyes informed them. "Then his blow will fall upon Apsolon—a world within Lord Osydro's territory, and critical to the technological market of the sector."

Technically, the seven Sith Overlords were equals, but in the three years since her own anointing, Alecto had come to understand that this was true in much the same way that she and Darth Hokhtan were equals simply because they were both anointed Sith Lords. Lord Trayvin Osydro occupied the unenviable position of controlling the region of space bordered by Darth Saleej on the north, Lady Gasald on the south, Hutt Space on the east, and the Republic on the west. Alecto had never quite gleaned from gossip whether Lord Osydro had once had ambitions of his own and been shunted sideways by his peers, or whether the Council had put him where he was to employ what talents he possessed while abler Overlords carried on the war.

"If we know where Vandak will be, and when, we can ambush him there and be done with this," Saleej said.

"Presuming, as you seem to, that Lord Osydro will give you or your people leave to operate in his territory and not ask why you didn't deal with Darth Vandak at Gyndine instead. As I suspect he would."

He certainly would if Erinyes told him the whole story, and Alecto suspected she would. Sith Lords—even Overlords—sometimes did one another favors or struck deals with their colleagues to mutual advantage; Alecto herself thought the first rewards of her arrangement with Kai Latra would soon be ripe for reaping. But Ko Davad answered to no one but the Council of Five, and Erinyes and the rest of his Furies answered to no one but Ko Davad. Exactly what went on in any of their minds even Rhutizh didn't seem to know; her fellow Lords had regarded it as nothing short of sorcery that he had even gotten wind of Erinyes's coming before she arrived.

Click-clack, click-clack. Darth Saleej drummed his claws on the table for a moment, then asked, "You have some notion, Lady Erinyes?"

Her shrug looked like pushing knives up under her robe. "Certainly. Strike at Gyndine and be done with this."

"In Republic territory?"

"Darth Vandak has roamed freely for the better part of a year, Darth Saleej," Erinyes said. "Sith citizens have died at his blades. Sith industry has been disrupted by the chaos he wreaks everywhere he goes.  You have had every opportunity to deal with Darth Vandak before now; it is no one's fault but your own if you find your choices few after such inaction."

Alecto had never heard anyone speak to Darth Saleej that way, and stories that predated her ascension to his Council spoke of beings who had died for saying less, but she hesitated to rush to her master's defense; she did not have enough experience to know how far the Furies could push their unique authority, and the last thing she wanted was to compel her master to rebuke her before an outsider.

Darth Hokhtan spared her the dilemma. "Those who do not occupy themselves with the Empire's war can be forgiven their ignorance, Lady Erinyes, but we have had rather a number of other pressing issues to deal with. Perhaps you've heard of them?"

Erinyes glanced at him, then back at Darth Saleej. "Your disposal of the Supreme Chancellor and the resultant chaos were a masterstroke," she admitted, and she glanced at Alecto for a moment too before carrying on. "And you've commendably seized the initiative since. The Council is, overall, greatly satisfied with your achievements, Darth Saleej."

"Yes, they have been kind enough to share that sentiment with me themselves, Lady Erinyes."

"Which makes it all the more regrettable to have such laudable achievements sullied by failure," Erinyes countered.

"I confess at first I harbored hope that Vandak might return to our ranks. To be chastised for his…indiscretions, certainly, but only a great fool would throw away power like Vandak's except in the direst need." Click-clack, click-clack. "By the time it became apparent that Vandak had passed beyond my control—or anyone else's, even his own—he largely contented himself with decimating the Republic's worlds, and he has made for a valuable distraction there."

"What value he may have once had is now eclipsed by the threat he poses, and the Council's forbearance is exhausted." Erinyes arched her slender neck. "The Council demands that Darth Vandak be destroyed at once."

"Then why are you here, my lady?" Lord Sar-hent asked. His bulk was not quite enough to be disgraceful, though his belly drew snide whispers for the way it hung over his Half-Bothan goat legs and his twisting spit curl of a beard did nothing to hide that his chin looked like a growth on his mound of neck. "If Vandak needs to be destroyed, and Vandak is going to Gyndine…?"

"If you are unequal to the task, then I must attend to Darth Vandak." Even in the hood the arch of Erinyes's eyebrows was clear as she took in Sar-hent's size, then looked at Darth Saleej. "Are you unequal to the task?"

Darth Saleej did not reply at once, and Alecto appreciated the dilemma. Forcing the Furies to deal with Vandak would diminish his standing with the Council of Five just as his star was rising to outshine Gasald's, but apart from Darth Saleej himself, no one of them could defeat Vandak. Alecto and Shakelli could perhaps bring him down together…but then again, perhaps not. They were, in their own way, the Tirien and Darakhan of the Sith side, and Tirien and Darakhan had barely managed to survive fighting Vandak. Before his injury, Darth Hokhtan might have joined with Alecto to conquer the mad Anzat, but his ever-increasing mobility could never restore his mastery with a blade.

"If my lords and I might confer, Lady Erinyes—"

"There is no time," she said. "Darth Vandak will arrive at Gyndine in less than two days, and if I am to eliminate him, I will need time to prepare. Choose now."

Click-clack, click-clack. Was it Darth Saleej's powers or just her own nerves that increased Alecto's tension with every fall of those claws? When she could stand it no longer, she made a small gesture with her hand. Erinyes's head twitched—of course, Alecto realized belatedly; a fellow assassin would not have missed it—but Darth Saleej paused. She felt him weighing her in the Force and tried to project confidence. Either that or the lingering glory of her mission to Anaxes earned her his trust, for he finally gestured permissively.

"What if we take a third option?"

The rest of them looked at her; her comrades' expressions ranged from Sar-hent's polite interest to Darth Hokhtan's subtle encouragement, but Erinyes narrowed her eyes. "A third option? What other option is there?  Your Anzati?"

Alecto had floated that idea to Nevya, who had shot it down; the Anzati were disgusted enough with Vandak's mutilation that they would not turn on her, but skilled through they were, in the end they could not command the Force. No number of them would ever equal Vandak in combat.

But the Brotherhood was not the only resource Alecto had to lever. The next time she saw him—presuming they could avoid killing each other long enough—she was going to have to kiss Tirien Kal-Di. His help had enabled her not only to regain her powers, but to get the upper hand on Kai Latra, and through him Targere. And that had given her an idea. "No. Let the Jedi handle it."

Alecto recalled training in a sensory deprivation tank on Korriban—the absolute silence had pressed on her eardrums more than deafening sound. As the other five Sith stared at her, it felt somewhat the same.

"The Jedi?" Erinyes finally asked.

"You say you know where Vandak's going to be, and when," Alecto said, enlivening her voice with projected confidence. "As Lord Rhutizh said, he's killed five Jedi just since he went mad, not counting however many he's killed in the past, or the civilians he's butchered in Republic territory. The Jedi want him dead, even if they're too righteous to put it that way themselves.  And Lord Rhutizh has the best intelligence network in the galaxy—not just intelligence, but counter-intelligence."

She leaned onto the table to look at the Devaronian. "My lord, could your agents get word to the Jedi in time?"

The Devaronian frowned in thought. "Less than two days…a tight time table." He scrutinized Alecto for a moment, then tilted his horned head. "Then again, as you say, the Order would want him finished. They do not know he's returning here; they would undoubtedly pour every resource they have into such an operation."

He looked down again, and Alecto imagined that inscrutable mind at work, assessing resources, weighing possibilities, and calculating odds. In the end he looked up, gave Alecto the slightest of nods, then nodded fully to Erinyes. "Yes. It could be done."

"There's no guarantee the Jedi will defeat him," Erinyes said.

"If I go, or Shakelli, there's no guarantee either," Alecto countered. Fixing the Kobok woman with a look she tried to make penetrating, she asked, "And skilled as you are, Lady Erinyes, Darth Vandak is hundreds of years old; he had mastered the dark side and the lightsaber before any of our grandparents were born. Can you guarantee that you can beat him?"

She dared not look at her colleagues' expressions this time, but she could sense they understood the die she had cast. Saying "yes" would be simple; delivering on it would be harder, and a guarantee followed by a failure and an ignoble death would imperil the reputation of the Furies for unmatched lethality. They had all tensed just at the word Lady Erinyes was coming aboard, and why not? The Furies were invincible, their justice inescapable.

Unless, of course it wasn't. And it only took one failure…

"What if the Jedi take him alive?" Erinyes asked at last. "He's learned many secrets of the Sith in those hundreds of years."

Alecto forced herself not to smile, but she knew she had won. "Do you really think Darth Vandak will be taken alive, my lady?"

She clicked her mandibles. "And if the Jedi fail?"

Alecto shrugged. "There's always Apsolon."

Erinyes studied her, and as she returned the gaze, Alecto wasn't sure what to make of the other woman's expression. At last Erinyes looked at Darth Saleej. "This plan is not so unlikely that I must insist against it, Darth Saleej, but striking Darth Vandak before he reaches Lord Osydro's territory is your responsibility, and you have only the one chance. What is your decision?"

Darth Saleej laced his claws together, lowering his masked head in thought. The silence grew heavy again, but at last the Kaleesh Overlord turned his face.

"Go at once, Lord Rhutizh, and make the necessary contacts."