Twist of Fate/Part 10

Alecto followed Lord Zedum through the ship, still in her stolen white servant's garb, though it was spotted with oil and grease from the maintenance tunnels and still flecked with the Kel Dor Jedi's blood. Zedum himself was silent, his face shadowed by his hood, the only sound the clank of his walking stick on the deckplates. For once Zedum was without his bodyguards; Alecto thought he looked strangely exposed.

Two towering, armored Sith warriors, taller even than Zedum, stood aside to admit them through a door emblazoned with the seal of the Five. Within was an observation room, like a bridge without crew; a single chair faced a panoramic viewport, beyond which Alecto could see flashes of light as the Sith fleet engaged the Republic. Gizer Battlestation was large enough to be plainly visible even at this distance. The room was lit only by red light; when the door sealed behind them, Alecto saw the room as if through a filter of blood.

Zedum knelt, lowering his head, and Alecto dropped to her hands and knees beside the Pau'an, though she risked a glance up. The chair turned to face them and its occupant rose. Alecto lowered her eyes, but the Force caught her chin and compelled her to lift her gaze.

"This is Alecto?" the man growled.

"It is, my lord," Zedum confirmed.

"Do you know who I am?"

Alecto looked at the fearsome red death's head mask, marked with black Sith sigils. She saw the tusks protruding from beneath and the yellow eyes that seemed to glow with their own light. She forced herself not to swallow. "Darth Saleej."

The Kaleesh Sith Lord nodded, and the Force bent Alecto back up until she was on her knees. He flicked a hand at Zedum, who rose and stood by his master's side. The Pau'an towered over Darth Saleej, but the Kaleesh barely seemed to notice him.

"She succeeded," Darth Saleej observed.

"She did, lord," Zedum allowed. Alecto saw his teeth.

He added nothing, and Alecto seized the moment. "Succeeded and more, my lord."

Zedum hissed, lips peeling back farther, but Saleej raised a hand to silence him. "Speak."

"Admiral Arstyn is dead, and Karr Shadeez with him." Alecto did not bother to mention the few in the crowd she had struck down or the lovesick Togruta who had called on the dark side and then not known what to do when it answered; they would be nothing to Saleej. But Shadeez had been an unexpected prize.

"Karr Shadeez."

Saleej said nothing more, and Alecto thought it best not to press the point. Zedum, on the other hand, gave her a dry look.

"And with his death, Zirist Lakalt may rebuild what the rogue Jedi had so conveniently kept in check," Zedum observed. "One enemy's death merely feeds another."

"Zirist Lakalt is nothing," Saleej said with finality. "His legions pretend to the dark side. When we have razed the Jedi Temple and burned the Knights in its flames, Lakalt and his ilk will kneel or be consumed.  And until then, he may be a useful distraction to the Republic."

"Alecto is not without talent, my lord," Zedum forced out. "With more time and experience, she may be a great—"

"She is ready," Saleej cut him off.

Alecto felt a thrill of triumph, but she kept her face smooth as the Kaleesh loomed over her. "The dark side is anger."

The Force seized her around the throat, and Alecto choked. She kept her hands at her sides, struggling to fight off the constriction, calling on the Force to bolster her efforts. Her vision was blackening around the edges when Saleej released her, and she gasped for breath.

He stepped up and gently lifted her chin between his four fingers. "The dark side is pain."

Alecto jerked as the Force lightning touched her, running through her body and grounding itself on the floor. Her muscles superheated and she hissed in agony through her teeth, struggling to remain upright, tears evaporating in her eyes as quickly as they had formed.

Saleej stopped the flow and drew his hand away; it took all of Alecto's willpower not to collapse. The Kaleesh took the lightsaber from his belt, and Alecto's sprang off her belt into his hand as well. He called out both scarlet blades, raising them calmly with crossed arms. "The dark side is death."

He struck, but Alecto glared up at him, unmoving. At the last second he recalled both blades; she felt the skin on each side of her neck crisp, but the Kaleesh swept his arms wide and she drank in the glory of continued survival. Replacing his own weapon on his belt, he laid his hand on her forehead and dug a claw into her flesh. Dragging it across her brow, he let the blood spill down her face; it dripped into her eyes and down her nose. She licked it off her upper lip.

"You were born in your mother's blood," Saleej said. "You are reborn in your own. The dark side gives you new life, and a new self.  Does this give you peace?"

"Peace is a lie," Alecto replied coldly. "There is only passion. Through passion I gain strength.  Through strength I gain power.  Through power I gain victory.  Through victory my chains are broken.  The Force shall free me."

"And so you are freed," Darth Saleej answered. "But to serve the Sith is to serve forever. There is no release from the dark side for those who call upon its power.  Will you serve?"

"Until I have the final freedom of death," Alecto answered.

The Sith Lord returned her lightsaber, and Alecto replaced it on her belt.

"Then rise and serve, Darth Alecto."