Adult-FanFiction.org : Movies

The Fett Dynasty II: Siege of Orri Prime	By : WLTDNFADED Category: Star Wars (All) > General Views: 3810 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Episode 2

Chapter 7

The Voice Of Blood
With his arms folded and his jaw set firmly, Luke perched lightly on the desk in his Jedi Temple quarters, waiting with obligatory patience as he intently watched I�Lai�s life-size shimmering holographic image for her response. She seemed perplexed and a bit puzzled, but not upset or frightened. For this he was grateful, if not entirely relieved.

He had just told her of his vision.

Her eyes dropped down to the floor, and her brows wrinkled. �I�I see�� she breathed.

�I�Lai, have you seen anything like this? Does this sound familiar at all?�

She paused. Luke held his breath as he waited for her response, and exhaled in sharp frustration when she shook her head. �No, Luke.�

�I�Lai, are you sure? Absolutely positive?�

She sighed and half-smiled. �Luke, if I were having visions of a long-dead Sith Lord, don�t you think I�d tell you?�

Luke, setting his hands on his hips, breathed a deep sigh. �Yes, of course you would, I�Lai.�

�Of course I would.� She tilted her head to the side as she asked, �You�re sure the baby in the vision was me?�

�I�m positive, I�Lai. I could read your signature. He spoke your name.�

Her face clouded as she cast her eyes to the floor. �No�that�s not possible,� she said, shaking her head. �I was born in an orphan�s home on Coruscant. I have the record.�

�But there�s no record of your parent�s names.�

�No.� Her eyes misted briefly with a touch of sadness. �My mother died during the birth. According to the record, she showed up at their front door, already in labor. They thought she was perhaps a beggar or a prostitute. She never gave her name. And of course, no one had any idea who my father was.�

He looked at her with deep sincerity. �I�m sorry, I�Lai.�

Again, her warm smile spread across her face, and she shrugged. �Don�t be. For an orphaned urchin from the lower levels of Coruscant, I�ve done fairly well, don�t you think?� With that, she dropped her head down just a tad, her mouth set in a playful smirk, and her deep blue-green eyes twinkled from under her brow.

Luke laughed softly at first�but his smile faded when he was immediately struck by the expression on her face. I�Lai was never more beautiful than when she smiled, but�it wasn�t her beauty that caught him just now. Her face did not seem to belong to her, but to someone else�someone who had been dear to him, but was now gone. She suddenly looked strikingly, almost disturbingly familiar�he could swear hs jus just looking into the eyes of�

She raised her brows as her own smile faded. �Luke, is something wrong?�

�Uh, no, no I�Lai.�

�You look like you�ve just seen a ghost.�

You could say that, Luke thought. �No, no�it�s just�it�s nothing.� He paused for a moment. �You�re sure everything is all right?�

She sighed. �I�m fine, Luke. Just�a little lonely.�

�Have you heard from him?� Luke asked with cautious concern.

She nodded. �Of course I have. He transmits frequently.�

�When is he coming back?� The pained expression on I�Lai�s face instantly told Luke he had made a huge faux pas asking that question. �I�Lai, I�m sorry, I didn�t mean to pry��

�I don�t know where he is and I don�t know when he is coming back,� she replied with a snap in her voice. Suddenly, bursburst into a pace and nervously rubbed her forehead. �And it is better that I don�t know these things. It�s safer for us all.� Her edge in her tone softened, and her eyes turned down. �Things are�different for us, Luke. I knew that from the beginning.�

Luke watched her slow to a halt and vacantly gaze out the glass doors behind her. They stood for a moment in uncomfortable silence before he offered, �Maybe I should come there, I�Lai.�

She quickly turned and shook her head. �No, Luke, please don�t put yourself out. Kai and I are fine, really. Besides, I am really very busy with all the new orders coming in for ore. And we�ve had an outbreak of morumka virus ie Soe Southern Hem, so I�m dealing with that, and�� Her shoulders slumped, �I wouldn�t be a very good hostess right now.�

�Are you sure?�

�Quite sure, Luke.� The dull weight of her tone suggested to Luke the issue was closed.

�OK, then,� Luke sighed. His face brightened as a thought struck him. �Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the good news.�

�What news?�

�Leia is pregnant.�

Her reaction was definitely not what Luke had been expecting. I�Lai instantly froze in here tracks, and he could see her body become oddly tense and her eyes become dim, almost frightened� But just as swiftly as it had come, it was gone, and I�Lai�s demeanor rapidly changed into sheer exultation. �That�s�wonderful news, Luke! She and Han must be thrilled!�

�Yes, they are,� Luke replied, his tone still chipper, but now somewhat guarded.

�Well, I must send them a gift! Oh, and a note of congratulations, of course! Oh, this is exciting!� She clasped her hands under her chin, her smile broad and sweet. She flashed her eyes back to Luke. �Luke, I�m sure you�ll speak to Leia before I will. Please tell her that if she has any�oh, you know� questions, she is more than welcome to ask me. I�d be happy to tell her what to expect!�

�I will. I�Lai,� he added firmly as he watched her reach for the com button. She stopped and looked at him with large, innocent eyes. �Are you sure everything is all right?�

Her gaze remained steady, and her tone was bright yet notably rigid when she said, �Everything is fine, Luke.� Pause. �Don�t you believe me?�

Luke found himself weighing that question in his mind. For a moment, he was tempted to try and scan I�Lai through the Force, but then decided against it. For one thing, she was too far away for any reliable reading and, for another�he simply did not want to betray her trust. �Of course I do.�

�Well, then,� she chirped, �I�ll see you for next week�s Jedi history lesson.� And with that, her holographic image was gone.

Lutoodtood perfectly still for the next few minutes, staring intensely at the spot I�Lai�s hologram had just glimmered. There was no denying the chill that was coursing up his spine. �Something�s wrong,� he whispered to himself. �There�s something she�s not telling me��

* * *

Just as Luke had stared into the nothingness that had once been her image, so I�Lai did the same in her private suite. The elation she had forced at the news of Leia�s pregnancy burned away like a lit match, replaced by nothing less than confusion and mild terror�

*Everything is fine�perfectly normal�I haven�t seen any visions�Have I�? No, no, that�s absurd; of course I haven�t�I would remember�*

*Then why�why do I feel like I just lied to him�?*

She leaned back on her desk, bringing a trembling hand to her eyes as she fought to catch her breath�

*Well done, my seraph�*

The temperature in the sun-drenched room began to rise� From under the doors seeped a black vapor, which crawled across the white marble floors toward her feet. I�Lai�s breath caught in her throat as the mist delicately encroached about her feet, swirling and wrapping around her legs, enveloping her body and caressing her shoulders�and a face crowned with horns forwithwithin the mist with eyes the color of fire that fed upon her visage�and the voice took her mind�

*Her spawn will destroy you.*

The black mist suddenly swirled away from her, hurling across the chamber and striking the full-length mirror on the far wall. Wispy tendrils of vapor lightly floated to the floor.

Memories exploded through the dam of her consciousness, flooding her mind with the forgotten visions, and her hands slapped her temples as though her skull w spl split from their terrible onslaught: Black desert, red sky; vicious hordes crying the hymn of her name; the cadence of drums filling her ears, the ebon orbs of Death Stars blotting the sky; her son grown, beautiful, and damned; and him, his presence constant and unrelenting, feeding on her, fascinating her in his dark soul�

I�Lai immediately sprang around the desk, her panicked hand just shy of the holophone�

*Go, run, cry to the Jedi pup!* The voice, now seething,sed sed throughout her ears. *The moment you touch that button, your mind will blank.* His voice lowered into a darkly satisfied timbre. *And you will only confirm his belief that you are going insane.*

She spun toward the mirror, her eyes huge and terrified, her breaths short, wild pants. Slowly, she stepped toward it and into its reflection�

And reflected back, mimicking her movements perfectly, his lips distorted into a ravenous grin, was the black-cloaked, armored, and darkly magnificent figure of Maul.

�You�re not real,� I�Lai stammered, shaking her head, frantically trying to deny the vision assaulting her eyes �You�re dead! Luke told me that you�re dead! Killed by a Jedi forty years ago! You are not real!�

The hood in the mirror rose just slightly, and the voice that had filled her head now filled the room, his dulcet tones of dark velvet riding the air, vibrating against her skin. �The way you cling to every word that cub spews forth disgusts me,� he replied coolly, raising his flaming eyes to meet hers. �I assure you, beloved, I am as real as the blood that flows through your veins.� He lightly stroked his lip with the tip of his gloved finger. �As alive as your babe when he feeds at your breast.�

The words sliced I�Lai�s heart and her blood turned cold, even in the elevated heat of her chamber. Her terror ebbed away, replaced by nothing less than raw fury. Her eyes slit murderously and her jaw clenched as she growled from her throat, �Stay away from my son, Sithspawn!�

His fiery eyes narrowed into smoldering slits, his his lips peeled back from his sharp blackened teeth as he roared, �I do not care for your tone�CHANGE IT!�

The brutal power of his Force-voice alone hit I�Lai like a blow from a fist, careening her to the marble floor, where she landed with a resonant SMACK and a sharp cry. Maul immediately recoiled, dropping his head and curling his fists. His voice became as light as wind, as fragile as smoke. �You stab me, Archae�el. You bleed my heart with this terror of me. Fear is my ally, but yours�is like poison.� He raised his head again to peer at her prone form. �Rise and come forward. The filthy ground is no place for a queen.�

I�Lai pushed herself to rest on her hands, and turned her tear-reddened eyes over her shoulder back at his image. Within the mirror�s reflection, he raised his hand toward her and a soft, almost kind smile spread his lips. �You want to, don�t you?�

�Yes,� she blurted, unable to lie. His voice�what made his voice so impossible to resist? How could it seem to weave itself through the sinews of her flesh, the tapestry of her soul? Her hand gripped her chest, as she feared her heart would crush under the immense guilt she felt, but� this confounding, overwhelming need to be close to him, to be bathed in the inferno of his eyes, to be cloaked by the taint of his lust, his love�propelled her to her feet. Shakily she walked forward, step by agonizing step, until she stood just a breath from his image in the mirror and stared into his flaming eyes. Maul raised his palm, seeming to press it against the glass. I�Lai slowly, dreamily raised her own, pressing it against the glass�and felt the intense heat emanate from his hand to mingle with her own.

She leaned her forehead against the glass, and choked a sob. �Why�?� was all she could manage to utter. She swore she could almost feel the warmth of his palm against her hair�

�Because�I am the air you breathe, heriherished gem. I am your beginning, and your end. I am in your blood. Look at me.� She did, the cool dewponds of her eyes steaming under the fire of his. �I would never harm our prince, Archae�el,� he whispered tenderly, his eyes adoringly drinking in the purity of her alabaster face. �Far from it�I would make him a GOD.� He paused before he added, �I would not take him away from you�as the Jedi plans to.�

�What�what do you mean, take him away?� she asked breathlessly, her eyes beseeching, her mind, as last time, hazy. �Luke would never take my baby away ��

�Wouldn�t he? So na�ve, Archae�el.� His hooded head tilted slightly. �Do you not know? When a Force-strong child is born, the Jedi rip him from his mother�s breast before he can wail his first breath, to pollute him with their corruption and lies, to enslave him with their arrogant dogma. Such has been their way for millennia�hasn�t the spawn told you?�

Her lip trembled, and her head shook back and forth. �No�no�Luke is my friend. He wouldn�t��

�The Jedi know nothing of amity, Archae�el.� Again, she found herself drunk by the sultry wine that was his voice. �They are loyal only to their own self-indulgent, impotent doctrine. They use those outside of their circle for their own gains.� He lowered his hooded head to allow his gaze to pierce her further. �What sort of �training� has he offered you so far, hmm? The ability to heal a bruise? A few parlor tricks?�

�Luke said�we are taking the things slowly�so I can master control of the Force��

�He is keeping you docile with weak, worthless tripe!� he hissed through the glass, his darkened fangs gnashing against his lips. �He words you, Archae�el, he cajoles you with promises of nobility and lies of gallantry while all along, he plots with that insipid sister of his! Biding their time, just waiting for the moment when they know they�ve procured your trust with mocking flattery and empty praise, to wrench our prince from your arms and whisk him to where you will never find him!�

�NO!� I�Lai screeched, pushing away from the mirror. She wildly waved her arms in front of her. �NO, you�re lying! They�re my friends! They wouldn�t hurt me like that!�

�They fear you, Archae�el!� Maul rumbled back, emphatically striking at the glass. �You are stronger than any Force-being this galaxy has ever seen! You are more powerful than the two of them combined! Why do you think that spoiled seed of Vader tricked her idiot pirate into impregnating her so quickly? You have battered her precious vanity! YOU, of ignoble birth, have borne a powerful son before she!� A murky chuckle rippled from his throat. �As she so calls you, that �third-class galley whore who tupped her way into her position.��

She froze, her mouth agape. �Leia�would never say that��

He cocked a hairless brow. �Wouldn�t she? How do you know?� I�Lai could only stand there, her lips forming unintelligible, silent words, and her eyes darting frantically across the floor. Maul pressed on: �So now, she breeds with a common criminal she can lead by the nose with the futile hope her progeny could even come close to matching Domein�s inherent power. But even now, she knows that hope is moot�and she hates you for it.�

She snapped her head in fury to face the Sith Lord head on. �His name is KAI! And he is NOT your prince!� She suddenly burst into frenzied laughter laced with superiority. �No, I know what you�re doing! You are trying to turn me, to fill my head with lies and confusion!� She drew herself tall, glaring at him over her nose. �It�s been tried. You are not the first Sith Lord to attempt this.�

�You mean Palpatine�s puppet cyborg,� Maul muttered with underlined disgust. Leisurely, he folded his powerful arms over his armored breast. �Don�t flatter yourself, Archae�el�Vader was no more than a frightened rodent. He had the power to destroy Sidious all along, to ascend to the throne, but was too mortified, too timid to use it. Instead, he allowed himself to shame the very name of SITH by licking the boots of a senile, lust-crazed despot. Does this fill you with such satisfaction, then, knowing that you resisted the advances of �an insect?� He mimicked her stance, shifting his gaze down his nose as he lifted his chin. �And does it surprise you so that his offspring would take up the task to which he failed? To keep you submissive and occupied with childish games in this sprawling dollhouse, on a provincial backwater world whilst they plot to take the galaxy�and your son?�

�NO!� she screamed, hurling herself toward the mirror and beating her fists against his image. �No one will ever take my son from me! No one will ever call me WHORE! I am NOT a whore! I am the ruler of this world! I am respected! I am� not�a whore�� Her screams suddenly shrank into quaking sobs as she slid down the mirror�s glass, crumpling to her knees.

Within the mirror, Maul crouched down. �THERE! Now THATyouryour strength, Archae�el, THAT is your power. Your immovable hubris, your insatiable love for yourself, your unrelenting PRIDE.� A small smile pulled his lip. �It seems you have inherited more from your father other than his eyes...�

I�Lai�s sobs suddenly cut off. Slowly, she raised her tear-soaked face from her knees, and adrenaline shot through her very core. �You�you knew my father?� she asked in a low, shaking timbre.

The black hood tilted slightly. �Do I detect a change in your tone? Not so hostile now, are we?� His smile grew. �In a manner of speaking, yes, I knew him.� It was then he began to softly laugh. �He, too, was proud, and so very self-assured, as he took on a task impossibly beyond his limits. But unlike him, your pride will be your triumph, and not your downfall. You will hold the galaxy in your grip, and not tear it asunder, as HE did.�

I�Lai flung her hands onto the mirror, pulling herself up on her knees and looking directly into Maul�s flaming eyes. �You knew him! You know who he was! Please, please tell me who he was��

�Why don�t you ask your bounty hunter?� Maul snarled maliciously. I�Lai�s alabaster skin paled even further as she gawked at him. �He knew him, too, many years ago. Why don�t you ask him what your father�s kind did to Heopleople, to his father, hmm? Why don�t you ask him why he hates the Jedi so much?� He paused. �That is�if he comes back��

I�Lai slumped back to rest on her knees, huge tears dropping down her cheeks as her mind stumbled in confusion and despair. Father, friends, lover, son, him�it was all happening too fast��He is coming back�he is�he promised me he would��

�Then where is he, Archae�el?� Maul quietly demanded.

�I�I don�t know��

�Why won�t he tell you?�

�To protect us! To keep us safe��

�Safe from whom? To his enemies, he is dead. What reason would he leave you here, alone? Could it be that your abilities, your powers frighten and disgust him?�

�NO!�

�That he realized he has bred with the daughter of his mortal enemy�a Jedi�s spawn?�

�No! No��

�Do you think you are the first, Archae�el? Are you so na�ve to believe he had some sort of feelings for you? That he hasn�t fathered bastards all over this galaxy? That there aren�t scores of pathetic, simple-minded women like yourself mooning desperately for his return? That he may actually be bedding one of them right now��

�STOP IT!�

�And laughing at you with his new-found whore about how he has tricked you into bearing him a son who is worth less to him than his prized bounties��

�HE LOVES KAI! HE LOVES ME!� I�Lai screeched, springing herself to her feet.

�Has he ever said it?�

I�Lai stopped cold, gawking at the Sith Lord as his question struck her like a closed fist. Maul waited for a response. He received none. �It is a simple question. Has he ever said �I love you�I�Lai?��

�He�� Her voice was no more than a squeak as she stood, shaking frantically and clenching her fists so hard her nails dug into the meat of her palms. She bit her lip to keep her sobs trenched within her throat. �He�he is not�accustomed�to expressing�his feelings��

�Has� he� said� it?� Maul inquired, slowly and casually, the flames of his eyes solid and unflinching in his stare.

I�Lai�s answer rasped like the cry of an injured dove. �No.�

Maul pressed his hands against the mirrored glass, his eyes growing empathic, his voice as soothing as a lover�s caress. �They have all left you, Archae�el. Your father, your lover, your friends, all of them. Your father knew of your existence your entire life and NEVER tried to find you. Your lover has left you to fend for yourself and his son with no intention of returning. Your friends laugh at you behind your back to disguise their terror of your power.� He tilted his hood once again. �And here is the question, Archae�el. What is the true evil here before you? Is it me�or is it the doubt in your own heart? Who is here with you now? Who understands your fears, your needs, your power, your pride? Your bounty-hunting clone�or me?� I�Lai stood immobile, her only sound the wheezing gasps of her breathing. Maul�s tone dropped even further into a soothing, tender baritone. �I have been with you every second of every day since your beginning. I welcomed yoto mto my arms the moment you drifted into this universe.� His sultry, velvet voice actually cracked with emotion. �I have watched you shimmer into the resplendent jewel you are, and have ensured you would never want for anything. Do you think you have all of this by chance? No�I made sure you were pampered and adored your entire life. I have protected you from Palpatine and his minions, waiting for that inevitable day when they had killed themselves off with their lusts and greed, to take you to my side, and make you my own, and to bring you home.� He leaned further into the glass, his glowing eyes wanting, beseeching, yearning. �I am the only constant in your life, Archae�el. I am the only one who has NEVER abandoned you.�

A wail of heart-wrenching desolation spilled forth from I�Lai�s throat. As she gripped her breast in attempt to keep her heart from splitting, she gazed in utter despair at the Sith Lord reflected in the mirror. �Who am I?�

Maul stepped away from the glassy surface and spread his arms forward toward her. �You are the reflection of me, Archae�el. You are�my Empress.�

His form began to change within the mirror�s glass, bending and morphing into a new image�his tattoos receded away into alabaster flesh�his eyes paled from flaming red to sparkling teal�his features softened into soft curvf fef feminine radiance�his hood melted away to reveal thick, lustrous ebony ringlets�and I�Lai found herself staring at herself.

But only for a moment.

The image began to morph again. She watched her own hair suddenly blanche from the roots to the ends, from raven black to bleak, iridescent white. She grew elongated and gaunt�the soft pastels of blue and cream that made up her gown became black as pitch, and hardened around her waist, pushing her bosom up and forward, encroaching over her hips and thighs, encrusting her body in slick plasteel form-fitting armor. A stiff, black gorget clamped her throat up to her chin, and her finely manicured nails sprouted forth into sharp black talons. The soft femininity of her arms grew hard and striated, as muscles pulsed forward from behind the flesh that became striped with black tattoos. A long cloak as black as night exploded from her shoulders, to envelop her like a dark lover. The tattoos of her arms slinked along her skin to her face, where they rested like sinister fingers along her jaw and cheekbones while her lips ran red as blood. And her eyes�her eyes lost all color, leeching from sparkling teal into points of silver as sharp and deadly as the edge of a blade�And I�Lai became ill from the noxious essence of the Dark Side that permeated from her own twisted image, who raised her clawed hand to her and spoke with his voice�

�And I am merely a reflection of you�my beloved��

�NOOOOOOOOOOO!� The scream that exploded from I�Lai was not human, but that of a beast born of thunder. A massive gale swept through her chambers, blowing the art of the walls, the vases of the tables, knocking the furniture over to crash against the floor. As her screams grew even more deafening, red streaks of Force lightening crackled all around her, shooting off to hit the walls and ceiling. Her body twisting and seizing by the brute power she pulled into herself, she snapped her eyes to the mirror and threw her fists down�

A blinding pillar of scarlet energy burst from her and crashed into the mirror, exploding thousands of glass projectiles throughout the room, sending them scattering across the floor.

The shockwave that rebounded off the now-shattered mirror blew I�Lai across the chamber, where she bounced off the floor once before crumpling into a heap, unconscious.

The red lightening ceased, and the wind subsided, and the room became still and silent. Until�

A small shard of glass began to travel across the floor. Then another. Then another, until every piece, large to microscopic, slid toward each other, collecting themselves at the base of the mirror�s frame, fitting themselves like a puzzle and, finally, ascending into the frame to seal together as though nothing had happened.

The furniture, the vases, and the art all did likewise, positioning themselves back to their proper places, and the chamber was once again the serene and comforting haven its mistress had always intended it to be.

The doors slid open, and in stepped Nikoa, who immediately fell to her knees and bowed her head to the Dark Lord standing within the mirror�s reflection. �My Master.�

�Rise, my treasure, and attend to my queen,� Maul commanded softly.

Nikoa slid toward the unconscious I�Lai. Very gently, she lifted I�Lai�s head to rest in her lap, softly stroking her lustrous black curls. �Is she all right, Lord?�

�She will be.� Maul answered in a low rumble. �She has sampled her true power. She will need now now.�

�Will she remember?�

�Not consciously, as all the other times before. But the seeds have been planted, and are taking their root.� He raised his scarlet-gold eyes from I�Lai�s slumbering form to Nikoa. �The minions are on their way to bring her to Hav Have you prepared for their arrival?�

�Yes, my Lord,� Nikoa affirmed, smiling softly.

�Remember, she is to be no where near this palace once it begins. I will not have her harmed in any way.�

�It will be as you command, my beloved Master.�

�Excellent.� Maul lowered his tone to that of a loving father. �Soon, my treasure, very soon, you will see the fruits of your unwavering servitude for lo these many years. Very, very soon��

* * *

The blip of the holophone interrupted Luke�s pensive musing. Shaking himself alert, Luke stepped to the desk and hit the button. The sharp image of Dr. Him�bron flickered into view. �Dr. Him�bron!�

�General Skywalker!� Him�bron piped warmly. �So good to speak with you again! As you requested, I have the results of those tests for Lady I�Lai and Lord Kai.� He scratched his white-hued head. �Interesting data, that test. I�ve never quite seen anything like that in all my years of practicing medicine.�

�Well, I�m sure a midichlorian count hasn�t been issued since before the Jedi purge,� said Luke. �I was lucky to find the data in the Temple databanks myself. So, what are the results?�

�I�m uploading them to your holonet destination now. Stand by.�

Him�bron�s wizened face shrunk and dragged to the corner of a holographic computer viewer that instantly materialized before Luke. Lines and rows of data and numbers began to dot across the screen and, as Luke perused them, the chill that had started in his spine now spread throughout his body. �That�that can�t be right,� he breathed.

Him�bron�s brow furrowed. �Oh, well, I�m sure I followed the procedure you sent me precisely, General��

�I�m sure you did, Doctor, don�t get me wrong. It�s just�that they�re a bit�higher than I expected�� He gawked at the numbers on the screen.

�If you so wish, General Skywalker,� Him�bron offered, �I can run the tests again��

�Yes, yes please, Doctor. I mean no offense, but I think perhaps a mistake has been made.�

�It would be absolutely no trouble, sir. Like I said, I am not familiar with this test data, so I may have made a mistake along the way. I�ll contact you as soon as the results are in.�

�Thank you, Doctor.� He reached for the com button, but then suddenly blurted, �Oh, wait�I must ask you about�� Him�bron�s face blinked into nothingness��Lady I�Lai�s health��

Too late. The doctor had already ended transmission.

Frustrated, Luke leaned on his desk and ran a hand through his sand-colored hair. �I�m overreacting,� he perepered. He shook his head. �The doctor will run the tests again, and this time the numbers will be right.� But Luke did not feel comforted by this bit of rationalization. Coming around the desk, he turned the viewer toward him and engaged the databank. Again, the midichlorian count numbers spread across the screen:

Lord Kai: 27,000

Lady I�Lai: 30,000

*A bit higher? Their numbers are practically off the charts! I�Lai�s count is higher than Leia�s and mine combined! And Kai�his is the same as�

As my father�s�*

Slowly, he sank into his desk chair. The tightness growing in his stomach told Luke that no mistake had been made. The numbers on the screen were correct.

*No one has ever had counts this high in all of the Jedi�s history, not even Sidious�*

The visions, the midichlorian counts, I�Lai�s erratic behavior rolled in his mind like a Tatooine dust storm. But it was the haunting spark of recognition he had just seen in her face that made him feel�strange and bewildered. With everything else, his mind was filled with sudden memories of recent conversations�

*I�ve been having dreams about Mother and Obi-wan�

You mean the tattooed Zabrak, the Sith?

Look upon the mother of a new Order, Skywalker�

I know your Master killed him over forty years ago�

In my dreams, they are together�

My child will hold this galaxy�

Mother and Obi-wan�they were making love�

My child will watch you DIE�

No, they weren�t making love�it was a violation�

The woman looks like Mother, but it is not Mother�she seems familiar, but I can�t tell�

Look upon your DESTRUCTION�

I�Lai�*

Almost involuntarily he blurted, �Accessing Temple Databank.�

His computer�s synthetic voice hummed aloud. �Active.�

�I require�a hologram.� He breathed in. �Kenobi, Obi-wan. Age�twenty to thirty.�

A few seconds of electronic blips pierced the chamber�s silence before the computer replied. nd. nd. General Obi-wan KenoJediJedi Knight, aged twenty-eight galactic standard years.�

�Show me.�

The beam of the hologram jutted forth from the recorder, projecting the life-size figure into the center of the floor. Slowly, Luke rose from his chair and stepped toward the glimmering image of the young, dashing Jedi Knight before him. Clean shaven, fresh and completely untouched by the ls als and horrors that would soon line his face and sallow his complexion and forever scar his heart, young Ben seemed to beam brightly through a portal of time at his former padawan. Luke himself smiled slightly as he noted Ben�s noble stance, his softly masculine chin held high, and his blue-green eyes brightly sparkling under thick lashes and sun-kissed brows�

His eyes�

As he stopped in front of the young man�s face, all color from Luke�s complexion seeped away.

�Gods and hells�� he rasped in a thunderstruck whisper, �how could I have not possibly seen it before��

All other words escaped him as he stared at into the eyes of young Ben Kenobi, and the eyes of I�Lai gazed back.

* * *

I think I could definitely get used to this, Czethros thought with a satisfied grin spread across his lips as he turned away from the immense viewport and peered over the bustling bridge of the Imprimatur. The corners of his mouth turned down just a tad. However, the first thing I�m doing when I�m running the show is change theseadfeadful uniforms�

One of those dreadful uniforms, worn by Admiral Pellaeon, made its way up the stairs to the viewport. �Admiral,� Czethros acknowledged with a bow of his head and a glint of a charismatic smile.

�General,� Pellaeon answered dully, making no attempt to mask his utter contempt for the Black Sun Vigo.

�Report?�

Again, Pellaeon scowled slightly as he cleared his throat. �We will reach the Dia-Orri system in approximately three hours. Whereabouts are your men?�

�In my ship, preparing themselves.� Czethros�s smirk returned. �I must say, they seem quite beside themselves with the new toys the Empire has provided for this operation.�

�Those �toys� you refer to are the accumulative product of years of Imperial research, engineering, and testing,� Pellaeon admonished stoically. �I suggest you tell your men to treat them as such, before they blow themselves and everything within a half kilometer around them into the lowtmostmosphere.�

�I think you underestimate my faction, Admiral. And me, for that matter.� He turned, folding his arms over his broad chest, to face the Admiral head on. �You don�t like me very much, do you, Admiral?�

Pellaeon drew himself up, staring blankly out the viewport while clasping his hands behind his back. �I fail to see why my personal feelings toward you should have any merit�GeneraThe The tone in his voice made it more than apparent to Czethros that he used the term loosely.

�But they do, Admiral,� Czethros crooned. �After everything I have provided the Empire, and still you treat me with this�contempt. I am giving you a tremendous opportunity here! The chance to field test new weapons and new technologies! And I�m providing you the chance to redeem yourself from that laughable fiasco at Endor!� Pellaeon�s subtly murderous glance did not escape his attention nor dampen his mirth. �Instead of slinking away in defeat, you will carry the laurel of victory upon your brow! You will be heralded as the Empire�s greatest hero, the non-pareil of Imperial valor and honor!� Striking a smug pose, Czethros actually dared stare down his nose at the older officer. �You should be thanking me, frankly.�

�Thanking you?� Pellaeon spit quietly. He stepped toward Czethros. �For what? For making a mockery of the Empire I have served fwentwenty-five years? For twisting my commanding officer into believing your lies and treachery? Thanking you?� A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. �By the gods�you really are an insecure little vermin, aren�t you, Baron?�

�Now see here, Admiral��

�No, you see here,� the Admiral hissed emphatically, never once flinching or averting his iron glare from Czethros�s bleeping eye. �You may have been able to manipulate a desperate woman in a desperate situation, but your peevish machinations will not work on me. Buying a military rank hardly makes you my equal, and as long as you are on my ship, I refuse to treat you as such.� He stepped even closer, and lowered his voice into a terse whisper. �I know what you have in mind for the Empire, I can see right through you. If you and your thugs in there think you even have an iota of what it takes to rule this galaxy, well you can think again, my dear Baron.� He slit his aged eyes even further. �You and your garrison will take the governor�s palace, as promised you, and that is all. You will have your mining world, and THAT IS ALL. I and my forces will take the rest of the planet, and you will stay the hell out of my way.� Pause. �Do we understand each other?�

The red blip of Czethros bionic visor eye stuttered slightly as he locked his glare with Pellaeon�s. With great effort, he forced his lips, now tight with rage, into the overconfident smirk that was beginning to turn Pellaeon�s stomaveryvery time he saw it. �Perfectly, Admiral.� He took a long, slow breath through his nose before adding, �However, I have one question.�

�And that is?�

�The present governor�oh, what�s her name�ah yes, the Lady I�Lai. What becomes of her after her capture?�

Although he wasn�t entirely sure, Czethros thought that the old Admiral�s eyes became sadly contrite as he answered, �Orri Prime is now, under Imperial rule of law, a rogue system. And its governor falls under the jurisdiction as a traitor of the highest caliber. Once captured, she will be turned over to Grand Admiral Daala, stand before a military tribunal for treason�and executed.�

�You seem oddly sorry for the traitor, Admiral. Do you know her?�

Pellaeon shot a frosty glare at Czethros before turning his eyes away to peer out the viewport. �I have met her before. At various Imperial functions.�

�Hmm,� Czethros hummed, twitching his lips. �Pity, isn�t it? Sending a pretty little morsel like that to a horrible demise, hmm?� His red eye slanted sideways toward the Admiral. �And she must be handed over immediately, you say?�

�YES,� Pellaeon answered insistently.

Again, the smirk. �Just checking.� Taking in a deep sigh, Czethros announced, �Well, I�m off to survey my troops before we engage. Admiral�I have quite enjoyed our �chat�.� With a faint bow of the head and a long, intense glare from his visor, Czethros sauntered off the viewport dais and strode past the various officers and troopers on the bridge out the door.

One of the officers he passed was Captain Rhys, who watched him stride out the door before turning his glance to Pellaeon on the dais. Pellaeon returned the captain�s glance with a quick nod, and Rhys walked across the bridge and stepped up the stairs.

The two officers stood silent for a moment, gazing out into the frenzy of hyperspace, l Rhl Rhys broke the silence. �I say we do it now, sir.�

�Patience, Rhys,� Pellaeon murmured, watching the ribbons of stars streak by. �Admiral Daala�s orders were clear. We must keep them busy in our confidence just a little while longer until all transactions are complete.�

Rhys breathed deeply. �I do not know how much longer I can stand working beside that�scum!� he hissed.

�Not too much longer, Captain,� Pellaeon assured him, his voice rich with the calm austerity born of decades of military service. �Once we have Orri Prime under control and the traitor Lady I�Lai is in our custody, I promise you�Czethros and his band of criminals will not leave the planet surface alive��

* * *

�Now THIS is what I�m talking about!� Jober howled with the glee of a toddler opening a gift as he posed for Czethros in his suit of slick black urban assault armor.

�I take it you approve?� Czethros asked as he came up the Dama Fortuna�s ramp.

Trodeccu the one-eyed Wookiee joined in Jober�s howls, lifting the mammoth laser gatling cannon onto his equally mammoth shoulder.

Grinning, Czethros perused the rest of his squad in the hold; all of them decked in similar black armor, and all of them armed to the teeth with the new weaponry the Maw Installation had provided them. �You look good enough to take over a planet, boys!� he bellowed heartily, to which his alien cronies responded with thunderous guffaws, yelps, and beating of their weapons against their new armor. As they continued to whoop and wail, Czethros slung an arm around Jober�s armored shoulders and drew him close. �Where�s Thutchen?�

�Sleeping Ugly�s still aquafynned out in the back,� Jober answered with a sadistic snarl.

�Keep him doped until we�re system bound, then make sure he�s awake for his� �homecoming�.�

�Right, Boss�I mean, �sir�.�

�And remember,� Czethros added, his smile melting into a dangerous scowl, �You bring her to me alive and unharmed! If I so mso much as a scratch on her, I swear, Jober��

�I got it, I got it, Boss,� Jober assured him. His tone turned possessive and ugly. �Believe me, I don�t want to see her marked up anymore than you do. You promised me!�

�And have I ever bn a n a promise to you, Jober?� Czethros asked soothingly. Holding the Vigo in his glare, Jober blew a snort out of his snout and shook his head. Czethros grinned again. �Once I�m done with her, she�s yours. But I get her first.�

Jober blew another snort, and shrugged. �I can live with that.�

�Good.� He ran a hand through his moss green hair. �I�ll be in my cabin.�

Czethros made his way through the clamorous armored squad in the hold, slapping them on their backs as he passed. He strode through the passageway to his quarters and stepped inside.

Calmly, he unlatched the door of a small compartment in the wall and pulled out a syringe of ryll.

He shoved the syringe of blue powder up his nose. Immediately, every muscle and tendon in his body tensed, and an explosion of adrenaline and rage tore through him. He threw the syringe against one wall and, spinning violently, slammed his fist into another.

Screaming in pain, Czethros stopped, panting like a crazed animal as he fought to calm himself. Cradling his hand, he lumbered toward the wall holograph and turned it on. The beam shot forth, and a small hologram of Boba Fett illuminated the nightstand next to his berth. Sitting on the cot, Czethros reached up to his temples and carefully unlatched his bionic visor from his eyes. With his scarred eye sockets naked and vulnerable, he continued to glare at the hologram, and he whispered with all of the chilling intensity of a death rattle�

�Now, Fett�now it�s time to take something away from YOU��
- 9
- 10
- 11
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Fett Dynasty II: Siege of Orri Prime