The Left-Hand Path

Part Eight, Reunion

Contributions by Angylinni; Joss & Liza belong to her, all rights reserved.


The Next Day…

Saramai escorted Jossiah Kadeen, former Jedi Knight, now Darth Bale, Dark Lord of the Sith, into the Vaders’ private audience chambers, and he knelt before the throne. “What is thy bidding, my Master?” he inquired of Emperor Vader.

“Rise, my apprentice,” Vader commanded. “You have been patient, long, Lord Bale. All our plans have come to fruition,” Vader gave a satisfied smile toward the bedroom where Acaciah still slept.

“Almost all,” Joss said, noting Vader’s insinuation.

“Indeed,” Vader agreed. “But now we have the power to take our women without the interfering Jedi! The time is at hand for Liza to join us,” he said. “Take whatever troops you need and if Nehiri has any other dissenters tucked away, wipe them out as well.”

Acaciah awoke and found Anakin missing, so she wandered out into the audience chamber, thinking he was meditating. “Good morning, my love,” he greeted her cheerfully, hugging her tight. She caught sight of Joss and gasped.

“Joss! I thought you were dead!” she cried.

“Not so,” he grinned. “Waiting for the right moment to present itself, and now it has.”

“Jossiah is my apprentice; it was necessary to conceal him from the Emperor,” Vader explained. Joss gave a tight smile at that, Vader had been almost reckless in flaunting Acaciah, keeping her with him on his flagship. “Now you are both safe,” he smiled and enveloped her lips with his own. *Mine* he whispered into her mind. *My wife, my son!* he tickled her belly, which gave no outward clue yet of the new life inside it. Joss raised an eyebrow as he regarded them; they must have celebrated their coronation in high style indeed; Acaciah was already pregnant!

A beep sounded, indicating an incoming transmission; Vader grunted irritably and excused himself for a moment to answer it. “This had better be important…” he rumbled at the comm board.

Joss smiled at Acaciah; she was much happier here than she had been at the Temple. “Have you seen Liza?” she asked him.

“Not recently,” Joss’ voice was quiet, but those silver eyes of his appeared molten. “Soon ll.”ll.”

“She’s probably well-hidden,” Acaciah remarked. “I know I was.”

Joss laughed in disbelief. “You think we didn’t know where you were, Acaciah?”

Acaciah said nothing, and he went on. “Haven’t you ever wondered why the Executor intercepted you when you were escorting Bail Organa?”

“I didn’t tell you,” Acaciah said hesitantly, realizing she had told Liza.

“Liza and I have a bond, just like you and Anakin.” His expression was almost bemused. “He wanted to take you with him when he defected, but you weren’t ready. There is a time and a place for everything, Acaciah.”

Vader returned, leaving Acaciah no way to probe the matter further. “My spies indicate Nehiri has taken Liza to Hoth; bring her here for initiation.”

“We still have enemies,” Joss reminded Vader.

“I know,” Vader smirked. “I have a little party planned for our detractors. We will discuss the matter further once Liza is with us.” He slid his arms around Acaciah’s waist and down into her panties beneath her nightie.

Joss bowed and left the Vaders’ Imperial chambers; he licked his lips in anticipation; soon Liza would be his and nothing would keep them apart! He took his shuttle and boarded the Invincible, the flagship Vader had bequeathed to him upon his coronation as Emperor. Admiral Holleb, Joss’ second-in-command saluted him. “Welcome back, Lord Bale. Emperor Vader has sent us the intelligence for our mission; our spies indicated that Nehiri has ensconced a resistance cell on Hoth.”

“Set course there immediately,” Joss commanded.

“As you wish, my lord,” Holleb replied.

On Hoth…

Liza paced the small chamber and glared every so often at her master. "Why did you make me leave the Temple? I would have been better off there than stuck here with you!" Liza ranted as she marked off the width of the small room.

"Better alive with me than dead like most of our brethren," Nehiri spat, looking furtively out the small window at the swirling whiteness of Hoth.

"Joss and Anakin would have never harmed me you stupid bitch! I belong with them, not some wrinkled up old crone who never had an ounce of feeling in her entire life!" Liza spat back, glaring at her master.

Nehiri walked over to her and slapped her hard across the face. "I knew you would be trouble from the minute that boy found you! They should have left you out there to die!" Nehiri hissed her face inches from Liza's.

The door swung open, startling both women. Joss stood in the doorway, his parka covering almost every inch of his muscular body. As he stepped from the swirling maelstrom of the blizzard into the tension-filled room, Liza shoved Nehiri hard out of her way and ran to him, pressing her body wantonly against his.

He dipped his head, capturing her lips in a scorching kissulinuling her tightly up against him. As he broke the kiss, he smiled down at her," I've been looking for you forever love."

"She," Liza said the word, venom dripping from her tone as she pointed at Nehiri," made me leave, knocked me unconscious and dragged me out her to no man's land."

"You stupid bitch, he's just like the other one, he is Sith! He would rather kill you than love you!" Nehiri screamed, her eyes wild as they stared at her. She scrambled backwards furtively as Joss advanced, Liza smiling evilly at his side.

"She is going to be my wife you old bitch; I would sooner cut off my own arm than hurt her. You never did understand that, did you? You and the mighty fucking Council, so wrapped up in your precious fucking code that you couldn't see what was taking place right underneath your noses!" Joss hissed, his lightsaber leaping into his hand, igniting into an eerie silver blade.

Nehiri fell to the floor as she scrabbled backwards, reaching for anything to use as a weapon against him. She looked to Liza, her eyes pleading but found nothing but cold fury. "Please, mercy, I beg of you," Nehiri mumbled as Joss advanced, slowly and steadily, pressing her back towards the wall of the small shelter.

"The Sith show no mercy, isn't that correct Master Nehiri, much the same way that you showed no mercy towards Liza, beating her and assigning extra punishment when she didn't fit into the mold of the Jedi that you revered so highly." Joss' voice had dropped to a deadly whisper and Nehiri could feel the trembling deep within her soul as she saw her death written in his eyes.

"Darth Bale has come to claim his prize," Joss said as his lightsaber moved twice, a stunning silver blur. When he finished, Nehiri was neatly split in two quivering halves. Joss turned towards Liza, capturing her lips again in a scorching kiss. "I want you, Liza," Joss said against her neck as he nuzzled her leaping pulse.

They came toer oer on the thick parka, mouths meeting hungrily as she straddled his waist, her legs sliding around to lock against his back. "Take me lover," she whispered as she felt his hard shaft poised at her opening. Joss needed no further encouragement, raising his hips and slamming deep into her wetness. Liza screamed out in ecstasy as he used the Force to tease her pleasure points, bringing her to the edge of ecstasy and then sending her spinning forcefully over the top, her hips pumping furiously against his.

"Mine, you belong to me!" Joss growled as he feasted on her full breasts, his goatee tickling her delicate skin.

"Always love, yours forever," Liza panted as she reached the pinnacle again, the sharp tongues of rapture singing along her veins.

*How did it go, Bale?* Vader pathed in inquiry as Joss re-boarded the Invincible, Liza strutting proudly on his arm.

His grin widened and he pathed back. * She is more than ready. *

Joss turned to Admiral Holleb, “Let the bombing begin; leave no trace of them, no stone to even mark their graves!”


Back on Coruscant…

Joss brought Liza to a lushly appointed palace, decorated in hues of gold and emerald; she sighed aloud at its splendor, tears brimming in her eyes. “Oh Joss, it’s beautiful!” she breathed happily.

“All for you, my love!” Joss beamed at her. “This palace is second only to the Emperor’s!”

“The Vaders!” Liza exclaimed, nodding. “It’s amazing to think Ani and Acaciah are the Emperor and Empress!”

“They are indeed love, and they are most anxious to see you,” Joss replied; he plucked an envelope from a dressing table, and handed it to Liza. The card inside read:

You are invited to a Masquerade Ball tonight to celebrate the union of Jossiah Kadeen and Elizara Simone. You may wear any costume you like, but it must include a mask.

“They’re throwing us a party?” she asked.

“To celebrate our wedding,” he answered. “Come, follow me.”

Liza followed Joss to a more private chambers; the Emperor and Empress awaited them with several attendants.

“Liza!” Acaciah exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

“Acaciah, it’s so good to see you!” she cried.

Joss said nothing, kneeling before Vader. “Master, I have destroyed the resistance cell on Hoth; the traitor Nehiri is no more!”

“Excellent, Lord Bale; arise and let us prepare for your nuptials,” Vader answered.

Acaciah turned to the tailors. “This is Elizara, soon to be Lady Bale; I want her dress perfect for her ceremony!”

“We have other events to plan, mi priana,” Vader reminded her. “We shall have to leave.”

“Oh Acaciah, do you have to leave?” Liza asked, distressed.

“We shall return for the wedding, dear,” Acaciah gave her a wicked wink. “In the meantime I am leaving you my handmaiden, Saramai. She will assist you in anything you need.”

Saramai stepped forward and curtsied. “I am honored to serve you, Lady Simone.”

Acaciah took Vader’s arm and they exited for their own private room; Acaciah had wasted no time in redecorating the Emperor’s palace and they felt more comfortable staying with the Kadeens until renovations were finished. “What do you have in mind, Anakin?” Acaciah was curious.

“We are going to throw a Masquerade for our dear friends to celebrate their marriage,” he answered, “and we are going to ensnare our enemies while we are at it!” They settled into their boudoir; he pushed Acaciah flat onto their bed, a devilish smile crossing his lips as he peeled the emerald slip of a dress from her luscious body. Acaciah eagerly stripped him bare, licking her lips at his sculpted muscular frame and ready member.

“How is a masquerade ball going to ensnare our enemies?” she asked.

Vader didn’t answer, instead he slid between her thighs, licking a path up to her ruby delta, which he teased in long, loving licks. Vader looked up at her and grinned triumphantly. “Do you ever wonder why I initiated you the way I did, mi priana?”

Acaciah shook her head. “I assumed it was some kind of Sith thing, or else your ‘recklessness’ as Papa used to call it.”

Vader laughed. “Oh, I wanted you, to be sure, Acaciah. I have for years; I knew as soon as you were old enough you would be mine.” His fingers continued to pleasure her as he spoke, his thumb massaging her sensitive nub.

“I wanted you too,” she breathed softly.

“The pleasures of the flesh are a good way to initiate someone,” he said, his tongue swirling over the curve of her belly up to her breasts, their rosy peaks taut with anticipation. “Once you have given in to the flesh, you give in to your heart’s other desires.”

Acaciah wrapped her legs around his waist, and he drew closer, his weight pinning her into the soft bed. “You know your true nature now, despite the lies of the Jedi,” he breathed against her ear. “Now we shall teach others to recognize the natural in themselves.”

Acaciah shivered in spite of herself; her late father would not approve of her current path. She sometimes wondered if she dishonored his memory when she followed her heart and married Anakin. He glowered, sensing her thoughts of Kenobi.

“He’s dead, Acaciah, and no melancholy nonsense will bring him back! The Jedi are extinct for a reason, they were wrong about the true nature of the Force. It’s not all goodness and light and virtue! It’s life and death and whatever else you can claim for yourself in the meantime!”

“He was my father, Anakin; I have a right to miss him,” she replied softly.

“If I hadn’t left, do you think he’d have let me marry you? Even if he had taken pity on us, do you think the Council would have? We’d have been expelled! No, mi priana, I did what I had to do to secure our future, and I am not sorry!”

Acaciah winced. “I didn’t mean to say that you should, darling,” she tried tactfully. “I just miss Papa occasionally, that’s all. I love you, I want to be with you always,” she put her hand on his cheek.

“Prove it to me then,” he scowled. “Help me with our little masquerade.”

“We can’t initiate them all!” Acaciah exclaimed, bemused.

“No,” Anakin agreed. “We are going to let them initiate each other!” He positioned himself at her entrance and thrust deep. “I love you, Acaciah,” he purred possessively in her ear. “And you are mine, forever mine!”

Acaciah groaned softly, her nails scratching deeply into his back; Vader grunted and pushed her deeper into the bed, his hips crashing into hers. He began to chant in Sith:

“Body and soul, I am yours and your are mine
my precious flower, my heart's desire
I bind you to me; let nothing sever this bond
body and soul we are forever One.”

“Corpo ed anima, sono il vostro e vostri sono mine
il mio fiore prezioso, desiderio che del mio cuore
li lego a me; lasciato niente divida questi corpo ed
anima che schiavi siamo per sempre Una.”

Acaciah felt the burn of their mark rising on her skin; Vader touched it and send white hot shivers of pleasure rippling across her body. She drew inside, willing the Force to answer her will, and spoke:

“My love, my lord,
master of all that reaches beyond the stars,
I am yours and you are mine for always
take me again and again;
I hunger for your plunder
you are the fire in my soul
and the seed that grows within me.”

“Il mio amore, il mio signore,
padrone di tutto che raggiunga oltre le stelle,
sono il vostro e siete mia per sempre
lo prendete diverse volte;
affamo per il vostro plunder
che siete il fuoco nella mia anima
ed il seme che si sviluppa presso me”.

Vader shuddered, his pleasure at her touch building unbearably inside him; he rode her faster, his long fingers caressing and teasing her nipples, inducing wave after wave of bliss through Acaciah. When Vader could bear no more he shuddered his release and collapsed, his body enveloping Acaciah’s; she sighed and stroked his sweaty blond locks from his eyeshe ghe gave him a satiated smile, “I love you, Anakin,” she whispered tenderly.

He beamed back at her, stroking the curve of her belly where their son was growing, “Rest, little mother, we have much to do to get ready for our little celebration!”

***

Later that night...

Acaciah tossed restlessly in her sleep; she felt as if she were being drawn back into her childhood; into the past that she preferred not to think of. She d hed herself in the Temple Gardens, which she had loved dearly as a girl. She looked around wistfully, for though Anakin had fashioned a garden for her at their palace, it lacked the serenity that the Jedi Temple’s Gardens had always provided her.

“So you do miss you old home,” Obi-Wan’s voice broke her reverie.

“Papa!” Acaciah cried, delighted. She rushed to hug him tightly, but his image dissipated in her grip.

“You cannot hold me, Acaciah,” Obi-Wan’s voice was both regretful and reproachful. “Possession is of the Dark Side, and you are firmly in its grip now.”

Acaciah bowed her head, ashamed. “Anakin said it was the only way for us to be together.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan replied, cryptically, and Acaciah wasn’t sure if he was agreeing about Anakin’s feeling or whether he was correct after all. “He wanted you very badly, darling. I tried to protect you as long as I could.”

“Anakin doesn’t hurt me, Papa,” she answered, mostly truthfully.

“But your enemies are numerous now, dear, and your baby will be feared as much as he is loved, just as you and his father are.” Acaciah’s hand drifted to her womb at his words. “Acaciah, be careful, darling. You and your baby are in danger; take care that Vader’s pride does not kill you both! I could tell you where to hide,” he offered.

“Anakin won’t hide,” Acaciah shook her head. “It’s not his way, and besides, he’s worked so hard for all of this; he wants our son to inherit this!”

Kenobi shook his head. “You still won’t leave him, Acaciah?”

“No!” she rose defiantly. “Why should I? We love each other!”

“Even to your own peril, Acaciah?”

“Anakin would not let anyone hurt us!” her hand covered her womb again.

“I hope you’re right, Acaciah,” Obi-Wan answered, his form dissipating.

“Dammit, Papa!” Acaciah railed at mist lingering where his spirit had stood. The air itself seemed to tug at her, “Acaciah…Acaciah…come to me, Acaciah!”

She shuddered and snapped awake; Anakin was beside her, rubbing her temples. “Wake up, Acaciah!” he was saying. She grimaced, the clinging cold from her dream still shrouding her mind. “Obi-Wan?” he asked, and she nodded. “Dammit, I killed him and still he haunts us!”

“That’s not funny, Anakin!” she shoved him back. “He was my father, you shouldn’t have killed him! He should be here to see our children!” she fired at him in staccato.

“We’ve had this discussion before,” Vader became testy. “I did what I had to do to have you, Acaciah, and I would do it ALL again.” His cobalt gaze fixed her and she sank back into their bed.

“He said we were in danger,” she offered softly as Vader drew her legs around him, pushing her into the soft bed. He didn’t answer, leaning over Acaciah; his lips sought hers eagerly, his tongue darting past her lips.

*Mine* he purred, his mind caressing hers. *Forever, Acaciah!* their lips parted and his teeth grazed against the curve of her throat, teasing her gently. Anakin’s long fingers wrapped around her breasts, his thumbs kneading her taut nipples; she sighed in bliss and pressed herself into his hips, the hard length of his member already demanding entrance. Anakin let out a low growl of need, his hands traveling down to her hips to sheathe inside her.

Acaciah cried softly in delight at his sweet intrusion; he grinned broadly and thrust deep, his eyes roaming her approvingly as he eyed the subtle changes the pregnancy was already making in her body. She moaned and twisted beneath him, her cheeks flushing with pleasure. He pressed into her harder and harder, Obi-Wan’s hateful words tickling at the back of his mind. Acaciah was his, his alone; she was carrying his son, his heir, nothing could happen to them both, he willed as he pumped into her. “Anakin, oh Anakin!” she breathed, her nails digging into his shoulders as she tensed around him tighter and tighter. “I love you!” she declared, shuddering into a furious peak.

“Yes, Acaciah!” he groaned, pumping faster as he sought his own release; Acaciah’s eyes darkened as sweet shivers began to coil inside her again. “I love you!” he declared as collapsed into her satiated body. She smiled at him, her fingers twining into the golden waves at the nape of his neck. “Neas seasi Prem,” she said, the High Fiona rolling from her tongue. They spooned together, a contented smile on Acaciah’s face; her breathing became slow and even as Vader watched her, and in spite of himself Obi-Wan’s words returned to him. He rose and dressed, lest he disturb Acaciah with his worries. Vader exited their quarters and roamed the palace, using the space to orient his thoughts on how to protect her and their unborn child. As he passed through the guest wing he felt a flicker in the Force, and his hand automatically gripped his saber on its belt. A courtesan was exiting a guest s; he; her long chestnut tresses were disheveled from a night’s work, he thought with a flicker of amusement. She looked familiar, where had he seen her before? Senay Laka, that was her name, Vader remembered, and Captain Needa had been quite fond of her when they worked together on the Executor. “Your Majesty,” she bowed deferentially in spite of the lateness of the hour. “Does my Liege need me?” she inquired.

“No,” Vader’s lips quirked up in amusement; she was a ballsy thing, knowing Acaciah slept with him every night still she propositioned him? Laka bowed again and went on her way; Vader watched her go silently. Acaciah was going to need more protection, especially once it was known that she was with child. Perhaps this bold woman would be of use to him for that and decided to make contact with the now Admiral Needa to discuss her further.