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Alderaan
“DANG IT!”
Gloria leapt over her opponent, striking him with her Lightsaber in midair before leaping again to confront the Sith who had taken down Lucretian. She drew her second Lightsaber so she could quickly batter him down. She dived into the fiercest, most aggressive Jar’kai variant she’d learned, and managed to knock him off balance long enough to hit his exposed neck with her off-hand saber.
Once that was done, she holstered her secondary. She found it harder to switch between Lightsaber and Force attacks when she was dual-wielding. And she needed that versatility for this mission.
She Pulled the marine who was working on the terminal, and slashed him in the chest. She ran to check that the recently-reclaimed turret was still theirs.
“My Lord, my team is pinned down by the central turret! We request immediate reinforcements!” Lieutenant Malavai Quinn’s voice sounded stressed. He didn’t have long!
“Hold on!” she cried. “We’re coming! Hive squad, with me! Juffie, stay and watch over this node!”
“Alone!?” the soldier cried out in exasperation.
“Deal with it!” Gloria cried angrily. “DOUBLE TIME!”
She led the charge, because of course she did. Her earpiece had an announcement for her. “Your shields are at 15%. Enemy shields down to 12%. It’s going to be close!”
“Dammit, dammit, dammit!”
She ran faster, leaving her troops behind. She could see the foothills turret, dead ahead. It looked like the enemy had made an all-out push for it. Almost everyone was down, going by the exchange of blaster fire. But whoever was still standing was putting up a fantastic fight.
As she got closer, she saw that it was— “MAAAAAL!”
But it was too late. Right before she reached him, a Sith with a purple Saberstaff got him. Mal fell without a sound.
Despite herself, she screamed. “NOOO!”
One of his soldiers was already at the terminal’s side now, but she attacked Mal’s vanquisher first.
“Your shields down to 8%. Enemy shields down to 6%.”
Drat! She’d made a mistake. She should’ve attacked the vulnerable gunmen first, when she had their flank. Now, she was committed to attacking the slugface, Lord Gholtan.
The Sith mocked her for her lapse in judgement. “My, my! I see the exercise has fried your brain! Despite Alderaan’s colder weather, too!”
“Shut up, glitter eater!”
She drew her second Lightsaber and tried the stunt with Jar’kai again, but Gholtan sidestepped and rolled past her, evading the first three quarters of her attack easily. His blade blocked the last seven, even knocking one of her sabers out of her hand with a lucky blow. He tried to kick her, but she evaded it.
She swept his legs out from under him, but he managed to stop her blade despite her stumble. She tried a Push the same time he did, and they were both staggered back. Dodging the blaster fire from his team, she attempted a Choke next—he was lifted off his feet, but he’d already launched his own Force Attack—a ball of Lightning. Defending against it distracted her long enough for him to break free.
Her team entered the fray, and their blaster fire got Gholtan’s other soldiers on the defensive—and took the pressure off her—but the last one had completed his task.
“The turret is ours!” the lackey screamed, right before Gloria Pushed him into the wall.
“Too late!” Gholtan screamed.
Gloria panicked when she heard the next announcement. “Your shields down to 1%. Enemy shields down to 1%.”
“Ooooo, isn’t that exciting?” Gholtan sneered. He attacked her with a spinning blade, and she raised her blade to defend. But luck was not on her side again. An insect stung her at just the wrong moment, and her momentary lapse in focus was enough for Gholtan’s blade to penetrate her defenses. She felt the hot heat of the blade on her armor, and fell on the ground.
She was down.
“Your shields are at 1%. Enemy ship destroyed. Congratulations, Gloria Team! You’ve won the day! This concludes Wargame ‘Alderaan Civil War.’ Thank you for joining us here today, all contestants.”
Gholtan sighed and walked away with an ironic smile.
“How are you, my Lady?” Mal asked from where he lay.
“I can’t move.”
Mal laughed. “Well, that’s to be expected. Your armor locked up, the moment it registered the hit you took. You’ve never been hit in one of these exercises, have you?”
“No,” Gloria admitted.
“Don’t worry, my Lord. We’re not allowed to bring modifiable weapons to this training camp. Even Lightsabers. All weapons we’re provided with, are rigged for gameplay. They can’t kill you.”
“Unless he uses the Force.”
Mal looked at her with startled eyes. “Oh, right. I’d forgotten that Sith can be a little—don’t worry. Killing you in training missions like this would be a severe crime. You’re safe, today.”
“I know, I know. Tell that to my reptile brain.”
“Well, how about we change the subject?” Mal asked. “We did it! We won!”
Gloria allowed herself a smile at that. “Yes, we did.”
Hovering maintenance droids dropped in around the defeated, resetting the locks so everyone could stand up again. Yes, they’d won. But it had been bloody close!
Her teammates—the ones who weren’t in need of a revive—gathered around her and saluted. Leeta actually lifted off her helmet and started to cheer. “We did it! We finally beat those sly bastards!”
“Yeah, finally!” Podrick raised a fist in triumph. “We’re never going to let them forget this!”
“It was dumb luck,” one of their rivals made a rude gesture, but one of her teammates slapped her hand.
“No bad sportsmanship!” He reproached her.
“Sod off!” the belligerent soldier said as she followed her squad mates out.
“Ignore them,” Podrick advised everyone. “We did well today. Thank you, my Lord. You led us to our first ever victory!”
Gloria accepted Mal’s hand and rose, chuckling heartily. “I’d say that calls for a celebration, then!”
Everyone except Leeta saluted. That one simply cheered like a cadet given her first blaster.
*
Three Peaks Cantina
“CHEEEEERS!” everyone screamed, slamming mugs into each other above the tables. Beer spilled out over the clean table surface. The serving droid had it wiped clean before they’d finished downing the booze.
“Is that really beer?” Kohn Opalsmith asked, looking pleased. He was the newcomer of this group, first time on Alderaan.
“Sugar, this is Alderaan!” Ben Tully grinned. “Everything’s fine here!”
“I’ll say!” Douglas exclaimed. “Isn’t this place for plebs like us, not the snobs of House Thul?”
“That’s why the Republic loves it so much!” Podrick smiled. “I love the idea of taking it away from them!”
Several of the nearby waiters, waitresses, and patrons flinched. Faces tightened and smoothed over.
Gloria ignored them. “So, what’s the deal with Gholtan’s team?”
There was a round of snorts, sighs, and rolled eyes.
Tully was the first to answer. “They’re just too big for their breeches, that’s all. Most of us are from the same batch of Obsidian Infantry Academy. And the same squads we’re in, today. That created a rivalry between us. We got shipped in directly after graduating, when the war took a bad turn, then stalled. There’s little action these days, just nonstop posturing. Because of it, the rich kids of Hyde Squad still haven’t grown out of their cadet mindsets.”
“We spend our time on patrol duty most days,” Lucretian added. “The only ‘combat’ we get these days are war games. When Sith and officers come here to test their mettle. It’s luck of the draw, but until today, we’ve fought five times. Lost four.”
“That’s not so bad,” Quinn said. “Or good, if we’re considering them.”
“Right. The result always came down to who’s the best commander, or Sith. We just follow orders, that’s all. We’re not allowed to make our own decisions, unless given leave to. And until now, Hyde squad got the better ones.”
“To be honest, I think they were almost lucky this time too.” Juffie shot Gloria a sullen look. She hadn’t forgiven the Sith for abandoning her. Gloria looked down guiltily. The poor woman had gotten attacked by a sneak, mere moments after the rest of them had left. The only reason her team hadn’t lost that turret, was because Tully had covertly dropped a mine before leaving, which took out the enemy sneak.
“I’m sorry. Can I buy you an extra-large bottle of some vintage wine, to make it up to you?”
The soldier tilted her head and nodded firmly. “Organa Vineyards, Gold Label. 21E 220. I hear it’s one of the best ever.”
“And costliest,” Leeta whispered. “Sure it’s a good idea to try and extort a Sith?”
Gloria made a counter offer. “Do I look like I’m made of money; like I’m some perfumed Alderaanian Lord? I work for a living! Bronze Label, 21E 280. Take it, or leave it.”
“Done.”
“Back to the exercise,” Quinn said as everyone gaped. “From what I could tell, your squad is a little better than theirs. You follow orders more precisely, and you don’t waste time. It’s shameful that I was able to hold them off, all alone, with no support. And they had Gholtan with them, too.”
“Do you hear that, lads? You’re the better soldiers.”
“CHEERS!” everyone raised their mugs again.
“Cheers,” Gloria repeated, shooting a grin at Mal. “Now let’s hit the dance floor, shall we?”
*
Aboard the Tempest
Gloria knelt before the terminal when the call connected. “Salutations, my Master,” she addressed the hologram. “As ever, I’m ready to serve.”
“As you should be, my Apprentice,” the masked Sith. “As you should be. I suppose, congratulations are in order. You passed my little test. By the skin of your teeth.”
Gloria tried not to cringe too hard. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do better, Master.”
Darth Baras’ response was cool and uncaring as a clinical knife. “You will improve, or you will suffer. For now, you have shown the bare minimum level of skills to merit my reward.”
“Master?”
“My Master on the Dark Council, Darth Vengean, wants war. Not petty skirmishes that tiptoe around the Treaty of Coruscant, but open warfare. Vengean has tasked me with finding a way to convince the rest of the Council to tear up the Treaty.”
“That sounds like a task only you can do with subtlety, Master.”
“It is. But this will not be as subtle as the tasks you’ve been performing on my behalf while hunting Master Karr and his Apprentice. I have need of someone greater than just an enforcer. I need a right hand, one whom I can trust not only as a messenger and weapon, but as commander of my forces during open combat. That was why I delayed this, until after this assessment.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Your inexperience as a commander aside, there is no doubt that you are a master of the Dark Arts, now! Only the most accomplished among us are named as Lords among Sith. You have more than earned the distinction. I hereby confer the title of Sith Lord upon you!”
Wait… WHAT!? Gloria looked up at and met her Master’s gaze, a thrilled smile blooming on her face. “You… you honor me, my Master!”
“You honor yourself. Now, we need to discuss the war game. What was your assessment?”
“It was chaos out there,” Gloria said, after some thought. “As you know, I served as an Engineer in the Imperial Army before my talents were discovered. I’d been drilled in war games before. I thought I was ready for it. But having command… and fighting as a Sith, no less… I admit I was a little overconfident. But I defeated Gholtan’s comrades. I led Jekyll squad as well as I could, thanks to Quinn.”
“Yes. I made note. I approve.”
“Master?”
“It is not the Commander’s mandate to make all the decisions and strategies. No, their mandate is to bring victory. To use their assets to the best of their abilities. By admitting that Quinn has better tactical skills than yourself, and allowing him to guide your actions, you showed that you are not blinded by your ego. And you both managed to preserve the dignity of your rank and superiority by his deference. I will give credit where it’s due; I’m impressed you didn’t pull rank. I fully expected you to grow frustrated, and damage your own team’s chances of winning… which I suppose you did, at the very end.”
“Forgive me, Master.”
“And that brings me to my criticism. Even your greatest tool, is just a tool. Do not be afraid to sacrifice it when the situation calls for it. You hesitated or stalled, when you should have pushed. Each time you gave the order to advance—before the last fifteen minutes, when you lost control—you spent precious seconds deliberating. Trying to conserve your troops. In total, you lost eighteen minutes second-guessing your own decisions. Even if it wasn’t a wargame, you should never hesitate. Be decisive.”
“I’m sorry, master.”
“Then there was the end. When Quinn was in trouble, you left a single guard at your objective and ran to save him. What were you thinking?”
“I—”
“You weren’t, were you? No matter. You did the job well enough that your blunders didn’t cost you your mission. You will improve, next time. You will learn how to sacrifice soldiers and allies for the sake of your mission. You will learn to charge without hesitation.”
“I will, Master. I won’t let you down again.”
“Good. Now that that’s out of the way, you should know that I award a considerable stipend to those who attain the rank of ‘Lord’ in my service; enjoy it. Now, celebrate as you see fit. At 0800, on the fourth day from now, I will send you out on the first of your new assignments.”
“I will make you proud, Master.”
“See that you do. Quinn, I will expect that report before you begin your celebration.”
Mal, who was also kneeling behind Gloria’s right hand, raised his head. “Of course, my Lord. It’s already written, and ready to be sent.”
“Ah, I should have come to expect nothing less. Carry on.”
*
An Inn near the Hot Springs
Gloria sat at the very edge of the pool. Her mouth was a little below the water level, and she exhaled slightly to blow bubbles on the water’s surface. It was a little childish, but there was something about the act that made her feel better.
“My Lord?”
She turned to see Quinn enter at last. Like her, he was wearing a bathing suit. Trunks, in his case.
“Oo Lala,” she said, checking him out. She gave him a very strong thumbs-up.
“I’m afraid I can’t understand you, with your mouth submerged like that.”
“But this feels good,” she said pleadingly.
Quinn blushed and covered his mouth. “I—I can’t believe I sort of understood that.”
“See? You’re getting used to it already! Now come join me!”
“Ummm.” He took a minute to decipher that, and she needed to repeat herself. “As you wish, my Lord. But I do hope you don’t expect me to do that… that charming thing too.”
“Someday, maybe!”
He sat down close to her. “How are you feeling, my Lord?”
“I’m fine.”
“Would you mind raising your head a bit? At least until this conversation is done… please?”
“Fine,” Gloria grumbled. She leaned her head against Quinn’s shoulder.
“How are you feeling, my Lord?” he repeated.
“I’m fine,” she repeated as well.
“I know you’re not. You always take a day or more to recover from Lord Baras’ dressing downs.”
“Ooo!” she turned to him with shining eyes. “I’ll bounce back faster if you dress me down! Literally, I mean!”
Mal chuckled, despite himself. “My Lord…”
“Fine. I’ll try to behave.” She sighed. She didn’t say anything for about ten minutes. Mal allowed the silence to last as long as she wished. “Yeah, I’m a little down. I messed up. My Master was right to scold me.”
“I understand what you mean. You won’t believe how often I got scolded back in my day.”
“You? Really?” Gloria raised her disbelieving eyes. “Can’t be! You were born perfect!”
“Oh, believe you me, I’m not perfect. You shouldn’t see me as such.”
“But you see me as perfect, don’t you?”
“Well… yes…”
“Isn’t that hypocritical? I’m so flawed—”
“You’re a little inexperienced, it’s true. But as a person, you’re—”
“Yes?”
“You’re perfect.”
“What’s so perfect about me?”
“If you don’t mind, my Lord, you should be the one to answer that one first. You brought it up, of course.”
“Alright.”
“What’s the most perfect thing about me?”
She squinted at him. “Your caboose,” she said at last, and rubbed his posterior—something he’d given her permission to do, when in private. Naturally, he didn’t flinch, though he was surprised by her answer.
“My—my what?”
“And your hair. So black and lustrous… even in this light.” She kissed his beauty spot. “I like that spot on your cheek, too. Gives me a perfect spot to kiss. And your voice… your smooth as whiskey voice! And the way you say ‘my Lord.’ But don’t let that stop you, if you find me a better title. I also admire how unwaveringly loyal you are… even to an undeserving little tornado like myself. And your perseverance. I like how you always have my back… though I wish I could have yours instead. I’d get to see more of your butt, that way. You’re so hardworking, and intelligent, and patient, and professional… I love it. I love it all. Now, it’s your turn. What do you find so perfect about me?”
He returned the favor during his approach. “I love your voluptuousness.” His little finger—the one that trembled sometimes—traced her waist and hip. She felt a shiver run down her spine, and leaned against his chest. “I admire your strength—both character, and in the Force.”
“I’m not very strong—”
“Unless you need to be. I’ve seen how hard you can push when everything’s on the line. You’re also a great leader.”
“I thought we agreed that I was a shite commander?”
“Even Lord Baras didn’t say that. He noted your ability to know your strengths—and those of your subordinates—after all. More important than that, you can make people fight for you. Cheer for you. Stand for you. Do you think Jekyll Squad would’ve been as friendly with any other Sith Lord? Or a Force-Blind Officer like myself, for that matter? You moved their hearts. You won their confidence. Their approval. Any soldier knows how to set feelings aside and respect the chain of command so long as their superior isn’t too incompetent. But even the best of us can’t help but be affected by morale. And you raised theirs. That’s why they fought so hard for you. And they’re not the first to do so. I know many others, who would gladly fight and die for you, myself included.”
“I—wow! But please don’t die on me. You’ll make me sad.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Mal tentatively kissed her head and wrapped an arm around her. “Your aptitude as a tactician is limited only by training and experience. I can teach you what I know. In no time at all, you’ll outgrow your need for me.”
“Never,” she said fiercely, dipping her mouth under the water again. “I’ll never outgrow you. I love you, my Beloved. I LOVE YOU! YOU HEAR?”
“I—I hear you, my Lord!”
“And?!”
“It—it’s not appropriate for a man of my station to—”
“Mal, we’ve been over this. We’ve been lovers for years! We’ve spent more than a few nights in each other’s arms!”
“I thought I was but a casual fling—”
“Well, you thought wrong, didn’t you!?” she exclaimed, rising up above the water again and taking his face in her hands. She stared into the depths of his soul, willing him to gaze back into hers. Her face was hot, possibly from steam, but more from the passion, she hoped. “I. Love. You!”
“Let’s step out of the water, my Lord. You’ve been in there too long.”
She resisted. “Mal…”
“I—” he flinched. “I love you too. With all of my heart. But I think you deserve more than me! Some nobleman, or Sith—”
“I don’t want them. I want you. You’re the one thing even my Master can’t make me give up.”
He shuddered then, and held his own shoulders as if gripped by a sudden chill. “Please let’s get out for now, my Lord,” he requested. She didn’t protest this time, as he gathered her in his arms and carried her out. He somehow managed to pick up a towel and dry her down, holding her in just one arm.
“My voluptuous body is in your hands, my beloved.”
“I know.”
“It’s yours to do what you please with. Forever. I love you.”
“You have no idea how much that means to me, my Love.” He flinched.
Gloria felt a shudder run down her own spine. “Say that again. Please.”
“As you wish…” he took a deep breath. “My Love.”
“My Love…” She giggled, high and giddy. She kissed him, a tender kiss full of all the love and devotion she’d ever felt for him. It was enough to make him slip and stumble onto the lawn chair behind him. Unbothered, Gloria kissed him again. He returned it this time, his hand caressing her neck. They began to kiss more passionately, sinking into the chair.
Gloria didn’t understand. She’d kissed before. They’d kissed before. And more than that. But never before had she felt so validated, like she was doing something right in her life. Like she was exactly where she belonged. She felt more than just turned on. She felt love and contentment such as she hadn’t in a long, long time.
You did what you were hoping for, Mal, Gloria reflected as she tossed away the towel. She undid the clasp on her bathing suit, and lowered a shoulder strap. You managed to cheer me up.
She hoped this could last. Forever.
*