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“Is there something wrong, Quinn?”
In reality, Astaroth didn't even need to ask. Something was wrong. He could sense it even more now that his captain was standing in the middle of the room. This bad feeling he had felt all along. He was about to know now what it was about.
“Your senses have always been keen, my lord.”
Quinn's tone was weird. The Wrath could tell that much. He wasn't sure if it was sarcasm or not, but one thing was certain: there was a problem, and as his mind was trying to work out what was happening, the captain continued his speech.
“It pains me, but this entire scenario is a ruse. There's no martial law, and no special signal emitter.”
Astaroth suddenly realized something. The transponder station had been quiet. Too quiet. He had noticed it as soon as they entered, but hadn't really paid attention, only glad that they weren't encountering much resistance, glad he didn't have to kill Imperials. So glad in fact, he hadn't realized the obvious.
It is a trap. The realization dawned on him as Quinn finally turned to face him. The Sith could now sense the pain coming from his captain. A lot of mixed feelings really: sadness, anger, pain. And fear. At that precise moment, he knew.
“Baras.” The Wrath simply whispered, and anger started rising as he spoke his former master's name.
“Yes, he... is my true master.” Quinn sounded a little surprised. Not that it was important. Astaroth was waiting for the rest. “He had me lure you here to have you killed.” he added coldly.
For a few seconds, Astaroth stayed silent. The shock was too big. The Voss warned him about a betrayer, but he would never have thought Quinn to be the one. He could feel his stomach aching. Of anger, but pain too. He considered his captain a friend. And that situation was the worst thing that could have happened.
“I can feel the grasp of his hand on your shoulder, Quinn. But you don't have to do this.” he finally urged.
Quinn wasn't looking him in the eyes at first. He took a breath and finally met his lord's gaze. The white-haired could feel his captain was doing the best he could to not lose his composure. Like he was trying to convince himself of something.
“Since your schism with Baras, I wrestled with my conscience. I didn't want to have to choose between the two of you, but...” Quinn hesitated. It was rare. Astaroth had never seen him hesitant. It convinced him even more, that the captain wasn't sure of himself. “I'm convinced you do not have the Empire's best wishes at heart. At least I know Darth Baras is trying to win this war.”
“Seriously, Quinn... that's what you think?” he mocked, “Baras is only out for himself. He will run the Empire to the ground. Not to mention, he defies the Emperor.”
At that point, Astaroth would have thought that even the ever-loyal Quinn would have realized at least this. And if he hadn't... he would never have pictured the captain as one to betray their ultimate leader. That was a bold move.
“Baras has always been the anchor of my career and, in my opinion, of the Empire. He has always been one step ahead of every enemy. He'll lead us to victory. As for the Emperor... he's an absentee landlord. Baras is doing what any patriot would do.”
It was hard to admit it, but he had a point. The Emperor hadn't been heard from in years, and even Astaroth, his own Wrath, was forced to take his orders via the Servants.
Still, that was one thing. The rest was blind trust and loyalty, and it was painful to see. The Sith wasn't sure if he was angry at Baras, or Quinn. Probably both. It felt as if his heart was burning inside him. His father has always told him never to trust anyone. To always assume he was conspired against. Astaroth had chosen willingly to ignore it. It had seemed basic Sith paranoia, and he hadn't wanted to give into it. But now... he was more inclined to believe it.
“I thought you were smarter than this.” is all he could say, still in disbelief.
“I'll show you how smart I am” snapped Quinn.
Astaroth knew Quinn's pride was hurt easily. And so far, he had always tried not to offend his captain. However, at that moment, he couldn't care less. His anger was rising by the minute, fed by the pain of the betrayal. A part of him still had a hard time believing it. But, as Quinn continued, he realized there was no doubt to have about it any more.
“After all this time observing you in battle, I have exhaustively noted your strengths and weaknesses.”
As the Imperial said these words, the doors behind him opened, revealing two executioner droids. Augmented, visibly, and standing three meters tall from the looks of it. Quinn was smiling as he kept speaking, making the all affair even more uncomfortable.
“These war droids have been programmed specifically to combat you. I calculate a near zero percent chance of their failure.”
If there was one thing Astaroth knew about Quinn, it was how thorough he was. No doubt these droids would constitute a challenge. But Astaroth wasn't scared. Quinn, was smart, yes, but he was also underestimating him.
“Your confidence in your stats is your biggest weakness, captain. I have the Force at my side. You can't predict its power.”
For a brief moment, he saw something on the man's face. Hesitation. And in his eyes, he could see he wasn't entirely convinced about the plan. Was it because he wasn't that sure he would work, or because being a traitor didn't sit right with him. There was no way to tell. And that glimpse of hesitation disappeared anyway when Quinn answered:
“If anything, I'm underestimating my droid's chances. You'll find they are virtually immune to you.” Quinn countered.
“It would be my greatest challenge yet, then.” Astaroth responded, only half-ironically.
“And if I'm right, your last.”
Quinn's grim word had the Wrath shiver. But he couldn't let doubt install. He focused on his anger, only this. Hate was raging in his eyes, the dark side colouring them in red. Deep down, he was more hurt than anything else. But he couldn't show it. It would be a weakness. And he couldn't show any weakness when facing an enemy. Because it was what Quinn had become. An enemy. A traitor.
“So be it.” and with those words, Astaroth activated his lightsabers and launched himself at the one he considered a friend.