Gently Rapping at Your Chamber Door

[Sal Katarn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqF_CVQ_U_I​

The white, plastoid-backed fist hammered against the door with all the insistence of a stormtrooper exerting the full extent of his authority under Imperial law. When that did not work, he kicked the door in. Frowny-faced helmets in stark white armor flooded into the room.

"Freeze!"

"Hands! Let me see your hands!"

The open mouths of blaster carbines pointed every which way. Panicked screams arose from the bed. Something beneath the comforter thrashed about.

"Clear," came the call from the bathroom.

Two more figures entered the bedroom. One a human male, short, with angular features, eyes like chips of eyes, and raven hair. The other was a tall, gaunt skeleton wearing a floor-length robe with a neckline that went all the way up.

"How unseemly. I must protest, your highness should not be seen in such a place of ill-repute," said the skeleton, pointedly casting his baleful gaze away from one of the nude forms laying upon the bed. "Are we even sure we have the right woman?"

"Ask her yourself."

[member="Darth Imperia"]

 

[Darth Imperia]

Stormtroopers. How very First Order. Imperia had hoped that her fellow Sith would show a bit more creativity in the uniforms they assigned to their troops - or, failing creativity, at least a bit more fashion sense. But alas, no such luck.

The fact that those garishly ugly stormtroopers had just invaded the best Brothel on Bastion was a secondary concern, at least at first. Imperia had been at the center of many raids, and had come out of most of them fine. She'd need to bribe someone, probably, or maybe frighten a few bureaucrats into submission. Easy enough.

Except, no, not quite.

This wasn't the typical "you're two days late with taxes" sort of raid. They wanted something - someone - specific.

And, not to brag to herself (except that's exactly what was going on), but Imperia knew there was really only one person in the building worth looking for.

Darth Imperia, Valkyrie of the Sith, slid out of bed, then, bereft of clothing, and offered the man who appeared to be in charge a sly grin.

"Imperia. Charmed, I'm sure. I must say, it isn't often my gentlemen callers bring me so many toys to play with."

--

[member="Arkaitz Zambrano"]

 

[Sal Katarn]

The woman fit the description exactly: skin pale as a ghost, a curtain of white-blonde hair, and eyes a red-rimmed yellow that whispered of violence.

Oh, and she was also completely naked.

A sound of strangled outrage came from Ni'gel and he quickly averted his cavernous stare from the lecherous witch.

Arkaitz, for his part, let his pale gaze linger, sliding appreciatively across the lithe figure. Obviously an attempt at seduction. Well, she would have to do better. He was no sexually repressed Jedi hermit moldering away in celibacy. Still... no harm in looking.

He raised a raven brow and cleared his throat, eyes tracking up to meet a sulfurous stare.

"An astute observation. I am Prince Arkaitz Zambrano. If you will accompany me, we have a few questions for you."

[member="Darth Imperia"]

 

[Darth Imperia]

A Zambrano? Interesting. And a prince, at that. One of Carnifex's spawn, then...and one of the ones that Imperia had never heard of. Unimportant. Fairly frail looking for one of his line, too. The Knight smiled.

This was going to be fun.

Without making any particularly aggressive movements, Imperia sauntered over to a coat rack, retrieving and donning a silken, crimson robe from the clutter of apparel hung upon it. Golden embroidery creeped up from the hems, producing an ever-so-slightly disorienting effect whenever the fabric swished in the air. This was intentional, of course. She was still wearing a friendly smile when she turned to face Arkaitz.

"It would be my pleasure, Prince Zambrano. But before we depart - is that Givin important to you?"

She didn't wait for a response. Almost immediately, her voice changed, layered with power and obscenely suggestive in tone.

"Soldiers, aim your weapons at the Givin."

To their credit, every soldier did his best to fight the command - they were loyal, that much was apparent. But Imperia had spent an inordinate amount of time honing her skills of manipulation, and every single soldier, no matter how much he hated it, complied. With eyes like sulfur and a joyful smile, the Sith turned her attention back to the Zambrano, her voice returning to normal.

"Whatever you plan on doing with me tonight, Arkaitz, remember that I am cooperating out of politeness, not fear."

--

[member="Arkaitz Zambrano"]

 

[Sal Katarn]

"I say!" Exclaimed the most thoroughly vexed Givin in a mixture of horror and righteous indignation. He held out both hands in a pleading gesture. A poor defense against the leveled carbines of the bamboozled troopers.

Arkaitz's lips pursed into a thin line and he shook his head slowly, side-to-side. "Do what you will."

"What?!"

A raised hand forestalled further interjection. "But I will remind you that he is an imperial asset. Harming him could be seen as... seditious."

Or merely an inconvenience. Either way, did she really think to frighten him through violence? How utterly uninspiring. As if growing up in the auspice of the Iron Tyrant had not shown him enough to last several lifetimes. Pravus at least had a certain flair to his savagery.

"Your restraint is commendable."

Barbaric.

Always the same with her kind of Sith. His father's kind. Never enough blood to sate the appetite. Might as well give a Nexu a lightsaber and call it a day. Yet for all their similarities, he could see the hatred spring up in her eyes at the mention of his name. His father's name. The millstone of revilement and ignominy hung around his neck for the mere act of being born. If the Force had a plan for his life, then it was a cruel one. But he was no stranger to cruelty either.

Time to drink from the bitter cup of daily existence.

"Now please, follow me."

[member="Darth Imperia"]

 

[Darth Imperia]

"Soldiers, you're dismissed- and these girls are paid for for another night. Relax, enjoy yourselves. I'll cause your Prince no trouble, I assure you."

It was one thing to resist an order to shoot an ally - but when a beautiful woman used the Force to demand you relax and enjoy yourself, well. It was harder to resist that - Stormtroopers were worked hard, after all, and they fought and killed and, far too often, died to defend their empire. Surely they deserved some reward for all of that, right? Right. So when Imperia commanded they...enjoy themselves...none put forward more than a show of resistance.

Still wearing that same happy smile, Imperia complied with Arkaitz, razor-heels click clacking against the wood flooring of the brothel and, then, scraping against the duracrete streets outside.

It was time to start having fun.

"So, Arkaitz, what was it like growing up with Carnifex as a father? I don't imagine there was much in the way of love." All of a sudden, Imperia...changed. From cocky, egotistical maniac to slightly less cocky egotistical maniac, but with sympathy. "My father was the sweetest man I've ever known - spoiled me like a princess. I still miss him, sometimes. Do you miss Carnifex when you're away from home, or do you leave home to get away from Carnifex?"

--

[member="Arkaitz Zambrano"]

 

[Sal Katarn]

The sanguine satin robe gave her pale-as-death skin an even starker cast in the night air. Arkaitz heard Ni'gel mutter something about a streetwalker, but he ignored the Givin.

Two of the stormtroopers seemed unaffected by the mental commands, given the way their helmets kept turning back and forth between their squadmates. Epicanthix, probably, or something similar. They would have to do.

Ark stiffened as she sought to probe his emotions with her words. He turned, chilling eyes filled with biting anger.

"Yes, my father is a hard man. Sweet ones do not become the Dark Lord of the Sith," hissed the princeling, "They die."

A speeder waited for them outside. Gesturing, Arkaitz had the pair of stormtroopers open the doors. One of them handed [member="Darth Imperia"] a black bag.

"Put that on and get in," ordered Arkaitz. He turned back to the mortified Givin. "Ni'gel, return to the brothel. See that those troopers arrive home safely."

"As- as you wish."

Arkaitz climbed into the speeder.

 

[Darth Imperia]

Imperia had seen enough holoflicks as a child to know where this was going. She'd put that bag over her head, smell a chemical of some sort, and wake up chained to a wall or a table or some such nonsense. And this arrogant little princeling would be there, waiting ever so politely for Imperia to wake up so the two could have a nice, "civil" conversation.

Of course, it didn't have to go down like that. She had a Ssi-Ruuvi Paddle Beamer in her right arm, and that was capable of incapacitating the two remaining guards with ease. She wasn't likely to be hunted down either, considering this was almost certainly an unofficial operation. Interrogation and Kidnapping were the Inquisition's areas of expertise - and the Inquisition wouldn't use generic stormtroopers, not when they had their own military branch. In short, it was overwhelmingly likely that this was an unauthorized operation, and Imperia had every right to walk away at this very moment.

But where was the fun in that? She had a toy to play with right in front of her, no doubt filled with delicious little insecurities and fears.

So instead of doing the more sensible thing, Imperia simply smiled politely, sat down beside Arkaitz, and slid on the hood.

"Chloroform? How unoriginal."

---

[member="Arkaitz Zambrano"]

 

[Sal Katarn]

She woke up in a windowless room. Black walls, black floor, black ceiling. A ceiling light fixture cast illumination on the stark white table sitting in the middle of the chamber. The table was fixed to the floor. The only other furniture in the room were two white chairs, also fixed to the floor. She sat in one, Arkaitz sat in the other.

A cold, evaluating gaze summed her up. Still in the silk robe, she might find the place a bit chilly. Arkaitz wore a black cloak with a fur lining. He looked quite comfortable.

The chloroform had been a necessity, as had the black bag. Disorienting the subject was step one to any proper interrogation. Arkaitz would know.

"Let's start again, shall we? Do you, Darth Imperia, have full and complete loyalty to the Dark Lord of the Sith?"

[member="Darth Imperia"]

 

[Darth Imperia]

Imperia spoke with frightening clarity for someone stirring from chemically induced unconsciousness. Oh, she was dizzy. She was disoriented. And she was certainly confused.

But there was no reason to let the Princeling know any of this.

"Mistake the first; I am reasonably comfortable in this room. My senses will return to full functionality shortly, thus depriving you of any edge you hoped to gain from those amateur theatrics. Mistake the second; I am completely unrestrained, and fully capable of inflicting any physical retribution on you that I wish. Mistake the third; allowing contact with a sapient being so soon after my return to consciousness. Isolation tends to make victims far more cooperative. You're welcome to try on me, should you maintain the charming delusion that you'll gain anything of worth from this project."

Imperia opened her eyes and smiled at her captor, not a hint of fear creeping onto her face. Bare feet touched the ground beneath the table, and the Knight cursed mentally. Unfortunately, it appeared that Arkaitz had had the sense to deprive her of those. They had rather large knives built into them, so that wasn't terribly surprising, but still. Somewhat disappointing.

"Mistake the fourth: Assuming this little stunt of yours will earn you one iota of affection from your father." Darth Imperia laughed, a sweet, soft laugh that spoke of simple, pure-hearted joy.

"To answer your question, no. I am loyal to the Sith cause, and to my own self interest. Taking that into account, I am loyal to the current Dark Lord only so long as I feel it the best course of action."

Eyelids fluttered open, and fiery yellow eyes met with the pale blue of the Prince's.

"But not a moment longer. Such is the way of the Sith."

--

[member="Arkaitz Zambrano"]

 

[Sal Katarn]

"The Sith cause," he snorted.

Pale fury blossomed in the chill depths of his irises. His siblings might speak to him this way, but this lowborn woman? Perhaps she could strike him down in an instant, with whatever power she'd managed to scrape together under her fool master, but she wouldn't dare. Just another bloviating Sith, yapping away like a chained Massiff.

He saw a kindling hate in her eyes. Not unfamiliar by any means. The mishap of his birth seemed enough to make most hate him. Why? What had he ever done but try to do his duty and bring honor to House Zambrano? Should he secret himself away from the galaxy in a laboratory, producing foul spawn like Pravus?

No, it was because of his grand uncle and his father that people treated him thus.

"All I ask is a few words. I didn't kill your master. Hurting me won't bring her back."

[member="Darth Imperia"]

 

[Darth Imperia]

For the briefest of moments, Imperia appeared confused. What was this boy babbling on about? And then, she began giggling - full on schoolyard-child giggling, too, like she'd just witnessed the funniest thing in the Galaxy. She sort of had, actually.

After about three minutes, the normally regal and commanding Sith managed to calm herself, at least enough to speak coherently. There were tears in her eyes when she looked back at Arkaitz, and one could rather easily detect the mirth that tainted her voice when she spoke.

"Oh, darling, sweetie," Imperia reached out and placed her hand atop Arkaitz's, and paused a few seconds to catch her breath again. "Do you - do you really think I'm still angry about that? Don't be daft. Darth Vitium was a bitter, empty husk, and had nothing more to offer me." She paused again, this time adjusting her position so that she leaned forward in her seat.

"And what is your obsession with my loyalties? All mockery aside, I spoke genuinely earlier. Your father is Sith. He is the Dark Lord. He knows the risks associated with this title. He will be challenged, and one day, he may be defeated. The Sith will remain loyal to him so long as he continues to earn that loyalty. Should another prove more worthy, they will take his place. He knows this, and he accepts this."

Imperia's expression softened once more, fingers curling gently around Arkaitz's hand.

"And if he does not, then perhaps he is not worthy of the service you perform in his name."

---

[member="Arkaitz Zambrano"]

 

[Sal Katarn]

Ah yes, maniacal laughter, the first sign of insanity.

A raven brow lofted in summary judgment.

Her fingers touched his hand. They were surprisingly soft. He jerked his hand away, as if she'd stung him. The way she leaned forward in her seat caused her robe to fall in such a manner as draw the eye. Arkaitz glanced down, then back up to meet her catlike gaze.

"I see. You tell a convincing story, but I wonder if it would have a different plot were truth serum involved. I could have had you injected while you were asleep, you know. But I spared you the indignity, hoping it wouldn't be needed."

In truth, he was not sure of the serum would even work on her. Another initiate was using the containment field for an unrelated suspect, so Arkaitz unfortunately had to make do with this interrogation chamber. Amazing the things being the son of the Dark Lord would not get you.

[member="Darth Imperia"]