Servant of Betrayal: A Star Wars Story

Servant of the Sith

The man quivered as blood trickled from the edge of his brow, a small, teal colored pool joined by yet another fresh stream of warm alien blood.

"I will ask you this only once more, my friend. In truth, this can all end with your cooperation. It really is that simple." said another man, tall and young, his face hidden in shadow. The man in question was Karvan Dexley, who for the last seven years had faithfully- if not fearfully- served as a hitman, thief and whatever else his Master bid him to be. His was not just any Master, however, as many in the galaxy could claim the title of Master. No, his was one of darkness and absolute terror, even to those who scarcely knew of his kind; he, of course, was Darth Sidious- holder of the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith, and currently unknown to most of the galaxy- for now.

The man before him shook with fear, and reeked of nothing but sweat-or at least his kind's equivalent- knowing full well he was caught between two evil's. What the man didn't realize, however, is that for all of the Commerce Guild's power in the senate, the list of unnamed assassins and bounty hunters under their employ and thousands of systems worth in influence, the Guild could never hope to be as intimidating or as powerful as Darth Sidious. And so, in a way, Karvan pitied the man, as he himself was, in a way, stuck in servitude until his master tossed him aside.

The man blinked twice, coughed blood, and sobbed quietly. "I-i...don't know...please, you must believe me! I...No one would betray the Dark Lord! T-to do so is folly!" The man jerked as he spoke, almost as if the effort of words was nearly akin to some kind of seizure- 'Fear', Karvan thought, 'Fear of the Sith'. He had felt it for years, himself. He stalked the man's right side, retrieving a small tool known as a hydro-spanner-a heavy, claw like tool used to bend metal, crack stone, and in this case, rend flesh. Lifting it up towards the only light in the room, Karvan inspected the tool carefully before turning his head to face his prey. The man, of Commerce' employ, looked as though he had been trampled by wild beasts, and yet aside from the obvious look of terror, held his attention unswervingly. 'The toxin is working, then,' Karvan smiled to himself. FeraZone Enterprises; once a massive player in Galactic pharmaceuticals, they had been all but destroyed by Sidious some many years prior to Karvan's meeting with the Dark Lord. They had, however, left behind a wealth of medical studies, experiments and drugs- drugs which, when used correctly- or incorrectly- could be used for many nefarious deeds. In this case, the Commerce coward was kept alert, awake, and unable to retreat, even into his own mind.

"I believe that is true," Karvan exhaled, "To betray Lord Sidious is certainly unadvisable. He is a man of great influence and power- in fact, did he not help you to climb the ranks of the Guild, allowing you profit and political advancement?" He waited for the man to speak, but instead found the alien lowering his head, as though the fearful shame which lay atop him could be slid off like some type of headwear.

"How was I to know of the Guild's treachery? We agreed to serve Sidious, but not at the expense of the Guild's reputation. L-lord Sidious demanded too much, and through his demands, we have made many enemies of former allies- the Hutt Cartels, Pykes, and Black Sun, to name but a few." The man's newfound ability to speak told Karvan that the drugs other effect- honesty, if a little reluctant, was taking hold. The man shook his head briefly as if to emphasize his case. "Lord Sidious does not know what he asks of the Guild." Karvan felt a frown slide over his face, and slowly he began to encircle the frightened alien, fiddling the tool between his fingers.

"Lord Sidious demands only one thing: Obedience." Karvan said. The man lurched forward and let out what sounded like a shriek of fearful, frustrated laughter.

"Do you not understand?!" He exclaimed, "We-I WAS loyal! Every deed asked of me, every request made, I completed to the letter! But even I cannot predict the action of my colleagues! If Lord Sidious was any sort of business man-" Without so much as facing the Alien, Karvan swung his tool sharply right of the man's face, cracking the alien across the nose and freeing yet another stream of fresh blood from the creatures exterior features. The man howled, for a moment intense pain shooting across his muscles as he tensed in anguish.