"But if you intend to twist my arm, I suppose I can make our further cooperation more… immediately profitable for you and your associates."
The older Nikto nodded his assent.
...
Not even a verbal agreement. All the better to weasel out of any future obligations he might find objectionable. Fine, it would do.
"Excuse me! You with the blaster rifle!" I called out to one of the more determined-looking Evocii. His blanket was wrapped around his shoulders like a make-ship cape, an unopened emergency ration in his hand while he watched over his fellows. His narrow head twitched over in my direction before whipping around as he realized that I was, in fact, speaking to him. "Over here, please!"
With indecent haste, the alien scampered over towards me. The quiet dignity did not vanish entirely, though – the blaster rifle and ration did not leave his hands.
"You called for me, Liberator?" the alien asked, and I suppressed the urge to sigh. That was a nickname that was just asking for questions and spiteful retorts from other Sith. The tearing in my chest and shoulder from the bugs that chose that moment to grow just a bit more insistent, but I shoved it aside. "Do you have need of us?"
"Not right now," I said. "But if you need anything, do not hesitate to ask the Nikto. I'll compensate them for any incurred expenses, so don't worry about any imagined debts. I'll take care of it."
"O- of course, Liberator!" His face lit up at my words. That he was so happy about something so basic made me honestly consider reprioritizing my goals in this galaxy. Perhaps Darth Angral could wait while I 'corrected' the Empire and Hutts? Just a little?
No?
"Spread the word," I said. "And don't forget to eat. I won't have you dying from hunger so quickly after being saved."
With one last nod, the Evocii scampered back to his group where he began to babble excitedly in their tongue. The rifle was passed to a fresh set of hands and the alien got to fulfilling the second part of my instructions.
"… My associates will be generous in rounding up those expenses," the Nikto crime lord mentioned.
"That's the idea," I said. "The more they help me save lives, the more they can screw me out of my money. Everybody wins."
"Except your bank account," he pointed out.
"I'm starting to think you aren't here to help your cause," I observed, earning a raspy chuckle from the Nikto, but he chose not to speak. At all. Taking that as a sign that he was satisfied with the arrangement, or at least that his associates would be willing to continue our partnership, I checked the time and realized I had a few minutes until it was time to properly greet the incoming guests. Truth be told, those few minutes were vitally needed. See, until then I had been running around with neither a waistcoat nor a jacket. In other words, I had been criminally underdressed, but out of necessity.
Having half a dozen bugs seemingly glued to my skin made my clothes sit… wrong. Instead of a smooth fabric hugging the body from chest to waist, simply standing up introduced wrinkles and creases. Moving at all dislodged a carefully assembled ensemble and made it appear amateurish.
Fortunately, I could fix the first one. Unfortunately, that would take time and meant tailoring a whole new wardrobe that would be a waste of time and credits if the bugs grew at all. Luckily, I could compensate for it.
I still had a ship full of medical supplies and assorted knick-knacks and the power of the Force to call on, after all. It was a matter of a minute to cram a few small rolls of bandages under my shirt and affix them with a bit of medical tape. That would keep my shirt from erupting a cluster of unseemly creases, at least until… until I could figure out what to do next, I supposed.
Wasn't that a cheery thought?
Checking the mirror to verify that my fit was, in fact, acceptable, I assembled the rest of my usual outfit. Getting it on was a bit of a hassle, thanks to the damned bugs making movement of my left shoulder and chest a less than pleasant experience, but I had the power of the Force and grey-market painkillers on my side.
Oh yes, I topped off on painkillers, too.
Very important, that.
They didn't stop the pain, but they did take the edge off. Very important when trying to tie a tie.
"Your vanity is a thing to behold, Little Sith," the Little Jedi remarked. Oddly enough, I hadn't heard the boarding ramp lower or the door open; Belatedly, I realized that I hadn't actually closed the ship before handling the essential business. Rather sloppy of me, all things considered.
"Some things take priority, Little Jedi," I corrected. That she was addressing me as 'Little Sith' was a good sign. It meant we were in relative privacy and that we didn't have a crowd waiting just beyond the door.
"Like saving hundreds of innocents from certain death?" she asked.
Images began to flood my mind again, but I forced them down before they could bring a fresh surge of anger. I needed my mind to be clear for what came next. Rolling my shoulder experimentally, I could feel the painkillers doing their job; The protest from the bugs rooting around in my shoulder was blessedly subdued. All in all, it would make for an easy meeting with the other Jedi.
"… it was a matter of principle," I managed to say. What else was there to say? What could I say that didn't rely on a context she could not possibly know?
"You would commit treason against the Empire based on principle?" she asked.
"My people became very principled when it comes to this kind of thing," I said. "And I will have you know that when a Sith does something in the Empire, it is not illegal. Hence the official response to Darth Angral's galactic temper tantrum."
"You mean a single poorly prepared Sith Lord and the four apprentices he coerced into joining him?" the Little Jedi asked.
"I only coerced one of them," I corrected, turning around to face the Little Jedi. She was still standing in the doorway, blocking perhaps the bottom… half? Blocking the bottom half of it with her arms folded behind her. "Natia coerced the other three."
"Right, there is a limit to your abilities, how could I forget," she deadpanned. Something clicked softly, and the door outside whispered shut. Instantly, the noise from outside was cut off, leaving the two of us alone in a silent and dimly lit ship.
"Was there a reason you came here?" I asked. "Other than needling me?"
"Just to remind you that my offer from Chembau still stands," she said. "Joining the Jedi is still on the table."
That brought my mind screeching to a halt.
"Come again?"
"Nestor, you're a good man," she said, slowly ambling closer. And she was using my name, I noted, which meant that this was a serious subject. "You could be so much more than just the most upstanding Sith, dismantling extermination factories as you find them. You could help destroy the people who would build them, save countless lives."
Oh.
The recruitment talk.
"I..." I sighed, unable to formulate the words I needed to say. "I'm needed here."
"In the Empire?" she asked, still slowly approaching. "The Empire whose best interests you just finished acting against?"
"It's... if I leave the Empire, what happens?" I asked. "The Empire loses the only voice of reason in the public perception. Loses a diplomat, which encourages those calling for war. If I stay, I can make a difference. I can... I don't know, keep it from getting worse. Cut away the worst offenses before they can do too much harm. But at the same time... I would be staying with the Empire. I would be choosing to remain loyal to a state that condones genocide, slavery, war crimes, invasion of privacy, and oppression as standard operation procedure."
By the time I had finished speaking, the Little Jedi had come to a halt less than a pace in front of me.
"You've given this some thought," she observed, pale eyes boring into mine. She was right, of course. I had given plenty of thought ever since Lord Egatio had so graciously taken me on as his apprentice. Back then, my options had been a bit more... final.
"Yeah," I said softly. "It's a longshot, but... if I can gain influence, can rise to the top, I can do something without setting the galaxy on fire. But doing so will take time. Time that will get people killed, all so I don't get as many people killed quite so quickly."
"You really think you can take over the Empire on your own?" Her tone made it obvious what she thought of my chances of success.
"Silly Jedi." Even though she could not see it, there was a small but genuine smile on my face. "I'm never truly alone."
...
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