Legends of Darkover

Chapter 5

-oOo-

Danilo woke lying on his face, his head turned towards a blank white wall.  He was on a bunk with a thin mattress.  Too-bright light hurt his eyes, and he was muzzy-headed and groggy.  His dagger was missing.  As he looked around for it he was startled by the sight of two strangely-dressed men watching him.  The first was grey-haired and bearded, clothed entirely in black.  The second man was cloaked and hooded, his face covered with a black leather mask with slits for eyes, nose, and mouth.

Danilo was embarrassed.  He couldn't recall a thing.  Though he had no idea where he was, prison cells had a generic similarity everywhere.  This looked like a bender that had landed him in a Terran Zone lockup, except he was a Syrtis, and the Syrtis didn't do benders for reasons involving familial honor, paxman discipline, cristoforo religion, fathers who always knew when you had gotten into trouble, and foster-fathers who'd never let you forget about it, either. 

“Do you understand the standard language of the Federation?” 

The man's mouth movements didn't match the translated words, which seemed to be coming from a black, floating ball-like machine.  Danilo nodded.  Where were they from if they didn't know Terran Standard themselves? 

“Good,” said the first man.  “And your name?”

“Reuel Leynier.”  

“You are to tell the truth when I ask you a question!” the first man bellowed.  “Your name is Danilo.”

“Who are you?  Are you Terranan?”

Tyranus gave Danilo a patronizing smile.  “My name is Darth Tyranus and my companion is Darth Xiphos.  We are the Sith.”

Danilo giggled, unable to stop the impulse.  He was so lightheaded and their names were so silly.  Was Darth a family name, then?  Were they brothers? 

“You will take us seriously,” Tyranus snapped.  -Are we going to have to teach an entire galaxy how to fear us?  It was so simple back home when your predecessors had laid that important groundwork millennia ago.- 

Danilo giggled again when he caught the other's peevish thought.  They must be lunatics.

Xiphos exchanged a look with Tyranus.  “He is too young and provincial to understand his danger,” said the apprentice.

“What is the name of the girl you were traveling with?” barked Tyranus.

Danilo hesitated.  Recollection was slowing returning, along with alarm.  He touched the minds of the men more deeply and jerked back, revolted.  They felt like something left to rot in a ditch.  From their thoughts he read that Catriona had also been abducted.  

“Catriona Castamir,” he replied.  Her family was not Comyn, so there was little point in holding her hostage for her name alone.  Their snare must have been aimed at a keeper, no name specified.  Catriona had been their random choice and he the extra fish caught in the net.

“A keeper of Hali Tower?”

“Yes.”

The man scowled.  Danilo kept his face blank, not letting any sign leak out that he'd read the man's thoughts.  Both men had a slight amount of laran, though neither seemed to have any actual donas that he recognized.  He sensed something odd about the thick metal sticks hanging from their belts. 

“She is your girlfriend,” said Tyranus in a positive manner.

Danilo only replied with a slow blink.  All of Darkover must be aware that he didn't like girls, no thanks to Dyan Ardais.  Where had this man been getting his information?  Where was Catriona?  He wanted to reach out to her, but these men had to leave him alone, first.

“I wish to test him for the Force,” said Xiphos to Tyranus.

“It's a waste of time, but go ahead.” 

Xiphos opened his gloved fist, revealing a metal ball with needle-like spikes.  He let Danilo have a good look at it, then threw it right at the boy's face.  A warning burst of laran and good reflexes honed by Guardsman's training allowed Danilo to dodge it.  The ball ricocheted off the wall, rolling jerkily along the floor.  Then it picked itself up and flew right back into the glove of Xiphos. 

Danilo stared.  Who were these men? 

He had no time to scan them further because the ball was flying at him again.  A third time he just barely missed the spikes, and smacked hard into a wall in his attempt to dodge.

Tyranus snorted.  “No use of the Force to deflect the weapon.  Xiphos?”

The other man removed the metal stick from his belt and held it out dramatically.  Bewildered, Danilo only stared at him.

“My lord,” said Xiphos in annoyed tones, “he doesn't even know what it is.”

“Stupid boy.  This is a lightsaber,” said Tyranus.  “It is the chief weapon and pride of a Sith warrior.” 

“What does it do that a metal sword can't?” Danilo asked.  This was a touchy question, he realized as the two men tensed.

Tyranus gave an ugly smile.  “Enlighten him.”

Xiphos held the end of the stick right in front of Danilo's face and thumbed the button.  Danilo jerked aside, just missing the humming bar of red-hot light that sprang out at him. 

“He has good reflexes,” observed Xiphos. 

Tyranus shut his eyes in exasperation.  “You aren't supposed to kill him yet.”

“I didn't think I would,” replied Xiphos, staring hard at Danilo.

-!#$%#! apprentices.  I don't need any more trouble with Plagueis today.-

The unprintables didn't translate even with laran, Danilo noted.   Xiphos moved the humming bar of light slowly across Danilo's plane of vision.

“Standdown,” Tyranus snapped at Xiphos.  “I'll take over.”  He brought out two metal clasps and jerked Danilo's wrists together in front and locked the clasps around them.  Danilo gave him a querying look.

“Shut up,” Tyranus snarled at his captive.  “Stun cuffs.”  He plucked a small metal stick from the floating ball.  “This is a vibroknife.”  A tiny high-pitched whine came from the device as he clicked it on. 

“What--”

“It can cut through objects as easily as a regular knife can, even metal.”  -For Force's sake, I sound like a holomercial.  I HATE captives from primitive cultures.  You have to explain EVERYTHING to them.-

Danilo wanted to ask what a holomercial was, but Tyranus seemed too ill-tempered at the moment. 

Tyranus seized one of Danilo's hands, slapped the hilt of the vibroknife in it, then stepped back expectantly.  Danilo glanced at the thing as it whined in his bound hands.  What did they want him to do with it?  For an instant he caught a glimpse of his own face through their vision.  His grey eyes stood out like beacons against his tanned skin, and they thought he appeared very innocent and childlike.

“Incredible,” exclaimed Tyranus.  “It hasn't even occurred to you to attack us with it!  You'd make a terrible Sith.”

Danilo's pride stung him.  /There are two of you, one of me, you're better armed than I am and probably have weapons I know nothing of.  I'm tied up, have no idea how to open the door or even where I am.  All of that is waiting to be explored once you're foolish enough to turn your backs./

“He's harmless,” said Tyranus with sarcasm.  “Force knows why Inculcare bothered with him.  He's not worth the fuel it took to lift him off the planet.”

/Lift?  Planet?  Where am I, then?/

Xiphos glanced sideways at his companion.  “He ought to be given further testing.”

“He does not have the Force!  Waste your time if you wish, but don't kill him.  Remember you must have Lord Plagueis' permission for more serious measures.”  Tyranus waved a hand at the door, opening and shutting it behind him by some method Danilo could not see. 

He felt a mind reaching out towards him.  “Cut your leg with the knife,” said Xiphos.

Danilo slammed his barriers shut.  /This amateur thinks he's getting somewhere with me?  This Sith will make no inroads against one annealed and tempered by fighting the commands of Dyan Ardais,/ he thought with contempt.

“You're resistant to Force command.  Interesting.”  The knife yanked itself out of Danilo's fingers and set itself down on top of the floating ball.  Xiphos untied the sash from his waist.   

“What's that for?” Danilo asked. 

The mask hid almost all expression, but Xiphos seemed to grin.  “A blindfold.”

-oOo-

“You should be able to pass through the containment field safely,” Spock said to the Jedi through the communications patch.  “Once you've landed, please wait until the hanger doors have closed.”

Obi-wan touched the Wizard down as gently as possible.  When the interior doors opened he saw five figures waiting to receive them.  One darted towards the Wizard and the Jedi heard Kirk saying through the link, “Wait!  Dom Regis--don't touch that hull!”

“Please obey the Captain, Dom Regis,” said Spock.  “The exterior is cold enough to freeze your hands.  The ship will take a few minutes to warm up.”

“Oh, I see.”  A face was hovering next to the frosty viewport of the Wizard, trying to locate the Jedi.

“That's their telepath,” Qui-gon said to Obi-wan.  The Jedi master smiled briefly at his padawan.  “He's younger than you are, and very eager.”

-You need to move or our hatches will strike you in the chin when they open,- Obi-wan sent to Regis. 

-Sorry.  I wanted to see you.-

Regis was trying to make out how the hatches worked when the Captain took him by the shoulders and shifted him aside, stepping protectively in front.  Kirk looked ready to put the young man in a headlock.

After the Jedi crawled out the man said, “I'm Captain Kirk, the one you spoke to.  This is my First Officer Mr. Spock, Chief Medical Officer Doctor McCoy, and my Chief of Engineering, Lieutenant Commander Scott.  The one who communicated with you is Dom Regis Hastur.  His grandfather is Regent of Darkover.”

“Qui-gon Jinn,” said the Jedi master with a slight bow.  “You have already been introduced to my apprentice, Obi-wan Kenobi.”

A little awkwardly, Obi-wan hugged Regis.  The crew of the Enterprise tensed as if to lunge.  

“Padawan?” said Qui-gon.  “What are you doing?”

“He's the first person from another galaxy that I've ever met,” replied Obi-wan happily. 

“And you are mine as well,” said Regis, bemused.  “I share your emotion.  You must have had a lengthy journey.” 

“Do not be alarmed,” said Qui-gon to Kirk.  “I had forgotten the excitement of the young.  Padawan?  You can let go.  It is not customary to touch Darkovan telepaths, I believe.” 

Obi-wan complied, beaming. 

Kirk cleared his throat and Obi-wan could detect his relief.  “Now that we've been introduced,” said the Captain.  “Ahem.  Scotty, you need to ask before you start prying into their ship.”  Scotty had just figured out how to open and close the hatches, and Regis was hovering over his shoulder.  Obi-wan caught a mental flare of exasperation from the Captain.

“Sorry, Captain.  Say, you didn't make the whole trip from your home galaxy jammed in like this, did you?  It's a wee tad cozy.”

“No,” replied the Jedi in chorus.  The thought made Obi-wan shudder.

“Then you must have another ship,” said Scotty with polite greed.  “Would it be possible for a man who loves machines to have a look at her?”

“Mr. Scott,” Kirk said through gritted teeth.  “Please excuse our engineer,” he added to the Jedi.  “We are not usually this clumsy in our greetings.”

“Neither are we,” said Qui-gon with a chastening glance at Obi-wan.  The Padawan met his eyes unabashed.  “No harm is done.  If we have the time we'll let you study our ships, but first we must discuss the Sith.”

“Come on up to the bridge, then,” said Kirk.

As they headed down the corridor towards the turbolift, Obi-wan tried to take in everything without being too embarrassingly swivel-necked.  He wished Jedi knights did not have dignity to preserve.  Qui-gon, as usual, was absorbing everything without seeming to. 

A brief mental laugh sounded inside Obi-wan's head. 

-I was like that earlier.  This is my first visit to a spaceship.-

-Truly?- Obi-wan found it surprisingly easy to maintain mental contact with Regis.  His telepathy was never this clear.  Regis must be doing most of the work.

-Yes.  What do you think of the Terranan? I am not so bold as to ask what you think of me, but I am interested in your impressions.- 

-I presume Terranan is your word for persons not Darkovan.  Though I have had little time to observe our hosts, my Force-sense gives me some notion of them.  The one they call Mr. Spock reminds me of an ancient Jedi master called Yoda, though your Mr. Spock is much taller and less green. There is some similarity around the ears.  Also, from what I sense of his emotions, he's far less crotchety.-

Regis laughed aloud.

“Padawan?  Would you care to share the joke?” said Qui-gon with gravity.  He was giving Obi-wan a quelling eye, trying to convey that this was no time for humor.

“Not really, master.” Obi-wan failed to subdue his grin.

-What is that metal canister that dangles at your waist?- Regis asked.

-It's a lightsaber, a type of plasma energy sword.- 

-Does the handle open?  I can tell there's some sort of laran crystal inside.-

Obi-wan unclipped the lightsaber from his belt, removed the pommel cap, and opened the hilt hinge to expose two glowing orange crystals.  -Adegan crystals,- he explained.  -They are necessary to operate a lightsaber, and are highly prized by the Jedi.- 

-I can tell they are attuned to you.  It's strange that the sight of your Adegan crystals doesn't make me queasy the way a keyed Darkovan matrix does.-

The orange glow suddenly flickered like a candle's sputtering flame.  -What?- said Obi-wan in surprise. 

-Sorry.  That is my dona trying to probe the crystals.  The Hastur gift tends to work without my willing it.- 

Obi-wan felt Regis' embarrassment.  The Darkovan put a hand to his throat, considered a moment, then removed something from a neck pouch, tipping it into his palm to show the apprentice.  Obi-wan studied the glowing blue jewel closely, then jerked back as if someone had thrown vinegar into his eyes. 

-By the Holy Stars, I can't even stand to look at it.  It's so—discordant.-  Obi-wan blinked and swallowed hard a few times to resettle his gorge.  He felt dizzy from the single, jarring glance.

-I know the feeling,- said Regis.  -Our matrix crystals affect us in the same way if they are not your own and if you have not attuned yourself to them.-

“I sense an entire conversation is taking place here,” said Qui-gon.  The Jedi Master's eyes passed briefly over Regis' matrix, but did not settle.  His curiosity was obvious however, and Obi-wan saw the Captain scowl warningly at Regis.  Hastur caught the expression and put away his matrix.

-oOo-

When they arrived on the bridge Kirk signaled to Regis to be more careful.  Their Darkovan guest may have decided to trust the Jedi completely, but judicious caution was what kept Starfleet crews alive.  The Captain had not been reassured to learn that the Intrepid's crew had been tortured.

“Are the Sith on the verge of attacking now?” Kirk asked Qui-gon.  Something about the plain clothing and manner of Qui-gon seemed familiar, and after thinking it over Kirk realized the man annoyed him in exactly the same way Spock had in the early days.  The Enterprise's first officer was perusing Qui-gon with the same unhurried serenity that Jim found so maddening when he'd first encountered it.  Back then Kirk had been tempted to play the sharp needle to Spock's balloon, and it had taken the Captain a few years to outgrow the impulse.

“Not quite,” replied Qui-gon.  “They're still gathering intelligence, and wish to stay secret.”

Somberly, the Jedi master described how Drain Knowledge had been used on the unconscious villagers, and related what he had learned from his spybugs about the capture of the Intrepid and the torture of its crew.  “None of the Intrepid's crew are alive anymore.  Our sorrow was great when we discovered this, and we express our deepest regrets.”

Kirk leveled his gaze on Regis, who gave a slight nod.  The Captain's mouth tightened.  “Uhura?  Give Starfleet a general update.  Now, how dangerous are these Sith?  Thanks to Dom Regis, I have a general idea of how nasty they are but I need more detail about their capacity for combat.” 

Qui-gon began by outlining the standard offensive and defensive capabilities of a Sith battlecruiser.  They did not, Qui-gon stressed, have data on whether the Raptor had any unusual modifications from normal ships of her class, but he went ahead and downloaded a battlecruiser’s specifications to the Enterprise’s computers for the drawing of internal schema and the labeling of hazards.  He also gave an account of all the different types of droids they could expect, and gave details about the starfighters.

As Kirk listened, it became a struggle to keep from showing his dismay.  The Sith had been fighting wars with advanced space-level technology for thousands of years.  They had entire weapons systems Kirk had never heard of, though he could grasp the principles behind them from Qui-gon’s descriptions.

Over at the science station Spock was recording all the data with his annotations.  Sulu was running battle simulations and shaking his head at the results.  The situation was so dire that Kirk pulled Scotty away from the Jedi ship so the engineer could add his own advice.  Scotty too wore a frown as he studied his datapad.

The Enterprise was completely outclassed by the Raptor.  That assessment didn’t even include the 90-odd starfighters the Raptor carried.  Nor did it help that Regis, still monitoring the Jedi telepathically, was turning paler and paler as he caught nuances from Qui-gon the officers of the Enterprise were not privy to.

/It must suck when it’s your own planet that’s threatened,/ Kirk reflected, /and it’s either you or your superannuated grandfather who has to deal with the responsibility, especially when you never asked for it./

When Qui-gon finished his briefing, Kirk said, “What are your results, Mr. Sulu?”

“Poor.  The ninety-six starfighters alone--if indeed the Raptor has a full complement of them--are enough to destroy the Enterprise.  The massed firepower of fourteen of these ships can bring our shields down.  Our phasers can destroy individual ships, but our power supply will be dead long before we can get ninety-six shots in.  If we can get the starfighters grouped together in a mass we might be able to take out several of them with a photon torpedo or phaser strike, but they have to be foolish enough to do it first.  We have one advantage.  We’re faster at warp speed than the starfighters are.  But at subspace levels, they’re more maneuverable than the Enterprise.  They can do hit-and-run attacks while we’re still turning around.”

“What about the Raptor?” Kirk asked, picking at nonexistent chin hairs.

“With its turbolaser, ion cannon, and proton torpedo launchers, they definitely have more firepower than we do.  Their laser cannon batteries are a moot point, since our shuttles are inadequate to go on the offense against fixed-point weapons.  They can cloak during battle, though they’re not as good as the Klingons are at it.  The one big weakness they have is their hull.  They have so many open docking bays that a good hit might punch into the vitals of their ship.”

Kirk went silent, pondering strategies.     

“Captain, if I might make a suggestion.”

Kirk glanced at his first officer. 

“They do not have transporter technology,” said Spock, “and this appears to be a weakness we can exploit.”

“Noted, Mr. Spock.  I was thinking that, too.  Scotty, I'm afraid you have a lot of work to do.”

“I know what you mean, Captain.  I’ll start preparing the wee dears,” replied the Engineer as he headed for the turbolift.

“Make plenty of 'em, Scotty.  We have a lot of starfighters out there to take care of.” 

The Captain gave the Jedi a hard look.  “Now, why the heck are the Sith here?”

“I believe your telepath will be able to answer that question,” replied Qui-gon.

“I will?” asked a startled Regis.  “You expect much if you wish me to read their minds at this distance.  Even I have my limits.”

“No, I was referring to something else.  What happened on Darkover a thousand years ago?”

Regis and the Captain traded confused looks at the oddity of the question.

-oOo-