Star Wars_ Darth Bane 02_ Rule of Two - Drew Karpyshyn [66]
Zannah nodded, though her mind was reeling as she tried to comprehend the true complexity of her Master’s intricate and convoluted political machinations. She thought back to all her past missions, trying to see how each one played a part in his plans.
“You have never questioned your missions before,” Bane noted. He didn’t sound angry, but rather curious.
She didn’t want to tell him about Kel. Even though she had accomplished everything Bane had demanded of her, she knew he would view her feelings for the Twi’lek as a sign of weakness.
“Even if I didn’t understand the purpose behind my missions, I never had reason to doubt your wisdom, Master,” she answered, realizing she could turn his question to her advantage.
“Yet you doubt me now?”
She took a long, slow look around, letting her eyes linger over the wreckage of the camp surrounding them.
“I’ve never seen you lose control of your power like this before,” she whispered, shrouding her deceit in a kernel of truth. “I feared the orbalisks could be impairing your judgment. I feared they might have finally driven you mad.”
Bane didn’t answer right away, and when he did his voice was short and gruff. “I control the orbalisks. They do not control me.”
“Of course, Master,” she apologized. But she knew from his reaction that she had successfully planted the seed of doubt. Attempting to manipulate her Master was a dangerous game, but it was a risk she had to take. If the orbalisks drove him into another rage, he might kill her. Convincing Bane to seek out some way to rid himself of the infestation was a matter of self-preservation.
“Clean up the camp,” Bane commanded. “Then head back to Serenno. We need more supplies.”
She acquiesced with a bow and began gathering up debris as Bane resumed his meditations. As she slowly restored some semblance of order to their camp, Zanbah began to see that the doubts she had planted in Bane’s mind could have one other valuable, long-term benefit.
It was inevitable she would one day challenge him for the title of Sith Master, but Bane was incredibly strong—both physically and in the Force. Encased in a suit of living armor that augmented his powers and protected him from virtually all known weapons, he was nearly invincible.
Convincing Bane to shed his orbalisk coat, Zannah realized, might be the only real hope she had of defeating him and achieving her destiny.
12
Johun shifted in his seat, trying to find a more comfortable position and thinking how much easier it had been to bear the burden of starship travel in his youth. But he was no longer a teenager on the cusp of manhood. He was taller, for one thing—a full 1.85 meters in height. And his slight frame had become corded with taut, wiry muscle. The only remnant of the young man he had been was the blond hair that still hung down to his shoulders—a sharp contrast with the scruffy black beard that covered the line of his jaw.
He shifted again and glared pointedly at Tarsus Valorum, resting easily in the seat across from him. The Chancellor was in his sixties now, though apart from a slight graying of his hair around the temples he looked very much as he had the first day Johun had met him. Tarsus met the Jedi’s fierce gaze with a smile and a shrug … the closest thing Johun would ever get to an apology for having to endure the long interstellar flight aboard this second-rate vessel.
The New Dawn was an Emissary-class shuttle—serviceable, but far from luxurious. It would have been a simple matter for Tarsus Valorum, former Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, to request a more extravagant ship for his personal use: one of the new Cygnus Theta-class shuttles, or possibly even the magnificent Consular space cruisers so popular among the diplomatic community. Given his previous position, there was little doubt the Senate would have approved the funds for the purchase. But Valorum had insisted that the tiny New Dawn, with her two-person crew,