Slave Ship

by neetha Napew

  The Emperor had always intervened before this point, as though he were commanding a guard beast to heel. Perhaps this time, he would let the process reach its fatal conclusion.

  A single thought emerged through the darkness welling inside Xizor's skull. I wasn't summoned here for an audience with the Emperor. . . but an execution. My own. . .

  The darkness was torn open by a red surge of anger, from deep within Xizor. Anger, and the hunger to survive.

  " Patience. . ." Prince Xizor barely managed to squeeze the word past the encircling constriction at his throat. The effort dizzied him; the surrounding throne room dissolved out of focus." Patience is a virtue. . . the rewards of which. . ." He was close to blacking out, losing consciousness entirely. But he knew his doing so would be followed by his death." Are for the Empire. . ."

  " Well spoken, Xizor." A trace of amusement sounded in Emperor Palpatine's voice, barely audible at some place in the black-tinged haze." Rest assured that I find others in my service even more burdensome than yourself. Your little amusements weary me, Vader; release him."

  As though the knot of a primitive gallows rope had snapped, the pressure on Xizor's throat-imagined or real-was suddenly released. He barely managed to keep himself from falling to his knees, the invisible fist suspending his weight now gone. With an effort of sheer will, Prince Xizor held himself upright, drawing in a breath that filled his lungs and threw his shoulders back.

  He kept his face a mask as well, to conceal the furious hatred he felt for both Vader and the Emperor. To be toyed with, whether with mind games or this mystical Force of which they professed mastery, was infuriating enough. But to be humiliated by Vader, the instigator of the biological weapons experiment that had killed so many hundreds of thousands of Falleens back on their homeworld-a slaughter that had included Xizor's own family, his parents and uncles and beloved siblings-that made the filtered air of the Imperial throne room burn like acid with each inhalation.

  " As you wish, my lord." Vader spoke again, his holo image standing with arms folded across its chest." Though I would be doing the Empire a service if I were to permanently remove Prince Xizor from its court."

  " That may be so, Vader." The Emperor made a dismissive gesture with one languid hand." But I will be the one to determine that. And I will decide when it happens. Until then, I desire that there be a cessation of this squabbling among my servants. You quarrel with each other while the Rebellion festers and grows." The expression on the wrinkled face darkened." Must I take care of all these matters myself?"

  " Only if you forbid me to fight on your behalf, my lord." Xizor spread his hands wide, palms upward." Every atom of my being is at your command."

  " How pleasant it would be, Xizor, to believe that. But I am not such a fool." The Emperor made a quick gesture, cutting off the holo image of Darth Vader before it could voice its approval." For one of your devious nature-and high ambitions-to be totally loyal would be a miracle beyond the scope of the Force itself. Even without the Force, I would be able to see well enough into your heart. You are not so devoid of self-interest, Xizor, as you would have me believe. If you wish to see the Empire achieve its fated glory, for its dominion across the galaxy to be total, then such a desire is due to your own lust for glory and power. You tie your ambitions to the Empire, because you know that is the best way to achieve them."

  Xizor looked straight back into the Emperor's eyes." I will not deny it, my lord. But should not a faithful servant be rewarded for all that he does on his master's behalf?"

  The Emperor had turned in his throne while Xizor had spoken. For a moment longer, Palpatine gazed out the high arched viewscreens that looked out past the Imperial city and beyond to the star-filled skies. Then he turned back toward Xizor and the holo image of Vader." Oh, you'll be rewarded well enough; have no fear of that." His hands lay like dead things on the arms of the throne." When the Rebellion is crushed and all that resist my will are annihilated, those who have served me will have the greatest reward of all: the opportunity to continue serving me and the Empire. Until you are broken by age and the rigors of that service, and I will have no further use for you. Such is the nature of my loyalty, to those who have earned it."

  Once again, Xizor bowed his head." I desire nothing more than that, my lord."

  " Whether you do or not, it matters little. Nothing matters, but my will."

  From the corner of his eye, with his head still bowed, Xizor looked over at the holo image of Darth Vader. Even at this remove, with his enemy not even physically present in the throne room, he could still sense the dark lord's disdain and suspicion. He knows, thought Xizor, but he cannot prove it. Yet. And it might not matter, even if Vader could prove it. All of Vader's accusations of treachery counted for nothing against the Emperor's own convuluted strategies, that gave the seeming appearance of trust in the Falleen prince. The actual words Black Sun had been spoken by Vader on other occasions-Xizor's spies at the court had informed him so-and the Emperor had dismissed them with a wave of his bony hand, as though the words were no more than scraps of rumors and lies.

  But does Palpatine know, wondered Xizor, that I know? If the Emperor thought that Xizor was taken in by this charade, then the Emperor was the greater fool. It was just a matter of who got caught out first. The Black Sun criminal organization, controlled by Prince Xizor, had its own agenda, its own plans for expansion and dominance throughout the galaxy, as though it were an enveloping shadow of the Empire; where Palpatine's reach extended, so would Black Sun's. And the Emperor was old, visibly so; this vaunted Force, whatever its nature, could not keep him alive forever. Even before then, Black Sun might emerge from the darkness, a power in its own right, and claim the larger empire for its own, a treasure plucked from Palpatine's withered hand.

  If there's one thing I've learned from the old man, thought Prince Xizor, it's that ambition is as infinite as the universe itself.

  That was a lesson much to Xizor's own liking. He could endure a good deal of petty humiliations, at Palpatine's and Vader's hands, in order to see the day when he would put that education to use.

  Patience, the control of one's anger and thirst for vengeance, was one of the greatest of all martial skills. And the most difficult to master: he had but to glance at the holo image of Lord Vader standing in the Emperor's throne room, for his own hands to clench into tight-knuckled fists.

  Someday, Xizor told himself again. Until then- watch and wait.

  " As you wish, my lord." Xizor brought his gaze up to meet that of the Emperor.

  " Perhaps," spoke the holo image of Darth Vader," the Emperor would care to determine the quality of Prince Xizor's service. It was not so very long ago that Xizor told us of his great plans to destroy the Bounty Hunters Guild, and all the benefits that would thus flow to the Empire." Vader's image looked contemptuously toward the Falleen prince." Surely by now, those plans would have shown some results. Or were they as insubstantial as the prince's loyalty?"

  " Excellent, Vader." The Emperor nodded in approval." You anticipate my desires; such is the true sign of a valued servant." Palpatine's gaze sharpened as he peered at Xizor." So? Your speech then, Xizor, was most. . . entertaining. By virtue of its grand conceits, I granted you my permission to carry out your scheme. I would be disappointed to hear that there has been no progress in this matter of disrupting the bounty hunters' organization. And yet. . ." The Emperor's eyes narrowed to slits, like small knife wounds in the wrinkled flesh." I have already received contradictory reports, concerning what has come from all your plans." He turned toward the other figure in the throne room." Is that not so, Lord Vader?"

  " That is exactly the case, my lord." A note of triumph sounded in Vader's rasping voice." I previously advised against investing any of your time and energy in these vain, pointless pursuits. The Rebellion must be our first priority; it grows in strength while Prince Xizor squanders our resources on a quest that, even if it were successful, would give us nothing."

  " C
ontrol your anger, Vader. You come perilously close to questioning my wisdom when you continue to attack the merits of Xizor's scheme. I saw it as sufficiently intriguing, when he first presented it to us, that I found your protests to be founded more in spite and jealousy than in true strategic analysis."

  Vader made no reply, but Xizor could detect in the holo image a stiffening of the spine inside the black robes, an indicator of the Emperor's words having struck their mark.

  " Perhaps," Xizor said mildly," the difference between Lord Vader and myself is that I have no doubt of the Empire's imminent victory over the Rebel Alliance. That is why I find it worthwhile to turn our attention to the governing of the Empire after its dominion has been established as an irrefutable fact."

  He could tell that his words pleased the Emperor; a thin smile lifted one corner of Palpatine's mouth.

  " You see, Vader?" The Emperor gestured with one hand toward Prince Xizor." That is why my mastery of the Force is greater than your own. There can be no true power without certainty. It is not enough to try to suppress the Rebellion, we must do so."

  Vader's holo image stood unflinching against the Emperor's tongue-lashing." You speak of the difference, my lord, between Prince Xizor and myself. Yet there is another difference that must be considered. And that is the difference between a childish faith and wise preparation. Even the admirals of the Imperial Navy, with their trust in mere technological contrivances such as the Death Star, still know they must fight and destroy the Rebels before the Empire's victory is accomplished."

  That, thought Xizor with a mixture of both disbelief and satisfaction, was not a good move. It had always been clear to him that Darth Vader considered himself as being above the niceties of diplomatic speech. For all his loyalty to the Emperor, he was still capable of angering his master. And Vader had surely done so now: the Emperor's face darkened with fury.

  " Even a child," said Palpatine in a low, ominous voice," should know how foolish it is to contradict one such as myself. You consider yourself wiser than that, Vader, do you not? Yet you persist in bestowing your unwanted advice upon me, even after I have warned you of the consequences."

  " I do so, my lord, not to contradict, but to-"

  " Silence!" The single word of command snapped through the throne room's air like a whiplash's cutting tip." I know better than you do yourself just what your intentions are." The Emperor's hands tightened upon the arms of his throne." Your thoughts are an open book to me, with the words written large enough for an idiot to perceive. You have let your hatred of Prince Xizor lead you into a dangerous territory, one where the life of an unruly servant such as yourself is mine to crush within my fist." The Emperor raised one hand, its clawlike fingers compressed into a rigid, white-knuckled ball." Your usefulness to me, Vader, is not such that I can tolerate your insubordination."

  As Xizor watched, his own heart filled with the gloating pleasure that accompanies an enemy's humiliation. Darth Vader's holo image stood like a black rock at the edge of a storm-lashed sea, enduring silently the waves dashing against it. But when the Emperor's wrathful words ceased, Vader's image lowered itself onto one knee, its black-helmeted head bent in submission.

  " As you wish, my lord." All emotion was drained from the image's relayed voice." Do with your servant as you will."

  " All in good time." Palpatine's voice actually sounded sullen, as though he were barely satisfied with Vader's acquiescence." Until then, you still have some measure of worth for me."

  I've won, thought Xizor. This round, at least. He hadn't even had to do much for it to happen this way,

  merely let the arrogant Lord Vader dig his own grave. The Dark Lord of the Sith was so used to other sentient creatures, all of whom he considered inferior to himself, giving way before his undoubted powers that the least resistance threw him off balance. That was what had led to his saying such rash and ill-advised things to the Emperor. His only mode is to attack, Xizor had judged correctly. For a combatant to have no capacity for strategic retreat, to bide his time and wait, was a liability rather than a strength. As long as Emperor Palpatine was so much stronger than he was, Vader could be easily maneuvered into incurring that scathing wrath. Which deflects it from me, thought Xizor with pleasure. A fall from grace, however temporary it might be for Vader, was a comparable elevation for his opponents.

  The only thing that Xizor had to remember, that he could never allow himself to forget, was that such a momentary advantage came at a considerable price. Whatever enmity Darth Vader had borne him before was now magnified many times over. For Xizor to have witnessed Vader's humiliation, that proud spirit crushed beneath the Emperor's boot sole, was to have had his own death warrant sealed-if Vader could bring that about. And Xizor knew now, even more than before, Vader would turn as much of his powers as possible to that task. The only thing that could divert Vader from his commitment to Xizor's destruction was the growing threat of the Rebel Alliance to the Empire. If the Rebellion should be crushed-and Xizor felt the chances were good that it would be- then in whatever aftermath followed, Xizor would have a formidable enemy indeed, facing him.

  The prospect didn't alarm him.

  I'll be ready, thought Xizor, glancing over at the half-kneeling image of Vader. The thought of that final encounter-so long delayed, so long anticipated- made the blood pulse in his veins.

  Emperor Palpatine's voice broke into Xizor's thoughts.

  " Enough of this bickering." The Emperor pointed a bony finger at Xizor." Do not delude yourself that your thoughts are hidden to me. You flatter yourself if you believe that I am taken in by all your maneuvering, Xizor-or if you believe that I find no merit at all in Lord Vader's criticisms of your schemes and actions. You promised much from your plan to break up the old Bounty Hunters Guild: a seemingly endless supply of the type of servants that the Empire requires, sharp and agile mercenaries, to take the place of the dull inefficiencies with which I am afflicted." Palpatine leaned forward in his throne, fixing his cold, incisive gaze on the figure standing before him." I have had various reports come to me of the progress of your scheme against the Guild. But the outcome of that scheme appears rather. . . clouded. What say you, Prince Xizor?"

  A bow of his head, then he looked back into those dead-seeming eyes." The explanation is simple enough, my lord." Xizor spread his hands apart." The campaign against the Bounty Hunters Guild is not yet complete. There still remains much to be done-"

  " As there always will be," spoke Vader's holo image." These plans are doomed to ignominious failure."

  The Emperor shot Vader a stern warning glance, then looked back toward Xizor." I do not recall," said Palpatine," anything you said about the scheme proceeding in stages. When you proposed it to me, you made it sound as if it were a relatively simple matter. Merely insert the well-known bounty hunter Boba Fett into the Guild, and it would then dissolve of its own accord."

  " Your memory is accurate, my lord." Xizor made a nod of acknowledgment." And I confess my error now: I did not anticipate the current state of affairs with the Bounty Hunters Guild."

  " Which is?"

  You know already, old man. Xizor was sure of it, and that the Emperor amused himself at his expense." The Bounty Hunters Guild has not yet completely disappeared. It has broken into two rival factions, the True Guild and the Guild Reform Committee. The latter is effectively under the control of the bounty hunter Bossk, the son of the original Guild's leader Cradossk."

  " I see." The Emperor's hands lay unmoving upon the throne's arms." Reports have come to me that the elder Cradossk was in fact killed by this Bossk."

  " That is indeed the case, my lord."

  The Emperor displayed an unpleasant smile." It sounds as if the bounty hunter Bossk is exactly the sort of creature you thought would be of greatest service to the Empire. Ruthless and ambitious, is he not?"

  " Those are hereditary traits, my lord." The flaring shoulders of Xizor's robes lifted in a shrug." But it requires cunning as well to be a per
fect instrument of your will."

  " Cunning such as yours, I suppose."

  Xizor returned the smile." I cannot deny such an evident truth."

  " Just as," said the Emperor," you cannot deny that the old Bounty Hunters Guild has not dissolved into a myriad of independent agents, from which we could pick and choose as served our purposes best.

  You show yourself capable of admitting your errors; why not confess as well that your scheme has been a failure? I see no great advantage in there being two guilds where there was only one before. If anything, it merely compounds our difficulties in dealing with these creatures."

  " There is no failure, my lord." Xizor allowed his reply to become heated." Unforeseen difficulties arise; they are to be dealt with." He came close to saying that the Emperor himself had not anticipated the Rebellion, but checked himself in time. Why risk angering someone who possessed the power of life and death?" As I intend to deal with these."

  " So we are to hear yet another grand scheme." The holo image of Darth Vader spoke with contempt." Schemes on top of excuses, covering failures. There's no end to such things with you."

  " Measure your own failures, Lord Vader." There was nothing to lose in firing a retort back at the dark lord. It was impossible for Vader's malice to become any greater." I at least have the means for changing a temporary failure to lasting victory. Do you?"

  Vader's holo image stood with its arms folded across its chest. Mindful of the short leash-even shorter now-that the Emperor kept him on, Vader made no reply to the taunt.

  " And just what are those means, Xizor?"

  He looked back toward the Emperor." They are simple enough, my lord. The Bounty Hunters Guild is not what it was; with one blow, we have cleaved it into two opposed segments, factions filled with murderous hatred for each other. Whatever pretense to brotherhood the bounty hunters may have once maintained, that sham at least has been ripped away. Now we must complete the process of fragmentation. Each individual bounty hunter must be turned against all others, in whichever faction they currently reside. They must have no interests in common, but only enmity for each other."