SWTOR: The Davire Legacy

[2014] Main Chapters: Zhorrid's Shadow

"This is Cipher Nine to Watcher Two. Please respond."

Something was wrong.

Why are they not getting my signal?

After a few seconds, the holo fizzed and instead of Watcher Two appearing, it was a droid.

"Contact authorization denied," it said.

Kieyla froze.

What?

Either she had done something, or someone else had done something; the latter was more likely. This was trouble, and the only ones known for causing her trouble were the egotistic fools right above Intelligence.

"This is imperial automated defense corps unit CR-97. By order of Darth Zhorrid, lord of the Dark Council, your ship is now in lockdown," the droid said.

She inwardly groaned.

Not again.

The holo fizzed out and the droid was indeed replaced by the female Sith. Her eyes were a fraction too narrow for her to be in a good mood, which certainly didn't surprise Kieyla. Zhorrid seemed to have a grudge against anything that was so-called Light Side, which was some Force-alignment thing Kieyla really wasn't concerned with.

"Cipher Nine. The last time we spoke, I called you to Korriban. Did you...misunderstand what a privilege that audience was?" Zhorrid asked shrewdly.

Kieyla's eyes narrowed. Not only did this big-headed women talk to her like she was a child, but she also thought their last meeting was a privilege?

I would hardly call being attacked by a bunch of Sith guards a "privilege."

"If I recall, you tried to have me murdered as some...sort of test," Kieyla said stiffly, trying to keep her disdain to a minimum.

Zhorrid's gaze could've burned through a wall in that instant.

"Many would beg for the opportunity to serve one of the Dark Council," she said coldly.

I'm not many.

"You've not impressed me, Cipher," Zhorrid continued, crossing her arms to emphasize it. "You've given me no new information since your mission began, about the murder of Darth Jadus or otherwise."

Kieyla rolled her eyes. Like she had time to go chasing after ghosts of information amongst all this chaos the terror cell network was causing. The Sith noticed her bold move, and Zhorrid's tone sharpened drastically as if she was a hysterical mother trying to get her kids under control.

"When you receive my orders, you'll do as you're told...or I'll have you flayed alive, along with everyone you know. Understood?" she snapped.

Oh for stars sake, I'm not your puppy dog that comes running at your every beckoning.

"My orders come from Keeper, not the Sith," Kieyla said brazenly.

She was getting rather annoyed with these Force-users treating her like a pet and all someone had to do to control her was pick up the leash. It seemed that Zhorrid was expecting such a response; she absentmindedly started scratching her chin with her left hand.

"Perhaps I should kill you for your impudence," she hissed. "But you are useful, so...perhaps I'll kill Keeper."

The sneer that appeared on her face made Kieyla's blood turn cold. If that was a joke, it was not funny. The way Zhorrid said it, like it was no big deal, made her realize that back-talking this Sith was probably not a good idea anymore. Zhorrid would no doubt kill her superior without a second thought, and Kieyla could not allow that.