From A Titan To A Sith

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric sat at his desk.

His eyes were fixed on the dejarik board in front of him, the analog pieces giving off the slight hue of blue as the sunlight struck and passed through them.

There was a move to make, but he wasn't so sure what that move was.

There were many questions in his mind, many that he did not have the answer to.

For the first time in his life, Alric found himself confused. He was trapped, trapped within a triumvirate of females, each one having some sort of hold on him, each one grasping at him in different ways. He didn't like it, and it made panic set into his chest every time that he thought about any of them. That was unfortunate really, especially since for the next few days he would do nothing but think of one of them.

The horror of that did not escape him, in fact it made his skin crawl.

It wasn't that the three were undesirable or even bad in a fashion...well one of them was bad, and another was very very bad, but that hardly mattered when it came to him. It was simply that they had put him in a place, a place he had not wished to be.

A frown creased his lips.

“Mr. Kuhn, It's time.”

His secretaries voice nearly made him jump out of his own chair, the startling suddenness of it jarring him to his core. His head shook from side to side, and slowly he stood from his desk, muttering something under his breath.

There was no use sitting around, he simply had to go.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

He had been set upon a path. It had not been dictated to him, though it had been laid out for him by one of the three females within the Triumvirate. He still remembered the sultry seductive tone she had used.

Goosebumps rushed down his spine and he shook his head furiously.

A grunt of annoyance passed his lips. His mind was running away from him as of late, his thoughts turning wild and his imagination taking over. There was a detriment to it. Though Alric had an eidetic memory it didn't mean that it was always focused, and as of late, his focus had been lost, cast to the winds by voices he would rather have ignored.

One mocked, one swayed, and the last sang.

Alric shifted, pulling open the door to his office, there he found a group of Yuuzhan Vong waiting for him. Tall and lithe creatures, the Master Shapers of Titan Industries. Each of them held permanent scowls, each of them looked ready to eat him.

Right now dealing with them seemed like heaven.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric stepped up the the Shapers with a false smile on his face.

“Gentlemen. I'm so glad you could join me. I understand the ship has begun construction and is well underway.” They stared at him in silence, they always did. They still expected him to treat them like Tsavong had, respectful bows and talks of Gods. Of course some of them liked him, they were the ones he would call 'new age' Vong. The ones that were more...liberal minded.

“Yesssss.”

One of them hissed.

He hated how they talked. They took Galactic Basic and turned it into an ugly guttural language the likes of which he had never really heard. He suspected that even a Hutt would have sounded better. To make the conversation more bearable he imagined something more pretty, something blonde.

“Good.” He said beginning to walk forward, the crowd of Shapers parting. “I assume that everything will be completed to schedule then?”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“The Vessel will be completed when it is completed.”

The hissing tone made Alric's skin crawl, and not in the good way that he had earlier felt. His lips turned down into a frown, his eyes closing for a moment to imagine he was in a better place, with someone that could actually hold a conversation.

“One cannot rush perfectiooonnnn.”

Alric rolled his eyes.

That was always their excuse when they had to do something, always their excuse when they couldn't finish a project on time. Of course, they always yielded results in the end. The original prototype for the Skrii-Ro'ik had taken a month longer than planned, but now the ships could be produced in a week, so he supposed the wait was worth it.

“Fine. I wish to visit the site either way.” Alric he turned a corridor.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

That clearly startled them, their silence spoke with more volume than any words could have, it made him smirk. It wasn't often that they went quiet, it wasn't often that he was the cause for that silence. Of course they didn't want him visiting the ship, they never did.

For some strange reason they still tried to hide their methods, as if he didn't already know everything that they did. He supposed it was some strange left over from when the Yuuhan Vong worked only within their Codex's the eight little archives which held all their knowledge. Alric knew all about them, when he had taken Titan, he had studied.

Of course now it was all different.

“My loorrddd.”

They still called him that, despite numerous objections.

“Such a thing is unnecessary...the shi-”

“The Ship is progressing fine, yes, I'm well aware Master Shaper and I have complete trust in you and your people.” He spoke quickly, cutting them off before they could offer more objection. Picturing that pretty blonde rimmed face was getting more difficult now, his calm slipping as his annoyance with the shapers rose. “Yet I have a pressing need to visit my shipyards.”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

They simmered.

The silence was a beautiful noise. It allowed Alric to concentrate. To picture. To enjoy himself as he walked.

An eidetic memory was a beautiful thing. It allowed him to recall things in an instant, at a whim. Every line, every scar, every hair that might have been out of place. Every detail of a time and place where he had been was as open to him as though it were written on the pages of a book. The gift ran in his family, both his sisters and his Father sharing within it.

It was what had helped Alric build his Empire. Though there was nothing that said he could not use it for more...entertaining purposes. It helped him cope. Running not one, but three billion credit corporations was difficult, especially when he controlled two of them directly through his own actions.

Eventually it grated on a person. “Regardless of your wishes Master Shaper. I will be going to Copero.”

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The shapers stayed quiet on the matter. They knew better than to argue with them, mostly because...well he practically owned them. Without Titan Industries they had no homes, no money, nothing. A word from him and each one of them could be executed, each one of them would be utterly destroyed.

It was about the only useful thing about Yuuzhan Vong culture.

“My ship is already prepared to launch.” Alric informed them expecting nothing but grumbling and perhaps some sighs. A smile touched his face. The Shapers were a predictable element. He knew how they would act, how they would react, and how they would try to steer him.

It was simple.

Unlike other things that were currently in his life.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

That thought brought back the image of the face that had only left him seconds before, the face and...other parts. His eyes opened wide, and he nearly walked into a doorway as the distraction came over him, a curse exiting his lips in annoyance with himself, and the situation that once again he had placed himself into.

For a man that claimed to be a genius Alric Kuhn tended to get himself into stupid situations. Situations that could get him killed, situations where he had a lack of power, control. Up until recently it had been simple bar-fights, easy going cheap thrills like spice and stupid women. Lately however...lately it seemed that he had upped his game in stupid.

The reason why?

He had absolutely no idea.

Perhaps it was the fact that he taken Titan Industries. Perhaps with a greater safety net, he required greater risks. Alric really didn't know, but he knew that this time he had very likely bitten off more than he could chew, at least safely.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“My looordd.”

One of the Shapers interrupted his train of thought, something that he was actually rather thankful for given where that particular line of thinking had been taking him.

“What of the othersss? Alderaan begins to grow, the seed begins to spread. The Vessels there will soon be ready for harvessst. I do not believe that the Sith can provided adequate...oversssssiight.”

The way the creature hissed at him made Alric more than a little uncomfortable. His words stung in Alric's ear and made him want to put in a pair of earplugs. Of course he couldn't ask one of the others to speak, that would be a grave insult in their Culture, one that would likely never be forgotten.

They were very particular these Yuuzhan Vong. Very particular.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

He couldn't help but think the Shapers were still trying to steer him away from Copero, though he was beginning to think it was due to a different reason than he had first assumed.

Were they trying to hide something? Something else besides their methods?

It didn't seem likely. The Shapers here at Titan Industries had personally been selected and 'taken care of' by Tsavong Kraal himself. The massive myrsha-vong had inspired a hint of Fear, Loyalty, and Trust within the Shapers of Titan Industries. They would never plot against Titan, though they would certainly plot against him if they deemed it necessary.

Did they?

He frowned. “I'm sure they will do fine. The Vessels will be delivered and from there it is no longer Titan's Concern.”

Another few steps and the odd group of Vong and Man found themselves inside one of Titan Headquarters massive Turbo-lifts.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The Yuuzhan Vong Shapers stayed quiet for now. They had been sufficiently appeased, or rather they had been silenced by the brick wall that was the will of Alric Kuhn.

In their silence, Alric found his thoughts returning to their earlier topic.

Risk.

The risks that he had taken as of late. The things that he had done. The foolishness that he had undertaken, the gambits...had it been a gambit? It hadn't seemed like it at the time. The way she had moved, the way she had spoken, the song that she had sung to entice him.

Had it been an act?

Alric couldn't be sure, his head told him no, his gut told him no. Yet she was an unknown element, one that he couldn't analyze as he could others, one that he couldn't figure out.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Did it matter?

Did it matter if she had simply been acting? He had done it all the same hadn't he? He had taken the step forward in the game and rolled the dice. There was always an element of chance with every decision, a factor that either couldn't be controlled, or shouldn't be controlled. Was she that factor in this?

The one that shouldn't be controlled?

He smirked slightly, getting amusement from the thought, from the idea. Alric didn't like not being able to control things, he didn't like the idea of leaving things to chance, of letting them run wild, but her...her he couldn't control even if he tried.

The reflective doors of the turbo-lift finally closed and Alric found himself staring at the hideously scarred faces of his Yuuzhan Vong Shapers. He looked at them, turning his head only slightly each time to get a good look at them. His lips turned down into a frown, greeted by hideous grins and malformed features that had been carved long ago.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The lift began to move, shaking in place for a moment before surging upward. Alric took the time to further study his cadre of shapers, stalling his thoughts and pressing towards something of more immediate concern.

A few of them seemed awkward around him, a few more seemed to be perfect okay.

The Master Shaper, the one that had spoken and had designated himself their leader, seemed to be neither uncomfortable or particularly upset about the current affairs of things. Alric had always assumed that his opinions were that of the group, that his word was law and the rest followed it. Judging from his stance however, such was not the case.

“Master Shaper.” Alric said flat.

One of the Yuuzhan Vong, a diminutive woman that stood behind the rest of the Shapers actually jumped when he spoke.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Looking in the reflection Alric smiled at her, something that was met with a hateful glare. “Master Shaper.”

He said the words again, addressing the man in a heavy Yuuzhan Vong Masquer. The man bristled slightly, but then turned to Alric, looking at the reflection on the turbo-lift door. The exact way that Alric was looking at the man. The two stared at one another for a few moments.

“When I return there is a pressing concern that I must speak to you about.” He could see the glint in the mans eyes, curiosity. “I have received complaints from some of the Sith.”

That set the mans teeth on edge.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“Complaintsssss?”

He hissed the word so loudly and so resoundingly that Alric nearly winced, only barely managing to control himself from doing such a thing by sheer force of will. The Yuuzhan Vong's eyebrows...or rather forehead seemed to twitch with anxiety, or perhaps anger. The Shapers did not like getting complaints, especially from the Sith. Most of the Vong still regarded the Sith as traitors, or worse, Jedai.

Alric personally didn't understand the difference between Jedi and Sith, aside from one being more loose with morals, but apparently the Yuuzhan Vong made no distinction at all.

Either way, The Shapers did not like being complained about, even less they did not like hearing about it second hand. If someone went to Alric before they went to them, that meant that there were likely more complaints, and more complaints meant that their craft was being questioned, and if their craft was being questioned...well then the gods would not be well pleased.

It was all about pleasing the gods with these people.

Silly as that was.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Alric smiled, the doors to the turbo-lift opened and the ugly faces of the Yuuzhan Vong were once again hidden from him. Part of him half expected to see her there, waiting for him.

It was an impulse that made him from.

The impression she had left on had apparently been...substantial. He didn't like that.

It made him feel insecure. It made him feel small, like he was part of a game instead of playing it. The feeling put a pit in his stomach and bile in his throat. The frown that slowly stretched across his face told of this, and slowly as he took a step out of the turbo-lift he pulled a small case from his jacket pocket.

From the case he extracted a single Viper Cigarillo, custom made for him to hold more tabac.

He placed the Cigarillo between his lips, though he did not yet light it.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

“Complaints.” Alric confirmed as the group began to walk forward.

Titan Industries was massive. The building stretched into the very atmosphere of Coruscant and contained no less than three hangar bays. Each Hangar bay was equipped with more than a dozen ships and each one was staffed by some of the finest engineers in the galaxy. The top most Hangar bay was of course where Alrics vessel lay, a simple Lambda Class-Shuttle.

Ancient by some standards, but Alric enjoyed its small comforts and almost rustic feel.

“Several of the Sith have noted problems with the new Generation of Hydra Staff. It seems that this brood was more...aggressive than the last.” He didn't hear the reactions from the Shapers this time, but he could feel a cold seething coming off of their leader, something that once again made him smile. The cigarillo waggled in his mouth as he pulled a small lighter from another jacket pocket.

He opened the metal case of the top, a loud clacking ringing out as he did.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The clacking of the lighter was met with some scorn from the Yuuzhan Vong. For some odd reason the creatures did not approve of this habit of his. Which quite honestly was something he did not understand. Judgment about smoking from a species that quite literally mutilated itself for the good of their gods seemed rather out of place.

“That is what they asked us for!”

One of the Vong spoke up, making Alric grin.

“Ssssilence!”

The Master Shaper quieted his little brood, making Alric grin even more. As they walked he began to play with the lighter, attempting to spark the flint on it once, twice, then a third time. He frowned shaking the lighter I his hand harshly and then slapping it against his leg.

The thing was old, ancient really, something that his father had given him when he had turned eighteen. The only thing that Alric had left of the old man.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

Another shake, and Alric ran his thumb over the flint again.

This time a flame sparked to life, bright, red, and giving off enough heat to cause a slight tingle to run over the edge of his beard. Cautiously, Alric brought the flame to the very tip of the cigarillo, lighting it and taking in a breath, allowing the smoke to float across his tongue and dance within his mouth.

Then slowly, he let a deep breath pass from the other side of his lips.

“Probably.” Alric said as he slapped the lighter closed on his pant leg and quickly returned it to his pocket. It seemed a bad idea to be so harsh to something that should have been so precious, but Alric had never much cared for his father, and the memento had survived vigorous use thus far, why shouldn't it continue to do so? “That hardly matters though.”

His voice was tipped with a steady stream of smoke. “The Sith are our primary benefactors. They get what they want.”

Alrics own words made him pause for a moment.

Did they?

 

[Alric Kuhn]

The idea of it brought more than a little horror to his thoughts, more than a little bit of terror.

What if...

Oh dear lord.

Alric suddenly shook his head, as if he had been smacked across the face by something. His eyes went big, and he looked back at the Shapers. They stared at him, not sure why he had stopped at the entrance to the Hangar bay. The Chief Executive Officer mumbled something under his breath for a moment, then gazed towards the Lambda-Class Shuttle parked In the center of the hangar.

“Get it done.” Was the final words that he spoke to them, though his head wasn't there anymore.

No.

His thoughts had now taken a trip to an entirely different location, to one filled with thoughts of a single person, of what that person might want, and what she was capable of doing.