small beetles that sometimes scuttled across the floor of her tent. The memory of the craven, broken man was gone, blasted from her mind by the overwhelming aura of Kaan's authority.
'Forgive me, Lord Kaan,' she said with a slight bow of her head. 'I need to speak with you.'
His anger seemed to soften, though he still maintained his undeniably commanding presence. 'Of course, Githany. I always have time for you.'
The words were more than cordial formality; there was something deeper beneath them. Githany was an attractive woman; she was used to being the object of innuendo and men's barely hidden desire. Usually it evoked little more than revulsion, but in Kaan's case it brought a warm flush to her cheeks. He was the founder of the Brotherhood of Darkness, a man of vision and destiny. How could she not be flattered by his attentions?
'I've had a premonition,' she explained. 'I saw. I saw Darth Bane. He was coming to Ruusan to destroy us.'
'Qordis has made me well aware of Bane's views,' he said, nodding. 'This is not unexpected.'
'He doesn't see the glory of our cause,' Githany said, apologizing for Bane. 'He's never met you in person. His only understanding of the Brotherhood comes through Qordis and the other Masters, the ones who turned their backs on him.'
Kaan gave her a puzzled stare. 'You came to warn me that Bane is planning to destroy us. Now it seems you are trying to justify his actions.'
'The Force shows us what may be, not necessarily what will be,' she reminded him. 'lf we can convince Bane to join us, he could be a valuable ally against the Jedi.'
'I see,' Kaan said. 'You feel that if we bring him into the fold of the Brotherhood, then your premonition will not come true.' There was a long pause, and then he asked, 'Are you certain your personal feelings for him are not clouding your judgment in this matter?'
Embarrassed, Githany couldn't meet his eyes. 'I'm not the only one who feels this way,' she mumbled, staring down at the ground. 'Many of the others from Korriban are troubled by his absence, as well. They've felt his strength. They wonder why one so strong in the dark side would reject the Brotherhood.'
She raised her head when Kaan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. 'You might be right, Githany. But I cannot act on your suggestion. Nobody even knows where Bane is.'
'I do. There is a. a bond between us. I can tell you where Bane has gone.'
Kaan reached out to take her chin in his cupped palm. He tilted her head back ever so slightly. 'Then I will send someone to him,' he promised. 'You did the right thing by coming to me, Githany,' he added, gently releasing her and giving her a reassuring smile.
Githany, beaming with pride, smiled back.
She left a few minutes later, after explaining where Bane had gone and why. Kaan watched her go, her words troubling him though he was careful not to let it show. He had allayed her fears and he was confident she would remain loyal to the Brotherhood despite her obvious attraction to Bane. Githany imagined herself the object of every man's desire, but Kaan could see a similar desire burning brightly within her: she hungered for power and glory. And he was all too willing to feed her pride and ambition with his flirting, praise, and promises.
Still, he wasn't sure what to make of her vision. Though he was strong in the Force, his talents lay elsewhere. He could change the course of a war with his battle meditation. He could inspire loyalty in the other Lords through subtle manipulations of their emotions. But he had never experienced a premonition like the one that had brought her to his tent in the middle of the dark night.
His first inclination was to dismiss it as baseless worry brought on by low morale. The reinforcements from Korriban had brought expectations of a quick end to Ruusan's long war. But General Hoth was too clever to let his Army of Light be crushed by the superior Sith might. He had switched tactics, conducting a war of hit-and-run skirmishes, stalling for time as he tried to marshal more support for his own forces.
Now the Sith were growing impatient and restless. The glorious victory Kaan had promised them weeks earlier had not materialized. Instead they trudged through mud and never-ending rain, trying to defeat an enemy that wouldn't even stand and fight. Githany's visit hadn't surprised him. The only real surprise was that more of the Dark Lords hadn't come to voice their dissatisfaction.
But that only made Githany's warnings more dangerous. Bane had rejected the Brotherhood in a very public spectacle; all the recruits from Korriban claimed to have seen it in person. The story had spread through the camp like a plague. At first they had scoffed at his arrogance and stubbornness; he had chosen to walk alone, and he would not share in the triumph of the Brotherhood. In the absence of that triumph, however, some of the recruits had begun to wonder if Bane was right.
Lord Kaan had his spies among the Dark Lords. The whispers had reached his ears. The Lords were not ready to act on their doubts, but their resolve was weakening, along with their allegiance. He had forged a coalition of enemies and bitter rivals. Though the Brotherhood of Darkness appeared strong as durasteel, one firm voice of dissent could fracture it into a thousand fragile pieces.
He grabbed the lantern from his tent and headed out into the night's drizzle, his long stride propelling him quickly through the camp. He would deal with Bane, just as he had promised Githany. If the recalcitrant young man could not be convinced to join them, he would have to be eliminated.
Within a few minutes Kaan had reached his destination. He paused at the door, remembering his anger at Githany's unexpected entrance into his own tent. Not wishing to antagonize the man he had come to see, he called out, 'Kas'im?'
'Come in,' a voice answered a second later, and he heard the unmistakable shuush of a lightsaber powering down.
He entered to find the Twi'lek Blademaster clad only in breeches, sweating and breathing hard.
'I see you're up,' he noted.
'It's not easy to sleep on the eve of battle. Even a battle that never seems to come.'
Kas'im was a warrior; Kaan knew he chafed at their inactivity. Drills and exercises could not quench his desire for actual combat. At the Academy on Korriban the Blademaster had performed his duty without complaint. But here on Ruusan the promise of battle was too near, too insistent. The scent of blood was always in the air,
