[Celestial x Generaldisaster]

[generaldisaster]

"Master!" Elani's eyes shot open as she screamed, her voice echoing around a dark, empty room, blaster burns still stinging. She remembered a battle, Jedi, and...little else besides. Her brown eyes fluttered across the chamber, struggling to find the smallest glimmer of light. Something was shining, a glass pane perhaps, but in the gloom it was impossible to make out. Around her wrists and ankles were cold metal bands, fixing her in place, suspended against a wall, hanging from her arms like a captured fish. "Let me go!" shouted the Padawan, pulling in vain against her bindings. "Release me, or I will destroy you!" Clenching her fists, Elani closed her eyes, breathing deeply, trying to channel the rage and hatred that filled her mind, calling out to the Force, reaching out to it, only to find a blank static calling back to her, no power, no might, nothing - just an empty swirl in the air. Howling as she shook against her restraints, Elani almost missed the sound of a muffled voice through the walls.
"You'd better go and get that Jedi. She looks mighty pissed." Another voice said something that was incomprehensible, lost somewhere between the speaker and Elani. The crackle of a communicator turning on captured her attention, and a nasal, high-pitched voice came through a set of speakers above her head, like a Twi'lek whose tentacles were being pulled. "Can you hear me in there?"
"Where am I? Where is Master Larix?" spat Elani.
"I'm asking the questions here. Now promise to be a good girl and I'll see about letting you out of those restraints." The arrogance in that voice only inflamed Elani's desire to separate the owner's head from the owner's body.
"I promise to tear that insolent tongue from your mouth when Master Larix comes, whelp!"
"That'll have to do," giggled the voice, "You're not going anywhere. This section of the prison is full of Ysalimari, and we've got your lightsaber secured. We're holding all the cards here, Taida'n. You'll soon learn to behave yourself. Now do try and behave, we've got a guest coming later, and we don't need you embarrassing us by causing a ruckus." The communicator crackled again, turning off, and with the hiss of gas-clamps opening Elani fell to the floor, rolling onto her knees and up as she tried to work out just which way was up.

"Ysalimari? Damn," muttered Elani, as a bright light blinded her. Grimacing, she opened her eyes again to look around her new surroundings; a square room about ten feet in all directions, solid-looking grey walls, and a shimmering blue force-field blocking the exit. Looking down at her belt, she realized that her saber was, indeed, gone, along with any chance of escape without Master Larix coming to her rescue again. "Master..." Suddenly, it hit her. The last thing she remembered seeing was the look of horror on her beloved Master's face as the blade of a lightsaber erupted from his chest, before an explosion had taken her off her feet and out of consciousness. "No...no. No! NO!" Despair overtook Elani as she turned on her heels, like a rancor trapped in a too-small cage, before slamming her first into the wall, again and again, tears welling behind her eyes as the skin on her knuckles broke, blood splattering as she unleashed her hate against the room she was trapped inside, screaming like a banshee, a woman possessed by her anger. Even as her index finger broke under the weight of her punches, she kept going, her blows becoming weaker and weaker as anger gave way to sadness, and she slid against the wall, holding her bloodied right hand in her left, sobbing weakly as the cool wall chilled the shaven right side of her head, a flamboyant pink fringe falling over the other side of her head, hiding pale skin and sharp, harsh features, a small nose and cold, unfeeling green eyes, red from tears. Her flight jacket was damaged, the sleeves long since torn off and the shirt underneath ragged with holes, her leather pants covered in scorch marks and stains.

Elani lost track of time in there, trapped like a rat in a cage, mourning the loss of her Master, until one of his pearls of wisdom flashed across the landscape of her mind. Anger is the source of your power, anger and hate, but do not let it rule you. Do not let hate turn you into a weeping widow, nor anger turn you into a crazed beserker. Hold your anger, wrestle with it and defeat it, and unleash it against your foes - this is the truth of the Dark side. Anger is power, not love or kindness. Anger is power. Footsteps came down the hall, and Elani stood, clutching her wrist, still covered in blood. When the person behind the force-field emerged, her jaw dropped. "You...you killed Master! What, have you come here to finish the job? Come on, Jedi, get it done with!"

[Celestial]

Juliana Traydor sat within the ship's meditation room as she let her black hair fall to just above her shoulders. She was clothed in dark blue robs, which covered her body and hugged her form - a peculiarity for many of the Jedi opted for the traditional brown and white robes. She had left her set - the very same which her master had bestowed upon her - back on Curoscant within her quarters at the Jedi Temple. She felt little need to carry it with her, for the initiation of the great war between the Separatist and Republic hardly allowed her to carry such comforts. Clearing her mind of such things, she focused inward as she felt her consciousness separate from her body.

There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.

She recited those words silently within her mind as she reached out through the force. Balancing the desires, hatred, and wants was integral for any who were force sensitive. When there was no emotion to pressure an action, decisions are made with objectivity and sound. Letting go and accepting that death was part of life, a continuum that many had learned to fear, lies the force. The force was the energy that surrounds every living thing in the galaxy. With only the slightest of nudges, Juliana was able to feel the souls whom crewed this ship. Each one pulsed with the vibrant flow of life, a beautiful and cherished thing.

It had been hours since Juliana had shut out the world and had began to sort through her thoughts. The ship that transported her was getting ready to dock as she had begun to steel herself for a very unpleasant conversation. She had just come from a world as she - just barely - killed a Sith Lord. It was a great feat - so said the Council of Masters. She had felt pride seep into her, but immediately stamped it out for there was no pride in taking a life - even if it belonged to a dark jedi, users of the Dark Side. She remembered, after she had plunged her light sabre into the sith's chest, his apprentice. Now masterless, Juliana had wondered if it'd be kinder to send her back into the force. Close to carrying out the heinous act, she instead was given a more shocking proposition. The Council had spoken to her in private about this matter as she still remembered the apprehension that filled her. They wanted someone to turn her. To convert her. Once a jedi had turned to the dark side, it was no simple feat to turn away from. It tempts you with the most wonderful rushes of power. Promises to fulfill desires that led to jealously and obsession. All of these things was what masters at the temple had spent lifetimes trying to let go. Still, though the odds were already against her, she had volunteered.

She heard the single knock as she slowly opened her eyes. "Enter."

The door slid open as a republic naval officer walked forward and bowed. "Master jedi," he said. He promptly stood back up, clearly not a stranger to military discipline. "We have docked. At your leisure, we shall disembark and accompany you to the sith prisoner."

She hid a smirk that tugged at her lips as she uncrossed her legs. She had felt refreshed after being in her meditative state, as if she were born anew. There was an emphasis on the man's last words that contained an ample amount of contempt. She couldn't blame him. "We will leave for the cell immediately then." She began to walk towards the door as she readjusted her matching gloves that stretched to her midarm. "It'll do us some good to be away from this place as quickly as possible. You've received the destination for our next destination, no?"

"We have, master jedi."

She nodded as she dismissed him. She quickly made her way to the exit of the ship as her black boots echoed silently against the metal floor. She breathed in and slowly breathed out and began to steel herself for her next encounter.

---

Juliana observed in silence as the sith apprentice wailed and slammed her fists against the force wall that contained her. Ysalamiri cages, rendering the force unusable within its confines, was a terrible yet practical invention that had been employed for those such as her. She had told the detachment of clones that accompanied her to wait outside with the prison guards as she opted to enter alone. The less she distressed this individual - who was clearly very much in distress - the easier it would be to talk with her. Having observed her so far, she felt compelled to believe her efforts would be in vain.

She listened quietly as the girl began to speak. She noted the blood and the broken hand. Emotion. It induced rash action when one gave in to it. When the sith apprentice finished, she spoke in her medium sing-song voice. "How is your hand?" she said as she walked closer towards the barrier that stood between herself and the prisoner. "Such rashness only brings about more harm onto yourself. Take it as you will, but I'm not here to kill you." She clasped her hands behind her back as she kept looking at the girl with soft, concerned eyes. How far was this girl on the path to darkness she wondered to herself. "Instead of killing because of simple association, I come with the hopes of turning you away from the path you've chosen. The dark side of the force. Many fall for its temptation because of the power it promises. However, through their hubris and blindness, the sith are often blind to the corruption that consumes them from within. It ... is my hope to turn you away from this path and back into the light side. Before it becomes to late for you."

[generaldisaster]

For a moment, Elani was glad of the Ysalimari - Ralix had warned her of the sickening presence of the Jedi, the foul ripples they sent through the force, their heedless optimism and the foul taste they left in the air behind them. They knew so little of which they spoke, ignored the power that waited at the edges of their reach, becoming little more than machines in pursuit of their foolish goals. As loath as she was to admit it, however, this particular Jedi held all the cards in her hand; even through the nonsense about redemption & the light side of the force, Elani could see that her goals would be served by bending the knee - for now - to this fool. She did not anticipate being reunited with her saber, or being allowed to roam free as she willed, to find a new master. No doubt the war would be a subject the republic would never allow her to be involved in - perhaps she would fetch and carry for this 'knight', serve as her dogsbody, until some arbitrary judgement was made by a council to have her locked back in a cage somewhere, to be shown to the children as a boogeyman, a frightening monster to prod through the gaps between the bars and taunt. A bitter end for one so promising - and not one that Elani meant to see. If she...yes, yes. A good scheme. Yes. You are a clever girl, Elani, a clever girl. Swallow your pride, bend the knee and soon you will be free.

Stifling a laugh at the very thought of becoming some weak-willed Jedi, an attendant of those too frail to defend themselves, Elani took a step closer to the force-field, the anger that burned in her heart tempered, ticking gently with the drip-drip-drip of blood against the floor, lip turned in a sneer, her eyes matching those of the Jedi. A pity. She is a pretty thing to look at. What a shame she is so...misguided. "I am Elani Taida'n, apprentice to...former apprentice to Master Ralix, your prisoner, and given the circumstances I find myself in, I have little choice but to obey. Curious - the stronger prevails over the weaker, do they not? No, you Jedi deny the truth - your strength is your power, not love. We can debate philosophy later - I intend to be free, and if I must kowtow to you to do it, I will." Bending her knee, Elani bowed, a sick feeling rising in her stomach as she submitted to the Jedi. "I am your servant," Elani whispered, almost choking on her final word, "my Master."

Rising again, disgusted with herself, making no attempt to hide her contempt not only for her 'Master' but for herself, for surrendering in such a pathetic manner. "I will not beg to be released. Let me out of this...empty place or leave me. Please."

[Celestial]

Juliana scrunched her brow. How foolish did the girl take her for? The ruse of submission was nothing but the most treacherous of deceptions. There was only so many reasons why this Elani would kneel before her. Such tactics sickened her. “Master?” The contempt from the girl radiated in hot, vivid waves. It was something that was entirely figurative; however, the force showed more than figurative language. It was a metaphysical thing; the waves emanated from the inner feelings of an individual. “I think you misunderstand your position, Elani. The Council has merely asked me to guide you from your … decided path. Though you will be under guard, you shan’t be a servant nor I your master.”

Her feet clicked silently against the metal floor. Juliana soon stood before a mirror. “You may release the prisoner. I shall assume responsibility from here.”

She steeled herself for the squeaky voice that erupted from the intercom system. “Yes Master Jedi. There’s a small matter to attend to before that.” She heard a cough hack through the speaker. “Release forms must be signed - particularly since this is such a peculiar case.”

She faced Elani as she made her way to the door. “Give me a moment.” The door hissed open. Juliana was hit with the putrid air of the prison as if she had walked into a sweat-stained barracks. It was times like these she wished she had a troopers helmet. They had be have some sort of filter hidden behind those masks. Otherwise how could they tolerate the plasma artillery and fire for such long periods of time? The burnt smell of laser weapons - to her anyways - was worse than spoiled nutrients. She nodded to the Captain of her detachment as a Twi’lek - presumably the one who spoke to her over the intercom - came to meet her. Dressed in the standard warden garbs, the guard seemed competent enough. This was an extremely well-guarded prison after all. “The forms then.”

“Of course,” replied the Twi’lek as Juliana took the outstretched holopad. “The Council nor the Republic signed for either. I was told the Jedi they sent would handle the … legality parts. Though nothing about this is normal. A bounty hunter, sure. But a dark jedi?” The guard shook her head. “I suppose the Council knows best.”

With her name imprinted neatly on the line, Juliana handed the device back. “I’ll need the personal effects as well.”

A box appeared in the Twi’lek’s hands. “Everything including her light sabre is accounted for.”

Juliana took it and beamed pleasantly. “You’ve been very cooperative; thank you. If you would, please lower the barrier once I’m back within the room. I believe the Republic has compensated for the exchange, correct?”

The guard bowed respectfully. “Yes Master Jedi. With the forms fulfilled, you're free to go.”

Juliana thanked the guard again as she gave the box to the Captain before heading back in the room. As the doors hissed shut behind her, she walked up to Elani. She saw the force field shimmer then disappear. “It’s time to leave then,” she said. Reflecting on Elani’s past inquiry about the weak being conquered be strong, she added, “like you said, we’ll debate philosophy at a later date.”