Zanna

Zanna looked up, setting Sosu aside, as Nyiss began speaking. It was more or less what she expected, being on a sith controlled planet on the outskirts of the Empire with the only thing approaching 'civilized' being the fortress controlled by one of the more reclusive and unknown Darth's in the Empire. Rules were flexible, and the only goal was to be the best at turning Jedi so you could receive not only holocrons but Darth Nyiss's own tutelage. Zanna smiled, moving Sosu to her bed, and began finishing the rest of what little she had brought. It was mostly jars and vials filled with emergency ingredients she might need. If her requests with Nyiss went well, she wouldn't. But there was no telling when it came to Sith, even less so Darths. One moment Nyiss might decide to give Zanna all she asked for and more, the next she might decide to take it all away and make Zanna go hunting for the supplies in the middle of the jungle.

The young Red Sith shuddered lightly, picking up her datapad. She started making her way towards the prisoner cells, waving a squad of troopers over with her. She had to get to at least one of the prisoners before the likes of Sish got a hold of them. They were less coherent when they were stunned and traumatized.

Zanna raised an eyebrow at the fox as she opened the door, the squad behind her training their rifles on the prisoner. "If you were that eager to get out, you could have asked politely. Back away from the door, please. I'd hate to have to move you if you make these nice men shoot you with stun blasts." Her voice was pleasant and polite, a small smile on her face as she waited. As the jedi backed away, Zanna nodded. "Thank you." She walked into the room, glancing around at the few gathered prisoners as her squad moved in, rifles ready and blocking the exit.

"My name is Zanna. I'm looking for a volunteer. Only questions, nothing like.." Her face scrunched in distaste. "Torture." She glanced over at the fox, tsking at the Jedi as she tried to sneak closer to her guards. "Please stay in front of and away from the troopers. They have standing orders to stun you if you get too close."

Nazca

Nazca sat up with a groan, feeling her spine pop from her skull to her tail bone. "Couldn't they have fucken, I don't know, moved us around while we were unconscious?" She her hand to her head, only to poke herself with her new stump. Nazca stared at it dumbly for a few moments, before sighing. "Right. Energy cell exploding. Lazy bitch didn't even bother properly getting it fixed." She hopped up, stumbling slightly, and stretched. "Righto. Lets see what kind of cell they threw me in." She waltzed through the open doors, whistling slightly to herself as she examined the common room. "This is actually kind a comfortable. Well lit and everything. I expected like dank pits, chains, and cold stone. Though, I suppose, that's a Hutt thing more than a Sith thing."

Nazca finally noticed Xid, waving cheerfully with her stump. "Hello there Xid. I see they've set you up in this lovely little hotel too. I hear we'll have five star commodities, such as; Torture, monologues, beatings, terrible food, more torture, hateful neighbors, did I mention torture?" Her head turned to the door as she heard it open, eyebrows raising at both the sight of Talon, and the Sith and her troopers. She glanced at Xid, then Talon, the only other two apparently here and conscious.

Khan's eyes drifted open slowly as he fought back a pounding headache. He was sure he hadn't really been hit that hard, even if getting caught by such an obvious feint was probably the most shameful and costly mistake of his short life as a Jedi thus far. But judging by the way his head was swimming and the fact that he had no idea where he was, maybe he'd been drugged? They were going to be captured before Khan passed out! That much came back to the Echani Padawan rather quickly and made him freeze in place and try to keep feigning unconsciousness as he assessed his situation.

Khan didn't have his lightsaber, which made sense since only incompetents would have left any of them properly armed. He also had no idea how long he'd been kept unconscious for after he'd been knocked senseless by that one Sith Lizard. There were guards in the room although Khan couldn't get the full details for everyone without moving his head too obviously to keep up the charade that he wasn't yet awake. How many were there though, and could he take them on unarmed? The young Echani figured that he could fight maybe two guards at once depending on how well trained they were but any more than that would mean risking serious injuries.

Wait, wait...there was definitely someone here besides another prisoner and the guards. An unknown voice, female, warning his fellow captive not to try anything. Khan should act shouldn't he? Maybe together they could fight the guards off fast enough to make a break for it! If nothing else shouldn't he at least try, attempt to prevent the guards from taking another prisoner away?

That's what the padawan normally would have thought, what he normally would've done unquestioningly, but now his body wouldn't move. He hated to admit it, even privately to himself, but his defeat at the hands of that Trandoshan had shaken his confidence badly. Even as a Jedi, even as a warrior, he wasn't entirely without fear anymore.

So he just stayed there, frozen, trying to pretend he was still only half-conscious.

---

Sish walked through the compound, examining it and muttering to himself. It was sloppier than he’d like. Not enough veteran troops to actually guard the walls. The veterans scattered farther out than he’d like, and the truly elite ones left to constantly face the jungle, lest it overcome the walls. Couldn’t even get some of the veterans without having to wait for them to carefully land on the planet’s surface so they didn’t crack it and fill the surrounding area with lava. He sighed as he stared at the green troops doing their patrols along the walls. He had little to work with here, but he’d make it work. The Jedi would find out that some of their members were both alive and missing. Then they would come for them.

Sish bared his teeth in a grin. “What fun that will be.”

Setting off, the Sith Lord began to look for his apprentice. It was time she learned how to torture the enemy and show no weakness while doing it.

Jayda stood in the apprentice quarters.

Gradually, her grey purple eyes darted from end to the other as she absorbed her surroundings. Each detail was fixed into her memory making it difficult to not notice any displacement among the belongings unless she did it herself. Unlike any of the others, those who valued security of self designed purposes, she didn’t see the point in altering anything beyond the given basics. Mainly because she assumed her master and herself wouldn’t be here for any longer than was necessary. Sish wasn’t known for settling down for long periods of time for the period she had known him.

When the holoprojector flicked on in the main room, her attention shifted to it and listened carefully to the announcements made by the Darth. It revealed much about the reasons other sith and herself were allowed to remain within the compound and their goals in order to gain favor. One particular ruling stuck out to the Zabrak however: no death would be investigated. A small smirk crossed her lips before her mood was soured by Sish’s image walking into the sector and immediately intending to toss her into the deep end of this whole mess.

Sish grinned at Jayda, enjoying her discomfort.“Come along, apprentice of mine. We’re going to go find a prisoner and torture them.” He gestured, indicating that she should start leading the way.

The apprentice’s figure tightened just slightly as she forced herself to walk, her boots clicked along the metal floor and into the lead. She had been fortunate enough to literally memorize the primary paths from the apprentices quarters to the prisoners, knowing fully Sish would force her to visit them soon. With a clever plan forming in her head, Jayda would ensure this would be the final resting place of the oversize lizard.

“I hope you’re able to control yourself better than you did with me,” Jayda popped off in a distasteful tone at the mention. Her right hand hung close to her lightsaber and ready to pull it if her question encouraged the Trandoshan to abuse his position. They had just reached the turbolift that would take them upon the outside and open walkway. Despite her intended shortcut, Jayda wanted to make the trip a short as possible one.

“Of course. I’m not testing them, I’m breaking them. And to properly break someone, you show restraint.” Sish replied. “Besides, Nyiss would be very upset if I tested them. Most of them wouldn’t survive it.” He strolled along the wall, examining the forest outside. “Quite a lot of monsters out there. Nyiss has been using this area as a dumping ground for failed experiments for years.” He looked at a passing guard squad, snorting. “The garrison is too green. Any strong push from the fauna or whoever comes to save the prisoners will sweep through them like a Rancor through Mynocks.”

“How would you know if anyone’s going to notice they were even taken? Last I saw, while the ship was departing, was the Jedi Temple destroyed. It will take them years to learn exactly how many Jedi died or if any were missing.”

“They’re more organized than we like to admit. They’ll find out members are missing in days. Weeks at most to find where we are. We’ll need to be ready.” He turned to Jayda, his eye flashing. “What’s your plan to convert the Jedi.”

Jayda fell quiet at the request, her eyes still stared straight and didn’t seem to indicate she heard him. In truth, she didn’t feel like revealing she hadn’t determined that herself. Her pace picked up notably to place a bit of distance between as she broke the quiet, “Research over the individuals would be a better approach than merely just leaping in with your methods. Finding weaknesses and other flaws could help in breaking into their defenses.”

He nodded. “Good enough. You don’t have the personality for it. Can’t fake that you enjoy it, can’t make them hate you.” His teeth bared as he thought for a moment. “We raided their files. There should be some information there for you. If not, you’ll spend a lot of time watching prisoner cameras.”

“Files of course will only tell so much. Observation in real time, from their reactions to their body language, will tell so much more,” Jayda sourly pointed out through she still hadn’t Sish’s question to the degree she assumed he wanted.

Sish grinned. “I guess you’ll be spending a lot of time interacting with the prisoners then, won’t you. Can’t get much observation from simply chatting to them. What are you going to put them in to see how they react?” He waved a hand towards the jungle. “We have quite the resources to do it.”

“And risk them getting eaten by the wildlife and having the Darth severe my head from my shoulders, I think not. My limbs don’t grow back. I’m not in any hurry to get this done and personally, I doubt gaining the Darth’s favor is going to do me much good in killing you one day.”

“You’ll have to figure out something. Either torture them or their friends, or put them in stressful, controlled, situations. Otherwise your plan isn’t going to work.” They walked down into another lift, the dense jungle disappearing. Sish grinned, seeing a squad of imperial troopers enter the cells. “Looks like someone has beat us to it.”

Jayda let the conversation die as they drew nearer to the lifts, wordlessly yielding to the true. She was going to have to get her hands dirty. When Sish commented on the mention of someone beating them, she directed her attention to the Red Sith female who was currently addressing the prisoners. Naturally the first she spotted of the Jedi was a thin, blond haired human, a small Amaran, and another human who lacked her hand.

The blond glared at the arriving Sith, his figure moved protectively in front of the others as if instinctively, as he spoke to the Red Sith first, “Pardon for us finding that hard to believe… I’m pretty sure no one wants to go with you willingly.”

“ Asking nicely is something which I’m unfamiliar with m’lady. As for the moving I would hate to upset one such as yourself, who unquestionably has my fate within her grasp.” She commented as her figure shifted to see what looked to be a circle of guards. “ For the shooting part I’ve already experienced this wondrous contraption. So the way will be clear without further adieu.” With this said Talon shifted to the side for those behind her to pass without delay. As much as the fox hated this mouse game. Pretending the ever loving coward in order to please those with power.

A small strange feeling forced her ear is flicker in annoyance, that familiar problematic pride peering it’s ugly little head from the corners of the young woman’s mind. Oddly enough this feeling was beginning to bother her a slight bit, considering that it's never left a sour taste in the back of the female’s throat. ” I’ll have to clear my mind soon. Perhaps attempt to plan figure out these guy’s schedules and such. I think it’s time to address this question right away. Starting with the guards.”

What seemed like a perfect distraction turned into a rather odd situation really quick. In a way the girl saw this coming but not this fast. When the woman called out Talon’s ears lowered towards her head, making the fox look smaller than she really was. A small shrug made her intents know by all parties. ” Can’t blame a kid for trying. After all is it not in our instincts to know more about our captures? I’m not sure about the others but staying low key isn’t completely in my nature. Why not take a seat? Relax a small bit while the guards stay standing and chat a bit? I personally would love to hear what stories you have to tell.”

When a few more people arrived Talon slowly inched away from her spot, as if attempting to blend into the nearly non existent crowd.

Zanna

The Red Sith's lip curled slightly at the sight of the Trandoshan. She turned her attention back to Xid, ignoring Sish and his apprentice. "Whether or not you believe me is of no consequence. I simply find it easier to take volunteers rather than prisoners." Her eyebrow raised as the fox spoke more, slightly disbelieving of the act. Good enough for me. She pointed at Talon, singling her out from the small group. "You. Amaran. You're going with me." And you have no idea how lucky you are. She thought to herself, glancing at the lizard as her troopers shifted aside for the two of them to walk through. She inclined her head as she and her prisoner passed the Trandoshan and his apprentice. "Lord Sish. Apprentice Jayda." Sish merely grinned at her, his robotic eye flashing. She shifted her lightsaber to her other hip, putting her body between her lightsaber and Talon.

As they left the cells, Zanna walked close to the prisoner, guiding her prisoner with a hand on her arm. "Please do not try anything. I am more than powerful enough to stop you with the Force and the troopers are more than accurate enough to stun you before you could get far. It would a bother to carry your unconscious body to the room."

They reached the torture cell in a few moments, Zanna having Talon walk in first before following, leaving the squad outside of the door. In the room, across from the rack, were two chars on either side of a table. "Please, take a seat." As Talon did so, the Red Sith took the seat opposite, bringing up her data pad. She made a side note of how uncomfortable the Amaran was, her tail twitching and moving oddly, before looking up and smiling at her. "Your name is Talon Soule, yes? Found on Nar Shadda by..." She glanced down at her datapad. "Knight Irvialf Throcat. Is that your master?"

Sish

Sish grinned at the obvious discomfort of most of the people around him. It was as if they thought he was going to tear into them right then and there. Of course not. Much less personal in here. He stepped aside, merely keeping his smile, as Zanna walked by with her prisoner and her troopers. They wouldn't need troopers. He was more than strong enough to take on all the prisoners, and if they tried anything they would learn what a bad idea it was too take him on.

He turned his gaze back to the remaining prisoners, finally settling on Xid. The human was still protectively in front of what few prisoners there were, as if ready to stop an attack. It made Sish chuckle to see it. "He looks like a hero. We should introduce ourselves. Jayda, go grab our blonde haired hero so we can get more acquainted in private."

Nazca

She could only watch helplessly as Talon was taken by the Red Sith, and hope that she was true to her word and only wanted to talk. Something she sincerely doubted. But there wasn't much she could do with five armed guards and three Sith. Even she wasn't so stupid as to risk getting herself and others hurt trying to stop it. But she couldn't just stand aside when the lizard ordered Xid to be taken away. She knew he was going to torture him and it wasn't going to be pleasant. She stepped towards him, speaking out. "I won't le-" She was interrupted and lifted into the air, choking, as the Trandoshan held out a claw.

"Get involved in this and I'll break your bones. I don't which ones, but it'll be fun to find out. Stay out and wait your turn." Nazca was thrown against the wall behind her. The air rushed out of her body and she laid against the wall, gasping and stunned. She couldn't even think straight enough to hate herself for her weakness.

"Look, left knee plate. Same dent and everything." Vebra looked through his electrobinoculars and zoomed into one of the two troopers left knee pads. There was a very shallow dent on the troopers knee pad, just where Raj said it was. Sometimes the extent of Raj's cybernetic enhancements concerned him, but it did have its uses. Vebra then saw the two Sith troopers take a small rest up against a tree.

"You're right, what was the time on that? Three hours fourty-two give or take thirty seconds? Seems like these guys have a favorite route for patrols, wonder why." Vebra said softly as his voice was then converted into external speakers for Raj to hear. For reasons beyond him, Raj hated wearing helmets. So when he responded it was also in a hushed tone, but with a hint of excitement of being right about the reemerging of the troopers from the dense foliage.

"I think they might have some kind of... relay or something out here. For communications maybe? Either way that tree they just stopped up against seems different from the rest of them around here." Raj said trying to ferret out the reasons for a patrol path. Vebra turned his optical aid towards the top of the tree and got his answer. There was a small metal rod climbing from the top of the tree alongside a branch which peaked out just above the canopy. Whatever it was, it might be worth a look. Before deciding to do anything Vebra pulled out his holo-map that he was constructing of the area and programmed the tree's location in. Making sure to mark it as "possible communications array". The two troopers both got up from their small break and began moving out of their line of sight.

"I saw we go take a look, it might be a way for us to easedro-." Vebra was cut off as he felt his communicator buzz against his waist. Vebra leaned onto his left side, switching his rifle into his left hand to look down at his communicator. Laying down in the dirt for hours on end had covered up much of his lower half in mud so he had to quickly clean off his communication device with his right hand. After scraping the caked mud off the device Vebra was finally able to read the alert. All it said was "return to base, visitors", great. If they had already been found by the Sith Vebra was gonna beat Fa with a turbolift when he got back. "Well looks like Fa may have already have gotten us into trouble again. Strap up, we're going back to base." Verbra said as he got up from his prone position and crouched back from the ledge they were on. He stowed his electrobinoculars and put his rifle strap back over his head before cleaning some dirt off of the blaster.

"Wouldn't be much different from the last mission we went on, after all we had to capture that Sith." Raj said with a little more seriousness than Vebra liked.

"Careful, that almost sounds like blame Raj. You'll remember Sweeper did more work there than either of us." Vebra said with a chuckle. "Come on, lets double time it back. Wouldn't want to miss out on the fun."

---

Xid frowned. As far as he was concerned, the sith’s words were full of harm and deceit toward the Jedi. Their existence brought nothing but continual chaos and suffering to the galaxy. The most obvious damage caused in the last two decades through war. In all his lessons, Xid had never heard of a single Sith’s actions benefitting harmony or order ever in history. Unless it was to enslaving innocents to the Empire flag.

Though willing to toss his life away, the padawan logically knew they were at the mercy of the sith. No escape and if they fought too hard, he had little doubt the security would step in to interrupt. His fists clenched tightly in frustration. This situation was getting too much for him as a memory clawed at the back of his mind and threatened to surface.

The sounds of someone approaching the group. His head snapped into their direction and noted the appearance of an Amaran, a small biped vulpine species. The small creature was calmer than him, despite their predicament. Visible concern crossed his facial features at her verbal willingness to go. A deep realization washed over him causing him to feel helpless while he watched the small creature go with the woman. He couldn’t deny a living thing their right to choose their own path. Even if he felt to be a terrible choice.

Swallowing the bitter truth, his attention followed the Amaran’s departure. His attention snapped to the mechanical arm, analyzing it, when the Trandoshan stepped to the side. A complicated machine. It wouldn’t take Xid long to figure out how to disrupt its inner workings and cripple the Sith Lord. Deep in his thoughts, he didn’t spy the Lord nudge his apprentice into acquiring him. The Zabrak gave a dark look before she stepped to obey him.

Spying the movement, his eyes lifted to face the apprentice. His figure fell into a weaken fighting stance and arms raised to defend himself.

What he didn’t expect was Nazca to get involved.

When the Trandoshan held his clawed hand out, Xid tensed and expected to feel the force about his throat. However, it was Nazca’s abrupt stop in her sentence that sent panic into his system. His eyes widened and twisted over his shoulder, catching Nazca’s figure halt in midstep. She clawed at her throat in reaction when she was violently jerked up. A brash warning then the Sith jerked his hand and sent Nazca flying backwards.

Without thinking, Xid turned on heel to help his ally. He didn’t get too far. Jayda, sensing his desire, quickened her reactions and gripped his robe back. Her fingers tightened their grip then jerked backwards. Unbalanced by the action, his collar choked him and slammed him into the ground.

The apprentice’s frown deepened. He began to pick himself up from the floor, unhappy with his clumsiness. Impatient, the Zabrak bent at the waist and roughly seized his robe back. Her words reached his ears sending a shiver down his spine.

“You’re making it worse for yourself…” Jayda hissed and pulled him to his feet. She shoved him toward the Trandoshan as she followed behind, ready to react to his attempts to fight her or get back to Nazca.

Another small inch from her original placement added the thought of safety. Granted that their attention on a different Jedi force a small feeling of fear arise. Two questions lingering in the still air. Should the Amaran risk everything to help someone who could betray her trust again? Or should dhe stay silent in order to save her own tail? Another step was successfully taken. Heart beating inside the young woman’s chest as if threatening to burst feel from its fleshy prison.

“You. Amaran. You’re going with me.” Those words caused the girl to freeze in place. ” I see. It seems like I don’t have much of a choice huh?” She mumbled quietly as her eyes were placed one every single guard. :looks like the guy was saved for now. All that needed to be done was to humor the speaker. In a way Talon was rather curious to explore but in another shit was showing it’s true colors. Well the announcements did say that they were not to be harmed yet...right? Perhaps now was the best time to find out. After all, no pain means no gaon. Wasn’t that's what her former family kept attempting to teach their members?

” Sure. I’ve got nowhere else to go. Besides I’ve always wondered what you people do for a living.” She remarked as two guards shifted through. Talon just placed her paws upwards, as if to show them she wasn’t going to do anything rash. Granted it didn’t seem like any of them were trusting. Slowly the woman made her way towards their way. Speaking to the other two, giving the fox a few names to remember, before shifting the saber away from the girl.

” That’s exactly what I wanted you to do. Alright Zanna seems to be a lover rank from these two. At least this is what it seems. A robotic eye huh? Shiny. Granted this will make things a bit more frustrating around her. Sith is a lizard. Something doesn’t seem right with this one but his scent would be easy to remember. That god for heightened sense of smell. This other one seems different from her master. Apprentice could mean she’s lower on the chain of command than the other two. Possible danger hazard. Now for the other Sith.” Talon thought to herself as they walked. Leaving the cells just felt like a betrayal. Though they did need to know these people’s limitations. Best someone who is able to deal with pain a bit better than one who can’t.

” Where would I go? You’re the one with the guns. You’re the ones armed to the teeth… At least for now.” She mumbled in a sarcastic tone just as they entered the next destination. Being the first inside the fox was able to see what exactly laid before her. Tables ready to be used for awaiting victims, a different table for speaking to the prisoners, and one uncomfortable feeling creeping into her skeleton. The fur on the back of the Amaran’s stood at full attention. Her tail flicked makes rather strange patterns. When asked to take a seat the Jedi did with an uneasiness. Then the questions began. First her name. In all honesty the girl has picked the name herself, mainly because her real one was unknown. Wanting to test her boundaries she stayed quiet. The next one was about the man whom took over the former thief’s training. Again the woman stayed completely silent while her tail continued to move. If looked at closely each movement wasn’t as random as it appeared. In fact the limb was writing something. Something that was only visible underneath the fur.

Her yellow eyes stared directly into the woman’s, as if attempting to search for something which was hidden underneath the years of bitterness. Hands brought up in front of her muzzle giving the usual semi soft features a much different look

As the Jedi knight awoke from his unconscious slumber he let out a groan, a pounding headache seemed to reverberate through his skull down to his core.
He rose a hand to where the ache felt most impactful, as he did he mentally replayed the most recent events. The savage attack on the Jedi Temple, the once proud monument to peace and knowledge now but a besieged wreck. He could almost still smell the smoke emitting from it, the foul stench of burnt corpses. In his ears the ringing of screams continued, they echoed through the halls of the Temple now through his head. He rose his hands to the sides of his head, closed his eyes and fell to the floor in a ball.

Denso nearly felt himself break into a sweat as it all hit him so hard, reminding him so much of the war. He thought he had escaped the war, thought he had found a hope filled apprentice that he could raise right in the Jedi's honorable ways. His breathing increased as visions of war ricocheted through his mind, mixed with scenes of the temple ablaze with flames and corpses. The guard he had let die, helplessly looking up at him before the monstrous Sith ended him. His heart pounded in his chest and he rolled onto his side. Blaster fire ignited in the confines of his conscious, mixed with screams of young men dying by the dozens.

He was pulled away from the mental assault by a voice ringing through the room. Denso blinked several times, unable to recognize the voice. From what it was stating he put together it was a powerful Sith, he along with a crowd of prisoners and more Sith were in this compound together. He had heard Sith speak many times before, their words were filled with constant deceit. As the speech ended, the doors to the prison opened. In came a red skinned Sith flanked by a group of guards.

The Kiffar was towards the back of the room, still breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his spin. He kept trying to calm his usually stone cold nerves. One deep breath, then another. He tried to meditate upon the light side of the Force, tearing himself away from long dead memories which crawled back to haunt him. His eyes fell upon his Padawan, the young Khan who appeared to be in full health. This fully brought the mentally scarred Knight back to reality. He rose to his feet and approached the boy, then placed a hand upon the apprentice's shoulder, giving a hopeful smirk.

---

The sunlight shined in through the open window, the wind gently a single leaf off the flowers on a nearby wooden dresser. A lavish bed sat in the center of the room, surrounded by purpled tinted curtains. The room was suitable for a very high class individual, its décor giving off nothing else but that feel. Paintings hung on parts of the wall, each of the artworks were peculiar, some surreal while others were calming. A robed woman lounged on the sofa, a glass of red wine in her hand. The words of Darth Nyiss emitted through the speakers in the facility as Lady Vivithe took a sip of wine. She sat the liquid in her mouth for a moment, feeling its rich taste. As she gulped it down her lipsticked lips closed once more.

She had arrived at the compound alongside the other Sith, Vivithe had made it a priority to get a proper feel of the impressive building. She wondered how much it had all cost, a prison compound on a jungle world filled with lethal wildlife. It was more than just a prison compound though, Sith lived here, as did the imprisoned Jedi. The Darth herself had a private room here, the Maker only knew what that woman was up to. Vivithe admired her, others would find what Nyiss had done as brutal or disturbing, a reaction suited for someone with zero knowledge of the Empire or its affairs with the Republic.

The Sith Lord took another sip of wine as Nyiss finished her speech, the and the speakers went silent. Vivithe's room was silent other than the sounds of the jungle and the gentle breeze from the outside. She finished her glass of wine gently, like a proper woman would, then set the expensive glassware aside.

The Sith rose to her feet, then started of out of her personal quarters. Her intent being the prisoner's quarters, something in mind as he walked, her doors locking behind her. Sealing the room shut for anyone but herself. Vivithe gently reached for the hood of her robe and lifted it upwards, putting it on. The chessmaster was at play.

---

Tree branches shifted and shook, but only for a few seconds each. A flash of movement dashed between them, speeding at a rapid rate as they raced through the tree tops. One slip would have meant death, but for a Sith it was but a mistake. One branch shattered, then freefell to the forest floor where it impacted hard with a cracking sound, causing wildlife in the direct vicinity to flinch. The near human being dashing through the jungle leaped and landed with a roll across the ground, using the Force to brace his fall. He let out a deep breath, sweat beginning to accumulate. He had discarded his long robe, leaving it back at the facility. It was not ideal for rapid movement training such as this.

As he landed, he kept moving, hearing roars and howls behind him as he sprinted. Daven had been ordered to leave behind his lightsaber for this exercise, and he did as was demanded of him. The apprentice knew of the harrowing dangers of the jungle, the beasts Nyiss had informed them of. He had been told to go into their territory, and disturb them. Make one lap around the compound. If not for his Force training he would have been defenseless. A monstrosity emerged from his right side, a beast of claws and teeth, hunger and rage in its eyes. The creature lunged towards the young Sith, but Daven saw it coming as he jumped upwards, floating above the beast.

He could practically smell its foul breath, rift with flesh and bone. Daven landed and kept dashing. Trying to keep his stamina up as the predator followed him, he heard its footsteps as it tore through the brush. He was nearly three quarters of the way there. Daven took a sharp turn and lept over a downed tree, the beast did not let up. He heard another set of footsteps then watched as another monstrosity came at him head on. The Sith darted to the side, narrowly avoiding becoming lunch for the beast. He almost smiled as the two creatures lagged behind him and took another turn.

He kept dashing, then slid along the ground as a downed tree laid above him. Daven slipped underneath it, kicking up dirt as he moved. The two beasts kept up behind him, apparently disregarding each other in favor of the more appetizing prey, him. As the finish line was in sight he burst out from the jungle, turning himself around to face both the creaturs. They too broke from the brush into the clearing and stared him down. He took a combat stance, unarmed and tired from his training. Daven was not finished yet though. It seemed he needed to rid himself of these beasts.

Both circled him, taking a more cautious approach. He did not let either one escape his field of vision, and kept his body low. As he took another breath the first one lunged, moving at an unnatural speed. The Sith went low, falling to the ground momentarily as the beast skied over him, landing on the other side. Daven rotated around, making sure he had an eye on both. He then reached his hand out and grasped a fallen tree, broken in two. Wooden splinters shot up as it rocketed off the ground, spinning towards the beast. The creature started to move and almost dodged, but was hit on its backside, skittering it across the ground with a howl. Then with a grunt he pushed the surprised predator back into the jungle. One down.

The second came charging at him, slashing with claws. Daven was late noticing the attack, as he moved to dodge the beast impacted into his right leg, drawing blood and leaving a gruesome injury. The Chev screamed in shock and pain, angry at that he had allowed himself to get hurt.

That wasn't good enough.

His master's voice echoed through his head, and he gritted his teeth. Daven reached out with the Force right as the monstrosity went for another lunge. He backpedaled aggressively as the beast swiped and bit at him. Teeth sharper than any knife drawing dangerously closer to him. Daven kept moving and moving, avoiding more attacks from the creature. Then he felt the Force flow through him once more, pushing to overcome his tired body. Anger and pain filled his body, his emotions at a sudden fever pitch. He felt the scar on his leg leaking blood, slowly driping down to the floor. He grasped the beast's head with the Force, and slammed downwards, into the hard floor. Then he did it again, and again.

Daven exhaled as he raised his other hand and slammed the beast's whole body into the ground, he kept doing it until he was too tired to. The ugly monstrosity reminded him of the Chevin that made his childhood a living hell, the Sith had saved him from that. This is what he wanted to do to those brutal Chevin, they deserved nothing less. Blood splattered the floor, the beast becoming just a gore filled pulp when he was done. The apprentice fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

He was exhausted, but pushed himself to his feet. Then he scooped up a single discarded tooth of the creature that he had just slain, clutching it between his still shaking fingers. Daven kicked the corpse, pushing it towards the brush. Then he slowly walked back to the compound, bringing his emotions back under control.

Gar felt the vibrations die down as the shuttle landed.

Wordlessly, he looked to the other Jedi briefly. Any that seemed inventive would likely catch his eyes, signaling they were ready. He lifted upright and began to walk toward the exit. Though many years weighed on his figure, his body barely showed signs of it.

As he approached the rear, the hydro gears whizzed and grind. The back hatch started to pull down to reveal the planet’s lush landscape. Several troopers began unpacking the cargo from their straps and roll them down into the base. Their figures distracted by their work.

Seeming to sense where they were moving and the best path toward the exit, Gar avoided collisions.

“I’m certainly not here for the scenery.” The master huffed.

His feet lead him down the ramp and onto the ground, trailing beside Fa. Wherever she led, he willing followed for now. Hands folded into his sleeves before he continued.

“The Sith attacked Coruscant, blowing up the temple. Then the Empire used their invasion to push the ‘treaty’ in their favor.”

Gar didn’t wait long for the words to settle upon his fellow master.

“During the clean up, evidence was found that several Jedi were captured during the attack. They are suspected to be unwilling prisoners of your target, Darth Nyiss. What she required them for is unknown… That is why we are here.”

---

Fa certainly had good reasons to be upset about the Jedi’s sudden arrival. They had forced them to use their shuttle again only a short time after arrival, which not only increased the likelihood of their team being prematurely detected, but also delayed their next resupply. It was frankly a reckless intrusion into their operation, but any thoughts of those issues were banished from Fa’s mind when Gar explained his purpose.

The Tiss’shar’s eyes visibly widened upon hearing the news. This was the first she was hearing of an attack on Coruscant. If what Gar said was accurate, and he did not seem to be the type to exaggerate, then this was a terrible tragedy. Then there was mention of a “treaty”, of which she also had no knowledge.

“The Temple…destroyed? That sounds too horrible to be true, but…no, I do not doubt your words.” Fa replied. Both confusion and anger were natural responses to news of such an attack. Fa felt them, but did not give them a place to fester.

Since they clearly had much to discuss, Fa guided the master into the cavern they were in the midst of transforming into their base of operations. Though it was underground, Fa had set up a command tent for, if nothing else, organizational purposes.

”I apologize for the lack of a warm welcome. We are all quite busy here, you understand.” Fa remarked as they entered the tent. “Our position here on this planet is still tenuous at best. We do not yet know if we have been detected, and the more we use that shuttle, the more likely that becomes. I am afraid to say that you are going to be stuck here for some time, if any of you happened to plan to leave. But, if you can forgive the cold greetings, my men are some of the most qualified in the Republic to keep us all alive here; you have my word. I, well, I suppose we should discuss this attack you mentioned. You said they took prisoners? That could make this situation much more complicated.”

The sky of Feena was cloudy this day, with a hint of rain coming. As always, the humidity was high, but Nimm paid it no mind. She had been on jungle worlds before. She strode across the walkways from the structure with her quarters in them to the prison complex with ease. Though there were no railings, she did not mind. If anything, she preferred it that way. Only the weak would let themselves fall off, let alone take damage from it.

When she got closer to the prison, she could sense that other Sith had entered before her. It was unfortunate that she would not get first pick, but there was nothing she could do about that. She pulled up the data on the prisoners, quickly noting their names, species and other pertinent details. A few stood out. She would definitely have to take one of those.

She intentionally moved around the left and entered through a door there, hoping to catch some of the Jedi off guard, presuming that the other Sith had chosen entrances near the front. The prison was fairly nicely appointed, with plain gray walls, gray doors and just a few decorations. At the center the floor had a large imperial sigil embedded into it. Her master’s choice of having the Sith Code carven into the walls was a nice touch, she thought.

The prison for the moment was relatively quiet. Denso sat silently on the ground, collecting his thoughts as he attempted to meditate on the light side of the Force. Around him were his fellow Jedi, now prisoners. They all had been taken from the temple during the Sith Empire’s brutal assault on their ancient home. He let out a deep breath, and closed his eyes. His entire form slowly began to feel an aura of calmness and peace surrounding it. The gentle feel of light cooling his nerves. He was only able to simply start his silent meditation when he heard a door come open. A moment later his eyes shot open and he was removed from his concentration.

He stayed on the ground for another minute, allowing himself to hear the footsteps of the one that had entered on the opposite side of the prison. Surely it must have been a Sith, one of those dark side inclined beings he had encountered so many times on the battlefield before. Surely as the footsteps grew louder he finally sensed the Sith through the Force. Then Denso rose to his feet, standing silently in his cell.

Irritatingly, someone else had claimed some of those Nimm had intended to pick, but at least the Kiffar was still not claimed. She chose to make her way towards that cell. With a simple push of the force, she triggered the door controls, unsealing his cell. “You will be coming with me.” She said curtly. There would be no questions, no arguments. Jedi do not get choices.

“Not even a please? They do not teach Sith manners do they?” Denso asked as he stared at the Sith that had approached him, then demanded he came with them. He couldn’t get a proper read on anything about them other than they appeared human and were quite demanding.

“I guess I don’t have much say in the manner.” He added, his look turning into a glare as he stepped out of the cell.

She regarded him haughtily. “Prisoners do not get choices.” While the word she used was ‘prisoners’ the intonation implied more something along the lines of ‘vermin’. Nimm strode out of the prison, leading him away. Some part of her was curious as to whether he would try anything immediately. She was prepared for such, but did not let it show.

“The tough guy routine?” Or should he say, gal. This bland one was in fact a woman. It didn’t matter to him. “I guess I can give you some credit for being completely blunt and not trying use some fake show that you wanna be my friend or something. So many of you Sith try to present yourselves as cool, dignified people clad in black. At least from what I’ve been told.”

“But, on the battlefront you all act the same, barbaric and uncivilized. Just tossing away your troops and twirling around your crimson lightsabers like you’re leading the entire Empire singlehandedly.” He added as he did as the Sith requested, following behind them albeit not quietly.

Nimm pointedly ignored his chattering. The very idea of befriending a Jedi disgusted her. She led him on a fairly direct route, up the first walkway to the central structure and up the turbolift to the upper core. Rather than walk around to the turbolift that would lead down to the landing platform level, she decided to test him by jumping straight down. If he did not come down on his own, she would force him down, one way or another.

Denso waited for some reply from the Sith, but was given none. Only total silence. Perhaps he was annoying her, or she was focused on whatever certainly evil scheme he had planned for her. This Sith struck him as one of those types, one of those really twisted quiet ones. He rolled his eyes and continued to follow. Then he watched as she leapt directly downwards, causing the Jedi to blink. With a sigh he followed, feeling the Force flow through him as he followed with a jump of his own, landing gracefully directly behind the Sith.

That the Jedi followed without needing any prodding moderately satisfied Nimm, but again she did not say anything. She led the way to the closest laboratory, where she would begin her work upon him. It was reasonably sized at around seven by fifteen meters. On her way over to the prison, she had arranged to have it filled with various sharp tools to test upon the Jedi, both metaphorically and literally. Aside from the tools on the various racks, the room only held one thing: an inclined platform with restraints upon it. “You will position yourself upon that.” she ordered the Jedi. This was going to be fun.

“Are you serious?” Denso asked with another glare. His eyes danced around the room quickly.

He briefly thought about trying to turn the tide on the Sith. Catch her off guard and strike her with one of the sharpest objects here. That idea was dashed as he remembered he did not have a lightsaber but this twisted Sith did. It did appear that he was correct about assuming she was one of the sadistic silent types.

“I'll play along. You don't frighten me one bit.” Then he stepped onto the platform, staring down the Sith.

“Always.” Nimm answered as she pressed a button on her wrist unit. Immediately after she did, the restraints snapped into place. “Of course. You have no reason to fear me. Yet.”

She walked over to one of the numerous racks, looking through the available tools. So many good ones to choose from. The master had really outdone herself in acquiring all these. “The question is what you will do to avoid the pain I can cause you after you have truly experienced it.”

She smiled to herself. “Most Jedi rarely last more than a day or two once I get started. The ones that survive, that is.” She paused for a few moments. “Some rare ones last a whole week before they break. If they are lucky, I give them to my master when they do. Some wonderful Sithspawn have been made from them.”

At that thought, Nimm picked up a rather simple serrated vibroblade. It would leave some rather fascinating scars that not even the finest Kolto would remove. “Would you like to become a Sithspawn after you break?”

“Do your worst. The power of the light flows through me, Sith.” Denso replied with another glare as the Sith tried to gloat about how great she was at breaking Jedi. That didn’t frighten him, he had his ways to resist pain. He’d endured plenty of that in the past even if it wasn’t from torture.

“Mind what your dark lord said, Sith. A dead Jedi does you no good in turning them to fulfill your evil schemes. I can imagine how disappointed your Darth Nyiss will be in you if you butcher a strong Jedi like I.” Denso pointedly stated, as his eyes shifted from the serrated blade towards Nimm’s sadistic expression. A smile crept onto his face as he awaited the pain. “I have no fear of death, Sith. The Force will welcome me once I leave this body.”

“Your Jedi ways are almost amusing. You think you understand so much, yet your naïvete is blinding you. Besides, ‘Jedi’ and ‘strong’ is a contradiction. Only the Dark Side grants true power. My master is more powerful than any Jedi ever could become.” Nimm moved up to the Jedi, looking for a nice place to cut. Though she longed to, she did not start by cutting off any parts. That could be saved for later. Instead she started by scraping the blade alongside the skin of his right arm, leaving a series of shallow but jagged cuts.

“Do not worry about death little Jedi. You will not find such a path of escape. If you do not fall, you will break, and when you break, my master will make you into a wonderful Sithspawn. Perhaps she will even let me assist in the making. And then you will be freed from the chains of death forever.” She intentionally downplayed her own power and importance, so as to make the Jedi underestimate her.

“The dark side only leads to pain and hatred. Your master is but a fool that has convinced themselves they’re powerful. When they lose that power and are left with nothing then they’ll realize what the dark side truly brought them.” Denso stated, his latter words coming out at a slightly slower rate as the pain surged through his arm. It hurt but was nothing that he couldn’t bear.

“You don’t frighten me, not one bit. Neither does your master. The dark side will be your bitter demise.” He added, clenching his fists as he took the pain. His eyes were still locked in a glare at the sadistic Sith.

“Ah yes. Power. Have you ever heard of the third battle of Joiol? It was a few years back, but you look old enough to remember. That was my master’s handiwork. A true masterpiece.” As she said this, she cut a deep gash in his other arm, being careful to avoid both major nerves and blood vessels. It would bleed, even make his hand somewhat weaker for a while, but it would not maim.

“I have, it was a brutal barbaric battle. I recall hearing that chemical weapons were used against the Republic, an inhuman move the Sith would naturally take.” Denso replied as the knife went deep into his arm, drawing a bit of blood. Droplets fell to the floor as he continued to clench his fists, trying to resist the pain. He still had one trick in the bag though.

“Left the world mutated and ravaged, totally uninhabitable where the massacre occurred.” He added. The disgust at what the Sith had resorted to doing evident in his words.

“Uninhabitable? I think not. Even now, the world flourishes, the strong dominating the weak. Exactly how it should be.” She pulled the knife out, seemingly nicking a vein by accident. She quickly strode over and placing it back on the rack. The droids would clean it later. It would not do to make him bleed too out. Playing with his mind was far too much fun to let him faint from blood loss.

Therefore, she picked out a small rod-like object, somewhat reminiscent of a tiny lightsaber. She knew that it would be excellent for creating localized burns. It would only be fair to cauterize the wounds. “I heard that seventeen of you Jedi were there, including a number of your so-called padawans. The effects of the chemicals upon them are said to have been… interesting.”

“I expected no less of an answer from a Sith. Always on about how the strong must dominate the weak. It gets boring after the hundredth time.” Denso replied, rolling his eyes once more as the Sith walked away from him, retrieving another weapon for her perverse torture. As the Sith lifted another tool, the Kiffar blinked.

“I’m sure you would think such a thing. You enjoy watching my kind suffer, it’s sickening. You’ve been corrupted by such thoughts.” He added, still feeling the blood leak from his wound. It wasn’t too serious, this Sith wouldn’t let him die. He had that advantage. She’d fail her disturbing mission then. Couldn’t turn a dead Jedi.

She activated the device and a small, highly focused plasma beam came into being. With meticulous care, she cauterized the wound, burning the severed vein shut. She knew it would hurt. “Suffering will either make you stronger or break you. It is for your own good that I am doing this, you know.”

As she pondered what to do next she got an excellent idea. Why not give him something to think about? A scar that meant more than merely survival? She moved around to his other side. “It is unfortunate that those Jedi became little more than animals, but of course they lacked the guidance of a proper master, of someone powerful enough to control their mutations.”

The plasma blade touched down on his arm and she began to write, using the galactic basic language and the aurebesh alphabet, she burned in the letters for the first line of the Sith code: ‘Peace is a lie, there is only passion.’ From now on, he would have that text before him whenever he looked at his arm. She smiled at him.

“You’re insane.” Denso replied as she slowly cauterized and shut his wound. He felt pain singe through where the cut had been, causing him to tense up in parts of his body. The Jedi persevered through it, not showing any outwards signs of real discomfort.

He didn’t give her anymore words as she maneuvered to his other side, still wielding the plasma beamed weapon. As she got in place on his other side and began to bring the blade down, he felt the Force flow through him. He channeled his training in crucitorn to endure the intense pain. The fierce Jedi knight shut his eyes, feeling the gentle caress of light replacing the intense pain of the pain. He could still feel the weapon dancing slowly on his skin, but much of the pain was gone.

He opened his eyes as she finished, then glanced down at the ‘tattoo’. Denso nearly gagged at the words, but put himself at ease. There was always a way to remove such markings, the light healed even the worst of the injuries, mentally and physically.

“Your pursuit of passion is the lie. It will only leave you broken and destroyed.” He muttered, looking away from the text.

“I am neither broken nor destroyed.” she quipped back. “Your Jedi temple, however… That is both broken and destroyed. You should’ve seen the explosion! Magnificent.”

It seemed to Nimm that the Jedi had a fairly high pain threshold. She could not yet be sure whether he was channeling the Force to deaden the pain, but she knew that once he was turned, he would make a powerful Sith. “The real trick to marking a prisoner lies in making the burns go to just the right depth. Too deep and the function of the limb is gone. Too shallow, and the scars fade with time and healing. Burn to the right depth, and the scarring is permanent. It takes great skill to do that right.”

She turned around, deactivating the device and putting it back. “I find your resistance bothersome. I am curious…. How familiar would you say you are with pain? With loss?”

“Not yet. But the dark side is doing its work on you, corrupting and twisting you. The light side beckons to you, with it flowing through you, you will find the ultimate serenity.” He stated, even one as twisted as this could be reformed through the Force.

“The temple can be rebuilt, once your rabid Empire is stopped the temple will be returned to its former glory.” He added with a smirk.

“Why do you bore me with this talk of inflicting pain, Sith? It does not frighten nor impress me. All scars can be healed.” Denso calmly said as he glanced back towards the Sith. Watching her deactivate her torture tool.

“I have fought on battlefields across the galaxy combating your wicked Empire. I’ve watched friends die in bouts of glory and heroism. I’ve seen countless innocents slaughtered by your foul crusade. How accustomed to pain and loss do you believe me to be?” He asked.

“Through passion, I gain power.” she answered. “Your so-called republic is corrupt, infested with criminals. Do you truly think the people will want that to continue, when they can choose the orderly society of the Empire, where criminals are actually punished, where corruption has consequences?”

“I find your confidence amusing. But I think it is time to let you experience loss in a completely new and more personal way.” Nimm fingered her lightsaber to see his reaction, then slowly put her other hand on her belt, detaching a small device affixed there.

“I could maim you, but what would be the point? When you embrace the dark side—as you will do—you would be less useful to the empire. Instead, I think I will let you experience loss differently. I have here a device I found a while back. I believe it was designed by Lord Rin Shuuir, many, many years ago.” Nimm stepped closer to the Kiffar, then squeezed the device, which started wriggling. She placed on the back of the Jedi’s neck and its small legs immediately dug in, attaching it to the spine.

She knew exactly what it would do. It would disrupt nerve signals to his body, causing temporary paralysis and seemingly random convulsions in his limbs. Far better than removing the limbs. She knew that none of the other Sith had seen this device before, simply on account of the age of the tomb she had dug it out of. She already looked forward to seeing their reaction to it.

“Your Empire is filled with lies and deception, backstabbing Sith constantly stabbing each other in the back to gain even the tiniest of advantage. Don’t claim your empire is any better. Why would the people of the Republic wish to live in fear of such a tyrannical system? I’ve seen your soldiers, the only reason they fight is because of fear and mass propaganda” Denso retorted.

“I do not fear anything you do to me, Sith. I will never embrace the dark side, the light surrounds me and empowers me.” He stated with another glare, then watched as she approached him and stuck the ancient device on him. He blinked as it dug into him, clenching his fists and shutting his eyes as he once more channeled crucitorn in an attempt to counter at least some of the feeling.

Denso cringed and contorted as the Sith device did its evil inside of him. Still he could feel the light side attempting to battle it, battling away some of the feeling. His body felt strange in a bizarre manner, one he couldn’t compare to anything else. He kept his mouth shut, not allowing himself to scream before the paralyzation hit. He kept his eyes shut, attempting to channel the light side through crucitorn. Internally in his mind he thought positive thoughts, even as his body convulsed without his control. It was an inhuman feeling, utterly alien. Its intensity lowered by his training in pain transformation. It was the only thing stopping him from submitting entirely and becoming a totally convulsing mess.

“How little you know…” she whispered, taking in the sight of the convulsions. She really hoped they wouldn’t be like that all the time, for that would be a real waste. It was too bad that its creator had not left behind a clear user manual for it.

Denso heard the Sith’s taunt enter into his ears, but it was lost in his convulsions as his body continued to betray him. The Jedi’s limbs were flinching while the rest of his form was stuck frozen, his eyes closed shut as he couldn’t even open them. It was a truly terrifying scene for him to be going through, yet he held strong with crucitorn. Transforming enough amounts of pain to keep himself sane throughout the torture. Then he felt air rush through his lungs once more, and his eyes shot open. He was doused in sweat, and the demented device exited his body. He breathed heavy, then glanced at the Sith, calming himself slowly but surely.

“You’re a monster, but I shall never turn. Never become like you. The light side still flows throughs me.” Then he smiled, as he regained control of his body and the manic convulsions halted. It seemed the device had done the extent of its work on him, a long, terrifying procedure he’d remember for some time.

“No. You shall never become like me. But a Sith you will become. Or a Sithspawn, if you prove too weak to become a real Sith.” She saw the relief on his face when the convulsions stopped. No doubt he thought it was all over. She would have laughed, except that would spoil the surprise.

“Never. I’d rather die than become twisted like you or any other Sith.” He stated bluntly. This Sith’s sadism did not push him in anyway towards the dark side.

“What you would like is irrelevant. You and all the other Jedi will fall.” Nimm decided that it would soon be time to release the Jedi, to take him back to his cell. Just as she was about to release his restraints a thought struck her. “I wonder… Will the padawans prove as obstinate as you?”

“You Sith are so full of unwarranted confidence. Your empire was beaten once, thousands of years ago. That is what will happen again if you continue this brutal war. Your attack on the Temple was an act of desperation,” Denso stated boldly. Then his eyes narrowed in determination as she mentioned potentially torturing the innocent padawans. “Only a coward would target padawans.”

“Ah yes. The previous war. It ended 1,347 years ago. You must be proud of that victory.”

“I’m sure the Empire remembers it, or at least despises the fact they’ll never be able to erase that defeat from history.”

“Yes. We remember it. Do you remember what happened at the end of it?”

“You retreated. Now you’ve come back hellbent to do better than you did last time.”

“Ah. So that’s the story they teach in the republic. Interesting.” Nimm nodded thoughtfully. “I will tell you about the other part. The one they do not teach.”

She paused for another moment. “Genocide. That is what happened. Millions of men, women and children slaughtered at the command of your supreme chancellor. Planet after planet, bombed into oblivion, nary a survivor left. That is the legacy of the Republic and the Jedi Order. Do you feel proud of it?”

“As I recall, your great Lord Sadow fled when it was evident the war was going to be lost. The one that took over after him, Dakhan, ordered suicide bombings of Republic forces instead of surrendering. The Chancellor ordered an invasion into Sith space only when it was evident the Empire would not surrender. Even as the Republic tore down your empire’s strongholds, the Imperials refused to surrender. There were survivors amongst the Sith species, they fled to other worlds.” Denso replied.

“You Sith are not innocent, earlier in that war you ravaged through Republic space and did your own genociding. If you had simply given up and put down your arms then an invasion would not have been needed. In this second war you have done more of the same. I’ve seen it with my own eyes as you left entire worlds in ruin. You wanted war, even when peace was always on the table, and you were given war. Now again you seek war.” He added with another glare.

“In war, one does whatever one needs to win. Outside war, the rules are different. By the time your republic and your Jedi Order did your best to wipe out the entire Sith species, the war was already over. You had won. Even knowing that the war was over, you set out to wipe us all out. The only reason any are still alive is that you did not know anyone escaped. So far as the republic knew, they succeeded in wiping out the entire Sith species. Wanting revenge for such is entirely justified.”

“The invasion was ordered because the Sith would not back down. There were still surviving forces hellbent on raging a war even when they were well on the losing side of it. The Empire very well could have rebuilt its forces and launched more attacks. Your Empire committed genocide in mass far greater than the Republic did during the first war. You refused to surrender, your leader threw away his loyal soldiers and fled with his tail tucked between his legs rather than give up and negotiate peace. The resulting invasion was the Empire’s fault for seeking an unjust war for conquest.”

“You could have at any time surrendered. Millions of lives could have been spared. The Republic are not fools, they do not seek war like your Empire does.”

“So wonderful, the lies of the Jedi. But then, the victor always writes the history. It is so much easier to justify your actions after you invent lies to cover up the truth. Making up a threat where there is none does wonders for a guilty conscience.”

“Launching a war solely for conquest and refusing to surrender, that is the real truth in this argument. Your entire Empire is built upon a foundation of death, deceit and crusading solely for power.”

“Yes, it is. The death of millions of innocent men, women and children. Exterminated by a Republic that wasn’t satisfied with victory.”

“That is a sorry excuse. Even if the Republic had not invaded Sith space you still would have come back to launch another war. Your Empire is power hungry, it uses those deaths as an excuse to attempt to justify its want to conquer. Do you truly believe your emperor cares about the death of those people thousands of years ago?”

“Yes, I knew you would see it that way. The Jedi have never been known for forgiveness. Your doctrine is far too inveterate for such to be possible.” When he referred to the Emperor, Nimm nodded thoughtfully. “As for the emperor, knowing his mind is impossible, but unlike your order, he is capable of change.”

“The Jedi are revered for this forgiveness, even someone such as yourself can be forgiven if you see the light and abandon the tyrannical Sith,” Denso replied, still trying to sway the Sith. Even though it seemed futile he would still try. “Your emperor is solely bent on conquering and destroying the Republic from what I can see. This abominable assault on the Temple only drives home that goal. Your Empire will never stop and never surrender, and that once more will be your downfall. Peace can always be achieved.”

“Peace is a lie. Stagnation and decay lies down that path. Conflict breeds progress. If you had you not resisted the imperial advance, the transition would have been largely bloodless. Imperial Justice would have seen progress everywhere, rather than just for the select few. I have seen what a farce republic justice is. Have you? Have you asked those exposed to that whether they revere the Jedi?”

“Justice is not a goal if it impedes on the freedoms of the common people. People in the Empire live in fear, they cannot question their leaders. Corrupt politicians are exposed and given fair trials. The Jedi are keepers of peace and justice throughout the galaxy. The only ones that do not look favorably upon what we wish to accomplish are those that wish to commit evil.”

“It is curious how you seem to know that the citizens of the Empire live in fear. They certainly do not seem to share that view. We have clear hierarchies. If someone does something they should not, all any citizen has to do is report it to the superior of the wrongdoer. Or ask they can ask a Sith to investigate. Corruption is dealt with just as harshly as it should be in the empire. It is, after all, a sign of dysfunction. What is the punishment for severe corruption in the Republic? A fine? A bit of confinement?”

“Arrest, standing public trial, being thrown into prison. Fair things such as that. Does anyone in the Empire oppose the Emperor? Or even speak out against him? Free speech is a given right in the Republic. Plenty speak in terms that go against the Chancellor and they fully have the right to voice these opinions.” Denso stated. Then his eyes went wide in shock and pain.

Before he could speak more he felt the evil device dig into him again, seemingly returning to life as it burrowed into his skin and embedded itself on his spine. As he felt it move inside of him, a terrifying thing itself, he tried to counter once more with Crucitorn. The Jedi suppressed a scream of pain as it slowly paralyzed his body. His limbs once more contorted and moved on their own, their debate hitting a pause as he was not able to speak anymore.

“The strong direct the policies, the weak do not. Currently, the Emperor is strongest, therefore he is in charge. Later, someone else might emerge and prove more powerful than he. Then They will decide policy. It is that simple. As you will come to learn as you become one, being Sith is all about freedom. We do not indoctrinate our young into a single narrow-minded view of how things are.” Nimm noted that the device had once more activated, once again on a strong setting. It would be inconvenient if it only worked on that level, it would not teach him about loss in the same way, but she did not stop speaking, knowing well that he could still hear her.

“Peace is a lie, there is only Passion. The passion to care about and know what we want. Through Passion, we gain Strength. The strength to make choices for ourselves, to stick to them even when others disagree. Through Strength, we gain Power. The power to teach others of our views, to make them listen. Through Power, we gain Victory. When others follow what we teach, when others obey us, we have won. Through Victory, our chains are broken. We are free from the decisions and whims of those who came before us. Free to find new ways. The Force shall free us. The Force is the tool we Sith use to achieve all of this.” At the end, Nimm pressed a few buttons on her wrist unit, summoning a group of troopers to take the prisoner back to his cell.

Denso continued to stare forward as his body was paralyzed, pain struck where his body convulsed. His crucitorn did not work as well as it did before, as he felt more intense feeling through where the foul little device decided to torture him. He could only hear the Sith’s words in his ears, their crooked and misguided code which went against everything he was taught. The Force was not a tool, the Force guided us all. It was not meant to be abused and used without regard. The convulsions dragged on for a bit longer, then his body was his again.

“You do not understand the Force,” He managed to mutter as he regained his breath, speaking between labored inhales and exhales. As his nerves calmed, he stared at Nimm, then spoke slowly. “None of you Sith do and it will be what undoes your schemes.”

“We study all parts of the Force. You Jedi are afraid of it, terrified of using its full potential. I suggest you think about all of this, and explore all that loss means. It will help your transition into becoming a Sith.” The moment she said the last word, the door hissed open and a squad of imperial troopers stepped into the room.

“Take him back to his cell.”

As the guards marched in to take the Jedi back, Denso practically slipped out of his bindings as they were undone. He was exhausted mentally and physically by what he had gone through. But as they put their arms around him and took him away, the Jedi spoke once more. Seemingly speaking to himself.

“There is no emotion, there is peace.”

“Peace is a lie.” Nimm retorted back as he was taken away.

Zanna looked up at Talon, eyebrow raised in question. She sighed quietly as she saw that the Amaran was going to play the quiet game. She didn’t have the time or the desire to do this.“If you insist upon remaining silent, I’ll just return you to the cells. That will lessen your time away from Sith like Sish, and increase the time you are actually tortured. I am not interested in prying the answers out of you. I’ll ask again. Your name is Talon Soule, found on Nar Shadda by Knight Irvialf Throcat. Is that all correct?”

“I believe you have the wrong person than. I don’t know who this Talon Soule is Miss. Never left my home until the Jedi appeared and even then I didn’t want to leave the only place I knew. I don’t know who this Irvialf Throcat is. By the sounds of it this Talon person is in huge trouble.” She remarked as her tail curled around her mid-section. Honestly it was strange to not know everything considering their group was always well told about certain jobs. Than again the whole act was rather sickening. Pretending to not wanting to harm you, only to be stabbed in the back by a bunch of good for nothing cowards.

“ My name is Tida Lillat. I was born somewhere else and taken away as a child. I don’t know what else to tell you unfortunately. Considering the person you seem to be looking for has yet to be found.” She remarked with a bit of a snare.

Zanna sighed, writing ‘Liar’ in her notes. That would be troublesome. Though, she supposed, if she was in the same situation she’d be doing the same thing if she thought it would help her in the long run. “Talon, if you are going to lie, lie about things that the jedi haven’t taken your picture on.” She turned her datapad around, showing Talon her picture next to the brief information that Jedi archives had on her.” Zanna brought her datapad back, scrolling slightly. “Now, our reports don’t indicate anyone fitting Knight Throcat’s description in the Temple. And I find it odd that he would leave his apprentice-I’m sorry, Padawn, there. Did he die earlier in the war?”

Talon’s tail flickered as her eyes lingered on the data pad. The yellow iris seeming to shimmer a little bit as it lifted. A cracked smile formed on the teenager’s lips, paws grasping at an invisible sheet underneath her feel, as her head shook. “This is becoming more of a god damn pain than wanted. Who knew that we keep excellent records.” The fox remarked in an annoyed snare. Her fingers gently tapping against against the table.

“As I understand things right now. None of you can actually hurt us yet. Take us into these lovely chats is allowed. Other non lethal things can be performed but as of right now you can’t touch me. With this in mind I do believe I’m allowed to stay quiet without any problems. Then again people will always lie to you. So let’s place this theory of mine to the test. Fuck you bitch.”

Zanna’s face twitched in annoyance, but she made no other reaction. Adding ‘Aggressive. Angry?’ to her notes and connecting to the camera system, she began to reply to Talon. “You’re partially right. I won’t do anything to you. I find physical torture detestable and crude. If you choose to remain silent, that is your choice. I won’t pry it out of you, and I’ll send you back to your cells. However, you are utterly wrong when you say that others won’t touch you.” She brought up the camera she wanted, giving a small exclamation of pleasure. “Ah! Perfect timing.” She turned the datapad over to show Talon Sish breaking Xid’s arm and burning the wounds. She spoke casually over the padawan’s screams. “Now, since you have such a problem remembering what the Darth said, allow me to remind you. ‘All methods are permitted, so long as they do not reduce a prisoner’s Force potential.’” She quoted, staring at the jedi. “There are other Sith on this base. They’re all varying degrees towards what Sish is doing, but none of them are like me. So you can either talk, or I can send you back and you can wait for one of them to take an interest in you. It is your choice.”

Talon’s eyes flickered upwards, tail flickering from side to side, if looks could kill than this person would have been dead. “ Assholes. Fine I’ll play along for now. Yes my name is Talon Soule. Yes, my master is Irvialf Throcat granted that I doubt he even made it our of the temple. I don’t know anything about that moon though. At least not what I know outside of my pay grade. Next question.”

Zanna deigned not to respond to the hateful look or the comments, instead only checking her information. She looked up in minor surprise at the way that Talon spoke of her master. “If he never made it to your temple, why were you there without him? I wasn’t aware that Jedi sent their padawans to do missions without them, similar to how the Sith send their apprentices out to do tasks for them.”

“It was a grounding woman. I do believe that your records say I’m only 16. Old enough to know what’s right and what’s wrong but not old enough to to drive a spaceship. So why I was there should be fairly obvious. I was grounded.” The woman said rolling her eyes.

“Without your master. In a time of war, that the Republic was losing, they grounded you and told your master to not be with you. That sounds more like a Sith tactic than a Jedi. I was under the impression that Jedi and their padawans were inseparable during the padawan’s training.” Zanna’s disbelief was obvious.

“I also said he could have been there woman. There was too many people in that temple and I was too lazy to sense him.” The fox said with a mental smirk. Her figure slowly shifted upwards in order to readjust. A moment which could mean the Amaran’s leg’s falling asleep. Her tail wrapped around her body in order to make things more manageable. “Shall we go for a walk? My legs are beginning to fall asleep.”

“Unfortunately, the Darth would frown upon me taking you on a tour through your prison.” Zanna replied, shifting so that she could move. She wasn’t going to let the vixen get behind her if she decided to get up. “Since Jedi don’t let their apprentic-padawans, get away from their masters, your own master was likely there. Which means he died when the temple was taken and then destroyed, along with everyone inside.” She tapped another note into her datapad ‘Evasive.’

“I think I would rather deal with another Sith. One who’s much stupider than you. Now than may I go back to my cell. Once you’ve found a complete moron please let me know and I’ll willing go with you. Until then this will be the last time I speak to you.”

“More stupid.” Zanna corrected, absent-mindedly, as she tapped away at her datapad. ‘No reaction. Master already dead? Or believes me lying?’ She glanced up, the fox staring at her expectantly, then decided to ask one more question. It couldn’t hurt after all. “The records say that another prisoner, Nazca Barsavi, came from Nar Shadda as well. Do you know her?”

“You leave her out of this!” Talon shouted as her paws slammed against the table as her figure rose. The fur raised from the back of her neck, teeth bare as a snaring sounded from her chest. Something inching it’s way into her head making the fox scared. The woman lowered lowered with a few blinks. “Something isn’t right.” She mumbled quietly.

Zanna flinched in surprise, instinctively gathering the Force to her. If the fox decided to attack, she would fling the bitch through the door. She remained cautious as Talon slowly descended, calming down.

The woman’s paw throbbed from pain as she moved them. As if there was something sticking out of them that only the owner could see. Her tail flickered wildly behind the young woman as she sat there quietly in order to really grasp this feeling. “I haven’t felt that in a while. The answer to your question is yes. She was someone I was close to. Very close to until I was betrayed.”

“Betrayed how?” Zanna asked gently, datapad set to the side. This was perhaps the most honest answer the padawan had given their entire discussion.

“Mission gone wrong. It didn’t matter that the others hated me but with her it was different.”

“This was on Nar Shadda? Before Throcat found you. A street gang?” Zanna pressed, still gentle. She didn’t want to startle the fox into her angry evasiveness again.

The woman glanced upwards with a ‘what do you think look.’ Her figure standing and heading towards the door. “You were going to take me back right? After all. You can’t have a prisoner running free. As for this subject it’s not longer open.”

Zanna held up her hands in a helpless shrug. “I was born outside of this galaxy, beyond Korriban. All these planets and things you take for granted are complete strangers to me. I only came to know these places during this war, and by now they aren’t what they were. So I can only make educated guesses based on what information that is written about them.”

She picked up her datapad, adding, ‘Press about Nar Shadda and Nazca. Protective. Hurt by?’

“We’ll talk later. For now, good luck.” She walked to the door and opened it, a hand lightly held out to prevent the fox from running for it. “We’re taking her back to her cell.” The five guards gave their assent, and they moved out.

---

Sish grinned, gesturing for Xid to walk ahead of him. A bleeding heart. He wondered how long it would take to manipulate that trait to the breaking point. Not very, if how the boy was acting now was any indication. “You shouldn’t worry about her. I didn’t throw her hard enough to break anything. If I were you, I’d be far more concerned about my own predicament. It promises to be painful.” His robotic hand closed around Xid’s shoulder, painfully guiding him to the torture cell.

Inside the cell, Sish pushed the Jedi prisoner towards the middle of the room, where a rack was waiting. The Trandoshan looked over at Jayda. “Restrain him on the rack.”

Xid swallowed the collective spit at the back of his throat. He cautiously stepped in front of the Sith. As his shoulder shagged at the weight of the machine hand placed upon it, he fought the impulse to jerk away.

“Well, you aren’t,” Xid answered, his tone resisted being polite.

His flesh burned at the Trandoshan’s fingertips digging into his skin and threatened to make his shoulder bleed. Xid’s tongue pressed into his cheek to quell his scream as they continued. They exited out of the cells into the walkway overlooking the complex grounds. Xid couldn’t help but study it for the future.

Upon entering the torture cells, his eyes widened at the sight of a crude rack. When Sish pushed him forward, Xid caught himself before he tumbled to the floor again.

Jayda, who had been ignoring the metallic scent of blood, glared at Sish’s orders. Unable to defy him without unwanted consequences, she moved to face Xid.

The younger padawan braced for the assault.

Jayda snapped out her palm and slammed into his chest. Xid’s feet lost balance as he fell backward. He smacked into the platform. She jerked forward and snatched his wrist in an iron grip. The apprentice slammed his hand into the nearest manacle causing it to snap shut. She wasted little time as she wrenched his other arm into the opposite manacle. Securing his arms first, she worked to kick his legs into the bottom two until it was completed.

Xid jerked at his restraints. They didn’t give as his head snapped to Sish, expecting to see a predatory smirk on the Sith’s face.

“Efficient. Good.” Sish grinned, walking towards Xid as he laid on the rack. “I’ll make this simple, Jedi. You tell me where secret republic bases are, secret Jedi temples, new defense systems on planets, and all of the codes necessary to access them, and I won’t leave your skin looking like the rubble that we left Coruscant. Did you hear about that, by the way? Of course, you wouldn’t have, you were in stasis. We glassed the entire planet, killing the entire population.” Sish hummed to himself, walking around Xid, leaning close to him. “Now, tell me what I want to know.”

“And what makes you so sure I know what you are asked?” Xid asked while keeping his voice steady.

He struggled to believe the Sith or not, purely because he was taught they rarely ever told the truth.

Meanwhile, Jayda stepped to the side and moved to the closest wall. Her figure leaned back against it while she watched the scene play out. She wasn’t going to be apart of this if she could help it. And it was obvious.

Her arms crossed over her chest as a bored and neutral expression crossed her face. She knew Sish’s lie was a play on the Jedi’s compassionate nature. It was something Sith did often, most to draw out the toil in others. Then twist their rage into a weapon against them.

Something Sish had done to her.

“Because you are a Jedi. You know something, you all do.” Sish cut Xid’s clothing away from his right arm, leaving only the skin exposed. “And I’m going to pry that out of you, one. Broken. Bone. At a time.” Sish reached out with his robotic hand and squeezed Xid’s right arm, snapping the forearm bones like twigs and lacerating the skin above and beneath them. “Can’t have you bleeding out, either,” Sish commented casually, briefly bathing the broken limb in flames.

“Now. Tell me. Secret Bases. New defenses. Codes.”

“I’m just a padawan-” Xid began, feeling his sleeve sliced open and the skin revealed.

Goosebumps raced across the surface thanks to the chill, both dread and cold produced. His breath stilled in his chest when the robotic hand squeezed his arm. The tightness in his arm creased causing pain to flood his senses.

It stopped his words in mid-sentence. Xid let out a blood-curling holler as his ear caught the sound crack. Bones split apart under muscle and flesh. The ends sliced through thanks to the pressure. Blood gushed over the white skin, staining it red, while Xid jerked in his restraints. His back arched clear off the table’s surface.

As the fire touched his flesh, a fresh agony washed over him anew. Once more, he arched in place as he screamed. The smell of his own cooking flesh filled his nostrils. Edges of his torn robes became charred by the blast, the fire crackling and eating at the fabric. Left untouched, it would continue to eat away at the skin.

Shock flooded his mind, his eyes widened before his head slacked. A heavy breath passed through his lungs while adrenaline filled his system. However, his mind seemed void of any ability to focus.

“Keep in mind the Darth’s orders. How are you going to get information out of him now? He's barely conscious.” Jayda quietly hissed, her eyes glaring at the Sith Lord.

“He can still use the Force, to his full potential I might add, and has access to the best medical facilities on the planet. And I must say, I’m surprised you can’t see the bigger picture. You’re smarter than that.” Sish replied, waving a hand. It was never about the information. Jayda should know that, or she was merely playing dumb. “He doesn’t appear to have a lot of pain resistance. Not like you Zabraks. Disappointing.”

Sish left Xid where he was, and walked over to the bench near the rack, looking at the tools there. “None of these work quite as well as my own natural and naturally mimicked tools. You might think differently. We do need to get him back to focus, however, so that’s a discussion for another time.” He looked over at Jayda, his robotic eye flashing. “Ideas for doing that, apprentice?”

“I could’ve told you that from the start. Your method is pointless if you force him into unconsciousness. All it usually does is stop the pain.” Jayda’s expression fell into annoyance.

She knew exactly what Sish wanted to do from the very start, but chose to play ignorant. Her foot took a step back as she crossed her arms over her chest once more. Grey purple eyes watched him carefully, noting the Trandoshan walk over to the bench.

Jayda snorted under her breath at the Sith Lord’s words and question. Cautiously she stepped toward the display of vicious tools designed.

“I don’t trust any of the chemicals here,” she said when she took the position on the bench’s far end. It was the greatest distance from him.

Her eyes scanned the delicate implements. Each one was made for various wounds, from cutting to burning. Nearby were small tags that listed what they did. There was little way to tell if they had been tampered with, but Jayda doubted it.

It was too early.

“Only one comes to mind. A little force healing might revive him, but apply too much pain and he’ll just pass out again. Unless you want to risk this,” she tapped a syringe with a thick, black liquid with a finger.

From what little she had glanced at, it produced something like adrenaline. It could keep the subject awake even though the most brutal experience. Jayda was sure there would be side effects, but she said nothing.

“Consider this your next assignment. Do whatever you think would be best for refocusing our guest and keeping him awake through our questioning.” He grinned, gesturing towards Xid’s form as he stepped back. It would be interesting to see what the Zabrak would do, faced with something similar to her own experiences.

Jayda’s eyes flared in suspicion, then fell into anger. If looks could kill, Sish might’ve been buried six foot under. She exhaled her frustration and turned back to the table. The apprentice cautiously selected several items. A few thin needles, adrenaline, and tools to set the bones in place. Arranging them apart from the rest, she turned back to Xid’s unconscious figure.

Her hands reached up to observe and analyze the damage. She noted where the flesh severed to the bones’ position. After several minutes, her hand reached for the black liquid. Carefully she pointed it at Xid’s neck then injected it into his neck.

It would take moments for the effects to begin to take root. Enough time for her to wake him up.

Jayda touched his right arm and gradually began to set them right once more. The bones cracked, shuddered then gradually snapped back into place. With that done, she poured her force into it.

“Ummm…ahh,” Xid began to wake.

His eyes fluttered open and looked at the apprentice, grogginess in his expression. Jayda retracted her hand from him. Her eyes were hardened in the moment toward any empathy she might’ve felt in prior years. He was nothing more than a thing to her.

She reached for an acupuncture needle. Toying with it in her fingers, her attention resumed upon the bound Jedi. Lingering there for a second longer, she turned to Sish.

Sish’s grin didn’t even twitch, he merely watched and waited. She would do it. They both knew that. He watched in approval as she woke him up and reset his bone and healed it. At least she was learning from all these experiences.

He walked over to the padawan, lightly slapping Xid’s face with his organic claw. “Wake up. You seemed to have passed out there for a minute. Now, I’ll ask again. Secret Bases. New defenses. Codes. We can’t just leave it at glassing Coruscant. We’ve got other planets to destroy, and you’re going to help us.”

Jayda stepped back when she caught Sish’s approach. Her head tilted then her gaze narrowed. Casually, she turned away. She averted her eyes as she found memories stir. Mostly the images were of her being broken and bloodied thanks to Sish’s teachings.

Xid groaned.

The sting jolted his awareness into the present, waking it further. His arms still throbbed in pain. He could tell they weren’t fully healed from the way muscles still pulsed in waves. Instinctively, Xid’s eyes found the floor when Sish spoke again.

“I’m just a padawan,” He repeated then added, “You’re just torturing me for the twisted fun of it. You are Sith, after all. You thrive on it.”

Sish shrugged. He wasn’t going to deny it. “You’re not wrong. I do enjoy torturing Jedi. It’s a punishment for the hellish war they’ve forced upon the galaxy. But I also know that even padawans are taken to secret places. You Jedi are trusting like that, and its why you’re in this predicament now. If you were a Sith apprentice of a rival I would have merely killed you. My fellows jealously guard their secrets, after all. Tell me what I want to know, or I’ll break your fingers next.” Sish laid his metal claw on Xid’s hand, lightly gripping the boy’s fingers.

Xid chuckled softly, his head shook side to side. He didn’t agree because the temple teachings ensured he knew the truth. They had been lectured into his head since he wound up on their doorsteps long ago. His eyes snapped up to meet the Lizard.

“I was told the same about Sith. How you spread corruption, pain, and suffering where you go. No care for other’s well-being. Just the lust for power and self-serving desires.”

He took a breath to calm himself when he felt Sish’s claw tap his hand. Then came the threat. A flare of fear bubbled inside him, causing Xid to jerk at his bindings, but they didn’t give.

“For someone who punishes Jedi, you seem to know very little about how the system works. I can’t give you what you want…”

Xid braced himself for upcoming pain. His figure tensed and fingers curled into a fist, trying to protect themselves. He knew it wouldn’t work. He hoped he would stay out cold longer this time.

“Funny you should say that. The Sith not caring about others well-being bit. The implication obviously being that the Jedi do. ” Sish began casually, slowly prying the padawan’s index finger out. “You see, when we were sacking your temple I took a prisoner of one of the guards there. Barely force-sensitive. Good with a gun, but not good enough to beat me. We went over to the Kiffar and the Echani prisoners before I captured them. Told them they had a choice: stand down and I’d let him go or they could fight and I’d brutally murder my prisoner. You could feel the fear radiating off of the guard. He was terrified and did not want to die. The Echani tried that trick all you Jedi try, you know, slamming something into the back of my head with the Force to make me let him go, and that didn’t work. I repeated my demand, one last time.” Sish had the index finger full out and looked down at Xid, for once a grin not on his face. “Do you know what the Kiffar did? He told me no. He said they weren’t going to stand down. He put his well-being over my prisoner’s. He didn’t even try to save the guard. He watched as I killed a man who had been willing to die in combat defending a temple not his own.”

Snap!

The Trandoshan bent the finger back and broke it with one twist of his claws, looking down at Xid. “Do you have a reason for that very Sith-like action of his?” He glanced over at Jayda, baring his teeth in a grin. “Apprentice, there are cameras in here. Others do watch them. I suggest you don’t show any weakness here.”

Fear and tension coiled in Xid’s chest. His finger tried to curl back into place, but the Trandoshan’s strength was greater. While his eyes never left the Sith Lord’s, he noted the lack of a grin during the story.

The story’s point became lost in the fresh agony.

Xid’s body jerked and tugged at the restraints. A scream exploded from his throat into the air. His eyes shifted to his hand, sickened by the new way his finger bent. The sound died into a muffled whimper.

Please…please just let me pass out, Xid plead. It seemed his body didn’t understand his demand. His teeth gritted as the padawan trembled in shock.

“He probably…” Xid managed to say through pants, “knew you…were still… gonna… kill the prisoner.”

Jayda had turned her back on the whole scene. At Sish’s statement, noting her weakness, she felt her fists tighten. She turned on heel to face him. With a subtle vibration, she made a low growl.

“I think surviving you have proven I’m anything but weak. I’m just bored of watching you break things...”

Sish nodded, considering the padawan’s reply. It made sense but still didn’t fall in line with the thinking Xid had put forth. “A plausible point, but the Echani surely assumed that as well. And he still tried to save the man from being murdered. So either the Kiffar is so cold and cynical that he has no hope to save anyone anymore, or he didn’t care enough about the guard to try anything. Which is it, do you think?” He paused, then addressed the main part of Xid’s statement. “I wouldn’t have killed the guard if they had stood down. I would have let him go, and what he did after was his own choice.”

Sish chuckled, looking over at Jayda. “I’m sure you are just bored, apprentice, but others might not be so sure and try to capitalize on your boredom. Don’t give them a reason to.”

“Releasing the prisoner… doesn’t fit your… objective.”

Xid’s vision blurred as his mind grew sluggish, the shock finally settled in. His body completely slacked against the bindings now. He hung like some limp, discard embodiment of meat. The padawan barely noted his speech pattern had altered.

“Jedi will… always execute… the greater good. Even if it… dismantles one life for… the many.”

Jayda took the pause as an opportunity to snarl back to Sish.

“I get the impression no matter what I do, someone is going to test it. IF they do, they will regret it.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and forced herself not to move. Her eyes fixed to Sish, still irked by his words, as she turned to Xid.

“I would be more attentive to your prisoner than me. He’s not looking so good and it is hard to tell how much more he can take.”

“You sound just like your brother when you talk like that. All heat, no fire to back it up. Most of those who would take interest in your ‘boredom’ would have no problem overpowering you with the Force and we both know it.” He grinned over at the Zabrak, his cybernetic eye flashing.

Sish lightly slapped Xid with is organic claws again, keeping him going. It wouldn’t do to have the boy become unable to talk or respond just yet. “Can you still hear me, Jedi? I think your argument is flawed. The greater good is really convenient when it's saving your life. You Jedi never do the great good if it means sacrificing yourselves. Its one of your greatest hypocrisies. You only ever use the greater good when it benefits you.”

Jayda’s throat let out a low growl at Sish insulting Mehinn. Even after all this time, it was a touchy subject for her. Her nails dug into her robes but she managed not to tear the cloth.

“Tch.”

Xid flinched at the slap in his face. The impact vibrated his jaw as his head weakly lifted. A fresh awareness tried to overpower the shock, barely successful.

“Barely…” Xid huffed out, exhaustion laced his voice.

“I don’t… know his reasons… but he had better…ones than you.”

Breathing hard, Xid started to realize he wasn’t going to pass out. His turned to the Zabrak, studying her for a moment. It was difficult through blurry eyes as he spoke again.

“What… did you do…to me?”

“Ah, blind loyalty. Hard for you Jedi to admit that there are those amongst you who are just as bad as we are, isn’t it?” Sish shook his head slightly. They were going to get nowhere here. Not with the boy as he was. “This is useless.” He idly dug a metal claw down the side of Xid’s face, starting at his right temple and ending on the side of his chin.

Xid yelled.

Instinctively, he tried to twist away from Sish’s claw. Something warm trickled down his face side and dripped off his chin. The copperish scent confirmed it was his own blood. A fresh chill washed over his body, numbing it, as his heart raced in his chest.

“Take him back to his friends. I’m going to go check on this ‘security force’ we have.” He glanced at the padawan, then grinned. “I sincerely hope they can fix him. Wouldn’t do to have to use our facilities on him.”

“I could’ve told you that… Your methods aren’t suitable for interrogating everyone.” Sish’s apprentice mumbled under her breath.

Jayda’s arms relaxed as she stepped forward, her hands undoing the restraints. When the hands were released, the padawan tumbled onto her. The Zabrak quickly stepped away. Without the support, Xid landed onto the floor.

The padawan’s body twitched and trembled causing Jayda to glare at Sish. It was obvious he wasn’t going to be walking back to his cell in his state. She would have to carry him.

Inhaling to calm herself, Jayda kneeled down on one knee. Her arm pulled one of his still broken arms over her shoulder. She ignored his whimpering and weakness as she wrapped it around her neck. Her head turned head enough to hiss into his ear.

“You try anything, Jedi, you’ll find more than your arms broken.”

Letting the message sink in, she then hoisted the Jedi up. With a soft grunt, she began to haul him back to the holding prison on her own. Though she could’ve summoned troopers, Jayda preferred to do her own dirty work. She wanted to ensure she was seen taking the still breathing Jedi back to the cells.

After that, if he lived or died wasn’t her concern anymore.



Jayda was mildly concerned for his life only because he was present in her care. She strolled about a meter inside. With surprising gentleness, she lowered to one knee and rolled him off her shoulders.

Xid painful grunt caused her to pause. Her eyes studied him for a moment before she pressed two fingers into his pulse. He shivered again, the sweat began to soak his robes.

Satisfied he might survive, she rose up then strolled back to the turbolift.

The sounds of her clicking boots caught Xid’s hazy attention. She could feel his sight follow her movements, drawing chills along her spine. Jayda ignored it. She turned about and pressed the button, the doors moved. As they began to block her from sight, a single phrase entered her mind.

Hurry Jedi and save your friend...

Gar observed the Tiss’shar’s reaction to his news, unsurprised about her ignorance about the current situation. With the hardships of the conflict, news rarely found its destination and often far too late. Calmly he waited for her to adjust to the new information before he nodded, following her lead into the cavern structure for their base.

As his hand guided the entrance flap to the side, he stepped into the tent behind her. Idly he listened to her apologies then began to briefly detail their slow progress. The risks were explained upon their set out, especially the fact of being stuck on the planet for some time.

“Yes, unfortunately it was believed best to pool the missions together.” Casually he sat on one of the makeshift seats, his bones’ creaks announced his gaining years while he considered his next words.

“A request for assistance has been sent out and others will likely arrive with shipments. When or how it will be difficult to tell.”

Unless asked, he neglected to mention their mission was purely voluntary. Not sanctioned by the Republic… at least publicly. Fa was a smart individual and he doubted she wouldn’t figure things out as she learned more about the treaty’s situation.



Eli had sat down among the dirt. His eyes scrunched up in frustration as he examined parts removed from the newly open crate. It was a crude turret droid designed to monitor and silently kill any little nuisances that become brave enough to sneak into camp. So far, they had been lucky. However, the vet wasn’t sure how long it would last.

Several machine parts were scattered in a chaotic fashion. Wires were knotted messes as the man tried to untangle them. That’s when the hairs on the nape of his neck rose in alarm, his instinctive fear tingling along his spine. His eyes narrowed toward the source. Where the Jungle met the edge of their base, noting several small, yellow eyes stare back at him. Eli’s breath caught in his throat. Through the gaps in the lush greenery, he could easily guess at their design.

A heavy, reptilian pattern helped the small felines to almost literally disappear into the scenery. Eli guessed there was about twenty of them lurking there. His eyes shifted to note only he knew about their presence.

That didn’t last long when about five or six darted from the shadows. It's movements quick as they scattered among the nearest troops. Several leaped upon the men’s backs then torn past the clothing barrier into flesh. Screams erupted causing Eli to reach for his holstered blaster.

He took a pot shot at the nearest one to him. Where a head once stood, only a sizzled and bloodied stump remained. At least they were easy to kill, came the grumpy thought. Another came to his right causing him to fire again.

It seemed to sense his intentions because it hopped to the right. It let out a hiss then bolted for his legs. While the creatures were easy to kill, they weren’t easy to hit. Out of Eli’s peripheral vision, he recognized one or man had fallen to the ground. He held his leg before he trembled, slipping into a seizure.

“Watch yourselves! They got some sort of venom!” Eli shouted.

Khan Sainen, 13th Hour

Khan was filled once again with a deep self-loathing. He thought he had conquered his fear through meditation with his Master's help, but seeing him get taken away to be tortured had wrecked that supposed feeling of inner peace. Especially since once again, he'd frozen up with fear when the torturers had arrived to take Denso away. He was trying to move through the steps of a moving meditation, to focus himself only on the flow from one movement to another. But his anger at himself, and the feeling of fear cold and wriggling in his guts wouldn't leave him.

Khan was still struggling with the moving meditation when his Master was dragged back into the cell. He had expected to see pain, despair and a shattered person in his Master's stance, and there was certainly weariness and a certain level of exhausted numbness there. But there was also, at least to Khan's eyes, a core of determination radiating out still and this mystified and awed the young Padawan Echani. He went hesitantly to his Master's side and tried to check his injuries as the guards left.

"Master, you are...unbroken?"

Khan meant it mainly in reference to Denso's physical injuries, the secondary meaning momentarily escaping him as verbal language had never been his strongsuit

@Heat

There was another pause, with more silent contemplation from Fa. This was quite a lot to suddenly take in; the ramifications of the Jedi Temple being sacked were potentially terrible, and far-reaching. How many Jedi had been killed? How many friends had Fa lost without even knowing? And Gar had mentioned something about a treaty as well. Even without knowing the specifics, Fa did not think it sounded good by any means. It could potentially interfere with her mission, but treaty or no, Fa did not intend to allow Darth Nyiss to escape justice, especially with captive Jedi.

“Hmm, my mission is to stop Darth Nyiss. She is a threat to the whole of the galaxy, even moreso than most Sith. Allowing her to continue unopposed could have dire consequences for countless innocents, so I cannot abandon my mission.” Fa stated firmly as she leaned herself forward onto the table between them. “But…that does not mean our missions are mutually exclusive to one another. I do not wish for our fellow Jedi to remain in her clutches any more than you do. Freeing them could go to our advantage. If they have prisoners in that base, then that means we already have allies in that base. I believe I can allow this; we can coordinate to stop Nyiss, and I certainly do not want to turn down the help. However, I cannot have any more surprises. If there are going to be more ships arriving, I need to know where and when. Having ships coming and going from the planet is incredibly dangerous, and could easily reveal our presence to the enemy. We have to be able to plan out these arrivals. I believe we should take some time to…”

Fa stopped several seconds before the sound of the first blaster shot reached the cave. There was danger, fighting nearby. She hardly even moved her hands before pulling two of her lightsabers from her belt into her hands. “We’re under attack.” She said quickly with a calm, focused demeanor. Her soldiers would already be moving to the defense; they did not need orders to act on their training.

Fa darted away from Gar at full-sprint towards the exit of the cave, and at blistering speed. She moved with the aid of the force, but even without it, her physical capabilities were clearly beyond human. Unlike Gar, her body did not show her age. Her physique was that of a seasoned warrior…or a dangerous predator, depending on the perspective.

Once out of the cave, Fa was able to get a better sense of what was happening. They were not under attack by the Sith, thankfully, but she could see quick movements in the forests just outside of camp, and blaster fire from her men towards them. Fa activated her lightsabers: one green blade, and another, shorter orange blade in her left hand. There was not a great deal of time for decision-making, so Fa had to scan the area quickly as she sprinted forward. She spotted wounded on the ground among the foliage, which made them her immediate priority. Setting her sights on one of the creatures nearest to a wounded soldier, she threw her lightsaber shoto ahead of herself towards the beast.

A day spent giving Jedi pain was not a day wasted. Thus, Nimm Deenia was somewhat satisfied with this day, though there was plenty of time left to entertain other prisoners. Now, she was on her way back to her quarters. She had notes to clean up, plans to make and plots to bring to fruition. This was going to be fun.

The Sith apprentice let out a tired sigh, the sweat having recently dried up from his intense training exercise. Daven turned down a hallway, passing by a trio of armed guards on routine patrol. He did not give any notice towards the masked soldiers, nor did they give him more than a swift glance as they passed by each other. He walked calmly, feeling the ache in his joints wearing off. His mind was composed and his vitals were no longer heightened from the intense physical exertion he had just put himself through. In his left hand he still clenched the large tooth, twirling it between his fingers. He would decide what to do with it later, perhaps craft a small knife from it.

At the moment, his thoughts were upon taking a cool, relaxing shower. As the young Sith walked through the corridors of Nyiss’ fortress, he admired the fine architecture and design of it. The Darth spared no expense in its creation. He felt lucky to be here in a way, he was away from the battlefield, didn’t have to worry about getting gunned down by foolish Republic soldiers or bombed by ships miles above the ground. Still, there was no excuse to let his guard down. He’d heard tales of other Sith, how treacherous they could be in the pursuit of their goals. Even the imprisoned Jedi could be a danger if no properly watched. As he glanced forward once more he noticed a figure ahead of him, one he did not remember seeing before. It was another Sith.

“Greetings, I don’t believe we’ve met before. My name’s Daven, may I ask yours?” He stated as he approached the stranger, pausing a few feet away with a friendly smile on his face.

The words of the other Sith broke Nimm out of her internal musing. She looked up at him. He wasn’t particularly tall and bore clear signs of being of a non-standard species, not that she cared. “You may.” she answered as she looked him over. Reasonably muscled, proper black robes, a prominent scar down across his face and pale violet eyes. There was nothing about his appearance that indicated how powerful he was, though she vaguely recalled having seen a datafile about him in the system, though she had not looked much at it yet. Something to rectify later.

“So what is it then?” He asked her with a nod, looking over her figure. He hoped she wasn’t a Sith lord or something, or else she’d probably curse him out for not recognizing her immediately.

“You can call me Nimm.” Though she knew that she would have recalled it if he was prominent, she did not know how powerful he was. Many of the powerful tried with varying degrees of success to hide among the less powerful, letting others take care of being visible. Until she knew for sure what group Daven belonged in, she would be careful.

“Nice to meet you, Nimm. Do you like this place? It’s gigantic, Darth Nyiss outdid herself with its creation. I haven’t even explored it all yet.” Daven inquired with another smirk.

“Likewise. I find it to be quite useful. Though I have heard of its construction previously, I have not been here before this day. What do you think of the prisoners? Any of them you think stand out?”

“I have not had a chance to inspect them yet, personally. I haven’t been here long, was about to go take a cool shower and then see the captured Jedi. I had to train, my master commands me to put myself through rigorous tests such as that as often as I can. It is ‘the only way I will get stronger’, she says.” Daven replied as he wondered what Nimm’s encounter with the prisoners was like. He did need to go and ‘meet’ them sometime soon.

“You will find them interesting, I suspect. From the one I have entertained so far, they will be a stubborn bunch. Foolishly, of course. All it will lead to is their own pain. Not that I mind giving them that. Far from it, in fact.” She smiled a little towards the end of that statement. “Who is your master?”

“My master is Jewel Namore, she is incredibly strong. Strict in her manners and teachings but I will never grow any more powerful from kindness,” Daven stated, unsure entirely how to describe his powerful master to the other Sith. “Jedi are the most stubborn beings in the galaxy. So stuck in their ancient ways and traditions. They will be better turned to our side.”

He took notice of Nimm’s apparent enjoyment at inflicting pain upon the Jedi captives. But did not speak any more of matter, never having personally dealt with a Jedi in a situation like the one they found themselves in.

“Ah. Her. Good to know.” Nimm knew more about Lord Jewel than she did about this apprentice, but not that much. “Set in their foolish ways, they are. You will no doubt find that they are nauseatingly stubborn. When you do find a prisoner to entertain, do your best to keep him or her off balance. Do not speak lies that are easily seen through. Try to make them lose hope. Their despair will be one of your allies.”

“I shall take that advice into consideration, those are wise words. Hope is all they have in their prison cells. Hope that they’ll escape without turning, hope that the Republic will come and save the day. Which one did you interact with, if I may ask?” Daven replied, listening carefully to what she was telling him. It made sense, he recalled his master speaking similar words before.

Nimm pressed a couple of buttons on her wrist unit, causing a tiny hologram to appear above her arm. “This one. One of their so-called ‘knights’. His suffering has only just begun.” she would let him ponder the true meaning of that last bit. “If you do start using lies towards them, I would recommend sharing them with me and the other Sith. It would not do to give them good reasons to disbelieve everything they are told on account of having been given blatantly conflicting stories as if they were truths. They are already prone to disbelief.”

“I’m sure he has been thinking all about his encounter with you ever since you finished with him. He is weak like all the other Jedi, I’m certain he will see the error in his ways and pledge himself to the Empire in time,” Daven stated as he glanced at the hologram, not recognizing the Jedi in it though he would make sure to remember the face. “That makes sense, if they are told by multiple people that a lie is a truth they will be more likely to believe it.”

“One way or another, he will serve the Empire. As of yet, he either refuses to see that, or is too blinded by his faith in his silly Jedi Order to see it. If he does not embrace the Dark Side as he should, he will be made to serve in other ways, be it as an example or as something else...” Nimm’s words did not directly say sithspawn but clearly implied it. If this apprentice did not understand, then that would reveal a flaw in his training. If he did understand, then that would also be clear.

Daven’s eyes opened slightly wider as he realized what she meant by her words. He’d heard of vicious, Sithspawn existing before. It was a scary thought what one that was formerly a Jedi would be like. He nodded his head, then spoke.

“I see. I have faith that he will turn to our side. I believe that all the Jedi can be made to join us, if not then they are weak anyway. Only through the Dark side will they grow strong.” Daven stated with another smile.

The look in his eyes gave no doubt about his knowing at least some about the arts of Sith Alchemy. She doubted he had any practical training in it, though. “Let us hope that your faith is not misplaced. For their sake.”

“The Dark side is powerful beyond comprehension, the Jedi reject it but they will realize its advantages. I hope as well.” Daven said with another nod.

It was clear to Nimm that not much more could be achieved from this meeting. She had laid the groundwork. In time, she would see whether it prove effective. She nodded to him one final time, speaking the words “Peace is a lie.” as she moved past him.

“The Force shall free me.” He muttered quietly, after returning the nod. Then the two Sith parted ways, Daven glad to have met another Sith but at the same time cautious of the mysterious Nimm. He continued to think of what she had said to him as he walked towards the showers.

---

As Denso was walked, more accuratly, dragged back to the prison he slowly centered his thoughts. His body ached, but that pain would subside. The internal pain would stay within him for some time, but he would take it upon himself to stop that. The warm glow of the light side would heal him. He'd be stronger having stayed true to his ideals during the torture, having not given the Sith an ounce of satisfaction. As they drew closer to the prison, he brought himself fully to his feet. Not allowing the other Jedi to see how the torture had affected him. As they stepped through the doors, the guards let go of him, nudging him forward. Then they were gone, the door sealing shut behind them.

He simply stood still, on his feet, his stance carrying determination behind it. Then the Jedi Knight felt a familiar presence approach him, and then he heard a cautious voice. A concerned expression was on the boy's face as the padawan spoke out to him. Asking simply if the Sith had broke him, if Denso had swayed from what he was before. The Kiffar blinked, then glance at Khan, shaking his head. He was not broken, he'd never let them break him. He'd rather die.

"No, my padawan. I am still me, the twisted Sith tried but I gave them no satisfaction. The light side helped me persevere, and I will ultimately grow stronger from the experience," He walked under his own power, then sat down on one of the beds, leaning forward slightly as the pain faded. Then he spoke more, a serious expression on his face. "They think we're weak, this entire building is a testament to their brutality. It's sad how much the one that was torturing me seemed to enjoy the task. So far gone into fear and hate. You can't let yourself become like that, stay strong in the Light, Khan. No matter what happens or what they try to do to you."

"Never let them destroy what is the true you, the good inside of you." He added, looking his padawan in the eyes.

"There's a lot of them, as I was led through the halls I could sense more around the building. They think they have us all cooped in here like caged rats. We can escape, what are they going to do if we try? Kill us? That'd defeat the purpose of bringing us here." The Kiffar stated, smiling as he spoke loud enough for the other Jedi nearby to hear.

Talon’s claws gently tapped as it made contact with the metal flooring. A smirk slowly growing on her lips as she scraped her nails against the area. A head creeping towards the sound as if in annoyance only to be replaced back in spot.

”Someone is rather fond of the silence. Alright so let’s go over my notes. Zanna is of lower rank between lizard man and wacky woman, she has a robotic eye making things much harder to hide, they have a lizard at the ready, Zanna is more talk than action, they have all of our personal information which makes lying much harder, she tends to keep notes on that data pad, the woman knows I’m attached to Nazca meaning this will get messy, if they press about Nar Shadda shit will get worse, and finally I know three Sith scents.” Talon thought to herself as they walked towards the elevator.

As they made their way up the girl repeated the notes she knew. Once up to she walked off the elevator and noticed the injured Xid. Her figure moved towards the human with a frown. ”They messed you up fairly well huh? Let’s get some of these wounds bandaged up.” She whispered before doing basic medical treatment.

Zanna

Zanna let the Fox walk, quietly moving through the facility, tapping away on her datapad. She didn't trust the fox, keeping one guard between her and Talon. Someone from Nar Shadda was probably a thief, and she didn't want any prisoners with light fingers around her. Will have to press about the human girl and Nar Shadda, but carefully. It seems to be a touchy subject. Once Sish and Nimm get their hands on them, it'll be easier to talk about things, and hopefully get them to open up. She saved her information on the fox and put away the data pad, looking up as the fox was put back into the cells. The human girl with the missing hand was just coming out, her eyes going wide at the sight Xid was in. While she rushed over to the boy, with the fox following, Zanna pointed at the Echani boy. He would do.

"You. Come with us, quietly. Do not cause trouble."

Nazca

After her swiftly being beaten down by the lizard, and they took away Xid and Talon regardless, Nazca went to her cell room. There wasn't anything else to do, and she wasn't going to give the Sith the pleasure of seeing her seethe in the main area. She had no doubt that they were still watching her, but she wouldn't have them seeing her get angry in the main area. She had some kind of dignity. Sitting in her cot she muttered curses under her breath and stared at the wall. Why was she so weak? She couldn't save her family. She couldn't stop her urchin gang from falling apart. She couldn't stop the Hutts from killing all of her friends. She couldn't even stop the Sith from taking all that they wanted from the library. She was weak and these fuckers keeping her and her friends here knew it. She'd have to do something about it. But not on their terms. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing they had gotten to her.

Her head lifted as she heard the doors opening, and someone walking back in. Walking out, curious to see who was in. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight Xid was in. Burned, broken, and lacerated. That fucking lizard had done quite the number on him. She didn't even notice the others coming back in, hurrying to his side. Nazca turned him over, getting a look at his injures, hissing in frustration. "Does anyone here know how to do Force Healing? She asked to the room at large, ignoring the armed troopers and Red Sith around them.