[IC] Star Wars: Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

[Ellri]

GM note: This is a nearly complete reconstruction from the old Guild.

[hider=First Post. Sundered Echo and Ellri]
“Imagine… Imagine if we could restore the ancients, our red-skinned ancestors! Imagine, the purification of the Sith! Think of what we could accomplish as a united race! Not a single impure being among us, not even humans… Only the Purest of Sith! My work will unite the galaxy. Not only under the Empire, but as a single race. A superior race.”

Unidentified, robed person, seen through a distorted hologram: “My lord, that idea is beyond my wildest dreams. I beg of you, You must do it!”

~| Elsewhere, some time later |~

Hooded person, seen through deeply encrypted holocall: “You wish to do what?”

Darth Nyiss: “Restore the pureblood race to its rightful place, my lord. It is my deepest wish. Grant me What I need, and I shall deliver or perish trying.”

Stranger: “There is a plan in place, Darth Nyiss. A plan to see Coruscant Sacked. Our final effort to break the republic. Your plan can be incorporated onto that. You will have anything and anyone you need to do so. Capture enough Jedi to work with, then turn them to the dark side. If you should progress with the restoration, good. If not, then we will have more Sith to throw at the Jedi. Whom do you require for this task?”

Darth Nyiss: “I need your lieutenant. And the Katherion captain. They will provide me with the rest of the crew list, my lord.”

Stranger: “You presume much asking not only for my lieutenant, but for captain Katherion.”

Darth Nyiss: “Yes, my lord.”

Stranger: “The lieutenant has no task in progress. You may have her. Someone will be unhappy with you promoting the captain. Are you sure you want him?”

Darth Nyiss: “Thank you. I am sure, my lord. He is the best suited man for it. I would have none other.”

Stranger: “Very well. You shall have them both. And two vessels in addition to Katherion’s destroyer. Serve me well, and I shall reward you. Fail me, and this conversation never happened.”

Darth Nyiss: “As always, my master.”

Stranger: “Dismissed.”

The hologram flickers out, leaving the chamber dark.

~| Three hours later, aboard Terminus-class destroyer Ajak |~

Communications officer Alath Drea: “Captain! Incoming call for you, class seven encryption!”

Captain Katherion: “I will take it in my cabin. Forward it there and inform the caller it will be answered momentarily.”

Comm.off. Alath Drea: “At once, captain.”

~| Within the Ajak captain’s cabin, less than two minutes later. |~

Darth Nyiss: “Moff Katherion.”

Captain Katherion: “Captain, my lord. Whom might you be?

Darth Nyiss: “No. You are from now on Moff Katherion. I am Darth Nyiss. I have need of you and your skills.”

Moff Katherion: “Thank you, Darth Nyiss. How do you need me?”

Darth Nyiss: “Coruscant is going to be sacked soon. I have need of Jedi prisoners. You will get them for me. You will be provided with additional ships and any crew you request for this task, even as the Lords Malgus and Angral take care of the rest. They know your mission and will not interfere with it.”

Moff Katherion: “Coruscant, sacked? How?”

Darth Nyiss: “Do I need to explain how planets are sacked?”

Moff Katherion: “No, of course not, my lord. I was but surprised. It shall be done. There is one name I will not do this without. I want Lieutenant Laval.”

Darth Nyiss: “She has been requisitioned.”

Moff Katherion: “You know me well. Thank you.”

Darth Nyiss: "Of course. I am Sith. I know everything about you. Everything.”

Moff Katherion: “I will forward my list of necessary crew to you.”

Darth Nyiss: "Good. Dismissed.”

Hologram flickers out. The newly raised moff turns about, leaving the chamber and returning to the bridge.

Moff Katherion: “Navigator Kain. Set course for Drommund Kaas. We have a job.”
Moff Katherion: “Officer Drea. Transmit file 764-1398-Besh to the source of the holocall.”

Both: “At once, captain.”
Moff Katherion: “Captain no more. I have been promoted to Moff.”
Everyone on the bridge: “Congratulations.” “It’s about time.” “You deserve this.”

~| The Sacking |~

Deceived video

~| Within the smoking ruins of the temple |~

Darth Nyiss strode quickly through the rubble strewn halls of the soon to be demolished Jedi Temple on Coruscant. She'd been given an hour to round up any remaining survivors she could find for her project before the explosive charges in the temples lower structure were detonated, and she was determined to make full use of that time. It would have been far more pleasing to revel in the broken ruins that the temple was swiftly becoming, admiring the completeness of the victory that the Sith had achieved this day, but her work was too important. She couldn't interrupt a chance to find more subjects. She could sense the feeble Light Side aura's of several Jedi nearby, and as she rounded a corner the sources of those aura's came into sight. Two Jedi – an Ithorian and a Human.

Upon catching sight of Nyiss' red skin and Sith robes the Ithorian immediately leapt high into the air, propelling itself towards her with the Force, its blue bladed lightsaber raised above its head. Nyiss would have considered the scene quaint if she hadn't been on the receiving end. Instead, she raised her left hand and sent a burst of Force Lightning roiling towards the ugly alien Jedi. It was struck square in the chest, moving the lightsaber far too slowly to defend itself, and the force behind the lightning threw the Ithorian straight back into one of the few still standing pillars in the wide corridor even as it writhed in pain. Before it could fall, Nyiss used the Force to grab its body and pull it towards her, activating one of the violet blades on her Saberstaff as she did so. The moment the Ithorian got in range of her blade it was severed in two, unable to defend itself as she held its form still using the Force.

The human Jedi looked on in horror as she stepped over the two halves of the Ithorian, eventually activating his own blue lightsaber. Nyiss let this one close, engaging in a brief saber duel. He was clearly no match for her, but she honored him for a short time, countering every strike he made and making a few feints of her own. When she became bored of the flashing sabers, a quick flourish of her own weapon sent the Jedi's weapon high in the air, deactivating as it left his hand. Straight away she picked him by his neck with the Force, slowly choking him into unconsciousness as his legs dangled uselessly a foot off ground. He was perfect for her experiments.

~| Down, near temple emergency exit 17 |~

“Troopers, Warriors! Ready yourselves!” Lieutenant Allende Laval shouted. The Imperial Shock troopers and a large squad of Mandalorian Warriors obey her orders instantly. The soldiers, out of natural obedience of anyone visibly of Sith origins; the Mandalorians out of simple respect, a number of them having heard of her in the past, through mix of fact and rumor. Far above them, reverberating through the cityscape, could be heard the boom of the shuttle crashing into the main entrance.

Laval checked her command interface unit. It revealed the position of the ships of the fleet as they entered orbit. The unit was too simple to show anything more than capital ships and larger shuttles, but even that was an intricate web. Every piece was moving according to the plans. Nothing had been left to chance. Just the way she liked it.

[i]“They will arrive in two minutes and seventeen seconds. Subdue them however you feel necessary. No disintegrations.” This time, she did not shout. There was no need. Not one soldier or warrior uttered even a single word. They had all discarded the multihued garments used to conceal the truth about them as they made their way to the temple. Her troops had arrived in ones and twos over the past week, slowly moving towards this common location. They were the best soldiers available.

Exactly on time, the archway glowed brightly for a moment, then the segments making up the door slid out and apart. Gathered against the walls, none of the people running out noticed anything until it was far too late. They were too concerned with running. Signaling silently, they struck all at once. No more than two or three were Jedi, but the rest would make excellent slaves.

The silence of running feet was suddenly broken as the sound of several dozen stunners and countless darts filled the air. Not a single being outside the temple was hit less than twice. The flight turned about instantly. Without the need for orders, two thirds of her men ran towards the entrance, rushing inside and continuing the subjugation. The rest started securing the prisoners with shock collars and Mandalorian manacles. As the warships started their bombardment, a trio of shuttles, escorted by a wing of Interceptors, made their way down to their location. The prisoners would be transferred to these, with any suspected Jedi being transferred up to the Hâsk for processing.

Sure the job was being done, Laval made her way inside. She would not be satisfied merely having the job done by others. She asked nothing of her troops that she would not do herself. It did not take her long to find a candidate, for though most in this part of the temple were mere servants, not all were so. One in particular stood out, a human-like woman wielding a green-bladed lightsaber. She was busy fending off not only two imperial shock troopers but a large Mandalorian in a crimson-and-blue suit of armor.

Allende reached down, triggering her stealth belt. Though advanced, it was not so advanced as to be invisible to every sensor type. This particular model would not hide from the advanced imperial sensors provided to her soldiers, so the troopers would not shoot her by accident. She moved silently and slowly forward, approaching the Jedi from behind. Caught up in the battle as she was, the Jedi did not notice her approach. Laval’s hands shot forward, attaching the shock collar before the Jedi became aware of her presence.

As per its design, the collar triggered a massive, deliberating shock to its prisoner, making her collapse to the floor, unconscious. “No time to play, men. Subdue them quickly.”

~| Later, upon the Prison ship Hâsk |~

Moff Absk Katherion stood in the hangar of the Hâsk, watching as the shuttles brought the unconscious Jedi aboard his new ship. He was uneasy about bringing so many of the enemies finest warriors aboard, despite the many precautions he’d taken, including but not limited to refitting much of the ships interior to hold them. One of the Sith Lords Darth Nyiss had assigned stood next to him to oversee the operation and provide security should anything go wrong. Jewel Namore if he remembered rightly, which he always did. He’d fought his fare share of Jedi during the war, and every part of him screamed at the wrongness of bringing a large group of them aboard.

“You are uneasy with Darth Nyiss’ plan Moff Katherion?”

Jewel broke the silence, her otherworldly senses picking up on his emotions. She was of similar heritage to him, something he could respect, and of all the Sith Lords presently aboard she seemed the most respectable. time would tell if she maintained that honour.

“Yes my Lord. I understand the wisdom of the plan, but I still feel wrong showing such mercy to our foes.”

It was an honest answer. He’d learnt long ago that lying to a Sith brought no benefit. They’d just know you were lying and punish you for it. Jewel didn’t answer, and though he was not Force-sensitive, he was sure he could feel her agreeing with his comment. Some of the ship’s troopers were unloading the unconscious Jedi, and Absk was surprised to see aliens among them. He’d thought they would have been exterminated instead of captured. It was bad enough to bring Jedi prisoners aboard a state-of-the-art prison ship, but bringing Alien Jedi? That was a heavy risk to take.

Each one was unceremoniously draped over a repulsorlift equipped stretcher and taken under heavy guard further into the ship. The Moff had been exacting in his refit specifications, and the single hangar was quite cut off from the prison block, a vital necessity in case of an escape attempt. He walked with the men, his Sith Lord escort following as well. No doubt her presence would both reassure the men and keep the Jedi subdued through the power of the Force. She was a tall, shapely woman with crimson hair, and the Moff might have considered her attractive had she not been Sith. It seemed to be his lot in life to find all the most beautiful women in orders that made them untouchable, but he’d found peace in that truth. It made things simpler.

They passed through a number of highly secured bulkheads, winding their way into the ship on a route longer than necessary. One could never be too careful when dealing with Jedi, any one of them could still be aware, even as they were bound. When they arrived at the cell block the prisoners were each taken to their respective cells, having been already assigned a cell by Darth Nyiss’ lesser Sith, the ones who had catalogued the Jedi on the way into orbit. It was satisfying to see them caged and helpless as the force fields that served as doors came online on each cell. The walls of the cells were Cortosis reinforced against Lightsabers, even though the Jedi had had their weapons taken from them. One of the ships marines carried a moderately sized reinforced box up to him and Jewel. It looked heavy, and as he opened it for the Moff he could see why. “Are these all of their Lightsabers?” He asked the soldier. “Yes commander.” He replied, his voice modulated by the helmet he was wearing. “Very good. My Lord, what shall we do with them?” Absk said, turning to Jewel. She took one from the box, a curved handle marking it as the weapon of a Makashi duelist, and thumbed the activator switch. A vibrant purple blade formed from the hilt, and she swung it in a mockery of the Makashi salute before deactivating it. “I’ll take this one. Send the rest to Darth Nyiss. She will decide what to do with them.” The soldier bowed slightly as he closed the box, before withdrawing and taking it to Nyiss’ quarters. Absk was happy to see the weapons go, and felt secure in the knowledge that the Lightsabers would be in one of the safest locations on the ship.

With the prisoner transfer complete, he walked purposefully away, eager to return to his bridge and be away from all the Force users. They were useful, but he still felt uneasy around them. You couldn’t hide anything from them, and he didn’t like to be looked at like he was transparent. Lord Namore could oversee the rest of the prisoners, his task was done for now.
[/hider]

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Floor plan of Subdeck 1, port side

As key indicates, greenish is walls, typically thick durasteel. In the cells, this is reinforced with Cortosis.

The yellow bars are bulkhead doors. These are, by default, closed.
Red bars are Energy barriers. They are, by default, inactive.
Blue bars are Ray Shields. They are, by default, inactive.

Prisoners can trigger the red barrier for their own cells at will.
Sith can remotely and locally deactivate them using a specialized key. Doing so prevents reactivation by prisoner for thirty standard minutes.
All cells and cell common areas have surveillance equipment covering them, both visibly and subtly. Sith can access recordings as well as live reports.

Starting Cell assigments
Assignments after first move

2nd Post Silver Drake

Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Chaos. Pure, unbridled chaos. It was beautiful, like something experienced during the most primal meditation. Vanda Sakti strode confidently through the crumbling halls of the once imperious Jedi Temple. Bursts of blaster fire, screams, and the odd flash of a lightsaber punctuated the sound of battle resonating throughout Coruscant. The Togrutan licked her lips. It was beautiful. Around her, the troops of the Sith Empire flooded the halls, occasionally joined by other Sith, ominous in their robes of red and black.

They'd arrived here in a flurry of dust, smoke and pain. Even now, the city was being terrorised. No, razed.

She herself was dressed in heavy robes, inscribed with rune patterns. Her lightsaber was in her hand, the curved hilt pressed firmly into her palm. Vanda could feel them all around her - the Jedi. They were panicked, and they were dying in numbers. Good. What had the Jedi ever done to her? These pious 'protectors' of the galaxy had left her to rot on the slave ships her whole life. They were ineffective, despite their moralistic bleating. If there was one thing that Vanda could not stand, it was an attitude of holier-than-thou. She diverted off suddenly, away from the main chamber, into a secondary corridor.

The walls were crumbling, blaster burns pock-marking the architecture. A window at the end was smashed, revealing the chaos that was the city. Ships zapped backward and forward, Republic and Sith both. The young Togruta watched as one Republic ship careened off into a tall building, sending its peak tumbling off downward into the poorer areas of the planet, with a calamitous explosion and the sound of a thousand metal girders ripping at once.

It was only the hard, horned montrals atop her head that alerted her to the Jedi behind her. She turned suddenly, lightsaber flashing into life. Its ruby blade illuminated the distinct white and red facial patterning that adorned her humanoid face. The Jedi could only have been a padawan, but she was only an Apprentice herself. He was a young human, probably from Alderaan by the look of him, with a mop of blond hair. His green lightsaber flashed into life as he adopted the opening pose of the Niman form, lightsaber held in low guard. Vanda likewise sprung into action, settling into the Makashi pose, lightsaber pointed behind her. She charged.

There was a flash and a screaming crackle as the lightsabers connected. The padawan had blocked her strike, but the effort of it was showing on his face already. They danced the dance for a while yet, however, as the lightsabers flashed back and forth in the empty corridor as the battle raged all around them. The moderation of Niman was extremely good for defensive purposes, but this padawan would have to overcome the duelling superiority of Makashi if he wanted to defeat her. Finally, she had the padawan at the edge of the window. The drop loomed behind him. Vanda held her lightsaber up to his chest, her hand readying itself for a force push.

He dropped the lightsaber, and as it tumbled into the depths of Coruscant from the window, he bowed to her; kneeling into submission. "Well done," She said softly, a smile gracing her red and white marked lips.

***
Aboard the Hâsk

The battle had been short-lived after she had captured the padawan. She and her fellows had escaped quickly after its conclusion, their new cargo of subdued Jedi in tow. It was a shame they had not captured a Jedi master. That would have been fun. She sat in her chambers aboard the ships, a glassy uplink to the ship's communication systems in front of her. She had volunteered to be one of the inquisitors when she had arrived on the ship, in order to extract valuable information from the Jedi and, hopefully, convince them that the dark side held many benefits to them. Which it did, in their present condition.

Vanda had taken stock of her fellow Sith during the initial set-up of the Hâsk. She was surprised to find many of them decidedly non-human. There was an ugly Sith Lord that they called Sish, a Trandoshan. Vanda did not like Trandoshan. The Hutt had used them to keep his slaves in line, one way or the other. They were primal beasts, and this one seemed no different. Unfortunately, he was also one of her fellow inquisitors, it seemed. She wondered if there was going to be anything left of the Jedi when she got around to speaking to them personally.

Vanda almost pitied them, for a moment. Almost. There were three humans also - two women and a man. She had not yet encountered them. Finally, there was their esteemed commander, Darth Nyiss, a pureblood Sith. Vanda had not spoken to her yet, but the thought of a pureblood Sith was enough to make her feel slightly excited. There was another pureblood too, Zanna. Vanda could feel her strength with the force just from being her around her.

She tapped her long fingers on the holo-screen in front of her, bringing up the cell configuration and lists of the Jedi that had been interred. One block contained purely humans. That's no fun. She thought drily. The second block contained a human, a 'near-human', a Twi'lek and a Kaminoan. Vanda did not like the Twi'lek. They were odious creatures, slaves from disposition, and they seemed to enjoy it. They were common as slime in Hutt space, too, and about as dense as the average Hutt's backside. The Kaminoan interested her. She made a mental note to get to him before her other Sith tore him to shreds. The third chamber contained an Epicanthix, a Barabel and another Twi'lek.

It seemed that Twi'lek were as hideously common amongst the Jedi as they were amongst the slave traders. The Epicanthix were human-enough to avoid too much focus for now it seemed, but a Barabel... they were dangerous. Big lizards. Vanda shrugged to herself. It wouldn't make too much sense for the Barabel to be singled out, since the Sith had a Trandoshan amongst them themselves, but it wouldn't be the strangest thing that had happened amongst these people.

Vanda was wearing another set of heavy, large robes. These ones were purple, with red runes inscribed over them. She closed the holo-screen down and exited her room, the information regarding the captured Jedi fresh in her mind. They needed to be given a short while to breathe before she continued on and went and 'had a chat' with each of them. Her feet made nary a sound as she rustled down the metal corridors of the ship in her soft slippers. Her lightsaber was concealed under her robe. That was one of the first rules about the Sith - never let your guard down. Allegiances shift constantly, and while it was death to murder another Sith, accidents could and had happened before. Unfortunate accidents, that couldn't really be pinned on anyone specifically.

She reflected on the ship as he walker. It was comfortable enough, she supposed. Each of the Sith had been afforded their own chambers, and they themselves were not bad at all. The interior of the ship was decidedly bleak, but that seemed to be the idea of Sith decor. Besides, the dark sided interior design would be good for reducing Jedi morale. There was a window at the end of the corridor, facing out towards Coruscant. It was rather small in the distance now, but it was still easy to see the red and orange tinge that had replaced its normally cosy yellow glow. Vanda licked her lips again. It was stunning.

The elevator took her swiftly down to the prison level. There was an area off from the cells, a large space filled with various instruments and seating areas. She acknowledged the guards keeping watch over the slumbering prisoners and seated herself at one of the tables in the room. She pulled her portable holo-deck from within her robes and began to tap away at it, looking into various knowledge about the Jedi that the Sith already had accumulated in their archives. Before she had left Korriban to begin with, she had made sure to upload information on the Jedi and Jedi-Sith and Jedi-Dark Jedi converts from the Sith Archives. Reading about them had been fascinating, and had given her some ideas about her dealings with the current lot. Besides, if they didn't want to convert, there was a hundred creative ways to squeeze every drop of information out of them and then end them poignantly. She wouldn't deny them a poignant end, at least.

The smartest ones would convert at the first opportunity, the ones with a shred of intelligence would come over after their first 'session' with her fellow interrogators. And Vanda would be very persuasive - besides, after the inflictions that had been put upon them by her fellows, even the most pious and withered of Jedi Masters would be begging to convert.

3rd Post AramisMedici

Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Calista had fully expected to go to war in a matter of days. Her promotion to Knighthood wasn't purely because of her skills and talents, but also because of necessity. Oh, she had endured and passed her Trials, it wasn't like she was exempted from those. But the costs of war made the demand rise for Jedi Knights, and they weren't going to send a Master and a Padawan together into war. So with a misty-eyed goodbye, Calista thanked her Master for all his guidance and lessons over the years, and bid him well and that the Force watched over him. It was the last time she ever saw him.

Now, she was indeed in a war zone, but on a field that should have never been exposed to the horrors of war: a home, a place of meditation, a place of knowledge, a safe harbor to all: the Jedi Temple. Calista had managed to battle the Imperial troopers that had come at her this far, but she knew she couldn't resist forever. The Sith were probably not attacking just the Temple, and there was likely more than just these troopers. More troopers, and worse yet, Sith were probably roaming the halls and defiling them with every life they took.

She snapped out of her thoughts to hear a chuck of the roof of the Temple falling--straight for an Apprentice. She gasped and quickly broke into a sprint, using the force to shove the boy out of the way before the rubble collapsed and fell into stone chunks. "Young One!"

"Calista! You're safe!" The child scrambled up and ran to Calista, who knelt down and gave him a hug. The debris from the collapse had throughly covered the boy's robes, and tear stains were evident on his face. "The Masters... The others... T-They're all..."

"I understand." She squeezed the boy again and managed a small smile. "All is not lost. We're still alive... There must be others. Come. We need to leave the Temple." With that she rose, drew her lightsaber, and pressed the activation switch. The purple blade would blossom out, and with the boy's hand in her's, she'd start running. "Come on!"

They didn't make it too many steps, however, before a group of Troopers--four in all--had spotted them. Calista let go of the boy, and as they started firing, she began deflecting blaster bolts flying in their direction. "Go! Now!" She didn't turn to see if he ran: she had to focus on the troopers. It was difficult enough to take on multiple opponents. Her focus in those in front, however, left her blind to the fifth trooper who came up to her from behind and stuck a tranquilizer in her neck. Her free hand clutched her neck, her knees grew weak, and she fell to the floor, her light saber rolling out of her hand. The deafening sounds of conflict, screams, and destruction started fading into nothing. She didn't know if the boy she tried protecting would live.

The last thing she saw as her vision faded to darkness, was the sun, shining warmly over Coruscant and through the besieged Jedi Temple.

Imperial Prison Ship Hâsk, Outside Coruscant

She woke with a start, her left hand darting towards her neck again, and right hand reaching blindly for her Lightsaber. Both her head and vision were swimming: she was throughly discombobulated, and probably hit her head while falling. She groaned and shut her eyes again to gain her bearings. She needed to assess injuries. Her left hand slowly slid up the length of her neck and gingerly felt for a bruise. She didn't sense one. Perhaps it was just her--ow. There it was, on the lower right part behind her head. She took a few deep breaths and frowned. "The air... It's missing something. It smells... Clean." And what was she laying on? Wait.

If she could smell, breathe, and feel, she was alive. Which means the troopers hadn't killed her. Ignoring the protests from her body, she forced herself to sit up and open her eyes to get a look at the room.

Dark walls. The air was clean, but sterile. Imperial-styled design. She was onboard an Imperial ship. It made sense why her Lightsaber was missing. She was captured.

Captured

She took a deep breath to try and relax herself (and ignore the pang of loss she felt from no longer having her lightsaber), her legs pulling in towards her chest, which she hugged. Captured? Not killed? Why would they spare her? Was she a bargaining chip? No--one Jedi Knight on her own wouldn't suffice. There must be more. Maybe the boy she saved?

She didn't feel like moving yet, so she wet her lips and called out, surprised at how hoarse she sounded. "Hello? Is anyone there? Is anyone awake?"

4th Post Musketman

Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Burin and Karton walked up the marble path to the temple, "So you wanna come inside with me or stay out here?" asked Karton, looking around the pathway. "I'll stay out here, talking to a bunch of old, grumpy Jedi doesn't exactly sound fun." replied Burin, looking at his master, a grin on his face, Karton shrugged and said "It isn't that bad you know.". "No, master, I'm pretty sure it is." insisted Burin, Karton chuckled and walked towards the massive doors while Burin went to the railing on the side of the temple and looked over the city, it was beautiful, ships dotted the sky, and Burin tried to identify each type. He was stumped when he came to a gray looking one he didn't recognize, it looked like it just entered the atmosphere, oh well, Burin thought. He continued to enjoy the view when something was nagging him in the back of his head, he heard a lightsaber activate and blasters and then silence. Burin turned, looking in the direction the sounds have come from, then he walked towards it, reaching towards his lightsaber, then he sensed it. BOOM!

Burin was falling, five feet, ten feet, fifteen feet... He grabbed onto the first thing he touched, he heard screaming, blaster shots. He pulled himself over the rail, into some sort of cafe, tables were overturned and several people were on the ground, soldiers were shooting up the Cafe, Imperial Soldiers. Burin activated his lightsaber, when the troops heard this they looked over and his direction and started firing, Burin deflected these shots with his weapon, he pushed his hand forward and two tables flew at the mass of troops, sandwiching three or four soldiers between the wall and the tables. There were still four soldiers shooting at him, Burin hopped onto a table, jumped forward towards the soldiers using the force to propel him, he stretched out his foot and it made contact with a trooper's helmet, throwing him back into a counter, Burin pushed off his face into a backflip, slicing the next soldier's weapon in have and using the force to slam his head into the counter where the last soldier was unconscious. The last soldier fired his gun at Burin, who narrowly dodged it and plunged his saber into the soldier's chest. He hadn't meant to do it, just the heat of the battle. Burin pulled his lightsaber out of the soldier's body and watched him slump against an overturned table. He stared at the corpse for a couple of seconds before shaking his head, "Get a hold of yourself." he scolded himself, and proceeded through the door.

Burin emerged out of the store into an alley, lightsaber raised he moved up the stairs to his right and turned left to find about seventeen soldiers taking orders from a man in black robes, all of the soldiers heads turned towards Burin and the man in black turned around, he was human with a cruel face, he shouted at the soldiers "Kill him!", immediately Burin was bombarded by blaster shots, and while Burin was fending off the soldier, the Sith must have had second thoughts, using the force he leaped over all of the soldier's head and slammed into the ground, causing a shock wave to go towards Burin and everything went black.

Aboard the Hâsk
Burin groaned and opened his eyes with difficulty, the first thing he noticed that he was in a steel cell, second thing he noticed was that his lightsaber was gone, there was a transparent door in front of him and beyond that was a sort of cylinder of cells. He looked around his cell, it was metal and had a very uncomfortable looking bed, he winced as he sat up and thought, Okay don't panic, what would Karton do? Meditate proba- he felt a surge of fear come over him, what had happened to him? What had made that explosion? It was only a couple of seconds he went in before everything exploded. He was overcome with a sense of rage. How could the Jedi let this happen? How could they be so unprepared, they were supposed to be the elite fighters of the galaxy and they were crushed! Including me, thought Burin, NO, said a voice in the back of his head, it is not your fault, you are not a defender of Coruscant, it is the Jedi's fault. Burin got more and more angry at the Jedi and even angrier at those who had probably escaped. Rage made him feel...powerful, as if nothing could stop him, for some reason he didn't completely hate the Sith as he did the Jedi, it was a war, they did what they could to win, if the Jedi were so elite, how come they were overthrown so quickly? He asked himself, he was furious at the Jedi and he now was getting even angrier at them for letting his master die.

5th Post Ultimate523

Jedi Temple, Coruscant

Deep in his meditation, Strago began to feel that something was wrong. The Force did not feel the way it typically did to him. Slowly, he opened his eyes, realising that nothing in his immediate area had changed. He slowly stood up, feeling the Dark Side moving toward him, not directly at him, but in far too large an amount to ignore. Only seconds later he heard several loud explosions, unable to believe what appeared to be going on. He looked around in total disbelief, unsure of whether, or not he was in a dream.

After a short amount of time that had felt far longer than it was, he walked out of his room, hearing noises in the distances. Blasters, screaming, lightsabers clashing. Somehow the Sith, and the Imperial Troopers were here. He was forced to deal with that reality, only able to walk slowly toward where he had heard the sound. He saw corpses on the ground, and decided to turn back, going into his room, hoping that somehow the Force would guide him in what to do. After many minutes later, the door was smashed in, and Strago slowly stood, looking at the Imperial troops. They commanded him to surrender immediately, and he simply stood still, which appeared to have made them quite afraid as they made comments reminding each other that he was a Jedi. He felt a strong urge to pull out his lightsaber, but decided it against it, feeling that the Force wanted him to be peaceful. He slowly raised his hands as non-threateningly as he could, and they rushed toward him, grabbing him more aggressively than needed, but with enough fear to not gpush it. Seconds later, Strago saw nothing, unconscious from some sort of tranquiliser.

Hâsk Prison Ship

Strago awoke, and quickly opened his eyes, but decided against moving much more. He looked around at everything slowly, seeing mostly metal, easily realising that this was some sort of Imperial cell after connecting it with what had happened prior to him waking up. It didn't feel like much time had passed, but he had no idea. He had never been unconscious this way before, and decided that he would not know how long it had been for certain. After slightly more thought, he rubbed his face, noticing that no significant amount of facial hair had grown, realising that he was right in his initial feeling. After several moments more, Strago began to sit up, not liking the feeling of the metal floor. He looked around more, seeing the entire cell, essentially just a bed, and a toilet. He moved toward the toilet, and took a piss, feeling the need to, hoping that the plumbing was working. He then moved over toward the bed, laying down on it. It was far from the best, but he was also used to that, finding it quite tolerable.

After several minutes of staring at the metal ceiling, his mind empty, he began to become slightly curious of what would happen next, and more importantly, what happened in Coruscant. Quickly deciding it would be useless to continue his thoughts, he began to properly meditate, hoping the Force would give him some sort of guidance for what to do, and perhaps somehow give him an idea of what would happen next.

6th Post Rtron + Echo

Zanna was pacing. She couldn't sit still, excitement thrumming through her. Finally! Proper test subjects, in proper test environments! No longer would she have to scrape by on non-force sensitives, or she would have to skulk in the shadows, watching for the effects of her mixtures. Now, she could actively see the effects with no chance of repercussion. Turning the Jedi was only second priority in her goals. They were much more valuable as test subjects rather than meat sacks. If she shattered their minds or killed them, so be it. There was more of them, and every failure was only a stepping stone on the path to success. Her robe let out a soft shh sound as she paced in the silence. Soon. Soon the attack would begin and she would be able to see the prisoners. After Coruscant was sacked and razed, there would be plenty she could experiment on...

A few hours later, she was watching excitedly as the battle raged out in front of her. Smoke rose from a multitude of areas as the planet was shelled. She could feel them dying, through the Force. Sith. Jedi. Primarily Jedi. But as they died, it was all the same. Pain, terror, and then nothing. Oblivion. It was...interesting. And, more than a little sad. She understood the need for their deaths, but all those test subjects...just gone. Not even giving her valuable input. Just, gone. It was...irritating. She'd have to make up for lost opportunities on the Jedi that were taken alive. It would be interesting to see all of their nightmares and nasty memories come to life before her eyes. She could probably even practice her mental manipulation while they were distracted, making up for the instances where her mixtures failed.

Which was highly likely, at least until she managed to perfect it. Then the real experiments would begin. Primarily, finding the limits of the mind. The body had known limits. But the mind...that was a mysterious beast. And she planned to unlock all of it's secrets. Well, all of the secrets revolving around psychologically breaking and dominating someone that is. Everyone had their fears. It was just a matter of exploiting, and then using their own fears against them to make them completely loyal to you. Or at least, fear you enough to not be stupid enough to fear you. "Oh! That reminds me!" She exclaimed aloud, heading out of her room to find Nyiss. She knew there was an alchemical lab on the ship. Now she just needed access.

It didn't take long to find Nyiss, who was, helpfully enough, in the very lab Zanna was seeking access to. Approaching, slightly wide eyed at all the wonderful equipment around her, she spoke. "My lady...I've a request to make of you."

"Make it quick apprentice. I am very busy." She said tersely without turning away from her work.

Zanna nodded. "I seek access to your..wonderful..labs around us for my own experiments on the prisoners." Already, she was thinking of what to do if Nyiss refused her, which was entirely likely given the other Pureblood's tone. She would have to get creative, but she could do it...

Nyiss turned around to look at the apprentice with that request. "Oh... Its you. The promising one." Her tone had changed drastically, from impatient to slightly playful. "You may use..." She looked briefly around the laboratory, as if assessing it for the first time. "That section." She said, pointing to an area of the lab with simpler looking apparatus. Her tone changed again, this time to sincere warning. "I suggest you keep to the area I have set aside for you. I would hate to see a promising apprentice's life wasted in idle curiosity." With that, she turned back to her own work, making it quite clear that the conversation was over.

Zanna's eyes lit up at the compliment, even as her mind began to process and contemplate the abrupt change in tone. She could use that. Even if the Darth had far more experience manipulating than she did, she could use the small tenous hold to her advantage. But, enough of that. Nyiss had given her access to a lab, if a far simpler one than she would have liked. "Thank you, my lady." She went back to her room to gather the matierials she would need, but was soon back and in her designated section muttering quietly to herself and mixing. She would need a multitude of items...

Sufficiently prepared for the prisoner's arrival she eagerly awaited the last hour or so before the Jedi would be brought upon the ship, checking and double checking her formulas. Some she would have no idea if they worked until they were tested. Others, she was sure would work. Still, it never hurt to be well prepared and double check your work... She had already viewed the prisoners, and was mentally categorizing them. The Kamino was at the top of her list, followed by the Epicthanix. The first for his mind. The second for his mental resistance. The Twi'leks and the Barbel were next, and then the humans. This was just a beginning list of course, likely to change as her experiments went on...

7th post Misery Company

The only sounds that could be heard were the explosions rocking Coruscant, and the muffled crying of Younglings. Taia herself was in a rather diminished mood, a lot had happened to her recently such as the loss of her Master that still tugged at her heart from time to time. Her eyes drifted over the younglings and she knew they were close to breaking down. The padawans accompanying her were not in much better shape their masters having been at the temple, and their fate unknown. Taia decided to take everyone's gloomy demeanor and help them look to a bright hope. "You all know this will only be temporary. The Sith maybe have hurt us, but darkness can never truly get rid of the light. The Jedi will survive, and so will we." She looked at the younglings. "There is no emotion." The younglings chimed back. 'There is peace.'

Just then a explosion rocked the building, the fighting was growing closer the sounds of yelling and blaster fire followed the explosion. Taia looked up and frowned a bit. Her eyes closed and then opened again quickly. Her head turned with a swirl of microbraids her eyes taking in two of the Padawans. "You two take the younglings out the back." She looked to the one remaining Padawan, a male Chiss. "Stay with me. We will hold them." Her mind flashbacked to when her Master had done the same for her. The younglings and two padawans were gone leaving her and the Chiss alone. Her hand slid under the edge of her robe pulling the silver saber hilt free. The Padawan near her had done the same. "Not yet." She whispered lightly. The sound of armored boots could be heard outside of the large doors of the garage they had taken refuge in. Then the footsteps stopped. "Now." Her finger slid across the button her lightsaber coming to life in the form of a humming green blade that burnt the air around it. The Chiss Padawan did the same his being a bright blue. They both took a defensive stance. She brought her lightsaber vertical next to her shoulder, both hands on the hilt left hand over right.

The doors slid open and blaster fire filled the air as Sith troopers fired at the two Jedi who became blue and green blurs of motion throwing the blaster bolts back and sending some of the others hurtling away. The sound of a jetpack signaled the entrance of a male Mandalorian who went straight after the Chiss with a vibrosword the two becoming entwined in a duel all their own. The troopers had to reposition themselves as to not shoot the Mandalorian and Taia saw her chance. Using the force she leapt into their midst spinning her lightsaber this way and that, the troopers falling under the onslaught of Taia's assault the air filling with the smell of cauterized flesh.

Before she knew it the troopers she had been fighting were dead six bodies laid on the ground in a circle around her and Taia stood facing a Mandalorian with a blood soakedvibrosword. Her fellow jedi lay on the floor his belly and throat slashed open. Mandalorians were powerful foes to say the least. Well trained, efficient, strong resistant armor this would be a tough fight for Taia. The Mandalorian raised his blade just as Taia raised her lightsaber. Then they clashed in a shower of sparks as lightsaber met vibrosword, Taia pushed forward, but she was no where near as strong as the warrior before her and the return shove sent her stumbling back. Taia's hand came up and a blast if the force sent the Mandalorian crashing backwards into the floor behind him. Taia rushed in to take advantage of his prone position, but the Mandalorian was up and on his feet by the time she got there. Once more their weapons clashed, they parried and stabbed, dodged and feinted. It seemed almost like a dance as the two moved around each other. Finally Taia spun her foot cracking against the Mandalorian's wrist reinforced with the force sent the vibrosword spinning away across the floor. They both went still the tip of her lightsaber inches away from his visor, then a shout behind her caused her to become distracted for a moment, but it was enough just as she looked back a armored fist struck her face. Taia's world went black.

The Hask

Everything hurt, it felt like her head was split in half, though this was most likely not the case. As her eyes opened she suddenly felt new sensations, her cheek felt swollen and blood was crusted on her lip. Her hand slowly reached back and she felt dried blood on the back of her head where her scalp had split from when she had hit the ground. Then Taia realized she wasn't in the garage anymore.

The room was small and dimly lit the bed nothing more than a steel block attached to the bed and a toilet that looked quite uncomfortable. Everything in the room was cortosis weave obviously to keep anyone from even thinking to escape, even if they had a lightsaber. Taia's head swam with thoughts now 'I've been captured by with. Why?' Was the main one that continued to surface in her mind. Slowly she pushed herself off the bed and stared at the field that locked her in her cell. "Well Taia you've survived everything else. How will you get out of this one?"

[Sep]

8th Post Fallenreaper

Xid

~ Just minutes before the Sacking of Coruscant… ~

Xid’s footsteps were echoing, fast clip and bouncing, down the lengthy halls of the Jedi Temple. He was garbed in the traditional Padawan outfit, his tiny braid safely tucked behind his ear and keeping it from flicking to the corner of his eyes. That always was always a distraction. At his waist, a small droid, Navi he dubbed it, was being carried in toll. Navi made a loud buzz in protest then let out an indignant click, each sound had a unique meaning in a language all its own, when its master’s pace changed. It was clear he was excited at where his path led: right to Tolun Fi’s lab. Four years had come and passed, the once youngling was now a Padawan and wondered if the Kamino would recognize him, even with the additional height.

Xid drew closer to the hallway’s end and just about to round the corner before a small group of younglings appeared. Guided by a master, they walked along side making the Padawan smile at the simplicity of his childhood. Merely mediation, training and learning made up his days, discovering he was missing them more and more now. One of the younglings blinked then narrowed their eyes upon Navi. Curiously the little one, an Epicthanix, drew in closer causing the others to stop as well. What are they…ooohh…Xid realized, his head turned down at his creation.

Proving his thoughts right, it didn’t take long for one to pipe up,” What is that?”

The Padawan felt his throat clear, dry, and answered ceasing his walk for the moment,” Navi, a droid.”

“I’ve never seen a droid like that,” spoke a Zabrak girl. Her face was covered in the Res Selenores, tribal tattoos, and seeming pure race.

“Well, it’s a very spe-“Xid’s words were cut off instantly.

A dark, for brooding seemed to choke him.

Unable to finish his thought, Xid’s bright blue eyes roamed the interior of the hallway following the other eyes. They were listening to the silence. Their eyes were expecting the source to show itself inside the hall, hoping to connect the source to the emotions toiling within each one and once more regain their calm. The older Jedi was first to stir pulled from the spell. He turned his head towards the way they had come, his hand out, motioning them to stay before doubling back. Something seemed so…wrong, yet nothing had changed. Nothing appeared or attacked them. But that sensation wouldn’t let go and he felt vulnerable. The black, unease feeling continued to fill his heart that was soon was consumed by fresh anxiety also starting to be displayed by the younglings. In the back of his mind, he was regretting leaving his dorm more and more with each passing moment.

In an attempt for comfort and hide his growing fear, the Padawan‘s fingers tightened upon the machine within his grasp. He watched the Jedi disappear around the corner. Held close to the teen’s waist, the six thin legs dangled over the fingers and stalk receptors twisted back to stare at its young master. It felt his unease and tensed body. Tilting its eyes from one side to the other for a moment, Navi inwardly debated on how to bring calm again. Finally, it broke the silence with a distraction and instantly Xid found himself inwardly jumping at the loud sound.

Buzzz….click, ssiiiikkkk?

Navi’s unique language, series of short or long whistles, buzzes and clicks, was echo across the Temple’s walls and back to Xid. All eyes, young and older, drew to the small droid. Naturally Xid knew what the droid was asking causing the young Padawan to glance down,” Something’s wrong, Navi. Very wrong…”

Making his words reality the whole Temple began to shake and tremble. It felt like his legs were jelly, the vibrations rattling though the feet, knees and more. Pieces of roof crumbled and fell causing Xid’s hands to shoot out. One hand braced against the wall, his other reached for a nearby youngling, a human boy with blonde hair, to steady the child from tumbling to the ground. Everywhere Xid looked the walls came crashing down feeling him with fear and dread. Navi, fallen from his grip, whistled in panic before scrambling for cover. Xid’s hand roughly pushed the child forward. Now pinning the child between him and the wall, the Padawan prayed for the quake to stop. It took a moment but he realized soon enough blood was being spilled. Screams and fear, each emotion filled his mind threatening to rip it apart. Xid’s teeth clench through the unexplained pain. Let this be over, he pleaded with closed eyes, let it be over. His sense catching the faint life signs though the falling rubble followed by forms pulling out of the dust, his eyes open unable to believe what he saw.

Empire Shock Troops! Here in the Temple!

Their blasters held at their shoulders, feet marching fearless and in perfect union towards him and the younglings. Time to leave…now came the reason, hitting him with the force of a train. Inhaling Xid, his hand flipped up his lightsaber into his palm, screamed,” Get behind me, now! NOW!”

His green lightsaber came to life while he tossed the young boy behind him, the others huddled behind him unsure what was happening. He couldn’t sooth them or talk to them. Xid had to focus on the fight, knowing deep down he wasn’t a match for them. His heart was hammering in his ears, blocking out the scene filled with chaos and carnage. Bring his hands together to his weapon’s blade, taking an opening stance with legs widening his stand, ready to tell them to make a run for it. However before they could fire, Navi reacted. Using the cover of smoke and debris, the little bot had six legs to stead itself, much better then either Xid or the troops, and took full advantage of it. Fast its robotic legs went scurrying across the floor in front of the troop’s feet, leaving it a thin cord barely visible in the dust. It was nailed into the far wall by a grappling hook growing taunt. The first soldier pulled up his blaster, still approaching, the muffled voice giving an order to surrender.

Then he tripped over the line. The man went down, pulling the trigger and a blast erupted from his gun at Xid. Immediately the Padawan ducked to the side bring the earlier youth with him, the blast merely scorching the wall behind them as two more men fell. He used the distraction. Shoving the young boy away Xid shouted at the top of his lungs, “Run!!!!! Go, Now!”

Quickly, Xid shoved the youngling forward as they started to run. Too busy tending to the child, the young Padawan’s shoulder exploded with pain when three blasters clipped his shoulder and his mouth let out a painful scream. Fire, hot and burning, filled his vision with red while his lightsaber fell from his grasp. Its light buzzed and died upon the ground. His own cooked flesh filled his nose, his body going limp and slid to his side. Unable to move, his eyes watched his rustic yellow droid scamper into a wall, vanishing from sight. Slowly failing sight crept into the edges of his blurry vision until everything went black. Please…let the younglings be safe became Xid’s last thought, finally lost to unconsciousness.

~Aboard Hâsk~

Ache… the dull ache and slight cold burning against his cheek was the first thing Xid noticed upon awaking. He let out a soft groan while his body began to move. Little by little, the young padawan started to rise as his knees curled underneath him. He let out a slight hiss at feeling the muscle in his shoulder pull, stinging after the over kill shot to his back and for a moment considered just letting the cold metal sooth his pain. Bad part about it, he had no idea the last time it was sanitized and likely cause infection. He had gotten likely. It only burned a few layers off his skin, singeing the clothing grazing the skin underneath. Fingers reached through his curls and came to rest upon his braid start, following it down and tugging it from its safe keeping behind his ear. Instinctively he pinched it and rubbed it while rising to his feet, carefully. His eyes looked about spotting the place he had landed in. A prison cell.

Great…he thought bitterly.

His eyes paid little mind to the grey cell’s thick walls, the main section branching off into five separate rooms like a pentagon, each branch seemed equipped with the same basic things. At least they were dead but somehow, he doubted this would end well. He turned at hearing a voice he recognized the youth turned to Taia’s cell. Immediately his shoulder forgotten, the Padawan rushed towards the cell only to screech to a halt as he looked over the energy door. Trying to see around best he could without cooking his flesh, Xid noticed a button close to the side and then answered.

“Taia, there’s a button,” he tried to point at it, waving his hand that direction like some mime,” Press it! It will open no problem.”

Once she opened it, if she did, he would step back to allow her out before relaxing just a bit more,” Any idea what’s going on? Why we’re here? Were you hurt?”

9th Post Dervish

The Jedi Temple, Coruscant, during the assault…

Another blast, another broken beaker. The walls shook from another breaching charge somewhere nearby in the temple. The sounds of battle crept closer and closer, and the unmistakable presence of the Dark Side began filling the void left by a battle decided. The Jedi were losing, that much was certain. It was unlikely anyone was going to survive the assault, a rather brash and audacious attack on the Jedi Order by the ancient enemies of the Sith Empire. It was thorough, violent, and quite inconvenient.

Tolun Fi was not a man who enjoyed being pressed for time, and the sound of blaster fire and lightsabers did nothing to help improve his disposition. Many people he saw each and every day, some rather good acquaintances, were being cut down in the halls just outside of his laboratory. He could not grieve for them, for they were with the Force now, and his research data required his full concentration to save before the Sith eventually found him. While he did not anticipate survival, he certainly wasn't going to greet death willingly. There was still much to be done, and he was certain a key to ending the war lay somewhere in the countless streams of information and algorithms he had spent most of his lifetime formulating. His large hands worked quickly, at odds with his normally rather deliberate and graceful movement as befitting of a Kaminoan. It took quite a great deal of concentration to not make a mistake transfering the data and storing it correctly, especially with jars and beakers of various compositions falling around him like rain shards of broken dreams. As some composition he could not rightfully recall of a cobalt blue, semi-translucent colour splashed on his hand, he shook it clean with a derisive snort. It was soon forgotten, however, when the terminal blinked that it's transfer was completed. Wasting no time, Tolun Fi ejected the white composite drive from its housing and slotted it into the armoured plating in his clothing. His work now secure, relatively speaking, there was only but one thing to do.

Swiftly, Tolun's lightsaber was in hand, its long blade of a similar shade to the fluid that had splashed on his hand, and he cut through the computer and various pieces of laboratory equipment that had been his obsession for many years. While most people would be mourning the loss of something so personal, the Kaminoan Consular was not most people. While useful, he did not associate any emotional connection to machines and tools. The important information was saved, and that was what mattered. There would be other machines, better equipment. It was a simple matter of reaching them.

Assuming he survived the next twenty minutes, that is.

The battle had reached the halls outside of the laboratory, the presence of the Dark Side near suffocating. Whomever was out there was powerful, indeed. Wretched, hateful, emotional. What wasted potential. Tolun's lightsaber retracted, and he returned it to his robes. If he were to survive, he'd have to be rather crafty with the use of his abilities and hope that whomever entered the room was a thinker instead of a doer, something of a rarity among Sith. It was clear that fighting was not a productive option, something he was certain most Jedi would do in the face of death. While it was considered noble and brave, Tolun saw it as a waste. There was a time and place to spend your life, but this was not it. The battle was lost, whether or not another body was laid to rest in the rubble of the temple was irrelevant. The intelligent would find some way to survive to fight another day, even if that day was months, if not years, down the road. It was a better way to serve the Order, Tolun decided. He was used to people not agreeing with his methods, but the Jedi would need as many survivors as possible in the years to come. He intended to be among the survivors. And besides, this presented a unique opportunity for his research. He needed to get close to the Sith to test some of his hypothesis. Provided he had the right chances, he could potentially turn his captors into unwitting test subjects. They could try to break him, but they would prove to me far more useful to him than they would ever realize.

And now there was naught to do but wait.

___

Lord Jewel Namore strode confidently through the halls of the Jedi Temple, escorted by a squad of Imperial soldiers. They were only mildly useful to her, as blasters were hardly a match for a Lightsaber. Still, it never hurt to approach your enemy with every edge you could get. The enemy she was hunting this time was a Kaminoan Jedi. She was to take him alive, a favour for Darth Nyiss. Nyiss had found out about his research from interrogating a number of Jedi captives earlier, and it had intrigued her, despite his unfortunate race. Rounding a corner, she came across the entrance to his laboratory. She had her men place small breaching charges on the doors that blocked the way. She activated her lightsaber moments before the charges detonated, blasting the door down and revealing the stark white laboratory behind. There was quite the contrast between the golden-brown stone that made up the rest of the temple, and she paused for a moment as her eyes adjusted. She raised the purple blade of her lightsaber into the high one-handed ready stance of Juyo, building her hatred internally even as she remained the picture of calm.

Tolun Fi regarded the Sith warrior with equally calm and semi-interested eyes. He did not react physically to her presence, other than a slow blink. "Most people knock before entering, so you are aware." he said, as if she were some wayward padawan instead of a sworn enemy of the Republic.

Jewel was quite stunned by this Jedi. Every other Jedi she had encountered had attacked her just for being what she was, but here was one that stuck to sarcastic wit even as she prepared to strike him down. She couldn't help but admire him. She kept her weapon raised and tried to maintain the state of mind required for Juyo, but thought perhaps it would be easier to take him without a fight. "So you're a funny Jedi then." It was a statement, not a question. "I guess you really do find something new every day. So, funny Jedi, are you going to resist? Or shall I just strike you down now?" No need to actually tell him he was wanted alive. Not yet anyway.

"Humour is subjective, I find." Tolun replied, appraising the woman. Lithe, attractive by human standards. Hardly the wrecked physical specimen of many of the higher-up Sith. "To answer your inquiry, had I planned to resist, we would be exchanging strikes with our blades instead of speaking to one another. Rather civil of you, I might add." he said, glancing to the soldiers accompanying the Sith. "Despite my disapproval of the deaths of many of my Order, I am inclined to prefer survival. Work yet to be completed, you see." he paused. "And I am under the impression you are taking prisoners, most curious. Quite the display of power to do such a thing."

Jewel lowered her blade, keeping it active by her side but no longer in the Juyo stance. She let her Hatred begin to drain slightly as her more logical and manipulative mind took over. "The Sith Empire is not barbarous. Something your pretty little Republic seems to forget all too often. That said, your will to survive is at odds with leaving yourself vulnerable to attack. You of all people should know that Sith do not believe... aliens... to be worthy of capture." She raised her blade again and sunk into the stance once more. "So what makes you think I'm going to bother taking you alive, alien?" He had to want to come with her. It'd be easier that way. Of course part of her wanted to fight, and she did truly believe that his race made him inferior. But the cause came first, and this particular alien could further that cause.

"Quite, I could tell of the Sith Empire's civilized outlook by the stench of burning bodies wafting in from the halls. And I am quite aware of the xenophobic disposition of the Sith, quite a ridiculous concept, if you ask me." he shifted his stance somewhat, still non-threatening but very so much prepared to access his lightsaber or use the Force to defend himself if need be. "You appear to be one who thinks before she acts, which is probably why you are charged with taking prisoners instead of joining in the slaughter of your fellow Sith, something I find commendable, in a fashion." he sighed somewhat through his nose, more of a disappointed discharge of air than sorrow. "As to why you do not strike me down instead of consider me to be a viable candidate for whichever scheme you may be hatching, even the most prejudiced of Sith recognize value when they see it, and in war none can afford to be particularly... selective. What I know is invaluable, and whomever sent you would likely find more use out of my knowledge than from a typical Jedi, even the humans you seem to prize so much." he said boorishly. "I can also assure you that a violent outcome from this exchange is in neither of our interests. We both wish to keep our lives, and you have the upper hand. But an attempt to strike me down would end rather poorly for you. It is not a boast, but a simple observation. One does not raise through the ranks of either the Jedi or the Sith by being a fool."

"Because Republic soldiers are so very merciful when they attack an Imperial world." Jewel replied sarcastically. Still this Jedi seemed far more interested in logic than extolling the supposed morality of the Republic. She deactivated her Lightsaber and returned it to her belt, keeping her hand near it just in case. "As it happens, Jedi, you are of use to the Sith. Your research has been noticed by more than the Republic. And since you seem so eager to be captured, I cant help but oblige." She motioned her men forward, giving the signal to bind him with restraints. "I'm afraid you'll have to go through with the formalities of capture, no matter how co-operative you seem to be now. I wont waste my breath telling you what happens if you try anything. The trail of burning bodies should speak for themselves." She turned away, but stopped for a moment before leaving. "You know, you should never judge a Sith at face value. I imagine if this had come to violence, that error might have cost you dearly." Best to keep them on their toes. Telling him he'd seen right through her combat technique was decidedly un Sith-like.

Tolun Fi did not resist when the troopers shackled his arms, pulling the lightsaber from his belt. It would have been a futile gesture, in any case. The Sith woman prattled with more hubris, but it did not hurt to let her think she had an easy victory. What was interesting was how she mentioned he was known for his research beyond the Republic. Of course it would be of interest to the Sith, given their hunger for quickly finding new recruits and their obsession with genetic purity. Tolun could make it a reality, if he chose to cooperate. Of course, he had no intention of doing any such thing. "I never pass judgement so quickly, Sith. You cannot truly know someone unless you are certain of how they work." he said. "It would be interesting to find what drives you, and perhaps I will discover it soon enough." he stared at her, tilting his head as he drank in the details of the woman. "Regardless, you have made a wise choice, although I suspect that it was not entirely your decision."

"Funny, Jedi." Her voice was deadpan, she was no-longer amused with this one. He altogether far to Sith-like. "You know, apart from your... impure form, you would fit quite well into the Sith. I think you truly missed your calling." It vexed her immensely that he was smart enough to realize she was acting under, orders. It fueled her hatred, hatred which she locked away for later use. It also made sure that she did not underestimate him. He seemed fairly single minded with his focus on research, but if he bothered to use his intellect for more political purposes, she would have quite the rival.

"Impure is a curious term, considering the Sith obsession with finding racial purity when so many of you have mixed and flawed genetics. You crave genetic perfection, and you are looking at it. My people have long ago achieved genetic purity, something no other race seems to have the... ambition to achieve. I must disagree with your suggestion that I would make for a better Sith than Jedi. The Sith are chaos, I value order. Emotions drive you, I find they dilute the clarity to achieve great things. I strive for peace, the Sith only seem to crave war. As you can tell, it is something of a difference in perspective. Now," he said, looking around at his laboratory once more. "I am sure you would be delighted to discuss morality between the Light and Dark Side to great extent with me, but I am sure we both do not want to be here when your army is done here, am I wrong?"

"No. We don't. The Jedi Temple is going to be demolished, and your wonderful capital world is going to become a testament to the might of the Imperial Navy. I'm sure you know about Taris. Lets just say that the Darth in charge of this happens to like chaos even more than Darth Malak did." His needling only served to strengthen her hate. That he could even consider claiming to be of a pure race was ridiculous, but a verbal sparring match was not what she was looking for. Instead, she touched a button on her gauntlet, a button linked to the manacles that now held the aliens hands. It caused them to inject a small needle into the Jedi's wrist, and through the needle a potent Sith mixture that would render even a Jedi unconscious for quite some time. "I hope you enjoy my masters concoction. She might even let you study it if you cooperate."

Tolun Fi was only vaguely aware of what the Sith was saying after the prick of a needle entered his wrist none-too-gently. The room around him started to fall out of focus, the sounds dulling. The pain quickly subsided, the toxin quickly taking hold. The Kaminoan was only vaguely aware of the floor rushing up to greet him and by the time he hit the white paneled floor, the darkness had already overcome him.

____

Aboard the Hâsk, hours later...

As soon as consciousness retook Tolun Fi, he groggily brought himself into a sitting position, meditating to detoxify his body. He recalled being captured, and much of the conversation leading up to the tranquilizer in his system. And so, sitting with eyes closed, the Kaminoan Jedi Knight willed the Force to cleanse his body of the toxins that were taking much too long to be neutralized on their own. There was no guessing where he was, or how much time had passed, so he did not even try. His assumption was that himself, and any other potential captives were brought aboard a ship and contained, as there were not many tranquilizers or poisons that could safely subdue someone for the length of time required to reach Sith controlled space and the worlds within that sphere of influence. Some time later, Tolun Fi rose to his feet, head clear and much of his strength returned. It would have to do.

The Kaminoan made a slow, deliberate pace around the confinement that would act as his home for an indeterminate amount of time. His hand traced along the alloy walls, a pale sickly green colour and a consistant density that told Tolun that the walls were made of durasteel, perhaps with another compound in it. He decided to refrain from touching the door; there was no safe way of knowing which security precautions were taken there. Some prisons, the Kamionan knew, had energy fields surging through the doors that caused violent electrical shocks. Others went so far as to not give the prisoner his or her hand back. Knowing the Sith, the latter was a likely, and unpleasant, option. On the plus side, he had a commanding view of the door that lead into, and out of, the cell block. He'd be among the first to see what visitor would come for them first.

A voice called through the cell block, somewhat startling Tolun, who was deep in contemplation. He heard her, a human, although he could not place her voice despite his best efforts. "I hear you." he said back, loudly enough to be heard. "Do try to keep calm and focus, I suspect we will be here for some time." And likely tortured, he didn't add. "Are you hurt?"

10th Post Ellri

~| Aboard the Hâsk |~

~| Deck 05 - Primary Prison complex - Cellblock 2 |~

Just as the Kaminoan Jedi finished speaking and before Calista could reply, the Bulkhead door securing the cells slid open, framing a pair of Imperial troopers holding a young female in Jedi robes between them. The red energy fields suddenly came to life around the two Jedi that had already awoken.

“And back in with ya!” shouted one trooper, tossing the girl into the cell. “Don’t let me catch you tryin’ to get out again!”
Lea hit the ground hard. The Imperial troops were not gentle, and she knew that she’d have bruises after this. It was painful to even think about it, but she had little choice. She looked back at him, a fuming look on her almost child-like face. “You won’t.” she whispered, so low that he could not hear it.

She clearly heard the sound of his walking off, then the hiss as the bulkhead door sealed up, sealing the cell block off from the rest of the ship once more. Lea twisted her body about, placing her knees below herself, preparing to get back up, even as she winced from the bruises she knew she would have tomorrow. Jedi robes may be practical compared to many clothing styles, but they sure did not protect against physical trauma.

Slowly rising to her feet, Lea leaned on the wall, searching for the switch to her cell force field. She noticed what appeared to her unfocused eyes to be other prisoners in the other cells now, but she did not care. She knew the switch was there somewhere. Even as slowly as she had done it, blood still rushed to her head, making her sight swim. After half a minute of searching blindly, her hand finally found it, and the field activated, the entrance to her cell turning bright red. She continued leaning on the wall, limping along backwards until she came to the side alcove. Fumbling beneath her robes, she pulled out the object she had secreted there, stashing it between the wall and the simple cot that has been provided with the cell. Not only was she glad they had not found it on her, but she was also certain it would come in handy later.

Now that it had been securely put away, Lea could finally relax. She lay down on the bed, assessing her body, wondering how long it would take to heal. And for that matter whether the Sith would let her heal up.

~| Deck 15 - Captain’s Quarters |~

Moff Absk Katherion looked at the small group gathered in his chambers. Though Darth Nyiss was technically in command, he still had significant clout, and he had figured out since first meeting her that she did not feel the need to be the one in charge of every meeting, so long as her authority was never denied. “Is it done? Are there any teams still in transit?” he asked, not really pointing the question at anyone in particular.

The Lieutenant, the one known under the name ‘Allende Laval’, spoke up. “They are all on board, Katherion. We currently have sixteen Jedi and fifty-six regular prisoners of various species.” Her tone of voice was virtually emotionless, though a smile graced her face, revealing the fact that while she sounded like she did not care one iota about the results of the mission, she was pleased with the initial result. The moff looked back at her, nodding in response to the answer, archiving the information in his mind for later use. “Shall we move out then?” he asked.

“Don’t be hasty, Moff Katherion. Imperial Intelligence has a number of taps on Republic communications, and there has been an increase in chatter since the attack. It must be determined if the Jedi, or any other prisoners on board, have knowledge valuable to the Empire before the Hâsk departs. By any means necessary.” Minder Sixty-Two’s tone had even less emotion than the lieutenant’s, and unlike her, no emotion showed on his cybernetically enhanced face either.

“No.” Darth Nyiss spoke this time. Her voice much more emotional than the others. “I need the Jedi intact. Functional.” She looked sharply at Minder. “Imperial Intelligence can wait. My work will make the entire war unnecessary, and I need proper test subjects for that work. Do what you will with the mundanes. They are irrelevant to me.”

Minder Sixty-two nodded. Once. “Very well. It shall start with the non-Jedi. When your Sith work upon corrupting the Jedi, have them search for the information. Intelligence would appreciate any aid in acquiring it. For the Empire.”

Nyiss stared at the agent for a few seconds, as if weighing up whether to agree or Force choke him for his insolence. “I suppose I could… accommodate that request. You will, of course, tell my Sith of this yourself. Don’t forget to remind them to keep the subjects from losing anything that doesn’t grow back.”

The moff watched their exchange with humor, struggling not to laugh at their stabs at each other’s authority. Personally, he knew better than to get on the bad side of Sith and Intelligence alike. The only reason he managed to hold it in check was the fact that if he did laugh, they would both vent their irritation upon him, and that was something he could do without. The two were, fortunately for him, oblivious to his almost laughing at them.

“Of course, Darth Nyiss. That should give me a chance to observe the Jedi for myself.” As always, there was no emotion apparent in his voice or body. When she did not respond to him, Katherion decided to speak up. “By the way, Darth... My men caught that Padawan outside her cell again. Do your Sith even try to keep the prisoners locked up?”

“Her resourcefulness bodes well. It will make her a good Sith. Moff, you did design the Prison block to be inescapable did you not? If that is truly so, then I should not need to worry. If that is not the case, then I will have to be more strict with my guards. But before I did that, I would have to dispose of the designer of the theoretical inferior Prison block, and I wouldn’t want to do that.” She turned her gaze back to the Minder, sharpening it again. “Perhaps our eager friend in Imperial Intelligence would like to assist with security?”

Absk had no idea how to respond to that. From her tone at the end, it sounded almost like she was flirting with him. Thankfully, he did not have to respond, for she spoke to the Intelligence agent not soon afterwards. “That is a reasonable request, Minder Sixty-two. Your training should help you locate holes in the prison security system. You will do that.” In this, Katherion showed that though he prefers not to order people about, he nonetheless has a core of Mandalorian Iron. “Now, this meeting is done. Get moving.”

11th Post Musketman

Burin sat on his metal bed, attempting to meditate as his master taught him to, but every time he tried to concentrate on the flow of the force, he felt his dead master. It was like a distant whisper, but it was enough to fuel Burin's rage. If someone were to look into his eyes, red would be creeping in his green pupils. Burin was aware of the Jedi around him, he felt their light, hopeful energy which clashed magnificently with his growing dark energy. Some had been captured, he thought, he tried to ignore the whisper of the force, but then an image flashed in his mind, it was his master's face. His eyes snapped open and he let out a scream of rage, his pupils bright red. Burin's rage would make his whole cell shake for a couple of seconds. He closed his eyes and attempted to calm himself down, when he opened them again, his pupils were bright green with red creeping around the edges. Burin sighed and lay down on his metal bed, attempting to get some rest.

[Sep]

12th Post Echo and Musketman

Viera woke to the sound of an inhuman roar and the ground shaking. For a moment she thought she was still in the Temple archives, and that she’d only dreamed being hunted and captured. Her head hurt though, in the spot where the Imperials had hit her with a rifle, and the floor was not the soft stone of the temple, but the cold steel of a ships deck. She stayed absolutely still as the sound continued and the deck below her shook. She was fairly sure she was now wherever the Sith were taking her, the Darkside aura was far too strong for this to be the Temple. It was almost palpable, and her skin crawled for being so near it. Slowly, the shuddering of the deck stopped and the sound died down. Viera dared to move her head to take a peek at the surroundings. It was a prison cell. Great. She had expected something like that, but it was still something else to actually wake up in one.

She took a moment to rise from the awkward position she'd woken up in, the guards hadn't been gentle it seemed, just throwing her carelessly like she was nothing more than an object. She managed to get to her feet - awkwardly, groaning in pain from the many bruises as she did so. At least nothing seemed to be broken, she was no healer. "Owww..... Where are we?" She said to one in particular, looking around the room slowly.

Burin lay on his bed, willing himself to calm down, he could've torn the whole cell apart. He reached into the force to find solace, pushing away the whisper of his master. A new energy was active, another Jedi it seemed. Burin didn't want to try and reach out to any of these Jedi, much less one that had just woke up. He opened his eyes and stared at the gray ceiling, he anger was still there, but not as strong, not strong enough for another force-quake anyway.

Viera continued to look around the cell, she felt other presences nearby, but still hadn't seen them. She hobbled over to one of the spartan looking beds and sat down slowly, feeling slowly returning to her extremities after too long on the cold floor. "Well done Viera. Surrender to the Sith troops. That was definitely your best decision of the year..." She was talking to herself, for the sake of talking. She tended to verbalise her every thought when in such a distressing situation, just one of the many reasons she had preferred to care for the archives alone. She absentmindedly rubbed the lump on her head from the where the Sith troops had knocked her out, then decided to get up again. She wasn't getting anything done just sitting around. She stepped out into the middle of the hexagonal room, spotting a Twi'lek woman laying motionless on the ground. "Nothing I can do for you..." Then, in the darkness of one of the alcoves she spotted another figure. Too ordered to have been put there by the Sith. He, at least she thought it was a he, looked decidedly reptilian, though he shared the same style Jedi robes that both she and the Twi'lek wore. "Hello? Who are you? Are you awake? My name is Viera, I'm a Jedi" The words came tumbling out almost all at once, she didn't even stop to breathe.

Burin heard a woman talking and sat up, looking for the source of the voice. He saw a what seemed to be human woman, adorned in Jedi clothing. Momentarily he was relieved to see someone else, but then he remembered if she was in here, she had failed as a Jedi to protect, she didn't say she was a padawan. Burin stared at her for a second and replied "I'm Burin." he didn't want to say anything else unless she was lying. He got up off his metal bed and walked into the hexagon cautiously.

"Oh... hello Burin. Nice to meet you. I think." She was chattering again. Being in a prison cell made her nervous, and the Dark Side aura didn't help. As the lizard - Burin - stepped into the light, she could see that he was tense, she could feel the waves of anger rolling off of him, he looked like a Jedi but right now he certainly didn't feel like one. "So, ah, how long have you been awake? Do you know who put us here? Where we're going?" Then she realised, the familiar weight of her Lightsaber was not on her belt! They'd taken it! "Well of course they've taken it" She muttered, then in a clearer voice and to Burin again, "Oh and do you know where our Lightsabers are?"

Burin looked at her coldly, he wanted to throw her against a wall and yell at her for stop asking such obvious questions and demand to know why the Jedi were so unprepared for this. Instead he said, "An hour or so, and my guess is the Sith and nope.", Burin continued to stare at her, she was perfectly fine except for a couple of bruises, anger and hatred washed over him, giving him a feel of power. If one were to look at his pupils, red could be seen around a circle of green, and slowly creeping towards the middle. He sensed her tension and felt a grim satisfaction that he made her so uncomfortable.

Along with the anger, she now caught a whiff of frustration. Probably from her babbling. Alright Vierra, stop asking stupid questions. She thought to herself, making an effort to not verbalise it. This man was treading a dangerous path, she could almost see the dark tendrils rolling off him. "Alright, sorry, I tend to babble when things seem bleak. Sorry. But you need to calm down... We are surrounded by the dark and its getting to you. Tell me what's troubling you... maybe I can help?"

Burin shook his head, "I'm tired, I'm going to try to sleep." , he walked back into his cell, laying down on the metal bed, he didn't want to talk, he didn't want to be assured, he didn't want to be lied to. No one could help him, no one can make the Jedi better, no one could bring his master back.

Tired... She didn't need the force to see that for an attempt to get rid of her. He'd been up for an hour after being knocked out for who knew how long and he claimed to be tired. Normally she wouldn't bother, normally she'd just go back to her archives, but she couldn't do that here. And if there was one thing worse than being locked in a Sith prison, it was being locked in a Sith prison with an angry force wielding Lizard that was much bigger than you. One more attempt. "You aren't tired. You just don't want to talk to me. do think because I spent most of my time in the archives that I cant see that? You aren't that hard to read. Look, I'm angry at the Sith for the attack too. Do you know how much Knowledge the order will lose when they demolish the archive? It hurts. I know it hurts. But you cant let it rule you. If you do, you'll become one of them. A Sith. Is that what you want? To be the very thing that just took away our home?

That hit a nerve. Did she really think he cared about some stupid knowledge, about Coruscant, Burin never had a Home. His eyes snapped open, his pupils were full red now. He leaped up from his bed and looked at her, he let out a scream of rage and used the force to throw her backwards, his voice seemed to magnify as he yelled. "Do you think I care about those stupid archives? Or that planet!? The Jedi failed their job, they were supposed to be the elite! The protectors of the galaxy, but instead they allowed millions of creatures to be slaughtered!!!" With another howl of rage he sent her flying back into her cell. Burin marched back to his cell and plopped down on the metal bed, his eyes were still a fiery red and hatred and anger flowed from him like a waterfall.

Viera could not have predicted that he would react so suddenly and violently. She realised as the first Force push hit her that this Burin lizard was already disturbingly far down the path to the Darkside. She wasn't even slightly prepared to defend against a Force attack, and she went flying into the wall behind her. He started yelling at her as she tried to stand, but the words were hardly coherent and her ears were ringing. When he'd finished his tirade, he threw her again, though this time she mitigated some of the attack with her own abilities. She was cast backwards into her part of the cell, hitting her head on the hard wall. Apparently it really wasn't her day, as the world swam for a moment and she promptly fell back into unconsciousness.

13th Post Rtron+Fallenreaper

During the Attack on Coruscant

Sish listened to the thrum of the ship as it went along it's way, the amount of heat generated by the bodies all around him nearly blinding. Soon. He coudl feel it. Soon the halls of Coruscant would be bathed in the blood of the weaklings that had brought the Galaxy to it's knees with their hypocrisy. Excitement made him almost fidgety, and undoubtedly he would have, but his fellow Sith and apprentice was pressed too close together, making fidgeting unwise. Soon. Soon they would break the back of the Republic, and shatter the hold of the Jedi. He bared his teeth in a feral grin, glancing at his apprentice.

She would be ready. Or she would die. Simple as that.

As he felt the ship begin to tip downwards, heading for it's final goal, he leaned down, whispering in her ear, "I hope you are ready. The Jedi won't go down without a fight."

"I'm well aware of that... but neither do I," Jayda said simply, her voice calm with an edge coldness to it when speaking to her master. In a round about way, she reminded him about her sturdy nature. She eyeded his bearing teeth, mindful of it's distance yet unafraid. If he bite so be it but she wouldn't allow him pleasure from the sting.
H
She could feel the ship move into position at the same time, drawing close to their mission and the danger below. It was like a calm before the storm and the Zabrak could feel it most of all. There was no doubt in her mind this test, this battle, would be a challenge just like her Res Selenores were, and it would take all her focus and determination just to survive it.

She wasn't intending to fail here. Not before she watched the light fade from her master's eyes a he breathed his last breath, not having endured the four years of suffering at his claws or scars it left for nothing. Her Jat'i, Zabrak tattoos upon her back and shoulder no longer were distinguishable from the scars over scars that laced her thin muscles. Her hands suddenly jerked out, bracing against the ship side.

Vibrations rippled violent against the hull as the ship slammed into the Jedi Temple's doors, the bay shook threatening to bring the Sith inside to their knees. Yet not a single one even flinched. Soon the ship landed, the blast doors coming open with a deafening hiss while Jayda's and Sish's hands went to their lightsabers. They came alive with a loud buzz, his orange and hers purple, the blade lite their darken features while the battle engaged.

Several Jedi rushed the unit of Sith that erupted from the bay, their blue and green blades clashing with the reds. Jayda caught movement from the corner of her eye and she launched forward. Her blade flicked in close and crackling when it caught the first Jedi's lightsaber. A small, delighted smile cracked Jayda's usually calm demeanor feeling her inner predator rise to the challenge eagerly. A light of wicked enjoyment sparked in her eyes while the feeling, the hot and intense heat of excitement burned within. The blade held fast, her one hand held him at bay before suddenly her free one jerked out and aimed at her foe's foot. Instantly she jerked her arm back sending him into Sish's blade.

He only smiled wider. "I would hope so." Was his only response, as the ship began to go down at a steeper and steeper angle, before slamming into the ground and the doors of the temple of the Jedi. Lightsabers ignited all around him, and it took only a second for the battle to be joined. His first opponent was a Padawan, sadly. The human girl tried put up a fight, but her strength just couldn't match his. She lasted three blows. Then, she was driven to her knees and beheaded, the green of her lightsaber extinguishing as it clattered against the ground. The sound was lost in the screams and shouts of combat. Kicking the head out of his way, Sish turned to impale a Jedi upon his blade, removing it out of the body with a contemptous flick.

He only had time to give her a feral grin before his next opponent arrived. Their blades clashed together with a shower of sparks, straining against each other, before Sish broke to launch another powerful blow. The Jedi's blade met his once again, before his counter attack was deflected by the Trandoshan. This continued for a few seconds, then the Jedi tried to force jump over Sish. His leap was arrested above the Sith Lord, using the force to stop him, who proceeded to slam the unfortunate Jedi down in front of Jayda, the ground cracking before the Jedi's life was ended.

This.. this was purity in it's truest form. Combat. The struggle to survive. The fight to see who was strongest. The emotions through the air...it was glorious. Pure. How the galaxy should be, would be, if not for the meddling of the Jedi.

The moment the Jedi fell from the air to the ground before her, Jayda's blade slapped down. Sizzling flesh and bone in half, ending the life. Over the half year it had become easy to end a life now. She no longer thought of the past or present connected to one behind the blade, easing her guilt and pain it brought. It was better this way. Not have them suffer at the claws of the Sith at her side, the creature she protected only for that one chance. A slight movement from a green blade and Jayda's came up, gaurding Trandoshan's side from a deep gash. Her nostrils flared while she easily held it upright... her emotions wanting to severe the Jedi in half. Her body pinned close to her master and watching him feeding his lust of violence with pound of flesh and severed parts. A wickness crossed her gaze as slowly, unnotably, her strength in the gaurd weakened. The point lowered close to Sish's unaware form. In her mind she timed it so well that it appeared purely accidental. Just when his hand whipped at a Jedi aiming for her side, bring his light saber close, Jayda's gaurd gave way.

It was quick and flawless. The young Jedi didn't realize what had happened as his blade hissed, stinging the wrist area. The only thing that stopped it from cutting through was the fact most the blade was caught by the armor covering it. Jadya smiled at the fresh sound of flesh being sizzled by the blade, quickly ducking to cut out the leg at the joint and bring the Jedi down.

Sish let out a roar of rage as he felt his scales and flesh sizzle at the touch of the Jedi's lightsaber. He knew what had happened. She knew what had happened. It was no accident. It was just another one of her games. He bared his teeth in a feral snarl at her, giving a simple warning, and a reminder. "Only the weak let other's do their fighting. Even your brother didn't do that." He didn't get to see her reaction, turning to battle another Jedi attacking. Rage gave him strength, and sparks flew as he drove the Jedi backwards before breaking through the Twilek's guard and cutting off the creature's leg at the knee cap. As the Jedi fell screaming, Sish grabbed a lekku, claws piercing the flesh, and slung him towards Jayda, before turning to another maggot and electrocuting him.

Instinctively her eyes hardened at the murder's mention of her brother, fighting the desire to turn her blade upon him. It wouldn't do. Not here or now, her teeth clench together letting her hand slash about to cut down another human Jedi. It wasn't fact she was making him do the fighting but rather reminding the fithy Trandonshan to remember she was only his apprentice by choice. Choice alone. He failed to break her, having a thin hold over her, and that would be his downfall one day.

She sensed something being tossed her way, her body tensed. The Twilek's body came into view while the Zabrak smirked at her Master's pitiful attempt at returning her 'lost gaurd' of earlier. She almost felt a slight dissappointment in his childish behavior...but at least it was predictable. Focusing her Force into her blade Jayda did a diagonal slash then planting a hand upon the ground, kicked up her leg. Her knee caught the remaining torso, sending it crashing into the nearest foe. The alien dodged to the right only to feel Jayda's blade impale him in the chest.

Watching the eyes died, she jerked it out then beheaded it ensuring the male would never rise. She wasn't one to take chances. Unlike her Master, she made sure the job was done completely.

Sish's blade flashed out to end the Jedi's twitching, and screaming. There would be much death this day, and each one would serve to rid the galaxy of the plague known as the Jedi. A force push threw him back near Jayda, and as he leapt to his feet with a snarl, he saw who it was. A Zabrak, a warrior judging from his gear and stance. Sish's snarl suddenly turned into a grin. "This one is mine." Was his only comment to Jayda, before standing and engaging in combat with this one worthy opponent. Blue clashed against orange, and a titanic struggle began.

"Don't get yourself killed..." Her voice held a faint mocking, attention drawn to a young woman that took another stance.

The Zabrak female wasn't impressed, her body shot forward, letting the blade graze by her shoulder and cut into the fabric. The Jedi hadn't expected Jayda to get in close and failed to see Jaday was lost in the pace of the fight, her body placing muscle memory above thinking. The pain seared from her wound while she took the minor infliction to send her blade to return the favor. It slashed into the shoulder top, cutting the tendon and muscle then making the arm useless. Not done, Jayda did two heavy hits with a freed hand, one to two places on the same rib. She felt it break under her rapid hit and so did the Jedi. The bone shift right before the Apprentice sent it right into the Jedi's heart in one last thrust. Blood spilt from the lips, the complexion paled while she fell to her knees letting Jayda relax.

"These Jedi are more like kep* then warriors..." the Zabrak mumbled feeling her anger still strong and tearing at her control, forcing herself to maintain control over her emotions.

The Zabrak had skill, Sish had to give him that. The powerful blows that had worked so well before against the other Jedi were proving to be useless. Blocked, defended, deflected. A shower of sparks each time, much to Sish's growing frustration and rage. After a few more exchanges that resulted in a frustrating lack of progress offensively and a barely successful defense, Sish decided to do something...unorthodox.

Their blades came together once again, but this time Sish kept pressing, the Zabrak instinctively pressing forwards in response, one leg, and more importantly knee, stepping forward as Sish gave ground. The Trandoshan gave a feral grin, sensing his opportunity. One clawed foot shot forward, and the knee snapped backwards at an unnatural angle. The armor prevented the claw from piercing flesh, but not the force from a Trandoshan's kick.

To his credit, the Zabrak didn't cry out as he fell, even managing to block Sish's downward stroke. He wasn't able to block the next, force powered, kick to his ribs however. The Zabrak skidded across the battlefield, knocking over a Jedi battling another Sith warrior. Said Jedi was soon killed by said Sith Warrior. Sish pressed his advantage, dragging the Zabrak back to him through the Force, and then being thrown backwards himself as the Zabrak retaliated. With a decided lack of grace, Sish managed to land on his feet.

He didn't wait, he rushed forward, lightning shooting from his hand to hit the crippled Zabraks lightsaber as he raised it in defense. Sish threw his lightsaber with his other hand. It went straight through the Zabrak's middle, a brief surprise showing on his face before he fell. Dead.

A Republic soldier tried to attack him with a sword. With a contemptuous gesture, Sish Force pulled the man towards him and ripped out the Republic soldier's throat. With his jaws. The remains of the man's throat in his jaws, blood running down his jaws and covering his scales. He threw the corpse off to the side, before cutting of the hand of another attacking Padawan and throwing the human too Jayda. Swallowing his brief snack, he deflected a lightsaber that was meant for her spine.

Jayda knew Sish's habits and moves to a distisguishing accuracy, usually made her sick at the easeit took her. Now it was merely tolerable.Spotting the youth tossed to her, Jayda brought her foot about slamming into the man's foot side and sending him into another direction.

Her attention was distracted as another human, another female, had taken the offensive. Brazing dual lightsabers, Jayda's defense went up by bring her own blade horizontally to stop the downward slash at her head. Moving her foot forwards, she leaned back on heel then brought her foot up to kick into the inside thigh. The woman flinched then pulled farther back. Jayda smiled bring her blade into her offensive style, the blade whipping out agressively. She started to put more and more strength into cutting forward, trying to gain ground she had lost. Her hearts hammered threatening to bruise her ribs from the excitement. Her foot slide to the side, bring her body sideways, the woman force to block while Jayda attempted mow her over. Unforunately Jayda didn't note the the second Jedi coming upon her rear flank.

Her head jerked to the movement from behind her only to see Sish's orange blade come between her back and her attacker. A slight surprise in her eyes slowly faded when her original foe struck out again. Their blades locked. Jayda slowly, once more, allow her strength to fade letting the woman feeling empowered by the gain in momentum. Too late now, the Zabrak twisted her lightsaber on top and to her side, bring the woman's first blade to the ground while Jayda stopped the other arching blade with her now freeded hand. Pouring her Force to push it away, stopping it in mid air. Sish needed little encouragement as Jayda's blade kept the first blade pinned leaving the woman's side exposed.

Sish arced lightning towards the Jedi trying to kill his apprentice, while flicking his freed blade into the woman's side. She let out a cry of pain, that quickly turned to a gurgle of shock. Sish had not been simply content to stab her through the side. His free hand had dragged a claw across the tender flesh of her throat, spraying blood over the Trandoshan and his apprentice. Sish simply bared his teeth in another grin, the red crimson staining them only going a darker shade as more blood hit them. Before he could make any comment, the Padawan he had tossed to Jayda caught his attention...for only a moment. A sickening crack was muffled by the sound of battle as Sish slammed his foot on the back of the Jedi's neck. His lightsaber flashed down once, to make sure his opponent was dead.

Another Jedi was attacking, and this one was yet another Padawan. Two blows later, the Jedi's lightsaber was gone, and Sish decapitated him, relying on Jayda to deflect the lighstaber destined for his back. "I expected a better fight." He commented, taking advantage of the brief lull in combat they had. He could hear distant explosions, and the scream of Imperial ships as they bombarded Coruscant. His grin grew wider.

Jayda always had trouble getting use to his brutal form or the fact he savagely tore into his victims. True Zabrak were aggressive and brutal, even intimancy let it's wounds but Sish's methods were something worse. Making his opponents looking like an animal, rabid with hate and malice, had gotten a hold of them instead of a Sith as she felt the warm, rustic red blood splatter across her from the Jedi’s throat. Quickly she twisted her head, hoping to spar any droplets from creeping into her eyes, while spying the woman’s body shuddered into death. No longer required to pin down a lightsaber Jayda returned to a neutral but ready stance. It was obvious that out of both of them, Sish surely was enjoying himself with a self-pleased grin leaving Jayda wiping the mess from her face. The red streak left behind darkening her cheek and now the back of her hand. Not that she cared.

It didn’t take long for the moment to end. When Sish’s lightsaber lunged forward, her body had skirted around his moving form for his back. One foot leading and both hands rest once more upon her hilt, the Zabrak ‘s teeth clenched as she brought it close to her own body, and leveled to her shoulders. Taking on the full impact when their weapons met. The blade hissed angrily upon clashing. A loud buzz filled both combatants’ ears grinding together, her front leg bent, with arms right angles to prevent connecting with Sish’s back. It would be a lie to pretend the idea of letting the oversized lizard get his hid split open didn’t appeal to her yet he would die when she determined it.

No sooner or later…

Without a farther moment wasted, Jayda’s left hand automatically sent a rush of Force at her assailant’s legs. His knees cracked and violently jerked back, knocking his feet out from under him. Her blade came free then. Swiftly she whipped her blade back out. This time, she aimed for the joint that connected the wrist and hand, turning it into a cauterized stump. The Jedi screamed in pain only to be drowned out by the Imperial ships. She then twisted her blade downwards, thrusting it down to bury it deep into her fallen and shivering opponent’s neck. Ending his life cleanly during his shock. Her head hummed with the adrenaline buzz pumping in time with her own lightsaber thanks to the battle. Maybe even because of the loud sounds. As it slowly died down, Jayda deactivated her saber, the invasion’s backdrop became louder while Jedi and Republic soldier attempted to save what they could.

For a second Jayda felt a slight empathy to them. Already they had lost, but like Zabrak, they still fought until their lives were left in ruins. Smoke, rubble and bodies littered the Temple floor surrounding those still standing among it. Once so grand and beautiful, none that lived would’ve recognized the place most likely called home.

Hearing Sish’s comment Jayda’s dark purple eyes shifted and her smile disappeared. Mentally she considered introducing the Trandoshan to some of the inhabitants among Iridonia’s Great Acid Sea, her heart feeling a slight spark at the thought. Letting the thought warm her slightly, the woman starting to walk away ignoring her Master’s grin then adding back,” If you’re so eager for a challenging fight then do so without your lightsaber. I’m sure that would even the odds quickly.”

Sish shrugged, cutting down another one of the few surviving Republic soldiers before following his apprentice. He couldn't very well let her die because some coward stabbed her in the back, now could he? Even if she was planning on killing him as soon as she felt she was strong enough to do so. The Strong Survive and the Weak Die. Simple as that. The main battle was dying down. Darth Malgus had slain the Jedi leader, and what little heart they had left crumpled, their will breaking. The Sith began cutting them down.

"I wonder if there are any more of them cowering in the temple?" The Trandoshan wondered aloud.

Jayda shook her head at the reptilian creature, hearing her Sith's master's foot claw pad along the temple ruins. It seemed this battle was drawing to its close as she rolled her eyes at the Trandoshan's comment. Instantly she spoke in Ul' Zabrak under her breath," Kabno gunsos joh'er yidaj'ter.*"

There wasn't any sign of living presence as far as she could sense it, though it wasn't because they were all dead. A large mass of the Force seemed to be gathered away from the Temple and nearing the prison ship, all of them Jedi. Jayda paused taking it in before shugging off the unexpected chill that raced up her spine. She had never asked Sish about why they were traveling on Hâsk, other then destination, and now that lacking question started to linger into focus. Leaving a nasty feeling in her hearts.

"No...but there's a large gathering being brought back to the Hâsk," She spoke, answering his question," The rest are already dying or being rounded up. I believe our task is done..."

Sish's smile grew more predatory. "Ah yes. Those would be our little entertainment on the journey back to Korriban. We're to convert them and extract information from them." His tone left no doubt what converting and extracting information from them would entail. "Well, time to head to the Hâsk then." He paused. "One more thing." He raised a hand, and Force Choked her. "Only cowards insult those they cannot beat in under their breath, in another language. Only the weak. And if you're weak, you won't be able to kill me. And if you aren't able to kill me, your weakling brother...what was his name? I never learned it over the screams he gave. Regardless, if you aren't able to kill me, he won't be able to be avenged. And then what will you do?"

With a flick of his claws, he sent her flying into a nearby pillar, hard enough to crack it. "Don't get left behind. I'll leave you on the planet."

She eyed him over at the mention of entertainment causing her teeth to bare. Jayda didn't like Sish's surprises as they often were too sadistic for her liking and never ended well, turning to face him. This wasn't what she was expecting to hear or was she pleaded. However her face remain blank, givin no sign of her discomfort, merely a cold silence to his growing smile. Then his demeanor shifted suddenly. Invisible fingers wrapped about her throat, cutting of her air, preventing breath. It was clear in moments she hit the line once more as her ears listen to Sish reprimand her. Jayda's hate started to burn at her while the yidaj'ter couldn't remember Mehinn's name! She tried to fight it but quickly was reminded why she was connected to him, why she was following him. To become stronger.

At the slightest movement, she thrown across the temple and smacked stright into the nearest pillar. Her bones felt the impact rattle through yet likely they were dense enough not to break, unlike some lesser speices. Jayda's mouth pressed tightly against the pain. He wouldn't get another scream from her as long as she lived, a promise she intended to keep. The smooth stone spider webbed from where she hit, her body dropping upon being released and left there. Jayda managed to land on her feet though the pain throbbed with the effort.

Wrapping her hand about her throat, rubbing the pain away, Jayda wisely kept her silence. She pissed him off enough and she knew, deep inside, that any more would likely earn her farther and unneeded injury. Sish didn't repeat himself to her. Pulling upright, the Zabrak walked behind him while they made thier way back to the ship. All the time Jayda didn't take her eyes off the Trandoshan.

Post 14 Frettzo

Before and During the Attack.

"Hah! See? I told you that the droid had the information we needed." An excited feminine voice rung out across the small room, followed by a deep chuckle.

"Good thinking, but now what do we do with this information?"

"Uh... We... Hide it?" And seconds of silence passed, until the sound of a facepalm was heard.

Inside the room were two young Jedi, Padawans both. One of them was a human male, around the age of fifteen with blonde hair and brown coloured eyes, and the other was a Twi'Lek female, with purple skin, golden eyes and a yellow stripe going down the length of her lekku. A droid, grey in colour and completely rusted, was laying on a table as the two Padawans stared at a small chip they had extracted from it.

"It is dangerous information, we can't have this on ourselves, at least not until any of our Masters come back." The Twi'lek said, gaining a sigh as a response from the human.

"I know where you're coming from, I really do, but what we found here... It's too important to wait any longer." The teen boy stated, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the rusted droid. "See that droid? We found it on a dark alleyway after reports of mysterious sounds coming from the alley at random hours. A body was also found there, unrecognizable, but obviously dead. We can't allow this to be repeated, Kinsa!"

The Twi'lek, Kinsa, brought a hand up to rub her brow, thinking. She was about to speak, when a sudden explosion rang across the temple- The whole Temple rumbled, and the ground shook for a brief moment, and when the sound receded, the Padawans looked at each other, alarmed expressions on their faces. "What was that?!" Asked Kinsa, and the boy shook his head, frowning as he jogged outside, followed closely by Kinsa.

As soon as they exited the small room and reached a balcony overlooking the wreckage of a ship, a ship that had crashed right through the Temple's front doors. There was a single hooded figure in front of the wreckage, and dozens of Jedi, knights, Padawans and Masters, were gathering around the figure. And then it started. The hatch of the crashed ship opened, and from the darkness within, a whole unit of Sith and quite a few soldiers made their way out, rushing on their sudden charge against Kinsa's brothers and sisters in beliefs.

It was too sudden, and the two Padawans could only gasp before the boy reached for his lightsaber and turned towards Kinsa, regarding her with an extremely scared expression. "Kinsa, you have to hide the chip!" He shouted, before jumping down into the mess below, joining the battle between Light and Dark.

Minutes went, and she had successfully hid the chip, it was now protected in a safe, and when she rushed out onto the balcony, she was shaken by how many Jedi bodies littered the floor. There were also Sith laying dead, but they were so many... The Jedi were outnumbered and outgunned.

That moment, Kinsa knew what she had to do. She had to be a survivor. What good was a light if it was blew out? Might as well had never been lit in the first place. "I have to live." She whispered to herself, looking to her left in time to notice a duo of soldiers rushing out of a room, shooting behind them. some of the shots were deflected by someone inside the room, and one even reached one of the soldiers, killing him instantly. The other soldier, though, kept shooting and eventually, a single scream of pain was heard from inside the room. The soldier relaxed somewhat and began to walk back into the room, but Kinsa had already gotten too close.

The soldier noticed her, thanks to his advanced sensors, and began shooting her way. In swift motions, Kinsa grabbed her lightsaber and began deflecting the shots, It was when the soldier missed a few shots that she could get close enough to force push him off the balconies and down onto the ending battle.

She rushed into the room, to see a youngling holding a lightsaber hilt tightly with one hand, and his side with the other. Tears stained his face, an Kinsa could do nothing but frown sadly at the scene. The youngling panted harshly, and perked up at the sound of Kinsa's lightsaber's deactivation. A brief glint of hope flashed on his eyes, but that same hope was replaced by fear as Kinsa blocked the room's entrance with a table, and then chairs, and finally, a metal closet.

"We have to hide." She mentioned, and the youngling nodded hesitantly. Some rumbling was heard and suddenly she knew that there were more than one. Two more children came out from behind an overturned table, and they nodded as well.

The wounded youngling still held the lightsaber tightly- It probably belonged to a dead Jedi... The thought made her sad. She turned to look at the younglings, and a beeping sound came from outside the barricade. It got faster and faster, higher and higher. Then Kinsa realized what it was. A bomb. Her eyes narrowed and she rushed towards the far en of the room, shouting. "Take cover!"

And then it was all black.

Aboard the Hask

"Ugh..."

Kinsa groaned, struggling to open her eyes, but when she did, she saw what she less expected. A metallic roof. She was also laying on a bed. An uncomfortable one, but it was still a bed. It was easy to make the connections- She was a prisoner. The explosion didn't kill her, it just knocked her unconscious. The memory make her wince and rise from her laying position, checking herself for injuries- Nothing too serious. A few scratches and one mean bruise on her head, but she'd live.

As she stood on the floor, she took mental notes of the layout of her small cell. Not a very nice place to sleep in, but it'd do, at the very least. And then someone made her presence known- A familiar voice. "Hello? Is anyone there? Is anyone awake?"

"Calista!"

Kinsa perked up, her eyes wide as she looked around. She pinpointed the source of the voice, but a pillar blocked most of her view of the cell it came from.

"It's me, Kinsa, are you okay?"

"Kinsa?" Calista's eyes widened and sighed quietly in relief: one friend was alive. And not only that, they were in the same area. "Thank goodness you're alive! And you too as well, friend!" She greeted the unknown voice that answered her first. "Are you injured? Is anyone in there with you? I'm also more or less fine, my head just feels a bit fuzzy." Calista shrugged her shoulders and let her Jedi robe pool behind her on her bed; it would work as a makeshift blanket. She didn't need it everywhere she went, after all.

"Just a few cuts and bruises, nothing unexpected... Look, I don't know what's going to happen, but we must stay strong. At least that's what my Master would have told me." Kinsa sighed, kneeling down on the ground. "How many Jedi do you think are here?" She asked before reaching for her lightsaber- Only to find that it wasn't there at all. 'Right... They must have taken it away... Silly me...'

"I think we're bargaining chips. There's bound to be more than just us: they want enough of us to carry serious weight with the Republic. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to..." She breathed in deeply, her voice catching at the end of her sentence "... 'Question' us. They'll squeeze what they can from us before they hand us over. But... At least we're not alone."

The thought disturbed her slightly. They most certainly would try and milk all the Jedi were worth. Whether or not they talked wasn't the issue: it was when.

"... You know, I never thought I'd end up in a place like this. I'm scared." Kinsa said, taking in a few deep breaths. "I don't like this, Calista." That's when she started thinking- When would they meet their Sith captors? They had to make an appearance sooner or later, and that appearance would likely carry its weight. She didn't know what to expect from the Sith, as most Jedi who ended up as their prisoners died.

Calista winced. "None of us did. None of us want to be here, and they know that. I don't like this either, but..." She bit her lower lip. "We're alive. We must be worth something. They could have killed us, Kinsa. But they didn't. We can't let them see our fear. They'll exploit it. I don't know what they want from us, but for now... There's not much we can do." She glanced over again at her door and squinted at the red button next to the threshold. "A button...?" She slipped off her bed to the floor and carefully tested her stability, her hands bracing against the bed frame. Shifting from foot to foot, she was satisfied that she could indeed walk. She headed toward the door and traced her fingers around the button. "Huh..." Tentatively, she pushed it, and to her surprise, the red barrier fell away. "Kinsa! Everyone! There's a red button near the door! Press it, and the barrier drops!"

With that, she decided to explore the area around her. She frowned at the barrier leading out of the block. Did she really think she would escape that easily. "Of course not, stupid!" She chastised herself. She squinted her eyes and looked across the hall... She thought she saw another cell block, but wasn't sure. "I think there's a whole 'nother block for prisoners. We're definitely not the only Jedi onboard... Probably."

"It's hard to hide fear..." Kinsa said quietly, sighing. Though when Calista mentioned the button, she stood up and looked at it. At first, she had believed it to be some sort of signal for the guards to come, but it was not that, apparently. She pressed it, and as Calista said, the barrier gave way, and she could walk out of her cell into a slightly open place. It was just about three times the size of her cell, but it was enough to be more comfortable.

15th Post Ellri

The Young Sith acolyte was out of his depth. This wasn’t meant to be his job, he’d been told it was going to be a dull and soporific watch, nothing to do but watch the holos of boring Jedi being insufferably calm, just like Jedi were supposed to be. But this one wasn’t. This Jedi, some disgusting kind of reptile, was throwing another one across the room with the Force! He didn’t know what to do. ‘Oh wait’ he thought, “The alarm!” he shouted out, despite being all alone. Running over to the far wall, he slammed his hand against the button, triggering it.

** Klaxon alarm **
{Automated voice}: Disturbance in Cell complex 05-3
{Automated voice}: Disturbance in Cell complex 05-3
** Klaxon alarm **

Several rooms away, Thallia Valcia sat comfortably in front of her portable alchemy set, holding a Scurrier steady with one hand while she reached for a vial of viscous, dark red liquid with another. She picked up the vial as the Scurrier squirmed beneath her Force assisted grasp. She was just about to force its mouth open and pour the liquid down it when the alarm reached her. She jumped, and as she lost focus the Scurrier leapt out from under her hand, knocking the vial as it went. The liquid sloshed over the edge and splattered on its fur, hissing where it touched and discolouring it a dirty red. The creature squealed at the contact and ran, out into the hallway and into the ship. “Blast it!” she shouted, even as she noticed some of the liquid had also splashed onto the table and her left leg. It stung where it touched, but quickly faded into nothing as the mixture was absorbed, leaving only the slightest mark on her clothing. It continued to tingle and sting, though she paid that little heed.

Now that her plaything had escaped and her fun was ruined, she really had no alternative but to check on the source of the damnable alarm. Probably the Acolyte jumping at shadows again. That particular one seemed rather unsettled after witnessing a display of Darth Nyiss’ Sith Sorcery. Thallia didn’t care, and she’d had so many people following her around that she barely remembered names anymore. Still, if this was a false alarm, she’d Force Choke him a bit to instil some sense into him. Bursting into the chamber with murder in her eyes, she shouted “If this is another false alarm, I swear I’ll-” She stopped cold when she saw the footage repeating on the holo, again and again. A Jedi, throwing another one across the room with the Force! “Acolyte… You’ve done enough. Go fetch me another scurrier. I will handle this personally.” She said, even as she took the sight in.

The acolyte scurried out of the room, as much out of obedience as out of fear of what she might do if disobeyed. ‘why’ he thought, ‘why did I have to end up with her?’ Nonetheless, he knew better than to disobey. He did wonder what she had done with the last scurrier, but quickly figured that he’d rather not know.

The first thing to do was make sure they didn’t kill each other. Though the Jedi had stopped for now, there was no telling when he would start up again. Thallia knew policy well. Anyone falling that easily was too weak-minded to rise far. They would need containment and education. All records were concise on that. Dark Jedi, while more fun than regular jedi, were dangerous and volatile. Her master had hammered that into her head often enough. Real Sith use their emotions. They are not used by them.

It did not take her long to dig up the file about what to do in cases like this. Stepping up to the control system, she input the proper commands, fuming to herself over having sent away that acolyte, leaving her with the work. Of course, further thinking made her realize she could never have trusted any of them with such in any case. None of them were smart enough to be relied upon for such. They never planned anything ahead of time.

~|~

Minder Sixty-Two was walking to the Prison block to inform the Sith of the limitations Darth Nyiss had insisted on when the notification about a triggered alarm in detention sector 05-3 appeared upon his cybernetics. That was most inconvenient. Being sure another prisoner had escaped, he increased his pace, though he did not quite go into a run.

When he got to the surveillance chamber, he found one of the Sith, an apprentice, busy inputting commands into the console. It took him less than two seconds to verify that the commands were correct. On his way over, he had had the computer forward the relevant recording to his ocular implants, so he knew enough to judge it.

“What in the name of the emperor are you doing here? I have this entirely in hand!” She cried out, derisively. “Security is my concern. ” Minder replied in an even tone. The Sith was clearly angry. Minder reflected that that seemed to be a state many of them fell back on when things weren’t going their way. It was inconvenient, but predictable.

“You know what? I don’t care. I have better things to do.” she said, heading for the door. “Of course my lord.” Minder replied, again with no inflection at all in his voice. The Sith seemed to be ill-suited for this task, so her leaving of her own choice was convenient. Sith were unsuited here. Too violent. Intelligence, with the aid of Troopers, were not only more efficient, but also properly equipped. Especially when compared to Sith like her, if her dossier was any indication. As she stalked off, he could see upon her face that she was fuming. No-doubt about something quite trivial, a wasteful tendency that has been observed in significant numbers of Sith.

Less than two minutes later the bulkhead door opened once more and a squad of Imperial troopers marched through in perfect formation. Upon seeing Minder within, their sergeant spoke up. “Reporting as ordered, Sir. What are your orders?” Aware of their presence already, Minder did not turn about or otherwise give any indication of acknowledging their presence for a full eleven seconds. “You will move prisoner 224-659-57 from cell 05-3-1 to cell 05-2-5. Then you will move prisoner 224-274-51 from cell 05-3-3 to cell 05-1-5. Prisoner 224-113-08 will be contained within cell 05-3-2. Do not let yourself be distracted by it. Is that understood?” Minder kept watching the consoles the entire time. “Of course Sir. It will be done at once.” The sergeant answered instantly. “Men. You heard the man. Move out!”

Transmitting a single command to the security station holocom, Minder sixty-two called up Darth Nyiss. “Darth Nyiss. One of your Jedi prisoners is a weak-willed creature. Being in proximity of your pet has made him fall to the dark side. Prisoners 224-659-57 and 224-274-51 are being moved away from him for safety. Dealing with fallen Jedi is not my skill-set. What do you wish done with prisoner 224-113-08?”

Darth Nyiss’ reply came only as a voice, and in an exasperated tone. “I had hoped for better. You have done the right thing for now Minder, keep the prisoner Isolated and observe him. Tell Apprentice Valcia that the prisoner is now assigned to her. She is to provide the prisoner with Cal Chur’s Sith Holocron and observe him. It is suitable for those behaving like children. We might at least be able to salvage something from the situation, even if he will never rise above minion.”
The Minder would have preferred something else, but it would do for now. “If he proves unsalvageable, might Intelligence have him?”
“That prisoner is the barabel yes?” It was more a statement than a question. “If he cannot be turned, he is of no use to me. Intelligence may do what they will with him in that event.”
“Noted. Minder Sixty-Two out.”

[Sep]

16th Post Ultimate523

Strago heard some speaking in the cell block, but only concentrated further on his mediation as he did. His body became more relaxed, his mind working to move closer to the Force as he normally did. It was quite calming at first, allowing him to forget he even had a body for a short while, but it felt quite different than it normally did. Something about it wasn't right, and he knew it. Rather than stopping, he continued, too curious not to. The Force felt strange here, and he realised it was because of the dark side. He could feel a darkness nearby. It was nowhere near the strength of the attack on Coruscant, but it was a strange feeling, one he had never felt before. Now he knew what it was like to meditate in this way when he was near the Sith. However, he also gained some comfort in realising that there must have been several Jedi here as well, having no idea how many exactly, but able to tell that the light side was far from non-existant. The immediate area around him was still quite comfortable in that way.

It took a few more minutes, but Strago finally decided to see who exactly these people were near him. He slowly moved up from his bed, standing, walking out of the cell, and looking around briefly, getting a better idea of what it was like. He quickly looked over at a boy he saw near an entrance to another cell, unsure of if he had heard his steps on the metal floor, "Hello." Was all that Strago said, not very loudly, but loudly enough. He looked far more relaxed than most would expect of a prisoner, but it was also obvious that he was no Sith. Strago decided not to ask any questions, or say any more for the moment, mostly just wanting to make the others aware of his presence there so that they could make their own decisions on how to react to him.

17th Post Assallya

The first sensation that returned was pain. Her head throbbed, giving her the impression that someone had been blowing into her lekku and using her skull as a kloo horn in a jizz concert. She was lying down upon a metal slab of some sort though it lacked the coldness of metal; what she failed to recognize as a duraplast cot. She did not move. Instead she took inventory of her injuries. Thinking as difficult, as was ignoring the pounding in her skull but other than feeling immaculately exhausted she could discern nothing more than bruises-

That was when she remembered the battle inside the great hall. It had been frenetic, an orgy of violence and death the likes she had not seen since she'd been upon Ryloth skulking about in the planet's winding tunnels and gaping caverns. Struggle and suffering were part of every Twi'lek's existence. She remembered the fight. Much of it anyways. It had been a massacre. Arrogant, foolish, invulnerable Jedi not having a clue how to handle an invasion of such sweeping proportions. Instead of fleeing into the depths of the temple and holding the tight corridors which would have reduced the Sith's overwhelming force into manageable numbers they had instead rushed to face the invaders and were surrounded in small groups and cut down readily and with little effort. They had ignored her cries- a mere padawan, what did she know of fighting Sith? Nothing, she had admitted to herself but she did know how to fight with shiv, spear and teeth in tribal conflicts.

Arlas'eon was a Twi'lek, born on the sinkhole of a world that was Ryloth, the most downtrodden planet in the galaxy. If there was a planet with fewer resources Arla, as the Jedi called her, did not know it. Tatooine was a paradise by comparison, blessed by the sun which provided light, warmth and the ability to farm vast amounts of solar energy. Ryloth had nothing, nothing but fungus and darkness. One side of the world being washed in flame, the other a frozen wasteland. Nearly all Twi'lek lived below the surface, fighting amongst themselves with the bones of their ancestors for weapons since wood was nearly unheard of. Meanwhile traders and slavers made ludicrous profits off their misery. A mere blaster, worth a few hundred credits could be traded for a slave dancer worth half as much as a speeder or even a light transport. That was how she had been removed from that wretched hole, traded by her father for a hand blaster.

Putting such thoughts aside, she stretched out with her senses. A Twi'lek's head cones and lekku were more sensitive than a human's ears. She could feel the thrum of a distant engine. She was on a speeder or a starship, more likely a starship from the near total absence of perceived motion. She could hear breathing, most humans didn't know how to breathe, making a tremendous ruckus doing so. She could also hear weeping, the occasional scuff of boots or slippers against metal. Someone was pacing, she could tell by the rhythm, a sequence of soft sounds followed by a much longer swish as they turned upon the pad of their slipper. Sensing nobody immediately adjacent she dared open one eye and peered about carefully. She was alone. A cell. Murky but with enough illumination to ensure there was nowhere to hide. They were one of the strangest things she'd encountered since being freed from her world. To think these people who wandered the stars had such amounts of food to feed prisoners, to actually keep them alive instead of eating them!

Sitting up slowly, Arlas'eon examined herself, taking further stock of herself and her situation. Her delicate pink skin, dappled with lilac spots was reputedly quite fetching and had elevated her value on the slave market. She'd thrown her robes away at the dawn of the battle to better facilitate movement. Beneath was her dancer's outfit, black leather straps wrapped her body and ebony panels gave the illusion of skirts. Her lightsabers were gone, which was to be expected, as were her assortment of throwing knives. She had a number of bruises. Slender pink fingers caressing the base of her head tentacles tenderly discovered what had happened to her. It was as if a knife sliced through her head. She had taken a savage blow to the base of her lekku. Such was a weak spot on her species. A small portion of a Twi'lek's brain was present there, unprotected by the bone of the skull. She was lucky to have awakened at all. Such blows often resulted in death or perpetual coma. No wonder it felt like someone was carving out her skull with a lightsaber. That also meant, since the last thing she remembered was the battle and since this wasn't the temple or a Coruscanti medical center that she had been taken by the Sith.

18th Post Musketman

Burin sat on the floor watching the holocron that had been dropped off. Everyone had been moved from his cell hexagon, it was just him. The holocron was obviously mean't for children, and Burin supposed the way he lashed out and sent that Jedi flying around was immature. So he sat watching the holocron, thinking more than anything, he had read that Sith use their emotions, not the other way around. He would have to learn to control his hate and anger, if he was to survive, he thought about his master and scowled, he could feel the hate reaching a boiling point but forced it back down, he was not going to be pegged as some maniac with force powers.

Burin could tell the holocron was nearing an end, and continued to watch, forcing himself to concentrate on what it was saying. When it was over, Burin went over to his metal bed and lay on it, he felt less...compact, crowded with all that positive energy, it had constantly battled with his growing dark energy. Burin closed his eyes, and soon fell into a sleep full of dreams of his master and him throwing Jedi from a tall building in a strange city.

19th Post Echo

~| Coruscanti Jedi Temple, twenty-seven minutes after Sith Attack |~

Though nothing showed on his face of it, Allanar Damarcus was shocked not only that the Sith had the audacity to attack the temple, but also that their strike had been so successful. He should have known they would try something like this during their sudden offer of peace. That offer had been too good to be true. No sith could ever be trusted. If they did not try to kill you, they tricked you. Or worse. “Master Damarcus!” The child’s voice broke him out of his musings. “Yes, padawan Uguuaa?” He answered, gently.
“We’ve lost all contact with the fifth and seventh floors. What do we do?” The Padawan’s voice, if one could call telepathic communication that, was frantic and rife with fear. Allanar looked at the Celegian where it hovered within its life-support chamber. “Stay calm, young one. Stay calm.” Though the Celegian was far smarter than he, it was barely past childhood at eleven years, and as such, it had yet to gain the true wisdom the elders of its race were known for.

“We cannot give up, young Uguuaa. Signal whatever knights remain in the east sector of the sixth floor. Tell them to find their way out, that both the floor above and above them is cut off. Tell them to hide in the city.” The picture was looking grimmer and grimmer to Allanar. They had simply not been prepared for an attack of this size. “It is done, master. They will find their way out.” That at least made him smile. Not all would be lost. “How goes it with Ardos Orria’s team? Have they made their way out through emergency exit seventeen?” Though it was not obvious to the casual observer, it was clear to Allanar, who had worked with the Celegian for years, that he was concentrating hard. “Master. I cannot reach them. I am afraid. I think they’re dead.” He was silent for a few seconds before speaking again. “It is too much, master. Too much pain. So much death.”

Before Allanar could respond, there was the sound of metal tearing suddenly, coming from behind the Celegian. The darkness emanating from there was so thick he could almost touch it. “Sith!” he shouted, instinctively reaching for his lightsaber. But it was already too late. The last thing he felt, was himself being lifted off the floor by the force, even as his windpipe was squeezed shut. Then he lost consciousness. Unconscious as he was, he did not see the fate of the Celegian padawan.

~| Aboard the Hâsk |~

Allanar awoke with a start, his left hand going to his throat while his right went for his Lightsaber. He had to defend himself, defend the Temple! Then he realised that he was no longer being Force choked, and, worse, his Lightsaber was nowhere to be found!

He was defeated then, the Temple no doubt lost, and with it, Coruscant. Where some might have despaired, he was at peace. He slowly pushed himself from the ground into a kneeling position, placing his hands gently on his knees and shutting his eyes. He focused on his surroundings with his mind, reaching out with the Force. He could feel several fellow Jedi nearby, their light reassuring as his sight was quickly blinded by the swirling darkness that permeated the environment beyond the room. With his Force sight limited so, he instead focused on his mundane senses. He felt the subtle vibration of the deck below him, and heard the low pitched rumble of a starships drive. So they were in space, taken from Coruscant by the Sith to Force knew were. He became aware of some people talking nearby, other captives no doubt, and opened his eyes, rising from the kneeling position as he did so.

He quickly caught sight of the speakers in the small room. Two humans, on either side of a red energy field. He didn’t recognise either of them, but there were many Jedi across the galaxy and this didn’t surprise him. He was simply happy to see that he was not to endure the coming days alone. Another man in Jedi attire had just risen from one of the spartan beds in another alcove in the room and said hello. It struck him as odd that all the Jedi in the prison were human. The Jedi order was as diverse as they came, and the chances of not seeing an alien among his fellows were slim… Unless the Sith had sorted the aliens out on purpose. The thought that they might have killed non-human Jedi and captured only humans was a disturbing one, but he did not let it get to him. He could not hate them for their actions, nor even pity them. These things led to the Dark side.

Before he could reply to the other man, he was interrupted by the sound of ray shields flickering on, isolating the bulkhead door and a triangular space in front of it from the rest of the cell. Moments later, the bulkhead door slid open, revealing a pair of Imperial troopers holding the limp form of a female Jedi between them. They threw her roughly into the cell
Once they left, the bulkhead slammed shut behind them and the ray shields shut off. Allanar was at the Jedi women's side in a flash. He had to make sure she was alright. He felt for a pulse on her neck, and gave a sigh of relief when he found it was still strong. He was no healer, but he had experience with bringing people around from minor injuries after saving so many Republic soldiers on the front. He channeled the Force through his touch, willing the energy to heal her mind and bring her back to consciousness. It has hard to focus enough to wield the Force through whatever the Sith had given him, and the Dark Side was strong here, but after a few seconds he was again relieved to see the Jedi open her eyes a little.

“Ow…. did I slip and hit my head?” She began, trailing off as she held her head with both hands.

“Relax, take it slowly. I don’t know what the Sith did to you, but you are safe now.” Allanar reassured her. “What is your name?” He asked. On the front lines he’d found that simply reaffirming who they were helped to centre the wounded.

“Owww… Viera. You aren’t going to throw me across the room are you?” What an odd question to ask. Perhaps the Sith had become even cruder in their methods, but it did make a kind of sense.

“No Viera, I won't throw you across the room. You are among friends. I am Allanar.”

“Well thats good. Nice to meet you Allanar-” She stopped abruptly as she tried to get up, too quickly, and fell back to the ground. “Everything is spinning… I think I might just stay here for a while if thats ok with you…”

20th Post Ellri

Minder stood at ease in Triad-2, waiting for all the Sith involved in the interrogation to arrive. They had all been summoned here minutes ago by general address over the ship’s intercom. Once they all arrived he would fulfil Darth Nyiss’ request and inform them of the inconvenient limitations that had been placed on the extraction of information from the prisoners. With a thought he brought up the timer that had been running since the address on his cybernetics. 4:41. Once it passed five minutes, he would conclude that Imperial Intelligence was, as ever, more efficient than the Sith in this instance. He’d hoped that maybe these Sith might have proved themselves efficient by his standards, but he’d expected they would not.

Once everyone was present, he broke the silence of the room. “My lords, as you know, there are Jedi captives in the primary containment facility.” There were murmurs and whispers indicating that they did in fact know this. ”Your function is twofold. One: Interrogate these prisoners and extract useful information from them. Two: Convert them to the dark side of the Force and, if possible, prepare them for integration into the Sith order as Acolytes.” The primary goals of the operation having been stated, Minder moved on to the details.

“Intelligence will be overseeing the interrogation and information gathering aspects of this mission. Following the very successful strike against Coruscant and the Jedi temple, Intelligence monitored all available comm channels, including several that were inaccessible prior to the attack.” Minder Sixty-two paused a moment for effect. “As you might expect, chatter was rather livid upon these channels, even after they figured out the planet has been isolated from the rest of the galactic grid. What Intelligence had not predicted, was their concern over a certain Jedi. Exactly what the Jedi knows, or who he is has yet to be determined, but it is presumed they are military secrets of high priority. Intelligence wants these secrets for the Empire. If the Jedi in question is among the prisoners, you will find him/her, and you will extract said information.” With the most important aspects (from the perspective of Imperial Intelligence) covered, he then moved on to informing them of their limitations.

“While Intelligence is not too concerned about permanently damaged prisoners, it has come to light that your new master, Darth Nyiss, has clear requirements of you. The Dark Council has ordered that all efforts shall be made to make these Jedi into proper Sith, with all that entails. You will do your best to turn them to the dark side, while teaching them the ways of the Sith.” Once again, he let them think for a moment. “Your new master wishes to have living, intact prisoners. You will therefore not be permitted to cut off anything that does not grow back, be it extremities, sensory organs or other parts of their anatomy.” One of the Sith, a lizard, looked ready to object. ”No, this does not mean you cannot wound them. Beyond things that do not do this, you will have relatively free reins. Also, as Intelligence knows about you Sith, some of you have urges you need fulfilled. If you feel the insatiable need to kill or maim prisoners, there are a number of non-Jedi available for your use. While expendable, it is preferred that you are not wasteful with these. It takes time, and credits, to ship in new ones.”

Minder let them think on it a bit, while inserting a dataspike into the holoprojector at the center of the meeting chamber. "If you are feeling unimaginative, here is a list of some techniques used in the past with great effect.”

*Pain stimuli - “A classic.”
*Electrocution - “personal favorite of more than one Darth.”
*Sensory deprivation - “Jedi are known to be emotionless. Why not let them feel how it is to be senseless?”
*Forced combat, against beast or each other - “Another classic. Just remember not to kill or maim.”
*Information, mixed truth and lies - “This is a favorite in Intelligence. Just remember to make sure the stories add up. Mostly."
*Shared Suffering - “Republic scum, Jedi in particular, are known to be sensitive to the suffering of others. Use that."
*Forbidden knowledge - “This one is a favorite when turning young, susceptible Jedi into proper Sith."
*Creativity - “Intelligence can provide more ideas, but these will do for now. It will not hurt to confer with each other. You have, no doubt, got a number of useful methods of your own. Just be sure to check any more extreme methods in with Intelligence and/or Darth Nyiss prior to employment.”

“Now, my lords. This is enough talk. It is time to get started. You have several rooms stocked with the tools of the trade at your disposal. If you need further equipment, you have but to ask.”

[Ellri]

Post 21, Rtron

After boarding the Hask, Sish promptly went to the nearest available source of food, hungry despite his small snack of human throat. That's where he was when the call came, tearing into a hunk of raw meat as a few of the kitchen staff looked on in slight awe. Finishing his rather messy meal, the Trandoshan quickly left, causing the looks of awe to turn into looks of irritation and disgust as the staff realized that they'd have to clean up the mess themselves. All of which Sish ignored, heading towards the meeting room. After a few wrong turns(damn the size of this ship!), he managed to arrive with the rest of the group. Standing close to the door, he waited, slightly impatiently, for Minder to let them loose. He knew what this was about. They all did. Now if the bastard could just let them go torture the prisoners...

Suddenly Sish stiffened up. They couldn't cut off anything that didn't grow back? That was irritating. In the extreme. They didn't need all of their limbs, fingers, or extremities. The Sith Lord was slightly mollified by the allowed fact that they could wound..but still. No maiming? Preposterous. Madness. It was ridiculous that-Once again, the Trandoshan suddenly stiffened up, feeling another mind press against his. Look up. A voice hissed in his mind, and the Sith Warrior Lord was compelled to obey, briefly glancing up before the presence retreated. That pissed him off. Someone had the gall to invade his mind? To Force Dominate it? But, try as he might, he couldn't see any of the Sith looking as if they were guilty of messing with his mind. Frustrated, he hissed curses under his breath. He'd find them. And he'd make them suffer for their transgressions.

Thallia stormed out, her own anger apparent and washing over him. Well, one of the Jedi certainly angered her. Slowly a vicious grin crossed Sish's features. Who says he couldn't go help her out? "Come on Jayda. I think it's time we introduced you to one of the Jedi."

Post 22, FallenReaper

Jayda

Not wanting to be left behind, Jayda had followed quickly in Sish’s wake as the Trandoshan made his way onboard. Her vivid purple eyes watched him start off in one direction that she smelt the scents of food wafting from, slight and savory that her stomach protested a bit. She had too much activity and the fact she had a high metabolism meant Jayda couldn’t ignore it. She mentally sighed at the idea about dining with her master. In the past it had only been a necessity to survive and she had to kill herself, often creatures that were just as starved and hungry as her. Usually disgusting vermin found tearing into her skin became her meat, most times victims to her fast reflexes and merciless teeth, driven by her need to survive.

The thought passed quickly to her relief. It made Jayda takes a deep breath, forcing her calm to gather and drive the coiling emotions. That was the past. She needed to center upon the future and how to kill him, ending this one day. Jayda hadn’t bothered to attend to her wound. The blackened clothing hadn’t been affected or changed, the injury merely charred underneath. Her body showed no evidence it hurt anymore but the pain was still there, just duller. Thankfully her race had high immune systems; otherwise it would require immediate medical attention that she would rather wait upon. At least until she discovered Sish’s idea of entertainment.

Edging in step behind the lizard, Jayda rolled her eyes at Sish tearing into the nearest chunk of meat, Barve, his manners sending globs and slivers across the floor. Like a carrion predator tearing into a week carcass. From the corner of her eyes another dish, native to her own natie planet was within reach: Kephit. It was Iridonian peppers mixed with Chocolate and Vanilla, giving it heated sweet and tangy taste enjoyed in many Zabrak Clans. Her eyes softened for a moment. It was one of Mehinn’s favorite dishes as well as hers, their father often warned about gorging themselves upon it. Thinking about him brought a pain that Jayda sealed instantly. It only made her weak in a place she couldn’t afford to be in such state. By this time Sish had finished his meal, predictably leaving a mess, then started out leaving her to snatch some Blok meat on her own hasty exit. Not wanting to deal with the staff in their venting at cleaning the Sith master’s mess, she managed to stuff the raw meat into her mouth quickly only to stop when she realized something. After the first and fourth path doubling back, it was clear Sish was lost.

Jayda didn’t feel like walking for miles in a directionless path and from the instructions she was given, the Zabrak knew right away Sish was heading down the wrong path. Unlike the Lizard she had been intelligence to ask direction when given the summoning and had no need to roam the ship’s levels like a fool, however, she need to ensure he got there. Making her way towards the correct level Jayda stood by the entrance to Minder’s briefing room yet didn’t enter until the scaled face of Sish reared his fanged face and went in.

Silently she listened to conversation, her lips pressed from making a sound and merely took in what the Minder said. So this was Sish’s meaning, the entertainment for the voyage, though the Zabrak bitterly yet she kept her thoughts to herself. How this would make her stronger, Jayda wasn’t sure. Again the doubts started to surface before being crushed by her will, her mind slightly distracted started to feel her head rise slowly. Something clicked in her head from the sensation. Instinctively Jayda forced her head back down roughly, leaving a sting in her neck and her teeth softly grinding in resistance. Out of habit her eyes flashing in a hopeless search for the cause. Jayda knew that sensation all too well. Her own father used before her Res Selenores in an effort to sooth her during a conversation but unlike trained Sith, her ability to detect the source failed miserable to her irritation.

The only thing she sure of was this: someone, likely someone mentally powerful, had attempted to manipulate her actions. A dangerous attempt, reminding Jayda to keep her guard up at all times now just to keep from being a pawn to another sick game. Over all, it certainly didn’t brood well with the Zabrak as she slowly returned to listening to Minder, now go into details about the rules of torture and allowances. She was slightly insulted at the included list. Though at least it set boundaries where a Sith could go and how far, easier than simply expecting it from them. It also meant it was Jayda’s job to ensure Sish towed that pitiful line-at least with the Jedi.

It wasn’t a task she looked forward to because it was one that could get her killed.

Suddenly the very Sith’s voice entered her ears, her head tilted from his direction. One of the Sith, a woman long dark hard and what could’ve been a warm face turned up in fury had erupted from the room the moment the meeting was over. Naturally that seemed to delight Sish even more. It wasn’t hard to see why. The anger was overwhelming from the woman that Jayda nearly felt edgy being around, luckily stopping her fangs from baring.

Her instincts were screaming this wasn’t going to end well but what could she do other then follow? Her feet stepped lightly in Sish’s and the woman’s path, quickly the three of them vanishing towards the Jedi prison cells.

Post 23, WitchChild

Jedi Temple, one hour before it was demolished.

Thallia surveyed the hangar in which she had found herself, her vision sharpened by the Sith battle mask she wore. It was one of several set in the side of the Jedi Temple and had, until very recently, been used to store the Temples starfighter compliment, as well as a number of more mundane vehicles and spacecraft used by the Jedi in the vicinity of Coruscant. Now, the only thing it housed was smoking wreckage and rubble. A few sections of roof had collapsed, leaving sizeable piles of rubble strewn across the floor and jagged struts of metal protruding from the roof. As far as she knew, apart from those sections of the temple that hadn’t already collapsed completely, the entire Jedi temple looked like this. Most Sith would’ve felt some leation at this, but she was mostly ambivalent. She was happy that the Empire was winning of course, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be on the front lines.

She was uncomfortable with her battle armor, it was standard issue and though she knew it provided excellent protection, it also served as a reminder that she hadn’t managed to find someone else to do this job for her. Darth Nyiss had sent specifically her. It vexed her, but unfortunately she still had to do these things from time to time to keep the Darth satisfied. She and a number of Imperial soldiers strode further into the Temple. They were there to reinforce a human Sith Lord by the name of Jaicen Varien. as well as inform him that he now worked for Darth Nyiss. If they encountered any Jedi along the way, they were to capture them or kill them, at the discretion of Thallia. She hoped she wouldn’t have to fight, but she had her lightsaber in hand anyway, deactivated, but ready.

A few minutes later, they had almost reached Jaicens location, but as she rounded a corner, Thallia found herself faced with a Jedi Knight. It was a Kel-dor, probably a male, but THallia didn’t care. “Fire! Kill it!” She yelled at her squad of soldiers. They complied, some of them dropping on one knee to let the ones behind open up, but no sooner had they begun pulling the triggers on their blasters than the Jedi had leapt into the air above them. He came down in the middle of the squad with his green Lightsaber active, and in seconds Thallia found herself alone against him. She activated her Lightsaber, the Purple blade extending behind her, and she raised her weapon ready to defend herself. The Shien reverse grip marked her style immediately, but it also concealed the fact that her primary offense was Ataru. The Jedi leapt at her, his blade a whirring flash as it rushed to meet her, but it never found its mark, as she had already sidestepped it and redirected the attack with her own weapon. They traded a few more blows, but it was becoming obvious that the Jedi was the stronger.

Jaicen looked up at the great walls of if the Jedi Temple and felt very uncomfortable. The statues, both still standing and toppled, seemed to look down on him in a disappointing manner. Obviously that was no way to feel as a Sith Lord but he couldn't really help it. He quickly masked those emotions and continued to explore the Jedi Temple. He was quite fascinated by it and wanted to get a good look before it was raised to the ground. His thoughts were then interrupted as he heard a shout and the distinct sounds of blaster fire and lightsabers being ignited. With that he drew his own lightsaber and began to approach the location where he had heard the commotion.

He arrived to see a Sith battling a Kel Dor Jedi and was in a bit of a trouble. He waited for a few moments and studied the movements of both the combatants before making his move. He grabbed the Jedi with the force but instead of doing something predictable such as force lightning or choking, the Sith yanked the Jedi to him and when within reach he grabbed him by the back of the head and rammed his face into the temple floor, aided with force push so hard that it cracked the stone. The Jedi seemingly was able to counter the attack enough so that his skull wouldn't gave in but he wasn't clever enough to save the one thing that was really keeping him alive, his mask. Jaicen knew about the Kel Dor's masks and how various chemicals in the air were lethal to the species. He let the Jedi flail about and desperately get his mask back together, meanwhile taking the Jedi's lightsaber and inspecting it. After the inspection he ignited it and with a twist of the wrist and a swipe of the arm he removed the Jedí's head.

"Never let your guard down." Jaicen said to the other Sith, surmising that his fellow Sith was young and possibly an apprentice. [i]"It will get you killed here as much as on Korriban" He added and placed the lightsaber on his belt with the other lightsaber of his. Spoils of war. [i]"I get a feeling you were looking for me." He then stated to the young Sith, removing his own mask to reveal his face to her. [i]"Spit it out," he added though casually instead of harshly as if it was a phrase he always used.

Thallia glowered at the newly arrived Sith. Not because he’d taken her kill, combat was something she generally tolerated rather than relished, but because he’d accused her of not having her guard up. Her defence was excellent. At all times. It was insulting. But he was most likely a Sith Lord, and so she let it slide. She did have to confirm that he was the Sith she was looking for, however. He looked it, but you could never be too sure. [i]“Are you Jaicen Varien?” She him tersely. She didn’t wait for the reply before rushing ahead and exercising the authority she’d been given for this mission. “Regardless, I am here representing Darth Nyiss. With her authority, I am assigning you to her project. We are to capture as many Jedi as possible before the Temple is demolished.” A satisfied smile crept onto her face behind her Sith battle mask as she finished. It felt good to be able to order this unknown Sith around without first having to blackmail him. Authority always felt good, but with the word and favour of a Darth, it was so much better. Still not worth the risk of trying to actually become a Darth, but she made the most of this brief power while she could. She also prepared to defend against any Force attacks the other Sith might use, just in case he took offense to her orders.

Jaicen arched an eyebrow at the apprentice audacity to order him around with the authority from the Darth. Quite admirable for an apprentice. The last apprentice that the Sith Lord had encountered when first earning his lordship was a meek little thing that fumbled with his words. He immediately liked the young Sith and then looked at the dead Jedi. "Well, maybe tell me that before I dispatched this one" He said and nudged the head, making it roll a bit. He also got the feeling that the apprentice's pride was hurt which was a good thing. Always go for the pride when teaching people or infuriate anyone. "At least that gives me a lightsaber and less of a trouble trying to restrain him. Any other reason you came to me or are you going to continue wasting my time?"

He wanted to test this apprentice out. How she would react to his answers and retorts. He placed the mask back on his face as it hid his smile.

[i]“He was a filthy alien anyway.” Thallia said, vehemence evident in her voice. “He would be of no use to my master. Only humans and near-humans are of any use.” she added. The Sith Lord hadn’t attacked her. That was good. He was more reasonable than some. She could use that. “You’re right. Standing around isn’t getting us anywhere. Lets go find some Jedi.” She was hoping that the other Sith would do the majority of the work if they encountered another Jedi, but given the state of the Temple and the limited time left before it was demolished, she thought it likely that they wouldn’t encounter anymore Jedi at all. So much the better in her opinion. Combat required far more exertion than she liked.

---

After a rather unfruitful search for any more Jedi, Thallia and Jaicen departed from the Temple and to the Hask. They went their own seperate ways and hadn't talked much but Jaicen had studied her intently when he could. He boarded the Hask and went straight to his own sith quarters where he intended to examine his new weapon and perhaps modify it.

Post 24, Thallia and Burin ~|~ Echo and Musket

Thallia Valcia stormed out of Minders briefing, the rage running off her. She'd very nearly managed to get out of this troublesome task, sending a throw away acolyte, but then Darth Nyiss herself had commanded her to 'attend to her subject.' As well as that, someone had decided it would be 'fun' to try and force dominate her! She wasn't having any of that. She'd cast the probing mind off with a focused effort. It had at least managed to successfully increase her rage. Rage that she focused entirely on her 'new acolyte' the Barabel Jedi Burin. It was all she could do to contain the lightning that was beginning to lick at her fingertips as she strode down the all too long corridor of the prison block. Thankfully, Burins cell-block was the closest and she reached it quickly.

She activated the entrance protocol when she reached the door. Some of the Sith might be planning to take their torture subjects to one of the chambers that had been set up for their use, but Thallia didn't care. The moment the bulkhead door opened, she charged in, throwing the Jedi across the room. She stopped just inside the door as the ray shield came online behind her and let her feelings take over. She raised her hands, Force conjured lightning writhing around her fingers “Blasted Jedi! My trip was going to be perfect until you started losing it on the one watch I couldn't delegate!” With that, she released the Force Lightning she had been bottling up. The energy arced across the intervening gap and struck the Barabel. She did not hold back, sending the energy at full strength. Too long and even with scales to protect him the Jedi would die.

Burin had sensed someone coming, someone angry. What he wasn't prepared for is when he was thrown against the wall and started getting yelled at for something, little spots danced in front of him and he felt a sudden channel of energy, he just had time to raise his hands putting all his anger and frustration behind the defense to not be completely roasted. He slumped over on the ground, steaming, he felt like millions of hot wires had been applied to his body.

As she felt a resistance to the attack, Thallia's first instinct was to strengthen her attack. For a moment she considered it, but in the initial burst, a good amount of her rage had flowed from her mind, and she realised that it would be best to avoid such a foolish move. She stopped the Force lightning, having no intent to slay the beast across from her, though that was largely because she was under orders not too. Instead she started pacing, waiting for the reptilian Jedi across from her to get up. As she did, she noticed the Holocron on the floor in the middle of the room. She'd been hoping that he wouldn't have bothered with it. That she could report back to Nyiss that he had no potential and have him spaced. But apparently the Force had a sense of humour, as the Holocron had obviously been activated.

“So... Jedi... See anything interesting in there?” She said, motioning to the Holocron.

Burin groaned, struggling to get up shaking slightly. “Don't call me that.” he said, if he was going to be tortured to death, he didn't want to be known as those failures.

“Why not? Jedi?” She said, spitting the word like it was poison. “Isn't that what you are? Because you are no Sith.” Ha! she thought, he'd already cast off the trappings of that weak order. But whatever he thought, she wouldn't even let him consider the idea of being Sith. One didn't become Sith overnight after all.

“Maybe not, but as far as I'm concerned the Jedi are failures.” He winced as he moved his arm tenderly into a more comfortable position.

“You're right. They did put up a rather pathetic fight. I hear you did too. The first Sith you ran into said you were an easy capture.” He disgusted her. He couldn't even stick to his own teachings, even when the Temple had been demolished less than twenty-four hours ago. The ship was barely ready to depart and he wanted to stop being associated with the Jedi. She raised her right arm, her hand shaped into a claw, and reached out with the Force to pick the Barabel up by the throat, pulling him into the air even as she constricted his throat.

“So, failure.” She still considered him a Jedi, and if he was a Jedi, then by his logic he was a failure. “What should we do with you? Because the Sith order has no place for failures.” She held him there, knowing full well that he could not reply. “Shall we feed you to the beasts? Have you slaughter some innocents? Or maybe we should just throw you out the airlock and be done with it?” He looked like he wanted to say something, so she loosened her grip and let him fall to the ground.

Burin gasped for air as he fell to the ground. He hated her more than he did the Jedi, “It's easier to obtain a target when one is backed up with seventeen armed troopers. The way I figure it your Sith was too scared to take me on.” he sneered, getting up to a sitting position, his throat was sore but he was not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing she caused him even more pain.

“I don't particularly care Jedi. One Siths weakness is his problem. But it doesn't change the fact that you were captured. I could offer you power. Unlimited power. But you'd have to convince me you are worth the time. Are you worth my time, Jedi?” She didn't hold any hope for him in the Sith order, but a persistent minion was still useful.

Burin scowled at what she called him, still power did sound promising, but it didn't set right with Burin that he was just offered unlimited power after being electrocuted and choked. “What's the catch?” he asked.

“Catch?” Thallia was genuinely confused. This wasn't some kind of business deal. “We aren't making a deal here lizard. Either you prove you are worth the effort to teach, or...” She raised her hands again, lightning flickering around her fingers “I'll just keep doing this.” With that, she sent a another burst of lightning at him, only a second long, but enough to hurt.

Burin was ready when he saw the flicker of lightning on her fingers. He channled his anger through the force and deflected it on either side of him, though he was still hit, it wasn't as severe as it would be, “Fine.” he said, wincing from the hit. “Do you have any ideas on how I could prove myself or will I have to get creative?” anything was better than lightning.

“Well...” She said as she thought, “I think you'll have to be creative. The Sith order doesn't care for stupid minions.” She turned around to leave him, but stopped as she saw the face of another lizard waiting outside the door. What was it with her and attracting lizards! She had no patience for this one, Lord or no. “Get out Lizard.” She said firmly. “This one is mine. My pet. Find someone else.” She turned briefly back to the sitting form of the ex-Jedi. “And please, try to die while you prove yourself. It'll save me a lot of trouble.” With that, she left, the ray shield momentarily deactivating while she stepped into the enclosed space between the bulkheads.

Post 25, Allanar and Xid~l~ Echo and Fallen

The young familiar voice surprised Taia, she hadn't expected to hear it in this place. She watched his motions and tilted her head slightly, but then she realized what he was pointing to. Seeing the button she pressed it causing the energy field to dissipate leaving her cell open now. Stepping forward she took a deep breath a way to keep her emotions from escaping her. She was glad to see Xid still alive, but sad to see him in this place.

She stepped out of the cell looking down to Xid and placed her hands on his shoulders to try and calm him. “I am not sure why we are here. Perhaps they wish to learn more about the Jedi and our positions and such. The Sith attacked Coruscant, we were completely unprepared, but don't worry, I am fine.” She looked Xid over thoroughly “Are you ok? Did they hurt you?”

Xid felt relieved at seeing the dark skinned Jedi emerge from her cell. He was a little worried that the device might've been disabled or worse, a cruel joke. It wouldn't surprise him with the Sith because they were known for their cruelty and viciousness among other races. Xid smiled, feeling more comfortable at no longer feeling alone, and that she wasn't hurt. His smile vanished however when she asked about him. Instinctively his hand went to his shoulder, touching the scorch mark then retracted while letting out a sudden hiss.

“I know, I happened across some younglings before Navi and me were hit. Navi got away, but...”

His eyes looked to the ground, thinking a moment about the younglings and wondering if they were still alive. At mention of being hurt, he noticed she looked him over as he attempted to hide the pain from his shoulder. He stepped to the side keeping his face towards her and blushing a bit, not use to the fuss over him and unable to hide it.

“Only a few blast happy Imperial Troops clipped me in the shoulder, it's nothing,” Xid said in a joking tone, attempting to make light of the fact, “I'd heal but it would take a lot out of me, I'd be helpless for a bit. Not a good idea while being a prisoner here. Speaking of that...why are we here? Any idea?”

He was hoping to draw the attention away from his wound, it would heal in time, though how much longer they had was yet to be determined. They had been kept alive for some reason but he doubted it was for anything good, at least in his mind. Before Taia could answer, the ray shields went up followed by the sound of something heavy being moved caused Xid's head to jerk towards the opened bulkhead doors just as a dark haired woman, her form limp, was hauled in. Soon enough she was discarded roughly upon the floor. Inside the young Padawan flinched at the sight, anger kept in check easily enough. Unlike his Master, Sela, he couldn't just forget it was there or prevent it completely. His eyes watched while they left, the thick doors closed behind them before the ray shield vanished with a another hiss. After that his feet moved of their own will and brought him towards the new cell mate, his eyes absorbed the damage.

Something had happened to her yet he wasn't sure if it was just brutal beating or merely caught like that. He wasn't even sure which notion was better in the end. His boots slapped along the way, the sounds echoed through the cell block and seemed louder when it came to him.

The first to reach the woman was another Jedi, slightly quicker and closer then Xid, he checked for a pulse letting his fingers rest upon her throat. A sigh of relief made the Padawan relax from his edginess, realized that she was alive. He didn't like the idea of a dead body and perked up when he heard her odd question. Soon enough the man introduced himself and she returned it, but the moment she tried to stand up, her balance gave away and she fell back to the floor.

“Be careful, you might have a concussion,” Xid immediately said and stepped forward, his feet came closer to the pair, “Does anything else feel funny or numb?”

He wasn't a healer either or at least on the standards of what most could considered proper, however he was able to heal minor physical wounds at a great amount of energy. It wasn't prefect but at least it was something.

Viera groaned again in pain as her head hit the deck a little too hard. “Padawan” Allanar said, noting Xid's Padawan braid, “Are you a healer? It'd be best not to leave her injuries to chance if you are.” His voice remained calm and sincere. Though he suspected Viera wouldn't frighten easily, allowing himself to show too much emotion could bring an edge of hysteria to the situation that would not help.

Xid's eyes widened a bit upon being addressed, his teeth scrapped his lip a bit before answering, “Not technically on record, I've healed my Master's, Sela Zythor, wounds many times. Usually rather minor but I can try.”

He lowered to his knees, his form brought to settle beside Viera as he rested his palm against her forehead. Any place did for his healing to work but Xid felt touching the actual injury was best and did it as habit now. His eyes closed, his mind cleared letting the energy swirl and flood his mind. Where he touched left tingling and gentle warmth, which raced across the woman's flesh while his body took on the toll. His own flesh peaked a bit into a pale white as he sank deeper and deeper into the mediation. For hours he could've done this, settled and drifted in the feeling his healing caused but he knew better.

Suddenly a voice, Sela's, immediately snapped Xid back into the room. Blue eyes shot open and jerked down to look at the condition of his paitent.

Allanar had seen Force healing before, but it was always reassuring to witness such a visible display of the power of the Lightside. Viera's form seemed almost to glow as the energy restored her, and a slight smile crept onto Allanar's face as she sat up, no-longer confused but looking quite at peace. He also noticed that the Padawan who had carried out the healing suddenly looked very weak and pale. He knew he shouldn't be surprised that this was happening, such a potent use of the Force required a certain degree of personal sacrifice, but he couldn't help but be slightly shocked at how much of himself the Padawan had given to heal a Jedi he didn't know.

He let Viera rise from the ground on her own, instead placing his hand on the uninjured shoulder of the Padawan, aware that he was now weak because of what Allanar had asked of him. “You gladly heal her without a thought for your own injuries. That was very noble of you.” He said. He wasn't trying to patronise, he really did mean what he said, the boy was an excellent example of what Jedi should strive for in those actions. “What is your name? I am Allanar.”

Xid’s hand shifted from Viera’s head when she stood up and moved the palm against the floor, the sensation from the solid mass grounded his balance and kept the room from farther spinning around him. Control and awareness was something he still needed to work on. His efforts fueled by his desire to ensure the woman was alright, he had forgotten to keep tabs on how much energy he spent and was weakened to a dangerous degree. If it wasn’t for the voice, the memory, then likely he wouldn’t have ceased it. His kindness was a trait Sela said was admirable, mainly in a world swallowed by darkness. It also was one of many that had caused her to take him under her wing. He did have a big heart and all the other Padawans and Jedi that knew him had a sense of this.

It was a wonder Allanar’s touch didn’t knock Xid over at first, his form propped up only by his arm and that alone kept him from lying down. At this moment even a feather would have the same effect. Xid’s eyes looked, a bit confused at Allanar’s words, the thoughts of just letting her lay there or lying had never crossed his mind once. Besides… why would he do that? It wasn’t right and certainly not what Jedi’s were taught to do, the mere idea of letting another creature (or droid) suffer while he had the means to help them had made the Padawan’s insides curdle.

He felt the man was complimenting him and let a slight smirk cross his lips. His next words stated the obvious, at least to him, that he didn’t see Allanar’s words as mocking him, ”Well, what else could I do? I don’t want her to die after all and besides, I don’t mind and it was the least I could do. My name’s Xid Terrik. It’s nice to meet you.”

Allanar couldn't help but be impressed by the boys dedication to the Light, wether he knew it or not. It was a rare thing, even among Jedi. But he also saw how much it took out of him, and if the Sith had kept them alive now, they would likely have to endure captivity for a long time. “Xid, you should rest. That was an impressive display, but obviously draining. I find it hard to ask this, but for your own sake, don't heal us too often. You need to conserve your energy. The Sith are not kind to their prisoners.” It was obvious why he hadn't been officially made into a healer at the temple. For the truly selfless, it was possible to give your entire lifeforce to save another, one of the few ways in which one could die wielding a Lightside power.

“No problem,” Xid said, his body slowly shifted to the floor. Right now, he didn't have the strength or likely the means to pull himself upright and walk to his bunk, “Though I can't promise anything. If the wounds are severe, I'm sorry to say that I can't let anyone just lay there and die.”

His breathing had found a steady pace again and his eyes keep on the pair, filled with a small hint of pride. Not enough to be considered vanity but more in kin with doing a good type of job. Xid managed to keep awake thankfully and likely would for some time, only his energy was spent after all. He let the cold metal chill his skin, noted how good it felt, through his expression was completely relaxed.

“Of course, do not let anyone die if you can save them, but do not let yourself die either. You cannot help anyone if you are dead. I am not a healer, but perhaps I will be able to teach you something of moderation if we are kept here for too long. Now rest.” Before he could say anything more, the bulkhead door hissed open and the Ray shields one again flickered to life. This time it wasn't soldiers though, it was a Sith in full battle armor. When he spoke, the sound was electric, almost like a droids voice. “You” was all he said, pointing at Allanar. Everyone else was suddenly thrown to the floor with the Force and the Sith beckoned to Allanar. Apparently with no choice, Allanar stood and approached the Sith, the various Ray shields activating and deactivating so as to let him pass and contain the other Jedi. The Sith turned and strode out into the corridor, Allanar following. As they left, the Bulkhead slammed shut and the Ray shield deactivated, leaving no trace of any disturbance at all.

All Xid could manage was a nod, his eyes started to close and let sleep overwhelm his mind. He found some comfort in the cold flooring that most seemed to overlook but it was short lived, his mind jerked back into the present. The familiar sounds of bulkhead doors and Ray Shields came to his ears and all thoughts of sleep had left him. Xid's arms pushed underneath him and slightly lifted his head off the floor just enough to see the owner: A Sith. This was actually his first time to see one, at least up close and not a hologram within the Temple archives.

A shiver trailed down Xid’s spine when the Sith pointed at Allanar, then uttered one word in his droid like voice. Suddenly weight sent the Padawan’s body flat to the floor, held there by some invisible force, while the fully geared up Sith beckoned to the Jedi. For a brief, unexpected moment, he felt a slight relief that it was the Jedi being taken instead of him. It was only a second later, Xid instantly felt disgusted by the thought. His eyes watched the man walk out calmly into the hall, the cell block instantly sealed itself shut once more.

The Force that had engulfed the whole cell released. It left its occupants in dead silence, Xid’s body already stirred to sit upright and stared at the Bulkhead. Too many questions and not enough answers filled his head. The most important one was simple and easily guessed: What would happen to Allanar? Xid’s body, still upright, curled tightly inside itself as he tried to control the worry that pulsed through him.

Post 26, AramisMedici

With her proximity towards the ray shields, a thought occurred to Calista: was he alive? A pang of worry shot out and through her mind at the question: she hadn't checked yet, and wasn't quite certain of his status. Dead or alive? Here maybe? Her eyes shut slowly, and she began concentrating, gently reaching out through the Force through their bond to merely reach him, nothing more.

“... Found him.”

Calista sighed quietly in relief, her forehead now resting lightly on the barrier and a small smile forming across her face, and the worry melting away. He was here, and alive: that was no small feat given what they had all experienced hours (presumably hours: there was no way to keep track of time anymore) ago. Her fingers curled against the barrier, her relief now turning into concern. Was it really a good thing that he was alive? Here they were, on an Imperial vessel, manned by Imperial soldiers, commanded and supported by Sith. The temptation for him--them both--to fall to the Dark Side would be omnipresent for the duration of their stay onboard this ship, and that would go for the same with the rest of their fellow prisoners. And Calista didn't even want to entertain the thought of what the Sith would do if they found out about their connection. Would they stay true to the Light? Would they fall? Would they hurt him, or her to torment the other? Would they die?

No. No, no, they were pawns. They were hardly useful dead. If the Sith wanted them dead, they could have killed them all while they were unconscious. Unless the Sith had some twisted sense of honor (Calista doubted, however, that the Sith spent all that time and effort to gather the Jedi onboard for the pure sake of systematically slaughtering them alive and cornered like rats). The thought sent a chill down her spine: they could have been killed, and never known their killer, nor the circumstances of their deaths. But she took uneasy comfort in knowing that had the Sith killed him while unconscious, it would be just like dying in his sleep: quick and painless.

“Oh, what am I thinking?! I'm going from elation of you being alive, to contemplating your death! We're not going to die!” Her mental voice rang resolutely in a rallying cry. But only a moment later, it followed up with a croak: “I hope...”

She shook her head and slowly turned around to head back towards her cell. He was alive. That's all she needed to know for now. For the moment, that was good. With luck, they'd all be safe and sound back with the Republic, and no threats of falls to the Dark Side and death in the near future, so worrying about impending demises and/or turns to the Dark Side were not needed. They had each other and their fellow Jedi: that's all they needed.

Whether that stayed true in time, however, was another matter entirely.

With that, Calista reached her cell and pressed the red button to activate the ray shield to her cell. She sat cross legged on her bed and took a deep breath: she might as well meditate. It would ease her worries.

“There is no passion, only peace...”

Post 27, Ultimate523

Strago watched as Xid, and Taia spoke, looking over at Allanar as well, seeing that he seemed ready to say something. However, before he could, the ray shields turned on. Strago looked at them for a moment, feeling their energy very slightly. Almost immediately after, two Imperial troopers came, and threw in a woman into the cell block with them. She seemed like she was another Jedi, and Allanar quickly moved to help her, seemingly beginning to heal her, and Xid followed very quickly. Strago aided them from a distance, using his own strengths in healing to help, but not wanting to crowd the woman despite the fact that the healing would have likely been stronger if he was. He watched as Xid began to heal her now, not stopping his own flow of the Force to Viera. Xid seemed to get weak as he did it, and Strago knew he would go to help him once Viera seemed to be well enough.

Immediately at the sound of the bulkhead door opening, Strago turned to it, his full attention drawn to it for a moment. He stared with no sign of emotion on his face as a Sith in battle armour walked in, and pointed at Allanar. Suddenly, he felt himself thrown to the floor, but he began to slowly get up, looking toward the Sith again, just watching them as Allanar went toward them, and they both left the block. He stared at the door for a few seconds, letting the silence of the room stay for a moment before looking around the room at everyone, “Is everyone alright?” He asked with a slight hint of worry, but not making it that clear either.

Post, 28, Sish and Jayda/Rtron and Fallen

Sish bared his teeth in a snarl at Thallia as she snapped at him before leaving. Arrogant little bitch... He chose to ignore Jayda's soft chuckling, staring at the Barbel. It would be so easy just to override the apprentice's orders and have his fun with this Dark Jedi...but no. He wasn't completely Sith, and thus Sish still viewed him with disdain, but neither was he a Jedi, and thus Sish didn't hate him quite as much. Eventually, he shrugged, abidding by Thallia's snapped order. Even if it stung at his pride, she was still a fellow Sith. If not much of one.

“Let's leave her newest toy alone for the time being, shall we?”

Jayda's eyes narrowed as her chuckles died down and finally faded, her eyebrow rose in question. She hadn't expected him to back off so easily yet they both knew one thing. In the Sith ranks, no matter their strength, they were still alien and worthless in most eyes that sought the pure alone. Jayda found it ironic in a way. Her body twisted to follow Sish as his darted off, disappeared down the hall way and towards another cell block. Likely his mood wasn't improved by recent events, his pace echoed it. The destination wasn't a long or exhausting walk like it had been when Sish attempted to roam the wounded halls and corners to see out the conference room, their footsteps sound vibrated off the walls back to them when they drew closer. Finally they reached the cells to see another Jedi, a blond and eerily calm, walk down the hall with another Sith. Jayda and Sish moved to the side to allow the man to pass with his prisoner. Sish seemed eager when he seen the pair pass, farther driven by the earlier scorn.

Afterwards, they entered the cell just in time to hear a youth's voice begin to answer another.

“Yeah, I'm alright-” the young Padawan jumped at the sound of the bulkhead doors that once more came open followed by the Ray Shields, separating the others from him. His skin already pale, he looked weak to Jayda and likely to break if either of the Sith stared at him wrong. Like a snake attracted to a rat, the young Jedi's down form caught Sish's attention.

Immediately the youth was jerked up into the air. His legs kicked and thrashed, his eyes widened in fear at what Jayda could only guess was his windpipe slowly being crushed. His face was purely in pain from the experience and Jayda felt this would be a short lived experience, a very poor one too. The Padawan, her eyes noted the thin braid near his ear, wouldn't likely last under Sish's claws.

“Now that you've got something, lead the way. Unless you aim on choking the Padawan to death here in front of the other Jedi,” Jayda said coldly, her voice masked the disapproval she felt at this. As well as the fact she didn't want be witness to the death of a Jedi against Darth Nyiss's desires and forced to keep Sish alive, even to ensure he died at her own hands later on. Personally she didn't see how this was going to make her strong but orders were important to follow, mainly if an Apprentice was to stay alive.

Sish only gave a feral smile to Jayda. “Tempting as it is, no. He serves a better purpose.”

Sish began to move, still held the Padawan up and within his force choke, the youth's feet still tried to find ground to allow him breath. The pair departed leaving those still there unable to do anything and merely watched Xid's eyes look at them until he disappeared from the block. For a second time, a Jedi was taken and the bulkhead doors sealed shut followed by the Ray shields that sizzled out leaving those remained waiting for that dreadful moment their turn would come. Luckily, the torture chamber was close by.

Navi: Mechanical Stowaway

Time: 00:00:01

Navi’s internal systems set the moment the bot separated from its master, its small body tossed from Xid’s back and into floor. Its legs clicked and whirled in a blur, scrambled across the temple’s red carpet quickly as it deployed its grapple hook that quickly buried itself into the stone wall. The retractable prongs flicked open, wedged in, and caused pieces of broken stone to crumble onto the floor. Almost instantly the cable tightened when the first Imperial troop’s ankle caught upon it, man sent to the ground. Navi felt the vibrations when the body hit, the grapple released immediately. The cord whipped and slid back in just as the bot was about to veer around for round two.

Navi hadn’t a chance.

Two or three blasters fired. Flashes of red rocketed to Xid, scored on the young Padawan’s shoulder then he crumbled. Its metal body tense for a moment, a leg twitched to move and nearly leapt to defend Xid’s helpless, limp form only to be brought to a halt. The Imperial troops closed in, their guns raised and ready, on its young master before one broke off and leaned down on one knee, placing a single finger on Xid’s neck.

A few seconds ticked by until a metallic confirmation came from the masked man, his hand pulled back and looked up at a fellow trooper, “Lucky for you two, he’s still alive. I would’ve hated to tell our superior that instead of capture, you managed to kill a human Jedi.”

The man lifted upright then pointed to others, then back to Xid’s unconscious form. “You and you, take him. He’ll be out for a while.”

“Yes sir…” The men said in union, the last thing Navi heard before it darted into the nearest Temple vent.

Its legs clicked and tapped against the metal interior while its small body moved effortless through. The bot knew were to head. There was only one way to safely track and follow the Imperial Troops, at least without being seen, but it did detour the small droid for an hour. If it was lucky then it would be able to track its master down and hopefully save him before something terrible happened. Sadly the bot’s logic didn’t have much room for faith in that sort of thing. Having used the vents, outside the Jedi and even Xid’s knowledge, for quick transportation it managed to track its master despite the every twists and turns. Ventured out only when the risk of losing him was great, its small and mental form quickly scurried for the nearest crevice or debris to hide from sight then right back into another vent opening.

Time: 02:15:50

Many, many Jedi were gathered in place. From what Navi could tell, they all were alive and was transported into shuttles. Almost instantly the droid spotted Xid’s limp and crumbled form dumped in among the others before the craft started to hum to life, the thrusters glowed in a light blue at the rear. There was little time as the droid rushed through the landscape of chaos and destruction towards the landing gear. Fast thinking, it scrambled up the slot where one of the landing gear came from, barely missed being crushed from the doors that closed behind its retreating body.

It was there… in darkness and cramped space did the little droid sit there. Its internal clock ticked, minute by minute, the shuttle’s hull vibrated all around, that seemed almost torturous to the bot’s mind. Any moment the it expected to be found yet nothing came. No sound of an alarm or give away it was about to be ejected, just the roared thrusters dulled by the thick steel. Slowly, its system temporarily powered down for a brief rest.

Time: 04:37: 10

The little droid was woken up by the loud blare of the shuttle that docked into the Hâsk. The outside rattled and shook, seemed like an earth quake had erupted around Navi as its systems came alive. Its eyes swayed, peered through the darkness before it rose to its little feet. Swiftly it moved from its perch, the gear hissed and bent to prop up the ship in the docking. Navi climbed higher to suction to the compartment's top where it waited beofre it edged its way out. Its eyes took in the sight.

Bodies moved, Imperials tossed Jedi upon repulsed stretchers then began to haul them towards a single exit. To one side, one of the few that stood in one spot, were two figures. They neither helped or guarded, their lips moved in conversation while the words were too far to make out. The Jedi were being moved to a single exit but it was too risky. Too many guards and eyes, the droid didn’t want to risk being discovered or killed. It would mean to forfeit its master’s freedom or worse, his life. There was only one option: to hide within the hanger and find another way to Xid. So many Jedi, it was difficult to know for sure if its master was among them for certain, the droid moved from its hiding spot to another. An old crate, likely filled with supplies or essentials became its cover while it ducked and weaved. The movements thankfully went unnoticed in the buzz of activity as Navi found a shaft just its size then quickly slipped in until everything would go silence.

Unknown to anyone (Navi hoped anyway)…the prison ship, Hâsk, had a stow away!

[Ellri]

Post 29, Rtron & FallenReaper | Sish, Xid, and Jayda

The Trandoshan didn't know if he would have been able to hold the youth in the air much longer. He tossed the human on the rack, allowing Xid to breathe again, and kept a sharp claw pressed against his throat while the lizard secured him to the device. Just in case the Jedi decided he wanted to be defiant. Unlikely, but still a possibility. And, admittedly, the Trandoshan hoped the Jedi would try something. Anything. Just an excuse to be a bit more...rough with the questioning.

Xid felt his back slam into the rack, his throat released and allowed the air to rapidly fill his lungs with a loud gasp. His throat raw and sore, inhaled deeply but nearly choked on the air itself. That's when the claw pressed into his neck, his heart thumped in an unsteady pace and threatened to leap from his chest. His arm was raised to one side then secured it, his eyes wary of the Trandoshan's muzzle as the Sith fastened the final piece. Xid flinched and bit back a yelp when his wounded arm was moved, almost attempted to jerk it out of the clawed hand.There was fear, despite everything he tried to stay calm, clearly in his eyes.

Stepping back, Sish gave a smile at the captive. “Here's how this is going to work. I'm going to ask a question about the Republic's defenses, Jedi temple locations, and battle plans,” Which were pretty much the only things he cared about, “and you're going to tell me something in reply. Before we begin, however, tell me. Have you ever known what it feels like to have a lightsaber carve into your flesh? Felt Force Lightning? Been clawed? Had any bones broken?” It was always better when they had never felt the pain before. And, he wanted to watch the Jedi squirm before the true test began.

Xid listened to the creature's demands but said not a word. His fists balled up as the bindings bit into his flesh unable to begin to answer the questions, made it very clear his experience in torture was a zero. The closest was both a droid blast and Imperial Troops fire, the most recent still stuck as a wound on his shoulder. Finally he managed to find the words, “I'm only a Padawan...why would you think I would be entrusted with stuff like that?”

Sish's smile grew bigger, more predatory, even before Xid spoke. Fear. It was etched in the boy's every feature. This was going to be even more fun than he thought. “You want the truth? I don't particularly care if you know anything. I'll drag anything you know out of you, slowly and painfully if need be, and eventually break you. It's entirely personal and based on my hate of the Jedi and everything you stand for, I assure you.” Idly, Sish flicked on his lightsaber, the bronze blade illuminating Xid. “Now, let's begin shall we? What do you know of Republic defenses? Weaknesses? Strengths? Positioning?”

“Why do you hate us?” Xid didn't mean for the question to slip form his lips as it hit the air, his eyes fixed on the light saber. Naturally he had ignored the questions, for his own personal reasons. It was looking more and more likely he wasn't going to make it out of this intact, even if he gave the Sith what he wanted. It wasn't hard to tell the Trandoshan liked the fact he was scared or the fact by the simple act of switching on his lightsaber had made him flinch.

Again, he wouldn't give the Sith the answers he wanted, “ I don't know anything...”

Sish didn't respond and kept smiling. His lightsaber flicked forwards, piercing flesh but stopping just short of reaching the bone in Xid's cheek. “I don't believe you.” Likely to the boy's relief, the lightsaber was turned off. “Why do I hate you? Think about it.” A claw tapped Xid's temple, as if helping him along. “You claim to be peacekeepers of the Galaxy, the only ones who can. Yet, you're unnatural. You resist emotions everything must feel. At best you shut out most of your emotions. At worst you are no better than droids. How can you be peacekeepers if you don't know how people feel? What's worse, you claim this makes you strong.” The claw began pressing harder into the boy's temple, drawing blood. It kept pressing.

“A fact that has clearly been proving wrong by the sacking of your temple and the subsequent mass extinction of all life on the planet. Imagine, would you, the fear. The terror. The hate. They trusted you and your kind, and you failed them. Your failure caused their deaths.” He dragged the claw downwards, leaving a bloody chasm all the way down to Xid's chin. “I'll ask again. What do you know of the Republic's defenses?”

Pain seared into his senses, followed the raw cooking of his flesh when the Sith's lightsaber dart lightly against his cheek. The boy struggled down a howl, his wrists strained against the bindings, pulled only so far then ceased. His eyes widened and turned back to Sish, the hissed words caused his spine to shiver. The light of the weapon died, gone was the dim light that covered his face but that wasn't the end of it. Xid head tried to turn away as the claw pressed to his temple. The point burried itself into the skull, seemed on the verge to crack it open, while the Sith's words filled his ears.

His teeth bit his tongue to hold back the scream, managed to hold it to a whimper when the claw dug deeper then skirted down his face. It left a stinging followed by the warmth of his own blood that dripped down his white skin, the wide wound nearly missed his eye. This time he jerked and attempted to pull away from the Trandoshan, his voice insisted, clearly in pain, “I don't know anything! Please...I've not done anything to you, why?!?”

Sish chuckled as he saw the boy suffering. Good. He deserved to suffer. It was his decision to down the lies and the weakness they taught him. Now he was being truly trained. He would purge the weakness from his body, or he would die. Simple as that. Preferably, he would last a long while before becoming strong. Who knows how strong the other Jedi might be? As Xid screamed, Sish grinned. “You're lying.” He placed a clawed hand on Xid's shoulder. The one that he had seen the Padawan flinching at whenever it was moved. “I could I say I want to believe you. But I don't. True, you haven't done anything to me. But you simply have the bad luck of representing everything I hate.”

Xid's head jerked towards the Sith, his cry died down as the creature's muzzle continued to smirk. The alien seemed to get some sick and demented pleasure from his pain. Each display seemed to cause more as blood oozed from the inflicted wounds, his words repeated again. How did he know? Was he guessing or just tried to find an excuse to hurt him? Xid didn't know, deep down he felt the answer was best left alone. The clawed hand moved, pressed along his Padawan outfit up to the shoulder where it lingered.

The hand suddenly clenched on Xid's shoulder, the claws going through the thin fabric until they reached flesh. They only stopped when Sish could have ripped out a chunk of Xid's shoulder with a strong pull. “I'm going to ask you one more time.” Sish said casually, grinding his claws together inside of Xid's shoulder. “Then, I start playing much less nicely. What do you know of Republic Defenses?”

He let out a blood curling scream then. The fabric torn from the sharp claws, their tips dug deep and pierced through the flesh. A fresh burn washed over him. His body jerked from the infliction, his arms pulled upwards, tugged at the bindings to arch his back away. Mind saw only red in the moment. The color filled him and seemed to drown him, the sticky fluid soaked into his remaining robes. Again, the Sith asked his question.

Grunted through his teeth, Xid again repeated his answer, “Please, just stop... I don't know...Ahhhh!”

Sish smiled. “I was hoping you'd say that.” It was pathetic that the Jedi was begging already. Jayda had never done anything near the sort. Then again, she was also a Zabrak and driven by hate. This human boy was...soft. The claws withdrew from his shoulder, stained crimson, and rose to the forearm of the boy. Grasping Xid's forearm, Sish spoke one more time. “Continue lying as long as you want. I can do this far longer than you can, and I imagine I gain more pleasure out of it.” Then, he squeezed. It really didn't take long. Not as long as Jayda's did. The bone snapped like a twig beneath his claws. Sish let go, if only for a moment.

The lightsaber came into play once more, hovering an inch above Xid's nose. It pressed down, slowly going through flesh before stopping when Sish spoke again. “What do you know of the Republic defenses?”

Again the air left Xid's lungs, his screams louder then before. It surrounded the room while the very cracking of his left filled his ears. The muscle bruised as he lost slight feeling in the limp, it dangled uselessly from the shackle. The twin bones pressed together then gave under the Tranoshan's strength. His throat had began to feel raw and dry, hurt from all his yells. His face was jerked up to look into the bright yellow eyes, almost monstrous, while the low hum of the lightsaber blade came into play. His scalp burned from the hair roots nearly pulled out as his face was dowsed in the bronze color. For what felt like the tenth time, Xid yelled when the blade pressed down seemed to burn a hole where his face was!

“Noooo, I don't know anything...” He bellowed, panicked and braced against the fire that licked up his face. He was going to die, he realized. In a long, painful way.

Sish continued pressing down with the lightsaber. He stopped short of having the nose cut off...but Xid had a new indent in the bridge of his nose, blackened and charred. The smell filled the air, causing Sish's smile to grow wider. He removed the lightsaber, switching it off once more. “This can all end if you'd just tell me what you know about the Republic's defenses.” A complete and utter lie. Even if he had ways to prove that the Jedi wasn't lying to save his skin, he wouldn't just stop because the Jedi told him the truth. That would be ridiculous.

The young Padawan breathed again when he felt the heat lifted. The buzz killed as the Sith shut off his weapon once more, his nose still burned from the contact and filled with newly fried flesh. Somehow, Xid didn't believe the Tradoshan's words. Maybe it was prejudice or the look in the lizard like eyes, but something told him this was only the start. Besides, he couldn't. Too much depended on his silence and the fact the Sith was torturing him, it only told him deep inside to keep his denial. That's when he noted movement from the corner of his eyes. His head jerked, sweat poured down his skin and caused his hair to cling to his forehead, to see the Sith turn a wheel and quickly his arms shot higher.

Sish began to turn the wheel on the rack, stretching Xid out. He didn't stop until he heard the dual pops of Xid's shoulders' dislocating. Stepping in front of the Padawan, he raised a clawed hand. “Tell me what you know of the Republic's defenses, or you'll find out what electrocution feels like.”

Pop, pop! His shoulders jerked from their sockets, a new cry erupted from his mouth and again filled the room. His body was shaking from the rack that pulled his arms too far over his head to be natural. Only skin held his limps to his body now, the ligaments twisted and pulled up send pain pulsed through his senses like venom. Slowly then increased into overwhelming agony. His head begged for it all to stop. His eyes turned to the other creature, a Zabrak he judged by her horns, leaned against the far wall. She stood there, his eyes called to her yet she only watched it all happened. Never lifted a finger or told the Sith to stop it.

Why didn't she stop this? He knew the answer, even when he asked himself the question.

That's when Sish's claws look ready to flay him alive. The Padawan braced himself. His head tucked into the hollow skin, a weak attempt to protect his face and eyes from the blast. The youth's voice sounded more exhausted then before, once again repeated his answer, “I can't tell you what I don't know!”

Rather than the expected bolt of lightning, Sish spoke. “Don't think she will help you. She's stronger than you. Far stronger. And the strong do not help the weak. That is simply making the weak weaker. The strong rules the weak. Forcing the weak to adapt, become strong. For who wants to be ruled all their lives? Which is something you Jedi don't seem to understand. It is the nature of the Galaxy to struggle, to fight, to die, to grow stronger. You and your Republic seem to like stopping the nature of the Galaxy. To allow it to stagnate. Which is why it was so easy to butcher your precious Coruscant and leave nothing more than another Malachar V behind us.”

Sish stepped to the boy, his claw pressing against the still bleeding temple once more. “Before I punish you for lying to me again, tell me something. How does it feel to know you're the reason an entire planet was butchered?”

Xid's eyes had lingered over something he found uncomfortable, the charred clothing and evidence of a light saber wound. It was better to focus with his sympathy towards the Zabrak then his own pain, to use her wound to tear away from the fact some Sith, for no reason, was slowly killing him. The ache in his dislocated shoulders had dulled slightly with dim flickers of pain, once in a while flared up when he moved. The creature didn't understand what it meant to be a Jedi as he uttered the difference between strong and weak. Xid thought if this was strength then he was better off dead. Cruelty wasn't strength and his eyes fluttered back to Tradoshan's point that they were easy to butcher... if that was a fact, then why did his apprentice bare evidence of otherwise?

Xid's body flinched when the Sith touched him again, the tip started into the flesh again. The boy's eyes stared back for a moment, fighting the pain that pulsed into his brain and tried to keep the whimper from his voice, “It seems she bears evidence that not all of them went down without a fight. I'm not lying...how can I make you see that?”

Sish sighed. “I did not say the weaklings didn't fight. I said it was easily butchered. Even Gnathgrg fight when cornered and faced with certain death. And they can cause wounds. But they still die, in the end. It's an inevitability. And how can you make me see that? Hmm. I don't think you can. But if you want to feel better about this whole ordeal, just keep repeating to yourself 'the Force works in mysterious ways'. I'm sure it'll feel true to you eventually.” Without warning, he unleashed the Force lightning he'd threatened. Straight through the claw pressed against Xid's temple.

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHH,” came Xid's scream as the bolts licked up the inside of his head.

His body seized in on itself, muscle instinctive and tightened in an unforgiving manner. The smell combined with the coppery taste of blood, his tongue had a chuck taken from it as his teeth clenched down, bled into his mouth. Eyes rolled up into the back of his head while his body danced from the pain. The skin stretched and tugged from his vicious movements, the ligaments seemed to have torn and wear from the moving weight. Xid couldn't say anything farther. It felt like his throat had closed up, leaving him helpless and burnt. Smoke started to rise, muscles seemed to be about cooked from the inside out.

A small cough followed by Jayda's voice broke out, “Sish, you're going to kill him the longer you do that... I don't feel like defending you against Darth Nyiss just because you over indulged in your fun. He's not a Zabrak, humans can't take that much voltage, especially a Padawan of that age.”

Sish glanced at her, continuing for a few moments before stopping. Reluctantly. “You're right. We'd best keep him alive for now.” The Trandoshan lessened the tightness of the rack, likely giving a relief from pain to Xid. He grabbed the broken forearm in a tight grasp, before undoing the bonds that held Xid to the rack. “I think we're done for now. Perhaps you'll be more...talkative the next time we meet.” Dragging the Padawan by his broken forearm, and pointedly having his lightsaber active and ready, Sish returned Xid to his cell with the other Jedi, tossing in the Padawan like a discarded toy.

“I sincerely hope one of you can heal.” With that, he left, gesturing for Jayda to follow him.

Post 30, Jayda, Sish and Jewel ~|~ Fallen, Rtron and Echo

Jayda had paused, her eyes watched the Padawan a moment longer just to spot the faint breathing. His arms twisted about his body, unnatural enough that the Jedi would be blind not to see they were dislocated and still hung there. The bone pressed against the thin skin, created an unsettling budge. She twisted away from the shivering boy as she moved quickly behind Sish.

Her boots clipped the grating, the click echoed through the bulkheads and back to her. Her eyes upon the retreated Sish, the doors hissed shut behind her, kept both the Jedi and the Sith apart. It could be seen as either a relief or taunt depending on the state of mind. She didn't agree with the Trandoshan's methods, the victim came too close to plainly dying in the interrogation room which would've caused unfortunate domino effect. One she didn't want to experience ever. Her head turned to her shoulder, spied what the Padawan had mentioned then attempted to roll it. Jayda bit back a hiss with her teeth. She managed to make a full rotation despite the stiff that grew in her muscles and hurt that stung her. It meant she would need to attend to her wound at some point but now wasn't the time.

Sish stopped, flicking off his lightsaber, and turned to Jayda. His claws were still bloody from their marking on Xid, and he didn't seem to notice. Doubtful he would have cared either. For a few moments, he just stared, scrutinizing. One could think he was examining her wound, to see if she was okay. They would be completely wrong of course. But it was a nice fantasy, if only for a moment. “Let me ask you a question, apprentice of mine. You're here for one reason, and one reason alone. To kill me. We both know it. And the only way for you to kill me is for you to grow stronger than me. And the only way for that to happen is for you to learn how to be stronger from me. Which brings me to my question. How can torturing a Jedi make you stronger?”

His head tilted, and he waited. There was nothing hostile in his manner, strangely enough, just what appeared to be idle curiosity.

Jayda knew better. Sish didn't know kindness, even after she had accepted his offer the Trandoshan had still expected her to clean herself up and tend to her festered wounds. He merely unbound her enough to make it easier then tossed the supplies upon a table. So his eyes that wandered over to her wound had placed up alarm bells, her head jerked in his direction and bared teeth for a moment. It could've been viewed as over reaction but not for her.

Naturally his words seemed to have came out of her mind. Her eyes blinked a bit at him, for a moment wondered if he had some mental ability he failed to show before. Or he knew his Apprentice far too well. His head looked her over, her word chosen carefully, “Yes, that question crossed my mind... but I fail to see how it can. The weak would only get stronger or die as you've often said.”

Her face was calm and blank on the outside, however her body was spring loaded at any movement Sish dared to make. Personally she would've ignored his philosophical ramblings but this time, it satisfied her curiosity.

He only gave a smile at her bared teeth. She was learning. Good. But she still had a ways to go before she was ready. How long that was remained to be seen. Rather than directly answering her question, and ignoring the screams of another jedi, he spoke once more. “There are three types of strength. Physical, Mental, and Emotional. We already know you're physically strong. Mentally has been partially proven as well. Even some of your emotional strength has been shown. But, on to your question. Of the three strengths, torturing an enemy primarily uses emotional strength. If you can't stomach torturing Jedi, your weakness will show. And the other Sith will leap upon that, and use it to tear you apart. Any weakness really.”

“I'm simple. I'm not conniving, I don't sneak, I don't seek to slaughter my other Lords to gain more power. To beat me, all you have to do is fight me and kill me. The others, however, are much more...subtle. They'll use Emotional weakness. They'll use mental weakness. They'll use any tiny foothold they can to bring you down and kill you. You're competition. You're a stepping stone on the path to power. So while the Torture helps the Jedi, the weak, it also helps you. If you can stand to torture them, emotions like compassion and pity and mercy will be reined in. Not completely killed, for that would be too close to what the Jedi do, but locked away when necessary. For the others can and will use it against you. And that's not even starting with the manipulation.”

Part of Jayda wanted to roll her eyes at his usual logic, disgusting as it was true. The Sith only lived to grow in power and used anyone they deemed worth it before discarding them away. It was the basic system she had learned in the Sith: there was not such a thing as loyalty, not true loyalty anyway. In her own preference she rather live through someone else's power, to see them strive and overcome all others, that was more suitable to. Now she was stuck with her brother's murderer as a master, without any redeeming qualities in her eyes as she walked behind him. Jayda had forced the discomfort upon hearing the Jedi's screams to a low, dull protest. Yet it was still there, despite her willing for it to be gone. She was neutral in nature after all and killing it completely was impossible, even with her Jedi training. Ironic that now, this deep into Sith training, she still had trouble conforming like in her past.

“Manipulation is part of the Sith's world, I've learned that. I don't need to be lectured on it.” she spoke simply, “Though if you're not careful, someone might end up using your weakness instead. All they need is just one slip up and if I hadn't stopped you, that Padawan would've been killed, if he's not dead already, leaving you in a nasty position to explain. Intelligence was clear with the Darth's orders and not all Jedi can heal... You should've taken him to the medical wing to be certain he lived.”

She took a deep breath, attempted to pull from unneeded concern. Most of it was due to her edginess at being upon ship she wasn't familiar with, “Speaking of which, if you're done turning me into you then I'll take my leave and leave you to your own company. As for being killed, I don't intend going before you and do as I'm told, but keep in mind: It won't be like you.”

Unless Sish stopped her, Jayda had began to turn off towards the Medical Bay and intended to fix her injury. An exposed wound was like a dinner to predators, a weak and easy meal, something she certainly wasn't.

Sith Lord Jewel Namore had been watching Sish and Jayda's 'interrogation' of the Jedi padawan through the rooms surveillance via her personal holonet link, and frankly, it disgusted her. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that the Lizard didn't really care about the real objectives of this operation, he was far too consumed in inflicting pain for pains sake. Granted, that sort of thing was enjoyable from time to time, but right now it was just wasteful. Apparently at least his apprentice had the presence of mind to keep the Jedi alive, though whether she had any other redeeming qualities was yet to be ascertained.

It hadn't been hard to gather information on this particular Sith Lord when he had come aboard the ship, and within minutes she'd found something she could use against him. He was obsessed with strength, and in particular making his apprentice strong. Apparently he'd applied similar methods of torture to his Apprentice for four years prior to her accepting the invitation to the Sith order. And ever since then, Imperial Intelligence had recorded the several attempts to kill him that she had made. It was quite fascinating, and potentially very useful. Jewel had many reasons to want to kill Sish, and his recent display had just added to her hate for him. Not only did he deserve to die for being a filthy lizard, but he was wasteful too. People like him blocked far more deserving, far purer people from becoming Sith of any power.

She'd preemptively gone to the Med-bay, just in case she needed to order the Jedi saved after Sish's ravaging, and was monitoring the prison cells holo-feed as Jayda entered behind her.

Jayda hadn't expected anyone to be within the Medical bay, at least not another Sith, as the Zabrak eyed the woman's back. She had a feeling she knew where the Sith was looking and her eyes hovered, briefly, over to the display screens. True enough, it was the Jedi cells. She noticed the Padawan's still form on the cell floor, from the way his arms hung limply at his side and the odd shape his shoulders were that screamed the familiar cries of pain and misery. She'd been there for four years. Helpless, starving, and worse, on the brink of death as she attempted to survive to the next night. Her expression still cold, she turned towards the medical staff on hand.

The first orderly, female from what Jayda could tell and likely smell, came forward with a sober face and seemed almost more droid like then bot itself. The woman's eyes looked to Jayda's wound then pointed to the droid. It withdrew a spray from one of the metal cabinets before it sprayed it on, the wound slowly began to knit itself back together then vanish in front of her. The Zabrak merely nodded as the woman turned on heel, likely to attend to another matter. Without a word, Jayda made back towards the exit with one thing on her mind: To clear it. The only way that worked effective was through combat mediation and practice, a trait kept from her past. Unlike her father or brother, Jayda couldn't stay still to calm and collect her emotion. At least in a healthy way that didn't end up with her turning them off completely.

She shook her head, not wanted to relive the past as she pushed slightly quicker to the door then exited it.

Jewel noticed Jayda looking over her shoulder for a moment, and caught the fleeting expression that crossed her face at seeing the tortured Jedi. Jayda received the Kolto for her wound and then swiftly left, going in the direction of the combat room. Jewel said a few words to the medical orderlies, telling them to monitor the padawan and intervene if the Jedi didn't heal him. He'd probably need a few days in a Kolto vat if he didn't get any other help. With that matter taken care of, she walked out of the room and followed Jayda to the combat room. She had plans for the Apprentice, but she had to make sure the impure alien was up to the task.

Upon arriving at the combat room, she stopped at the door and watched Jayda for a few moments. The Apprentice seemed to be engaging in some kind of meditation, one that looked far too smooth for the kind Sith usually practiced. That, and a Sith meditating was an obvious well of Darkside energy, something that was not present in the room. It was curious, but also slightly disturbing. Jewel would initiate her test in a way Sish had most likely never thought of. She gathered the shadows about her and concealed her presence in the Force, even blurring the edges of her visible form and took her lightsaber from her belt. Stepping softly behind Jayda and raising her unactivated Lightsaber. Once raised, she used the Force to trip the internal activator and swing the blade the short distance towards Jayda's neck.

Jayda's eyes had been closed, her emotions swirled about her mind like dark clouds that threatened to overcome her focus. They tingled and flowed, in a sense so intuned with her blood that became part of her. Back and forth, it rolled as her mind gathered them into a center, a ball of sorts, then slowly flithered them in a fixed point. Her heart. Smell and hearing listened for the slightest sound or scent to cross her attention, They extended within the room like a sixth sense. Her control and mind sharpened to a point it felt surreal.

As Jewel drew close, her scent had already wafted over to Jayda's keen nose. It smelt of feminine and darkness, yet her body continued in its movements. Best allow the stalker approach and get a sense of her direction, the faint soft step echoed in Jayda's mind while the smell grew stronger. Closer...closer, the Sith drew towards her back then stopped. That all she needed to reaction.

Her eyes flickered open as her hand whipped for her lightsaber, the blade popped alive with a low hum and a purple color. It whipped about to rest at Jewel's neck while her other hand rose to protect her own, the light saber hilt likely touched the palm at the same moment her weapon came out. It stopped short of intending to kill her.

“You need to work on your stealth...” came Jayda's simple answer, “to be honest, I'm only a Zabrak and you should be better than this.”

“Impressive” Was all Jewel said in reply. She stepped back, keeping her weapon in between her and the Zabrak as she circled around to the centre of the room. She wouldn't rise to the taunts of the apprentice. She was confident in her stealth abilities, which she had not fully employed here, and would not. It was better if those around her underestimated her. “Now, are you prepared to defend yourself? I am eager to see if you can last.” She raised her purple Lightsaber above her head in her right hand, the ready stance of Juyo. At the same time, she brought forth a fraction of her stored Hate, letting it build within her while she physically relaxed.

Jayda watched the Sith woman pull back, her weapon held between them as she circled about to the room's center. Her purple lightsaber raised up and readied, in a stance Jayda wasn't completely familiar with. She uttered a challenge that the Zabrak should've declined but her pride and the eagerness to ease her restlessness were far greater. Jayda took a breath before her hand held out, her forced tossed her lightsaber into her palm where it closed and readied. Her eyes sought the woman's. Hate, intense and madden, it swam in the irises as if to burn it up from the pure emotion. No fear showed in Jayda when she sank into the eyes and readied herself in a defensive stance of Soresu.

Jewel noted her opponents defensive stance momentarily but quickly leapt into her attack anyway. She covered the ground between them with a quick Force assisted leap, bringing her Lightsaber around for a swift one handed strike at Jayda's side. She expected it to be blocked and prepared to repeat the swing with more strength straight after.

Jayda's wrists tightened as it took the blade's impact, the blades hissed and flickered like angry serpents. Her breath stilled for a moment, her body not allowed Jewel a second strike, moved in closer, using both her speed and strength into play, with a slash aimed at the inside thigh. However Jayda kept her guard up, readied to flip back into Soresu at a moment's notice.

Unable to complete her second strike, Jewel sensed the incoming attack directed to her leg and leaped above it with another Force assisted jump. At the same time, she twisted around in mid air, again using the Force to speed her movement and with it, her Lightsaber. Still holding it only in her right hand, she angled it toward Jayda's shoulder, the blade reaching the intended location as her feet once again touched the ground.

Jayda watched Jewel jump up, her body twisted in mid-air while she brought her blade up again. It clashed as her shoulder pulled back, her right foot stepped forward and hilt brought up with one hand to push Jewel's lightsaber off its mark. Where her shoulder had been moments ago. Her other hand, the free one, slashed out with long, clawed nails to slice at the Sith's face side upon landing.

Her stroke once again countered in the nick of time, Jewel saw the clawed hand of the apprentice reaching towards her. She kept the downwards momentum of her landing, ducking down to avoid the attack while kicking out with her right leg at the knee of the Zabrak. She swept her Lightsaber around at the Zabraks other knee in a wide arc as she recovered from the deflection of her previous strike. She supported her manoeuvres with her left hand, balancing herself as soon as she was low enough to touch the ground with it.

The moment Jayda didn't feel the warmth of blood and flesh under her nails, the Zabraks eyes shifted to notice the woman's leg flip out at her knee. Her foot jerked back, bring the knee downward and hit the floor hard. She barely flinched when the foot hit while her mind focused the force with a flick of her hand, attempting to stop the blade from reaching her knee as Jayda's body leaned back to place distance between her opponent and herself. Her expression had remained calm and almost cold, unfazed by the battle's events while her mind placed another move.

Jewel felt the satisfying thunk of the Zabraks knee against her foot, seeing the apprentice fall to her knee as the leg was swept from under her. Moments later, she also felt the force push strike her. She resisted it just long enough to bring the blade close to Jayda's knee, searing the fabric of her clothing before Jewel let the attack overwhelm her. She rolled backwards and came up into a ready stance once more. For a moment, she let her Hate and anger show externally, purging the passion of battle from her mind to her body, a snarl forming on her face and her muscles tensing. Her mind clear of the battle fog, she took the moment to speak “I commend you for your control, apprentice. But you could be so much stronger. Tell me what it is you want most!” She knew the answer already, but she wanted to provoke Jayda.

Jayda had tensed visibly at the furious display, her blade readied for another attack only to watch the woman stand. Her body and mind seemed to clear it away during her compliment. Slowly and cautiously, the Zabrak lifted upright with eyes peered deeply into the woman's, noting the lacking emotions for combat. “You're not the only one that said that to me and what I desire, you can not give me.”

Her light saber flickered off and sat in her, guarded to be brought up again incase the woman attempted a dirty blow. She wasn't against others, herself rarely resorted to it, using such tactics. Power didn't mean fairness after all.

Jewel was amused by the answer, and choose her next words carefully, though still quickly. She was used to battles of words, and had become skilled at not showing when she was picking words for effect. “So swift to cast aside aid? Do you really think you can achieve Vengeance on your own? You have no power. You are not Jedi. You are not Sith. You will never defeat Sish.” She remained in her ready stance, prepared to bring her hate to the fore again and defend against anything the apprentice might do.

The Zabrak paused, her head shook at what she thought was the Sith's attempt to provoke her. It didn't help her mediation was interrupted and stray anger started to gather, her eyes closed for a moment. Once again her mind focused on those swirls and slowly, properly tucked them away for a moment. Her body relaxed. “If I wasn't a Sith, then why am I not dead? As for how I complete my goal, I will find a way and besides, why would you care? Or help other than to lay blame for the death of a Sith at my feet, ending my life.”

Her hand returned her saber to her waist as she waited the answers she sought. She wasn't careless enough to just toss her rage or feelings around. It served little purpose or reason, other then make a mockery out of her and chaos in the end. Rage, as powerful as it was, held no benefit if not controlled.

Jewel couldn't help but laugh internally at the Naivete of the apprentice across from her. “You are alive for the same reason the Jedi are. You truly don't understand our world do you? You don't understand the Sith code. All you have seen is your Master, and you see our world through his eyes. Being Sith is not about anger, or hate. Passion, yes, but control in all things. Control of yourself and those around you. I would help you because I wish to see your master dead. He is a disgrace to our order, he has no control, and he is a filthy alien. You at least look human, but he should never have been allowed into our order.” She stopped for a moment, centering herself. The mere thought of such impure being calling themselves Sith was abhorrent to her and one of the few things that risked her losing control.

“I would show you how to control your hate, as I do. Only by using your emotions will you defeat Sish.” She waited, remaining in her ready with her Lightsaber activated. She would only turn it off when she left the room.

Jayda considered the offer, her mind pondered the ideals and possibilities. Yet, deep inside she had a nasty feeling she would fail as she had with her father's own teachings. To always be stuck in a place no one else could understand or reach, unable to find a calm without being empty or flooded with emotion without control. It was a losing battle for her in the end. At least being manipulated, the only possible explanation this woman would consider this offer to her, she would grow in one area her master lacked. That alone was important.

“Very well, let's see how far you will take me...” Jayda answered then twisted about to leave the room. Then she added one last thing, then left, “I only hope in the end, you don't realize you've bitten off more then you can handle.”

Jewel didn't reply as the Zabrak turned and left. She didn't need to. She'd given away enough of her hand already. Instead she just watched Jayda leave and lowered her weapon, deactivating as she did so. Her plan was in motion now. Whether it succeeded or not, she'd be rid of one more alien in the Sith order. As she left the combat room she placed her weapon back on her belt and casually walked towards the prison blocks.

Post 31, Rtorn & Frettzo | Kinsakwi

Unlike many others, Kinsa wasn't the kind of Jedi who would just sit idle and wait for their untimely end to come. She paced around her cell, examining every little detail, and attempting to find something even the slightest bit faulty about the design... But it was hard. This was the first time she felt Sith were all around her, and the feeling was the sort that would suffocate her thoughts slowly.

So after a while of pacing, she sat down on the floor, lightly slapping her forehead time and time again, muttering “Ugh! Think, Kinsa, think!”

After Jayda left, Sish gave a smile then turned in the direction of the Jedi Cells. There were, after all, many more Jedi that he could 'talk' to and he didn't want to keep the waiting. Deciding to amuse himself, he chose a cell randomly. After all, even if he chose the one he had slung Xid into, there was always more Jedi to torture. No conversations with the guards about who was where, just walked up to a cell, opened the door, and force choked the first sentient he saw. Which happened to be a Twi'lek, slapping her forehead. Carrying the Twi'let to the torture cell(through the same means as he did Xid) Sish strapped her to the rack as well, before smiling a predatory smile at her.

“I'm going to ask you a simple question. If I think you're lying, I'll cause you pain to make you tell me the truth. Let's begin, shall we? What do you know of the Republic's defenses and battle plans?”

Apparently Kinsa was too slow at thinking her situation through, as out of nowhere, a Sith walked up to her, and just as she tensed up and attempted to climb to her feet, she felt a rough pressure on her throat, followed by pain and a slight feeling of weightlessness as she was lifted by the Sith's force choke. She couldn't focus, as the pain kept corrupting her logical reasoning, and instead she brought her hands up to her neck in a primitive attempt to rip the offensive hands away, even though she knew that the hands weren't there at all.

Thankfully, it was over just before she lost consciousness, and she was put on a rack.

'Ah...' She thought, panting heavily for a couple seconds as she looked around. She saw... Instruments, tools capable of great pain. Yeah... She was neck deep in a big mess right now.

She looked at the Sith just in time for his predatory smile, and she raised an eyebrow, struggling lightly against the harnesses and cuffs.

“The Republic's defenses and... Battle plans? You... Should know about these... Things yourself,” She replied, catching her breath for a short while. “Seems like all your boasting is just bark. I know nothing of the Republic's Plans, but they're bond to be pretty desperate after what you savages did on Coruscant. Desperate action is unpredictable action, Sith.”

The sole thought of Coruscant unsettled Kinsa, yet she reminded herself of her training and managed to keep herself in check and not show any weakness.

Sish shrugged. “That is only one planet. Well, was. It's more of a burned out shell where thousands were butchered. A new Malachar V, if you would imagine that. Regardless, I feel you're lying. So, let's begin, shall we?” He raised a claw and grasped Kinsa's forearm. He wasn' begining with simple claw marks in the flesh this time. For variety's sake. After all, it'd begin to get rather dull if he followed the same procedures over and over again, wouldn't it?

Sish smiled again, and then squeezed. He continued squeezing until he felt and heard the twin sounds of a forearm bone snapping. From the look on his face, it was clear that he was enjoying this. A smart sentient would likely conclude that it didn't matter if his 'subjects' told the truth or not. He'd just claim they were lying again and go back to work. “I'll ask you again. Lie to me again, and I'll cause more pain. What do you know of Republic defenses and battleplans?”

She did her best to ignore the Sith's words, as she knew of the usefulness of lies when you were interrogating prisoners. Kinsa's heart pumped quicker as Sish took a hold of her arm, and she winced when he started squeezing- Then she tightly shut her eyes violently shook as the pressure grew, until she let out a short-lived, loud scream.

An intense pain washed over her left forearm and forced her to keep still, as well as stay quiet- She had to stay strong, and the smile the depraved lizard showed her told volumes of what she was facing.

“Agh... You're the worst... Interrogator that's ever attempted to get information out of me. I... Pity you...” Kinsa said, letting out a ragged laugh.

Sish chuckled. Defiance. That was adorable really. And, it was a fun game to see how long they could remain defiant. “You're at least more entertaining than the last one. All he did was beg, plead, and ask why I was doing what I was doing. It was rather pathetic, really.” Idly, he brought a claws up to her face. Then, he dragged all three across(from top right of her forehead to the bottom left of her chin) in a viscious swip. He made sure to avoid her eyes, after all blind Sith are useless Sith, but other than that, he made it as painful as possible, just barely stopping from cutting to the bone.

“Are you going to tell me what I want to know?”

Another scream she had to let out at the pain. How she could resist these things, she never knew- But she was doing it. The things she started feeling from that moment confused her... The feelings ranged from pride to anger, from sadness to depression. She did her best to stay calm, but it was harder with every savage move the Trandoshan Sith made.

“Agh, alright... You're the ugliest Sith... That I've ever seen...”

Sish shrugged. “Trandoshan's aren't paid for their looks.” He made a fist, and then drove it into her ribs. Repeatedly. Until he was sure several were broken. With every thump he smiled wider. This one would last longer than Xid, the pathetic human. Or, maybe she wouldn't and this was all a show of bravado and she was about to pass out at any second. He would find out, one way or another.

Never once did it occur to him that perhaps his goal shouldn't be to push the prisoner's to their limits and the brink of death. After all, there are two ways(that Sish knows of) to convert someone to the Dark Side. His Master's way, though that required darkness to already be within them, or to cause them to give into their emotions. In this case, hate, or fear. Once that happened....things would be more interesting when, and if, the Jedi that he had been converting turned. Interesting as in, chances of death skyrocketing.

The first punch had taken the air out of her lungs, so Kinsa was not able to scream this time, even if she really saw a point in it, and she didn't. So she jerked her body and shook violently with every single rib the Sith broke, and for a second, her vision darkened. But it meant nothing, she was still awake.

She kept quiet for a few moments, not saying anything at all as she recovered as much as she could.

Sish jabbed her in the ribs, making sure she was paying attention. “I'll ask again. What do you know of Republic defenses and battle plans? Secret military base locations? Weaknesses where they could be overwhelmed? Anything at all besides snide comments that won't change your fate at all?”

She grunted at the last punch, shivering slightly as she lowered her head a few inches.

“The Republic's a weak, corrupt system. That's all I can say for sure...” She mentioned, breathing air in raggedly, clearly having trouble breathing.

“Good to know you can lie to me by telling me what you think I want to hear. Now, as a result of that lying...” He raised her head(his bloody claws staining what part of her face that wasn't bloody from the cuts across it) and smiled at her. Then, Force Lightning shot from the hand holding her chin and her face up. He stopped before he could fry anything important, having learned his lesson(if only barely) from the near murder of his last 'patient', but he kept it going for a few seconds. Not that he could have kept it any longer that is.

“The truth this time, perhaps?”

Kinsa couldn't think clearly now, why was she there and how had she ended up where she was? What was the Sith even saying? Her lekku hurt somewhat, but she was sure it wasn't serious. And she could smell burns.

“W-What do you want to know?”

Sish tilted his head. Either she was far smarter than she looked, or she was truly ready to tell him everything. Only one way to find out. Idly examining his claws, he said “I want to know anything and everything that could be used against the Jedi. Weaknesses. Battle Plans. Things they don't want the Sith Empire to know. Things that could help us win this war and bring the Galaxy to it's truest form, where everyone was caught in the endless struggle to survive. The Strong Rule the Weak and the Weak challenge the Strong to grow stronger. So, speak.”

“The Jedi... Most are... Emotionally Disconnected. I am unlike them, it's... It's always confused me. I believe the Jedi could use some enlightment on the strength of correctly used feelings. As for weaknesses, you could... Uh... Let me analyze...” Kinsa said, looking down at the floor for a moment.

“The Republic will do lots to keep credits in their pocket... Even when credits are useless after death.” She finished, purposefully lying about the Republic. They might be completely corrupt in some aspects, but they also cared about the citizens... Somewhat. They use their funds to protect them.

Sish snorted. He already knew that the Jedi were unnatural. He had known that even when he wasn't serving the Sith empire. She wasn't telling him anything useful, and it didn't look like he could torture her any more to get useful information out of her. A pity, really. Regardless, he simply nodded before walking forwards. He suspected she was lying, but couldn't really prove anything until he checked to see if what the Imperial Intelligence said went along with what the prisoner told him.

One clawed hand wrapped pointedly around her throat, he undid her bonds on the rack and carried her(by the throat) to the medical bay. She had been alone. Xid had had allies to heal him. It wouldn't do if the Jedi died on the first time she was tortured. Handing her over to the humans who impassively viewed and assessed the damage he had done to Kinsa, Sish waited nearby to make sure she didn't try anything. Doubtful that she could, but one never knew...

She couldn't feel much after what she went through. She knew it was painful to be carried by the throat, by a clawed hand... But she couldn't really feel it. Eventually, just as soon as she was handed over to the human medics, she lost all consciousness.

[Ellri]

Post 32, Rtron & Ellri | Lea Rahn & Zanna

During the speech by Minder, Zanna rapidly grew disinterested. It only told her what she already knew. Torture the subjects. Don't drive them insane, maim them, or kill them...for now. They could still be turned to the Dark Side and become Sith. Though, somehow, she doubted they would do that easily or so soon. So, the Pureblood decided to do a little, 'experiment'. She was going to have to work(Read: Compete) with these Sith. Might as well figure out who she could beat with her mind and who she would have to be more careful around. First, the lizard.

Easy. As expected. Sish' head went up at the gentlest of prodding. Once a dumb reptile, always a dumb reptile. His apprentice, however, she was interesting. Her head began to rise, and then she forced it down through will. Perhaps she was more powerful than her master. Next on the list. The human. Thallia. She was a surprise. Zanna's force domination was shoved off with a powerful return push. That one would have to be watched. Possibly killed.

Regardless, the reactions of the others would have to wait to be analyzed. They were all leaving, likely heading to their own Jedi to torture. “First things first, I have to get my serums...” Zanna muttered, heading off to her room. Hopefully, no one would nab the clever, defiant one.

Several minutes later, the door to the cell holding Lea opened. Zanna didn't waste any time, launching as strong a force domination at the Jedi as she could. At the very least, she expected the human girl to be immobilized in resistance while the guards with her injected a force suppressant serum into her arm and restrained her.

Several moments before the bulkhead slid open, Lea’s head shot up. Through the Force, she sensed the approach. She had noticed that there were other prisoners in her block, but she had not paid them any heed. She did not know them, and they did not know her. She had yet to decide whether she wanted to know them, whether they were worth it.

When the bulkhead finally slid open, she emptied her mind, seemingly relaxing completely, when in truth she was preparing her defenses. In her time as a prisoner, she had gotten to know much about how many Sith thought, and how to deal with them. If only she had had more training first. She still was not sure how well she would be able to resist. After all, how could she be?

Lea thought back to what her master had taught her. Focusing her mind, she built a mental wall within her head, only to have it assaulted seconds later when the Sith approached her cell. She could feel it strain under the pressure of the Sith’s attempt to dominate her, but she barely managed to hold her own. It took almost everything she had, so she barely moved a muscle. The troopers with the Sith must have assumed the domination worked, for they approached her with a some sort of injector. Lea did not like injectors. When they were half a meter away, she shot her hand up, yanked the injector out of the troopers hand, and sent it flying straight into the Sith’s left shoulder.

This was a surprise. The human was stronger than anticipated. Still, it was nothing that couldn’t be handled. As the injector flew towards her, Zanna had to make a decision. Save herself from the injection meant for her prisoner, or take...drastic measures to ensure the prisoner behaves. So, rather than stopping the injector as it jabbed into her shoulder, she ignored it(hoping that it wouldn’t drive too much serum into her) and changed her tactics. For some reason, the attack wasn’t working. She’d have to figure that out later. Right now, however, she waved the soldiers forward as she backed off from the mind of the Jedi. For a moment, she just stood there with her head tilted, studying the girl. Then she tried another attack from a different angle. It had notably less strength this time, more a probe than an actual assault.

Regardless, it served its purpose. The soldiers moved forward once more, one grabbing Lea’s arms and pinning them behind her back while the other glanced at Zanna. The injector was out and floating over to his hand a moment later, while she continued to probe at the girl’s defenses. It was..strange that a human should be powerful, or at least creative, enough to resist her. This would require a much more cautious approach than originally anticipated.
Lea relaxed somewhat when the attack ceased, but did not lower her defenses. She knew better than to do that. When the second, half-hearted attack came, she simply let it bounce off her defenses. When she saw the needle approaching the soldier’s hand, she struck out with the Force, forcing his hand to close with (from his part) unintentionally great strength. The syringe broke apart in his hand, but did not really affect him, for like all troopers, he wore armored gloves.

She doubted he even understood how it had happened, or who had been responsible. But it did not matter, for moments later, his companions grabbed her by the arms and hauled her off her feet and out into the hallway. Lea knew she could’ve tried to fight it, but even aided by the Force, she would have a hard time fighting off men as strong as those.

Cursing under her breath, Zanna lead the soldiers to the torture chamber, grabbing two cups along the way. She could feel the effects of the serum meant for Lea occasionally. Luckily she hadn’t gotten a full dose, but every now and then she would catch her mind wandering away from the subject at hand, or completely forget her line of thought. It was...infuriating. Still, she couldn’t vent her frustrations. Yet.

Zanna sat down in a chair in front of the prisoner and stared at Lea(who was now restrained on a rack), head tilted slightly to the side, as the two Imperial soldiers who helped her left. “So, you're the defiant one who has been giving so much trouble hmm? I can see why. Anyways, I'm Zanna. I imagine you think you know what's going to come next. Physical torture, pain, and questioning from me. Well, you'd be partially right. There will be a form of torture, and there will be questioning, but I'm not sure there will be physical pain. We'll just have to see, won't we?”

The Sith took out a syringe filled with a violet liquid, and stopped. “My my. I don't believe I know your name. You know mine. So, who is it I have the pleasure of conversing with?” This was a blatant lie. She already knew the names, physical details, and what few mental details that have been scavenged, of all the prisoners. This was nothing more than niceties. While she waited for Lea to respond, she injected the syringe into one of the cups she had stolen. It wasn't the best of delivery methods, and luckily she had more than one syringe full of the stuff, but it was better than fighting the damn girl every step of the way just to get a look inside her head.

Anger surged through her again, and she bit it back. It wouldn't do to hurt the prisoner before she could examine the effects of her latest serum on the mind. Though she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t anticipating it...

Lea did not know what she was in for. Would this Sith try to hurt her, or would she try something else. She did not know. After all, she had not been exposed to this Sith before. Nonetheless, she knew she had to hold out against her, whatever she did. She could remember previous times, when one Sith had broken several bones, especially the feeling as they snapped. From others in her childhood, she had heard such should hurt, but she literally did not understand the concept of physical pain, having never felt it. What she remembered most was the sound of bone snapping, and the feeling as her broken limb did not work as it was supposed to. It was inconvenient and not something she wanted to repeat.

She was suddenly jolted out of her reminiscing as the Sith poured some sort of liquid down her throat. It was neither hot nor cold, tingling faintly and made her feel unclean. She thought back to her master’s lessons and steeled her against it, focusing upon maintaining the barriers in her mind. She would not permit anyone, especially not a Sith like this one, to get into her head. After all, her head was her last sanctuary after all else had been taken from her.

At first, she felt nothing, then suddenly it seemed as if the room got brighter, tinged with violet, causing some surfaces to almost glow. Considering that no new light sources were activated and the Sith did nothing, Lea knew it had to be a result of the strange liquid. From the frustration almost oozing out of the Sith, it did not have the result she wanted. “Is that your torture, Sith? Making me see into the Ultraviolet spectrum? I am disappointed in you.” She probably shouldn’t have said that, but Lea was frankly disappointed in the level of torture. She truly wanted to understand this concept of “pain” that others spoke of.

Zanna poured the liquid down Lea’s throat, relieved that she didn’t have to fight for that particular advantage. Now came the hard part. She didn’t know how the girl had resisted her last time, but she would pay more attention this time. She didn’t like not knowing how someone could beat her, and since it was a prisoner she liked it even less. In a strange way, she mused, the prisoners have more protection than us, simply by the fact that we don’t have any important information that Nyiss could use, and thus our ‘allies’ have no reason to not get rid of us. As long as we don’t do it publicly and in a way that will put the murder squarely at our feet, we can murder each other freely. Well, depending on how long the prisoners don’t give us any information or turn..Dammit! She scowled at herself, hating the fact that she hadn’t stopped the syringe in time even more. Who knows what could have happened while she was philosophically rambling!

With that, she attempted to use her telepathic viewing on Lea. As expected, it was blocked. With quite the fierce defense. “Now...what are you doing to stop me…” for a few moments as the two battled, she ‘looked’ at the defense Lea was putting up. There had to be a way to at least get a foothold in, right? That’s all she needed. Just one tiny foothold…nope. Nothing. With a muttered curse, Zanna turned to more...Imperial Intelligence-centered methods. She herself didn’t like to use technology for her experiments with the concoctions, too easily able for something to be tampered with or go wrong. Malfunctions, etc. Still, after some searching, she found what she needed. A crude device that allowed her to view what the patient was viewing through the ocular nerves. What she saw...wasn’t good. Ultraviolet spectrum. She had given the girl the ability to see into the Ultraviolet spectrum!

That was not what she wanted to happen! “I’ll have to make modifications…” She muttered, only barely catching the words of the Jedi. It was enough. With a snarl, she turned around and activated her lightsaber. “You want to anger me, Jidai? Well, you’ve done it. You may have Tyûk, but I will break you. But, seeing as I can’t rip out your Wodza and strangle you with them, I’ll have to settle for using my lightsaber.” She hissed, anger filling her tone and the area around her. She didn’t even appear to be aware that she was using Sith words. She stopped, however, short of actually using her blade. A shudder ran through her, accompanied by a disgusted look. That was too close to the lizard’s...unclean.. methods. Also, she’d get impure blood on her hands. Probably would have gotten an infection from the nasty stuff. “No..I don’t think I’ll go that far. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll get off without punishment.” As her crimson blade flicked off, Zanna raised her hand and shot lightning from it. She expected a scream, howl, curse, something.

Lea’s body naturally shook from the lightning, but that was the result of electrically triggered muscle spasms. From other prisoners, now all dead, she knew that the lightning was supposed to hurt, but she had never felt any harm from it, let alone any pain. She did not utter a single sound, and only the specific muscles hit by the lightning moved. She turned her head, looking curiously at the Sith. “You do know that is ineffectual, right?”

Even the most composed of people had a sign to show that they felt the pain. A widening of eyes, a sucking in of breath, clenching fists, muscles, something. This Jedi did nothing. Not even a twitch. Ignoring the attempt at goading her from Lea, Zanna narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, then approached Lea, passing the table nearby. It had a large amount of devices designed to cause pain, but she didn’t want to cause pain. What she wanted was an experiment, not a torture.

She picked up the, now empty, cup and pretended to fill it with a Syringe once more. “Ineffectual it may be, you’re still going to drink this.” She was fairly certain what was going on, but had to make one final test. Walking over, Zanna began to force the cup to Lea’s lips, only to suddenly slap the human. It should have caused anyone who could feel to jump, hiss, curse, whatever. Nothing. Lea did, nothing. “Now isn’t that curious? You don’t feel anything do you?”

Lea continued looking at the Sith. “No. I know your hand contacted with my chin, but I did not feel any of this so-called pain. I never have.” She was actually a bit surprised with herself about how truthful she was towards the Sith, but then there was no benefit to lying about that, and it would certainly remove her need to test more thoroughly. Though not truly difficult, it was a bother to hold this Sith out. There were things she had no business knowing in Lea’s mind. No business at all. Rather than continue the conversation, Lea decided to test the Sith’s own defenses, sending out a weak probe of her own. Considering how new the knowledge was to her, and the fact that she had to maintain her own walls, she could not put much effort into it.

Zanna opened her mouth to respond, when the Jedi did something...impertinent. She tried a weak probe into Zanna’s mind. She instinctively threw up a barrier upon the first tentative outreach. To be perfectly honest, the Sith was too surprised to consider a counter-attack. Jedi did not probe into other’s minds. It was one of their weaknesses as far as Zanna was concerned. She was about to send the, clumsy and awkward, probe back into the shell it had came from when an idea occurred to her. They did have two directives after all. So, rather than push back, she opened up. Carefully. There was only so much she could allow the Jedi to do in her mind after all.

On the surface of her mind, as always in some way or fashion, was Sish. This time it was only his image with the usual disgust around it. Zanna didn’t really hate the lizard, he just disgusted and angered her to immense degrees and was only viewed as an enemy because of his status as a Lord. Regardless, she brought up the other information and memories she had of him and showed them to Lea. His torture methods, his combat methods, her analysis on his mental aptitude and personality, and so on so forth. Lastly, she made it perfectly clear what her feelings about the Trandoshan were, before firmly closing her mind to the Jedi. As Lea pulled away Zanna spoke, quietly so the cameras couldn’t hear and record what she was saying. She’d have to deal with the recordings later. “Disgusting creature, isn’t he?”

Lea had not expected her probe to work at all, for though she knew the theory about probing, she had never before done it. What she got back was more than a little strange. It was tinged in disgust, showing some sort of strange lizard, possibly a Trandoshan. Lea had no idea who it was, but some accompanying feeling made her think it was someone else on the ship. She knew there was much more to it all, but she couldn’t make sense of the rest. When the Sith whispered, Lea’s face reddened upon the realization that she had been found out. “It is a lizard. They’re strange.” Lea had nothing else to say there. If she could ever make sense of the other things she had probed out, maybe she might have something later.

Zanna gave a curious smile to Lea as she saw the human turn as read as...well, her. Still speaking softly, “You can’t make sense of a quarter of what I let you see can you? Regardless, I think our session is over for now. You’ll understand exactly what I mean when I say ‘disgusting’ when you make sense of that. Strange isn’t even close to what he is.” With that, she called in the same Imperial guards from before, and they hauled Lea out of the torture chamber and back to her cell. Zanna herself went to dispose of evidence that would certainly get her killed. It paid to be cautious after all.

Post 33, Ultimate523 & FallenReaper | Strago & Xid

Strago watched as Xid was lifted into the air with the Force choke. He was surprised by it, and felt the need to do something, but the Padawan was taken from the room too quickly for him to do so. He took a deep breathe, not letting his mind wander to what would happen to Xid, and instead moved over toward his cell, beginning to meditate again, hoping that Viera was totally fine now, and that she would ask for assistance if she wasn't.

After a short while of meditating, Strago heard the doors slide open once again. He slowly opened his eyes, and then quickly heard a loud sound as Xid was thrown into the middle area of the cell block. As soon as Strago saw him, he ran right toward him, getting down on his knees, and placed both of his hands on him, one on his shoulder, and the other on the side of his neck, “Relax.” He said just to be sure. It was clear that he was in very bad condition, and Strago quickly began to put his entire focus on healing him, closing his eyes, and just letting the Force flow into Xid to aid in the recovery.

He hurt badly... by the Force's will, all he could feel was the dull echoes of fire in his bones. His mind couldn't help but take stock of his wounds. His face burnt from the lightsaber, blood soaked his shoulder coupled with burn marks, wrists raw from the bindings, the scorch mark added to the hole and slash down his face. To top it all off, his shoulders, both, were dislocated as the ball part gave the skin an unnatural look in it's push against it. When Strago touched him, Xid instantly jerked sending a fresh wave of agony through his body. His teeth clenched and nearly bit through his tongue, again. His image was pale, sweat poured from what felt like hours in the Sith's claws only to realize he was back in his cell.

“Don't...I'll be fine... aww, please, I just need you to pop my shoulders back in.” Xid pleaded, mid gasp, his voice raw and dry from screaming. He knew unless the shoulders were reconnected, any force healing would only affect the surface wounds and not rejoin his limbs. They were distrubingly numb. He couldn't feel or move them, the sensation caused him to worry.

Truthfully he didn't know when another Sith or if the same one, his body tensed at the idea, would come walking back through those bulkhead doors. Or what condition the others would return in. Unlike Strago, Xid couldn't heal anyone properly and inwardly knew the strain it took to do so. Personally he was lucky he was alive because if the creature's Apprentice, he guessed, hadn't interrupted then likely he would be nothing more then a corpse attached to the rack.

Strago opened his eyes slowly after hearing the request, continuing to let the Force flow into Xid, but stopping for a moment as he grabbed one of his shoulders, and quickly pushed it back into place. After a moment, he grabbed the other shoulder, and did the same, leaving one hand on his shoulder, and moving the other back onto the side of his neck, looking into his eyes with a very serious expression, “I know what I'm doing. Trust me.” He said as more of a command than as a way of comforting him.

Hoping that Xid would listen to him, he closed his eyes once again, putting his focus back into allowing more of the Force to flow into Xid, and start to heal him once again. Strago let nearly all of his focus go into it, achieving a state of very slight meditation because of it, aiding him even further in healing Xid without creating any issues for himself.

Xid let out a blood curling scream when the shoulder was popped back in with a wet pop, the fresh pain worse than when the Sith had jerked them out in the first place. Blood from his wound had leaked onto the floor, spreading across the cold metal into a small pool leaving his back sticky and soaked through the robes. Again another wet pop had the Padawan grunting, nearly pissing his trousers from the ach the filled his center. One hand still upon his shoulder and the other hand on his neck, it felt like razors had embedded within his joints from each touch or movement, his breath as well, seemed to sting.

He didn’t say anything, his head settled back into the metal grate floor. He trusted Strago, like any higher Jedi, so he didn’t argue or get frustrated. Instead he let the energy fill him. It cradled and soon his eyes relaxed, drifting into a state he often did during meditation whenever he worked on machines. Xid admitted to loving this sensation of inner peace even in a place shrouded in the Dark Force. Even now, feelings, both pain and misery, had seeped within the ship. It was almost tangible when he focused upon it.

“I learned a few things if you want to hear them.” He said, hesitantly at breaking the silence that seemed to wrap about the scene.

Strago smiled slightly as he felt the Padawan relax, and embrace the Force the way he did. There was a lot of influence of the dark side on the ship, but for the moment, there was none in this cell block, something that comforted Strago quite a lot.

After a little while, Xid spoke, and Strago slowly opened his eyes again to look at him, “As long as you feel comfortable saying it, I'll gladly listen.” Strago said, not wanting to have Xid think about the unpleasant experience he had any more than was necessary. He continued to aid in allowing the Force into Xid as well, just less so than before, wanting him to be as recovered as possible, especially before any other Sith came in to try to take another one of them.

The soothing sensation helped in spur his courage, even if the experience still was fresh in his mind. He took a moment or two to absorb what Strago had said, his words gentle and calm. “There were two there, one was torturing me...,” his words paused, swallowing a bit, before continuing, “and the other watched. The male, the one that dragged me in, she called him Sish. I think he’s a Sith Lord, one that clearly enjoys hurting me. He wanted to about Republic defenses, Jedi Temple location and battle plans but.. I don’t think he cared if I knew anything…just that I hurt. I can’t imagine how or why he’s like that and I don’t understand. I can’t understand why. The female, a Zabrak I think, she mentioned something about a Darth Nyiss and not to kill me, that she didn’t feel like defending him if I died.”

It felt like the fear would consume him as he let his mind settle, his thoughts returned to the blaster marks upon the Zabrak Sith. For a moment, he couldn’t fathom why the Tradoshan didn’t care about her wounds and instead seemed proud that she was strong. His eyes stared at the floor in a lazy before he piped up again, complete seriousness in his voice. “She was injured by a light saber I think. Is it bad that I was more upset that she was injured then the fact she didn’t help me or I was being tortured? I wanted to focus on helping her more than the pain I was feeling… Is that selfish and wrong to use that?”

Strago listened intently as Xid spoke, taking time to think about what he was saying, “They'll probably ask all of us about Republic defenses by the time all of this ends. We're in a war, and information is a very powerful weapon. As for why he didn't care much about it, it's likely because of how the Sith are taught to think. Unlike most beings in the Galaxy, they tend to enjoy the pain of others. Them not wanting to kill us may be a good sign, at the very least, though I don't like the idea of being some kind of bargaining tool.” He said, assuming that was the reason they wanted them alive for the moment.

Strago could tell that Xid seemed somewhat unsure, and confused about things, making him want to do his best to comfort him, “I don't know if all Jedi would agree with me, but I don't believe it is. Helping others is one of the greatest things anyone can do. In the end, that's a large part of what we're supposed to do as Jedi. The will of the Force seems to be to do good, especially in dark times such as these.” He replied, not hiding that it was more his own opinion than fact, but obviously believing in what he said.

At the mention of being asked about Republic defenses, Xid almost groaned. He didn’t how much of this could take, especially if the same Sith brutally targeted him, worried slightly that he might give information that would cost thousands of lives. In the back of his mind, he rather die than let that happen. Personally it felt like this Sish had something beyond liking for pain, more like an addiction that gave the Padawan a shiver down his spine and curled tightly about his body. Deep down Xid couldn’t see him, a simple Padawan, being worth much in a trade. At least not like someone like Strago or Tolun Fi, then his heart slightly fell when he realized the alien Jedi was likely dead. Sith didn’t see aliens as worth much. Pushing the thought from his head, he smiled genuine at the compliment or at least he saw it as one.

“Well, I’ve only had four years training and wasn’t sure. I heard that feeling pity or sympathy for Sith can lead to the Dark side, something I can’t let happen.” He said when he felt the last of his wounds heal, the robes still remained stick and bloodied but the flesh underneath had reverted to its former state. Even his face took on a more fleshy color then the charred ashy of dead skin, much to Xid’s relief. It wasn’t because he was vain but the smell of cooked flesh was disturbing to him, almost as bad as baked metal.

“Ummm…thank you for healing me and can I sit up now? Part of me wants to wash off the sensation of torture but I think it’s best to at least sit up first. At least for a moment.” He rambled in his usual way.

“So long as you don't sympathise with them over their beliefs, it shouldn't be an issue, though if you feel it could be for yourself, then be aware of that, and do your best to deal with it.” Strago said, not sure if it helped much, but feeling that it needed to be said. He then slowly moved his hands off of him as he asked to sit up, looking over him briefly, making sure that everything seemed alright, “I won't try to convince you not to go wash yourself if you feel you need to, but just make sure you're feeling well enough to.” He said, not wanting Xid to rush to do it, but trusting his judgement of his own body, “You look much better now, at least.” He added with a slight smile, beginning to stand up, ready to help Xid if he wanted to do the same.

“That’s a relief.” Xid smiled at the knowledge. He seemed to breathe a little easier as the man removed his hands, the warm glow might’ve been exhausted but it seemed to remain strong in the youth. Though the man had used Healing force, Xid still felt him look over his muscles and the once broken bone, ensured everything had healed right when he started to sit up. It was slow at first. To ease the man’s concern, the Padawan lifted his broken arm and waved it slight to show it was perfect.

“I was a real fright wasn’t I? Besides, even if I’m not ready to stand what’s the worst that can happen? I pass out, isn’t it?” He lightly joked when the man showed worry about him moving too fast. True he did know his own limitations but if he just sat upon the floor for any longer, he would still feel grimy and gross. It didn’t wash the blood off from what had happened. The man had already stood up leaving Xid sitting on floor a moment longer, his mind unsettled about an old thing.

“I just wish I knew why he was like that…then maybe I could help him.” Xid answered, reassured the Jedi he wasn’t going to aim to join the Dark Side any time soon. Or ever. Slowly his body leaned over as he pushed himself up, his body wobbly like a new born animal, each time he nearly felt that it would give under him just when the Padawan had gotten to his feet. Instinctively his hand jerked out to grip some when he balance tilted one way too far.

Strago watched Xid as he moved, glad to see that the healing had done its job quite well. He didn't laugh at Xid's joke, but didn't mind it either, his face more relaxed now, “I don't know if you'll get the chance to help him, but I suppose you never know.” He said, continuing to watch Xid move, able to tell that he still wasn't at his best, even if he had no injuries left.

When he began to fall toward the side, Strago quickly reached out to grab him, stopping him from falling down, then moving toward his side to help him stand, wrapping one arm around his lower back, moving with him to his room, then slowly letting go as he began to use the wall to keep his balance.

Strago decided to watch him for a few moments longer, not wanting to take any unnecessary risk, then slowly moved back towards his own cell, sitting down on the floor, beginning to meditate once again, focusing more on his breathe at first, wanting to make sure his own body was working fine to be more prepared for anything that the Sith would do to him.

Post 34, Sundered Echo & Dervish | Tolun Fi, Ithan Kando, Darth Nyiss, Allanar Damarcus

A soft voice filled air, responding to Tolun Fi's inquiry. It was fortunate he was not the only survivor, and this one sounded young and perhaps a bit shaken, understandably so. When prompted of his own physical well being, he responded, “I'm quite alright. Tranquilized, or poisoned. Either or, no lasting harm outside of the injection marks.” he said, rubbing his now-exposed wrists. When he heard his compatriot become locked in another, decidedly more pressing conversation with someone else Tolun could not see, he decided to let them resolve their crisis and become acquainted later. Finding what he felt was the most central point in the room, the Kaminoan set himself down to the floor, crossing his legs. He suspected he was going to be here awhile.

A now common scene was about to repeat itself in Cellblock 2 as Inquisitor Ithan opened the first bulkhead. The Jedi Allanar was already waiting behind him, but Nyiss had requested the Kaminoan as well. Once again, as the inner bulkhead opened, the Ray shields flickered to life, isolating the Kaminoan from the rest of the Jedi. Ithan raised his hand and beckoned once to his target before slamming everyone else in the room to the ground with the Force. Partly in precaution, and partly because it was fun. “Come with me.” He said, his voice leaving his helmet through the modulator he'd made sure to install.

Having been in meditation, sitting cross-legged on the floor, Tolun opened his eyes when the voice addressed him. He had suspected his time would be coming shortly, and it was not a prospect that excited him terribly. On one hand, he wished to get closer to the Sith to learn about them and see what would be valuable insights into what made them turn to the dark side, as well as the potential chance at grabbing elusive blood or tissue samples, although he didn't count on that. On the other, he was somewhat afraid and apprehensive about the prospect of torture. No sentient being looked forward to terrible pain or mental trauma, and even the most stalwart Jedi would not welcome the prospect willingly. Tolun Fi's yellow-black eyes met the Inquisitor's, and he took note of the young Jedi behind him. Interesting, they were doubling up. The Kaminoan stood, extending himself gracefully and as relaxed as possible to his full, standing height, and approached as if nothing were amiss. It's not as if he had a choice, and his research did take priority over his own safety. With a reluctant, but willing heart, he stepped forward. He paused momentarily before the Sith and glanced at the cells around him for the first time. “It would appear our hosts are looking to entertain. Best not be rude and decline such polite invitations.” he said, hoping the others caught the jovial, mocking tone of his voice. It would not do to have the Jedi lose hope, not like this. The Dark Side was chaos and disorder, hardly the harmony required to bring balance and prosperity to the Force. The Sith simply could not be made to look stronger. He returned his gaze and glanced quizzically down at the Sith before him. “Shall we?”

“Save your babbling for the Darth” Ithan said as he shut the bulkheads behind them. He was in no mood to listen to the Jedi, he was eager to get to his own work. He led the two Jedi through the twisting corridors angular corridors at a brisk pace, until they reached a door labelled 'Triad 1.' He stood to the side as the door opened in front of them and waved the Jedi in. His work was done.

The room, made up of three hexagonal sections with the interior walls cut out. It was starkly lit, but not brightly, the dull grey durasteel walls seeming to suck the light in rather than reflect it. In the centre of the room stood a metal operating table, straps to hold the subject in quite evident on its cold, ridged surface. Around the edges of the room were various pieces of arcane alchemy equipment, as well as more mundane collections of blades and other implements of torture. Darth Nyiss stood beside the table, having just prepared the required implements for the first phase. She looked up when the door opened and was greeted with the sight of the pair of Jedi she had requested. The Human specimen and the Kaminoan researcher she'd expressly ordered taken alive. “Hello Jedi. I am Darth Nyiss. I trust you are enjoying your stay so far?” She said conversationally. No need to unsettle them quite yet, besides, what was going to happen was for the good of all.

Tolun Fi looked around the room, noting the various primitive forms of torture sitting on display. The Darth, a full-blooded Sith from the looks of it, was uncharacteristically cordial. It didn't necessarily mean anything other than her luring prey into a false sense of security, but it certainly was a much more pleasant diversion from what he was expecting. The Kaminoan returned his gaze to the Darth. Even though they were alone with her, he made so presumptions of overpowering the woman. Not only was she armed but they weren't, but Tolun wasn't exactly the most talented duelist, but he suspected the young Jedi alongside him still had much to learn about fighting Sith. It probably didn't warrant explanation that Darths had that title for a very real and lethal reason. “The accommodations are not as terrible as some I am accustomed to, but the service staff have quite abysmal people skills. No comment on the catering, but the amenities certainly don't look particularly enticing.” He said, gesturing to the torture rack. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting? It's clear you're important to have people reporting to you, your title notwithstanding.” he asked.

Darth Nyiss couldn't help but smile at the Kaminoans sarcastic wit. She'd been expecting much less composure, bargaining for his life, maybe even begging, as so often came from the scientific types she'd captured in the past. But not this one it seemed. Here he was, making light of the situation in front of a Darth he knew nothing about. For all he knew, she could be a bloodthirsty monster that'd only taken him alive to kill him slowly. It was impressive that he maintained the composure that he did. For that, he'd get a little more information - and some extra 'treatment' from the other Sith no doubt. “Ahh, the great Tolun Fi, creator of the blood identification of Force sensitives... The intelligence reports don't really do you justice you know. Did you know that your work has allowed both our orders to send countless more Force users to their deaths than we might otherwise have? You have quite a few fans in the Sith order.” A note of girlish glee could be heard in her voice, though it passed rapidly, returning to her usual measured tone. “You, my dear Jedi, are going to have the rare opportunity to observe my work.” She turned to Allanar then “If you would kindly lie down on the operating table?” When Allanar remained stoically standing, she backed up her statement with a viscous Force dominate, overpowering his defense quickly. He stepped jerkily forward and slowly lay down on the table, obviously trying to resist the domination at every step. Nyiss turned back to Tolun then, ignoring Allanar’s pained efforts. “I'd be eager to hear your thoughts on my work once its finished, but for now you will have to simply watch. I'd like to tell you what I'm doing, but since I can't really trust that you won't go and tell one of the other Sith on this ship, I'm afraid you'll have to guess for now.” Once Allanar had finally laid completely down, she touched a button on the side table and metal restraints snapped into place over his wrists and ankles.

Ah, so that was the purpose of this Darth's interest in him. “One can never be sure where information ends up in war, so it does not surprise me that the Sith appreciate my work, racial prejudice aside. Regrettable that it has been misused in such a manner, but we all return to the Force one way or another.” he said, refusing to rise up to the bait. He would not be held accountable for others actions anymore so than any other scientist who had their work grossly misused. It was the same ethical argument he had to endure from his fellow Jedi about the ethics of cloning more times than he cared to endure, and what had lead him to start recording his work in the ultraviolet spectrum to avoid pointless lecturing. He reflected that his lab was likely rubble by now, which was regrettable. Good thing he made a backup of the work. He tilted his head slightly in interest at the Darth's rather... feminine lapse.

When Nyiss turned on the younger Jedi, Tolun Fi could have struck the youth upside the head for being defiant when his power was no doubt far less than the Darth's. Being defiant was good and all, but not if it resulted in a pointless death that accomplished nothing. The Kaminoan winced slightly as Nyiss used her considerable mastery over the Dark side on the boy, a crude and violent Domination trick. It was a much more perverse and cruel method of manipulating someone, Tolun Fi preferred using Force Persuasion. “Is it not a bit presumptuous to assume that even if I did speak to another Sith on this ship that I would describe various methods of torture with them? I tend to only inspire experimentation for scientific purposes, this is just... crude.” he said unflinchingly. “I would much prefer if the young Jedi were not to endure sadistic practices, but being a prisoner does not offer much avenue of protest, I am afraid.” he shook his head, walking over to the assortment of blades. “And people still use these? How uncivilized.”

Darth Nyiss looked up from her preparations, genuinely surprised. “Torture? Oh no, I'm not going to torture the man. That would be a terrible waste of such a good specimen. Everything I will be doing will be for his own good.” She looked straight at Tolun then, her yellow eyes piercing, yet distant. “For the good of us all.” She then looked back to Allanar, lifting a strange contraption made of some blackish metal. Her tone changed back to the disinterested, close to what one might expect for a teacher gently scalding a youngling for asking a silly question. “Some people do indeed still use those methods. Not just among the Sith either, I've heard some interesting stories from those who escaped Republic captivity. And what alternative to this prisoner would you suggest? Surely you aren't offering up yourself? It seems a common, but misguided thing to do, particularly among you Jedi. You aren't compatible with the process anyway. Not yet.”

“Substituting myself for the Padawan would be a futile gesture.” Tolun Fi replied, looking at the boy regretfully. “I would not know about the various atrocities committed on either side of the war, one wrong does not justify another. It is so... counter-productive.” he said, looking back to Nyiss, curious as to what she meant by 'compatible with the process'.

Nyiss casually strolled over to the prisoner, holding the contraption carefully, as if it were fragile. She gently placed it down on his chest, then lifting it up and placing it back down, slightly rotated. “Here. Watch this.” she said, as she smiled, taking a step back. She stretched out a single finger, pointing at the top of the device. A second later, a single spark of force lightning shot out, striking the top of the device. The previously inert device suddenly started moving, unfolding over his chest, even as the same spark of lightning did not die out. It continued to flow into the top of the device, though it disappeared into it. Then, the device suddenly stopped moving, and five thin, but wide beams shot out of its unfolded points, striking the prisoner simultaneously. One flowed over the head, and one over each arm and leg. They were a pale pink in color.

And he screamed in agony. The five points slowly shifted inwards, the beams slowly moving towards each other. When they met, they merged into a single, thicker beam, pointing straight at the middle of his chest. Then, a mere three seconds later, the beam disappeared and the device folded back up. Darth Nyiss stopped channeling the lightning into it, and lifted it off the prisoner. By this time, he had stopped screaming. She set it gently down on a worktable and connected some sort of cable to it. The holoprojector lit up, revealing a vast array of information, some of it reminiscent of human genetics, though all the markings and labels were written in an old dialect of Sith.

The Kaminoan had to look away when the 'device' was activated, producing a result that looked suspiciously like torture. It was somewhat infuriating to be so impotent to help the boy, something he quickly purged from his mind. He knew that the Jedi aboard were likely facing torture, and anything short of death was preferable to the fate of their brothers and sisters in the Temple. Emotions would not serve Tolun Fi here; only calculated logic and a devotion to his own personal mission mattered. He could not devote his thoughts to those who were beyond his reach, whether they were a world behind or strapped to a cold, unforgiving metal rack.

A sudden surge of light caught the Consular's attention and a treasure trove of information, including what looked like a partition of in the human genome sequence. He could not recognize the written dialect, but it was safe to assume it was Sith. Tolun Fi pondered how many Sith could understand the language, or if it was just hubris of the so-called Pure Blooded. He approached the projection, studying it intently, losing himself momentarily in the data. Why was Nyiss showing him this, to taunt him over what his research had produced? “I recognize much of this, it is not dissimilar to my own diagnostics software.” he said, instinctively looking to where he had first noticed a discrepancy in the sequence between two humans, one Force sensitive, one not. Had the Sith figured it out, or were they simply content using the prescribed test perimeters the Kaminoan had established when determining Force sensitivity? “I presume there is a reason you wanted me to see this.” he stated.

Nyiss noticed Tolun's fascination with her data, however brief it may have been. That was good. It was a sign that he might yet be salvaged, might prove useful despite his species. “Yes, yes of course. Your work has allowed me to push my own forward years, decades perhaps. It allowed me to identify certain important markers in my subjects, markers that I can shape to my will. And now, unfortunately, comes the unpleasant part. You see, the process requires that the subjects body be unable to resist, and the best method I've found as yet is, well...” She took the device from his chest and set it down off to the side, turning and taking a few steps away from Allanar and the operating table as she did so. When she was a suitable distance away, she suddenly whirled on the spot with her raised in claw shapes, pointing towards Allanar. Lightning surged from her fingertips, roiling all across him in a sickening chaotic pattern. Unlike the controlled bolt from earlier, this was full on blast and hate and ambition oozed off of her while she channelled the energy. Allanar's body went taut and his muscles bulged, he was unable to scream as the volts coursing through his body locked up his muscles, though it was clear he was in great pain. Nyiss' face reflected her focus, but not her emotion, not even the hint of a smile showing on her mouth.

As it became evident that he could not withstand much more she stopped the lightning, the previously luminous display ceasing to exist in the blink of an eye. With it, the emotion that had been pouring off Nyiss abruptly vanished, as if someone had flicked a switch. “There, now my alteration will be able to take hold unopposed.” She said to Tolun, before stepping back to the table and leaning over Allanar so he could easily see her as she spoke to him, genuine care licking at the edge of her voice. “This is for the good of all. A little pain now will stop a great deal of pain later.” Her words said, she stood again and to now one in particular added with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “And it will probably make the process less uncomfortable for the future subjects.” With that, she returned to the device, which was showing a holographic symbol that obviously indicated a completed analysis.

Tolun watched the savage display stoically, the room lighting up with the surge of Force Lightning into the poor boy. The Darth obviously relished the opportunity to display her power, and Tolun did not believe for a moment that it was required to get the data she was after. “And why, do tell, was that necessary? If you used my research to further your own goals, you would know I never needed to resort to such measures to obtain results. What is it that you are hoping to accomplish?” he asked, giving Nyiss a hard look before walking over to Allanar, checking his vitals. He said nothing; any reassurances he could utter would prove ultimately hollow. They were at the mercy of the Sith, and that would inevitably involve no small amount of pain and hardship.

“Of course you didn’t” She replied, “But your goals were always so short sighted. All your research lets me do is see what I need to see. It’s painfully lacking on the subject of change.” Darth nyiss turned back to Tolun then “I do hope you’ll put some thought into research on changing a beings relationship with the Force. For the sake of this poor man if nothing else.”

With that, Nyiss started pressing buttons on the terminal, whereupon the images started shifting in rapid patterns that were seemingly chaotic, but she knew were precisely measured. After a minute and seventeen seconds, the images stopped suddenly and a machine somewhere off to the side started making noises. Soon afterwards, there was a loud ping of metal striking metal, and Nyiss walked over to the machine. Using the force, she pulled out a strange-looking tetrahedron, to which was attacked a cylinder filled with a dark, crimson fluid that glowed faintly. She held it aloft with the force, then carried it over to the restrained prisoner. Not touching it even once, she guided it down to the skin of his abdomen, where she held it in place with the force. The prisoner, Allanar, shivered slightly upon contact.

Then Darth Nyiss channeled a bolt of lightning into the top of the device using her other hand. Like the first bolt, this one was controlled. Something about the device shifted and the prisoner screamed, even as the cylinder emptied into the tetrahedron, presumably continuing into the prisoner’s body. Three seconds after the fluid had all gone in, Nyiss drew the device away. All evidence of anything visible on the prisoner was a faint triangular discoloration to the prisoner’s skin. There were no needle marks or punctures of any kind. She let the prisoner and the Kaminoan think what they wanted about it. She certainly did not offer any explanations. She waved her hand curtly at a small panel upon the wall, which then lit up. A minute later, a squad of imperial troopers marched in, picking up the two prisoners and marching them back to their cells.

[Ellri]

Post 35, FallenReaper | Xid

It wasn’t physical fatigue he suffered from right now, what took the worse toll, but rather that sense of something deeper down had been drained away. Emotional exhaustion and the fact he was tired before the torture hadn’t helped him in the least. It just made the need to wipe away the blood and get some rest that much stronger, his mind distracted enough that he failed to watch his footing. The boy tilted to one side and felt himself fall; his leg collapsed and folded up a bit underneath him abruptly. A domino effect resulted as his hand whipped up, almost expected nothing, to find Strago’s solid arm come out. The Jedi’s grip dug his fingers into the Padawan’s sleeve and take hold of his recently healed forearm causing him to flinch instinctively thanks to the still fresh memory. Still Xid’s was surprised not to feel the floor smack him upside the head when he was pulled back to his feet then against Strago. His balance was once again sorted by the sensation of something that he could lean upon. He felt the other Jedi’s free arm snaked itself around his middle and came to rest against his lower back to sit there, farther aided his shaky steps. He couldn’t stop himself from leaning heavily against the support given. He gave a sheepish look of guilt at his weakness, slightly apologetic for adding more weight.

One step at a time, they hobbled towards a cell that had to be his. At the moment they drew near, Xid reached out a hand and placed the palm against the cold wall before he transferred his weight off Strago. The Jedi seemed to sense his intentions, allowed him to detangle himself when he placed his other hand against the cell wall. Xid quietly thanked him and continued on his own.

He was still unsteady after Strago let go, hairs upon his neck bumped at the sense from man’s eyes that continued to watch him for a bit longer. He didn’t doubt how pitiful he might’ve looked, almost over half his weakened body pressed against his new brace and his walk more of a shuffle, one that failed to reassure the man. In reality it served two purposes. One and most important, to make to his cell but the second was a minor and a secondary concern, one that might be beneficial later on. He was feeling for something out of place along the smooth walls. An access panel or something that whoever designed these had to use to place the wiring for the doors. He doubted very little it wouldn’t be since the energy and Ray shields, not to forget the Bulkheads, had to draw power from somewhere just to work. Every single notch or crack that had promise, if any, was noted then stored away along the way. After all if he could disable any, even the Ray Shield doors for a brief moment, barriers then the Jedi might have an element of surprise to attempt to overpower the Sith. It was at least something hopeful to consider.

After the female Jedi’s entrance and from what he knew, Xid had an inkling the cells were monitored. How else would the Sith know to separate the inmate after something had happened? The only question that seemed important was where these monitors see or what they could hear and pick up could. Inwardly he groaned at the idea.

His blonde head twisted back when he heard the click of his boots, his eyes spotted the departed figure of the Jedi return to his cell. Xid realized, slowly, that he had been holding his breath and once more let it out when he discovered the source. It was unlikely he was due for another round again, mainly after being healed recently. With that idea rattled around in his mind, the Padawan had finally arrived at his cell without farther delay and fist hit the energy door button. Instantly his own energy door hissed to life, blocking him from the others so he could wash in privacy. He turned around the corner of the T shaped area for his eyes to rest upon the sanitation station set up, not impressed or surprised.

It was basic, absolutely, the bare essentials that was made from the same materials as the rest of the prison block. His eyes settled upon the first thing closest to him. The sink was a hollow out indentation, oval in shape, which sank a bit into the cell wall. The lower half stuck out a bit from the rest giving him a place to stand over and water to collect mostly. Within the lower section was a rounded sink with a tap activated by a simple motion detector to start and stop the water running. Simple and basic, he mused as he barely casted a look at the toilet, the only other item in the area, to stand in front of the sink. It was harder then it sounded and he finally managed to find his balance long enough to walk to it, surprised at his own efforts.

Once he was sure the room wasn’t about to spin, his hands reached to tug his first shirt layer free from his torso then followed by the second. Then he hunched over and tugged it over his head, his up bare and chilled after being exposed. The Padawan’s shirt off, it wasn’t hard to see how truly lank and thin his body was, barely any muscle over the freckled white body. After all, combat wasn’t the highest priority in his four years train and it showed very clearly. He had let the thickest and first layer drop to the ground and pool in a discarded pile there, for the moment forgotten. The thinner shirt was held in his fist, draped across the sink side. He lifted it high enough to take hold if it in both hands, each sided at the seam that held the sleeve to the torso, and then made a quick, harsh tug upon it. The thread gave easily resulted in the single sleeve to come off in his hand. It was the best he make do with in his cell, his mind seriously doubted the Sith would allow him anything proper to use and personally the Padawan was too tired to try.

He just wanted to wipe away the unsettling sensation of torture more then.

Though he couldn’t see the blood that stained his shoulder, he could feel the crusty sensation where it dried and stuck to the skin. It was a grim reminder where the claws had maliciously dug into him. Xid shuddered at the thought that plagued him, memories that would likely become nightmares later on until he wiped them away. Wanted to focus on something else, he waved his hand over the sensor causing the sink to spring to life; the water flowed against the metal sides before it settled in the bottom for a moment. He tossed the larger piece of cloth with the other layer to pile up on the floor. The sleeve he gently wrapped up it around his hand, and then placed it in the liquid, stared as it darkened and moistened. He let sit there for several moments, the water had an automatic shut cutting the water off. Finally he moved.

He slipped his hand behind him, over his shoulder. The cold water made his hot skin shiver and jump, its dampen surface rehydrated the dried blood and started to clear away the remains. Then he moved to his face to remove the blood there as well. He tried to get most of it through sense of touch only to be forced to be satisfied at his best. He then pulled it away, wringing it out to allow the tinted red water to swish around in circles just to disappear like the rest. Feeling a little better, Xid hung the sleeve over the side to dry for now. His form felt slightly stronger as he bent down to pick up the piled remains of his top, about to toss it upon the foot of his cot when he decided otherwise. Redressing with what remained of his outfit, he once drew closer to the button that turned on and off the Energy doors. His fingers danced around the fused edges, the panel where the button sat against the wall, to seek out nuts or bolt that would yield wiring for him to access. Even a way to possibly short circuit the device and create a delay in activation for his own cell door, likely to have a backup command set off afterwards despite his efforts, was at least a start. His focus completely on his task until the Bulkhead doors open up to jerk him from it, forgotten that his own Energy door remained on.

Post 36, FallenReaper | Jayda

The Zabrak had pushed herself along the metal corridors, her footing quick and ate away at the distance in an effort to place it between her and temptation. The fabric, a singed slash, was clearly visible upon her knee but thankfully the strike hadn’t burned into her flesh. The edges charred and burnt flapped with her gait to another part of ship. One that met another, more important need then previously sought for. Something to aid in the task she still needed to do.

The hiss of the Bulkhead doors opened as she entered, quietly and eerily blank, into the room. A few of its occupants spared a glance in her direction but nothing more. Their curiosity fed enough by the sight at who entered, a simple Apprentice, and then returned to their original tasks. Ignoring them, she pulled close to an unattended station and immediately access a display screen. With a few rapid gestures of her fingers she managed to pull up exactly what she needed.

Jayda’s eyes darted over the list of drug names, varying from common listed names to a combination of numbers and letters, as she leaned over the metal console. Her left fist balled up and took her weight during her clear engrossment over the drugs descriptions. A finger from her free hand flipped downward causing the page to scroll down rapidly. The words and letters blurred in their quick movement, yet her focus caught them all clearly while each was set to memory and finally stored away in the back of her head. Most seemed to be tested drugs that only mildly interested the Apprentice, her frustration slowly built from lack of success in discovering one best suited to her needs. Every once in a while a name was tapped and set aside to examine deeper a bit later. She needed a particular effect. Something to increase pain sensitive at the slight touch, one that would make it seem she was slicing open her target merely when she touched them and spare her from intrusive and risky wounds. Possibly with any luck, she would never have to break the skin.

Her body seemed to relax, to her own surprise, at the notion for minimal damage. It caused her to mentally paused a moment from her current search to examine this compassionate flare up farther. It was a slight disturbing realization. One that seemed to have spring up from the thought of sparing the Jedi too much damage and stronger then Jayda had expected. She felt her resolve faintly fade when thinking about what she was tasked to do and now, doubts and unsettled emotions had surfaced in light of the impending events. Despite how she could fool others, she couldn’t fool herself. Stomaching the idea of torture seemed to be harder than it appeared and that fact bothered her inside, mainly since she couldn’t avoid it.

The only thing that eluded her now was the reason why.

She mentally shook herself from those thoughts. Jayda closed her eyes for a moment, letting them sink in behind closed lids and her sight shrouded in a dull, comforting darkness. Her mind counted slowly as the time ticked away for a few seconds. Her core swirled and coiled, seemed something living was attempting to smother her with each movement it made. Unable to get out, her walls strengthened before her eyes once again opened. Jayda allowed a shallow breath to escape her lips when her mind fell back to the interrupting in the combat room and finally opened her eyes again. A jaded sorrow in them flickered then vanished.

It was a pity her movement mediation had been disrupted. These emotions, doubts and conscience had tried to tear through the wall Jayda had created to think clearly. When would it come crumbling down? Would they consume her before she killed Sish? Questions and worries mixed with a familiar loneness that swelled within her. Jewel was right about one thing, Jayda thought bitterly. She wasn’t a Sith or a Jedi, not in her heart, her mind finally pushed away the last of her reflection in favor of the task before her.

Her next goal turned to the target. Flipping through the holonet link available to the main feed and public accessible, she scanned the torture secessions to the Cell cameras both in progress as well as passed. Only a quick scan to ensure she didn’t torture the same Jedi twice in one day though any images that looked even a bit odd would provoke farther investigation later on. Best time was when she was in her quarters alone and isolated. It wasn’t hard to guess her master already had enemies among the Sith and the worst thing she needed was his death at another’s hands. Jayda had finally picked out a target, the term easier to swallow then Jedi in her mind, the older human male from Cell Block 1.

She knew it was the same area that the unlucky Padawan had been station in. It gave her a chance, at least in her reasoning, to check upon the boy’s condition. His physical condition at least and hopefully he was still alive. Jayda became unsettled at the thought about covering Sish’s scaly ass if the worst had happened. Finished with her viewing, the Zabrak took a deep inhale then shut off the display to the system feed.

Her knuckles tightened upon the cold, metal surface as she then pulled up her selected list of choices. Easily she eliminated several choices, namely because of their toxicity to humans and likelihood of death. Her fingers touched each one then pushed them away to discard from her shrinking list. Their main goal was to keep the prisoners alive after all and mostly intact. Two liquids, injections, stood out to her mainly since they had the desired effect. However, each had their positive and negative traits making her hesitate at her choice between them.

Previously she had sent a request for a few present tools to be waiting for her within the small mono room she aimed to use, pointless to use a larger one for only a one on one session. The items included a small vibro-blade, hot brand, small amount of Kolto in spray form and finally a mini electrical Taser. The latest had three settings which went from a simple pulse to being as powerful as minor burst of Force Lightning, all at the press of a button. She had made it urgent the last item be there, mainly she hadn’t quite achieved Force lightning and she didn’t intend to ask her master’s aid if she could help it. She doubted he would control himself enough to stop when she told him to. That risk putting her in a nasty position in the end from his gluttony over inflicting pain.

The first was a well-known truth serum, Skirtopanol. It was commonly used in torture because it not only loosened a subject up but also caused greater sensitive to pain, usually making the threats more effective. This wasn’t average subject she was aiming on tormenting and high resistance was expected. Not to mention was lethal when combined with lotiramine often the result was extreme, violent death and it was something that could easily occur from sabotage. It also had a high percent of wearing off quickly and required another dose, something that would allow the subject time to adjust and make the experience fruitless.

Immediately she flicked her finger to her next choice, the last being a numbered and letter combination name. VRS13. Originally a treatment for reviving dead nerve endings in patients with spinal damage, the Empire’s scientists had altered its purpose instead to enflame the pain nerves where the slightest touch seemed to shot right into the very bone. The only problem was the side effects made her wary. It started off slow and required another dose to up the effect to the next level. However it was highly addictive to humans after the second injection. It caused withdraw symptoms that varied from victim to victim, none that sustained permanent damage of course. Some consisted from heavy shivers to intense, sudden pain that racked the whole body without warning, or brief paralysis. The later grew more intense, farther caused cold sweats and restlessness while the body ejected the substance when just enough time passed. Thankfully there hadn’t been any recorded deaths with its trials but that didn’t mean the information couldn’t have been altered or neglected.

Two choices and ways to do this, in the end one was found more appealing to her: VRS13. In the end it had the lowest chances of death and permanent maiming even with the nasty results that could be healed easily. At least she wanted to believe so but again those doubts plagued her mind. Ending her prolonged time in researching, she sent an order through to have it there when she arrived then turned upon her heel towards the door. She exited promptly towards the cell blocks. Her hand whipped out to personnel that would be standing by, her light saber at hand dangled from her waist and in easy reach, while she approached the familiar corridor of the Cell Block 1. She spotted movement from a bit down the Corridor and her head snapped around, seeing the previous Jedi as well as a Kaminoan, being escorted back to their Cell Block. She decided to make her trip quick. Her head nodded to an armed Trooper signaling him to open the Bulkhead doors, the large steel entrance parted to the side at the push of the red button outside.

Her form entered just as all the Ray Shields flipped on. Another sudden moment caused her eyes to jerk about, just in time to spot the young Padawan instinctively press his own Energy door button and came rushing. At seeing her look his direction he skidded to a halt. In a sloppy effort, his foot slid from underneath him unbalancing him where he landed hard on his side, his body made a loud thump, in order to avoid colliding with the Ray Shielding. He let out a soft grunt of pain in his fall, rubbing the side he had landed on. Jayda wasn’t surprised he let out a groan at his own stupidity then sat upright to recognize her. His face paled, seemingly to think Sish had returned, and his eyes frantically searched for her master’s darkened form to appear.

She ignored the Padawan when her questions had been answered. Her eyes turned to her target Jedi, his form relaxed and sat in a posture she often seen her own father in. He was mediating and rather pathetic. Jayda shook her mind from those memories that surface, threatened to draw something she couldn’t allow out, as she raised her hand. Her finger pointed to him then spoke. “You can either come willing or by force. The choice is yours.”

Post 37, Sundered Echo | Jewel Namore, Arla, Callista

Having accomplished the most important of her goals for the day, Jewel left the prison for her quarters on the same deck, strolling at a meandering pace through the winding corridors. She was by no means done, there was still much to do, the prisoners needed to be tortured, and with aliens among them she was looking forward to the experience, but such things were largely for her pleasure now. Jewel needed no prestige from converting Jedi - she already had Darth Nyiss’ favour. From where she was, only two possibilities existed. One, rise up yet further and become more powerful, eventually aspiring to become a Darth herself, and two, find defeat at the hands of one of the upstarts here, and fall into obscurity like so many before her. That was not a fate she considered to be in any way welcoming, and so instead she fought to ensure the other Sith would be too busy worrying about their own problems to even consider striking at her.

Upon reaching her quarters, she quickly found what she had come for. A curved bladed Lightsaber, fairly plain in appearance but containing a purple crystal much like her own. She’d taken it from the supplies of the Jedi, and she had plans for it and its owner. In the mean time she hooked the elegant weapon on her utility belt alongside her own weapon. While there she also ordered a pair of the already processed mundane captives brought down to the combat room. After a quick acknowledgement from the guards of the fodder prisoners she left for the prison block again, this time with a bit more purpose to her stride, though still fairly casual.

She quickly reached and entered Cellblock two. She had two Jedi in mind for her days entertainment. The one from whom she’d taken the Lightsaber and a Twi’lek woman. Apparently some of the soldiers had considered her quite attractive, and Jewel wanted to see what precisely made an alien Jedi attractive in the eyes of Imperial soldiers. As the door opened, her face crumpled in disgust at the sight. It wasn’t out of any inherent beauty that the men had been talking about the Twi’lek, rather her state of undress. Unlike the Jedi robes the others were wearing she looked like she’d lost all of them at some point earlier, now barely clothed at all. Jewel motioned to the Twi’lek and the human woman she’d been told was called Callista and said in a terse voice “You two, come with me.”

She led them both through the twisting corridors, making a point of leading them in circles and not taking the direct way, both to confuse them and make them believe the ship was much larger than it actually was, before eventually arriving at the combat room, right after leading them past the currently force-fielded drop pit. Unlike before, a squad of guards were standing outside it, the pair of prisoners held between them. Jewel motioned the Jedi in and then told the guards to have the prisoners ready, entering the large room herself straight after. Once inside, she finally dained to talk to the Jedi, both of whom she viewed as far below her, though the alien more so. “Unlike some of the Sith here, I have no intention of ravaging your body with crude physical torture. I already know your names Arla, Callista.” She said, looking at each one in turn. “You may call me Lord Namore.”

She pressed a button on her gauntlet and the guards brought the two other captives in. One was another Twi’lek woman, far too thin and with a blue skin colouration. She was wearing the tattered and burned remains of what looked like civilian clothing in a style that had been popular on coruscant. The other was a human man, clearly wearing the uniform of a Republic infantryman. “These are our guests. Shandi Rin and Tover Finn. If you try anything, they will be the ones to suffer.” She motioned to them as she said their names, to be sure the Jedi didn’t miss who they were. The human looked resigned to his fate, and already injection marks could be seen appearing on his neck, no doubt the work of Imperial Intelligence. The Twi’leks fear was palpable, etched into her face such that even a mundane would be able to see it with ease. She looked flighty, like a cornered scurrier. Jewel looked at the two Jedi and asked “Do you know why you are here?”

Posts 38-40 were lost during the Guildfall, and could not be recovered. However, some details as to what they covered yet remain. A brief summary of what was contained and who was in each post is presented here.

Post #38: During this post, Apprentice Vanda Sakti murdered Padawan Burin Pentag, and was sentenced to death for the act. A public execution was held at Darth Nyiss command, in which Vanda was fed to the Sithspawn beast Nyiss keeps above the prison deck.

Post #39: Calista Praxon replied to Jewel Namore in this post. She recognised that Jewel carried Calistas Lightsaber.

Post #40: This post Featured Zanna, but its content has been lost at this time. Hopefully some idea of its contents can be gleaned in the future.

[Ellri]

Post 41, Frettzo | Kinsakwi

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Cool. Weightless. Black.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Distant whispering. Intruding sounds. Headache.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Memories. Flashes of colour, of scents, of tastes. Emotions.

Beep. Beep.

Disoriented. Shaking. Distress.

BEEP!

Suddenly the loud noise reached Kinsakwi's ears, and the previously limp body reacted violently to the input- Kinsa's her jerked and she suddenly opened her eyes, looking around quickly, but with a extremely blurry gaze. She could not make out any detail, and the things she felt were confusing.

'Where am I?!' She thought, moving her arms in a quick motion, noticing nothing but the voices- The voices that were getting louder, closer. She figured she was in a Kolto Tank, as the feelings and temperature made it rather cozy in there.

BEEP!

She looked at her limbs- Her left arm had a burning sensation to it, but it looked fine, and she could move it. Her head was spinning as well, but finally she managed to focus, and after her limbs were all accounted for, she took a hold of the breathing mask on her face and ripped it away, accidentally swallowing some of the liquid in the process. She then let out a Force Push against the glass, effectively breaking it.

The shards of glass spewed out in an instant, as well as most of the Kolto inside the tank, and a confused and disoriented Kinsakwi. She was quick to cough the Kolto in her lungs out and get on her feet, glancing at the alarmed medical personnel, as well as the droids. For a second, everything was quiet, until an alarm started up, blaring through the speakers, and most of the personnel ran out of the room.

The droids, though, for some reason stayed behind. At this moment Kinsa knew what to do- As soon as the last person was out of the room, she used the Force to shut the doors, and walker over to them, physically pushing cabinets and treatment bed against the entrance- A makeshift barricade.

“Now what do I do?!” She asked herself, quickly and instinctively reaching for her lightsaber- But it wasn't there.

That's when the memories hit her. She was a prisoner at an imperial ship. She had been taken to the med-bay after the session with the Sith... “I've got to find a vent or something!” she said out loud, before looking at her current attire with disgust. “And my clothes as well.” the orange-striped white stretchy material piece didn't suit her. At all. But it was the least pressing matter, for she knew she was in peril, and she began pacing across the room, looking for a suitable thing to do in this situation- Escape would probably be the most sensible thing to do, of course...

And that's when she noticed it. A small ventilation shaft's entrance. It looked hard to open, but there were many tools around... Sure, these tools were made for cutting flesh in most cases, but one had to be resourceful.

So Kinsa moved quickly and grabbed the sturdiest-looking scalpel, and the sharpest one as well, and after climbing onto a chair, she could reach the ventilation shaft. She, with the utmost care, and doing her best to calm her shaking hands, undid the screws, and as soon as the small entrance was open, she climbed into it and closed it behind her, using the force to lightly place the screws in their former positions, and to knock over the chair left behind.

She then did what she felt was best. She just moved blindly. She knew nothing about where she was going, but she knew that the Sith, specially the one that tortured her, could smell fear, and she was clear that she reeked of it now. There was no point in attempting to hide it, as it'd require too much time to calm herself, so she just rolled with it.

After a few moments, a line of soft red light turned on in one of the corners of the shaft, lighting up her way. She guessed it was some sort of automated system for maintenance... But that could very well be sending out her location to the Imperials and the Sith.

Post 42, FallenReaper | Xid

Xid had pulled towards Allanar’s cell upon hearing him rustle out of bed, his eyes viewed the short haired man crawl towards the other side. With worry and concern expression, Xid felt helpless as the Jedi vomited into the toilet, heaving whatever had settled into his system back out. This wasn’t right, the Padawan thought. To watch and feel this way, he scolded himself, why am I helpless now? He had given up, for now, attempting to fiddle with his cell door and had let his mind wandered over the scene that played out before Allanar’s return. From his clumsy fall to the casual conversation between the Sith Apprentice, the way it was handled so coolly and differently than her master, had made Xid shiver.

Most his life he had heard how the dark side changed Jedi and force users alike since they rely on their emotions. The conversation that had happened wasn’t filled with anger or hatred, but calm and serene. Luckily Allanar’s arrival had given Xid a reason to pull his mind from the conversation, his eyes fixed upon the returning man until the pair finally left and the Shielding came down. Once able to move, he rushed towards the man that was out cold in the metal cot. Xid's first reaction was to heal, despite Allanar’s suggestion, at any signs of bleeding or heavy wounds. Thankful there wasn’t any so he left the Jedi to sleep off what ever had happened to him.

Now he was staring at the man returning to his cot, swayed and footing uneven, causing Xid’s kindness to kick in. He pulled forward and pushed up beside the man’s side, his arm wrapped Allanar’s about his low setting neck while he guided the older Jedi to his bed. In the back of Xid’s mind, he hoped he was helping more than hurting the situation. “Easy… I hope it’ll pass. Is there any bones broken or wounds, anything needs healed? Do you need water or something?”

Post 43, Rtron | Sish & Kinsakwi

Sish smiled, smelling the delicious sent of blood scatter through the air as the Apprentice was torn apart by the Sith Spawn. That's what she got for disobeying orders. Though, he had to admit, he wasn't exactly all that upset by the act, even silently applauded her actions. If he had had any say in it, the apprentice would have only been reprimanded for killing the prisoner so soon. Regardless, what's done is done. Turning away from the crowd(several of whom, he noted, had been disgusted by the execution), he began to head back to the medical bay. He had to make sure that the Jedi was alive, after all she could still deliver information, and even if she didn't truly know anything she could deliver amusement. Along his way there, a familiar scent brought him to a halt. Fear. He was long gone from the execution chamber, and this smelled fresh...

He took another sniff, glancing around to see if he was that close to the holding cells. He wasn't. Another sniff, and another. Sish was trying to pinpoint where the stench came from, and how he should deal with it. The smell seemed to be coming...from above him? For a moment, he was confused. Then he realized. The ventilation shafts. There was someone in there. A Force sensitive, if his sense wasn't failing him. A Jedi then. Who else would be crawling in the ventilation shafts, reeking of fear, and being a Force user? His lightsaber activated, and his hand crackled with lightning. “I can smell you Jedi!” He called, before sending Force lightning at the shafts, specifically where the stench of fear was the strongest. That should at least stun whomever it was trying to slither their way through the ventilation shafts. He really didn't want to have to cut them down through a random guess. They might die then.

And that would be a blessing compared to what he had planned.

Post 44, Sundered Echo & Rtron | Nyiss & Zanna

After the rather bloody ending of Vanda, Zanna decided it would be prudent to make sure Darth Nyiss understands her plans. That way, if she were to get discovered by another Sith, she wouldn't meet the same fate as the impure Sith. Hopefully. She still remembered the abrupt change in tone and mannerism by Nyiss when they first met. She should be able to work that to her advantage, provided that she actually understood it and didn't walk in blind. One didn't make assumptions with Sith. Much less with Darths. Regardless, it was time to explain her actions to the Darth before someone else noticed them and made sure she was no longer a threat to them.

After a brief inquiry, Zanna was able to ascertain that Nyiss wasn't in her labs. Or anywhere else public on the ship for that matter. So that left one more place left. Her quarters. “Oh..this might not end well.” The Sith muttered, idly pulling on her face tentacles. Nervous habit. Well, nothing to do but leave the prison deck and head to Nyiss' quarters. “I hope I don't get lost...” Zanna had never explored the ship beyond the prison deck, not expecting to have to go anywhere beyond that. A mistake, obviously.

After leaving the prison deck and asking several helpful Imperial Navy personnel where exactly the Darth's Quarters was, she was standing in front of the doors to Nyiss' quarters, unusually nervous. Then again, it wasn't everyday one walked into a Darth's quarters to make sure whatever one was planning wouldn't get one killed. Just do it. She snapped at herself. With that, she pressed the button outside the door, alerting whomever was inside that she was outside and waiting.

The gentle chime of her door alarm almost caused Nyiss to jump. It was rare that anyone had the nerve to seek her out in her quarters, especially without letting her know earlier. Thankfully, years of expecting the unexpected had taught her to not react to surprises so obviously. She slowly placed the Holocron she'd been working with back on her desk, not wanting to damage the delicate crystalline circuitry with it in a vulnerable state as it presently was.

She could sense that the person outside her door was Force sensitive, which limited the possibilities of who it could be quite drastically. Still, she was quite curious, and instead of ignoring them she simply said “Enter” and the door slid quietly open. Behind it, she saw the crimson face of the Apprentice Zanna. She'd half expected to see Zanna coming to her like this soon, but not this soon. She didn't say anything, but rose from her chair and stood facing the door, an expression on her face that clearly showed she wanted to know why she'd been interrupted.

Zanna stepped in nervously, the door slidding shut behind her, all to aware of how badly this could backfire. “My lord, after witnessing the punishment of Apprentice Vanda, I deemed it..sensible to tell you my plans regarding the Jedi Lea Rahn before someone else could find and twist the meaning. The Jedi is incapable of feeling pain, and my serum needs more refining before it can work on her mind. I concluded that conventional torture wouldn't work against her. However, the Jedi is young. Not trusting of us, but more likely to be turned through subtler methods than the other prisoners. She attempted to break into my mind, and rather than throw her clumsy attempt back, I let her in...only so far. I gave her useless information, in the process of building a small foundation of trust. My plan is to do this each session with her, slowly building a trust in me, until she either reveals her secrets or joins our ranks. Or both...” She trailed off, anxiously pulling on her face tentacles, waiting for the Darth's reaction.

Nyiss listened to the rather sudden outpouring impassively. She could feel that Zanna was incredibly worried, fearful even. The public and rather messy execution of Vanda Sakti had apparently made quite the impact. Rather than immediately reassure the girl standing in front of her, Nyiss instead made her expression grow darker, trying to look angry, relishing every second of fear. Zanna stepped back a little, and with that Nyiss decided that she'd probably tormented the girl enough. Fear was an easy emotion to find on a prison ship after all. She softened her expression and let a smile creep onto her face. “I like you're plan. It has a certain flair that so many of the others lack... Too many people on this ship think that simply inflicting pain is going to bring results.” She waited for the response, continueing to enjoy the powerful emotions that rolled off the young Sith in front of her.

As Nyiss' expression darkened, Zanna's worst fears were realized. The Darth did more than disapprove. She viewed the actions taken by Zanna as traitorous. Fear spiked through her body and she began to take a step back.Damn. Damn. Damn. Time to retreat...but what good would that do? Only logic and the will to at least die with dignity stopped her from beating a hasty retreat, arresting the step to a half-step. This ship was under Nyiss' entire control, even if she managed to get out of the room before being killed or subdued by Nyiss she wouldn't be able to get off of it. Not that any of this helped with the fear running rampant through her body, but still, she at least held her ground.

Uncertainty broke through the fear as the Darth's expression softened, a smile breaking through. This was...unexpected, to say the least. The uncertainty remained until Nyiss spoke, and then it became relief so strong that Zanna's knees nearly buckled and brought her down. She managed to remain on her feet, however, if only barely. A hesitant smile worked it's way across her own face as she replied. “Thank you, My Lord. I'll report if anything drastically changes.” A thought occurred to her, and she asked, “Do I still have access to that part of your lab?” One could never cover enough of their bases after all. With the immediate threat of an agonizing death gone, some confidence began to return to Zanna.

Nyiss found it quite amusing watching the reactions of Zanna. Still, toying with the girls emotions could be done at any time. “Why yes, you do. You've been staying away from the sections I told you to avoid I trust? You know that you couldn't hide it from me if you'd been poking around where you aren't supposed to.” Her warning wasn't meant maliciously. In fact, Zanna would probably find herself creating a lot of trouble for herself if she touched the wrong things in the lab. Nyiss wouldn't need to intervene to punish her - save her perhaps, but not punish her.

“On the subject of Lea, I'll be interested to hear of your progress... and hers. She is a strong one, and I look forward to seeing her join our ranks, but I get the feeling she knows more than you think.” Much of what she said and did was calculated to keep Zanna off balance, but Nyiss did hope Zanna could keep up despite it. Of all the apprentices and lords onboard this ship, she was the most pure, and therefore the most deserving of favour. For now.

Zanna nodded. “Yes, I have. My curiosity is not great enough to risk insulting your generosity.” Or risking my life. She added silently. Though, it was a toss up whether some of the experiments or Nyiss herself would kill her if she investigated things she had no clue about. It was never wise to experiment in another's lab with no knowledge of what you were using. Even less so when it was a Darth's lab.

Zanna gave a rueful nod. “She is strong. and that strength, with any knowledge she may possess will certainly be..valuable.” She had learned that from experience. But best not to tell that to the Darth. Zanna's head tilted quizzically at the Darth's final words, unexpected. “What makes you say that, My Lord?” If Nyiss knew something that could help her slowly guide the Jedi to the Dark Side, then she wanted to know it. Lea was strong..but every armor has it's weakness. It was only a matter of finding it that stopped Zanna from exploiting it.

“Oh... just a feeling.” This was something Zanna had to find out for herself. “You know, with your plan being what it is, I really should check you to make sure you really won't let anything slip... We wouldn't want anything important revealed in a... moment of passion.” Much as she enjoyed seeing the apprentice squirm, she hoped Zanna would show more backbone with the suggestion. She might even get something extra if she did.

Zanna gave another nod. A feeling. Nothing completely of import then. Still, if the Darth was having a feeling about something she should at least look into it a bit more. Just to cover all of her bases. Her planning and musing was broken as Nyiss spoke again, this time asking entrance into her mind. Zanna froze, torn between two decisions. On the one hand, she could allow Nyiss into her mind and then have no chance of defending herself against a mental invasion should it come to that later. On the other, she could deny Nyiss and possibly anger the Darth, ruining any chance she has of power and possibly living. Neither was appealing.

In the moments while she contemplated her decision, she began pulling on her face tentacles again. Death...mind domination..death, mind domination...death, mind domination... Those were the two worse case scenarios. And she had to assume the worst was going to happen, so when it did she wouldn't be surprised and when it didn't she would be pleased. Finally coming to a decision she spoke, one hand falling down closer to her lightsaber. One could never be too careful. Even if it was only a show, as Nyiss would eviscerate her if she so much as tried to duel the Darth.

“My Lord, there's a major difference between allowing a clumsy Padawan who has no training in the art, into my mind, and allowing a trained and brutally efficient Darth such as yourself in. I'm afraid I'll have to refuse you. I do, however, keep business and pleasure from mixing. And my plan is certainly business.” The fear was back. She was terrified and ready for the Darth to pull a lightsaber. Stupid. Stupid. She's going to kill me now...

Darth Nyiss raised the Pureblood equivalent of an eyebrow at that. Backbone at last. She could of course blast through any defense Zanna had if she wanted to - painfully no doubt - but she didn't really want to. “You're adorable when you're scared. Do you know that?” She was also completely missing the point. “I commend you for keeping control of yourself in business dealings... But I hope you do indulge those pleasures from time to time.”

Zanna's mind screeched to a halt and did a double-check of what Nyiss had just said to her. Of all the things she could have said...that hadn't even occurred as a possibility. While her mind tried to make sense of it, her mouth tried to convey a clear response. “I-,N-,Y-, No one has ever told me that before, My Lord.” You're also the most powerful being in this fleet, able to order the execution of whomever you wish and have that order carried out without question, and you're strong enough to be able to kill anyone who can't be executed by the normal means. Once again, that was added silently.

Zanna was beginning to get more than confused. If it wasn't to make sure she wouldn't give up Sith secrets, why continue with these mentions of passion and pleasures? Something else was going on.. “I...I do from time to time..My Lord..” She replied uncertainly.

“Really? Do you? Do you ever just let go completely?” Perhaps Zanna was younger than Nyiss had realised. Or stupid. Regardless, she wasn't making this easy. Nyiss stepped forward, closer to Zanna, and placed her hand gently on the side of her face, stroking ever so lightly. With almost a whisper she said “Do you really?” If Zanna didn't get the idea now, Nyiss could only assume she wasn't interested.

Desperation began to set in. Zanna had no clue what Nyiss wanted, but it was clear she wanted something. The girl was on the point of bluntly asking Nyiss what she wanted when the Darth stepped closer, placing a hand on the side of her face, the younger Pureblood's skin shivering at the touch. Zanna's eyes widened. Oh..Oh. Well, it was rather clear now, wasn't it. As she replied, Zanna did the Pureblood equivilant of a blush. “I can't say I do. Haven't found the right partner...and admittedly, I'm...inexperienced.” Which means, all other potential candidates she had killed or had attempted to kill her. Power allowed little time for..desires.

Finally. She'd finally got it. “Well my dear, there is a first for everything...” She took Zanna's hand in hers and led her back further into her quarters. She pushed the young sith down onto her bed. The Holocron could wait, she had far more fun things to do.

Post 45, FallenReaper & Ultimate523 | Strago & Jayda

Strago opened his eyes slowly as he heard the bulkhead doors open once again, followed by a thud that seemed to come from Xid's direction, but he decided to close his eyes once again, knowing there wasn't much he could do to change whatever would happen. He could sense that it was a Sith who entered, and felt them go toward him before hearing them speak, causing him to open his eyes slowly once again, looking directly into hers with little emotion.

He looked over her form. She had been with the lizard when he came in earlier, but appeared to be alone this time. Strago looked back into her eyes with focus, thinking to himself as he did, trying to weigh all the possibilities of each decision he could make as fast as possible, “How long do I have to decide?” He asked very calmly, likely taking longer to speak than the Sith would have wanted, but not waiting for her to be overly annoyed either, as he expected a Sith would become in this situation.

Jayda watched his eyes open, slowly released himself from the meditative state and back into the world’s present state. His irises were sharp and intensely focused into hers, equally matching her. In the back of her mind, she was tensed from the caution she exercised towards the Jedi. She was after all only a single apprentice. And alone, the Zabrak reminded herself about Sish’s lacking presence. Not that the Trandoshan would help her much, instead attempt to maim and likely kill the Jedi in the end.

When the Jedi spoke, Jayda’s eyebrow rose to question the Jedi’s reply. Not because he was calm but rather he had chosen to speak at all, very few would willingly talked to their captors if given the choice. Her lungs took in a bit of air before she answered him. “That depends on how long you’re willing to drag this out. Wait too long and its highly likely Sish will end up joining us soon, something I’m not too fond about. My question was merely to determine if I needed to allow you to walk or drag you out.”

She didn’t see a point in lying to the Jedi. Any force user with half a brain and some training could easily sense there was an unease, malice energy between them. Not to mention it was likely shared from the Padawan’s session with the others.

“So, unless you want to end up like the young Padawan did then I wouldn't wait too long.”

Strago continued to look at her, occasionally glancing down over her form, but very focused on her for the moment, trying to read her as best as he could. He had expected her to be much more aggressive, which added a slight element of curiosity to it, “I take it Sish is your lizard friend?” He asked, his tone sounding as if it was just daily conversation, deciding not to reply to the rest of what she had said for the moment.

He thought to himself while keeping his focus on the Jayda, making sure to be that extra bit aware of any attempts into his mind she might try, not knowing how capable she was with the Force. It was always good to be prepared.

Jayda stood firmly in place, her senses of smell and hearing alerted to even the slightest change, with patience. She wouldn’t become like Sish, her determination was the only thing keeping her from pushing the man out into the hall then towards the torture chamber. Maybe he expected her to become more emotional at being stalled or angry. Sadly, she mused, he was going to be disappointed. At the question about Sish, her tone changed slightly.

“No, he’s far from it,” Jayda state plainly then added, “We’re wasting time and it’s time to go.”

Making it clear she was done talking, Jayda held out her hand and gestured for the Jedi to move first. By this time, the doors opened again with a low hiss. A small group of troopers hauled in the blond haired man then shoved him carelessly onto his bed before leaving as quickly as they had come.

Strago looked at Jayda for a few moments, not giving any sort of immediate response of any sort to what she had said. A moment later, he heard the doors open again, catching his attention. He watched as the guards brought back one of his fellow Jedi, then made sure to note that they had also left the cell block afterward, hoping they weren't just immediately outside waiting to take him.

Finally, he looked back toward Jayda, “We certainly are wasting time. I could be meditating right now, after all. You could be too.” He said with a slight smile, his eyes showing that the comment was meant to be more playful than annoying, though he knew very well it might be taken badly regardless.

He decided to leave his speaking at that point once again, his focus returned mostly to her, curious to see how she would respond. He wondered whether his actions would be taken as rebellious, an odd personality, or something entirely different. Slowly, he moved his legs so that his feet were on the ground, rather than the bed, wanting to show that he did have the intention of eventually moving on his own.

Jayda remain still, feeling his staring eyes inwardly made her uncomfortable as the doors opening caught his attention. She already knew was about to happen. Her guess right when the soft thump of the Jedi’s body came followed by the exiting boots, the bulk doors shut behind them. Her target had watched them haul the man in then depart before his eyes returned to her. Any patience seemed to run thin but she kept it in check, namely since it would do her little good and likely twist her into Sish.

She wanted to get this over and quickly. Mainly because the more she spoke with the Jedi, the less he seemed to be just mere target. A disturbing fact the Apprentice didn’t want to face. At least yet. When he seemed to joke, Jayda bit her tongue and said nothing. The other thing that did occur was her head had for a brief moment twisted away from his mention of mediation. The last thing Jayda wanted was to be pity, a human trait and not an object, by something she was supposed to make suffer and one day would break. He certainly wasn’t making it easy.

Jayda’s lips moved subtly forming the words though the Jedi might’ve not caught them. Mediation wasn’t a good idea for her as she learned even the light can cast the darkest shadows, a curse of not be Jedi or Sith. Finally the desire to end his game overtook her patience. Her hand waved at the view screen, signing two troopers who immediately stepped into the bulkhead doors and pointed their guns at Strago. Unpredictably Jayda stepped closer to the man, her aware and ready shove him down with a force push at signs of rebellion.

“I won’t repeat myself. My patience has worn thin now and I’m starting to believe my Master’s,” her voice slight disgust at the title given, “methods is required. Or something more drastic…”

Her eyes shifted towards the Padawan, quietly hinting her meaning, and then forced her lips into a twisted smile. He had no reason to risk that Jayda might be lying about hurting the youth and she would allow him to stew over that fact, hopefully willing to help the Jedi along. She was a Grey Padawan once and knowing someone was suffering because of her was the worse feeling in the galaxy and something she forced herself to grow numb to. The only question was would the man feel the same?

“Are you willing to make him suffer because of your actions over something minor?”

Strago continued to watch Jayda as she remained quiet for a bit, then seemed to mumble something, or possibly just mouth some words for whatever reason. He tried to read her lips, but didn't manage to, not sure if it would be in a language he knew anyway. His attention then quickly turned back to the doors as he heard them open again, and two troopers aimed their blasters toward him. He laughed very slightly for this time since Jayda had entered as he looked at them, but then his focus quickly shifted back toward her as she moved toward him.

Once she began to speak, Strago's face became more, and more serious as she continued, especially when she looked over toward Xid, causing him to do so as well. He then looked back to her after the threat, staring her right in the eyes, obviously not happy, but managing to remain relatively calm despite her smile being somewhat unsettling, “Very well.” He finally said, continuing to look at her as he stood, then looked over at the troopers, which actually made him feel far more comfortable. They didn't scare him at all, but he still didn't know what the Sith could do, and wasn't planning to underestimate her.

After another moment he decided to move even closer to Jayda, slowly, but relaxed, looking into her eyes once again. He was ready to move now, but expected her, and the troopers to lead the way, at least for the moment. The less he had his back turned to someone he didn't trust, the better, as far as he was concerned.

Jayda smile gradually faded upon hearing the words she wanted. Secretly she was relieved he hadn’t forced her hand and made her bluff a reality, her body quickly turned on heel to lead the way out. She hated the idea of resorting to what she saw as dirty tactics and now just wanted to get this task over with more than anything. Her face became blank once more, but eagerness to be gone was clear in her pace. Something she doubted the Jedi would notice after seeing his sober expression. Her attention flickered back to what his eyes showed, a hint of displeasure, before it disappeared back under the calm and he finally agree. It was something to put away for later use. A too predictable trait among most Jedi was compassion but he failed to realize that he had placed a target upon the boy in the future by compiling far too easily at just the mere threat at the Padawan. It would be an exploited weakness soon enough. She was filled with a slight pity towards the youth then instantly shoved it away.

Empathy had no place on a prison ship, something Jayda would do well to remember. Besides, it made things much easier if they felt some degree of animosity towards each other.

Just before she reached the troopers, her hand flickered out for the two men to leave. Their energy weapons shouldered, they obeyed until just outside the Bulkhead doors where they stopped and shifting to the sides. After the Jedi followed Jayda out, they had shut the entrance. The Sith Apprentice’s head turned back to spy the Jedi’s moving from behind her while her mind focused between their path to the destination and kept her guard up. Physically he might not provide a threat but mentally, he likely had the advantage if she wasn’t on guard. She didn’t count on much help from the two troopers that tailed after, their pistols at the ready. Even if the Jedi was unarmed and surrounded, Jayda had little desire to linger in overconfidence then pay for it.

Her boots clicked off the metal’s hallway walls with each determined step while her prisoner, the escort and she walked in silence. Despite her disgust at prolonging this, she took the long way to her destination while purposely avoided where the sounds of screams and cracking bone came from the drop pit’s direction. For now, it wasn’t important and later on she would piece together the event from what she could gather. After a spell of time they came to the small room. The troopers waiting until she then Strago entered into the door, their task and duty finished.

Post 46, Frettzo & Rtron | Kinsa & Sish

Fear. Why was it so hard to control? Even at a moment like this, when it was what would give her away, it insisted on being present, and stronger with every passing second. Waiting for something to go wrong, for someone to go looking for her. Part of her wished to just stay there forever, to wait and get rid of her fears, and another part, the bigger, more primal part, pushed her towards escape.

She knew nothing of the lay of the ship, she knew nothing of her own state of health, and she especially knew nothing of her enemies' strengths and weaknesses. Ever since the attack on Coruscant, things had gone down hill pretty fast.

And there she was, Kinsa, a Jedi Padawan, scared out of her wits, and crawling through the ventillation shafts like an animal. Then the lone, soft thumping of her movements ceased as she felt something... Something familiar... Hazy memories of a blurred face rearranged themselves to show her the identity of her tormentor.

A Sith. She didn't really know his name, just that he was a trandoshan, and was very bad at effective interrogation methods.

He shouted something, something that she couldn't make out, due to the thickness of the ship's walls and the ventillation shaft, and instantly afterwards, a bolt of Lightning hit the shaft just a few feet ahead of her current location.

This was it, then. She perked up, using her fear to full advantage as, after letting out the instinctive gasp and letting out a couple curse words, she went backwards and made a quick turn, crawling as fast as she could, until she saw her objective- A way to exit the confined areas of the shafts, which limited her movement and agility.

A small door to exit the shafts was in her plain sight, and she could just reach out and touch it. But her pursuer tracked her, he threw more Lightning at her, and this time, he hit spot on. Though it wasn't a lethal dose of electricity, it was enough to hurt quite a bit. her body suffered a short spasm, which threw her right against the door, and pushed her right out, onto the significantly wider and more spacious ship halls.

Thanks to her spiked awareness, she was able to -sort of- fall on her feet, scrambling to an upright, defensive stance as soon as she could, facing the Sith.

As he heard her running, Sish gave a feral grin. “Where are you going?! We've only just begun!” More Lightning sparked from his hands, this time apparently hitting her. Judging from the way she flew out of the shafts and onto the ground. The feral grin was still there as he advanced upon her, lightsaber out but in a relaxed position. After all, what could she do to him with nothing more than her hands? “I'm not allowed to maim you, but who knows what could happen? Maybe we'll find out if Twi'leks can operate on one Lekku.” He launched more lightning at the Jedi, intent on keeping his game going for as long as possible before it had to come to an abrupt end. Then the real fun would start.

But of course, he had to give the Jedi a brief bit of hope. After all, where's the fun in causing despair if you don't crush hope with it? “Dance Jedi, dance!”

That grin. Oh, that grin was so unsettling to Kinsa. She had no idea how she'd get out of this one, but she had to find something. She had been a prisoner a couple times before, but nothing like this. She knew she'd end up in her little cell again, but she wanted to be alive for that to happen.

So, when the Sith began advancing, lightsaber in hand, and threatened her, implying he'd cut off her Lekku? She had to run. But that was after the Sith ordered her to dance, and launched Lightning at her- Naturally, she evaded the attack with a quick backflip, and turned around, to start running. After a second, she noticed she'd be running by different people- humans in coats, droids... But that didn't matter. At the very least, it would mean the Sith would have a hard time catching up with her.

Sish followed as she ran, keeping pace with her. It didn't matter to him where she ran, for she was trapped either way. This just prolonged the enjoyment of this little game. However, irritation began to grow when she began darting amongst droids and other ship personnel. They began block his sight of her from time to time. That wasn't fun.. he could actually lose her if that was to happen!

So, with a snarl, he decided to end this particular annoyance. Channeling the Force into his legs, he bulldozed his way through the crowd ignoring any and all who shouted at his back. His only concern was for the Jedi who was trying to run away from him. All he needed was to get a clear sight of her, and then she would be his. Not that he'd immediately drag her back tot he cell. No, that'd be too short of a game! He'd have his fun before she was dragged back to the prisons..

As soon as she was within clear sight, he Force Pulled her. “Tsk, tsk! No running from your betters!”

The peronnel she swiftly avoided paid her no mind, sure, some surely thought about getting the soldiers, or letting the Sith know, but they were put at ease by seeing the trandoshan chasing her.

And Kinsa had finally let out a smile at seeing the Sith falling behind. It felt good, a huge relief to know she was slipping away from his sadistic hands. But the next time she looked back, the Sith had managed to run past the personnel, leaving some injured in his wake. Then Kinsa felt a strong pull. A pull that made her stop frozen in her tracks, and just a half second later, she was thrown back, towards the Sith.

At that moment, that brief moment, Kinsa felt the world slowing down as she was turned over by the sheer force of the pull, and stared at the Sith. She did the only thing she could do. She put her hands in front of her and let out a force push.

Sish flew backwards, crashing heavily upon the ground. However, he wasn't angered. Far from it. Excitement thrummed through his body, causing his grin to grow wider. Finally! She shows some spine! This was proving to be a far more entertaining game than he had originally anticipated. He picked himself up, lightsaber at the ready. “I was beginning to think that all you were a spineless coward.” With a Force Jump, he cleared the distance she had made between them. “Clearly, I was wrong.” With that, he threw his lightsaber at her, aiming for a leg. That way, if it hit, she wouldn't be killed. Just maimed in a repairable way.

Lightning crackled in his hands, following the spinning bronze blade. Even if it wasn't really one, the Trandoshan was happy that he was getting some form of a fight. Torture can only do so much for one's entertainment.

As soon as the Trandoshan was thrown back, Kinsa crashed hard into the floor. Though the adrnealine helped to lessen the pain and quicken the speed at which she stood up. The Sith started to speak once more, and this time Kinsa was determined to answer. The initial fear had worn off, and now she only felt determined to live.

“Clearly, you are the coward! Fighting an unarmed enemy is pathetic!” She shouted at him, her eyes narrowing as he cleared the distance between the both of them, and then threw his lightsaber at her.

In a swift, lucky movement, she jumped onto her side, lifting her legs up high and letting herself fall towards the ground, but just before hitting the floor, she pulled out the scalpel. The sharp scalpel she had taken from the med bay, and threw it with all her strength towards Sish's head.

Just after she fell on her shoulder, she could feel the burning sensation of electricity coursing right through her body, rendering her inmobile for a short moment, and blocking off all attempts at thinking a way out of the predicament.

Sish shrugged. It wasn't his fault she hadn't armed herself. He only noticed the scalpel being thrown at him by chance, a flicker of silver in the light, concentrated as he was on electrocuting the Jedi. He stepped to the side to avoid it, but still felt it scrap against his scales. Not sharp enough to draw blood, but it was a reminder. Don't get to confident against the Jedi. They weren't completely helplsess even when you thought they were.

He closed the distance between them as soon as he saw her immobilized. A clawed hand wrapped around her throat, digging in so hard that the claws drew blood, while the other regained his lightsaber. She was thrown and held against the wall while he grinned at her. “This has been a fun game, but I think it's time for it to end. But of course, we can't let you go punishment free, now can we?” With that, he seized her left forearm in his jaws(biting down till he heard and felt the bones crack) and immobilzed the hand. His lightsaber flicked up, and her left ring finger fell to the floor.

As soon as she was freed from the effects of lightning, she found a clawed hand wrapping itself tightly around her throat. It hurt a lot, and she couldn't breathe. She could hardly move her head, and when she was thrown against the wall in such a savage fashion, and the Sith spoke, desperation started to set in.

She struggled against the Sith's hold for a short moment, before realizing it was useless, and then she just waited, doing her best to keep breathing, as he took a hold of her arm with his filthy teeth. She let out a series of ragged breaths as he bit down on her forearm until the bone broke, and after a pair of tears escaped her eyes due to the pain, she heard the sound of the lightsaber's movement.

But she felt nothing, not even a little bit of pain. The Sith's jaw had done a good enough job to numb her whole arm, so she could barely realize what she had missed before she saw it fall to the ground- A finger. By then she squirmed against his grasp, gasping quietly for air and for freedom as she tried, with all her remaining strength, to stop the flow of tears.

The sound of many boots pounding down the hall was almost lost on Sish as he savored the taste of blood. It'd been a while since he'd had a fresh kill...Regardless, the sound of Troopers approaching brought him out of his bloodlust. He had to stop, or the troopers would fire upon him to make him stop. Then he'd have to explain why they were all dead and it'd just be a mess. So, before the squad rounded the corner, he dropped the Jedi, deactivating his lightsaber and standing too the side.

“She escaped, somehow. Take her back to the Cells.” He ordered, watching as they obeyed and following to make sure the Jedi didn't try anything else. Doubtful she would, but one could never be too careful. The finger was left in the hall, trash to be collected by the droids. The Twi'lek's Cell was discovered and she was thrown in. Sish left with a final word, “Enjoy the mercy while it lasts, Jedi. I may not be so..restrained next time.”

Kinsa barely sniffled and threw the Sith a subtle glare as she held her left arm, whispering a soft “Screw you.”

[Ellri]

Post 47, FallenReaper & Ultimate523 | Jayda & Strago

In the room’s center was an upright table with metal restrains, open and waiting, beside a single chair and hovering table. On the table was a line of items she requested to be there when she arrived.

First was the vibro-blade. It was the simplest crafted, it’s sleek and silver design looked like an inch thick light saber handle. At the opening and the base of the blade were three prongs, together they created high electrical pulses to form a red energy blade. It was painful and terribly sharp energy blade, fully capable of cutting through most alien and human flesh easily at a push of a button. Next was the VRS13 serum, three individual doses. It was a dark purple-ish blue liquid contained in a thick, glass syringe with a sizable hypodermic needle. The item almost looked arcane in nature saved for the stabilizers mounted at its sides, designed to help keep the needle from breaking off into the flesh should the victim struggle. Next notable item was the Taser-like device, the only thing on the table that was completely foreign to Jayda and likely the most dangerous. Self-contain power source, it was made for portability which it to be held in one hand like a laser pistol. Sleek, black and seeming to be nothing more than smooth oval shape and a triangular piece jutting out. It was this piece that shock upon contact on skin and continued until one pulled it away. Besides those, other items included two containers of Kolto spray and a hot brand which was the arcane of all.

Other than that the room was mostly bare. Jayda wasted little time and noted his tendency to procrastinate, she focused her force into her palm until the doors had sealed shut then sent an unexpected force push at him. Since she had yet to use her force abilities upon, the Jedi had little way to gage her action or her power in this area as well as her next action might take him by surprise. She should’ve easily been able to slam him backwards into the surface where she would calmly hold him there.

Strago looked around the room as they entered it, not moving any further in than about two steps from the entrance, remaining aware of the troopers until Jayda closed the door. His focused immediately shifted to her, and the rest of the room as she did, very observant of what was in it. He saw several tools that would likely be used on him, having an idea of what several of them did, but not sure of all of them, especially whatever was in the syringes, deciding not to think too much about it for the moment.

Just a moment later, he felt a force push toward him coming from her. It moved him back against the table in the center of the room, making a slight sound against the metal, causing him to grunt slightly in response, not quite as prepared for it as he knew he should have been. He stayed on it for a few seconds, but then resisted against her push, slowly taking a small step forward to get off of it.

Deciding it would be wise to, he made sure to raise up any mental resistance he could to be prepared for anything she might try with that while remaining focused on resisting her powers, deciding not to speak for the moment, his face showing no emotion for the moment. He didn't feel particularly scared, or worried, but he had no intentions of just giving in, and making things easy for her either. It also wouldn't hurt to know how capable she was with the Force.

Jayda felt him struggle, his force stronger then her own. No, no, she mentally screamed, refusing to let him win. Her body shot forward, her force pressure became harder through pure will as the hand went for his throat. In a follow up, hoping he was distracted between her applying the force and the hand aimed to choke him, her other hand had fisted up and aimed for the abdomen where it would knock the breath from him. Her fingers wrapped about his throat, her nails shallowly dug into the skin and drew a little blood while she forced one arm where she could snap the metal binding over it. It went with a loud click. Hastily Jayda pushed his other leg to snap into the leg binding, followed by his other leg. Each time he struggled or attempted to force push her away, she tightened her grip that when the last binding had snapped shut, she was almost cutting his air off.

Finally, she released her hand and noted a slight bruise left behind from her use of physical force. Moving away and releasing any force push still held, her hand reached out for the single chair then pulled it out in front of the Jedi before she sat down. She folded her arms as her leg crossed over the other, her words spoke plainly. “I’ll ask you a few questions, if your answer doesn’t provide anything I seek or useful information then I’ll end up shifting to less savory methods. So shall we begin?”

Without waiting on his answer, she started with the first question. It was namely a test to determine whether or not the Jedi had caught and understood her warning. “What was your Jedi rank and purpose at the Jedi Temple?”

Strago grunted as he felt her hand around his throat, her nails digging into it enough to cause some blood to come out. He could feel the warmth of it against his skin. He quickly gasped for air as she hit him in the stomach, feeling her grab his arm, resisting as much as he could both physically, and with the Force, causing it to take much more time than it would have otherwise, but unable to stop it entirely. He did the same thing with each of his limbs all while working to breathe as much as he could through the growing strength of her choke.

He gasped once again, and took in a deep breathe once she finally released her hand from his throat, and ended the Force push. His breathing was shallow for a few moment, but quickly deepened, allowing him to return to a calmer state once again, watching her as she moved a chair in front of him, and sat down, his focused immediately on her as she did, but part of it on remaining relaxed, and healing slightly, wanting to take advantage of any time between now, and when more damage would be done.

It almost felt odd as she finally spoke again, considering how little of the noise between them had been speech for a decent amount of time now. It took a moment for her voice to register, still not fully used to it, and allowing more of his focus to move toward his healing, and keeping up a mental barrier to be prepared. It was likely clear in his eyes that he wasn't fully focused on her, though whether it was obvious why, he didn't know.

Strago took in a deep breathe after her question, and said nothing for a moment, clearly deciding within himself on what to say, or if he would say anything at all. Making his decision, he finally spoke, “It'll be easier to think in a moment. Your choke didn't help with it much.” He said relatively seriously, wanting to buy just a little extra time to heal, and think of how he wanted to deal with the situation, along with learning more about how she reacted to this, knowing that any knowledge he could gain of any of the Sith could potentially be valuable.

Jayda had to stop from rolling her eyes at the Jedi. She was many things, from liar to monster and more, but stupid wasn't one of them. He was stalling for time as she only guessed to build up his mental barriers or likely healing, the only two things he could possibly do in his situation. Her eyes shifted to the small wounds on his neck, the blood still slide down along his neck, in time to see the injury heal over. The energy itself was familiar as well and would almost be soothing if it didn't remind her of home and her father.

She sighed, loudly. “I never thought Jedi encouraged lying.”

Her body shifted upright, moved off the chair, then headed for the nearby table. A hand reached for a single syringe and pulled it towards her eyes to examine. The liquid seemed to shine from dark purple to a metallic blue with the movement, she slowly took a step towards the bounded Jedi. She then pointed the needle towards his neck and pushed it in, roughly and suddenly. Her thumb pressed the button, the liquid vanished into the Jedi's body until when it was all gone, she pulled it out.

Jayda replaced the syringe on the table then waited a moment for the VSR13 to take affect. It would only take a few minutes and to test it, she gently, almost caressingly, traced his jawline. Her eyes sought that painful expression which should be present on his face from the mere touch.

She seemed to be able to tell that he was buying time, but he knew it was a very realistic possibility, so he was far from surprised by it. He looked at her after she spoke with a look of very slight unhappiness, “I didn't lie. It is easier to think now than it was a moment ago.” He said, feeling the need to say it, more for himself than for her. He took pride in his honesty, but that didn't mean that he didn't occasionally say things that allowed others to make untrue assumptions.

She had moved off the chair as he spoke, and he watched her, looking at the syringe as she picked it up, examining it slightly as she did as well. He had no idea what it was, and decided not to think about it, knowing that it would only make things worse. He grunted as she quickly moved it into his neck, his breathing becoming slightly more shallow as well. He closed his eyes, and immediately put up much more mental resistance as the liquid started to flow into him, not wanting it to effect him any more than the absolute minimum possible.

Strago's eyes shot open as he felt her hand against his face, an odd mix of confusion, and pain overcoming him. His body tensed up slightly, and he looked into her eyes, the confusion continuing to show for a moment before his mind became more at ease, at least knowing what the liquid was doing to him now, but it didn't stop him from feeling pain, though he did close his eyes again, dealing with it as best as he could, trying to keep his focus away from the pain, but struggling to move closer to the Force, instead opening his eyes again, and looking right into Jayda's eyes, focused, and with little emotion, making it easier to deal with anything she might try to do as well.

Jayda's eyes stared back with a surprisingly coldness to them, no pleasure or sorrow taken from her task. This was business, nothing more and her mind shifted from the man being anything living to merely a target or object. She then addressed the Jedi's little...denial about his white lie. “Don't lie...ummm, then I suppose you weren't force healing while taking that little moment then? If you're not going to be truthful with me, then at least be honest with yourself about lying.”

Her nail followed the man's skin, skirting a shallow cut that likely inflamed with the very movement. Then she added. “Now, are you going to answer my questions? Or need I cut you again?”

Strago looked at her much more seriously now, a slight anger coming up that likely looked worse than it was from the pain, “What I said was true. I did not claim to be doing anything other than what I was.” He said quite sternly, then did his best to breathe deeply as her nail continued to move against against him, causing another grunt to come out as it began to cut him, his body tensing slightly more for a moment in response to it, “I am a Jedi Knight.” He said, the reminder of it making it much easier to return to a calmer state, even with the pain, “I had no specific purpose at the Temple on Coruscant, simple doing what was needed of me.” He added, thinking back to his times there, somehow able to focus on the good for the moment, losing much of his negative emotion that had appeared a moment ago, now just focused on dealing with the pain.

“One little problem. I don't believe you, not after the lacking truth you told me...” She said, noted his aggressive reaction to her mention of lies for later. Jayda leaned closer to him, ensured he couldn't just ignored the next words to roll of her tongue. “The reason I know you weren't just taking a breath is because the neck wounds inflicted during my choke hold are healed over. I doubt you have very fast healing abilities so how can I believe you're telling me only part of what I want?”

To bring what she spoke to his attention, her finger lightly touched the neck and wiped away the blood revealing no nail marks underneath. She knew even a mere touch felt far worse then it should've then turned to hot iron on the table. It seemed the target needed to realize she wasn't kidding about hurting him and a fact that would be more painful then normal. Her nails immediately slashed across his face side, careful not to snag the eye, as they pulled straight down leaving behind some vertical cuts. Blood dampened his face and the salty smell filled her nose while she let him wiggle under the inflicted wounds.

“Now, what was the purpose for you to be at the Temple and what did you work on? And want the whole truth...”

Strago listened as she spoke, and watched her as she moved closer, and continued. He decided not to respond right away, and just continued to watch her before she suddenly slashed him across his face, causing him to yell, and grunt, his breathing becoming slightly heavier once again. He could feel the blood run down his face. He could feel it much more than normal, but he was glad that it didn't add to the pain even further.

He looked down at the ground for a moment, and closed his eyes, deciding to focus on his healing quite a lot for a few seconds, and keeping it up, but to a lesser degree as he opened his eyes, and looked at Jayda again, “If you don't believe me, then does what I say even matter?” He asked her quite seriously, part of him wanting to throw that out there while possibly finding the answer, and another part of him hoping to buy more time like before.

“When I believe you've told everything you know and not half truths.” Jayda said as she felt the man's eyes on her and fought the shiver it caused. She took a deep breath then continued, once again tried to stay on task. “So answer my question and it might buy you the time you seem to seek with you moving from the topic at hand. What was asked of you at the Temple?”

She moved towards the tools on the table as if hinting for something far worse, her eyes still fixed upon her subject with a hard stare. Her fingers delicately skirted from the vibro-blade to the taser, then finally rested upon the hot iron brand. Jayda picked it up and studied it, the tip started to glow red that faded into a bright white during her wait.

Strago stared back at her, the lack of new pain making it much easier to do so, putting as much focus as he could onto his healing without becoming distracted by it. He looked at the brand as she picked it up. He didn't want to feel it on him, but he didn't fear it for the moment, largely because he didn't think about it at all, returning his gaze to Jayda's eyes, “I was given missions, and did what I could to accomplish them. I had no specific line of duty, such as a diplomat. I simply was given tasks deemed fitting for my skills.” He answered truthfully, more blunt in his answer than before, but obviously not giving every little detail, partly because he expected that the Sith would ask if she actually cared.

Jayda let the heat shimmer and waft off the tip, heated the air around it. Bright purple eyes seemed entranced as if thinking deeply about something before she then asked another question, the first seemed truthful enough to her. “Most Jedi's skills tell a lot of what important information they might be able to handle or certain task which are vital to the Republic. So what skills did you have that would require you not to specialize in certain area? And I want details...”

“I simply did what I could to solve problems, and help people, in whatever way was necessary. It's more a lack of certain things that put me in that position.” He replied, thinking slightly of what more he would say, if anything. It seemed smart to keep speaking, if for no other reason than to heal more, “As for details on my skills, I doubt I could even tell you everything because I don't know it all myself. I simply do what I do, and have been lead to believe that I'm quite good at certain things, and not so good at others.” He added, then stopped for a moment as his body started randomly shaking slightly. He wasn't sure why, but he continued his healing, then spoke again, “You've seen some of my Force abilities already, so you have that to judge the rest from.” He further added, then stopped speaking, simply watching her again, feeling much more calm than he had expected to, but knowing that it would possibly change very soon.

“Yes, your Force Skills are easy to judge and impressive to a certain degree,” Jayda said, not going into farther compliment or detail, “And what, exactly have you been told to do? Who did you meet and where did you end at?”

These questions seemed to get her nowhere quickly but merely punishing the Jedi for speaking truth was pointless. It was like smacking a child for staying point when told and only served to make her look like a fool in the end. Not that this question wasn't already doing just that. Her knuckles tightened upon the iron's handle then relaxed, idly flexed in her thoughts as she noticed something for the first time: the Jedi was shaking. Her hand placed down the iron then moved for the next injection, her hands wrapped about it and once more plunged the needle into the Jedi's neck. It would make the symptoms worsen when he attempted to heal and slightly dull the currently surfacing ones, now that the stuff was in his system again.

“Can't have that wearing off just yet..” She told him then set it back down upon the table.

Strago listened as she spoke again, then watched as she dropped the iron, and grabbed another syringe. He closed his eyes, already knowing what was coming, ready to make an attempt to resist the effects of it once again, but knowing from the last dosage that it likely wouldn't do all that much. He grunted slightly as she put it in him, this time feeling it much more than the last, shaking again for a moment before opening his eyes very slowly, and trying to relax, not even able to focus on Jayda as she moved back toward the chair despite the fact the he saw it happen.

He tried to use the Force to get it out of him as much as he could, and while it likely helped slightly, it was far from what he hoped. After another moment, he looked over at her again, staring at her much more blankly now, but shifting his focus away from the feelings in his body once again, “What was the question again?” He asked, genuinely not remembering after all the other things he had put his focus on despite it not having been all that long.

Jayda shook her head, her face slightly disappointed as she decided it was best to up her tactics. Namely to allow the drug to escape his system faster and maybe after a few hours, he'll more reasonable. Her hand reached for the hot iron and moved his sleeve down, exposing the flesh before she pressed the hot tip into his flesh. It hissed and burned while the man's scream erupted into the room, echoing back before it died. So began Jayda's more aggressive methods in her questioning.

~~Several hours later~~

Jayda stared, her form now seated once more upon the chair, at the Jedi's slightly limp form. His torso had been stripped and skin covered in slowly healing burn marks. Most the marks were round, black and gave off the distinct smell of cooked flesh. For her, the smell threatened to overwhelm her, each inhale almost spilled her meager meal upon the floor as she held her breath. She was trying to hide it. That dark, wrong feeling which built up inside when she forced to finally look upon the aftermath. His body was covered in cold sweat from the heat touching his skin or the drug running through his system, she wasn't sure which, and now his screaming had ceased.

It was a break for the moment. On for him as well as her, namely it was Jayda who struggled to retain that stone mask on her face. It seemed for once Sish was right and it made her feel filthy to think about it. Again, she lifted up and this time took the taser device from the table, the only object lift, before she approached him.

A few of the more severe wounds had been brushed over with Kolto but only to stop the bleeding. She after all sliced into his flesh, created a slit where she stick in the vibro-blade then slowly filet off thin layers down to the muscle. It was merely fat tissue but it did hurt, the man's screams grew faint until it was hoarse.

“Did you handle any documents for the Republic? Important ones involved with military movements, plans or others?” She asked, slowly in hopes he would understand it this time. She held the device up to him and allowed him a full glimpse, hinting that it was the next to be used.

Strago didn't move much as the torture seemed to finally be over. His entire body was covered in a mix of sweat, and blood along with all the marks, and scars that were left over on him. His healing hadn't been nearly as effective as it was before from the lack of ability to concentrate on it much for so long. He didn't even make much effort to heal for the moment, his body largely numbed to the pain, but he knew it was still wise to put effort into it, and did so because of it.

He finally heard her speak, and groaned a bit as he moved his head to look over at her, the reminder of pain causing him to focus a bit more on his healing again. He coughed a few times, then cleared his throat, feeling how sore it was because of it, “No.” Was all he said in response, clearly in slight pain from saying the word at all.

He saw the taser as she lifted it up, clearly wanting to show him. He looked at it, but didn't care. He knew it would hurt, and possibly even make him scream again, but he didn't even care at the moment. The thought of pain wasn't as unpleasant as normal after having felt so much of it in such a short time span, and he just closed his eyes, focusing more on his healing, largely able to ignore the shaking that it caused, as unpleasant as it was.

She was hitting a brick wall again with the Jedi. Something that seemed to frustrate her as she checked the emotion quickly, part of her upset that she couldn't just end this. Even a single shred of useful information would've been excuse enough to bring this event to a close but man seemed useless in her goal. Instead all she had gotten were half truths and barely anything to present.

Jayda, in the back of her mind, had a lingering he wasn't telling all. Though it could've been from her growing discomfort and emotional state, the feeling was strong and unwilling to leave her. She asked another question, her thumb pressed the button to ensure the item was working. “Did you meet any impor-”

A loud crackle and hiss came from the device as it grew hot in her hand. Her eyes widened in realization before her sight darted back at the Jedi. She cursed in Ul'Zabrak, her hand tossed the devices away and instinctive found herself stepping between it and the Jedi. Then everything went white when the explosion erupted through the torture room. The walls rattled and blackened from the power, the force sent her flying into the Jedi and knock both of them into the wall. Her body covered most of his exposed flesh while she turned away to protect her face, head and hearts. Pain flooded along her back and side, something sliced right into it causing a warmth to leak through her outfit. Then the world went black...

Strago could tell that Jayda was becoming more frustrated now, but it didn't matter all that much to him. Once she started speaking again, he saw her press the button on the taser, and he prepared himself for it as best as he could, not that he could do much. His eyes widened as she threw the device away, and moved toward him, feeling very confused about it, but suddenly afterward, he understand slightly better as the device exploded, throwing both of them away from it, and damaging the straps that were over his limbs enough that he was no longer attached to the table.

It took him several seconds to realize to some degree what was happening as he slowly began to open his eyes again, and start to move. He looked around the room, seeing how damaged it had become, then turned toward Jayda, seeing that she was unconscious, and partially on top of him from the angle of the explosion.

He wanted more time to think, but knew he had to act. He grabbed the Sith, and looked over her, seeing her lightsaber on her, and quickly began to work on getting it for himself, moving her around to make it easier before finally pulling it off her belt, and moving her further away from him finally, seeing that the third syringe had made its way into her neck, but deciding to ignore it.

Finally, he began to stand, feeling much weaker than he had hoped. He knew he wouldn't have much time before someone realised what was happening. He took another look over the room, feeling slightly dazed, but still quite clear on where the entrance was, immediately starting to move over toward it, grunting with every step, but doing his best to ignore all the pain he felt.

It was the pain that woke her like a familiar friend, it etched back into the body where it seemed to never have left. Her teeth bared and snarled a little, warning in fashion of a wild animal before she started to rise, By this time the Jedi was making his way to the exit. She didn't remove or care for the needle sticking out of her neck, it wasn't important as the man now trying to escape. Red drops fell to the ground, dripping in her wake while she started to shift towards him. A large, metal sheet had buried itself into side and nearly cleaved her in half. Luckily it managed not to but it still hurt like hell. Each move or twist set her nerves on fire yet she continued to close the gap between them. He wasn't getting away from her. She couldn't let that happen, her voice made a feral growl, the primitive side in full swing for survival. “You're not getting away, stop right there Jedi!”

It was surprise she could stand at all, something she refused to dwell upon or debate. Right only her and the Jedi existed within the room. Only one would manage to get out, the only thought that was left was who would it be? Him or her.

Strago quickly looked back toward Jayda as he heard her moving, feeling his body freeze for a moment before starting to move again, her animalistic sounds showing her intentions even before she made them entirely clear with her words. After a moment, he looked toward the lightsaber, and quickly turned it on, facing back toward her, but taking half-steps backward toward the exit, making sure to keep the lightsaber between the two of them in case she tried anything, making sure to hold onto it tightly, and be mentally prepared for anything she might try with the Force, “Back down!” He said quite commandingly, realising it likely wouldn't help much, “This won't end well for you. I've taken your weapon.” He added, hoping he could somehow reason with her despite her seeming to not be in a very logical state of mind.

“I didn’t spend four years suffering to die here so unless you intend on killing me, Jedi, I won’t advise wielding my light saber.” She snarled. Despite her primitive side being the main function, Jayda pushed her rage and hatred down, sealing it as she forced her attention upon her prey.

Her force gathered into her legs before she shot forward, using both her Zabrak strength and speed, and closing the remaining gap. Her eyes shot to where the lightsaber would strike and instantly force pulled something from behind him. It was a small, dented bottle of Kolto, the valuable water completely gone, came flying at his head. The man had a choice, slice her down and end up being knocked out from impact with the container or deflect the object before defending her off. Either way with the momentum built, it would be difficult to just push her away.

Strago kept his eyes on Jayda as she spoke, then saw her jump right at him. He felt her Force push part of the way through, and he jumped to the side, realizing that there was a bottle flying right towards him, striking it with the lightsaber to make sure it wasn't a threat. He was now on one knee with the way he landed, and his head was hurting, finding it harder to focus than he normally did, but still able to keep up enough to deal with the situation. He kept the lightsaber in both of his hands, not able to create the strength in his legs to stand for the moment, just making sure Jayda wouldn't be able to attack him.

Jayda managed to drive closer thanks to the distraction but already her vision started to blur. Failing as it grew dimer and more blood dripped upon the ground, leaving a trail. There was some loss feeling in her limbs but she ignored it, unable to do anything about it and instead focused on what did work. Her nose did her little good for all she could smell was her own blood but her hearing still could pick up the Jedi's faint collapse from where he fell to one knee. It was all she needed. Her hand jerked out and took of one of his wrists, struggling to push its blade from severing her arm at the joint or anything else for that matter. Instantly she pulled closer into his range, trying to null the weapon's range and make harder to use. Close up where her claws would bring her the advantage.

“I can't let you win...” She spoke between heavy breaths, more blood dripped from her wound and it seemed it wasn't Strago that would kill her but herself.

Strago made an attempt to swing at her as she went right at him once again, but she was too quick, grabbing one of his wrists with enough strength that he couldn't do anything with the lightsaber for the moment, especially when she moved even closer to him. Between his own injuries, and the drugs, he felt very weak, and knew she would be able to overpower him if this lasted long enough. His eyes looked over at the syringe in her neck, seeing that it was the same liquid she had used on him earlier. He grunted loudly as he pushed forward aggressively, simultaneously pulling the lightsaber toward him, bringing her with it, and quickly grabbing the syringe with his free hand, injecting her with it, and immediately giving her a small Force push with the little energy he could muster, just to give him a few extra inches of space that he felt he needed, hoping it would let him pull the lightsaber away from her entirely.

She felt the needle break into the muscle and seemed to jab into the very bone. Her eyes looked at the Jedi; her limbs seemed completely dead as overwhelming pain seemed to wash over her when he sent her back. Her hands unable to keep hold upon the light saber, even after all the damage wrecked upon her body and yet she still fought it. It was her nature as a Zabrak after all.

Instead of a twisted, painful expression, her body fell to the floor and her face slightly relaxed. Then her words pierced the air. “Even the brightest light casts the darkest shadow, remember that and... Very well played, Jedi. It seems you cast a bit of a shadow yourself…”

Then she pass out from blood loss, the darkness took her for the second time.

Strago looked at Jayda for a moment as she spoke, then fell unconscious once again. He kept an eye on her as he moved toward the entrance, leaving the lightsaber on just to be safe, quickly pressing the button that had opened the door to get in. He was very relieved as he saw the door open, but a sense of nervousness quickly overcame him as he began to step out, realizing the situation, and what he had just done.

However, only a moment later, the two troopers who had been waiting outside noticed him, his clothing from his upper body all off of him, and many of his injuries showing, along with all the blood that remained, but wielding a purple lightsaber. They immediately aimed there blasters at him, one of them letting out a brief, “Uhh.” Before firing his blaster, the other quickly following. Strago managed to deflect the blasts, and Force pushed one of them into the wall, then quickly Force pulling the other one toward him, and throwing the blaster to the side.

He took a brief moment to look around, seeing that it was only these two troopers, then quickly pulled off the helmet of the one close to him, and threw him into the metal wall, quickly crashing the bottom of his boot into his skull, hoping it would knock him out, but seeming to not quite get the job done. The trooper moved his hand toward what appeared to be some kind of speaking device, and Strago knew he couldn't let him, deciding within the moment to slice his head off before Force pulling the other trooper toward him, slicing him in half part of the way through the pull as well.

Almost immediately, he regretted his actions, but he knew now wasn't the time for regret, grabbing one of the troopers blasters just in case, and destroying the other with his lightsaber as he turned off the lightsaber, and moved quietly through the corridors at a slow pace, listening to every single sound he heard, and doing his best to be prepared for anything, still holding the lightsaber in his hand in case he had to use it.

Post 48, Sundered Echo & Ellri | Thalia Valcia & Absk Katherion

Day 2 After Sacking - 21:09 Ship time

Thalia Valcia lay quite peacefully on her bed, resting her eyes but not sleeping after the day's exertions. She’d been informed that the Jedi she’d been told to manage had been killed, and that the perpetrator had been sentenced to death for the act. It was a load off her shoulders to be sure, and the thought of him dead was quite a pleasant one. Perhaps her day was taking a turn for the better after all that mess that had earlier occurred. She was, at this moment, supposed to be monitoring the surveillance as it was still ‘her day’ to do so, but, as usual, she had delegated the boring job to one of her Acolytes. She rather hoped that it wouldn’t prove to be bad luck to assign the same Acolyte there, and the feeling that maybe it was was why she wasn’t handling any more hazardous materials today. Her leg hurt quite a bit where the alchemical liquid had spilled on it, and the skin was beginning to itch somewhat. It was fairly simple to convert the pain into power, but the itching was not something Sith training had taught her to deal with. She tried to put it out of her mind.

Just as she felt like she was falling asleep, an angry beeping seemed to come from the door. She ignored it, hoping it would go away soon. A few seconds later it was followed rather unceremoniously with a heavy knocking on the door to her quarters, enough to bring her uncomfortably back to wakefulness. She made her way to the door and with a wave of her hand it opened. “This had better be good!” she almost screamed at the witless Acolyte standing sheepishly in the corridor. His response was timid but swift - he knew how impatient Thalia could be. “My Lord, there is another, um, disturbance… Lord Sish is chasing a Jedi through the corridors.” He seemed to finish his sentence in one breath. Thalia’s heart sank at hearing the news. It meant she’d actually have to do her duty and watch the cameras. Just to make sure that the crazy Lizard didn’t get out of hand… and to make sure the Jedi was caught. Jedi loose in the halls was a very bad thing, and Nyiss would not be pleased if they remained free of their captivity for long. She immediately made her way to the surveillance room.

Upon arriving she was greeted with the sight of Lord Sish barreling through a group of Imperial personal and droids at speeds that could only be Force-enhanced. Typical brutish conduct. She pulled up a different camera to track him and the Jedi battling, though it could hardly be called that. It wasn’t long until Sish had the Twi’lek girl in his scaly green clutches, and with that all that remained was to see if he killed her or not. Thalia was rather hoping he would, and her hand hovered over the comm-link to Darth Nyiss’ quarters as she watched. She was quickly disappointed, however, as a large force of Imperial marines arrived to take the girl back to her cell, having lost only a finger. That wouldn’t be enough for her to get him executed with unfortunately. She slumped back into her chair as the action ceased, realising that the acolyte was still standing awkwardly behind her. “Get out of here. Go do something else somewhere else.” She wasn’t in the mood for this. Not at all. She decided that, given today’s preponderance of troubles, she’d stay and complete her watch for once. There was barely an hour to go anyway. She sat back and got comfortable, watching the terribly dull camera’s with only half an eye.

She had just about made up her mind to leave the camera’s unattended for a minute and get a holobook from her room when her personal comm began to buzz. Why did everything always have to happen to her? She was just trying to have a nice peaceful day, and everyone wanted her for something. It was as if she was the only competent being aboard the ship. She thought about ignoring the call, but then thought better of it as it buzzed for the third time. She was immediately relieved she had. “Oh, My Lord, I hadn’t expected a-” She was cut off as a text only message came through. “Of course its not a bad time I-” Cut off again. She hated that. A longer message this time. “Yes I can do that. May I ask w-” Silly. Silly question. Of course she couldn’t. “No I don’t mean to question you. Go in Strength…. Gone already. As usual.” She closed the Holocom. She’d been asked to kill the Apprentice known as ‘Zanna’ when she returned to the Prison block from wherever she’d went for the night. Thalia didn’t question the order, instead she opened her Holocom again, this time calling the Acolyte she’d only minutes ago sent away. He answered straight away, ever the obedient one, always eager to please his master. “My Lor-” She wasted no time with formalities, interrupting him like she’d been interrupted moments earlier. “Shut up. I need you to get Acolytes Tharn, Cadera and Salia and send them to wait at the entrance to the Prison deck. They are to ‘greet’ Apprentice Zanna when she returns to this deck. Understand?” His reply was swift “Yes my Lord. I’ll do it right away.” There was a reason she used him so much. She’d picked the three Acolytes in her power structure she considered most expendable. It was highly likely they wouldn’t succeed in their task and Thalia didn’t really want to lose anyone she liked.

She was about to get up and leave to retrieve her book when a fairly loud bang came through the speakers of the surveillance camera’s, interrupting her yet again. She quickly found the necessary camera and an alert started blaring its ugly sound at her. She ignored it as she looked on at the scene of the explosion in one of the mono torture cells - an explosion had gone off that had just about killed the Sith torturer and maimed the Jedi she’d been working on even more than he already was. She was shocked to see first the Jedi, then the Sith both rise from the blast, despite their wounds. The Jedi had managed to get the Sith’s Lightsaber somewhere along the way, and for brief seconds that seemed to drag on like hours they fought. In the end, the Jedi triumphed over the badly wounded and unarmed Sith and stepped out into the hallway where he killed two Imperial Marines. Thalia’s jaw dropped for a moment and in an almost trance like state of shock she reached over to the comm. First Nyiss’ room - no answer. Then the Moff. “Moff.”

Moff Katherion had also gotten notice of the alarm, but had not had time to check what it was about. They were approaching their first stop on the journey, so he had a lot to prepare. When his personal holocom pinged, he activated it with a quick gesture. “What is it? What do you want?” he asked, impatiently.

“We have a Jedi escape in progress, Darth Nyiss isn’t responding to her rooms comm. One Jedi, armed with a Lightsaber he took from his minder.”

“Then deal with it. That is What I keep you around for.”

“Very well, Moff. I’ll put a stop to it right away.”

Moff Katherion deactivated the holocom, then issued a small command from his private terminal, raising and locking down the prison deck turbolift. He might not care much about what went on in the prison deck, but he did not want a Jedi running around the rest of the ship.

Thalia was not quite finished with the comms, though. There was a severely wounded Sith still in the blasted remains of the room, and it looked like she wouldn’t make it without medical attention fairly soon. Thalia turned from the screens, briefly considering her options. She could leave the Sith to die where she was, or she could call the medical team and tell them to go in as soon as the Jedi was under control. It was very tempting to simply leave her. Not helping the dying was, after all, the easiest way to assassinate someone. But then she remembered that that girls master was the Lizard. The thought of the Lizard coming after her was enough to make her turn back and call the medical team, telling them to be ready the moment she gave the go ahead.

With that she turned and left the Surveillance room with a Force-assisted sprint, her Lightsaber already in hand in the reverse grip she favored.

[Ellri]

Post 49, Sundered Echo & AramisMedici | Jewel Namore & Calista Praxon

Jewel was quite pleased to see the obvious recognition on the human Jedi’s face. She’d taken the Lightsaber for its distinctiveness, though every Jedi or Sith should know their own Lightsaber by sight anyway, and her bringing it appeared to have the desired effect on the woman. She was rather amused with the Jedi’s answer. It was the obvious one, of course, and is was partially true, but it demonstrated the Jedi’s lack of vision as well. They would never think to turn their enemies to their own side for use as pawns and fodder. They cared too much about each other for that. Jewel was also quite pleased with the restraint the Jedi were showing, although, if they kept it up it would cost them. Throughout it all, she maintained an impassive face.

“You’re right. We do want information from you, and we will get what we want. Some of my colleagues will definitely be using physical methods. I, however, am a little more sophisticated. But you haven’t properly answered me yet. Why have I brought you here, to a combat arena?”

She glanced between the lightsaber again, and frowned. Could it be... Why? Strange that they would resort to such a thing. But better to not keep her waiting. “I can't speak on behalf of your motives. They are your own, and I can only guess. Since it's a combat arena, that narrows it to a few things. You want us to fight each other, or you want one of both of us to fight you. Or you want us to kill one or both of the prisoners here.”

Jewel raised an eyebrow at that. This Jedi was fairly perceptive. “Very good.” She walked casually to one of the weapon racks that lined the edge of the room, and at her approach the metallic claws that held the weapons in place retracted. This particular rack had a number of vicious looking conventional blades. Jewel selected one at random and pulled it free of the rack before throwing it to Calista hilt first. “And since you figured it out first, you can be the first to carry it out. Kill Mr. Finn.” She pulled a second blade from the rack and walked back to the group in the middle of the arena, handing the second blade to the Republic soldier. “Kill him, or he will kill you.”

Calista's eyes widened and instinct caused her hand to reach out and grab the blade thrown to her. It was balanced, and of good quality, but obviously the Lord could break through it if she tried to attack her: no lightsaber for her. She looked over at the prisoner in front of her and regarded him evenly. This was not going to end well: one of them would die in this exercise. “Should I sacrifice my life for him? If I had to be honest, I'd rather not.” And any fool could see that Calista was the superior one at combat between the two. Not to mention that Makashi was the primary style she used--a style she was excellent in--which was formed with situations like this in mind. Should she just get it over with then?

No. Her mind spoke up; no. Not now. He looked like he was ready to die. Or perhaps he would try to kill her for his own life. Calista faintly wondered if he'd just present her his neck after dropping the sword given to him by the Lord. Maybe he'd just decapitate himself with the sword while he had the chance. Going along with it, she flourished her blade in a Makashi salute, before dropping it to the standard form. It would be his move, and regardless of what he did, she would parry, deflect, dodge, and defend whatever blows he sent. And she would think of what to do from there.

Jewel observed Calista performing the Makashi salute with no small amount of glee. The Jedi was getting ready to strike down an innocent man. Thus far the other Jedi and the second prisoner could only watch on in silence. Tover Finn looked sullenly at Jewel, then slowly back to Calista, the held loosely at his side. “I wont do it.” He suddenly said, though he did not look at Jewel when he said it. “Come on now Tover... All you need to do is strike down this Jedi and you'll be free. We'll give you back to the Republic and no further harm will come to you.” Jewel said, smiling as she saw a flicker of hope spring into the mans eyes. “I'm sorry Jedi” he said, desperation evident as he spoke. He stepped forward, swinging the unfamiliar weapon clumsily at the Jedi woman in front of him.

Calista only had to wave her arm to parry the clumsy strike, her brows furrowing. “The Sith are liars. I can't blame you for what you're doing: you're grasping for freedom. But they'll never give you back to the Republic. You're their prize: we all are.” She still held the blade out to her side, now beginning to circle her opponent. With luck, she could be a voice of reason to him. Or soothe his conscious for what he was about to do. Her own stomach felt like it had a lead ball in it from dread of having to kill him. But strangely, a part of her thought that his death would be a mercy. Curious.

Jewel's brow furrowed slightly with the Jedi's attempt at talking the man down. She had to know that only one of them was walking away from this. And yet she still tried to save the man. How very frustrating. At the Jedi's words though, the hope that had appeared in Finns eyes died, as suddenly as it had come into life. He clearly knew what the Jedi said was true. He dropped his blade, the sharpened length of metal falling to the floor with a clatter. “Then kill me. If they ain't going to let me go, I'd rather just die. Anything is better than another day in this hell.” Jewel's smile returned with that. Now the Jedi had destroyed the hope in the man, and she made no effort to continue with her earlier lie.

“Do it.” A voice in her head whispered. “Kill him. He's asking for it. He's on his knees. He's unarmed. It'll be easy. You've done this before, right?” “No,” She responded to the voice, “Not like this. Never like this. I wonder if that's the real reason she gave me a metal blade. There is no resistance when a lightsaber breaks flesh. I'll feel the thickness of his neck muscles and the strength of his bones if I do this. Is it right to even kill him?” She wanted to ask how long he'd been there. Of what they even subjected him to that caused him to be at this point of desperation. But it didn't matter in hindsight, did it? Whatever it was, it was horrible enough to want to cause him to die. Or... Did it?

She slowly made her way to behind the Republic soldier, still keeping her guard up. While she walked, she reached out with the Force to gently probe his mind, to see if he was under the affects of anything. What if they didn't capture just Jedi from Coruscant? What if they captured non-Force users too? She rose her blade and placed it next to the man's neck, the blade's dull edge hovering near his neck, her throat clearing before she spoke. “I'll hear your last words, if you have any.” She would have put the sharp edge, but this Lord was here for a show, it seemed. She'd probably be unhappy if the Republic soldier dispatched himself on her blade when she didn't mean to, Calista reasoned.

The man was silent for a moment, collecting himself. For a moment it looked like he was going to die silent and Jewel considered giving him a push with the Force. This would work better if he had last words, it'd give the Jedi something to remember. It'd give this pathetic mans death potential meaning far beyond his worth. But a moment of patience was all Jewel had needed. The man began to talk. To his credit, he managed to remain reasonably composed even at deaths door. “I did my best... I fought for the Republic, and I did my best.” His voice lowered to a whisper then “But it wasn't enough...” He shut his eyes. As much as Jewel wanted to dominate the Jedi and make her kill Finn to end this drama, it was something she couldn't force. It had to come from the Jedi, or it wouldn't be effective.

After not sensing any mind alterations to the soldier's thought process, Calista took another breath and steeled herself, her grip on the sword's handle tightening. “Brace yourself, Calista. Calm yourself. Numb yourself to what's about to happen: it must happen, no matter how unsavory it is.” “No. Don't numb yourself to this. Remember this feeling; of having no choice but to strike a man down to save him from further torment. Never numb yourself to killing, Calista, or else it becomes easier, and the gravity of it decreases over time.” She nodded imperceptibly to that thought, and then would murmur quietly, “Is that not all we can do? Our best?” To the man, before finally bringing the blade across to decapitate his head. A quick and painless death.

Her response to his final words wasn't just for the sake of contemplation. It served as a distraction to him, something to perhaps think about to distract him from the incoming blade. Glancing down at the bloodied weapon in her hands, she shut her eyes with a pained look, her chest heaving with another breath, and exhaled quietly. With a blank expression, she would then turn to face Jewel, wordlessly extending the blade's handle to her, having completed the grim task she was set to complete. She had little doubt that this Sith was enjoying herself; watching a Jedi conflict over morals seemed to be a show for them. And Calista also doubted that she would miss the opportunity to rub this situation in her face. But she didn't mind; her conscious was clear in regards to killing him. Her single greatest regret in all of this was hat he had to die to escape this hell.

The Twi'lek woman Shandi Rin had screamed briefly at seeing a Jedi kill the man, especially with the copious amount of blood that poured forth from the neck wound to soak the arena floor around Calistas boots. Jewel was quite happy to see the Jedi finally run the sharpened metal edge along the mans throat, even going so far as to decapitate him, and she had to suppress a vicious grin. Much as this was entertaining, entertainment was not why she was here, and if she gave way to her emotions now she wouldn't be able to properly carry out her plan. Instead she simply said “Well done.” She reached out to take the sword from Calista, but at the last minute stopped, and, with her hand still hovering by the hilt of the weapon, said “You aren't done with that.” She stepped back then, and looked directly into Calista's eyes. “Let me tell you what you have just done. You have destroyed the hopes of an innocent man, and you have ended a Life that could have been turned to something good, or at least useful.” She'd always found that telling people out loud had more effect than the internal struggle that had no-doubt gone on in the Jedi's mind. “Incidentally, Finn broke to the Imperial Intelligence torturers within two hours of capture. 'His best' wasn't very much.” Jewel waited for a moment to see if Calista would reply, turning her back while she did so.

Calista ignored the screaming, and the front of her tunic was sprayed with blood, some of it going into her face even, giving her a more menacing appearance. She began to speak a rebuttal to Jewel with her eyes examining the bloodied blade in her hands, it's tip pointing at the ceiling. “You speak in circumstance; 'could haves,' Sith, but would that really be the case? If you are going to present to me such a hypothetical scenario, allow me to retort,” Calista's eyes followed the Sith as she walked away, “The Sith could have not captured him. The Sith could had not picked him. The Sith could have done a number of things. We all can. But that doesn't make it so. If two hours was his best, then it was his best. And however I will last against you and your colleagues shall also be my best. You believe that I just ended a life that could hand been good and useful. That may be so. But if I didn't kill him, what would you do? You cannot honestly tell me you'd let him go. You could torture him--or the Twi'lek--or both in front of my eyes, or even me. You could even strike them down before me. Whatever goodness or use his life could have done in this world was snuffed out the moment you delivered your challenge to me in this room. I killed him. I accept that. And I regret it. But I hope you're not suggesting that the fault is purely mine.”

Jewel had expected the Jedi to try to shift blame onto her. After all, she was a Sith, and in the minds of the Jedi the Sith were all evil. Evil was subjective. “You are wrong Jedi. His death is entirely your fault. Not because you killed him with your hands, but because you didn’t let him kill you. You acted selfishly, to preserve your own life. Who are you more important than him? It was my understanding that the Jedi sacrificed themselves for others, and yet here you stand. You put yourself before him, just as a Sith would.” The Jedi would probably ignore her and find some foolish reason to discount the truth that Jewel spoke, but this too, was expected. No Jedi worth being converted ever fell quickly.

Calista paused for a moment, her brows furrowing, before a wry smile came over her features. “You make it sound so simple. But is it really? You wouldn't have let him kill me.” It made some sense now. Jewel had let Calista kill that Republic soldier: a non-Force user. The Sith had always valued Force users over non-Force users, so it made sense that she picked one (most likely two) for Calista to slaughter. But what would seem strange was the proclamation they passed before arriving in this room: the Darth's prisoners were not allowed to be killed. So why was she allowed to kill this guy? Jewel was more than capable of stopping her; she could have easily stopped her using the Force, her lightsaber, or the guards. But she allowed Calista to kill him. Were non-Force users considered to not be prisoners? That was the only way Calista could think of that explained why Jewel allowed her to do what she did: “prisoner” extended to Jedi. And if only Jedi were considered prisoners, then either the Sith had that much prejudice against Republic non-Force users (likely), or there was a very specific purpose for why the Jedi were being kept alive. Perhaps it was both.

Jewel turned back to the Jedi woman before speaking again. “Wouldn't I?” She said. “We'll never know now. You wont have another chance to sacrifice yourself so.” She turned to Shandi Rin, the Twi'lek woman, and her expression changed to one that looked caring, loving almost. “Now Shandi, tell us about yourself” Jewel cooed in a soft voice. The Twi'lek could only whimper, her fear was palpable, but confusion was beginning to set in on her face. “Its alright dear.” Jewel said in the same voice as before. The Twi'lek slowly gathered herself and started speaking in a quavering voice laced with fear. “I'm Shandi Rin... I live on Coruscant. I... work... worked in the Senate building. I've been married for five years... I have two children Adaha and Lenna.” She stopped for a moment and looked very suddenly afraid for her life, clearly remembering less savory encounters with interrogators “I, I don't know anything! Please I was just a secretary I don't know anything!” Jewel's expression hardened. She'd hoped the Twi'lek could keep it together a bit longer. But that would have to do.

Jewel had originally thought to order Calista to strike down this prisoner as well, but a different idea had occurred to her. A test of the womans will. “I don't need information from you Shandi. I only need you to scream.” As she spoke her voice and expression had changed drastically, from a soft tone to near growling, dripping with the malevolence the Sith were known for. She raised her hand and formed it into a claw, grabbing the Twi'leks internal organs with the Force and exerting just enough pressure to cause an extreme agony the likes of which few beings ever felt. She stood side on to Calista while she did it, mostly facing away from the Jedi, who still had the Sword in her hands.

Calista narrowed her eyes at the deceptively sweet tone Jewel was using as she spoke to Shandi: was she hoping to cause more emotional pain while debating to kill her? Calista didn't have to wait long before Jewel began internally crushing the Twi'lek. Her eyes widened, and flinched slightly at the torture, but made no other sudden movements. So what was the point of this? To watch her squirm as an innocent was tortured before her eyes? It was one thing for Calista to kill someone; she killed Tover out if mercy. She killed him with a grim finality, a reluctance. She did not glorify in his death, and tried to give him as painless a death as possible. It was another thing to watch Lord Namore torture an innocent for her own pleasure and to invoke a response from Calista. And if Lord Namore wanted a reaction, she'd get one. Using the Force, she'd try to pull out her lightsaber and held it to the Lord's neck: she was standing right next to her, close enough so she could draw her blade quickly and point it at the Lord before she flinched. With a steady voice and a steel gaze, she addressed the Sith. “I don't know exactly what you read in my file. I'm not good at many things, but I am good at this; I have my lightsaber in my hand, and I am talented in its use. But I'm also a Jedi. Release her, and I will surrender my lightsaber once more. Refuse, and I will cut something off you will miss.”

A smile crept onto Jewels face as she felt the proximity of the Lightsaber near her throat. This was good. This was excellent. She lowered her hand and released Shandi, who crumpled to the floor immediately, and began crying and whimpering in pain. “Was that so hard?” She said, stepping away from Calista and the raised Lightsaber. “How do you feel when you see her in pain? How do you feel about me?” Her hand crept to her own Lightsaber and she began to fill her mind with rage and hate. Again, she remained impassive to look upon as she built up to the Juyo duality of inner rage and outer calm. Then she did something rash. She took her Lightsaber from her belt and threw it to the floor several meters away. And with her other hand, raised Shandi into the air and crushed her insides completely, throwing the limp body between her and Calista, blood dripping slowly from the Twi'leks lifeless eyes. “How do you feel now?”

“To be honest?” Her voice had a hissed edge to it as her eyes narrowed even further, the grip on her lightsaber tightening. “You know what I think. You released her, and then killed her. You're practically putting your head on a block--or pretending to, anyway--for me to chop off. And I will admit, it is tempting.” Her fingers squeezed the lightsaber handle nestled in her hand, her tongue wetting her lips before she spoke. She felt the heady emotions swirling through her head and creeping through her body. Anger and frustration were the top two on her list. She could even feel the beginnings of hate threading its way through her heart. The desire to fight which caused the blood in her ears to thrum. She would normally shut her eyes and think of treasured memories kept in her head for situations like this--of sandy beaches and cliffs overlooking the ocean. But to call upon such memories here and now would be sacrilegious. It was obvious what this Sith was trying to do: turn her to the Dark Side. She had to focus on something else. Admittedly, with difficulty, she turned her head and began to stiffly walk to the now dead Twi'lek, her blade still pointed at the Sith. Slowly, she would glance in between her and the corpse as she crouched on her knees, her free hand moving to shut the Twi'lek's bloody eyes. Brushing the reddened digits over Shandi's forehead, she rose quickly to her feet and en garde. “Calista, drop the lightsaber. You promised you'd surrender once she let her go. [i]“I... I want to hear what she has to say first.” “She's egging you on! She'll keep this up if you don't drop it!” “She'll keep it up no matter what I do!” She was fighting yet again another mental battle, the conflict evident in her eyes, until finally she flung her own lightsaber away to Jewel's, keeping a growl of frustration from coming out of her throat. She turned her gaze once again to the Sith, her fingers curling into her palm before hanging limp. “There. Calm down. Think.”

Jewel saw the conflict in the Jedi's eyes and heard in her voice as she threw aside her Lightsaber, the elegant curved hilt landing next to Jewels own. The emotions pouring off the Jedi were delicious, and it was only now, with her goal finally accomplished, that she let herself enjoy the moment. The Jedi hadn't given in to her emotions, but Jewel hadn't expected her to either. Not yet. This was only the first time. And after a stint under the claws of Sish and a few more forced killings, Jewel had no doubt that Calista would give in. It was only a matter of time, and Jewel was a patient Sith. She collected the Lightsabers, replacing them both on her belt, and wordlessly touched a button on her gauntlet. A squad of Imperial soldiers entered and roughly grabbed Calista by the arms to drag her back to her cell, Jewel following behind the group the whole way. The entire time on the way back, she let her feelings flow freely, focusing on her hatred. When they reached the cells, Jewel shot a smile that would normally be considered warm and friendly to Calista, before turning and leaving her and the other prisoners to the relative privacy of their cells.

As Calista was throttled back to her cell, her thoughts quickly turned from vengeance, to much simpler ones: mostly sleep. She ignored the smile that was given to her by Jewel, merely turning the ray shield to her door on and her feet moving to her bed. She pulled the to over herself as a makeshift blanket, her eyes immediately falling shut and breathing falling into a steady rhythm. Her sleeping form, however, belied her inner pain. “I haven't fallen... I haven't fallen. I won't fall. I can't fall. I'm so tired... And why am I in so much pain?” Her teeth grit and her knees pulled into her chest, while her hands clenched into fists. Indeed, she felt like her skin was burning and like she had a few cracked ribs. This didn't seem right, and shouldn't have been right. And she was very certain this pain was not from her actions of the previous hour. All she knew was that she was tired and in physical pain. Her mind would wrack over possible reasons until her conscious dimmed out and she fell fully asleep.

Post 50, Frettzo & AramisMedici | Kinsa & Calista

Slowly, Kinsa lifted her head. She had fallen into an uneasy sleep after the encounter with the lizard, and she still hurt. Not only was it that her left forearm was broken, coated in semi-dried blood and with deep and savage bite marks, but she also found it saddening that she would never really feel her left hand the same way.

She had attempted clenching her fist -as much as she could, with her arm damaged as it was-, and she could swear she felt her ring finger, but when she looked, it wasn't there.

“I guess I knew this would eventually happen...” She whispered to herself, voice slightly coarse, before shakily getting onto her feet, supporting herself against the wall as she looked out of her cell, and into her friend's.

How long had they been prisoners...? It was hard to say. For all she knew, she could have been unconscious for weeks in that little Kolto Tank. Seeing her friend in the cell in front of hers gave Kinsa mixed feelings. Was it a good thing that she was here? Was it a bad thing?

These thoughts and doubts plagued her mind, until she shook her head and walked out of her cell, right towards Calista's. She didn't care that she was badly hurt. She didn't care that she could barely walk at the moment. She just wanted to speak to Calista. Her friend.

Calista was still curled up on her bed, recovering from the harrowing mess she had gone through earlier that day hours ago. Or was it night? It was so difficult to tell, after being stuck on this ship for a couple days without seeing the sun. It was as Calista feared: she was starting to lose track of time. Her brows knit together as she sensed the presence of Kinsa coming closer, which caused her to rise to a sitting position with her hands propping her up. When she saw Kinsa limping to her, her eyes widened and mouth dropped open. “Kinsa! Oh Force, Kinsa, who did this to you?!” Immediately she shot up from her bed, her fingers scrambling to lower the ray shield. When it dropped, she rushed over to put Kinsa's right arm--the one not being cradled--around her shoulders. “Hold on, let me help you. Sit down, use my robe to give you some warmth. Let me take a look at you.” Besides the blood on her robes and face, Calista looked fine physically. But with no visible injuries on her person, the blood was likely not her own. “Where are you injured?”

The relief she felt from being noticed by a friendly being washed over Kinsa, and showed in a small smile that she gave Calista. But Calista was quick to get up and rush towards her.

“The lizard Sith... Don't know his name. Whole reason I've been away for this long...” She began, voice coarse, as Calista helped her into her cell, to sit down on her bed. “He... Attempted to interrogate me, and then I woke up in a Kolto Tank. I tried to escape... Foolish... He found me, and well...” She sighed, using her right arm to adjust the robes around her form so that they would provide the most warmth, and when she was done with that, she nodded over at her forearm and hand.

“Are you okay, though? Blood on your clothes...”

“A... Lizard Sith, you say?” Calista frowned as she began to gently examine Kinsa's arm, her face contorting into minor distress and concern. “Force, Kinsa...” The lost finger required the most attention, by far. One of her hands began to glow blue with the Light Side of the Force to heal the area. It was impossible to make her a new finger. The most she could do would be to stop the bleeding, sterilize the area, and seal it with a layer of skin. This wound required her attention the most by far. The sound of Kinsa worrying caused her to smile weakly, her head shaking 'no.' “I was the entertainment of a human Sith--a Lord Namore. She had my lightsaber and...” She paused, the smile straining. “She didn't hurt me. But... She made me--made me...” Her head dropped and voice fell to a whisper, “She made me kill someone. A Republic soldier. Told me it was me or him. And then she killed a Twi'lek. I got my lightsaber and pointed it at her neck... I could have killed her.” She shook her head again: she needed to focus, so she changed the topic. “On my way to the room where we were at, I saw a Sith get executed... Apparently we're not to be killed by anyone, by strict orders of the Darth commanding this ship. I didn't get her name though. But don't worry about me, okay? You're in far worse shape than I.” Calista dropped to a kneel and gave Kinsa another smile, this one less tremulous and more warm than the last one.

“Trandoshan, I believe.” Kinsa affirmed, then waited. She did her best to hide her own distress upon seeing Calista's expression, then she relaxed once she began to get healed.

'Did she really go through all of that?' Kinsa thought to herself, glad, in some warped way, that not all Sith were intent on destroying your body. But it was evident that Calista was troubled, and Kinsa knew better than to interrupt her as she spoke, so she just listened, looking at her own injuries from time to time. They hurt less, to some extent.

“We're lucky, I guess... Gives us time to think... And I'm in no worse shape than you. I believe I'm just as fit, if not more fit than you.” She joked with a half-hearted smile and slightly dull eyes.

“A... Trandoshan.” Calista tried to keep her voice casual and even while she continued her work, her eyes would occasionally glance up at Kinsa to check on her to make sure she wasn't in further pain. “What did he look like? And I still disagree with you.” Calista bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from repeating Kinsa's injuries; it was not what she needed to hear right now. “But you're right. We are lucky. We have some time to think and rest. Who knows what the others are going through? And Strago... We haven't seen him yet.” Her teeth bit into her lower lip, and then her job would be finished. “Finished with your finger.” She reported before putting her hands to work on Kinsa's forearm: she deemed that the second most important part to fix. She wanted to reduce the swelling and heal any fractures, at least.

The joke flew right past Calista's head. It was depressing, really. Kinsa couldn't help but erase the smile from her face. “Tall, green, lots of scales, sharp teeth, ugly face and creepy stare. Also scary grin.” She quickly blurted out, shivering lightly in both disgust and stress at the memory.

“And about Strago... I'm not sure, Klutz... I'm beginning to think it might be better if he was, you know...” She said softly, looking down and to the right, looking rather sad all of a sudden.

Calista was disappointed that she had such a vague description to work with, but it would have to do. So far, her Sith matched up with the description. And if that was really him, that news was... Disturbing, to say the least. It meant that she could be in some serious trouble once he decided to pay her a visit. She filed that thought away for later when she heard her nickname, causing her to look at Kinsa with mock shock. “I'd smack you if you weren't injured!” She teased, “I haven't tripped on my feet since I was a kid! And... He's alive.” He'd voice lost most of its joy and her eyes glanced over where Kinsa's were. “I know he is. Funny how I was thinking that same
thing the first day we were here.” Kinsa's arm would now be finished and Calista would rise to sit next to her friend. “But here we are anyway. Maybe it's a good thing. We could help the others, and we won't be alone. I have my two best friends on board... How many Jedi can say the same outside our group? We are incredibly lucky, in that regard.”

“I haven't had much time to get used to having... Four... Fingers on my left hand, but I'm pretty sure the feeling's the same as losing a friend... It's good to know Strago's alive.” She said, slowly waving her left arm around. It still hurt a bit, but she could move it! And her wounds weren't bleeding either. So she could fully clench her fist, and see how weird it looked without one of the fingers. The image made her smile, contrary to what she had expected.

“I just survived losing a finger, and I had the chance to run around some of the ship's halls and find my way back here. I'd say we've got an advantage already. We might be able to get through this.” She affirmed, relaxing her arm once more and looking at Calista. “The Sith aren't as strong as I thought. After all, I did manage to crawl through the ventilation shafts for a while before my, uh, fear sold me out.”

“And I pulled my lightsaber out on one. But that doesn't mean we can escape or anything: there are bound to be more powerful Sith on board. Not to mention the non-Force users, and the Sith in charge on this ship.” Her eyes would dart around their room, particularly at the ceiling, trying to silently convey that talking about escape in a prison cell might be a very bad idea. It could be bugged for all they knew, after all, and Calista was not in a rush to be physically tortured. “Does that mean I can call you 'Four fingers' now? 'Double F' maybe?” She gave Kinsa another teasing smile at her quip, a small grin forming on her features.

It was easy to forget that she was in a prison when speaking to her friend, but Calista's expressions helped her remember. It was slightly shameful to have forgotten in the first place, of course, but she got over it. It was until Calista suggested a nickname that she kept serious.

The mere nickname made Kinsa let out a short laugh, followed by a cough. Her throat was still somewhat roughed up from having Sish's claws tear into it.

“You waste no time at getting revenge, Klutz..”

“I have a whole childhood of 'Klutz' to make up for.” She smirked over at Kinsa while her hands lifted to gently go over her throat and reduce the soreness and pain there. “So I have to start early. 'Four Fingers' is too long though; I think I'll stick with fingers. So I hereby christen thee, Fingers.” She let out a mock evil cackle while she continued to heal. “And what a glorious revenge this shall be! Bwuahahahahaha!”

Kinsa just grinned, putting her right palm on her face as she shook her head. “Your evil laugh need work, Klutz. It's a Mwua, not a Bwua.” She explained, careful not to stress her voice further. “And Fingers is fine. Though I won't be able to use ten rings at the same time anymore. Have to get that off my bucket list, dang.”

“Oh please, I'm sure it'll catch on eventually.” Calista rolled her eyes and burst into a small, very un-evil like giggle. “Well... When we get out of here, we could get you a prosthetic one. So you can still wear ten rings, only you get a really shiny tenth finger.” Calista cupped her chin thoughtfully as she looked where the missing digit was. “You won't have to stay fingerless, Fingers. But I'll still call you that anyway.”

“Who knows, I might even get to like having four fingers. Would make me more unique...” Kinsa said, shrugging. “But yeah, it's a possibility to get a prosthetic finger.”

“Either way would work. Whatever makes you happy.” She smiled at Kinsa, her gaze looking at her own hand for a moment. “I'm sure we'll need plenty of that while we're here and once we leave.” She'd raise her arms to give her friend a hug, careful to not squeeze too tight. “We'll be fine. We just have to help each other and stay strong. We should do these visits often, agreed?”

Kinsa merely smiled back at Calista, and hugged back with her right arm. “Agreed.”

Post 51, Rtron | Zanna

Zanna slowly woke up, the warmth and the feelings of pleasure and contentment trying to lull her back to sleep. But, she had to wake up. There were things to be done. What, she wasn't quite sure in her half-asleep state of mind, but there was something to be done. She was sure of it. So she stirred, only to feel another body next to her own. Her eyes popped open and she glanced around at her surroundings. This wasn't her bed. These weren't her quarters...Where were her clothes?! For a brief moment, Zanna felt a panic. Then the memories came flooding back and the panicked look on her face melted into a relaxed smile. Still. She did have to leave and go work on her Serum some more, seeing as the Rahn girl had proven it so...useless and ineffective. Disentangling herself from Nyiss, she gathered her clothes and lightsaber(which were strewn about the room), leaving as quietly as she could. She was certainly planning on visiting the Darth again, but business called and power awaited know pleasure. Leaving the room through the blast doors, her mind attempted to return to the problem of the Serum. Attempted, and failed.

Repeatedly, it would go back to the meeting with Nyiss and it's rather...unexpected outcome. It was certainly advantageous, if she thought about it in a clear cut manner. While she was sure it wouldn't protect her from everything, it would certainly make others warier of trying to get rid of her. Or perhaps make them even more determined to kill her so she couldn't take advantage of her new found position. A sardonic smile worked it's way across the Pureblood's face. There was advantages and disadvantages to being the lover of the Darth. She found herself in exceptionally high humor as she rode the elevator back down to the prison deck. After all, why shouldn't she be? She was in a powerful position for the rest of the games of intrigue against her fellow Sith, and that position came a little cost to her. In fact, it only seemed to benefit her. The sardonic smile grew into a more genuine one. In more ways than one.

Her high humor was abruptly evaporated when she stepped out to see the three acolytes waiting for her. They were clearly waiting for her, judging from the way they perked up and each pulled out their lightsabers. Though none activated it. Zanna stepped out, idly glancing up too locate the cameras on trained on this area. Doubtful the trio cared, but it wasn't because of that that she was looking up..When she glanced back down, the three were still waiting. “Can I help you?” She asked in a cheerful voice. It sounded distinctly out of place in the tense air. They looked at each other, snickering slightly, before the male spoke. “Yes. Would you happen to be the Apprentice Zanna?” At the Pureblood's nod, he glanced again at the others before activating his lightsaber. His compatriots followed suit.

Zanna backed away, apparently afraid of these three fools before her. “What about the cameras?” She pointed to said cameras, activating her lightsaber in the process. The man glanced up and shrugged. “We'll deal with them after we deal with you.” With that, he leaped at her, clearly intending to kill the weak, frightened, Pureblood before him. He was surprised when a strong Force push sent him and his compatriots flying backwards. “Such a shame you won't be leaving this place alive then, isn't it?” Arrogance and disdain dripped from Zanna's words as she lifted her free hand once more. Tharn's face clouded with anger and he began to speak, “Listen you fucking bitc-” When he felt a strange...pressure, on his tongue. Almost like hands...and then Zanna ripped it out of his mouth. “You talk to much.” She said idly as he screamed, blood pouring from his mouth. The tongue fell to the floor with a wet splat.

“Do shut up.” Zanna snapped irritably, and a series of cracks was heard as Tharn's jaw compressed shrank behind his front teeth..then shot up and impaled itself in the roof of his mouth. The screams abruptly were muffled. “There. That's better.”

The other two stared in shock for a few moments longer before leaping at Zanna with dual shouts and curses. Zanna sent one flying backwards into the wall so hard it cracked, the other was on her before she could use her greatest advantage. Luckily, however, she wasn't a threat in lightsaber combat. Even with Zanna's lack of skill in that area. Within minutes, Zanna's Ataru style had landed her behind her opponent with a perfect opening. She took it. The female acolyte fell to the ground, screaming, as her legs remained standing for the most part.

The other one was picking herself up from the wall just in time for Zanna to turn her attention on her. The Pureblood didn't even let herself all the way up, gently feeling the inner workings of the optic nerve and the eyeball with the force...then ripping them out of the girl's skull. While the girl screamed and held her eye sockets, Zanna broke into her mind. Callously, and painfully, she began pillaging information as to why she was attacked.

They were sent...by an apprentice known as Thalia...who they worshiped, because of her powers it seemed...but why? Why? This attacker didn't have any answers. Withdrawing, and leaving the girl a babbling, weeping, wreck, Zanna dispatched her with a saber thrust. The other two were similarly pillaged for information, and they all had the same to deliver. Thalia sent them. She was a powerful force user. Soon, three corpses were left around the lift out of the prison deck, and Zanna was walking along the hall towards the prisoner chambers. It was time to introduce some Jedi to the wonder's of torture...and gain information on this 'Thalia'.

[Ellri]

Post 52, Sundered Echo, Ultimate523, Rtron | Thalia Valcia, Strago Kelrune, Sish

Strago began to slowly put more, and more focus toward his healing as he walked through the corridors, remaining as quiet, and calm as he possibly could. He heard some movement nearby him. It sounded very mechanical, like it might be some sort of droid, and so he stopped. It didn’t seem to notice him, or come in his direction, which was quite a relief. He took the moment the look over himself as he healed. Between the black from his burns, and all the blood that remained on him, he saw far less of his normal skin color than he was used to when topless. He could feel the cold of the halls much more because of it, but his pants still kept his legs warm, and they also had quite noticeable amounts of blood on them.

After the droid moved far enough away that he no longer heard it, he began to move again, feeling his body tensing as a strong pain shot through his entire body. His teeth clenched tightly, not allowing himself to make any noise, even as he began to shake slightly. He could tell that it wasn’t some kind of use of the Force against him, and likely had something to do with the drugs that had been used on him earlier.

Once again, he began to move, but even slower this time, sweating despite the cold air around him, further adding to the slight shivering. His grip on the lightsaber was even tighter than before, but his healing was at least allowing many of his injuries to become much more tolerable, some of the most minor cuts, and bruises even going away entirely, not that it was all that obvious in the places that remained covered in blood. He wanted to wash himself, knowing that any sort of creature with a strong sense of smell would be able to sniff out the blood easier than they could if he didn’t have it, but he had no way of doing so, and decided to not even think about it any more for the moment, just focusing more, and more on his healing as he allowed his survival instincts to play a much larger role in his decision making than he normally did. He realised that staying in the same spot was not a wise move, but also knew that if he went the wrong way, it could very well mean his end.

Thalia Valcia prowled the halls of prison deck in the area near the blast that had freed the Jedi, Lightsaber in hand but not activated. The area had been cleared of Imperial personnel, and Thalia figured the Jedi couldn’t have gotten far given his injuries. She wasn’t sure she was the best one to be recapturing a Jedi, she was hardly the most skilled of the Sith aboard, but it seemed all the rest were indisposed. She didn’t like the situation one bit. She couldn’t turn it to her advantage in any way, except perhaps to give her some small power over the Lizards apprentice. For all that that was worth. She’d called a few of her best Acolytes to her side, but they were taking their time. No doubt afraid of facing a Jedi. Or maybe lost in the winding halls of the Prison deck. Idiots to a man.

She rounded another of the cursed corners in this maze, and was presented with the sight of a fairly muscular man carrying a Lightsaber and wearing no shirt. For a moment, she actually found him rather attractive, despite the burns marring the majority of his upper torso. Then she remembered he was Jedi, and despised all she stood for. Unfortunately for her, she’d come around the corner in front of him, and while there was a length of pristine corridor between them, she was very clearly in his line of sight. Her finger moved on her Lightsaber, and a brilliant purple blade extended behind her.

Strago heard some slight noise in the distance, it wasn’t always moving directly toward him, but it was definitely getting closer. His heart beat quickened, and he stopped moving entirely, making as little noise as he could to make the listening easier. It was tempting to press up against the wall just for any extra advantage it could give, but he decided against it, taking a brief glance toward the lightsaber, making sure his fingers were where he wanted them to be, but then gripping it with his other hand to wipe the sweat off of his hand before grabbing it again in his right hand, and moving his left to his side to make sure the blaster from the trooper was there as an added safety measure.

He continued to listen, looking in the direction of the sound now, gripping the lightsaber with both hands in front of him, prepared for combat, but not turning it on yet, not wanting to create any added noise from it to catch the attention of whatever was coming closer.

Finally, he saw a woman appear, and there was little doubt in his mind that she was a Sith, able to sense the Force in her to some degree, though nowhere near enough to be able to tell what she could do with it. He stared right into her eyes, reading as much as he could from them, his own showing how calculating he was about his decisions right now. His eyes darted to her hand as she moved it, watching her grab her lightsaber, the purple blade following with it, immediately causing him to unleash the purple blade of the lightsaber that was his for the moment.

His mind searched for something to say, out of habit of convincing opponents to back down, but he knew it would likely be useless. Even if she let him be, eventually he would have to make a move somewhere. Running quickly crossed his mind as an alternate option, and he looked back very briefly, but then turned back to face her. She could possibly outrun him, especially in his current state, and even if she couldn’t, the idea seemed to be useless. The wisest choice seemed to be to try to take her as some kind of hostage. He stared her down with intense focus, reading every small movement of hers he could, while also watching her eyes. He certainly wasn’t going to underestimate her, and made sure to put up a mental barrier because of it, wanting to be prepared for anything.

Thalia wasted no time considering talking the Jedi down. He probably wouldn’t agree to just go quietly back to his cell. Not after he broke out. She reached out her empty hand and channeled a burst of Force Lightning at Jedi. Not enough to kill, but enough to subdue. If she was lucky, she could overwhelm him with the Force and never engage in Lightsaber combat at all. She knew she wasn’t the greatest duelist and it’d be ideal if she didn’t have to demonstrate that fact.

Strago watched her as she reached out with her hand, knowing she would attempt something with the Force. He knew there was nothing in the hallway for her to grab, which lowered the options of what it could be. Very quickly, he watched as the lightning came right toward him, blocking as much as he could with the lightsaber, and trying to guide some of it toward there as well, but still getting hit by enough to cause him to grunt quite loudly, trying to use the Force to push it back so that she couldn’t continue with it.

Thalia was disappointed to see that he knew how to block the Lightning, though he was clearly no master at it. She raised her other hand, keeping the Lightsaber in place with the Force while she projected yet more Lightning. She focused on her rage, her frustration and indignation, fueling her powers yet more. She wanted to step forward towards him but didn’t knowing the Distance was one of her few advantages right now.

Strago grunted again as even more lightning came at him, but began to focus even harder on channeling all of it toward the lightsaber, gripping it even tighter as he did, largely able to ignore any pain it had caused after what he had been through not long ago.

Thalia could see Lightning licking around the Jedi’s Lightsaber and tearing at his flesh, yet he seemed to be almost immune to it. She kept up the flow for a few more moments, then stopped suddenly and used a two handed Force Push to blast the Jedi back, hopefully far enough to impact the bulkhead not far behind him.

Strago continued to hold on as long as he could, then felt the lightning stop, and stupidly gave himself a moment to rest as he was pushed powerfully back into the door. He grunted even louder than before because of it, the loud thud making the power of it quite clear. He managed to hold the lightsaber in the same position, and slowly stood up, not taking his eyes off of the Sith for a moment, but realising that this approach wasn’t working.

He took a step toward her, looking right into her eyes again, hoping to get her focus onto his own before using a Force push straight toward her legs, hoping his minor distraction would allow it to go through, but very much prepared for it to fail as well, making sure to be ready for any more Force powers from her.

Thalia was slightly off balanced when the Jedi didn’t seem to try to recover from her attack, instead started looking at her eyes. She raised her Lightsaber, thinking perhaps that he was surrendering, or maybe spent, but no sooner had she raised the weapon than she felt her legs being swept from under her. It was quite unexpected and she fell flat on her face. She pushed herself back to her feet hastily but ungracefully, trying to keep something resembling a guard up while she did so.

Strago moved toward her as quickly as he could, the Force aiding in his movement as he gave another Force push, knowing that the likelihood of it working twice wasn’t very high, but needing to at least distract her so that he could close in on the gap between them, deciding it was a better choice than attempting to run, and taking the risk because of it.

This time Thalia was ready for the Jedi’s Force attack, and she simply let it wash over her like waves on rock. No mere Jedi was going to overpower her in a duel of wills. But while she maintained the defense, he had closed the distance. She swung her Lightsaber in a hastily aimed strike at the Jedi’s side, mostly to buy time since killing him was out of the picture.

Strago quickly moved his lightsaber to meet hers, using as much power as he could to try to throw her off balance, trying to get right on top of her back while she remained on the floor, hoping to pin her down using his own body weight aided by the Force, putting every bit of effort he could in doing so, feeling as if everything depended on it in this moment. He managed to succeed in his attempt, and dug his knee into her arm that was holding her lightsaber, quickly grabbing it for himself, moving it near the blaster he already had attached to his pants, using the first lightsaber to cut off part of her robes from the bottom, digging his knee into her upper back, continuing to use the Force to help keep her down, and grabbing her hands, one at a time onto her back, using his knees again to hold them into place as he tied them together with the part of her robe he cut off.

Finally, after he felt he could control her easier, he picked her up by the back of her robe, moving the lightsaber to her throat, and holding her in front of him, “One wrong move, and this could end badly for you, even if I don’t want it to.” He said, hoping that she wouldn’t attempt any kind of escape, but making sure to be prepared for anything she might try, whether it was physically, through the Force, or some mix, which seemed the most likely option. He held her in place for the moment, but then started moving very slowly in a direction that was further from the torture room he had been in with Jayda, hoping that it would be the wiser way to go.

Sish had been heading away from the prison cells when he heard the explosion. Immediately, his lightsaber clicked on again and he turned around. There seemed to be another disturbance with the Jedi...a smile began working it’s way across his face as he began hurrying towards the sound. Two Jedi fights in under an hour? Luck was certainly with him this time. As he drew closer and closer to the site of the explosion, the smells began to grow stronger. Burnt flesh, blood, smoke, and a host of others that came with explosions. Along with another..more familiar smell. Sish stopped briefly, sniffing the air again, trying to push past the overpowering smells to that fainter one...Then his eyes widened. Jayda. What was she doing so close to the explosion? Investigating it like him? Or was she the cause? No matter. More smells were approaching, growing slowly stronger. One was completely unfamiliar. The Jedi then. The other, was only barely recognizable.

The Trandoshan paused as he searched his memory of Sith, trying to match a face to a smell. Eventually, he succeeded. The apprentice who had warned him off of touching the Jedi prisoner. She was here to then? Interesting. But why was her smell so closely intertwined with the Jedi’s? As he drew closer to the smells, his answer was soon clear. The girl had gotten herself taken hostage by the Jedi. For a moment, the feral look on Sish’s face gave way to amusement. Just for a moment. Then it returned as his smile grew wider. “Going for a walk Jedi? I don’t believe you have clearance for that. So why don’t you be a good little prisoner and go back to your cell before things get...out of hand.” While he waited for the inevitable, and foolish, response of the Jedi, his eyes narrowed upon one of the lightsabers Strago was carrying. Jayda’s. So she had been the cause it seemed. Or at the very least tried to stop the Jedi soon after.

Strago looked in the distance, hearing some noise coming toward him, quickly seeing the large lizard who had taken Xid earlier on in their time on the ship, causing him to move the lightsaber just a little closer to Thalia’s neck. He knew he had to maintain enough focus on her to keep her there, but also couldn’t ignore this other Sith. Sish’s odd playfulness actually put Strago somewhat at ease. It was clear that the lizard had no good intentions for him, but it made it easier to focus on things other than what was actually being said, “If you can point me in the direction, then please do so, and you can get back to your other business.” He said in response, knowing there was no chance that the lizard was dumb enough to actually do so, but hoping that it would at least put more of his focus on his words over anything else as Strago seriously considered trying to get away, taking very small steps backward as he held Thalia close to him.

Thalia considered escape, perhaps a mental attack or telekinetic one. But even though this Jedi was humiliating her in front of the lizard, she still remained his prisoner. She valued her life too much to throw it away before the time was right.

Sish chuckled. “I like you so far Jedi. Seems that you’ll put up a fight.” As Strago began to back up, the Trandoshan made a ‘tsk, tsk’. “Come now. You have to know I won’t just let you walk away.” He began walking forward, eyes lit up with excitement, teeth bared in a bloody grin. “Even if you threaten to kill your hostage, you have to know I won’t care. She was weak enough to let herself be caught by you. You’d be doing us a favor if you killed her. So why don’t you just kill her and we’ll get to the part we’re both waiting for. Well, the part I’m waiting for at least. The combat. You want to attempt freedom. I want to kill you, or at least horribly maim you in the most painful fashion imaginable. Sadly, we both can’t get what we want. We’ll have to make do with subduing you then.” He was a short distance away now, lightsaber at the ready.

“Hurry up now. Kill the girl and let’s get on to the exciting part.”

Thalia stared indignantly at the Lizard in front of her. He wasn’t making any attempt at all to help her. She’d have to help herself. She was no master with mental assaults, but it was the technique she judged most useful here. All she needed was a moment - to slip away from the Lightsaber at her throat. Putting all her will behind the command she said “Drop it!” focusing on Strago, tohugh it was possible the effect would wash over onto the lizard too.

Strago listened as the lizard spoke, watching him move forward, and continuing to slowly back away, though at a slower pace that allowed him to keep getting closer, “If you want her dead to fight me, then I’m sure you can make it happen from there.” Strago replied. It felt odd not to try to argue for someone’s life, but he felt as if it was his only choice at the moment. The temporary distraction of the lizard, and his own thoughts allowed Thalia to get into his mind just enough that he dropped the lightsaber, but he made sure to pull her away slightly, immediately stepping right onto it as it hit the ground, rolling it back toward himself, and pushing Thalia forward slightly to give himself enough room to use the Force to quickly pull it back to him. He then pulled Thalia back into him with his own strength, returning to keeping up a stronger mental barrier now, whispering a mildly aggressive, “No.” Into her ear as he moved the lightsaber back to her throat, remaining even more aware to not slip up now.

Sish made an impatient gesture, about to respond to the Jedi when Thalia suddenly spoke. And immediately, his own lightsaber fell to the floor. He lost valuable time force pulling it back into his hand, and by the time he was moving forwards again, Thalia was still stuck in the same position. “Good job! You managed to make zero progress!” He snapped at Thalia, before returning to the Jedi. “I can’t kill her without running the risk of killing you in the process. Though, then again, I can also do this.” Sish raised a clawed hand and attempted to Force Choke Strago. Not the fight he was looking for, but at least it would get the damn girl out of the way.

Strago watched Sish while also maintaining a good amount of focus on Thalia, his mind very prepared for any sort of Force use against him, managing to resist the attempt to choke him, and looking the lizard right in the eyes as he did, obviously not pleased by the attempt, but still able to maintain a more logical mindset, “I have no plans to kill her.” Strago said, “Not yet, at least.” He added to keep the threat there, though also knowing that with how far he had gone he would at least seriously consider it if it was necessary.

He stared at the lizard for a moment longer, then quickened his pace slightly while he started to back up again, remaining as aware as he could of everything around him while keeping up whatever barriers he could. He had trained himself for both physical, and mental endurance, but with his injuries, and the various effects of the drugs used on him not entirely gone, he knew he could only keep it up for so long, deciding he needed to make some kind of specific decision soon.

Thalia was truly scared now. She feared for her life, the Jedi might very well kill her. Worse, one of the other Sith might kill her to get to him. She wasn’t important enough to be saved if this went truly wrong. She had one more trick up her sleeve though, though it would hurt her almost as much as the Jedi. She channeled the full fury of her Force Lightning, this time heightened by fear, through her tied up hands into Strago’s legs, though with him touching her it coursed through her own body as well. She took it very near lethal levels, fighting to remain conscious through the pain.

Strago could feel the Force growing around Thalia’s hands, and he was able to resist for a moment as the lightning hit, but much more of his focus toward anything she might try was directed toward mental uses of the Force against him which allowed it to go through quite effectively. He couldn’t move at all for a moment, then started yelling loudly as the pain flowed through his entire body, the sight of it all going into her right in front of him being very strange. It seemed to last so much longer than it actually did.

It took a bit more time, but Strago was finally able to move back, and Force pushed her straight toward Sish, ignoring that the lightsaber was in the way still. He stumbled backward, falling down, breathing heavily, and shaking as he did, but getting up as quickly as he could, and running away into another corridor that allowed him to be out of sight for at least a moment. He was too weak to make it any farther than that, and waited, wanting this first move to be his own, hoping it would be enough to make up for his injuries, but knowing that even if it wasn’t, it was all he could do.

Thalia fell heavily forward, her muscles wracked with the pain of electrocution. As she fell, that pain was quite suddenly supplanted with a new and far more horrifying pain as a Lightsaber ran across her shoulder cutting her flesh to the bone and searing even that. She didn’t have time to consider herself lucky for not losing her head instead, as she had blacked out from the pain before she hit the ground.

Sish only raised an eyebrow as Thalia electrocuted herself to get out of the Jedi’s hold. The yells of pain were music to his ears, but the girl was still in the way...ah. Not anymore. The smell of burning flesh freshly filled his nostrils, and he ignored her collapsed body in favor of chasing after the Jedi as he ran to another corridor. The smell of Thalia’s burning flesh almost overpowered the Jedi’s own smell. Almost. He still smelled the man, ever so barely, before he rounded the corner to the corridor. His lightsaber at the ready, he rounded it, grinning at Strago. “See? That wasn’t so hard. Now if you wouldn’t have wasted time trying to run away, we wouldn’t have had to do this futile little chase.”

Strago could hear the lizard moving closer to him, then finally saw him, letting him speak for a moment, not feeling able to immediately capitalize on the situation, but quickly using a Force push toward his legs just a moment before he seemed to be done speaking, hoping he wouldn’t be aware enough to stop it. Strago made sure to keep up all the barriers he could, and put the focus that had previously been on Thalia into his combat, making a calculated swing toward Sish’s head, possibly not strong enough to kill him even if it hit if he reacted quickly enough, but in a way where he could quickly pull the lightsaber back toward himself to block any of Sish’s follow up, his defensive training making it hard to do otherwise.

Sish only grinned wider as he felt the Force push against his legs, sending him skidding backwards with a screech as his claws dug in. His own lightsaber flashed up to catch Strago’s. “Tut tut. You’ll have to do better than that.” His own lightsaber flicked down, towards the man’s shoulder, while Sish used the Force to increase the already considerable Trandoshan strength behind the blow. “Do give me a good reason to maim you. The Twi’lek was only barely acceptable with a finger…”

Strago saw as the lizard’s lightsaber moved toward his shoulder, and he hit it slightly with his own, which didn’t do much, but he was able to move to the side, stopping it from doing anything more than taking off some skin, which was quite ignorable pain at this point. He acted more on instinct than anything now, using another Force push toward the lizards arms to keep the lightsaber away as he took another swing, aiming for one of his arms this time.

Sish let his arms be pushed away, mid second swing. Hope must always be allowed to grow before being crushed, after all. As the Jedi attempted to amputate one of Sish’s arms(a useless attempt all things considered), his own lightsaber came to block it. Once more the sweeping, powerful blow came, this time aimed for the Jedi’s midsection. Hopefully he’d be able to block it, otherwise Sish would have some explaining to do as to why the Jedi prisoner was cut in half…

Strago watched every movement Sish made, especially as he began to swing toward his mid section. He was able to block it, but grunted as he did, the Trandoshan’s strength combined with all the damage he had taken causing it to take a much large toll on him than normal. He jumped back slightly, both from the momentum, and to give himself a moment to think, pulling out the blaster he had taken from the trooper, and firing it toward Sish several times toward his upper body before slashing at his legs, hoping the distraction was enough to cause him some kind of injury.

Sish took a step forward as the Jedi retreated, only to stop and give a brief chuckle as the Jedi drew a blaster. The first barrage was blocked with his lightsaber. Sish just let the final few hit his armor, grinning at Strago as the Jedi slashed at his legs. His lightsaber came down to block it, before flicking up in an attempt to strike the already wounded shoulder of Sish’s opponent, soon to be followed by a hammer like blow coming vertically straight down at Strago’s head. This was fun! An actual fight! Excitement seemed to roll off of the Trandoshan.

Strago grunted slightly again as Sish blocked his strike, then cringed slightly, feeling his body tense up as the lightsaber swung up toward his shoulder again, hitting it much more effectively this time. Only a moment later the Sith made a very powerful vertical swing, and Strago knew he couldn’t block it, jumping toward the side, but also slightly closer to Sish, making a slash toward his midsection this time, and using a Force push toward his head, hoping it would disorient him for at least a moment so that he could recover more effectively.

Sish snarled as he missed, intending to follow up with another attack only to turn it into a hasty block as the Jedi tried to split him in half. Trandoshan’s can regrow many things. Their upper, or lower, body is not one of them. However, the move left him open to a Force push, snapping his head back and sending him stumbling backwards a few steps. He recovered in a moment, before stepping forward again. He swung once more at Strago’s bad shoulder, a horizontal slash this time.

Strago jumped away once again, knowing that trying to block most moves wouldn’t work well with the strength advantage that the Trandoshan had. He gripped the blaster tightly, and fired it several times again until it just stopped firing. He didn’t know if it ran out, or there was some other issue, but it was useless for the moment regardless. He quickly threw it straight toward Sish, not wanting to give him any free time without something flying at him if he could avoid it. He followed it up almost immediately with a slash toward his head, holding Jayda’s lightsaber only with his right hand as he did, and grabbing Thalia’s with his left, turning it on right away to go for his legs once again, desperate to create some kind of opening, knowing his body would give in soon enough if he didn’t.

Sish saw a chance to end this fight in a favorite manner of his. In hindsight, maybe he shouldn’t have let himself get so excited. Regardless, he stepped forward with a roar of pain and bloodlust as the lightsabers hit his eye and his leg. The former was ruined for good, the latter was cut to the bone and almost farther, had not jaws clamped down on where Strago’s shoulder meets his neck, and claws hit the Jedi’s chest. From said claws, lightning shot forth, fueled by Sish’s pain and rage. The Jedi was unconscious for the rest of it, as Sish shook his unconscious body in his jaws before dropping Strago to the ground, blood running down his jaw. He picked up the Jedi as the pounding of boots could be heard, and Imperial troops arrived. “Take the Jedi to his cell.” With that, he limped to the medbay. It was a good fight, even if he was now blind in one eye.

Along with the soldiers came Medical personnel and droids, accompanied by a pair of young Sith Acolytes. The medical team rushed forwards into the now scarred corridors, most of them going to attend to the broken form of Jayda, who would need to be put in a Kolto tank for quite some time. Some, however, stayed with Thalia, her two favored Acolytes standing as close as the medical staff would let them, asking if their master would be alright. They stopped when they saw her eyes drift open, despite the drugs the medical team had already injected into her. As she saw the pair of Acolytes a dreamy smile formed across her soft features and she spoke, slowly, as if her mind was away in the clouds. “You’re… going to… pay… for your inco… incompe… stupidness…”

Post 53, FallenReaper | Jayda

“Where have I felt this before?” Jayda found herself asking when her internal time was lost. No longer able to note the minutes or likely hours that passed since her body collapsed. It was unlikely anyone cared enough to send someone to fetch her and why should they? It was so much easier to let her die after all, one less apprentice in their way and freeing them from any punishment. Her breathing was shallow and seemingly feeling nothing from her limbs or any of her injuries, not even the needle shoved deeply into her neck. Her mind seemed to float on the line of life and death, a strong but futile willingness tried to force her up. To fight for life before Sish found her. Mehinn wouldn’t want her to die like this, helpless and weak as his killer waited, seeing if she would rise or simply died. That caused echoes of his often uttered bullshit beliefs to dart into her mind.

The strong survive and the weak die.

Again, stronger this time it came. The strong survive and the weak die.

As it often did, the words faded back out leaving her to feel a familiar hollowness to replace it. The Jedi was likely gone-that much she was sure of- as she no longer sensing the warmth of her own blood seeping across the blackened and charred floor. The Zabrak’s red blood drenched the remaining several inches of metal, a piece from the table itself, embedded between her back and side. It was just centimeters from damaging her spine. It was a pure miracle it didn’t either paralyzed her for life or split her into two. Jayda thought she got off lucky in a bitter sweet way.

It only took a moment to recall why the numbness seemed so familiar drawing her from remembering the scene. Her mind pulled back to that day, her first mediation and when she learned how different she truly was. Now looking upon it, Jayda couldn’t help feel it was her worse regret and the reason she was no longer ignorant of fear. Why she believed the brightest light casted the darkest shadow.

Ah…now I remember. I remember where I’ve felt this before… Why it’s so familiar. It is just like that day was.

She was thirteen years old then, her knowledge of the force was basic and naïve, black and white in a way. That day changed everything. It was just after she finished mediating. Her mind glossed over most the the few hours in the morning until it came to the event, her form stood in silence at the perfect spot where they often sparred. Their battles and fights away from prying eyes and deep within the canyons on her home world. She was staring over the scene which had occurred. What happened? Jayda’s mind couldn’t answer the question she didn’t know the answer to, her eyes relaxed and unable to turn away. This wasn’t some dream, no, it was a merely reality as harsh and cold as her planet’s dark side. In her silence, she replayed the moment over and over in her head. From the sudden block of the staff to the blade that carved into flesh and bone, sending blood to spill across the dry desert all now stood firmly in her memory. It was now sealed there for her whole life. She couldn’t help but notice how her brother’s lifeblood was drank up greedily by the already red sands deep in the rocky walls, witnesses to her accidental crime. They seemed to be judging her harshly as their tightly closed walls towered over and prevented her from escaping, trapping Malik’s single scream in her ears. The wind seemed to fruitlessly comfort her as it ran its fingers through her hair, playing with her Padawan braid and let it wave in and out of her loose hair. She didn’t move, not because she wanted him to die or fear paralyzed her in place. Her head was stuck still fully trying to understand what she was seeing and discover its reason, even more disturbing why she didn’t seemed upset by it.

Jayda stared though hollow eyes at the crumbled and wounded form of her brother, Malik. Her human brother was slowly bleeding out from a gash that ran from his side and across his navel where it ended. It was deep, much deeper than the times before. Usually it was just a scratch to warn Malik to keep his weak side guarded, her attack weakened from causing any degree of damage. Not this time. This time, she sliced through not just flesh, as intended, but bone and muscle as well. Where was the hesitation she normally had? What made this different then before? Her mind turned inward, focused upon herself for the reason and nothing seemed out of place. At least first for several moments until something clicked. Something was wrong with her. She hadn’t notice it at first, that strange hollowness as it gnaw at her insides, the place where any range of emotions, from self-hate and rage to fear and sorrow, should’ve been caught her attention. Where was the sense of wrongness that should been there? Her brain was calm but her blank expression looked over Malik, unable to react until what she waited for had appeared. The very same thing that would have let both them know she didn’t mean for this to happen. The guilt or pain didn’t sink in. Not at all, and she knew it needed to be there. Just something missing that needed to be there.

Where had it gone?

She remained there, refused to move, her weapon still dripped with her mistake before the faint sounds rose to her attention. They were the sound of rushing feet, hasty and panicked, coming towards the spot. She didn’t run or flee. That would indicate she wanted this to happen and worsen her crime, her purple eyes fixed upon the first to arrive: Mehinn. Out of the three of them, his Zabrak traits were most dominate with a slight darker skin color and orates that crowned his bald head. He was strong in both appearance and combat, yet his usually calm eyes flickered with confusion. His boots kicked up dust by his sudden halt, his body nearly tossed off balance by the momentum still moving him forward. Mehinn stared in pure horror at the scene. His eyes, the same dark purple, stared from Malik’s small and pain racked form to his sister, the one holding the weapon in her hand. A betrayal flickered in his face that faded into cautious expression while he made his own assumptions at what had happened. His hand was held out, palm facing her, when his light saber snapped into his grip. The blunt fingers wrap about the handle tightly, his other hand raised to fold over the handle, clicking it on and finally his legs widened in a readied stance. He approached, carefully. Mehinn was clearly expecting her to attack him as she had Malik, slightly wary at her hollow eyes watching him approach.

“Soun tori sharee?” *1Mehinn spoke, his voice held a bit of anger towards her. “Dyne sharee majef fro sinoja Lorin sin jenorkyn fro shureen?”*2

There was no way to reason with him, she knew that the moment he spoke, words jumped to wrong conclusion and not thinking it through. He thought she had turned away from them. That thought, that realization seemed to be the most painful thing to etch within his mind instead of his choice to wield a blade against her. Jayda’s knuckles whitened upon her double bladed weapon she had still within her grip. Why didn’t he notice? Her eyes watched him draw towards Malik, his form low and crabbed across the desert floor, to check their younger brother’s vitals. He released one hand, pressed two fingers to feel the faint thump against the neckline. It was weak but there, his face looked relieved then hardened toward his sister.

“Lori, tuhash. Shar meni ah’ merito! Shuree-”*3 She began, still willing to try, her foot took a step forward but never got a chance to tend to Malik. No chance to make up for it.

Mehinn’s hands quickly jerked up, the green blade hissed and sought to defend against what he thought was an attack. He would’ve killed her if he needed to protect himself and his brother. The dual bladed staff end dropped into the sands as the weapon was easily severed in half within her hands but her eyes merely stared, dispassionately, into Mehinn’s surprised ones while a figure had suddenly appeared between them. Her father, Hymo, had arrived.

Her mind shifted from memories to the present when something hot was burying itself into her side. A new wave of pain and hurt seemed to flood her mind, drawing some anger to surface. Like a desperate animal seeking familiarity, Jayda focused on the emotion for a bit and let it fill her. Immediately her eyes shot open followed by a weak, feral growl. Her hand, for a moment, snapped to her side and taking a firm hold upon the medic’s wrist. If she wasn't so weak from blood loss and feeling her strength wading, then Jayda would've broke the unexpected wrist of the hand that was now at her side. It took a hard spent moment to think when the hand’s reason to be there dawned upon her. The metal chunk needed removing before she was tossed into a Kolto tank. Slowly, Jayda allowed her fingers to loosen cautiously until it fell back down upon the hard surface. Her vision adjusting to the bright light but made out nothing more than unfocused lights and fuzzy blobs, any focus was impossible right now. The only thing that was clear was she was alive and sought to stay that way...

She noticed something new. Her attention traveled lower on her body, mentally seeking the source before she could determine the sensation, inwardly relieved the numbness had begun to vanish. Now it was replaced by something that screamed she was alive: Pain, intense pain. It seemed to fully remove the piece; they had to cut away the charred fabric around the wound letting the room’s cold air brush up against her body. She absorbed the tortuous procedure, no anesthetic would’ve been able to kill the pain for long enough and the Jedi’s last ‘gift’ finally being experienced. Each finger that dug into her flesh felt like a needle had been inserted, every rock of the object lite her body with indescribable fire as the more they worked, the more the Apprentice forced herself to be still.

She welcomed the pain more than the numbness. The pain was normal, natural to her, since Sish’s four years. The black color closed in on her sight as her heavy lids finally closed, her hearts raced from each new fire that made its home in her skin. However many times she tensed or growl, never once did a scream pass through her lips. She refused to let it.

---

*1(How could you?)
*2(Have you forgotten everything father ever taught us?)
*3(Brother, please. It is an accident…I-)

[Ellri]

Post 54, Ellri & Dervish | Lea Rahn & Tolun Fi

Timestamp: 09:30, day 1 BTC (Before Treaty of Coruscant)
The ray shield flashed back into light moments after Tolun Fi found himself back in his cell. He found himself thinking more on what Darth Nyiss had tried to show him more so than poor Allanar. The young man would live, the damage inflicted would be inconsequential compared to others, he was sure. The Kaminoan simply hoped the boy was strong enough to hold out. Their stay with the Sith would be a long, unpleasant one. Tolun did not doubt that many of his colleagues would find themselves tempted by turning to the Dark Side, perhaps to make the pain stop or from a seductive word that lingered in their ears. He found his spot in the center of the room and sat, contemplative, as he studied the energy wall that separated him from the rest of the ship. Despite his considerable aptitude for tapping into the Force and wielding its power, what lay before him was not something he was going to be able to force his way through with brute force. Unfortunate; he rather wished to get to Nyiss’ lab again, only this time without anyone to interfere with his curiousity.

The Sith seemed rather eager to take him into captivity, and the Kaminoan suspected he may have been the few, if not the only, Jedi who were personally requested by Darth Nyiss, who had taken a rather acute interest in his work. It evidently was enough for the Sith to overlook the fact that he was an impure alien in their eyes, rather disdainful and misguided thinking. After all, they measured their worth by the percentage of their blood was Pure Sith, regardless of race. It was as if the humans and other humanoids were ashamed of their own genetic lineage that didn’t share the namesake of the wretched Empire they were beholden to. In that regard, Tolun Fi was far more pure than any of the Sith. He wondered if any of them would have the stomach to do with the Kaminoan people had been doing for millennia, the systematic culling of undesirables and harsh enforcement of genetic purity. Most likely, seeing as morality was a foreign concept to the Sith they brushed off as ‘weakness’. They didn’t see that despite their martial prowess, the Sith Empire was doomed to fail. They valued power and strength, and it was a social custom to murder your superior to gain his or her position, which hardly did well for the talent pool. It was probably why many of the Sith these days were little more than wild, feral creatures that were addicted to blood lust and hatred. The attack on the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was tragic, to be sure, and quite the setback for the Jedi Order. However, it was not all of the Jedi by any means. They were spread across the galaxy, and the Sith could be sure that the response would be swift and final. That was, of course, assuming the Jedi were willing to do the hard thing and organized aggressive counter-attacks. It was infuriating at times, the only reason the Sith were still a threat was because the Jedi were so afraid of taking decisive action against their enemies because of the temptation of the Dark Side. It was rather hard to bring balance to the Force if you weren’t willing to do what was necessary to accomplish that task.

And Tolun Fi decidedly was.

What had Nyiss been trying to show him, he wondered. She spoke like a scientist, only free to do things that many would consider unethical and pointlessly cruel. Whereas Tolun Fi had to keep his more questionable practices concealed from the other Jedi, which slowed research and made following his theses rather difficult, Darth Nyiss had it all in the open, daring anyone to question her. She was compelling, despite being wholly abhorrent. He still did not fully understand what it was that the Sith had done to Allanar, other than map his anatomy, which had been done countless times before. Her methods were pointlessly cruel, as were most Sith experiments. She claimed that her research was decades ahead of his own research, that she had found markers that she could manipulate. The Jedi Consular was skeptical, of course. He’d seen the atrocities that resulted from Sith alchemy, including several nameless horrors that used to be people. Tolun thought about what she had said at the end of her summoning,

“I do hope you’ll put some thought into research on changing a beings relationship with the Force. For the sake of this poor man if nothing else.”

She had no idea. If he could get to her lab to continue his work, in a few years, if not months, Tolun had hoped to placate the Sith on board by eliminating their connection with the genetic markers that made them evil despots and killers. All he had to do was reach Nyiss’ lab and see what data she had obtained. It was all measured and taken in disgusting, abhorrent ways, but it was still useful data. How many lives were sacrificed for her reckless charge of “progress”? Tolun would make their sacrifices worth it, he was certain. Nyiss used his data against the Jedi, it was only proper to return the favour. Darth Nyiss would be the undoing of the Sith, once and for all.

Suddenly, an idea came to the Kaminoan. It would depend on a lone simpleton guard to do his rounds, which was a common enough occurrence. Now that Tolun Fi knew where Darth Nyiss’ laboratory was, he was confident he could find his way back without an escort. After all, he wouldn’t want to trouble his gracious hosts, would he?

Lea knew more torture would be coming. It was, like so much else, inevitable. This was barely into the third day since the new prisoners had arrived, but already she found it irritating. If only she could have been in contact with her master. With that, everything would have been better, that much she was sure of. But that she knew was not to be. Not so long as she remained a prisoner.

It did not help things that ever since her exposure to that strange Sith Alchemical potion, her head had been aching, probably a result of the modification to her eyes. Her brain simply had not been prepared to include the ultraviolet spectrum in under visible light. Everything was so much brighter now, and that actually hurt. A stubborn, grim look appeared on her face. Whispering softly to herself she said “I’ll make sure that Sith pays for my headaches once i get out…”

Brushing her hair back, Lea thought about what she could do. That last Sith that had tried to torture her had failed miserably. It was doubtful she would try again anytime soon. The others she knew nothing about. Nothing useful at least. She certainly did not care overmuch about her “fellow” prisoners. They had not arrived when she did. They had not gone through what she had gone through. Looking about casually, she saw that none of the prisoners in the cells with view into her own was watching, thankful that she had received at least a little privacy through not having a cell directly opposite her own. She lay down on the narrow cot as if to go to sleep, even as she pulled out the concealed object stashed between the cot and the wall.

She activated it and started studying its contents. A lot of it still did not make much sense, but some of it was starting to do so. It was frustrating how some of the knowledge was just out of reach. She was particularly thankful it had no verbal interface. The energy barriers walling off each cell might be many things, but soundproof they were not. She thought that someone creative and skilled with computers/slicing might figure such out, but she was not such one. After a couple of hours of studying the object’s contents, Lea carefully stashed it away again, then fell asleep properly.

When she woke back up, she saw that the forcefield barriers must have been released, for at least one other prisoner was walking around in the central area. She did not know his (or her) name, but it was one of the non-human ones. A tall, thin creature with a strangely long neck. She tried to think back as to what species that was, but no answer came to her. She also noticed that the headache had mostly faded, though everything was still too bright, indicating that her view of the ultraviolet spectrum was still there.

Groaning a little as she got to her feet, she stumbled over to the cell sink, splashing some water on her face to purge vestiges of sleep from herself. As expected, it was cold, which helped greatly. She then walked over to the energy barrier control, deactivating it and stepping out into the cellblock common area.

Tolun Fi had been in the common area, making observations of the security and cell arrangements, as well to see how his fellow Jedi were holding up physically. He did not approach them yet, as was his custom when confronting situations that required no small amount of thought process, whether it was trying to ascertain which amino acid was likely to cause adverse health effects in other species during procedures or determining how exactly he could leave the cell block without being hindered by guards… or killed outright. That was rather not the goal, as death tended to put a cold, hard stop to progress. It was rather hard to get work done when you no longer had a tangible body. Although, he had heard of some Jedi managing to-

Soft footsteps. The Kaminoan turned to face the other Jedi.

She was younger, a human with pale complexion and auburn hair, a colour Tolun found quite aesthetically pleasing, certainly in contrast to the sickly green durasteel walls that served as their current accommodations.

“Greetings, padawan.” The Consular said with a respectful nod, something he noted several other species did as a sign of acknowledgement and respect. “I am relieved to see you appear to be physically unharmed, although…” upon closer examination of the girl, she appeared to be largely squinting, as if the lighting was unbearable. Truth be told, it was perhaps a bit better lit than many areas of the Jedi Temple, but not in a particularly notable way. Tolun Fi know she had been taken by the Sith for interrogation, and the prospect of them not attempting some form of torture was like assuming a Sarlacc would gently release you if you asked politely; painfully ignorant. However, his first and only time out of the cell block to speak with the leader of the Sith aboard this ship had not harmed the Kaminoan in the slightest, so perhaps reassessing his world view was in order, and the next time he found himself on a world with a Sarlacc Pit, he would try his winning negotiation abilities on the mindless, ravenous creature. He would be certain that when the tentacle reached up to snatch him, it was a form of greeting he was unaccustomed to.

No, the Sith would certainly do something to him. It was a matter of what. He didn’t believe for a moment that he was exempt from rather crude treatment on account of what he knew. If anything, that would encourage them more. All the more reason to set to work sooner. “I notice you seem uncomfortable with the light. What happened during your interrogation?” he asked.

Lea turned to look straight at the strange Jedi already out in the common area when he spoke to her. She thought on his question for a moment, then decided on a plausible lie. “Nothing unusual. Same torture as always. You would think some of those Sith would try something new for a change, but nope.” She carefully opened her eyes more, trying to get better used to the increased light. It wasn’t easy, but it was manageable. “I just woke up. Are not your kind uncomfortable in illuminated rooms just after waking up?”

“No, on Kamino, the architecture appears to be a sterile white to outsiders. That is, anyone who lacks our biological make-up. Perhaps you know that my race can see things on the ultraviolet spectrum of light, a rather unique adaptation amongst the galaxy. Where most see a plain surface, I can see a vibrant explosion of colours I could not begin to describe to someone who simply is biologically incapable of seeing what I do.” he paused. “Was there a particular reason for that line of thought?

Lea did not know what to make of him at first. At least he had given his home planet, so she could at last figure out his species. Most sentient species from worlds without other sentient species took their name after their home planet. She could vaguely recall that there was a species called [i]“kamino” now that she had a point of reference. “No, not really. I don’t know your species well, that is all.” She did not feel ready to get into a discussion about ultraviolet sight. Something told her she should not reveal that she too could see that spectrum.

“You got any plans for getting out of here?” she asked him, curious if he had any thoughts on that matter.

It wasn’t all that surprising that the Padawan wasn’t familiar with Kaminoans; Tolun Fi’s people were infamously isolationist in mentality and policy. It was a miracle that the Jedi Order had even discovered Tolun, let alone heard about the young Kaminoan with a great degree of Force sensitivity. “Few do, my people are not typically found off-world, and contact with outsiders is almost strictly business only.” he explained, before offering a curt nod when she asked if he’d been plotting to escape. “I have ideas, nothing firm or solid yet until I put it in practice, but I may attempt to escape the cell block before long. It will not be an escape attempt, per say, but rather something I hope will prove beneficial for all of us. The Darth aboard this ship has a laboratory and some form of research planned, although I am uncertain of what. I aim to find out.” he said.

“You know, it isn’t all that hard to escape these cellblocks.” Lea said, not really caring overmuch about this supposed lab. “Its getting off this ship that is difficult.”

Tolun agreed. “No, but it is not something one should rush. After all, we do not know the lay out, and being discovered outside of our cells would likely involve torture. Or death, if they are feeling merciful.” the Kaminoan said. “It will take some time, I assure you, but I will try to amass information on how to escape. If possible, we should consider finding ways to free the others as well.” he said, pausing. “Assuming there is an accessible escape shuttle and we are not deep in Sith space, of course.”

“Right now we’re in hyperspace. No telling where.” Lea smiled at him. “They need us. Thus they won’t kill us. I’ve gotten out of her before. Its really rather simple.” She said this with a innocent smile on her face. “These bulkhead doors look imposing, but they’re really rather simple.” Lea sat down, facing the door with her legs crossed. She reached out with the Force, locating the trigger hidden within the walls and pushing gently but firmly against it. Half a second later, there was a rumble from the door and it hissed open. “See? No problem at all. I’ve done it many times.”

The Kaminoan watched, somewhat impressed at her intuition. Something didn’t seem right, however. It was almost too easy, too inviting. Still, the fact she had escaped many times intrigued him. Perhaps he was being too deliberate and inattentive, but he had expected to make his own move at this point. “Perhaps you would like to give me the guided tour, without meeting the locals.” he suggested.

“Sure. Why not?” she grinned. She led the way out of the cellblock, ignoring the other cellblocks for now. Opening them would not be of any benefit. For all she knew, one of them might even serve the Sith in secret. She did not need the alarm raised this time. Once out of the area with the cellblocks, they turned right, walking till they got to the wall there. They passed a number of bulkhead doors, each leading into some chamber or other. Still following the wall to their right, she led them forwards in the ship till they got to the third intersection of corridors. Though she wouldn’t admit it out loud, she was a bit lost by now. The corridors were all identical, the doorways unmarked. And of course there were no maps. “Left or right?” she asked him.

“I was always partial to the left.” Tolun replied, taking in and memorizing as much of the layout as he could. He would, after all, need to find his way out and back again. The lack of personnel, or signs of them, was somewhat discerning. Were they being watched by some surveillance equipment? It was most probable, but why was nobody dispatched to apprehend them? A
after all, a pair of Jedi let loose on a Sith ship was a recipe for disaster. It was difficult to keep oriented, as the layout was strikingly similar, like a fractal repeating itself. He began to recognize some of where they were as they proceeded, until he finally caught onto his location, or so he believed. “We are nearing the laboratory, I think.” he said, looking around cautiously. “I remember being taken there earlier and this layout seems somewhat different than the others. The cell blocks are a bit more to the right, I believe.”

“Then left it is.” Just when they got to the next intersection, Lea heard some shouting in the distance, somewhere to the left. “Spread out! Find them! Now!” Lea listened for a moment more, but no more words were shouted. Still no alarm had been sounded, but it was obvious their escape had been discovered. “They’ve discovered we’ve left the cells! Lets find someplace to hide!”

Finding some place to hide in a series of near-identical corridors was an easier task said than done. “It could be this is their way of testing us. I notice there is a lack of alarm.” he said, concentrating to listen with the Force. “They are still some distance away from us, we need to keep moving in this direction, or we run the risk of running into them. Perhaps we try one of the rooms along the way?” he asked. “Or do you think they have sensors?”

Hurrying away from where the voices came from, Lea answered quickly. “Of course there are sensors. But there aren’t soldiers in the rooms, and sensors can be disabled.” They passed several small rooms, but Lea decided on a whim to open one of them, leading the way in through the vicious-looking bulkhead doors. Looking at the teeth-like projections on one half of it, she decided she did not want to get caught in such a door.

Once the Kaminoan had followed her in, she quickly pressed the button to close, and then lock, the door. Only then did the room light up, revealing its contents. It was seeded with shelves and stands seemingly haphazardly placed, holding dozens of red-colored tetrahedrons, some of which glowed faintly, all of which were framed in various metals and inscribed with strange, almost harsh symbols. Faintly---through the sealed door---she could hear several booted feet marching past quickly. “I think it might be wise to stay here for a bit. They won’t give up the search so easily.”
Tolun looked at the room around them, the shelves lined with several rather uninviting looking devices. “Cozy.” he said, turning back to look at the door to listen to the hammering of several pairs of heavy boots through the door. They had narrowly avoided detection, and that was largely thanks to Lea. Tolun ignored the fact that her method of escaping the cell block was hardly what one would consider foolproof, as was evidenced by the search parties. The Padawan had no small amount of defiance against her captors left in her; the Kaminoan admired that. “Well, if we are to remain put for the time being, shall we investigate the decorum in our replacement cell?” he asked, approaching one of the tetrahedrons. He did not wish to touch them quite yet, as something as benign as a misplaced pair of shoes could potentially be a murderous trap in Sith culture. Given the torture that was occurring on this ship, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if these geometric shapes were somehow tools to aid in such an endeavor. Charming people. There was, however, a familiarity about them. Thinking on it for a few moments, it occurred to him, the answer painfully obvious. The room was filled with Sith Holocrons. He partially blamed is initial confoundment on his insistence to work in his lab and continue his research for much of his life, but it was not as if he hadn’t encountered with while doing his duties as a Consular. Although, it had been a few years, at least, since the last time he had seen one. The question was, were they completed? One way to find out. The Kaminoan reached out, plucking one gingerly from the shelf, fumbling to find the means of activating it.

Lea did not really think anything odd about the kaminoan playing with a holocron, be it Sith or Jedi. Knowledge was knowledge in her mind. If nothing else, she had heard that one should know one’s enemy. Thus she too picked up a holocron and started playing with it. Eventually, after a minute or so of fumbling, she managed to activate it, for suddenly it started glowing brightly and making all sorts of noises. “I think it activates when you use the Force on it.”

Seconds later, the tip of the tetrahedron, which looked crystalline, lit up and a hologram of a person dressed in robes not unlike those of a jedi. From the presence of twin Lekku, it was clear she was a Twi’lek. The Hologram turned to face towards them. When it spoke, its voice was utterly without emotion, almost mechanic. “I am the Holographic representation of Lord Ido’lani Nak’Dremine, a student of the history of the Empire and the Sith. My creator is by now dead, so feared was her knowledge. Secured within this Holocron and others like it is the history and secrets of the house of Kressh, once the pride of the Empire, now all but forgotten. Listen close, and you will know what few others know, for I have not been activated more than once before after my creation.” Lea did not know what to make of it, so she looked to her companion, the strange alien.

“At least our stay will be an entertaining one.” Tolun said dryly, although he felt rather excited at the prospect of talking to the Gatekeeper. These Sith Holocrons would be a treasure trove of information that could prove valuable to his research. His yellow-black eyes studied the holographic projection, trying to get an idea of who the woman Twi’lek was. The fact she was not a human or a Pureblood Sith was interesting; usually anyone who made a Holocron was wise and powerful enough to do so. What secrets did the Holocron have to share, and what was Lord Nak’Dremine so eager to leave behind as a legacy?

Following the lead of the older Jedi, Lea asked the gatekeeper to instruct them in her secrets. Both she and Tolun were oblivious about just how subtle the dark side could be, for certain types of knowledge about the dark side is in itself corrupting. Not as corrupting as actually using knowledge to skills taught by dark side holocrons, though. In fact, Lea did not even consider such. Whomever she may have been based upon, the gatekeeper version of Lord Nak’Dremine was a masterful teacher, keeping her audience caught up in her lessons. Thoughts about the soldiers eager to recapture them did not even enter Lea’s thoughts.

Suddenly, projections of a time long passed flashed before Tolun and Lea as the Holocron’s gatekeeper showed them what appeared to be Korriban, filled with members of the Sith race of House Kressh, a realization that startled Tolun Fi. The Holocron must have been feeding information to his subconscious. The red-skinned people with curious face tendrils weren’t any more pleasant than the ones he had already met from the Empire that had taken their name as their own. A rigid caste system dominated the Sith society, one for slaves, sorcerers, warriors, and what amounted to nobility. It didn’t take someone with a great amount of intelligence to determine which of the castes Lord Nak’Dremine belonged to. Passing memories of ambition, power, and ultimately attempted betrayal against the Emperor flashed by. The Kaminoan didn’t dare presume it was out out any philanthropic intent, but rather an attempt at usurping power from the ruler of the Sith. What followed was the subsequent extermination of anyone connected to the Kressh family name, a rather characteristically Sith-like thing to do. It was hardly anything revolutionary in terms of discovery, but there was a certain allure to seeing things from another person’s eyes, even if everything they stood for was rehensible. There was a sense that nothing was held back, nothing was restricted, that one could not find on a Jedi Holocron. As tempting as it would be to desire to plunge deeper into the well of knowledge he found himself in, Tolun Fi reminded himself that it was temptation of knowledge that was one of the paths to the Dark side. Indeed, many Jedi over the eras had found themselves irrevocably corrupted by the knowledge they sought, even if their intentions were initially benign. Some ended up becoming great Sith Lords after their fall, a rather unsettling prospect that only further drove Tolun to try and discover something in a person’s genetic code that drove them to the Dark Side and shut it off. All other avenues of approach had failed, be it diplomacy, war, isolation… nothing worked. And as demonstrated by the attack on Coruscant, things were only getting worse. It was a question of how the Jedi would respond to that aggression that mattered. He turned to Lea beside him. “Have you discovered anything that might be of use?” he asked.

Lea looked up at him with an unsettled look in her eyes. She had been so caught up in the knowledge within the holocron that she had forgotten all about him. “Huh? Of use? for what?” She asked him, clearly confused. “There is so much information in here. So much information…” She looked at him with a quizzical look. “Did you know that the Sith value freedom above all? I had always thought they were simply cruel and suppressive. From what these histories state, Sith are free to choose for themselves what to work on? They have no councils that control their every move, that seek to deny that which is not mainstream? It seems so . . . Chaotic…”

“Be mindful of your thoughts.” Tolun Fi warned the padawan. he pressed. “What they think of freedom is simply an anarchy of sorts, an illusion. What you see in these holocrons are exactly what the crafter intended for the user to see. There is a reason for the Jedi doctrine and the order it presents, and we willingly subscribe to that doctrine because it has helped craft and shape peace and stability across the galaxy for thousands of years. The Sith, as you said, represent chaos, disorder, and no shortage of discord to match. They purge their ranks so often from trying to advance themselves that they cripple any progress they make, leaving only the dogmatic views of the strongest behind. Try imagining having to kill your own master, who taught you everything you know as a Jedi, to take their spot. What would you possibly gain from such an exchange?” Tolun pressed. “And the Sith have their own laws and order, like us, as twisted as they may be. While they may have more choice in what they pursue, never forget that if they stray from what they consider proper norms or their masters’ wishes, they risk death unless they are strong enough to defend their convictions. Even then, few are.” he paused for a moment, looking at the human girl. “Look at where you are, on a Sith ship where they are torturing and perhaps killing our fellow Jedi. For what end? That is not a culture to admire, it’s the antithesis of civilization.”

Lea listen to his speech. It seemed almost like a recitation to her. “Even if I had wanted to, something I do not, I could not have killed my master. She is dead. I know it in my heart. You say they spread disorder, yet why are these records clear on comparison of crime in the Empire and in the Republic so different?” Lea had the gatekeeper bring up a file about just that. “Here it shows that there’s far more crime in the republic. More crime does not, from what I understand, mean stability or peace. Does it?” Something in his words had sparked an argumentative part of her mind. “I know they’re far from perfect, but they have from what little of their history listed here achieved far more in a few centuries than the republic has in thousands of years. You know as well as I that the Jedi masters aren’t flawless either. The war has changed them. There are things being done now that would never have been condoned before the war.” Lea did not know whether to believe the stories of so-called republic atrocities in the holocron. Some were unbelievable, but others rang with disconcerting truth. They matched well with stories she had heard before, stories she knew to be true, though she had heard different perspectives then.

Suddenly, another story popped to the front on the holocron. “Supreme Chancellor Pultimo’s Slaughter” she read out loud, the title of the story. It told the tale of how, at the end of the Great Hyperspace War, when the republic had crushed the Sith Empire, they chose, with support from the Jedi, to go on to slaughter every Sith society they could find, fully intent upon eradication, despite their not being a threat. She looked up at the Kaminoan. “Is this true? Did the Jedi attempt to eradicate an entire species, even when it was defeated?”
“Because, my young Padawan, we are at war and people are more inclined to fight for a cause they believe in than one they are forced to. There’s a very real chance that the reason the Empire has less crime, according to the Holocron, is that the dissenters and trouble-makers have already been long-purged from the system. I do not believe I have to elaborate what that means.” The Kaminoan replied tersely. “A peace brokered through oppression and subjugation isn’t peace at all, never forget that.” he moved to place the Holocron in his hands gingerly back on the shelf, as if jostling it would evoke its ire. The task completed, he continued. “And of course our Masters aren’t perfect, anyone who claims otherwise is an idealistic fool. Our Order has grown tired and desperate in this war, forced to take methods that it never would have if the situation wasn’t so dire. You must understand, Lea, that the Sith’s aggression and ruthlessness has forced the Order to act out of character, but never losing sight of what our creed means. Even though there is strain, it is far from the utmost break of spirit the Sith want from us. They think the standards to which we hold ourselves makes us weak.” he shook his head.
“Never believe it. What progress they have obtained was without moral or ethical consideration, it it means nothing to cut down hundreds, if not thousands to obtain what they want. I am a scientist, you know. Most of my life outside of my Jedi mandated duties are geared towards understanding what sets us and the Sith apart from one another on a genetic level. I could have made massive breakthroughs and huge strides of progress were I willing to abandon ethical conduct. Things must be measured, restrained. You must respect the subjects of your studies, as taking your research by force and with bloodshed is sloppy, needlessly cruel, and there’s much that the Sith miss along the way in their hurry. After all, it was I who discovered the Midi-chlorians in Force sensitive data. I did not have to hurt a single person along the way. A Sith who thought to pursue the same knowledge… let’s just say that the body count would be grossly unacceptable. I’ve already witnessed first-hand what the Sith are doing with the research I had obtained, and they are twisting it beyond recognition through the use of torture. This is not the way, it is not the path that we are sworn to follow.” He said, concerned about the words Lea was saying. Did she not realize she was being manipulated by that Gatekeeper, that the Sith were worming their ways into her mind? It did not help that everyone aboard the ship was under the constant presence of several very powerful Dark Side leaning individuals, as it did not take much for their suggestions and threats to seem convincing. He reached out gingerly to take the Holocron from Lea.
“I am not like most Jedi Knights, where I value the pursuit of knowledge and am not very picky when it comes to origin, but please understand that much of my training has revolved around protecting my body and mind from the influence of the Dark Side. Please allow me to take this from you until we can discuss what it is what you saw, I promise not to lie, but I would greatly prefer if I could be your mentor as opposed to some long-dead Sith Lord who wishes to dominate minds, even in death. You are referring to the Great Hyperspace War, correct? That was a dark time, it was when the Sith had made their existence known through an attack on the republic, they attacked several of our worlds without provocation killing millions. Up until that point, the Jedi and Sith were unaware of the existence of one another, the schism of the past so long forgotten by both sides that the galaxy allowed both cultures to develop independently for quite some time. It speaks volumes for the Sith mentality that upon rediscovering another Force sensitive order, they attempted to destroy it. We prevailed in that war, but the threat was hardly over. The Chancellor did not order the extermination of the Sith, although the retaliation was devastating to the Sith. He ordered the destruction of their strongholds, the centers of their military power.
[i]“But before the republic forces could even reach the first of the strongholds, much of the remaining pure blooded Sith race lead a series of ritualistic suicide attacks against the republic fleets, nearly wiping themselves out in the process. To them, the thought of surrender and reconciliation was a far worse fate than destroying their entire culture out of spite. To survivors who may not have received, or willfully ignored such dedication, if you wish to call it that, it would be easy to mistake such a pitiful act as the ruthlessness of the republic, and many of the Sith Empire chose to view it as such, either through propaganda or through their own intentional ignorance. You see, Lea, these are the enemies that we fight, who would rather see the universe burn than to not have their way with it. It highlights exactly why the Jedi Order is necessary, because the Sith have handily demonstrated what a misuse of the Force can result in. While we sometimes struggle to maintain our way, we never lose sight of the most important thing of all; the sanctity of life and the freedom of all sentient beings. We use our affinity with the Force to serve the Republic; the Sith use it to dominate anyone who does not have it. Now, please hand me the Holocron. I will not keep their access from you, but you do need to understand that the Sith Lords who have crafted them were very powerful, and the untrained mind can be very susceptible to their influence. The reason the Jedi holocrons are restricted is because they are meant to be a tool to help aid the user, not to exert its will over them. You need to rest, and recall the creed.” The Consular said.

“So you say the slaughter of women and children upon Korriban was the destruction of military strongholds? You know as well as I that that story was more than just the destruction of military strongholds. It was an attempt at xenocide. An almost successful attempt.” Lea tossed the holocron over to him. “Have no fear. Resisting the influence of a dead Sith is no real challenge. My master taught me how to step around the hooks concealed in the stories crafter by the Sith and Jedi alike. Both of them like to attach such hooks to their stories. She must have been prescient, for she schooled me in such resistance, though I knew not why at the time. She schooled me for hours and days in resisting just such influence. She has, for longer than I have been alive, studied the history of the empire and the republic alike.”

Lea thought it funny how he wanted to ‘protect’ her. How could he possibly do so, with them both captives on a Sith ship? They might not be in cells right now, but they were still unarmed and surrounded by Sith. There was no way off the ship, not with it in hyperspace. Even getting off would be no help, for getting away was even harder. She had seen others try. She had felt those others die trying.

Tolun Fi caught the holocron with long, deft fingers, holding the device as if it were fragile. He studied its frame, the craftsmanship exquisite. “I say the slaughter of women and children was the result of Sith arrogance and ego, nothing more. Regardless of what has come to pass, what matters is what we chose to do with ourselves that matters, not dwelling on events from ages past.” the Kaminoan said, placing the holocron back in its place. He strode over to Lea in long, graceful strides. “You must never underestimate the power of the Dark Side. To think yourself above its influence is folly. You have been without a master for some time, I take. I suspect she never intended for you to stop your lessons. Perhaps she saw some form of temptation to suggestion, to deviate from what was instructed by the masters. Tell me; why did you become a Jedi? What does the Order mean to you?”

“Oh, I do not think myself above its influence. That would be beyond foolish. I just know how traps are laid in texts like those found in holocrons and such. Thus I know how to avoid them. The other temptations are probably still there. But why should I let myself listen to them?” Lea could in fact feel how the Dark Side permeated the air all around them. Only her well-trained ability to focus herself let her resist it at all. They were, quite simply, not tempting enough. “Why I became a Jedi? It is quite simple. My entire family has been Jedi for generations, I know not how many. Like my ancestors, I was born Force-sensitive, thus it was the only relevant option. The Order is a means to an end. It provides structure where there is none otherwise.”

“Sometimes, to ignore the allure of certain… promises proves to be much more taxing than one would expect.” The Consular replied, reflecting on times when his own conviction was sorely tested. Namely, the lure of knowledge and certain particulars that the Jedi Code strictly forbid. Tolun Fi never considered himself above the Order, but its strict rules about what was permitted was often chafing, especially for a man who simply needed to attempt unconventional things both in a laboratory setting and during mediation. Some cultures and ideas simply couldn’t be appeased or appealed to via the strict dogma of the Jedi. Refusing to deviate from strict parameters often risked lives and isolated one or more parties. The Kaminoan’s attention returned to the Padawan. “And it is that structure that helps preserve balance and promotes peace. We are gifted, us Jedi. We are granted skills, talents, and knowledge that many beings in the galaxy would kill for, to gain power. Without the Jedi, the galaxy would be a far more dangerous, chaotic place and nothing would bring the Sith in check. I know that sometimes it is most difficult to consciously follow the Order, especially when you have ample reason to doubt its intent or apparent benevolence, but please consider that the alternative to the Jedi is much, much worse.” He gazed towards the door. “Perhaps it would be prudent to return to our cell block. We cannot hide indefinitely.”

Lea smiled at him. “Not quite true. The Sith keep each other in check. When Sith have no common enemy, they strive against each other. Petty feuds. Even with a common enemy, the republic and the Jedi, they squabble against each other. Only the fear of the emperor keep Sith from full-scale war with each other. Ironically, Jedi provide a target for Sith to focus on. Without one, the other falls apart.” She traced a finger along the complex engravings on one of the other holocrons. “Still, it sounds like a good idea to return to the cellblock. That’ll make them look foolish.” Picking up a holocron, she pocketed it, then stuffed another into his pocket. “Once back in the cells, I’ll show you some traps placed into these. They’re rather primitive, really. If the datacard here is correct, they’re titled ‘the genetics and creation of common Sithspawn’ & ‘fundamentals of Sith Alchemy’. Not really all that dark subjects, I think.”

“One shudders to think of a galaxy where the only thing keeping the Sith in check is themselves.” Tolun Fi muttered before giving a curt nod. “It is enough to know we are capable of having free reign of this area if need be, although I’d much rather not press our luck too hard. After all, our little excursion did not go unnoticed, and I am sure we will pay a toll for it. However, it will be worth it in the end, presuming they do not decide to execute us for our audacity. It would be a shame, really. I quite rather wanted to finish my research.” he glanced back at the Holocrons. “Your Master taught you well for you to be so informed on the Holocrons. I am curious to discover what some of the more… sensitive ones contain. Being captive is turning into quite a riveting experience.” The Kaminoan Consular approached the door, placing his large hand against the durasteel and shut his eyes in focus. Using the Force, Tolun listened to the area around the room to see if the coast was clear. Satisfied, he manipulated the switch and the bulkhead door slid open effortlessly with a quiet whoosh. The two Jedi soon were out of the Holocron room, and navigating the halls once more to rediscover where the cell block 2 was located - easier said than done.

They wandered the corridors for a good while, getting lost more than a couple of times. An easy thing, considering the utter lack of signs or other distinguishing features to the rooms and walls. After maybe thirty-seven minutes more, they found the right wall and the opening to the cellblocks. After that, it was easy to return back to the cell. Lea found herself somewhat tired after the efforts of the day, so she went into her own cell, activated the force field, then lay down to sleep.

Timestamp: 23:14, day 1 ATC (After Treaty of Coruscant)

---

{|- Note: Room for hiding is Dorn 3. (middle of the three side-by-side single-hex rooms) -|}

[Ellri]

Post 55, Ellri & Sundered Echo | Darth Nyiss, Moff Katherion, Allende, Master Jessa Fallon, Jedi Knight Rin Eris

~| Some time after the imperial occupation of Coruscant ended, in orbit around a planet far, far away |~

{|> Timestamp: 16:22 hours, day 1, ATC <|}

Jedi Master Jessa Fallon looked up from her musings over the security holograms from the Coruscanti Jedi Temple. She was pleased that there was peace at last in the galaxy, but she was not sure if it was truly worth it, for the price had been high. There was no denying that they had been outplayed by the Sith, and that did not sit well with her. In studying these holograms, she hoped to uncover the means of preventing future attacks like this. There was something about the attack, at least once it had beaten the temple guard, that did not fit. The Sith did not move in the most efficient patterns. She was missing a key element. That lack bothered her more than anything else. Not that it helped that more than half the security recordings were corrupt. Several elements had needed complete reconstruction with data from the neighboring nodes. After a certain hour, they had all stopped working.

There was a polite, if disturbing, knock on the door. With a curt gesture, she dismissed the hologram before speaking out. “Come in.” Some of the others thought she spent too much time on these recordings. That she was obsessed. She did not agree. She just needed to understand. If that took hours upon hours of study, then that is what she would do. Her door opened with a faint hiss of servos, revealing, as expected, another Jedi. Fallon’s former apprentice, Rin Eris. “Master Fallon, the initial investigation is complete. They have searched through the ruins of the Coruscanti temple.” Master Fallon looked at her former apprentice. “And? What is their conclusion? Have any of our brethren survived in the saferooms?” This she asked with hope in her voice. First-hand accounts would be invaluable for her studies. The young Knight’s face told her the answer. “No master. Not a single one of the intact saferooms held any of our own. The destruction of the temple destroyed most of them. They killed countless jedi, even younglings. However, there is a problem. Temple records are clear on who was within the temple at that time, but they do not add up. All the scans and searches have uncovered a large number of bodies seeded throughout the wreckage. But not enough. The body count is far too low. A hundred at least, maybe as many as two hundred bodies missing. Mostly younglings and padawans, but also a number of knights and a few of masters. What could it mean? Have they been reunited with the Force?” The young knight’s voice was a mixture of hope and concern.

Having gotten to her feet earlier Jedi Master Jessa Fallon sat down in her chair again. It had all become clear to her now. This was the missing piece. This explained the sub-optimal tactics of the imperial forces in the recordings. “No, it is rare for any but masters to be reunited with the Force on death. Unlikely for knights to be so, let alone padawans or younglings. As you know, I have been studying the recovered recordings for a while now. Things did not add up about them. The imperial forces did not move with the efficiency and pattern they are infamous for. Your information gave me the piece I lacked to solve the puzzle. I am sorry to tell you, but the missing Jedi are now captives of the Sith. There is no other answer that makes sense.”

Staggering, the Jedi knight looked at his former master, “Please, don’t say that is true… Please…” Despair tinged his voice. Master Fallon got to her feet, walking around the massive desk and supporting his larger form. “Take it easy. Do not give into despair.” She spoke firmly, but with serene calmness. “But master, my brother and sisters are among the missing. They had just been sent to the temple, been there less than a month now. They weren’t more than five and six years. And my cousin is also missing, and I have had a bad feeling about him for days now. How can I not despair?”

Fallon hugged him gently. “Dead or not, it is better to mourn them as dead, for if they are captives, I fear the Sith will try to turn them away from the light. If they succeed, the people you once knew as family will be dead to you. I am unsure if there is any way to track them down, if they have not been sent to Korriban already. But I will do what I can. They deserve no less.”

With that, she released the knight and turned back to the massive desk. “Computer. Display what you can of the disposition of starships above Coruscant just prior to and during the Occupation.” The holoprojectors lit up. displaying exactly how the Sith deployed their ships during the Assault. The tactics were remarkably efficient. Not a single vessel escaped, despite there being hundreds in orbit and thousands more below in the atmosphere. Most of the capital ships were terminus-class destroyers surrounding a smaller number of harrower-class dreadnoughts, but some few stood out. As the recordings progressed, the quality decreased, probably because satellites were blasted apart. Nonetheless, there was thankfully sufficient data from the stations on the moons and remaining satellites to provide a useable recording. “Computer. Focus on region above Jedi Temple.”

The hologram shifted, the planet seemingly disappearing into the surface of the desk, leaving just a small curved sector at the bottom with a number of Sith vessels above it. At first there was little movement, then a number of shuttles flew up from the temple precinct, before the Sith warships all opened fire upon the temple, leaving just ruins behind. Though seemingly crushed to nothing but rubble, Master Fallon knew well that much had survived further down below the ruins. Even knowing that, she could feel her heart jump up at the sight of the destruction. From the holo alone she could feel the hatred the Sith felt for the Jedi. It saddened her.

“Computer. Can you identify any of the ships that received shuttles prior to the destruction of the temple?” The computer was silent for several seconds, then a list appeared.
Valor - Battlecruiser.
Tyûkjontû Kressh - Gage Transport.
Vengeance - Terminus Destroyer.
Ajak - Terminus Destroyer.
Scream of Ragnos - Harrower Dreadnought.
Hâsk - Unidentified class.

The list went on to include a dozen more, mostly warships. Clearly there had been more shuttles than it first looked like. “Computer. Identify departure trajectories of ships leaving shortly after the temple’s destruction.” As before, the computer paused a few moments, then displayed another, much shorter list.
Vengeance - Hydian Way.
Derriphan - Perlemian Trade Route.
Tyûkjontû Kressh - Perlemian Trade Route.
Ajak - Corellian Run.
Midwan - Perlemian Trade Route.
Asha - Corellian Run.
Hâsk - Corellian Run.

“Master, what do you want from this list?” the knight asked, voice now tinged with curiosity. Fallon smiled at her former apprentice. “The Sith would not have kept prisoners anywhere close to Coruscant. Therefore, they must have been on the ships sent away. And prisoners like our missing brethren are valuable. They would not be sent without escort. Of the seven ships departing shortly after the temple was bombed, only one went alone. The remaining six departed in groups of three. Two destroyers and one that was not a warship. Whatever those ships contain, it is very valuable to them to have such escorts.
But what could they have taken from the temple that they would send away from their home regions? The Corellian Run leads in the wrong direction for transferring treasure or prisoners. It doesn’t make any sense. The Perlemian Trade Route leads them close to Korriban, so it is obvious that prisoners were sent that way...” Fallon couldn’t comprehend it. There was no way the Sith would send valuable captives away from their own home territories. It might be that some Sith lord had acquired something valuable from the temple and wanted to keep it for him/herself, but what could that be? She had avoided politics just because she did not like studying such.

The knight looked up at him, dejected on realizing that there was very little chance of ever seeing his kin again. “Master. What do those names mean? Those ships, they have unusual names.” Once again, Master Fallon smiled, recognizing the inquisitiveness so common to the boy back when he had been her padawan. ”I have no idea about the translation of those names, but I believe they are in the foul tongue of the Red Sith. I think it is better not to know what they translate into. I do wonder what that unidentified ship, this Hâsk, contains. It must be something valuable. I don’t like not knowing what.”

~| Holomessage to SIS Outer Rim Branch Office, Anchorhead, Tatooine. |~
{|> Timestamp: 18:37 hours, day 1 ATC <|}

Keep eye out for Imperial starship, unknown class. Tentatively named Hâsk. Last observed departing Coruscant two-three days ago along Corellian Run. Destination unknown. Cargo unknown, presumed valuable. Cargo identification requested. Signed, Jedi Master Jessa Fallon.

~| Aboard the Hâsk |~

“I don’t like this, my lord.” the lieutenant said to the Moff. “These prisoners are valuable. It doesn’t feel safe to delay bringing them to Korriban. Several of them have escaped from their cells already.” The Moff simply smiled. “Of course they have. You know as well as I that those cells were designed to be escapable. Eventually they’ll discover that they have no way off that deck, let alone off this ship. I’ve locked down the turbolift to that deck. It cannot be reactivated from the prison deck.” He paused for a moment. “Besides, we need to maintain cover. Aside from you, my personal troops and the Sith, nobody aboard this ship even knows the prison deck exists.”

Nyiss rose slowly from her bed, not wishing to move from the relaxed state she’d been in for an hour now. The pure-blooded apprentice Zanna had already left, eager to return to her work no doubt, and Nyiss had savoured every moment of her presence. Regardless of power, the apprentice was at least pretty. And smart enough not to try to look at any of the artifacts the Darth kept in her quarters. She found an armoured set of robes and slowly dressed, preparing to oversee the days events alongside the Moff, as well as acquire an important object for her experiments.

The walk to the bridge was a short one, much of the time taken by the two turbolifts needed to get there. The ship dropped out of hyperspace as she stepped onto the spacious bridge, the desert planet of Tatooine coming sharply into view in the large viewports that dominated the front of the room. Moff Katherion and his lieutenant were already there, and from what she could see the imperial woman seemed to be unhappy with something. Probably the destination. Tatooine was actually further away from Korriban, and by no means a logical route to take. It was important though, and for reasons none of the others on this ship needed to know. Darth Nyiss approached the pair and spoke tersely “Is everything under control?” It was not so much a question as a command to ensure everything was under control.

Absk straightened subtly when he noticed Darth Nyiss stepping out of the turbolift. Not in any manner visible to any of the lesser crewmen (and women) also on the bridge, though. “Perfectly, Darth. The troopships sent over from the Asha are about to dock as we speak. The troops will be on the surface within the hour. If you have plans of your own, I recommend having them complete within two hours. I mean to depart this world as soon as possible.”

“Of course, staying at this Force-forsaken place for any length of time is not pleasant. But I’m afraid you might have to extend that time somewhat. I have a specially caught item that needs delivering to the Ajak. I’ll be traveling to Mos Ila to retrieve it myself.” She stared pointedly at the Moff until he acquiesced to the request. She wasn’t directly in command of the flotilla, but her influence meant he had little choice but to obey her whim.

“That item wouldn’t happen to be the reason you had me hollow out half the Ajak, would it?” The Moff asked. “I’ve been wondering about that bit for a while now. It has seriously reduced its combat strength, so I hope it is for a good reason. I want these ships heading towards Teth as soon as possible. The army wants two battalions transported off that world, and apparently the navy wants my ships for the task.”

“Of course it’s for a good reason. I needed a new guard for my complex. A Krayt Dragon seemed like a good fit.” With that, Nyiss turned and headed towards the shuttle bay.

Katherion turned to the Lieutenant. “You will accompany her. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. It would not look good if we let a Darth die, even if it is from a project as massive as fetching a Krayt Dragon. The Dark Council would have our heads if we let her die.” The lieutenant nodded. “or worse.” Without saying anything more, she marched off, both to follow the Darth and to collect her personal squad. In her opinion, you could never be too careful with Krayt Dragons.

Post 56, Sundered Echo, FallenReaper, Ultimate523 | Viera, Xid, Strago

Timestamp: 01:30 Day 2 ATC
Xid had managed to get Allanar, barely, back to his bunk before he felt his knees weaken and threaten to give out from under him. He was breathing heavily and trying to lay the man comfortable down instead of a hasty discard. It wasn’t the Jedi’s fault Xid lacked strength, the boy darted back to his cell for the single long sleeve he had torn off. His body only pulled in far enough to reach out a few fingers and snag the edge, turned on heel back to the other cell. He decided to re-wet it using the cell’s own sink. He passed a hand over it, the water filled so far then dunked the slightly damp sleeve into the sink. The water darkened the white cloth as the Padawan wringed it out, letting the excess pour back in. Once that was done, he shifted to laid the cold, makeshift compress over the man’s eyes.

He felt helpless. As normal, not much good with his limited healing and knowledge, he could only do so much. Once he was done, all he could do was wait. Wait until this nightmare ended one way or another for him and the others. The only thing that worried him was how this ending would happen. There was only two ways out and neither he liked very much to think about. He shrugged off the gloomy thoughts, knowing they didn’t help him much, then started to think about a way out. At least something to keep from bothering Allanar since the Jedi seemed too sick to speak. His back leaned against the man’s cell wall and let his eyes roam, forgetting the other Jedi in the room, as his words were said out loud.

“There has to be a way out of here...someway to get to the wiring or something.”

Viera saw the young Jedi helping his sickened elder compatriot from behind the barrier over her cell. It was the same one as had healed her. Clearly, whatever the older one, Allanar if she remembered rightly, was suffering was too much for his Force healing. When he started chattering about getting out, a pang of alarm shot through her. That was bad. They were on a Sith ship, the cells were monitored and if the Sith heard, they’d punish them for it! She shut off the energy shield of her cell and rushed over to him “Shhh! Don’t talk like that. They’ll hear you.” She knew they watched the cells. How else could they have known to move her out of the cell when that homicidal Lizard who dared to call himself a Jedi attacked her.

Xid jumped suddenly, his eyes shot in her direction and surprised. The Jedi had waltz right out of her cell, her boots clicking across the floor before she stopped beside him. Then scolded him right there for his stupidity. She was right of course, the Sith would monitor them just like the Republic did theirs, something he should’ve remembered. Then again he was a young, naive Padawan with only fours of experience under his belt and that was only because of his talent with machines. For a depressing moment, he wished that Navi was onboard with him. It would’ve been comforting to hold the hard metal droid as he thought but the odds were unlikely. His eyes looked apologetically at her before he spoke. “I didn’t… sorry…”

Then he looked at his feet. It was all he could say, anything else and he was worried he might upset her more. His master always did say he talked too much, even if he had good intentions by it.

Viera suddenly felt quite bad for scolding the Padawan. He was looking utterly dejected after his apology, and that was really not what she’d meant to do to him. She wasn’t used to anyone looking at her as any sort of authority, although as a Jedi Knight technically she had it. “Oh… no don’t be sad. I’m not telling you off… You were called Xid weren’t you? I don’t want to be stuck in here either, but I know there are cameras watching these cells. There have to be. I was moved after another… Jedi…” She said the word with an edge in her voice. No true Jedi attacked another Jedi, no matter the circumstance. “Threw me across the room.” Then she looked over at Allanar. “Is he alright?”

His eyes looked at her and a slight smile, not a wide grin, but an expression that let her know he accepted her reply had sprung to his lips. He nodded when she spoke his name, his shoulders relaxed and struggled not to stare at the limp Jedi in the bunk. At least until for now. When there was mention of another Jedi being tossed, the Padawan’s eyes widened. It was clear, Xid couldn’t understand why another Jedi would toss another, even after they were all caged up and needed some sense of connection. His thoughts trailed off at the change in topic.

Allanar didn’t look so good and though she asked the same question he had, Xid couldn’t answer with absolute certainty. A slight fear seemed to claw it’s way from his chest then stick in his throat at the notion the man might not make it. He felt responsible for not stopping him or doing something, the slight emotion grew until Xid took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and counted, letting the calm fill him again before he answered. “I don’t know… If my master or even Tolun Fi was here, then they would be of more help. I could try to heal him… but I’m not effective enough. I’m not very good at it. It’s outside my...talents.”

Xid hadn’t went into details but his mind wandered over to the first time he shown his talent to Tolun Fi. His lips smirked a bit in a small chuckle then faded when he realized how terrible he was being. A Jedi was suffering and he was laughing, what a great Padawan he was being. His head bumped a bit in to wall a bit and added. “If I talk too much, let me know. My master and Tolun Fi didn’t mind much but I can get carried away…”

Viera couldn’t help but laugh at that. She knew she talked too much, everyone had always called her a chatterbox before her self-imposed semi-exile to the archives. “You’ll not annoy me by talking too much… Normally I’m the one apologising for that.” She saw that he was worrying over the other Jedi, and while his care was certainly a good thing, excessive worry wasn’t. “Oh you shouldn’t worry too much about Allanar. I’m sure he’ll be alright. And don’t for a second blame yourself for not being able to fix everything. No-one fixes everything. I’m sure that other Jedi will be able to help us when he gets back.” She stopped herself before she started babbling too much. She did genuinely want to help this Padawan with the situation, and she worried about Allanar herself, but talking too much wasn’t going to help.

Xid’s head jerked to her direction, a little grin broke his sober mood as she mentioned the similarity between them. It made him feel better about his tenancy, his head cocked a bit to one side. The Padawan looked at Allanar for a bit longer before he spoke. “Feeling helpless is one thing but being useless is another. That’s what I usually feel like when I’m out of my element and to be truthful, it’s not pleasant. We’re Jedi and it’s our reason to help people and each other so it’s hard not feel this way.”

His eyes couldn’t stop staring at Allanar, the man still shivering and looking a mess. He wanted to do more but now, the Jedi was beyond his ability. All he could do was take in Allanar’s reaction and maybe figure out from those what happened. “Odd how the Force works, isn’t it?”

As the Jedi spoke in the cell, the troopers who were ordered to bring back Strago were nearly there. They made sure he had been fully disarmed, but didn’t bother cleaning him up at all, letting his blood cover their armour. He was totally dead weight at this point, which made it harder to carry him, but they didn’t care much about avoiding making his injuries worse, which helped them go a bit faster.

Once they finally arrived, they activated the barriers they felt were necessary, and threw Strago toward the middle area of the cell block, quickly leaving afterward, and de-activating it all once again. Strago’s upper body remained covered in blood. Whatever had gone away during his escape came back from all the blood that poured down from Sish' bite, still continuing to flow as he laid there on the floor, completely unconscious, the only sign of life being the slight movement he made from continuing to breathe.

Xid felt his instinct or rather a sixth sense click just seconds before the Energy doors started to flicker to life. His eyes lowered to spot where Viera was standing and noticed she was right over the threshold! Immediately his hands reached up and took hold of her robes as his body took a step back, pulling her clear of it. Sadly, his foot twisted under him and felt himself start to fall, his balance lost just when the red transparent door came back on. He grunted upon feeling her pile on top of him, his hands still clung to her robes. “Ouch...you’re not as light as you look.”

Immediately he realized what he had said was out loud! His eyes widened and looked at her, his cheeks slightly reddened at the insult he uttered. “I-I didn’t...I should’ve...sorry…”

His ear heard the sound from Strago’s body being dropped. His eyes struggled to look around Viera and almost wished he hadn’t, his face paled on the Jedi’s image. He was still. Very still that Xid felt his stomach curl and tighten, the man covered in blood and wounds which seemed to freeze Xid in place. Again...why didn’t he do more? Quickly he wiggled from underneath the female Jedi to scramble onto his feet, boot clicked in his wake when he slowed on drawing closer to Strago’s form. He let himself fall to his knees as a shaky hand reached out to touch the grimy, gore covered shoulder. Gently, Xid pushed the Jedi onto his back and without any thought or concern about the effects, he focused on healing the man. His eyes closed and shielded from the hellish image, he felt that light warm feeling race through his fingers. They sparked and heated in a familiar comfort. In moments, his body slacked, the energy being drained to mend what was broken.

Viera was quite stunned at the sudden flurry of action, finding herself sprawled atop the young padawan only seconds after him speaking. He said something, from what she gathered it was probably considered insulting, but at that moment she was mostly just relieved that in the whirl of action she’d narrowly managed to miss hitting her head on the bulkhead, not to mention being bisected by the red energy field that had briefly flickered on where she was just standing. Seeing the colour Xid went, she started laughing, the whole situation was ridiculous. She picked herself up from the ground awkwardly and caught her breath, then kicked the wall where she nearly hit her head. She was sick of being hit on the head. Of course the Durasteel-cortosis alloy wall was far more solid than her foot, and she immediately regretted the rash action.

All of this was forgotten immediately when she turned and saw the wrecked form of Strago on the floor, Xid kneeling over him, an aura of the Lightside of the Force emanating off of him. Viera immediately worried for him he seemed to have a tendency to throw himself too far into healing others after all. And as usual when she worried, she talked. A lot. “Oh no! what’ve they done… This is horrible. Xid be careful, don’t go to far. Oh… What can I do, what can I do?”

“Talk to me...about something, anything…It’s what my master did to keep me grounded, every so often reminding me that I had to stop...” Xid said, his voice slightly soft as his mind split between his progression in healing Strago and trying to keep from being carried away. His master always talked and kept him grounded through casual talks or mission briefings about the next planet. He found it soothing, easier to pull back when he had a voice to focus on. His eye lids slacked from weariness that poured over him and left him exhausted, his hands already started to feel the heaviness as it moved up his arm. His ear perked to whatever Viera said allowing his mind to gradually shift that direction. It was hard, namely because he wanted to help so badly, to know his skills wouldn’t be enough. Not without giving Strago his life.

Xid was asking her to talk! He couldn’t have picked a better person, she thought, but with that she suddenly couldn’t think of anything to say. “Um… oh… What about?” She said half to herself. Her mind raced through the things she knew, which was a lot given her previous task as a keeper of the archives, but she couldn’t settle on anything suitable. She knew she didn’t have time to deliberate on it, so she just started reciting the thing she knew best instead. “In my section of the archive, there were 102 shelves, each containing a unique aspect of Jedi history…” She went on to describe some of the information stored in that section and the methods by which it was stored. She hoped it was interesting enough to keep Xid focused on reality, but it was the best she could do.

The young Padawan didn’t mind the topic of the Jedi as he only visited the archives a few times during his youth. Most of his free time was spent either in his room or in Tolun Fi’s lab, where he chattered about the Kominoan’s current work and calibrated the equipment. Sometimes it felt like the Jedi had specifically let Xid fix mainly because they would be fixed right the first time but that was likely ridiculous, at least to Xid. After a time, when his hands had numbed and he couldn’t feel them, Xid pulled back. His mind fully tuned in on Viera's topic and ended up asking a question. “What information do you have on the Force? I mean, well…”

He bit his bottom lip, unsure if he should’ve mentioned that. Then again, it was likely his friend was dead after the attack on the Temple and the last time he would ever see him again. Still, deep inside it felt like he was violating trust and treading upon the Kominoan’s memory. In haste he added. “Maybe...maybe I shouldn’t have asked that.”

Viera was confused at the sudden interruption from the padawan. She’d managed to lose herself in the memory of the archives, it was a pleasant one, and reminded her of a more peaceful time. A time when Viera Starr did not need to worry about the Imperials or even the Republic. And so when Xid asked his question, not only was she puzzled by its nature, but she was caught by surprise too. “Well yes but-” She stopped mid sentence. She had to think about the answer. What’d he mean? And why was he apologising? What a strange question to ask. “The Force is a broad subject. Maybe if you give me something more specific I can find something for you…” She said. It was just like her times back in the archives, finding obscure datapads and holocrons for those that searched for information. She was so caught up in the memory and the illusion, that she started to walk towards the door, as if to leave and find the long rows of shelves to walk between while she listened to Xid narrow down his request.

But this was not the Jedi Archive.

She stopped as she was faced with the unmoving bulkhead door of cold grey metal, shaken violently back to the present. She stood staring at the door as she remembered Imperial troops and Sith flooding the pristine halls of the Archive. Her Archive. An archive that was now nothing more than a blackened ruin, pillaged of what few pieces of information the Sith found interesting. When they came for her, she hadn’t even fought back. Hadn’t fought to defend her archive. Some Guardian of knowledge she was.

She sank to her knees slowly, fighting back a tide of emotion. “There is no emotion, there is peace.” She whispered to herself. She couldn’t bare to say the next line of the code aloud.

Xid’s ear perked up when Viera answered, his head turned up at her request and caused him to visibly hesitate. How much could he say while not feeling like he was betraying Tolun Fi’s memory? The question seemed to be held on the tip of his tongue, burning him slightly as his mind seemed depressed at the merely thought. At the image of the lithe, Kiminoan frowning at him, Xid shoved down his guilt and his unease, his hands now removed from Strago’s form to break away from his task. For now, the older Jedi was still in less than perfect shape but at least there wasn’t any fear of dying. The Padawan couldn’t feel his arms very well and for a moment, he didn’t think it was wise to look down. The last thing he wanted to see was his fingers trembling and shaking, a clear tell he has been far too close to giving everything he had.

Slowly, he forced his eyes to lower down. His hands just laid there, still and calm while propping up Strago’s head to keep it off the cold floor. The sounds of Viera’s boots caused Xid’s head to jerk in time to view her. The woman’s feet seemed to run automatically, finally realizing what he himself looked like when locked in thought or work, as she seemed to scan the air for something particular. Then her illusion, her memories were broken when Viera came face to face with the cell entrance way. Something seemed to hit her hard and before Xid knew what he was doing, his outer shirt layer was already folded under Strago’s head and his hands were wrapped about Viera’s shoulders.

Having caught her words, Xid wanted to mend what he had hurt as he started the second part just out of habit. “There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.”

Strago had felt a growing warmth in his body as Xid had healed him, and it remained for a while, even after the actual healing had been completed. He could feel that he was alive, but it took him several moments to become mostly conscious once again. As he did, he looked over toward the sounds he heard, speaking, and movement, coming from Xid, and Viera. They had begun saying the Jedi Code, an odd decision, but a comforting one. He cleared his throat slightly, wanting to be sure he could actually speak if he tried, and realised that he was well enough to do so, “There is no passion, there is serenity.” He added, feeling the words resonate deep within him, meaning quite a lot in the moment after what he had just done, and gone through. He needed to remain calm, both for his own sake, and for the other Jedi, succeeding in doing so for the moment, beginning to heal himself very slightly as he continued to look in the direction of Viera, and Xid.

Viera felt arms around her as she fought away emotion, and heard the next part of the Jedi code from the soft voice of the young Jedi Xid. She’d thought that hearing that line would break the damn… let loose all the pain and anger and loss from the archives destruction. But it didn’t. Instead she drew strength from it. She was a Jedi. Jedi did not give in to emotion. She thought the next line of the code even as Strago said it There is no passion, there is Serenity. “There is no Chaos, there is Harmony.” She stood then. Moping about on the floor was not becoming for a Jedi. “We have to stay strong… The Sith want to see us broken. We can't give them the satisfaction. No matter what they do, we have the Force, and we have each other. We can't give in. Remember. There is no Death. There is the Force” She thought of her archives again, remembering the peaceful feeling of walking among the shelves, trying to remember anything about what Xid had asked. “Xid. You asked me if I knew of the Force. I do know some things. If you can give me a more specific question, I might be able to answer.”

Mentally absorbing the last lines Viera gave, Xid’s mind realize it held the most meaning, despite being the last lines in the Jedi code. Particularly for this current situation as their lives hung upon their captors, he tried not to waver in front of them. This was almost worse than Belsavis, he found a sharp shiver that raced up his spine and forced back the unpleasant memories. He never wanted to think of that place again for the rest of his life. Never again.

His mind fell back to the present, the older Jedi stir and put herself back together. It was something that filled Xid with pride and gratitude that he was a Padawan, his lips turned up into a slight comforting smile. His head turned to Strago, who he noticed was awake now, to see the man draw comfort from just simple words. “Nice to see you up, though if you give me a moment, I’ll help you to a bunk where you can lay down and relax. You look like you need it.”

He would be lying if he didn’t say he wasn’t curious about why the man was in such a state, yet details could wait. At least until the Jedi was well enough to talk about it. That was when Viera’s question caught him off guard. The Padawan blinked once then shook his head, realizing what she was asking. “Yeah, ummm. What can you tell me about a Force’s connection with individuals? I mean, I know some from talking with Tolun Fi, a Kiminoan Jedi, during my free time as a youngling but it’s been a while and some of the info has been…lost in four years under master Sela Zythor. I just need to remember some basics to refresh my memory.”

He was worried inside because if any of the Jedi knew what they had talked about or if Tolun Fi managed to survive and escape, then likely he would be in serious trouble. Part of him wanted to stop, to hush and chose a lighter topic just to ease his conscious. However, he didn’t want to betray his friend’s memory because he knew Tolun Fi would be disappointed in him should he just allow the Kiminoan’s research to pass into memory.

Strago smiled slightly at Xid’s words to him, very slowly getting into a more comfortable position on the floor, watching as the other Jedi began to speak again. Once there seemed to be a brief break in conversation, he spoke once more, “Some rest certainly wouldn’t hurt.” He said, feeling much more pain as he moved than he was used to, but doing his best not to show it while he slowly began to work toward a standing position, hoping that one, or both of them would help him to his bed, needing the rest very badly, even with the healing that had been done.

Once Xid made sure Viera could pick herself up off the floor, he took one more glance then started to rise upright. Back on his feet, the Padawan skirted back to Strego’s side to find the Jedi sitting up. The older man had started to work on standing when he was he near enough as the teen reached out his hand and pulled one of Strago’s arms over his neck. Taking a deep breath, the boy braced himself while he heaved as much as the Jedi’s weight as possible onto his thin body. He felt his knees shake a bit and threaten to once more give out from under him. He was starting to dislike this feeling of exhaustion when he started to feel himself crumble a bit.

Instinctively, Xid called out for help from Viera. “Oh, not good! Viera, a little help, please!”

Viera thought about the question as Xid began to pick up the older Jedi, mumbling shelf designations as she mentally sorted through the vast amount of stored information she’d been responsible for. Of course it was more her responsibility to know where certain topics were than to herself be a repository for the information, but in her spare time she had studied a number of the holobooks, and even a few of the actual Holocrons themselves. “Well, its been a generally accepted truth that Force sensitivity has at least some relation to genetics, as there have been a number of powerful Jedi dynasties in known history…” She trailed off as Xid called out for her help. She was hardly the strongest Jedi, but in his state it looked like any shoulder to lean on would be better than none. She rushed over to the pair, both exhausted and neither able to properly stand, and took most of Strago’s weight onto her own shoulders, crumpling slightly beneath his muscled form. “You need to be more careful Xid… You can't keep doing this to yourself…” she managed in between heavy breaths as she guided the trio towards Strago’s cell.

Xid felt his body give away almost until Viera arrived, taking some of the weight from him and chiding him. He just held on tighter to Strago to try to carry what he could. It was hard not to want to do more, his eyes found it hard to tolerant seeing the Jedi in the state or the fact he noticed the bite mark upon the shoulder. Teeth, needle and razor sharp, had punctured deeply. It took him a moment as the image of Sish' grinning face made his face pale a little.

Feeling the need to answer Viera, he began to answer her, his eyes unable to pull away from the bite mark. “I-it’s alright. I’m alright. I can’t leave him on the floor and I didn’t think Sish' apprentice was as cruel as her master. Maybe I was wrong.”

The last bit was spoken softly and in a slight regret.

Strago allowed much more of his weight to go onto Xid than he expected to, not used to feeling so weak. He didn’t pay much attention to the speaking between the two, his mind in somewhat of a daze at the moment, just making sure to be aware enough to make sure he didn’t fall, and moved in the right direction. A moment later he felt someone else grab him to help him, and he moved his head very slightly to see that it was Viera, not that he expected it to be anyone else. He shifted more of his weight onto her for a moment, wishing that he didn’t have to be a burden to the other two Jedi, but not letting pride get in the way of the more logical decision.

After a moment more, Strago began to move toward his cell, his mind mostly just focused on getting to his bed where he’d allow himself to pass out again. He tried not to move too fast to the point where it would be counter-productive, but he moved at a pace that was likely faster than expected, partly thanks to his legs being much less damaged than the rest of him along with wanting to get it done as fast as possible.

The trio quickly and awkwardly managed to transfer the the bulk of Strago onto his bed - such as it was. With the literal weight off her shoulders Viera checked his vitals, a somewhat unnecessary precaution, but automatic. Despite his unresponsiveness, he seemed in fairly good shape. He wouldn’t hurt himself or degrade from where he was, though he was far from healthy. Relieved that he would be fine, she shifted her attention back to the young padawan. She almost felt like checking his life-signs as well. He was giving too much of himself. But she’d already nagged him enough about that.

“Where was I?” she thought aloud. “Oh yes, the Jedi Dynasties. Our own current Grand Master, Satele Shan, is descended from a long line of Jedi that began with Bastila Shan, the hero of the Jedi civil war. Across recorded history, it is known that a child of two Force-sensitives will almost certainly be Force-sensitive themselves. That has been the subject of debate among the council quite a few times - the Jedi are guaranteed new members if they let marriages between Jedi take place, but allowing even love to occur in the order has been called risky by some of the masters…” She thought for a moment, mentally waving away the idea that the people she was talking about could well be one with the Force now. “I think the orders current relatively lax view on such things is probably due to the Shan line… Am I getting off topic? Sorry… I tend to talk a lot in bad situations. And this entire ship is a bad situation.”

Xid felt relieved when they made it to the cot, his body leaned in and settled Strago, the last of his strength seemed to vanished in the effort. His head felt a little light causing him to press his hand against the cell wall. When he touched the cold metal, he felt a slight comfort from the steady and firm texture as if supported by an old friend. It kept his world from spinning too much, providing a center to draw on. The Padawan held back a spark of frustration at his weakness to focus on What Viera said. Currently what Viera said, he already knew but that didn’t answer his question really. It didn’t tell him why the Grand Master’s lineage ended up being Jedi other than birth rite.

“It’s alright, but that doesn’t answer my question,” Xid admitted, trying to keep standing upright despite gravity pulling him down, “To me, it seems like Grand Master Satele Shan’s whole lineage became Jedi due to their parents before them. However, eliminate that, would the results be the same? I know Jedi and Sith connections to the force differ but why is something I don’t understand. Maybe I was too vague about it and I’m sorry about that. I was hoping you might have crossed over something that might explain that...”

Slowly the Padawan found his body lowering to the floor, his shoulder leaned against the wall heavily as he curled his knees under him. Today had been draining, both physically and mentally, on him. More than any mission had ever been. That didn’t bode well in Xid’s mind and likely the next day was going to be worse. Especially if the Sith that tortured him today came back tomorrow.

Viera was about to go on and elaborate about her limited knowledge of the Force, but when she looked at Xid she saw he was barely keeping his eyes focused. “You’ve pushed yourself too far Xid…” She said. She was worried about how much he might give of himself when she wasn’t around to make sure he kept himself alive. “Curiosity is good… But you need to sleep. You won't even remember what I’m telling you as you are now. Come on, go and sleep. I’ll help you to your bed if you need it.”

“Viera, I couldn’t sleep in this place even if I wanted to.” Xid said. In the same moment, his body pressed closer to the wall, his eyes sagged a bit because sleep threatened to close them. He was clearly fighting the exhaustion weighing him down but seemed to fail, truthfully unsure if he could stand at all. Worse off, it was hard to swallow how much had happened and what little he felt he did to help resulting him being left this way. Slowly he attempted to pull upward only make it a short distance and fall right back down.

“Besides, I don’t want you wearing yourself helping me back to bed…” He admitted with light chuckle.

Viera gave him a mock scowl at that “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m a Jedi, not an old lady. You, on the other hand, can barely stand on your own two feet right now. And if I have to mind trick you to get some rest, I will.” Her threat wasn’t meant cruelly, and her voice showed it, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t still do it. She walked over to him and picked him up by the arm, to help him steady himself for the short walk back to his cell.

Xid groaned softly at the idea and the woman’s frown, reasonable doubts she would crept into his mind. However, he didn’t see the point in risking it or arguing because neither were productive enough to prevent the outcome. When she walked over him, his head lifted to watch her aid him and support his limp body. It wasn’t likely hard since he didn’t weigh as much as Strago, the older Jedi built for combat while the Padawan seriously lacked in that area. His feet dragged his way back to his cell using Viera as a crutch until she helped him back into the cot and off the cold floor.

Once laying down, his eyes looked towards the woman for a request. “Could you talk to me? I need something to help me sleep, namely in this place unless you don’t want to… then I understand.”

Viera blinked in surprise. He wanted her to tell him… a bedtime story? That was slightly unexpected. She wasn’t used to padawans showing so much interest in stories or knowledge like that. But she did know some stories, after all, there were many great Jedi heroes recorded in the archives. She had to think for a moment to select one that didn’t start too terribly, but under Xids expectant gaze she quickly decided to tell one she knew well and omit the worst parts for now. “Let me tell you of the Jedi Exile, and how she restored our order to its glory after it was almost destroyed. Hers is a story of a single light amidst darkest darkness…”

Timestamp: 02:30 day 2 ATC

[Ellri]

Post 57, FallenReaper, Rtron | Jayda, Sish

It was..interesting to have to deal with a blindside now. Ever since the Jedi (who, Sish had to admit, was a worthy opponent) had blinded him, his perceptions had been..off. Combat had become more difficult than anticipated. Right now, he was about as threatening as a scurrier..fighting against a Rancor. It wasn't a feeling he liked and he was doing what he could to adapt to the situation he found himself in. Which is to say, extensively training, and failing, in the arenas. Much to the amusement of some of the Sith apprentices. Interestingly enough, they turned a variety of colors when he closed off their windpipes. Some left with claw marks, and new scars, around their throats. Some tried to run, and Sish didn't want to bother chasing them down.

Now, he wasn't watched as he trained any more. Apparently they didn't think it was funny any more. Regardless, his apprentice had finally been deemed recovered enough by the medical staff to let him 'visit'. Apparently, they weren't in the least bit intimidated by a tall, angry, Sith Lord Trandoshan who could snap their necks with a flick of his wrist if he so desired. That, or they were very, very good at hiding it.

Approaching the tank he began tapping. After all, she couldn't be left sleeping forever.

Click, click…

Something was tapping the glass, the sound dulled and vibrated around Jayda. Lazily her eyes scrunched tighter, trying to block out the annoying noise. It only persisted until she heard the slight crackle, the glass strained when too much pressure was applied, happened. Slowly her eyes shifted open. [i]“It figured” she thought bitterly. Her mood soured upon seeing who or what had woke her. Beyond the small crack was Sish… the lizard’s grinning and predatory smile flashed at her, his newly bloodied claw had pushed on the thick glass separating them.

He looked different. His one eye stared at her as the other was sealed close and slightly healed, useless now from what seemed to be a light saber wound. ”[/i]What the fuck had he been doing? she mentally snarled, her teeth bared under the plastic air mask at seeing his injuries. Not out of concern but rather her own selfish reasons. She was truly starting to wonder if he wanted to die before she had a chance to kill him by being so fucking reckless! Jayda closed her eyes for a moment, her mind trying to gather the emotions she earlier so desperately hung onto and seal them away. She needed to be level minded or likely risk an emotional outburst, something that was ill-advised in her current state.

It took a moment or two for the apprentice to gather her surroundings, namely where she was, reaching for information through what senses she could. Weightlessness and the sensation of being submerged meant she was in likely in a Kolto chamber, something of a surprise to her. It meant someone had wasted the chance to be rid of an impure. This unsettled the Apprentice because it meant something else might've been brewing, a darker plot.

Another thing she noted was her attire. Her clothes had been removed, exposing the Zabrak’s body far too much for her liking and now she was forced to face the past results. A simple, low cut tanktop and tight fitting shorts were all that saved Jayda from being completely naked within the tank’s confines, both completely black. Jagged scars, Sish' handiwork, worked their way from the side of her face down along the neck and over almost all her body. So many times new scars had run over the lines of the old ones, shredding the skin, until nothing but raw, sloppy texture was left behind. The muscle definition had suffered the worse yet it still functioned fine. Sish didn't want a crippled apprentice after all or a useless one. There were clear signs of both starvation and chunks removed in her lean figure, a reminder it would never be able to grow back to its original pristine. At least in Jayda’s eyes and that was least of the pain, bits of her face jato edges and all her jat’i along her back were practically skinned off. It erased ties to her clan and past that were gone forever.

Now done taking full stock of herself, her wound also partly patched to hasten healing, Jayda realized she was once more at Sish' mercy. She won’t have been surprised if he savored the fact she couldn’t escape or blow him off. He seemed to in the past. The Trandoshan would stop briefly in the middle of torture just to preach his beliefs on her like with the Padawan, just to ensure she was focused on his words before starting again when she didn't break or seemed to take to them. The only difference between now and then was there wasn’t bars that separated them but glass.

At the look on her face at seeing him, Sish' smile only grew wider. She obviously still hated him as much as ever. Good. Hatred was a strong emotion, useful for driving someone to achieve goals. In this case, his death. Now that he was sure she wouldn't ignore him, it was time to find out what exactly had happened. While he wasn't so naive as to believe that the Sith didn't kill each other for nothing more than being in the way, he didn't believe that he and his apprentice(in the loosest sense of the word) were a threat, or in the way. They were just on the ship to get a ride back to Korriban.

The camera had shown two interesting things. The device Jayda was using had been pushed beyond limit it should have been pushed and exploded, and Jayda moved to protect the Jedi. He would have written the former off as carelessness on Jayda's part, overeagerness to torture the Jedi perhaps. But, Jayda wasn't careless. Even when she should be wild, vicious, more beast than sentient, she kept things rigidly controlled. It was both a benefit and a detriment in Sish' eyes. The latter...he would wait for her account before making any judgements on that.

Tapping the glass once more to make sure he had her attention, and to remind her that she couldn't ignore him, he asked a simple question, “What happened?”

Something told her to tread carefully, maybe it was the grin that just didn't seem to scream 'I'm happy you're alive' sort of message. “The Taser device exploded, sabotaged by someone. Likely some Sith that felt I didn't belong on this ship or was too impure to live. They didn't do their research or they would've set the explosion higher unless they wanted to kill the Jedi before I was done with him.”

Jayda's eyes closed, fighting the urge to wince when she moved slightly and bit back the pain. Her eyes glances down to the slight blood that leaked from her wound, it's reddish color floated upward then dissolved. Thankfully by now the VRS13 had left her system and no longer enhanced the pain she experienced.

“Some of it is still a blur as I've not had a chance to think on it. Bits like the Taser malfunction and the Jedi somehow getting close enough to plunge the syringe straight into my neck, injecting me. Then flashing back to waking up while they were jerking the metal piece from my side and almost considered breaking an medical staff's wrist is for the moment all I can recall at the moment.” Jayda felt she was missing pieces, the part from the integration and shielding the Jedi to engaging him in a fight before blacking out not yet jogged back. She inhaled; her mind probed for clues and lost images to aid her.


Pulling her mind from it for a moment, Jayda snarled. “Though it seems you're trying to get yourself killed already from looks of it. Are you that desperate for death that you can't wait?”

Sish shrugged. “Your escaped prisoner proved to be a competent fighter. I subdued him, but not without the Jedi leaving his mark.” The Trandoshan gestured to his eye with another grin.”[/i] Caution never suits me. As for death, not necessarily eager, but I expect you to kill me or I would have been wasting my time training you.”[/i] His grin faded. “As for someone trying kill you, as soon as you're out of the Kolto Tank we'll begin searching for them. When we find them we'll kill them, of course. If they had just tried to kill you in a straight duel, I wouldn't get involved. But, they tried to kill you through an underhanded tactic and, despite your hate of me, you are still my apprentice. I don't appreciate their assassination attempt.”

Jayda rolled her eyes at his retelling about how he became blind in one eye thanks to the Jedi, something that irritated her far greater than it should've. Namely that it was her own moment of weakness nearly costing her revenge and not willing to allow it to happen again. He would die at her hand, and hers alone. When he mentioned providing his aid, she gritted her teeth and growled at his offer.

“You realize we're at the mercy of the Darth upon this ship right? Killing another Sith, even in combat, is more likely to end up a death sentence. As much as I want to stuff the Taser down the one responsible throat and then cut him or her into pieces, I'm not as willing to be arrested then killed.” Jayda hissed, her emotions bitten back to think clearly. She wasn't stupid and getting killed was more wasteful when it didn't at least aid her in the final goal.

Sish held up a claw. “Only if we do it blatantly. Subtlety isn't my strong point, but even I can set up something so we can kill the Sith responsible and shift the blame. Most likely on another Jedi. Unless you'd prefer to wait until they finally figure out how to kill you?” He tilted his head, pondering something. A few moments passed before he spoke. “Unless the Jedi can heal himself, or others can heal him, he just might die. My mouth isn't exactly clean and infections are rather easy to get when a Trandoshan sinks his teeth into your neck. Then again, you sacrificed your body for him in the explosion. Saved him, really.” It was said casually enough. But a glitter in the lizard's eye warned of the consequences of poorly chosen words.

She fought the urge to groan. He was making it a chore to ensure both of them were able to live the next day, the whole point was to be quiet about it. If wasn't for the fact she hadn't gaged Sish' power or she would've attempted something. Now wasn't the time to blow her control and give into rage, not when someone had clearly attempted to kill her. Her eyes suddenly narrowed upon Sish as he mentioned something that confused her, something about sacrificing her body to protect her victim. A dread filled her when the image flickered across her mind from the last few seconds before the explosion. It seemed to hit her like a brick wall that she hadn't realize it, believing she had killed off any remnants of her light long ago. Worst yet, Sish had noted it.

“You heard Minder repeat the orders from the Sith in charge. The Darth requires live subjects and if the Jedi had died in the explosion, any information he had would've been lost or blame from his death could've been placed on my hide. Namely since the proof, the malfunctioned Traser, is now likely a smoldering bit of trash.” Jayda said firmly and added. “Besides, I wasn't done with him.”

She didn't waver, though she noted the Trandoshan's hand had lingered dangerously close to his lightsaber. The Zabrak inwardly braced herself for the worse as she let the time tick by, waiting for his answer. The only question was simple: would he kill her, something she didn't fear, or accept her answer? Either way, she wasn't simply going out without a fight.

Sish considered her, gauging her response. For a minute, he didn't seem to believe her. Then, his face cleared and he smiled. “ I can accept that. Though, try not to be so eager next time. The would be assassin may not have to try so hard if you keep offering yourself up to them. Also, I would suggest you begin looking for another emotion to drive you. Hate is powerful, but when I'm dead and gone, you won't have enough of it to fuel your own powers again. Don't be like the Jedi, or most Sith for that matter, and assume the only power of the Dark Side is negative emotions.” He seemed about to go on, when he made a negating measure.

“I would take this opportunity to try and make some of my lesson's stick beyond how to kill me, but something tells me that they won't. Regardless, try not to die before you can truly kill me. I'd hate to have to start from scratch because of a careless move on your part.”

She tightened her lips, her eyes seemed heated at his words. The anger was white hot as it filled her core, heating her center at his last remark. He was the one likeliest to die from the rate he was going. The Kolto tank bubbled a bit, swirling slightly from the anger wafting off her and pressed at the glass. Memories flashed in her head from the four years, forcing her relive those moments she kept under lock and key, feeding her hatred and mood. It only cracked her inner walls a fraction but it was enough to affect the fragile container. A new creak skated across the previous one Sish had made. One from the tank's inside followed by Jayda's words.

“I won't be a Sith like you... I want nothing of you left to remember.” Her voice was cold, the cracking ceased when she started to mend the crack.

“You'd forget your brother then? You know, the weakling who I left in many pieces all over the ground? You can't remember him without remembering who killed him, and how much pain he must have been in before he died.” The Trandoshan's eye drew closer. His voice spoke softly. “Judging from his screams, he was in a rare amount of agony. Iridonians are tough, but some are weaker than others. Your brother didn't even get to half of what I put you through. I wonder, how could you have loved such a pathetic slime enough to chase me across the galaxy and fight three Wookies to try and avenge him?”

“I can't even imagine the amount of sniveling and whining he did. Then again, perhaps you didn't come after me for your brother. Perhaps that was just a convenient excuse. Perhaps you and I are far more alike than you want to admit.” He was grinning again, that same predatory grin she had seen from the time of her trials to the time of her apprenticeship.

She found it difficult to push her anger and hate back into its box, but she managed it. Somehow or someway, Jayda had just locked it when he started about her brother. When his eye drew closer, her purple eyes watched him and fought back the desire to send a force push to shatter the glass. He won't win, she said, repeating it once more.

“If I was anything like you then it's likely I would've been dead before now.” She commented in a neutral tone. “At the rate you're going... you won't be alive for much longer and unlike you, I don't aim to die because of my own stupidity. I learn from my mistakes...something you're not too bright at. I'll make sure to watch the light leave your eyes at least in your dying moments. I'll kill you by any means.”

Sish laughed, his eye glittering with amusement. “You have to be somewhat like me, even if you hate to admit it. After all, I taught you how to fight. As for watching the light leave my eye, I'd be disappointed if you didn't. A sign of weakness I failed to stamp out while helping you sharpen your skills to kill me. Who knows. Maybe I'd stick around as a Force Ghost. Careful not to give me reason to try and stamp out weakness even after you kill me. I might just defy death itself to do so. Think about it. My ghost following you for the rest of your life. It would be a fun experience for one of us. Of course, if you actually do prove yourself strong enough to stay, I'll slip away and never bother you again.” He leaned back. “Enough of this, you need to recover quickly, before they decide to take another crack at you.” And with that, he left.

Jayda just stared after Sish' retreating back, her mind fixed on the twisted enjoyment in his eye. When he finally vanished the small crack in the tank had spider webbed from where she bore a hole through the glass. It cracked and splintered, finally stopped when she closed her eyes. One day... his venom would be the cause of his demise, her mind only set on that single goal, unable to bring herself to think about the future beyond that.

[Ellri]

Post 58A, Frettzo, FallenReaper, Sundered Echo | Kinsa, Xid, Jewel | Part I

PoV: Jewel
Jewel Namore awoke with a start, her hand already on her Lightsaber ready to defend herself from potential attackers. Her eyes scanned the room searching for a target and found… nothing. Her alarm was beeping softly, as it was set to when either someone intruded into her rooms or the allotted time for awakening came, and she relaxed only slightly when she saw that it was the latter. Until she determined the mettle of the other Sith onboard, there could be no relaxation. She did not waste time preparing for the day - there was much to do. There always was.

During the night, Imperial Intelligence had monitored the Jedi and compiled character profiles of their apparent tendencies. Anything formed this quickly may well be wrong, but it was at least something to work with for Jewel to select her next pair of targets. She read them over he morning meal, eager to get her torture duties out of the way. As well as this, she was provided with a report of the previous nights events, most of which she disregarded as ‘expected.’ One thing did catch her eye though, was that the Zabrak apprentice Jayda had been injured severely enough to be placed in a Kolto tank for an extended stay. That could prove problematic, and did not show any strength. For a moment Jewel thought that her initial assessment might have been wrong, that the Zabrak wouldn’t be adequate to kill her master. She’d have to reinforce the plan with extra failsafes now. But that was a task for later.

Of the Jedi that remained, the one that had seemed to be a friend of Calista intrigued her most. The file listed her name as Kinsa, as well as the unfortunate fact that she was a Twi'lek. That meant she could never be truly respected, but she would at the least prove to be useful in breaking her friend. A few quick taps on her gauntlet controls and a squad of Imperial troopers was already on standby to fetch the Jedi. That meant selecting a second Jedi. There weren’t as many to choose from as Jewel would have liked. Tolun Fi was off the list, he seemed like he might be able to fight her both physically and philosophically. Taking Calista again would likely be detrimental, she needed a visit with the lizard first. Allanar was Nyiss’ pet project, and Jewel knew better than to interfere with the darths plans. A quick read showed that there was one Jedi who seemed to give of himself to a sickening degree. He would be perfect.

She had to admit to some desire to crush such selflessness as well. It was the antithesis of being Sith, and it made her feel sick to know that someone could consider others so much more important than themselves.

The trip to the Cell block was mercifully swift. The ships layout wasn’t so bad once you learned it. Of course the Jedi would have trouble with that, as they didn’t have access to the overhead maps like Jewel did. A quick hand signal and the troopers stormed into the Cell blocks, no doubt waking up all the Jedi that had been trying to sleep.

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PoV: Kinsa

---

“Ugh…” Kinsa muttered, her shivering arms carefully wrapped around herself in an attempt to keep warm. While many slept, she kept awake. It was not out of choice, but because every time she managed to fall asleep, she’d move onto her left side and the pain from her arm would flare up, waking her up and making her sit up.

So now she just did what she could. Covering herself in the awkward sheets the cell came with ended up making her sweat, and not covering herself made her get cold. She was barely clothed at all, only with a simple Kolto Tank uniform, stained with blood on one side, and slightly charred on the other. She was cold, in pain and slightly annoyed. But she was still slightly relieved from her previous talk with Calista. Having a friend nearby who she could speak to made wonders, and not only because that friend healed her fractured arm, but because the words she spoke helped Kinsa reassert her spirit.

“She did seem bothered… I wonder why?” She softly asked herself, sighing after a few seconds.

Then, the distant sound of unison stomping feet came to her ears. At first she had dismissed it as a product of her mind, since she had barely gotten three hours of sleep. But she realized it was far more than that once the sound grew louder and closer, only to break and form various quick footsteps, followed by the quick incursion of three troopers.

“Ah!” Kinsa gasped, instinctively tightening her self-embrace and immediately recoiling at the slight pain which followed. She jumped up from her sitting position in her surprise, until she managed to get herself together.

“U-Um… Fine. I know.” She said, voice wavering slightly, though she made her fair share of effort to keep a calm expression on her face and body.

One of the troopers walked out, while the other two grabbed her by the arms and initially dragged her along, until she caught up in pace, and was led out of the cell block. Suddenly she felt self-conscious and humiliated. Something she had not felt before on this ship… Walking around in the Tank attire was shameful, and she could only wish she was so rudely treated to be taken to a shower and given her old attire. Though she knew it was a ‘too good to be possible’ wish.

---

PoV: Xid

---

The Padawan passed the night into a heavy sleep in the cell where time didn’t seem to exist. It was a dreamless sort, casted by exhaustion and the sound of Viera’s voice, which soon had him drifting off and left curled up among the bunk’s thin blanket. Xid slightly stirred when the loud hiss from the Bulkdoors can open causing his head, blond hair all a mess, to jerk up in fear. He felt the instant panic slightly fade into worry upon spotting the troopers rushing into the Cell block. Slowly a question began to bud in his calming mind, but was quickly answered when they marched right up to his own room and waltzed right in. Already, partly driven awake by the adrenaline that raced in his veins, Xid had shifted his body upright to pull himself out of bed. His boots gingerly touched the floor and took a moment to lean over the side, despite the shout to wake, until a trooper reached for him. Xid flinched at the rough hand that tightened around his shoulder, pushed his hunched form from his bed and up on his feet. He nearly stumbled twice yet managed to stay upright against their pushing towards the exit. With each step, the boy’s mind tried to hasten his mind to wake while biting back an urge to yawn.
He was lucky he had slept in his full attire or he doubted the escort would’ve allowed him to even get his boots on. Every time he dragged his feet, Xid felt the shove of a hand usher him onwards and at a faster pace. The boy managed to comply enough to cease the handling as his eyes looked ahead, his eyes widened when a familiar purple Twi’lek just coming out of her Cell block. He blinked once then twice, a weak attempt to see if he was seeing things, unable to remove his focus from her: Kinsakwi.
“Kinsakwi?” Xid couldn’t help but let the name slip past his lips.

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

“Xid?” She asked back to the boy- Another padawan. She could remember him. For a moment, she felt joy at knowing that another one of them was alive, but the joy was quickly erased as one of the troopers pulled her hard to keep up.

“You’re alive!” She said with a subtle smile.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

So they knew each other. This was unexpected turn of events, one that Jewel would have to be careful to turn to her advantage. It could easily slip the other way and reinforce their hope if she didn’t manage it perfectly. As they walked, she noticed several of the soldiers gawking at the Twi'leks semi-naked form, and had to fight down the urge to throw them into the wall with the Force for it. Instead, she chose the one that seemed most taken with the purple girl and sent him away. “You.” She said, gesturing at him. “Fetch a set of robes for this Jedi and meet us at the destination.” She kept her voice calm, locking away her anger. It was useful to lower the Jedi’s morale through letting them be exposed so, but Jewel would not stand for the continued humiliation, even if it was an alien Jedi woman.

Of course the Jedi might find it strange to be dressed in Sith attire, and that in itself was demoralising enough.

They reached the Arena quickly enough, with Jewel leading them through the winding corridors too quickly for them to get any bearings. The soldier was waiting at the door to the arena with the robes. “Here. Put these on. Quickly.”

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PoV: Kinsa

---

Seeing the robes offered to her was a relief. She had taken notice of the glances given her way a minute ago, and it was very uncomfortable, given her state of dress. But why was the Sith offering her a set of robes? She took notice that they were Sith robes, and not her old clothes. There must have been a reason behind the kindness.

But she was not going to refuse this. She followed the Sith’s order as quickly as she could, and in no time, she was fully dressed in the dark robes. She had no idea how the trooper had gotten it right, but the size was just perfect.

“... Thank you, Sith.” She muttered after some hesitation. Why was she saying those words? They were the ones that had caused her all of her recent pain and humiliation. Why did her feel thankful, then, to this one Sith, who was most likely not any different than the lot of them?

---

PoV: Xid

---

Xid just gave Kinsa a small smile and a nod, inwardly glad his presence made her day brighter, even if the circumstances were less than ideal. He was truthfully surprised she remembered him. It had been so long, almost years that seemed longer, that he didn’t expect a reply. Merely a look but now wasn’t the time to feel joy, he reminded himself. He managed to find his mind in a more awakened state while they walked, his eyes kept with hers, not once realizing her attire had drawn the unwanted attention from the soldiers. It wasn’t until Sith spoke. Suddenly the Padawan’s guilt washed over him when he realized what Kinsa has been forced to be in, his teeth bit his lip in his averted glance. Saying sorry didn’t seem enough.

Finally they arrived. Xid had tried to keep his bearings, attempted to mark corridors in his mind but failed. Going between trying not feel Kinsa feel embarrassed in case she thought he would stare and keep up with the pace, he had too much to focus on to keep track. Just another flaw, he thought bitterly about himself. When one of the troopers handed Sith robes to Kinsa, the Twi’lek thanked the Sith, Xid couldn’t help looking at the woman. A nasty feeling, a distant and familiar one, seemed to edge over his heart. He didn’t think it was generosity as it was a selfish reason. It was one that currently escaped him and instead he took a breath, bracing for something to happen. Namely the Sith’s point of bring them to this place, his eyes never left the Sith.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

Jewel smiled ever so slightly at the idea of a Jedi thanking a Sith, and at the confusion that flashed behind the purple Twi’leks eyes. They were off to an excellent start already. She touched the control panel to the Arena door and motioned the Jedi in. Like before, there would be mundane prisoners, but they were being held in a nearby room this time. Once the two Jedi had entered, she followed, closing the door behind them. “Not all Sith are monsters. I will not be physically harming you today, if you do not force me too. I am Lord Namore. I already know your names.” She made a point of looking at each Jedi as she spoke to prove the sincerity of her words.

---

PoV: Xid

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“Just because Sith aren’t evil or monsters, doesn’t make what they do any better…” Xid spoke simply.

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PoV: Jewel

---

Jewel let the interruption pass. “And a Jedi’s supposed moral purity does not make their actions good by definition. Please, sit.” It was figurative to have them below her, not really for their comfort. But she also had to make them believe they were able to act fairly freely here. “I know you’ve both encountered my… colleague, the Trandoshan. I must ask, how did his actions make you feel? I don’t mean pain. We can all feel pain. But when you think about him now, how do you feel?”

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PoV: Kinsa

---

This was a certain clash. All her life with the Jedi, she had been told the Sith were lost to the Dark Side, even that they were murderous. This couldn’t be a Sith. Why was this… Lord… Telling them to sit down in such a polite manner? Then she mentioned the Sith of her nightmares. The Trandoshan, the one who had more than one session with her already, the one who broke her arm with a bite, the one who broke quite a few ribs, the one who cut off her finger…

Surprisingly it wasn’t anger that she felt, but sadness. So many years in training, and a Sith could just do whatever he wanted with her. “Why do you want to know, Lord Namore?” She asked, referring to the Sith by title as a way to repay for her respect and helpfulness. Not to mention that being seen as reasonable could have a positive outcome in the future.

---

PoV: Xid

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Xid didn’t say another word, instead he fell into silence like back on Belsavis with his master. He allowed Kinsa to speak, his mind didn’t judge her or let his guard down. When the Lord Sith politely told them to sit upon the arena floor, he got a flash of being a Youngling again and shook the memory away before he slowly lowered himself to the ground. His legs crossed under him, facing the Sith, feeling rather odd to being so in the presence of one fallen to the Darkness. However, he knew there was little he could do and so far, obedience had served him better. Her question was odd to him, the subject about Sish and how he felt thinking about. He wasn’t liking this in the least but he had no reason for why. It was hard not to note how Kinsa had started to act respectively to Namore, his mind slightly confused but said nothing in regards to it. To be truthful with himself, he doubted any words from him would change anything.

He was saved from answering when Kinsa spoke, asking for the reason, letting the Sith a moment to answer her.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

Jewel thought for a moment. The question was, in reality, a weighted one to try and bring their emotions, preferably hate, to the fore. It wasn’t working as intended, she could feel that much. Still, she couldn’t just tell them that. Thankfully, she was an accomplished liar. “Curiosity. For all that I have suffered, I have never been at the mercy of such a monstrous creature. As well, I wonder if you Jedi can feel at all. Expressing emotion is what differentiates us from mindless droids.”

---

PoV: Xid

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Xid couldn’t help the frown that crossed his lips, inwardly bite his tongue against the comment on droids. Just because people failed to see the similarities and erase those traits, it didn’t make them less than human. He tried to remain still while the Sith explained it was out of curiosity about them. He felt a need to correct her yet talking might make it hard to stop and that might not be a good thing. His eyes shifted to the floor instead, not wanting to speak.

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PoV: Kinsa

---

‘Something doesn’t quite feel right… Oh no, she mentioned droids were mindless!’ She thought, quickly looking at Xid to gauge his reaction, biting her own lower lip for a split second. As soon as she saw the frown, she turned back to the Sith, and spoke after a bit of thought. “The Trandoshan… Why do you keep such a monster close to you, if you hold that opinion of him? And… droids are as mindless as we make them… Someone taught me that long ago.”

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PoV: Jewel

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“You’ve not answered my question Kinsa. Your friend appears to be content in silence, but if you are going to speak, I suggest you at least try to answer me.” This was not how things were meant to go. Something in her earlier comment had sparked an unexpected reaction. Along with the Jedi’s sudden defense of droids and her glance at Xid it made Jewel begin to think he might be the one Minder had spoken about. The tech-savant. That would certainly be an interesting turn of events. Her voice softened then. “Perhaps if you answer my question, I will answer yours. How does Lord Sish make you feel?”

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

The Sith suddenly became more… Strict. At least, it felt like that. Kinsa might’ve stumbled upon territory the Sith didn’t like, but there was no way to know. The way the Sith spoke made Kinsa want to just… Relax. But she knew she couldn’t do it. But the feeling was there. So what was she to do? There was no weakness in revealing her true mental state in a situation like this, it was in fact the most sensible thing to do. She outstretched her left hand’s fingers and looked at them. She counted them. One… Two… Three… Four. her ring finger wasn’t there anymore, she felt like she would be able to move it, but it just wasn’t there. She frowned, then looked at the Sith.

“Sad… I guess, afraid?” She simply said, shrugging.

---

PoV: Xid

---

The young Padawan liked the fact she remembered his little… insight into machines. His slight relaxation in posture became tense when Xid noticed her finger then. His body started to move a little closer as he studied it, the notion of being an idiot seemed to weigh on him. He had seen wounds, from cuts to mutilations and worse before, at least days after. For some strange reason it was harder to stomach the image on someone he had met. His face seemed to show how sorry he was for her loss and remind him of that painfully reoccurring thing: he was helpless, unable to solve the problem even when he had the skills.

“I just wish I knew what made him that way…” Xid said, more to Kinsa then Namore.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

Why couldn’t Jedi just react like normal human beings? Somehow, despite all that the monstrous Sish had put both of them through, they didn’t feel anger, much less hate. This Xid human even felt sympathy. Jewel began to wonder if they were lost causes, but before she could make a rash decision she remembered that Kinsa had said she was afraid. Fear was something she could work with. It wasn’t ideal, but it was what she had. “And you should certainly be afraid. You may not survive his next visit, or the one after that. He is little more than an animal, and his restraint is lacking. Why do I tolerate his presence? The simple answer is that I don’t.”

She walked to Kinsa and knelt in front of her, speaking softly. “Kinsakwi'teksa” She said, being careful to pronounce the aliens name correctly, “I could keep you safe from him you know. Make sure he doesn’t hurt you anymore. In time, I could even have your finger replaced. There aren’t even any strings attached. You need only ask.” Standing and walking to the middle of the arena, she prepared to order the prisoners to be brought in, waiting only to see if the Jedi had anything interesting to say in reply.

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

The Sith Lord’s answer to her question wasn’t something she had expected, but it made sense that the Sith said something like that. She was trying to scare Kinsa, and it was working. The possibility of dying in this ship scared her, the mere possibility of having to see the Trandoshan again scared her. But it was when the Sith knelt in front of her that she looked around, avoiding her gaze.

The offer was wrapped in hidden objectives and reasons, reasons that Kinsa couldn’t manage to see, but she knew they were there. She just had to make sure that none of her mind tricks got to her. She had to remind herself that her Master was out there somewhere, probably counting on Kinsa to not do anything dumb.

“No strings attached?” She asked, slightly surprised and pleased that the Sith managed to pronounce her name properly.

“I just don’t want to see him again.”

---

PoV: Xid

---

Xid’s brow furrowed a bit at the continuing kindness of Namore. The Sith’s focus turned upon Kinsa now, ignoring Xid, the Padawan’s guess was because his answer hadn’t been the one that she was looking for or something else. He thought about his words a bit and soon realized how he might’ve sounded. Sympathetic. Something far from the truth. Those that had grown to know, like his master, wouldn’t have jumped to such conclusions about his word choice. He saw his question as more of an inquiry for the problem’s root then pity. Something he could attempt to fix or make sense of Sish’s hatred towards Jedi. Unless it was DNA, then it was unlikely Xid could do anything to change it.

It was pointless to correct himself now.

Alarm bells seemed to blare into his head when Namore focused on Kinsa’s fear. The Sith’s boots clipped across the floor, bring the Lord to keel in before Kinsakwi and then, gently extended some generosity in a soft voice. Hairs on his neck nape stood erect immediately at the scene. In the back of his mind, Xid couldn’t help wondering the price as his head turned, watching the Sith bring herself near the Twi’lek. Something about this had stirred an unexplained sensation of doom with it. With this woman, the requests made could require anything and that was what the Padawan dreaded the most. His mind was careful not let the emotion run rampant inside, instead just kept his guard up, until the woman rose again to her feet to stand in the arena’s middle.

Xid spoke, softly to his fellow Padawan. “I have a bad feeling about this. She reminds me of someone…”

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PoV: Kinsa

---

Kinsa spared a glance towards him, nodding, before turning back to look at the Sith Lord.

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PoV: Jewel

---

Jewels hand paused just above the button as the Jedi spoke. She looked at Kinsa with a smile as she said precisely what Jewel expected. Finally, she was reacting like a person. The fear that washed over her was almost palpable. “Then you shall be exempt from his visits.” With that, Jewel pressed the button and ordered the prisoners in.

Three haggard looking humans were pushed in by the guards and herded to the middle of the arena around Jewel, where they were shoved to the ground. There were two men and a woman, the woman in what seemed to be the robes of a minor senator, though they were tattered and showed obvious signs of battle damage. “These three were captured in your senate building. Imperial Intelligence has finished with them, and advised an execution-” One of the men shuddered at that. “But I have other plans. These three could easily become citizens of the Empire, where they would be safe and live out satisfying lives on one of our core worlds.” Jewel then walked to the edge of the Arena and pulled a pair of swords from the wall-racks, jagged, heavy pieces of sharpened metal formed in shapes meant to inspire fear.

“I’m sure they’d prefer to live.” Jewel said as she tossed the swords to the two Jedi. “But unfortunately, there is a rather hungry beast below the Arena that requires blood. My Master has instructed me not to leave until it has tasted blood, and no-one else will enter either.” Another press of a button on her control panel and a trio of Imperial Battle droids emerged from what amounted to closets in the walls, each carrying a similar weapon to the one Jewel had just given the Jedi. “It seems a shame to waste potential upstanding citizens of the Empire to me. Maybe you ought to save them?”

With that, the droids began to advance on the trio of prisoners, murder in their cold, lifeless eyes. Jewel had programed them to ignore the Jedi, except to parry blows when they could. It was important to her they not be hurt by means other than the hand of a fellow Jedi.

---

PoV: Xid

---

It seemed Xid’s feeling had some merit to it when he spotted the three people being ushered into the arena. Their ragged and damaged forms, signs of struggle and battle showed clear on their robes, hit the ground hard after pushed towards the arena center. He could hear his heart in his chest thumping harshly while Namore calmly explained the reason three prisoners were currently here. The Sith made her way to area’s edge and pulling twin swords built for crude destruction, her hands weighed them before tossing one at Kinsakwi and then him when he stood up. Xid caught it in a clumsy fashion. He wasn’t a fighter after all, but he couldn’t stand back and allow the citizens to be slaughtered. Immediately, the droids reacted and he gripped the blade hilt tighter.

He noted the balance difference in the weapon he wielded, the end dripped towards the ground as oppose to his own light saber. Still he resisted the urge to just cast the thing aside because it would leave him vulnerable, his feet pushed toward the attacking droids. Without considering the consequences, he raised his hand up; the blade tip fell to the ground, and focused upon the nearest droid. It stalled, seemingly to have difficulty in moving, as spark shoot from its wiring with a subtle hiss. In moments the droids eyes dulled while its frame slumped, completely deactivated. Xid felt sweat pour down his face a bit, slightly drained, and feeling it was best not to try that again.

“I’m sorry…” He mumbled before back, and shouting to Kinsakwi. “Aim for the back of the head, there’s a link there for the basic functions that routes out to the limbs. Hit it dead on. It’ll kill them quickly and painlessly-”

He was interrupted when instead of attacking, the droid moved toward his side. Its blade once upraised had slightly lowered as it tried to redirect its path, its eyes fixed on the prisoners. No...no, Xid realized it wasn’t going to attack him. “Kinsakwi… they’re targeting the prisoners.”

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PoV: Kinsa

---

The moment the Lord gave them the swords, pushed Kinsa back into alarm. Sometime she had relaxed. She had relaxed way too much for her own liking, and swiftly grabbing the sword mid air brought her back. The prisoners were there, humans, and one looked to be part of the Senate… Why was a Senator alive, and a common citizen not? All members of the Senate were a bunch of corrupt figures. She held no sympathy for the Senator, but instead she looked at the other two.

Then the battle droids were revealed to them, and the Sith revealed herself to just be another manipulator. But Kinsa had no time to think, she just had time to act. So, gripping the disturbing tool of warfare that was the sword, she entered the stance she had been taught through the years. The opening stance of Ataru was fairly simple, but even a simple stance like that was made more difficult by the heavy weapon. She was used to the particular weightlessness of her Lightsaber, not the painfully real and physical weight of metal.

Xid was quicker than Kinsa, and he had attacked the battle droids first, evidently having a hard time as well with the blade’s weight. He managed to take down the droid quickly enough, and turned to give her instructions on how to do it.

She turned to look at the droid that moved past Xid just as he had his brilliant epiphany. “I know!” She answered, then took in a deep breath, and charged at the droid closer to the prisoners, jumping over the droid in a force-assisted flip in the middle and hastily swinging at the dangerous droid.

At first, she was surprised at the blade’s inertia once she began her series of moves, and once the blade hit the spot, it kept moving.

The droid slumped to the floor, and so did Kinsa, falling to her knees as she attempted to regain her footing.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

Jewel watched as the two Jedi tried desperately to save the prisoners. They were making a valiant attempt, but it was clear that neither were particularly able combatants, at least not with the Sith training blades she’d given them. The Third droid quickly covered the ground between it and the prisoners and raised its blade to attack. Jewel made an imperceptible adjustment to a control on her gauntlet, for two reasons. First, It would not do to have a prisoner die so soon, then she wouldn’t have an excuse to force the Jedi to fight each other. Second, Xid had used a Force power that seemed overly effective against the droid considering how weak he seemed in combative powers. Combined with his ability to instantly figure out a weak point on the droid where the Republic scientists had taken months. She’d found the Tech-savant, Minders little prize. She wanted to see what he could do.

The Droid, instead of striking down one of the prisoners, hesitated, its programing forced to stop where otherwise it would strike. Jewel watched Xid very carefully for a reaction then, largely ignoring the fallen Twi’lek who couldn’t even wield a practice blade.

---

PoV: Xid

---

Xid raised an eyebrow when Kinsakwi replied. Her body shifted into a familiar posture then jumped over the droid and swung, making him slightly flinch at the action. It made him realize his lack in clarity and this time corrected himself. “You misunderstood… they’re only aim to kill the prisoners, not us! That’s what I meant by targeting! If we keep between them and their target, it gives us the advantage because they aren’t targeting us!”
His eyes shifted, noting the Twi'lek’s body had fallen down to her knees and he wasn’t doing much better with the sword himself. Forget it, he inwardly spat, taking the chance. His hands dropped his own weapon, the metal’s sound vibrated in his ears, in his wake. Each step rushed along, desperate to bring him closer when the Droid reached them, the prisoners huddle together defensively, bracing for the worse. It brought its blade up but it stopped. There was moment hesitation in the swing. He noted it a split second before he brought his body alongside it, his hand raised to the wiring in the side arm. That didn’t seem to sit well with the bot at all. Its metal skeleton shook when he brushed the red item. He felt it push him away, his middle clashed with the hard substance that sent him slamming into the ground. But he didn’t remove his grasp, fingertips managed to brush the wiring and tightening, ripping it free on his fall.
The arm went limp and ceased to move. To him, it was like tearing out the source of life in a living creature. Metal hydraulics and wiring were nothing more than tendons and nerves, once in seized beneath the plating, they were easily broken as he just fluidly done. Inside he bared pain beyond words. Liquid spurted from the ruptured wires, the coloring staining his clothes like black blood but he didn’t stop. No matter what, even if he managed to immobilize it, he didn’t want to risk it being ordered after the prisoners once more. Its arm useless now, the droid had managed to shake him off. It shifted the sword’s weight to its good arm. Back to its original task, it altered course towards the huddle trio. And again, Xid moved upright. Ignoring the pain from his rough push away, he turned to the bot’s back then jerked his hand out. He shifted where it felt right, finding a crease where that gut feeling was strongest, and without pausing to think he shoved his hand in to grab hold the wire cluster. He could feel his hand shaking while he ended the machine’s life…

One of the things that bothered him most was how easy it was for him.

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

“Well, why didn’t you say so before?” She asked as she rose to her feet, only to see Xid already ahead of her, having somehow deactivated the last droid. “I could have managed these droids with a lightsaber.” She whispered to herself, fidgeting around slightly to get accustomed to the weight of the blade, before glancing towards the three scared prisoners. Now that the imminent danger had passed, she was curious as to what would come next. More droids, perhaps? Maybe a bunch of soldiers? Or just more attempts at manipulation?

---

PoV: Jewel

---

The droid that had been struck down by blade was not yet completely inactive - it crawled slowly towards the senator and reached for her ankle. The senator screamed as the metal hand grasped her, and a moment later a sickening crack was heard as it crushed the bones in the ankle. Jewel watched on wordlessly - this wasn’t really an issue, no blood was yet spilled.

---

PoV: Xid

---

“I thought I did… Sorry, it’s my fault for not being clear I-” Xid’s eyes widened and his words stopped. His head turned, the adrenaline gone, to spot source.

A scream...mechanical and low key but never the less painful erupted in Xid’s ears. Then it was followed by a very real human one. His eyes jerked to the side, spotting the droid that had dragged itself across the floor. It’s metal fingers gripped hold tightly and squeezed upon the robed woman’s ankle, easily crushing the bone. Kinsa hadn’t killed the bot right. Her strike had only severed most the mobility as it seemed to still be able to function, his teeth gritted against the noise only he could hear. He had to make it stop, both for the Senator and the droid’s sake. The Padawan’s feet shifted, bring him close to the woman, her hands scrambled to release the iron grip but failed. Again his hand ripped out the cluster, properly, before he started to peel the fingers away.

“Kinsa...why didn’t you kill it? I mean kill it like I asked? One of the prisoners were hurt and you let it suffer…” Xid words were calm as he pulled the last digit off. Bring his body to crouch down, he gently and tenderly felt the ankle. Yep, it was broke he thought bitterly. With that knowledge he closed his eyes and focused on healing the bones. “Kinsa, keep me informed if anything else comes.”

[Ellri]

Post 58B, Frettzo, FallenReaper, Sundered Echo | Kinsa, Xid, Jewel | Part II

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

The moment the bot started to move, headed right for the woman… Kinsa couldn’t move. Her hands locked up and her feet were planted on site, as she watched the machine slowly crawl its way towards its target- The prisoner in Senator robes. She could have finished the droid off, quickly and painlessly… But something didn’t let her. Her gaze locked up with the woman’s for an eternal second, Kinsa’s filled with fear and hesitation, the woman’s with panic.

The droids were ruthless. Cold and murderous, with a single goal, and nothing to deter them from achieving it. But Kinsa could have stopped this single one, before it took a hold of the woman’s ankles. Something felt wrong just then, something ordered her not to move. The Senator, a corrupt figure, a cancer to the Republic, probably deserved this. But was it the right thing to do, to allow this to happen?

She looked down at the floor in disappointment in herself as Xid asked her questions that she didn’t have the answer to, and she merely nodded when Xid told her to watch his back.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

Jewel smiled as she watched the Twi’lek hesitate. This was an excellent turn of events. She had to find out why though, after all, it might be a weak and flawed character that caused such a lack of action. She walked back to the group in the centre, stepping over the broken droids and barely sparing a glance for the jedi healing the woman. “Why indeed, Kinsa? Why did you allow this senator to be injured? You had plenty of time to finish your target, yet you didn’t. Explain to me, and to her-” Jewel pointed at the Senator “Why you didn’t stop the droid.”

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

“I-...” She began, hesitating once more as her eyes traveled from the Sith to the Senator, then back to the Sith. “Personal… Professional reasons.” She mentioned, trying to avoid the topic as much as possible.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

“Professional? letting a civilian get injured unnecessarily is hardly professional. Even Sith try to minimise civilian casualties when possible. So do not lie to me. I want the truth. I imagine she does too.” Jewel was having to put a slight effort in to maintain a calm voice now. The alien should know not to waste time with a Sith Lord.

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

The Lord’s questions were hard to avoid, and every time she affirmed that this… Senator… Was an innocent civilian, a part of herself was taken back to her past. Grieving families, mangled bodies in the depths of Coruscant… She remembered the horrors that she went through to bring justice to Coruscant, and to bring relief to the afflicted families. And she also remembered how she was betrayed by the Senate, to have all her evidence erased, her investigation forcefully ended. The families with no closure.

Kinsa looked up again, at the ceiling. “The Senate has proven to me that they’re just a group of traitors, who only wish status, and are willing to destroy anyone and anything else in their search for power and wealth. I witnessed entire families grieving for the loss of a loved one, who was caught up in one of the countless conspiracies these… Beings… Plan out. It’s hard for me to think… To think of them as innocent.”

---

PoV: Jewel

---

“I sense hate in your words Kinsa. Does it make you angry that while Coruscant burns, this Senator survives? Think how many others were not spared, those that deserved to live but have been denied that chance, and yet here is a symbol of the Republics corruption, alive and well, thanks to you and your friend.” All frustration had left Jewel then, this was something she could encourage, a fire she could throw fuel upon.

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

“I wonder how many others your troopers could have left living. Any member of the Senate is below a civilian in importance on my list. Your troopers, though…” She began, sighing. “The words you speak are completely false, Lord Namore. Your troopers killed thousands, maybe even millions, in Coruscant. You burned Coruscant, and chose to let this Senator live. Should I be angry? Should I be depressed? Should I be happy?” She asked, waving her arms around to go with her words as she focused on the Lord.

“I do not trust the Sith, and I do not trust the Republic. I… Apologize for being so outspoken.”

---

PoV: Xid

---

Xid felt his energy slip into the woman’s foot, the bones mended and reset back their original state painfully slowly. He focused on the conversation, unable to blot out the words being spoken by the two, feeling his heart sink slightly upon hearing Kinsa’s views about the Senator. Odd… he thought for a moment, realize how many people saw droids as nothing more than slaves their will. Things that would be tossed away or discarded when they served no more purpose, they were even destroyed when they got in the way. Yet no one saw things the way he did. It didn’t make him sad because all things had a right to their view and he accepted that, however this didn’t seem right. His eyes just lowered to the ground still focused on healing the woman while keeping himself from going overboard. Not easy for him.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

The poor, naive Jedi. She didn’t see the realities of war, like so many of their kind. “You do not understand Jedi. What we did, we did out of necessity. The Republic refused to surrender, even as we offered them their capital world. The remains of your senate choose to scorn our attempt to form a ceasefire, and in doing so they condemned a world full of innocent souls. If you believe that the Republic would not do the same to Dromund Kaas given the chance, you need only look back into your history. They bombed Korriban from orbit at the end of the last war. Millions of innocent purebloods and humans alike were killed by order of the Senate, while the Jedi stood idly by. They didn’t even give the Sith Empire a chance to surrender back then. And so you see that they are no better than us. Nay, they are worse.”

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

“I… Did not know that.” Kinsa stated, looking away. “All this time the Jedi have taught me the good things about them. Did they ever mention the bad things?” She asked herself, tempted to drop the sword and just… Leave. But she knew she couldn’t do that. “What am I supposed to do with this new information? Decide which side is better? Because it’s… It’s very confusing.”

---

PoV: Xid

---

“There’s always evil in the universe. Before the Sith there was another race that destroyed and enslaved planets though their advancements so pretending there isn’t doesn’t change that. In the end, it comes down to one thing: your choice. Jedi are taught to be impartial because it’s not our right to decide what evil should exist or not, merely to make the universe a better place through our own actions. I don’t know what’s going through your head Kinsakwi, but I don’t think you actually hate them as much as you hate the result. We can only do the best we can.”

His hands released the Senator’s ankle, feeling the dizziness in his head pounded at the edge of his mind, while his hand reached for one of the droid’s fingers. It came off easily enough. Then slowly, he rose back up to his feet and made his way to Twi’lek before stopping in front of her. His fingers had moved, shifting around parts so she could use it and changed the forefinger into a ring one. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier but this should help. Personally, I know you’ve got a lot of light within you and you’ll make the right choice.”

---

PoV: Jewel

---

Jewel had to stop herself from throwing a venomous glance at Xids last words. The rest she could twist to her advantage, but mentions of the Light-side were difficult to twist. She forced a smile onto her face and spoke again in a soft voice. “Kinsakwi’Teksa, the right choice is always in front of you, waiting to be taken. You need only trust your feelings and follow your heart. The Sith are not evil, we simply do not let anything get in the way of doing what is right. This is what I am trying to make you see. When we are oppressed, we rise up and strike down our oppressors. When we see corruption, we cut it out without waiting for the very order that is corrupt to approve it. We follow our hearts, and do not limit ourselves. Even here, bound by the bonds of captivity, you have a chance to make the galaxy a better place. There is a symbol of the Republics selfish corruption just over there… Does she deserve the chance to live a safe life in Empire? It is up to you to decide that.” As she finished speaking, Jewel reached out to Xid with the Force and subtly held his vocal cords and tongue immobile. She would not have his sickening optimism about the Republic stop her now.

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

Xid’s words were true. At least, some parts of them. But not a day had passed in Kinsa’s life that she had wondered how to make a better job, how to be more effective. And the Republic’s bureaucracy had always, without a single exception, hampered the Law’s advances.

She could notice Xid’s state of weakness, but he still stood up and walked towards her, holding something in his hands. After a moment or two, he showed what he was holding to Kinsa- one of the Droid’s fingers. Apparently a ring finger. “You… Didn’t have to. Thank you, Xid.” She told him with a small smile, grabbing the finger with her left hand.

Then Lord Namore spoke again, and her words held truth with them. She glorified the Sith Empire… Told of its effectiveness dealing with corruption and oppression. As she mentioned the Senator once more, Kinsa couldn’t help but glance at the woman. She was still scared, but was slowly pulling herself back together.

“She doesn’t. But you say the Sith Empire does what’s right, yes? Why not let her live as a commoner? To have her taste the life of the people she used to torture?” She asked, not taking her eyes off the Senator. “I believe that’s justice.”

---

PoV: Jewel

---

“After so many Senate ordered Deaths, do you really still believe that is sufficient punishment?” A simple question, but she maintained the silencing effect on Xid. He would interfere right now, and she couldn’t afford to be angered. Ideally, Jewel wanted to Kinsa to kill the Senator here and now, but she would go through with whatever the Jedi decided.

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

Kinsa held silence for a short moment, before speaking up. “I… Don’t, actually. But she benefits other people by working hard. And if she ever goes back to her old ways…” She said, leaving the sentence with a short glance at the droids.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

Jewel thought about Kinsa’s answer for a moment. It actually made sense as a cruel and unusual punishment. Of course, Jewel couldn’t be entirely sure it was meant that way, but for now it would have to do. The girls confusion was evident, and she’d even acknowledged aloud the fact that the Jedi were not the paragons many held them up to be. She judged that for now, that would be sufficient. Not quite what she’d planned, but events rarely turned out precisely as one planned anyway. “Kinsa, you may leave. I will tell Imperial Intelligence what to do with the prisoners, as you have said. Some soldiers will escort you back to your cell. I’d advise you don’t try to escape. I cannot protect you from Sish if you run headlong into him in the corridors again.” She tapped a few buttons on her gauntlet and a squad of soldiers entered, taking both Kinsa and the prisoners away to their cells, but not before pulling the sword from Kinsa’s hands. At that, Jewel released Xid from the Force grip she’d held on his speech. Her soft features changed abruptly as the doors closed, revealing much of the anger she’d kept pent up while Kinsa was there. “And what do you think of it all?” Her voice at odds with her expression, still remaining largely calm.

---

PoV: Kinsa

---

She could not reply to Lord Namore quick enough, as being just being let out like that was just… Surprising and shocking. As she was led out of the Arena-like room by the four troopers, an idea sparked in her mind.

---

PoV: Xid

---

He couldn’t speak when the event unfolded; Kinsa made her choice and stuck to it though it wasn’t the ideal one. At least she had some better good behind it in a small way. Maybe it would grow better or worse, only time would really tell. His hand rubbed his neck while pressure was applied to his tongue and cords, frozen in place by an invisible hand. The soldiers arrived to take Kinsa away, the sword taken, before they left. He watched them leave letting his eyes show some hope for her. Even if he disliked the fact she was hinting at using the droids to resume their dark purpose.

When the doors closed he knew he was in trouble as the Sith released his voice and made a sudden shift in her features. It wasn’t hard to tell she was angry with his interference and for threatening the delicate situation. He kneaded his throat, his tips rubbed away only a fraction of the pain, his eyes not glancing the Sith’s way until her question reached his ears. His eyes peered up, deciding no matter what he said there won’t a right or wrong answer from which would spare him from the Sith’s anger.

“I think I have more faith in her then you. That’s why you kept me from talking…” Xid made his point blunt and simple.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

“Meddling child” She spat, raising her arm and bringing the back of her armoured hand into the side of his face. She lowered her voice then, so it was barely audible to him and not audible for the cameras in the room “You’re the one Imperial Intelligence is looking for aren’t you? The Jedi Technician.” There was threat evident in her voice, and she made no effort to hide the hate she felt.

---

PoV: Xid

---

He bit back a yelp when the hard metal knuckles bit into his skin. Eyes shut, braced as she backhanded him and made a sharp sound. She had managed to catch his lip; the flesh splinted and bled a bit causing his hand to wipe it away. He cautiously repositioned his head back to face her just in time to hear her words. A slight confusion washed over his expression, piecing what she had said together in his mind. Imperial Intelligence was looking for someone? A Jedi Technician...he was only a Padawan, at least in his mind and couldn’t understand the worth anyone would have in seeking him out.

Again, the answer was short. There was so much hatred in her eyes that it seemed solid enough to spark the air between them, his voice steady. “I’m just a Padawan…”

---

PoV: Jewel

---

“You would like us to believe that, Padawan, but I saw what you did with those droids. You destroyed them with surgical precision. Denying it will only lead to pain.” She then raised her voice back to its normal volume, letting anger drip from it. “Don’t you hate what I’m doing to your precious Twi’lek friend? Turning her views to match my own? Don’t you want to strike me down and rid the galaxy of an ‘evil Sith?’ Isn’t that what your kind do? The mighty Jedi, vanquishers of civilisations, murderers of millions.”

---

PoV: Xid

---

Xid was silent, letting a moment tick by and to remain calm. That the key but it was easier said than done, much to his dislike. This wasn’t going to end well but before he could speak, she had pulled away and raised her voice once more. His vision didn’t leave the woman, forcing his body to relax in order to reply. “If she had seen your views and not made her own, then likely blood would’ve been spilt. Despite what happens, I still believe her light is stronger…”

---

PoV: Jewel

---

“The seed is sown. I am a patient woman. She will fall in time, and I’ll make sure you see it.” She stepped close to him, leaning over him and whispering in his ear. “Now give me a reason why I should not tell every other Sith onboard this ship that you are the Jedi that will bring them the favour of a Darth.” She had little use for the information herself, but she also didn’t have a reason to help the other Sith.

---

PoV: Xid

---

“Just because the seed is sown, doesn’t always mean it will take root. She’s stronger than you think she is or you won’t have silenced me. I can’t help but wonder if you realize this as well deep inside.” He started with a firm voice as once again her voice dropped, her words whispered in his ear. Deep inside, part of him wanted her to because Imperial Intelligence didn’t care about maiming or killing their prisoners and that fear he tried to ignore would never come to past.

“I rather die a Jedi then become what you and he became…” His looked determined; his jaw tightened believing this will end.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

Jewel withdrew as the foolish boy made his defiant statement. “You’d rather die? Well I’m afraid you won’t have that privilege any time soon.” She said as she walked back to the middle of the arena. “But if you will not become one of us, you will know your place. Through pain.” She whirled then, putting all her might into a Force throw. It was less than what other Lords could do, but for all the Jedi knew, she was holding back.

---

PoV: Xid

---

He didn’t expect her to take kindly to his comment, relieved when she placed distance only to feel the push of something against him. Too late. Xid was tossed backwards as his figure folded, balling up in defense when he hit the wall. His back rippled with pain from the impact, his breath forced out alongside his cry. His used of heal had weakened him some and made it difficult to defend against the attack, even if he had been expecting it. So much for it being over, he scolded himself, his legs started to pick himself up again.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

“Get up Jedi!” She shouted. “Defend yourself! Or am I to treat you like an animal devoid of honour?” She grasped the hilt of one of the Swords on the wall wrack with the Force and pulled it into her hand. It was only fair she use the same weapon she’d given him. When the Jedi didn’t respond, she threw the weapon to the floor with a loud clatter. “An animal then, a beast that walks on two legs and presumes to be able to speak!” She raised her right hand and reached out with the force, grasping at his internal organs. Invisible fingers wrapped around his right lung and constricted.

---

PoV: Xid

---

Another scream erupted from Xid’s mouth; the lung felt like it was collapsing in itself. It hurt so badly that his knees waivered, finding it difficult to stay upright. His hand pushed tightly against trying to gain some ounce of strength. It didn’t help, nothing could. Heart thrashed at the bars called his ribs, desperate to bruise and bust free. The constriction seemed to tighten to show how much she meant her words. Slowly his body fell to the ground, bring him to his knees, his right hand clutched over his lungs as if somehow could pry away the invisible fingers threatening to crush the flesh bag inside of him. Just make it stop… but he couldn’t say anything. Or rather won’t. He won’t let her manipulate him like Kinsa, refusing just to show the woman’s true colors. Another organ felt something squeeze it. He let out a fresh scream with the new wave of pain that washed over him, his skin already started to pale. It dug in, farther and farther, his body flipped to its side trying to ride the torment out. His insides were on fire and growing worse from passing time. If this kept up he would pass out soon and Xid didn’t want that. The hand shifted to his heart just then. He balled up, his throat harsh and starting to become raw from the screaming. Ba-bump, ba-bump...then a long pause. The muscle stressed and strained his mind slightly numb to the sensation now that he didn’t realize he was shivering.

“Just end it…” Xid let the plead escape.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

When he finally started begging for her to stop was when she released his internal organs. By now she was standing almost directly above him, and it was only one more step to be next to his crumpled form. A step which she took. Then she kneeled over him, and brought her face close to his, her mouth next to his ear, her hair falling onto his face. “No. You brought this on yourself. Remember that.” She whispered to him.

---

PoV: Xid

---

He made his form small, more out of instinct than fear, the relieve spread from where the pressure was released. No more crushing pressure and a slight relaxation came over him, the emotion soon fade when he felt Namore draw closer and whisper to him. “I’ll never become like him… someday, it will end.”

His words had a bit of hollowness to them, his mind pushed away the thoughts that threatened to rattle him once more. Xid truly hoped it was true. He let his body go limp.

---

PoV: Jewel

---

“I believe you.” She whispered, before grasping his throat with her right hand. She stood, still holding him, and raised him off the ground, using the force to assist her in lifting his weight. “And I pity you for it.” She said as she pulled a dagger from the wall wrack with the Force, catching it with her free hand. She began to squeeze his throat, crudely choking him enough to begin bringing about unconsciousness. She stabbed the dagger into his stomach up to its hilt, in such a way as to avoid anything immediately lethal. Her face was a cold, impassive mask the whole time, her body having naturally slipped into the combat state of Juyo. Only her eyes belied any sense of anger, hate or enjoyment.

---

PoV: Xid

---

Xid’s hand took hold of Jewel’s wrist when he hauled him upright, her fingers pressed deeply into his throat and killing the air in his windpipe. He heard her words yet didn’t register them. It was rather funny how he had said the last words once to someone so filled with anger and sorrow, and now they were being repeated to him. The Force worked in mysterious ways it seemed. The edges of his eyes took on a darker coloring, the darkness closed in, his form relaxed slightly. A slight glint caught his eyes when a dagger floated to her hand. So it was going to end after all he thought. When the dagger sank, warmth and blood seeped through his Padawan outfit. Thinking he was going to die, Xid spoke his last words.

“Ithor was wrong… and I’m glad he was.” Xid let the darkness take him. “I won’t be like him…”

---

PoV: Jewel

---

As the Padawan sunk into unconsciousness, Jewel threw the weight of his body up over her shoulder, leaving the dagger stuck fast in his flesh. She briskly walked out of the Arena with the Padawans dying body, heading in the direction of the med-bay. When she wasn’t leading a group through the convoluted hallways the route proved much faster, and only a little blood had seeped past the dagger onto her armour by the time she got there. Roughly throwing him down onto the operating table as several Imperial doctors rushed over, she said simply “Save him.” before turning on her heel and walking out of the med-bay.

[Sep]

Sep, Echo and Ellri - Guide, Nyiss and Luhon

Guide stood on the bridge, or rather in the cockpit of the small transport. It wasn’t as extravagant of vessels used by many Sith in their routines, however it suited his purposes. It got him from A to B, kept him comfortable and even had a small lab inside of it. He sat in the seat, replaying the recording he had received from his niece only a couple of days ago: “Guide, I’ve been working on a little project lately… well, several, really, but we’ll discuss that later. For now, I need you to go to Tatooine and help an individual of some repute with the final stages of one of these projects. He can tell you the details when you get there. Looking forward to seeing you, Darth Nyiss.” He finished playing the comm and then stood up, she wasn’t entirely being helpful in saying an individual of some repute however if she was serious about this matter he wouldn’t expect her to be. He stood up and began walking down through the ship towards the boarding ramp, activating security suites as he went; droids, turrets, traps and finally a self destruct if the intruder got to the cockpit.

He walked down the boarding ramp and looked around, no-one in the immediate area. The sight of a red-sith had obviously been enough for him to skip customs. He turned back to the ship, making a point of typing in the control panel which was actually completely fake. While he was doing this he used the Force to press a small hidden button, closing the door. Of course another Force User could easily break in which is why there was the pass code upon entering the vessel. He smirked, no-one would disturb his ship and if they did they wouldn’t live to regret it.

Walking out of the bay he scanned the crowd passing the hangar bay, even in one of the more luxurious and more expensive bays the corridors were packed full of merchants, travellers and mercenaries and frankly he didn’t have the stomach for being around all these lesser species, though it had been several months since Nyiss had last contacted him so it was likely to be important and if it wasn’t then she would not be getting the gift he had brought for her and he’d save it for another day. He began walking around, rather aimlessly although he did not show it nor would he admit it, waiting for this individual of some repute to make an appearance.

Since shortly after being hired, Luhon Aban had found himself on Tatooine. So long as the credits were good, he did not care whom his employer was. He preferred working for the empire and neutral parties over working for the republic simply because of the nature of their jobs. He craved adventure, and few created more adventurous jobs than Mad Sith or eccentric Hutts. Still, that did not change the fact that his current job was a cut above most. He liked that. He liked it much more than the lies and politics back home. His fur rippled with thoughts of home, clearly indicating his discomfort with thoughts about that place.

Before he could think further, his wrist unit beeped, signifying that a person of interest had arrived at the spaceport. With a simple set of commands typed into the unit, he sent the person, whomever he or she might be, a message indicating where to meet. Which happened to be right where Luhon was sitting, in a small, half-empty cantina. With lots of background noise.

Guide got the command, walking over to what he discovered to be a Cantina. He shuddered slightly, composed himself and then walked in. The stench of alcohol, sweat and even blood assaulted his senses and if the heat was bad outside it was even worse in here. He took a moment to create a small flowing breeze with the Force to keep himself cool and soothe the assault on his nostrils. The music when momentarily silent, a Red Sith did not merely walk into a cantina. However they soon continued, not wanting to cause any issues. He could sense their fear and he couldn’t help but feel some joy at that. It always did well to remind the rabble who their masters were.

He scanned the tables, going from Wookies, Givin, Humans, Bothans, Twi’leks. However everyone appeared to have a partner or already in a conversation. He decided that he would allow whoever he was meeting to come to him. As was proper, he moved to an empty table and sat down. A serving droid came walking over however he simply pushed it away gently with a wave of a hand. After its second attempt the owner of the droid gave up its futile attempt. He leant back, observing the room and even a Bothan that appeared to keep casting looks at him, he made note to keep an eye on him. Though for now he merely sat and waited.

After the message through the serving droid failed, Luhon sat there quietly for a while. It had immediately become clear who his contact was. Red Sith were, after all, not often seen outside the empire. In fact, Luhon had never before seen one this old. That in itself was curious. Once he was sure he had been noticed, he raised a single paw and motioned with one finger for the Sith to come to him. While not outright overt about it, neither was he all that subtle. He did not want to leave the safety of thick walls on two sides. There were more than a few from his former clan back on Bothawui that wanted him dead. Not that he had heard anything from anyone in years about that.

Guide stood, and he was gone. Well, he wasn’t gone however he would appear to be gone in the eyes of those who were in the Cantina. Merely an illusion, strong enough to fool any Force users in the Cantina as he didn’t have to worry about Force Users detecting it, there were none here or he would have sensed them long ago. He moved through the room, dropping suggestions through the Force for people to move when they stood in his way. He was in the seat by the bothan, who now had a surprised look upon his face and then dropped the illusion. “You have not worked with Sith often it appears that when you are summoned, you do not obey. That is a risky habit you have.”

Though the Sith disappeared, Luhon Aban was not all that surprised. He knew the Sith had tricks at their disposal. Granted, he had not seen this one before. Usually when they wanted to disappear, they fooled anyone around into not noticing them. When the Sith, still invisible to his eyes, started getting close, Luhon could smell him upon the air. Just to please the Sith, he acted all surprised when he appeared out of thin air. Another Bothan wouldn’t have been fooled, though. Upon hearing the Sith’s words, he smiled. “Better an annoyed Sith than a stunner blast in my back and a prison ship back to Bothawui. Nothing you can do to me is worse than their plans for me.”

“Now now, we’ve only just met. Don’t be so quick to judge me, I’m sure I could think of something. It must be a failure of imagination on your part to believe that whatever your kind do to each other can be worse than what I can inflict. However we’ve only just met, let us fight later. Darth Nyiss gave you quite the compliment, I do hope you can live up to it however why don’t you get to the part where we start working. Where’s our target and more importantly, what is it?” There was no point hiding that he had no idea why he was here, if he did then it would simply cause complications later. It would also let the Bothan feel all the more happy and confident, safe and secure.

“I don’t need imagination to know their plans for me. They announced it widely, knowing it would reach me. Five years of constant pain as my body is being shredded, fried, dismantled and mended over and over again. Apparently they don’t like me.” He paused for a moment then smiled. “Our target, as your Darth Nyiss clearly has not informed you, is simple. And large. We, are going to fetch a Krayt Dragon. A fun prospect, I think.”

“Five years of constant pain? My your kind aren’t very imaginative are they.” He straightened himself up, silently cursing his niece, what was she up to now wanting a Krayt Dragon, in fact he didn’t even want to know however she was playing with fire and with what he had been hearing back on Dromund Kaas it may not be the best course of action for her. However she had his support, for now and he would sort out any issues later. “Killing a Krayt Dragon is easy, capturing one alive is a different sport. No more difficult in fact I am rather insulted that she felt I needed help in this matter. Tell me where the specimen is and then we shall retrieve it, it shouldn’t take too much of your time.”

Luhon laughed. “Three days out in the Dune Sea. Give or take a day. If we were going on foot, that is. Unless you really want to walk, I suggest we skip that. I have a few locals tracking it down right now. Should be reliable enough. My time has been bought and paid for. Paid well. And hunting a Krayt Dragon sure beats dodging the idiot bounty hunters hired by my former clan.”

“Why ever would we walk? I also do not care who you have tracking it, if they aren’t reliable then they simply aren’t of use and will be dealt with as such. I also do not care about your petty troubles and you are not paid to force me to listen to them, so I suggest you keep them to yourself where they belong.” Guide stood up and flexed his muscles slightly, miniscule movements that didn’t even ruffle his robes. He had sensed a familiar presence, not on the planet though getting closer. “I will require the co-ordinates if I am to fly there, the sooner the better. Your boss is here. I am bad when disappointed, I can make you hurt in ways you didn’t even know were possible. She’s worse.”

“That is acceptable. I am sure you have means at your disposal for disposing of useless assets that are far more memorable than I have. If the hired locals prove unreliable, I will leave them to you.” He smiled at the reaction to his mentioning walking. Just as he had predicted. “Is your vessel large enough to carry a fully mature Krayt Dragon? If not, I suggest utilizing the freighter I have acquired here. It is not as fancy as an imperial ship, but it will do the trick.” Luhon could see the Sith reacting to something. It was almost like the Sith was familiar with something or someone nearby, but the gestures were not quite right. Or maybe it was just that he was of a species whose bodily gestures were unfamiliar. “I have equipped the vessel with holding mechanisms that should prove adequate. Your Darth provided the funds to do so. She clearly wants very much to have this Krayt Dragon. Shall we go fetch it?”

“You mistake me, we are not travelling together. I am taking my ship for I have materials I require, once we are finished I shall also be flying directly to Darth Nyiss’ flagship not passing through another ship first. Also there will be little need for your holding mechanisms, the beast will be quite docile and well fed by the time we are loading it onto your vessel.” He took out a small dataspike and deposited it on the table. “Send the coordinates to that commlink code and then depart yourself.” With that he turned and left, passing back through the halls and corridors of the spaceport. People moved out of his way either willingly or with a little persuasion and then he came face to face with someone who didn’t. He scowled at the being, an affront to him. Completely uncivilized, a Jedi. He merely bowed his head in mock recognition “Jidai” and then continued on his way, back to the ship and opening the lock with the secret pressure plate. Climbing the ramp a warning light flashed and two droids rounded the corner weapons raised. He merely had to speak to deactivate the systems. “Tash Nu.”

With that he travelled to the cockpit and activated the astromech pilot. “We should be getting coordinates any second now. As soon as you have them launch and get us going.” The droid merely gave an annoying tweedle in response and sat in his chair as the ship began to hum as its systems began powering up.

After the Sith departed, Luhan remained in his seat for a few minutes, smiling to himself. Nothing like dealing with Sith to spice up the day. Just after he pocketed the data spike, before he could get up and leave, someone else sat down at his table. If the clothes were any indication, it had to be a Jedi. ‘oh great.’ he thought. “You. Bothan. In the name of the Galactic Republic, tell me what that Sith paid you to do. Now.”

He really did not want this now. Jedi were annoying nuisances at best. “Nothing. He paid me nothing. And he won’t pay me anything. What I do and whom I talk to is my own business, not yours.” He did not utter a single lie in there. Sure, he left information out, but it was all true. That Sith, whatever his name might be, never paid him anything.

The jedi looked at the stubborn Bothan for a moment. Usually Bothans were quite friendly with the Republic, but every race had exceptions. “Its obvious you’re working with him. What job are you doing for the Sith here on Tatooine?” He asked fairly civilly, if bluntly. “You want to tell me.” He added, waving his hand and putting a gentle Force persuade behind it.

“No. I don’t! Ah told ya, it ain’t yer business!” To another Bothan, the strain needed to resist that use of the Force would have been apparent, but to anyone else, it was not. It had taken him years of training to build up even this small resistance to mind tricks, but it sure came in handy to foil some lesser Sith. Risky perhaps, but fun. And it sure had saved him from embarrassing actions many times. “Leave me alone, Jedi!”

One of the Serving droids wheeled in and poked the Jedi with one of its many arms. “Leave Paying Customer alone or Bouncer will remove you.” The metallic voice was clear, but emotionless.

At the signs of a confrontation in the making, a small crowd had begun to form and the cantina had become suddenly eerily quiet. Tatooine was a fairly lawless place, and thoroughly under the control of various crime lords, making it no secret who the small crowd of scum might support should things get ugly. The Jedi looked around as bodies began to press in behind him. If this did get ugly, a number of them would come out for the worse, but he was just one Jedi. “No, you’re right. Its not my business.” He said as he stood. “I’ll be leaving now.” Amongst the crowd were murmurs of disappointment and they began to disperse, robbed of their days violent interlude. They let the Jedi go however, as no one sentient felt like getting between a man with a Lightsaber and the door.

Luhon sighed with relief after the Jedi left, knowing that the outcome might have been painful for him if it had come to combat. There was no telling with Jedi these days. Sometimes it was like one could not tell any difference between them and the Sith. He had no doubt he’d be followed, but that was a problem for later. He quickly left the cantina, then went to the spaceport by a roundabout route. No point in giving the Jedi that would no doubt follow him an easy job. Once back in the ship, he transmitted the coordinates to the Sith, then had his simple freighter lift off and fly in the direction his local hirelings were supposed to be.

Guide received the co-ordinates. Now that he had met the Jedi he could sense him running around, trying to find out what was going on. Of course if the Jedi decided to follow them he’d get a nasty surprise when it came time for the Krayt dragon. He doubted the Jedi would restart the War over an unknown project and a Sith as old as himself, though he had been gathering some intrigue not many people had seen a Sith so old without escorts before and surely not without a speck of death. His ship, smaller and faster than the transport that was made to carry a Krayt Dragon arrived first, and he disembarked into the boiling sun and warm sands. Drawing upon the Force to keep him cool before he had even released a sweat, he could see the other transport coming in now and shielded himself as the ship kicked up sand while landing.

He walked out into the space between the two ships as the Bothan approached him. Off to the side the other workers stood watching the exchange. “So, is the ship ready to take the dragon? Whatever hatch requires opening I advise that you do it now. It will need to be ready for when the dragon walks on board.”

Luhon sighed. While in transit, he had contacted his hirelings, and while they had located a Krayt Dragon nest, they had yet to lure the creature outside. It was obvious enough that they were rather inept. Still, he saw no reason to reveal that to the Sith now. It would be better for them to reveal their incompetence directly to him. Lifting a small, handheld remote, Luhon pressed a quick combination of keys. Soon afterwards, there was a loud hiss from the vessel as the landing gear extended further, lifting the entire ship high up above the ground, the bottom of its cargo hold splitting open like a mouth. “The ship is, as you can see, ready. The cargo hold is designed to lift the Krayt Dragon straight up, holding it in place with a series of hydraulic clamps. No matter how docile you make it, there is no point in being careless.”

Guide watched, not really betraying any sense in emotion, he merely looked like a bored observer which he truly was. The ship was nothing to be overly impressed with anyway, not much of a modification. “You are quite correct, if we become foolish and let our ego get the best of us we will end up like the Republic, I did not live so long by taking unnecessary risks.” He turned and faced out into the desert, there was a collection of mountain hills nearby no doubt the Dragons cave was among them. He had gathered the drug that he would need and now all he needed was the volunteers. While Luhon would do it was obvious his niece had some form of, respect, for him and as such he wouldn’t unnecessarily kill him when he had plenty of other candidates. “Now, where is this dragon? Darth Nyiss will be arriving soon and the quicker we get this done the quicker I can get off this wretched planet and you can get on with your life.”

Luhon pointed towards a particularly tall rock nearby. “Sensor readings reveal a cave on the far side of that rock. The dragon should be within. At least it entered there yesterday. The locals I hired have been camped outside that cave ever since.” Luhon paused for a moment. “I scanned the surrounding area for other cave mouths, but found none of sufficient size.”

Guide just stalked in the direction that Luhon pointed in. All of the way he manipulated the sand in the Force to prevent him from sinking and keep his skin cool despite the sweltering suns blasting heat into the desert. It took them nearly twenty minutes to reach the cave entrance Luhon had been talking about, the camp was in place exactly as Luhon had explained. He walked up as several of the locals stood up from mixing some form of brew over an old fashioned fire. “Has the dragon been sighted?””No.””No, My Lord.””You gotta be ki-” He stopped speaking as Guide wagged his finger in a disapproving fashion. “Well done Jar, you have just volunteered.” The man's lips moved, but no words escaped. It was a particularly unpleasant mind trick, where one was aware of what their body was doing however had no power to stop it. Guide walked up and took a small injector, stabbing it into the mans arm as the vein below the skin turned blue momentarily before resorting to its brown form. He waved him away, and the man walked into the cave with a look of pure terror in his eyes.

Several minutes past with no sound other than the crackling of the fire and the breathing of each of the members outside of the cave all deep and heavy due to the sweltering heat except for that of Guides who despite the heavy black robes appeared rather comfortable. Then, all of a sudden a blaster could be heard as well as a mighty roar and then a scream. Guide gestured one hand at the locals as their limbs suddenly went rigid as if in salute, confusion and surprise in their eyes. Guide turned to Luhon. “We will need roughly two more Volunteers. Chose.”

Looking at the remaining locals, Luhon spoke. “Would you explain exactly why you have not gone into the cave and retrieved the Krayt Dragon you were paid to get? Or would you rather go in and fetch it now? Each ten seconds you delay in retrieving it is another credit your families will not get should you die in the process.” he smiled. “Mind you, whomever survives will get the greater share of the credits, not to mention get to live. Decide now.” After that, he turned about. Within seconds, he could hear them fighting and shouting. “That ought to do it, Sith. Enjoy the sight.”

Guide released them as they began to shout allowing them to fight amongst themselves. However luckily they were close enough not to resort to using blasters. It would be wasteful for them to all kill each other before the dragon was retrieved. Eventually one of them just turned to run, Guide grabbed the users mind and performed the same trick he had on Jar mere moments ago, he was hoping that this one would run. Gammorrean, it was obvious he would be one of the two though he had hoped to send him last. Merely as the icing on the cake, no matter. Using the same mind crushing technique as before the Gammorrean came towards him, his face almost screaming in terror if he could find his voice. Guide used another injector before sending the beast into the cave, this time it was substantially less time before the shot was fired and the beast roared, it was coming out of its cave to discover the source of all the food. He could sense it now, and sense the drug at work. One more would be enough.

The fighting had stopped, and the locals turned to face him. “One more is required, try to run and you shall go in.” He let the message sink in, he had still let go of his control on them. Then their weapons raised, but no fire came. His hand was extended and he had grasped them all. The heat of the suns took him momentarily as he shifted his concentration, though shortly he had it regulated again. A simple mind trick or illusion would be easy on four vermin however he wanted to ensure that they suffered. He walked up to them, they were trying desperately to speak or move out of his grip as he injected them all. They then began heading towards the cave as he gave up control of their vocal cords to ensure they made a noise. The beast reared its head out of the cave, blood and torn flesh still in its teeth as it roared. One by one the remaining locals were consumed.

Guide then lit his lightsaber, a deep violet contrary to the popular red used by most Sith. The beast turned towards him and Luhon as Guide extended his arm and the beast stopped in its tracks, its pupils going wide. They walked back to the ships in silence, the only sound the thundering footsteps of the beasts following them and climbing into the vessel. Guide relaxed, the beast still stood in the hold glassy eyed and completely still as Guide turned to the bothan. “You may close the vessel now. Our job is done, now you need merely deliver the goods and collect full payment, for yourself.”

“Perfect. I so enjoy working with you Sith. Keeps the day interesting and deals with incompetent hirelings in satisfactory manners.” Luhon then pressed a single button and the freighter closed up again and lowered itself back down. The Krayt dragon was secured inside, but there was no proper seal. Modifying a freighter to open like that was hard enough. Modifying it for extra-atmospheric flight would have been too expensive. Not that he had received specifications for docking any ship with the Sith transport vessel in the first place. “Shall we meet again at the spaceport, Sith?” When the Sith nodded curtly, Luhon entered the freighter cockpit, lifted off and flew back towards Mos Anis.

Guide turned, his heavy black cloak billowing in the wind as he did so. Again using the same passphrase and such to enter his vessel he moved to the cockpit, as the droid powered up the main systems and prepared for takeoff he sent a sense of achievement to his niece so that she would know it was done and the next phase would begin. It would however be interesting on moving the beast to whatever ship lay in orbit waiting for it. No doubt he would have to move it from one vessel to another which would be entertaining and hard to miss. Likely the Jedi would would make a reappearance however he would be helpless to do anything without reigniting a war.

~|Several Hours Later|~

Darth Nyiss stepped from the cool confines of the Imperial shuttle into the harsh heat and light of the blasted world of Tatooine. It was not pleasant here, for while Nyiss was used to heat and an arid climate from spending so much time on Korriban, this planet was at a completely new level for such things. The Moff had tried to force a squad of guards onto her, but in this case many hands did not make light work. They made obvious work. She’d accepted the presence of the Lieutenant though, the woman who was more than she appeared. It was thankfully both a covered over journey and not far to travel to reach the hangar where the Krayt Dragon was being stored. The transport vessel she’d had built for it would be called down only when she had confirmation of the live Krayt dragon. The ship had been an expensive favour to have built, and she didn’t want to risk it unduly. Especially after relying so much on the despicable locals for the missions success.

Just before reaching the Hangar, she sensed two Force presences. One she expected, that of her Uncle, a dark and familiar presence that brought a degree of comfort with it, but the other was unexpected. That of a Light-side user. On this planet, that could only mean a Jedi. None of the scum here could maintain the Light even if they wanted too, a bitter irony given the bright physical light of the twin stars. The Jedi would have to be dealt with before she left, and so she made no attempt to hide her own Force presence. With luck, the Jedi would not be able to let her go about her business without sticking his head under her lightsaber. They were foolish like that. If not, she’d have to hunt him down. Easier said than done, unfortunately.

The caged beast came into sight as Nyiss stepped into the Hangar, and a magnificent sight it was. An actual living Krayt Dragon! Here! And it was all hers! She had to forcibly control herself, the surge of excitement almost overwhelming. She’d half expected to find a paltry half dead runt, but then she’d employed her uncles services precisely to ensure that didn’t happen. “Magnificent… Simply magnificent.” She said, mostly to herself. Then she turned to Allende, arresting the girlish smile that had begun to form on her face, and spoke again. “Signal the Moff to send the transport. Tell the transport crew that we have acquired a Prime specimen.” She sensed her uncles presence close by, but he hadn’t yet shown himself. He’d arrive in his own time.

Guide rounded the corner, his mind still focused partially on the beast keeping it docile in its drugged state. Its pupils were still dilated and it was breathing in deep long breaths. As if in a strange form of meditation. “Did you expect anything else than a prime specimen ‘ari-nuyak? I have to admit, this… creatures cohorts proved of little use other than feed for the beast however you were correct in his usefulness” When mentioning the creature Guide absentmindedly pointed at Luhon, who was standing in a far corner watching the entire exchange no doubt trying to get a read on either of the Sith. A futile gesture except for the obvious amusement his niece was having at viewing the beast, she should of known especially as a lord to conceal such things. No matter, such things were not for discussion in company.

Nyiss’ face lit up at the sight of her uncles wizened features. She might have used a more physical greeting in a private setting, but for now she settled for words. Too many people were watching, and the relations of a Sith could be weaknesses. “Of course, I only expect the best from you. I must say-” She continued, her voice changing to a slightly sarcastic but friendly tone. “You are looking more dessicated than ever. Tell me, is it the sand? Perhaps the Sun?” Her smile grew wider as she finished speaking, and she held out her hand to clasp his in her own.

Guide suppressed a chuckle as he allowed for his hand to be clasped and then respectfully bowed as was his position in terms of society and ranking. “Strange, you still look like the same little Siqsa I remember seeing last on Korriban. Perhaps I merely stayed in the refresher too long and pruned up a bit. You have to be careful about these things at my age. Just you wait.” He pulled back his hand and then returned to his previous posture, it would not do well to linger having his hand clasped or for her to linger in clasping his hand, while she was mature in some aspects occasionally the repressed child within escaped. “Now, I feel I should inform you now that at the behest of the Dark Council that I come aboard your vessel.” Of course this was a lie, he had pretty much free reign in most aspects and was only occasionally called upon for advice and had instead chosen to oversee his nieces project. She would of course know, for no-one who had actually been assigned by the Dark Council would admit it unless they had no understanding of the way of the Sith.

“Oh stop…” she said, not meaning it in the slightest. She loved being complimented on her appearance. “I had a good teacher. What can I say?” She managed before the Sith before her became serious again. He had an irritating tendency to not go along with her less serious whims for long, but she’d long ago learnt that it was pointless becoming stroppy with him or holding it against him. As he mentioned the Dark Council making a request, she knew he was just eager to find out what her current project was. She didn’t doubt the Dark Council would send someone to keep an eye on her - indeed, they may already have done so - but it wouldn’t be him. Still, she went along with it. It was better to keep nothing being what it appeared in the Empire, it was simply safer that way. “Well they do love meddling in everything. Can't leave well enough alone. But at least they sent someone useful this time.” It seemed their reunion would have to wait until later, however. The presence of the Jedi was growing closer, and Nyiss didn’t want to risk him interfering with the transference of the Krayt Dragon. Recapturing it and explaining the destruction of a city on Tatooine was more effort than she could be bothered with. “There is a Jedi nearby, and I’d prefer if he didn’t see our prize. Perhaps he should adjourn to the adjacent Hangar?”

Guide nodded at Nyiss. “As you wish my lady. It will be interesting to see how your combat skills are faring as of late, the infighting isn’t lessening since the cold war. However instead the council is full of Jen’Jidai and not true Sith and they are more violent and cause more infighting than anyone else.” He turned and walked out of the hanger, the beast reared slightly however while walking away a vial flew from Guides pocket and into the beasts mouth as it returned to its semi-conscious state. Walking between the hangers he waved a hand at several passers by and walked into the hanger. He then yanked the being close and stared into his eyes. The man began to scream and convulse before falling to the floor. In the brief moment they were alone Guide looked at Nyiss with a fondness he often did not often express. “Well, I’ve had my fun. I presume the Jedi will now be making haste so you may have yours.”

“I imagine he’ll be quite unhappy with that rather imaginative bait. Good. Angry Jedi are easier to manipulate.” She said as she followed her uncle. The presence of the Jedi suddenly started moving much faster towards them, no doubt he was rushing to save all the innocents the Sith were no doubt torturing. Ever predictable the Jedi. The hangar they entered then was eerily empty. Just as they entered, the door on the other side opened and the Jedi stepped into the Hangar and dropped his cloak to the ground. His head had small horns poking through his hair and his battle armour was clearly visible. “Don’t be ridiculous Jedi. There is no need for violence.” Nyiss said calmly. It was partially to provoke him. Sith didn’t generally ask for peace.

“You won't succeed with your plan Sith!” The Zabrak Jedi shouted back at her, reaching for his Lightsaber.

“You Jedi are so predictable. Always with the same lines. I already have succeeded, and now I’m cleaning up the mess, namely, you.” Nyiss said, her voice changing from jovial and calm to irritated. She’s been hoping for a human Jedi to add to her experiments, but this one was not human. Possibly close enough, but the effort of restraining him seemed like too much. Besides, she couldn’t help but show off. She didn’t bother to remove the obscuring out-robe, but still pulled her lightsaber from its clip on her belt, activating one of the blades.

That was all the Jedi needed to leap to the attack, activating his own Blue saber mid jump. Nyiss’ expression was a pained one as she recognised the classic Jedi Guardians opening move, one she’d long ago learned to counter. Her free hand shot up, in a claw-like shape, and a short burst of Force Lightning arced between her and the Jedi in mid-air. Unlike the last one to try this move against her, this one had the quick thinking to block the majority of the lightning with his Lightsaber, but enough of the blast reached him to disrupt his attack. He rolled when he hit the ground instead of delivering the power-stroke that normally came at the end of a Force leap. Nyiss made use of the opportunity to once again blast him with the Force, slamming him down into the ground before he could complete the roll. “After calling you out on being predictable, Jedi, you still use that attack?” She chided. “Could you get any more obvious?” She continued, placing the tip of her lightsaber on the back of his neck.

While the blade had burned the Zabraks neck Guide used the Force to deactivate Nyiss’ lightsaber, and the bolt of light returned into the hilt. He could already sense the anger from his niece growing stronger with his actions however while the Sith used their emotions to benefit them only children were ruled by their emotions. He merely cleared his throat and shook his head. While she was powerful and in the favour of the Dark Council an action that could start a war wouldn’t be in her best interests. If the rumours were true about what his niece was doing there could be other uses for this Jedi. Especially such a strong specimen. He had long preferred Zabrak to other Non-Sith species, they were strong warriors and loyal if they could be coerced. He had no issue with them as long as they did not try to rise above their station and remembered their place.

Nyiss looked up at her uncle when he deactivated her Lightsaber and Glared intently for just a moment. He was one of the few that knew precisely where to apply the Force on her weapon to deactivate it, and it was, at times, quite frustrating. But after the moment passed, her expression mellowed. A small smile returning to her face, even as her eyes belied vicious intent. “Of course you’re right, we really shouldn’t waste any resources, even sub-standard ones like this.”

“Higher standard than the ones I hear you may have, if the rumours are true.” He looked down at the Jedi, near unconscious with pain. He closed his eyes and explored the routes of the creatures brain until he came across an artery, pinching it closed the man began to convulse having a seizure. His mouth was gurgling slightly as he did so. “The more the merrier.”

“Well, since he was your idea, I’ll leave you in charge of keeping him docile until we reach the ship. We depart as soon as the Krayt Dragon is in the air.” Nyiss said with an air of finality, turning as she did so, replacing the Lightsaber on her belt.

[ultimate523]

Sep/Ultimate523 - Guide/Strago

Guide walked down the row of cells, occasionally peering in at their occupants. Too many lesser species for his liking. He took extra care to look at the Kaminoan, he had heard of such foul things but he had never seen one before. Truly they were even more hideous than what he had been told about them. However he had to respect that such an obviously, fragile being managing to become a Jedi and prove itself worthy of being captured rather than killed. However if he had been assaulting the temple he would have made sure to get less hideous specimens. He walked out of that block and into the last one he had not inspected yet. The first Jedi he inspected was a perfect specimen, damaged however but still the prime candidate. No missing limbs as he would of expected from a prisoner, tall and strong build. He pointed in the cell to the two guards he had accompany him. ”This one.” “But, M’lord. This one recently escaped, Mistress Jayda was wounded in the exchange. He is to stay here.””I grow tired of people not doing as commanded.”

He grabbed hold of the Guards body, allowing him his mind and raised the mans hand towards the force field. ”Open the door, and bring the prisoner. Whether you open the door or not you are going through.” The other guard hit the switch and the field went down, for the two guards to go in and grab the Jedi. One of the guards went to inject the Jedi with a sedative. ”Not necessary, he won’t escape.””M’lord, it is-” The guards sentence was cut off as he was flung into the far wall, slumping to a heap on the floor. ”Looks like you will have to lift him yourself.” They walked out, the guard working hard to carry the Jedi. As they left the cell Guide re-activated the Force field trapping the guard until someone decided to come and free him.

He took the prisoner to the Combat room, having the prisoner placed in the centre and the guard ordered outside. Everything had been removed from the room, and the door had been tampered with so that the keypad buttons did not work. Requiring one to put in a numerical code with the use of the Force. Once he had ensured everything was secure Guide moved over to the prisoner, two injectors in hand. Inserting the first, a combative agent to counteract any drugs in the mans systems. He inspected the mans visible wounds and checked for bruising that could indicate internal ones. He would have to speak to his niece about the treatment of the specimens, while the Sith had been right to not dismember any of them this was intolerable and he could of died from wounds alone had he been weaker. He held his hand over the cuts and focused on the Force to close them…

It took several minutes to finish, at least the man wouldn’t break open any old wounds however he was still heavily scarred, Guide wasn’t one to spare the time making flesh picture perfect and if this man was successfully turned to the Dark Side, these scars would remind him of the pain that would be brought upon him if he ever turned back to the light. He injected the man with a second drug, to wake him up as he walked to back to the door and waited for the man to wake up.

Strago woke up slightly for a moment as he felt someone grabbing him, his eyes only opening for about half a second, realising he wasn’t in his bed, and hearing some sounds around him, but
quickly passing out again. Once again he awoke for just a moment for only about a second longer this time, able to nudge his head slightly to look around. He could see the metal of the ship, and could tell he was being moved, but couldn’t do anything about it as he passed out yet again.

Finally, Strago woke up once more, this time not passing out after being awake for just a moment. He moved around slightly, feeling much better than he expected to, but then quickly darted his head around the room to make sure there was no immediate threat, his focus quickly turning toward the older male Sith in the room.

Strago decided not to say anything as he looked at the Sith, his eyes showing a slight curiosity, thinking quite a lot at the moment, not sure of what to do. He made sure to put up a mental barrier in case the man tried anything, and made sure to be aware of anything that might happen physically as well, starting to move slowly now to get used to how he felt. There was still some pain, and soreness, but it was nothing compared to what he had felt before.

Deciding it would likely be a good decision, Strago began to stand up slowly, not taking his eyes from the Sith man, but showing no signs that he would attempt anything aggressive, mostly waiting for something to happen to react to, whether it was an attack, or simply speaking, remaining as aware as he could at the moment.

Guide looked at the man as he stood, visibly cautious. Obviously any Sith who had been attacked by this man had shown some sign of weakness and deserved whatever fate had been assigned to them. The man, as well, was visibly playing the logic game. Checking what was in the room, testing out his body and indeed he felt slight shift in his mental demeanour as he obviously put up a mental barrier. He checked his chrono on his wrist. “Ah, you’re awake. Well from the local time I feel as if I should bid you a good morning. However I presume you are still on Coruscanti time on which case I am afraid I cannot bid you the proper greeting. I am Guide, there is nothing else you should call me or think of calling me for it is the only name of mine that still exists today, who might you be?”

Strago was surprised at how friendly the man seemed to be, unsure of if it was simply how he was, or some kind of trick, but deciding to act as if it was the former, not wanting to create any conflict if it could be avoided, but keeping in mind not to trust the Sith too easily, if at all, “I’ve been asleep a little while, so morning fits.” Strago said, hoping to keep the mood lighter, “As for who I am, my name is Strago. You likely know enough of the rest.” He said, knowing there wasn’t much point to talking about being a Jedi, or any of that like he occasionally would when certain people asked him who he was.

“Well, I know that you’re a Jedi and were skilled enough to be taken prisoner in the siege but not skilled enough to be exceedingly dangerous. You are also a cut above the rest of the other, prisoners-” He had to avoid using the word specimen. “-On the ship in the fact that you are at least somewhat compatible with the Sith geno. Anyway, let us pass these formalities shall we? You no doubt hate me being your evil captor and such or even fear me. Know this, you need only fear torture on two conditions. If you try to withhold important information from me, I won’t be asking you for all your Jidai Secrets that isn’t exactly my department. Pain will also be the punishment for not doing something I order you to do or for doing something I order you not to do. It is a simple system really.” He opened his heavy coat that was over his robes slightly, taking out what was obviously a lightsaber hilt. “The best thing about training Lightsabers, is they cannot kill. They cannot decapitate, cut through doors and can only inflict enough pain to teach younglings their lessons. In the Sith Empire many see these as little but toys and real weapons are sometimes used especially in certain families wasting useful limbs and reducing the potential of many a Sith or Jen’jidai. However I keep one for these situations.” He tossed the weapon over to the prisoner. “Do not fret, you will not be fighting me, and is merely a test if you will. Non fatal.”

Strago listened to the man as he spoke, taking in all the words, obviously understanding the situation. There was a lot he could say, though he wondered if there was much point for a lot of it. He caught the lightsaber as it was thrown to him, not turning it on yet, feeling reluctant to do so, not sure what the Sith had planned. However, he made sure to get used to how it felt in his hands, looking at it just to see if there was anything on it to take a mental note of, but deciding there wasn’t, “I won’t pretend that I’ll follow all your orders without a doubt, but I am aware that there will be consequences for that.” He said, wanting to make it clear, and remaining quite calm in many ways, but also alert, and ready.

“If you were willing to take the orders of a Sith willingly you wouldn’t be a very good Jidai now would you? So no I do not expect you to go without doubts or try and refuse me now and then. I just want to ensure that you realize that in these situations pain will be your reward.” He pressed a button on his wrist and several seconds later the door opened making it seem as if the button was what opened the door, to see if the Jedi would attempt to take it however that was not the purpose of the test. A War Droid MKI walked into the room, its weapons currently deactivated. The door instantly closed behind the droid. “I hope you have strength to defend yourself, I would be disappointed if you could not hold off a mere droid.” The droid was programmed to begin firing as soon as the lightsaber was lit.

Strago continued to look at the man as he spoke, obviously not surprised at all by the response. He then pressed something on his wrist, and a door began to open, a droid coming out. Strago just watched it, staying at a distance for now, but not moving farther away either, knowing he would need to get in close if it attacked him.

It wasn’t often that Strago had been in a situation like this with a droid. It wasn’t a living creature, which made him less reluctant to do something, but he was also not used to being the aggressor, even after being forced to earlier on in his attempt to escape. After a moment more, a thought occurred to him, a slight curiosity making him decide to follow the decision, “Do you speak, droid?” He asked, assuming it probably didn’t, but wanting to be sure. For a reason he didn’t know, it hadn’t attacked him yet, and he felt the need to give it some respect because of that. He also didn’t like the idea of yet another Sith learning how he fought if it could be avoided.
Guide smirked, the man was still a man of faith to the Jedi order and did not become the aggressor, even confused about the droids reluctance to attack asked it if it could talk. Guide simply nodded his head slightly and the droid raised its weapons arm and the lasers could be heard charging, however it instead fired a concussion grenade, the only warning that it had fired a grenade was a small -thut- as the grenade launched out the tube towards the Jedi. Of course Guide could and would save the Jedis life if he had to, solely for the fact that the Jedi was of more use to him alive than dead.

Strago watched as the droid began to react after Guide’s nod, hearing the weapons charging, quickly followed by a slight sound. Instinctively, he turned on the lightsaber, and jumped toward the side, using the Force slightly push it even further away from him, mostly upward, then quickly facing the droid with his lightsaber in front of him in his usual defensive stance. It began to fire at him now, and he deflected several of the shots, making sure to occasionally send one right back to the droid before jumping forward, and slightly to the side, quickly slicing the droid two, then another time at its arm with the gun, wanting to detach it from its body just in case before moving back slightly in case there was some kind of trap, or explosive of some sort on it.

Guide pressed the button on his wrist again and two guards came into pull away the remnants of the droid. It appeared that while this Jedis record indicated he was the most common at escaping that he was a bit more calculated in planning it. He was admittedly disappointed that the Jedi did not bat a single bolt at him in trial however these things happened. Now, for the next part. He held out his right hand. “I will be having the training sabre back now Strago. You won’t be needing it again.”

Strago held the lightsaber in front of him toward the guards as they took the droid away, taking in as much information as he could from them, and the direction they went in. It was almost tempting to try to escape again, but Strago still had no idea what this Sith was capable of, and also knew he wasn’t in the best shape, which wouldn’t help the situation at all. The thought of it also reminded him to begin healing himself slightly now, wanting to be stronger for whatever might come next.

He looked over at Guide as he asked for the lightsaber back, and turned it off quickly, but continued to hold it in his hand firmly for a few seconds, looking over the older Sith quickly, almost turning the lightsaber around the other way out of habit, but deciding against it, not wanting to open himself up to any tricks. He kept the part where the blade would come out face toward Guide, but rather than throwing it, he moved his grip lower on it to give Guide room to grip it, walking toward him slowly, knowing that moving close to a Sith was a risk, but feeling like it might be worth it to see what he would do.

Guide took the lightsaber, before placing it back behind his jacket, whenever Guide went into his jacket both his sabre and the training saber were visible. “Very good Strago, you’re learning your place and not even attempting to escape. That is very good, the better you behave the better you are treated. Though do not think that this means we will be lax in your security at any rate. You will still live in your cell and still do as we command, you will just face far less punishment and be treated slightly better, fed better and left to rest for far longer between these little sessions, do you understand me, if so I shall be taking a sample of blood.” He moved his arm inside his jacket to remove a needle while Strago answered him.

“And if I don’t understand I don’t have to get my blood taken?” He asked, intending it more as a joke than anything else, but not liking the idea of another needle in him either, not sure if it would really just be a blood sample, or not, though for the moment he seemed to be telling the truth. Strago didn’t move at all for the moment to try make it easier, but knew it would likely be wise to if Guide asked him to do so, trying to judge what the best decision was at the moment.

Guide removed the needle and jabbed it into the mans arm as it drew blood, filling a small vial. “Very good, I just need to perform some tests. I don’t want any other Sith to off been poisoning you, not to mention I have never tested the drugs I used on you on humans before. It shall make an interesting read for me. However let us not bore you to death with these details. Now I shall have some questions-” He raised the vial up to the light focusing on the vial. “Now, I do have a question. Were your parents Force Users? It often helps strong Force Users when their parents were powerful wielders.”

Strago looked at the needle as it took blood from him, not seeing anything suspicious about it, but still remaining skeptical as he continued to listen to Guide speak, “I don’t believe either of them were.” He replied, feeling it was likely best to give a short reply for the moment, being honest about it as well.

“Strange how the Force always tries to restore the Balance, the Sith are too few so it allows new breeds to use the Force in strength. While the Sith and the Jedi may never find balance in the Force it itself shall always restore it, I do not even seek it and while the Jedi claim they do this is a lie. We are two sides of the same Coin and together we create it. Thankfully I do not claim to strive for balance. However, this is all I require of you for now.” Without warning Guide came crashing down on Stragos mind, assaulting it and binding it, separating his conscious thought from his body. It was more of a challenge to do so on a Jedi especially one who was awake however he still had the advantage in being a more powerful Force User and his opponent being weak. While he was now in control of the mans body, Stagos mind remained free. “Let us simply call this a demonstration.”

He walked out of the room, followed by his Jedi Prisoner. It would be torture for him he was sure, he was essentially free but could not run, could not speak or shout. He could will his body to act all he wanted but it wouldn’t work. They soon came back to his cell where Guide released control over Strago while at the other side of the Forcefield, the guard bowed at Guide with a hurried apology before leaving. “I shall speak to you again. If any Sith attempts to drug you other than Darth Nyiss, send them to me.” He then simply turned and walked away.

Strago listened to Guide as he spoke, agreeing with him more than he expected to with a Sith. He had been far more used to Sith who viewed the Force as a tool than in that way. Very quickly after Guide had finished speaking, Strago felt something manage to go through his mental barrier surprisingly quickly. His body then began to move without him wanting to. He had never felt this before, and was very confused at first, doing his best to start moving it on his own, but quickly realising he couldn’t, and that Guide was doing this. He wanted to speak, but he couldn’t at all, which caused him to feel much more frustrated than he normally did. He did what he could to try to resist Guide, using as much of the Force as he could muster, but failing to do so as they moved back toward the cells.

Once they finally got to the cell block, he could finally move on his own again, and just stared at Guide quite coldly, looking at the doors after he left. The feeling of someone else controlling his body was far worse than all the pain he had felt from the other Sith who tortured, and fought him. It took him another moment of staring before he finally turned back, and headed toward his cell to lay down on his bed, quickly beginning to meditate, healing himself as much as he could, but also reaching to the Force, hoping to find some sort of guidance from it.

[Fallenreaper]

Navi

Time: 78:45:16 (3 days, 6 hours, 45 minutes, and 16…seconds)

Navi was nervous. It was very nervous as it hung there, suspended just a few feet over the floor by a thick cable. Currently it was jacked into the Maintenance console port and hacked through the first, minor, firewall while its eyes cautiously peered around for the door’s familiar hiss that would once more force it into the nearest dark corner. Minutes seemed to tick by, twisted into hours which allowed the bot to reflect upon how it had, of all places, come here. And into this unavoidable predicament that put it in a risky position.

When things had finally settled down within the hanger, Deck 01 as it later learned, the little bot had finally gathered enough courage to venture out of its small hiding space onto the floor. It swayed and wove though variety of crate sizes on its way towards a better spot and hopeful a more productive one. Only a few eyes noted its movements, mostly labor droids as their hollow and vacant eyes made a passed glance before once more they returned to their work. At the sight, Navi couldn’t help but feel an electrical impulse which caused it to shiver mentally. No matter how often it saw a mandatory memory wiped droid, Empire or Republican, it gave Navi what was best described as the creeps. Hastily it put on speed before it disappeared into the nearest vent entrance capable of supporting its size.

From Deck level 01, Navi wandered, carefully, up to the next deck. Some of the vent systems interconnected yet not all. Much of the vent systems had been dead ends, too dangerous, or too tight to squeeze in without a tool to make it larger. For the most part, Navi had spent several hours wandering the connections between the levels where it either got lost completely or made progress. At what Navi would later learn was the Storage Level, all its vents were independent from the next level which frustrated the droid and forced it to change tactics. Navi quietly scaled the roof where it stayed there, scrambling towards the first isolated console which happened to be a fair ways from its location. Once more the droid lowered itself and pushed in its jack, rotated it, and hacked beyond the firewalls set in place. The procedure took minutes as it reached the first data collection. Sadly there was little useful data to be gleaned from it. No information about any high level prisoners onboard, any registry of holding cells or clues that any Jedi, Xid included, was even on the ship. For a disturbing moment the droid had considered that maybe its master wasn’t on the Hâsk. Immediately it shook the notion away and decided to gather more Intel about the levels to start with.

It first noticed something… odd after hacking several other consoles, slowly pieced the Hâsk’s size and level ratio.

At first look, most droids wouldn’t have paid it any mind but Navi was not the average droid. Something about the information rubbed its metal shell wrong as it rescanned the Hâsk dimensions then ran right back through the level listings, finally to take note of the oddity: There should’ve been more levels. Unless the ship’s middle was hollow, then there should’ve been more listed levels for a ship of this volume. However when Navi attempted to access farther details, it seemed some of the data had been deleted and any fragmented data was heavily guarded under security. Getting pass it would take too much time, Navi decided, when it thought to take another action course. This time it headed back to the Maintenance Deck. Though droids strictly set for maintenance never left the area, there was also human staff which both received and logged system repairs. It was mainly to prevent too many staff from working upon the same projects at one time throughout the ship. At least… Navi had hoped.

The doors made a loud hiss when they came open causing Navi to swivel its eyes in that direction. Instantly it released its cable, soundlessly its six legs dropped to the floor and scrambled under a tight crawl space. It had glimpsed an Empire maintenance worker walk in just moments after its run for cover! Navi couldn’t confirm if it had been spotted and wasn’t about to risk revealing its position if hadn’t. It noticed the woman had stared right at the console it had hid under, her eyes narrowed and focused hard upon it. Finally, after a few seconds, her boots started towards it. In dread the bot froze in wait, the worker drew closer and closer with each step. Then she stopped but never lowered her body to look underneath. Her fingers made loud clicks upon the terminal’s key panel, and seemingly sought something on the display screen. Slowly the little droid retreated farther into its hiding spot, a faint hope to stay out of sight yet it was stopped…by something warm and alive. Navi’s eyes quickly came backwards to identify it.

It was a creature and a nasty looking one!

Some faint traits identified it as once being a female Scurrier, an omnivorous creature found in many different places according to the Jedi archives, but obvious there was something very wrong with it. Her skin took on a pale, sickly yellow and had several seeping warts giving her a rough texture. The eyes glowed bright red and glared at the bot before her, the slightly flat mouth pulled back to reveal several needlelike teeth in a hiss. The slightly larger body was squeezed into the space while she raised a small clawed paw threateningly. In a flash it attacked! Strong back legs kicked off the wall and the Scurrier launched herself at the droid, her teeth ready. Navi’s legs hopped to the side causing the creature to miss. The little bot spun around, its eyes upon the little she’s devil’s movements, as the Sith spawn moved for a second attempt. It wasn’t going to happen. With a slight click and buzz, its laser was out and aimed at her, threating. The Sith Scurier seemed unfazed by the contraption that was pulled on her. Her body drew closer and teeth clamped down upon Navi’s leg right at the joint. Hastily Navi pulled back to pry her from it. Instead the creature’s grip tightened, its maul started to pull the leg from its body joint with surprising strength! The droid gave a whirling sound equivalent to a human scream and finally let the beam loose at the creature’s eye. At the burnt sensation within her eyes, the Sith spawn yelped then jerked passed the bot to vanish into a nearby hole. In her wake was the smell of cooked flesh.

Navi stared after the hole in which the Scurrier had vanished. Satisfied that the Sith spawn wouldn’t return right away, its eyes swayed to view the damaged caused. It tested the leg, gingerly, able to view the wiring that peered out of the dislocated limb. Despite the look, the damaged was mendable. But it would take hours, unlike when Xid did it, for Navi to complete the needed repairs. In addition it would need to salvage and reformat any needed materials for the patch job. Clearly annoyed by the growing list, the bot slicked and buzzed its sour mood while it vanished in the Scurrier’s wake to retrieve the items. Its laser held at the ready the whole time…