A House of Frozen Fire

[Armand Temi]

*** not long ago***​

Pain and then shock from the blood loss. She recalled being hauled away to somewhere safe, somewhere slightly clinical, but it was the most uncomfortable medbay Varas had ever been in. And being a clone, she would never be able to forget the sterile white rooms of Kamino, the low and gentle tones of aliens worrying over her.

Her father was still there. Good.

Cold and bumpy. Loud. A rumble, then a whoosh.

Fire and then blackness.

*** now ***​

Her eyes opening slowly, Varas took in her surroundings. She was in a true medical bed and not in the escape pod anymore. There was a little bit of pain, raw and acute, but the phosovane salts fought the ache, dulled her senses and made her brain feel like it was covered in cotton. While much of her memory was gone from the incident on the Itsukusk bridge, but she knew with a sinking feeling that she’d lost her hand. Even before she felt the strange sense of it being there but it wasn’t.

The brunette clone finally worked up the nerve to look at where her hand used to be. There was only metal, no flesh left. She didn’t dare move it, afraid that if she did, something truly terrible would happen like it would fall right off and thunk onto the floor.

The room came more into focus until she saw him.

Her father. Her closest family member. Her only family. And yet something wasn’t right. She gazed up at him, eyelids still droopy from the medicine. Unlike the escape pod the room was overly warm, her blanket too heavy.

“It's a relief to see you," she said plaintively, hoping Kyrel would fill in the long blanks.

[member="Kyrel Ren"]

 

[Kyrel Ren]

It had been mere days since they were both picked up from the debris of the Istkusk and still, Kyrel was going through inner turmoil. He had killed the Jedi Master known as Zark and still his last words echoed in his mind. "The Resistance is born today, The Light will not go out... I forgive you but I will not forget... We shall speak again." Still, the words had played in his head and then the apparition of his Mother clad in ceremonial Jedi Robes. And for a moment aboard that ship he had wanted to die because in that moment He was Thomas Kyrel once more, but in that same moment, the darkness took hold once more as Varas attacked him betraying him and attempting to take his life. In return, Kyrel Ren regained control chopping off the hand that held his saber and left her screaming in pain.

The events that played out made him question if he was strong on the dark side as he had thought. The conflict with the Light Side only kept growing stronger and he had thought that the deed would make him stronger and it did, but at the same time split his spirit to the bone. After the Battle still the aftermath of it being a hazy memory. He had transported the girl back to Mustafar where he had the Medical droids refit her with a new hand, he could have regrown a new hand but no he had wanted her to remember what she had done. He had even denied the suggestion of Synth flesh for her to always remember her mark of sin.

He sat by her as she recovered now dressed in his finished Armor of the Enforcer, hidden by his mask as she awakened she spoke. And the tone made him scoff as he replied. "If you were anyone else I would have left you to die you know. Consider yourself lucky you are of my blood." His said through the unusual sinister tone but the words filled with venom nonetheless.


[member="Varas Kyrel"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Despite the reassuring presence of Kyrel by her bedside, she wondered, does he really have to wear his mask now? Reading his features had become a habit, and now it was like talking, not to her father, but to a faceless, cold void.

And of course he wasn’t happy. Why should he be? Again the details were foggy, but as the scene on The Itsukusk came back to her in pieces, it was clear she’d entertained thoughts of turning on him and that fleeting thought had turned into action.

Varas finally raised her right arm to examine the new hand, wincing in pain from the movement. The healing could be accelerated by bacta and technology, but there would still be strain on her body regardless. Using her left hand as an anchor, she hesitantly tapped the electronic panel which raised the bed up so she wasn’t lying flat.

“What did it feel like to kill the Vice Admiral of the Alliance? It's such an achievement, Father," she said softly.

If she distracted him with questions, it would put off the inevitable conversation of what to do with a potential traitor in their midst. Daughter or not, she worried that her actions would get back to Sieger Ren and harm her chances to not only advance, but to follow Kyrel in his endeavors, which despite her slip-up and the emotional remnants of that, she very much wanted to do.

[member="Kyrel Ren"]

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Kyrel remained expressionless with the mask but without it he knew she would notice his rage if she couldn't tell already. He remained sitting his hood raised. His anger still pooling in waves through the force, for a moment he contemplated killing her but Tmoxin was nowhere to be found after the Battle of Kamino. He would be waisting all that work all that potential in the dark side for his plans to become fruitless. He would not do that no. For now, she had received her punishment.

When she mentioned that of the Jedi, his memory snapped back to him becoming one with the Force, his hands clenched into fists as he heard such things. Wishing not to share the experience of Kyrel vanishing into Thomas Kyrel for an instant he only replied his words filled with an icy chill. "I did not feel anything but I saw the destruction of the Alliance and their worlds burning. But it was just another dead Jedi who the Force could not save.

He said now looking at her, standing up himself he finally said after a moment of silence. "You should get out of this room soon. I cannot afford for my apprentice to stay in bed as if she is still injured or dead."

[member="Varas Kyrel"]

 

[Armand Temi]

While Varas could not see the anger upon Kyrel’s face, she could feel it as though it were a third person in the room, emanating with both icy judgment and hot rage.

He stood on both feet and turned away as though he wanted nothing to do with her and then just about ordered her out of the bed.

“B-but I just woke up,” she complained, her hand still on the electric medical panel, not sure if she should jack up the dose of phosovane salts to keep her in less pain. Especially if she would be put through the gauntlet in training today. Varas resisted.

Grunting again and sucking air in between her teeth, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled herself fully upright, but was unable to stand yet.

“Do you think it’s wise to practice today?”

The brunette clone did not explain why but the reason was twofold. Obviously the pain of her injuries would be difficult to bear, but they always had Crucitorn, taught to both of them by the goat priestess. But she was also worried, not of her own safety, but that she’d suddenly strike out at her father again with an inexplicable need to kill.

[member="Kyrel Ren"]

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Kyrel was still displeased with his apprentice and daughter and despite her tone. He was absolutely livid as he looked at her again, his hand almost in a gesture to a Force Choke, and he had desperately wanted to for her attempt on his life aboard the Istkusk and was even contemplating on killing her, but again he did not know where Tmoxin was and he rather not hunt her down again and waste all that time for a new prize. His armored fists were clenched tightly as his anger was now to the point where even with his mind, the nearby medical droids began to shake and a few even fell over, exploding as Kyrel continued to stare at her in silence.

Through the deep dark sinister metallic tone of his mask he spoke. "No as we have more important matters... Come, Apprentice... Let us speak of consequences." He said as with the force he had removed most of her restraints allowing her to move freely as he said walking out. The tone that carried with his words implied that he did not forget nor was forgiving so easily for the betrayal and unfortunately for her, she had no idea what he was gonna do to her, although his feelings in the Force, the rage and anger had given her a slight inkling of what was going to be in store for the young woman.

[member="Varas Kyrel"]

 

[Armand Temi]

It was only now that Varas realized her father meant to choke her, but then he stopped and perhaps his hand was just gestural, reflecting his thoughts rather than his actions. Tmoxin was almost a distant memory at this point. She’d always be there feeding her personality to Varas through her DNA, but the Knight-to-be rarely thought of her as a parental entity anymore.

So there was truly no one to turn to if she was unhappy with her current conditions.

As the medical droids exploded from Kyrel’s anger, Varas flinched. She also realized her legs had restraints on them which her Master now freed her of.

“What’s more important than…? Oh…”

Consequences. Wasn’t the pain enough? A metallic phantom limb now residing where her flesh and blood one used to be?

And now it was her turn to be angry. “Kark that,” she spat. “I give you my loyalty. I let you take my hand and you have more punishment to dish out?” The last of the medical droids, a rather expensive model of 2-1B surgical droid, exploded through her own vengeful telekinesis. The words came out in a guttural, antagonistic growl.

“You tell me right now what you plan to do before I go anywhere with you.”

[member="Kyrel Ren"]

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Kyrel watched at how his daughter at first acted like a child who had disappointed her father and rightfully so, but had all but faded into a furious anger that all that stood before him was a child throwing a tantrum, and he was in no mood nor had the tolerance for children at this point, and it was as if she had become nothing more then an impatient child instead of what he had forced her to be. He then noticed that with her overwhelming strength in the Force destroyed the last Medical droid standing. She then proceeded to yell an expletive and as if she was entitled demanded to know what he was going to do to her. At this point, he had neither the patience nor the want to indulge her.

His rage exploding as through instinct alone he raised his hands at her and unleashed what he thought would never see. Blue Lightning was coming out towards her, and through that same instinct and with the power coursing through his veins. Kept the barrage up as he could only imagine her screams outside the crackle of the lightning he suddenly stopped, stunned by the newfound power he felt, but the rage did not stop as he pulled out his saber and held it to her throat in a threatening manner. "You have lost sight of your place, Varas... If you even threaten to take my life again.. I will take more then a hand. You are the Apprentice you may be ready for the likes of a Knight of Ren... But you forget one thing. I created you, you were created to do my bidding. To carry on my legacy and you will continue to do so. If you do not I have no use and thus you are expendable to me child!"

He said looking her through the red irises of his mask not seeing the scowl he was making through his mask.

[member="Varas Kyrel"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Varas often acted like a child because theoretically her growth had been scientifically manipulated, if not stunted by the Kaminoans. She did occasionally suffer from poor impulse control and vengeful tantrums, sometimes out of nowhere. But she also had Tmoxin’s graceful Hapan manners to fall back upon so her school girl shenanigans rarely lasted too long.

Force lightning, a darksider’s weapon of annihilation and the likes of which she’d never seen her father wield, came shooting out of Kyrel’s gloved fingers. In hues of an unearthly neon blue that reminded her of the hollow depths of space, the lightning smacked into her, twining around her body, enveloping Varas in pain.

She fell to her knees, careful to keep her new limb in the air as though holding it from water. The agony was immeasurable.

“Arrrgguuughhhhhhh!” she wailed, turning onto the left side, again preserving the right mechanical hand, ironically the only part of her that didn’t hurt. If she could replace her entire body right now with cyberparts she would - probably give the other limb for that.

He hauled her up by her the collar of her medical gown, saber hot at her throat. Tears dripped from her eyes, though her jaw was resolutely firm, full lips drawn into a tense line, except for the quirk of a sneer beginning to form.

“Understood,” she replied in a shaky voice.

If he ever taught her how to wield the elemental rage which flew from his fingertips, she knew he would be the first one she used it upon.

[member="Kyrel Ren"]

 

[Kyrel Ren]

He had grinned in satisfaction to see her submit before him but also surprised at the exhilaration he had felt from the electrical charge that that had flown through his body in an instant of rage. He had grinned underneath his mask at her face tears streaming down as her face took on a sneer to which Kyrel did not care. His anger was still boiling within him as it had not been long since the blockade of the Hydian Way and the Second Battle of Dagobah. And still for a brief moment in his anger he had contemplated on killing her but had decided not too. He wouldn't kill her and perhaps he couldn't torture on the other hand was something that wasn't entirely out of the question hence the Force Lightning that had unknowingly come from his fingertips.

His strength with or without the armor had allowed herself to be hung in the air by her shirt collar. "I realize this is a different and new time for you Varas... But I taught you to never disobey me, and yet you still try to challenge me... If I had wanted to I would kill you with a mere thought. Because you are of my blood I will not do that... Now come here."

He had said as he had slowly dropped her stepping out of the room and onto a turbolift waiting for her to come, as he had taken the turbolift down the Castle and into the lava catacombs, the dark side as strong as it was when the Order of Ren took this place from the Jedi, he could feel it radiating from him, it's whisper calling to him. And still, he did not give in traveling to the catacombs' depths with his daughter with him. Arriving he had walked slowly outside, sith hieroglyphs all over the walls. He planned to show her something truly special.

[member="Varas Kyrel"]