Abaddon All Hope and Despair

[Daxton Bane]

The markets of Byss were filled to the brim with goods and products from all ends of the Empire. With the recent invasion of Mandalorian space, merchants were flocking in to hock their wares to the ever discerning taste of the Sith. Literally anything could be found, if one was willing to look hard enough.

This was why Daxton was in the market place this day, he had heard that rare dried Hothian White Lily flowers had just arrived and he was eager to test their poisonous properties in his experiments. Paying the merchant, he had just put his package away when he saw a familiar face in the crowd.

 

[Lady Abaddon]

She walked like a model in her spiked heels. Every chip and step of her bone spikes penetrated deep into the market's stone pathways. Her height was towering over the hunched peasants that moved out her way. The air around her turned to ash and her gaze burned like fire. Abaddon was. Musing.

She was a clone and creature. Sith Alchemy turned too ripe for it's own good. Spoiled like a princess she seemed to float along. Browsing the market in her long black gown. It was speared to her bladed shoulders like a stuck pig. Heavy and strong. Yet she danced over the pitfalls of the market like a black feather. Her robes drifting endlessly behind her. Like a dancing dove. She was a maiden and a monster. Who spoke without words,

~ Sith Knight. ...Bane. Bane of our enemies. And our brothers too. How swiftly your sword fell upon the chambers of Lord Moridin that night. How swiftly your accent in the Dark Side began. Yes. Yes. ...Bane. Bane of my bane. I welcome you. I welcome too. ~

The creature could not speak for it had no cords but to whisper. However, in those minds that could hear the Force she was like a Siren's call. Beckoning all who heard her soft song to a watery doom. Even now she stalked Daxton like predator hunts it's prey. Like a woman hunts a man.

~ Bane. Brother of my brother. What find you here in these still market stalls? Do these small humans carry your fancy like a tune? ...Or is their a hunger I sense for something new. ~

She eyed the flowers without blinking. Without a sound. She never blinked. I don't think she knew how.

~ Yes. Yes. I sense your hunger for these small, supple things. Interesting. Interesting. And what do they do? Hmm? Might I desire of their wicked potency too. ~

It stopped and reared to it's full height. Elegant and terrible. Waiting. Watching. ...Hungering. For Daxton to reply.

 

[Daxton Bane]

Pausing as he sensed the siren's call, he gazed over his shoulder as if checking for a trap, then he mentally replied as he continued with his walk. Even among the Sith, very few were aware that Daxton had the gift to speak with his mind. Fewer still knew that he could whisper dark secrets and evil thoughts in dreams. This was secret he held close to his chest, one he rarely revealed to the world. Still the call caressed his mind, like the touch of a lover through his hair.
~ Hello my dark sister. What brings you about this day? Surely you wouldn't be interested in my little experiments, now would you? ~

 

[Lady Abaddon]

She followed like a wisp. The soft snapping of the ground underneath her toes,

~ Musing. Musing. I hunger for a different food. The taste of combat. No. No. I've had my fill this day. It is the taste of company I require. Broadening my palette I suppose. ~

Her head never moved as they wandered. She was like a statue. Without emotion.

~ But I smell a hunt unfolding. A hunt for trinkets, your require. What is this quest brother to my brother. Why seek ye these things? Why seek ye these babbles? ~

 

[Daxton Bane]

~Ah curious I see you my sister.~ Daxton projected a smile as he continued, ~A predator adapts to the environment yes? Too confident and prey escapes when you least expect it. Like a thousand blades I have at my command, there is always a need for one more. These pretty little things contain a powerful nerve agent that can paralyze a foe, even kill them if the dosage is high enough. I like having many teeth, don't you?"

Caressing Daxton's thoughts was like touching melted chocolate, soft, sweet and sticky, full of promise and deceit lurking in the hidden depths.

 

[Lady Abaddon]

Abaddon was an evil creature in her very bones. Birthed from reanimated dead cells and possessed by an evil spirit. Her attachment to the outside world was hardened. Just like her emotional core. Daxton's thoughts held meaning but not any flavor for the beast. Unlike humans, she held no attachment to light and illusion. Her mind's eye saw only in red.

~ Mmm. Mmm. Toxins. Poisons. Death. ...I know these things. I know them well. Touch them I do not. For they are not for eating. ~

Bane's hobby remained his own. A beast could not be an Alchemist. Abaddon was too short-sighted to kill in such a way. Her imagination was different. Though, she enjoyed thinking about teeth. It made her hungry in her gut.

~ Tell me Daxton. Daxton Bane. ...Why does this galaxy not bend to our will? Why do these creatures continue? ~

She stopped to hold out a single claw. A woman's pale and delicate finger with a bone daggered nail just as long. A passing human stopped in terror and froze. His eyes locked inside Abaddon's foul flame. The creature ran her nail across the human's cheek. Like a jeweler admiring a gem. She caressed the human's face with her claw until it finally ran away.

~ Why have we not killed them all yet? ~

 

[Daxton Bane]

~A most delightful thought my dear. I find it most amusing to watch them struggle in their insignificant lives, trying so hard to stop us and yet unknowing serving our will and doing our bidding. The fools play games, thinking they save the galaxy when all they do is prolong the suffering and terror. I must confess, it gives me great joy to play with their hopes and dreams before I smite them down. Tell me my dear Abaddon. Which is more pleasurable, the kill offered on a silver plate or the one savored after a long and rewarding hunt?" As one alpha predator to another, he was speaking on the core sensibilities which made them such great killing machines. The need to hunt. No predator in its right mind would enjoy a meal not hunted. That was the role of slaves and pets. No the role of the predator was to strike fear in the hearts of their foes and they engaged in a bloody battle for the most basic requirement in the universe, survival.

 

[Lady Abaddon]

This thought was most interesting to Abaddon. Her survival thus far had been one of great exhaustion and effort. Only upon joining the Sith as a whole had she experienced complete superiority. Until now this, 'silver plate', had never existed to her. So when Daxton mentioned it, she was intrigued at the difference.

~ Mmm. Mmm. Yes. A kill is a kill. A death is a death. But enjoyment. Intrigue. This is a far greater a pleasure. Pride. Pride. My will is to kill and to destroy. The hunt is my challenge. The hunt is my pain. The hunt is my pleasure. ...Yes. Yes. I will kill. ...But perhaps, from now on? ...I will kill with enjoyment. ~

If she could have smiled she would have. Instead her eyes burned with a green swirling flame. The beast was learning. The beast was... Enjoying herself.

~ Bane. Bane of my bane. Tell me? ...Where did you learn such strong ideas. Are they of your skin? ...Your. ...Your horns and your peoples face? Is this were you learned your pleasures? ~

The downside of not have a species. Collective cultural learnings and holding to a 'common sense' where lost on the woman.

 

[Daxton Bane]

~My people are weak. Afraid to dream about walking among the stars. They would rather huddle at the feet of slavers than embrace their destiny.~ Daxton thought dismissively of his people. Cowards who feared the whip of the slaver. Mentally sending a picture of some his most memorable hunts, he shared with he the thrill of the hunting, the flow of energy as he made the kill. It was almost sensual in the animal ferocity and pure emotion for each kill. Daxton lived on the edge, a predator that answered to none save a few. Yet he saved the best for last, his near successful assassination of Moridin was his best hunt yet. And the night still promised more kills to come.

 

[Lady Abaddon]

Now that was an image that Abaddon could relish in. Combat.

~ Bane. Such vivid hunts. You make a creature jealous. Jealous. How amusing. Their deaths. ~

She stopped and overlooked the market once more. Wondering why she hesitated to kill them all. Just. End them. Swift. And simple. Like the words that followed,

~ I came here to kill you Daxton Bane. Dead. In this market. Alone. Without aid. ...But my mother bids me wait. She bid me speak. She bid me listen. ~

Her head now looked at Daxton with renewed interest.

~ So I wondered... Why does the Dark Side stay my hand. Why must I wait to destroy you. Why, does mother like you more than me? And now I think I understand now. ~

He paused with a flash of her eyes.

~ I think your mother's favorite. ~

 

[Daxton Bane]

~Perhaps.~ He mused, amusement and curiousity spiking through his thoughts. ~But if you would wait, why not wait by my side? Join me as my apprentice and rise to all new heights, all new kills. Look around you Abaddon, although they are Sith, they are still nothing. We are similiar, you and I. We seek timprove ourselves. To hunt the best prey. To evolve. The Dark Side holds many promises, and with me as your Master, you can achieve all that you want and more. Then perhaps, the Mother would grant you your wish and we can see which of us is the more evolved monster.~

 

[Lady Abaddon]

~ Oh. And what can the Bane teach me? Mother gives me all that I need. The Dark Side is my ally. She is my teacher. My lover. My friend. ...What are you to my mother Bane? Bane of my bane. Brother to my brother. Does the Dark Side speak to you as it speaks to me? ~

She stole a chair and sat down. It's, previous owner locked his door and ran away. Leaving Abaddon free to cross her legs and take the time to sharpen her claws. Abaddon had taken many teachers before. Her creator thought he could teach her. He died up against broken glass. Pierced through his heart. It was a wonderful memory to behold. The mermaids of Yavin's moon thought they could teach her too. They died when their Temple suddenly collapsed during ceremony. That had taken patience indeed. ...And now Bane thought he could teach her as well. If he proved useless like the others? What would be his fate, she wondered.

But if he proved worthy? Then maybe Abaddon could once again become mother's favorite death child. And just maybe. Bane would get a new pet.

 

[Daxton Bane]

In his minds eye he projected the image of a dark cystal, its ebony surface pulsing with bright red and green veins. A palatable sense of evil and corruption, the dark side manifested in physical form. ~I have seen the darkness. I serve it willingly, as will you. All hope will die, as avatars of darkness it will be our task to usher in this new age. Join me and we shall unshackle the universe and bring forth a new age. But I see you still have doubts, so will challenge you to a game. You and I here in the construct of our creation with no one to see but us. Let us show each other what we are capable of.~

A dark and devious ploy of Daxton because he has been honing his skill with the force, infiltrating dreams and spawning nightmares. In this realm, his powers were far greater and more deadly indeed.

 

[Lady Abaddon]

Abaddon scratched at her nails. I think it meant she was game.

~ Of course. This realm of thought is my home. Many of your kind must learn to dwell here. I have always been here. With mother to guide me. ~

The creature was comfortable with this challenge. It had never meet a foe who could even compete. To begin she brought forth a potent memory. Her cloning tube. It was a memory filled with pain, fear, and constant claustrophobia. A dark place. A hot place. Where the walls are always closing in on you and there is no air to breathe. This was Abaddon's first world. And she had lived there, stewing for years.

 

[Daxton Bane]

~As it is mine.~ Daxton promised, gathering the first memory of being enslaved. Trapped, weak, defenseless, with no friends. Every day a constant struggle to survive, to gather strength. To know the terror that a single misplaced word could mean a dozen lashes or the hangman if one was unlucky enough. Bowed, broken and bleeding. This is where he drew his strength and his hatred.

 

[Lady Abaddon]

...With his mind weaving the tale, Abaddon struck.

There was the ting of her claws against the stone ground, the shift of the air as her body rocketed forward, the crunching of the pebbles underneath her heavy weight. She roared like a lion and lunged like a bear. The Apprentice saw her chance to steal victory for the Sith. And retake her throne as mother's favorite.

She bellowed a Force Scream that would increase the presence of all negative emotions inside her opponent. Most notably, paralyzing fear. Then she barreled like a rhino, down on all fours, and slashed at Daxton's chest with her bone claws.

After all, there are no pacts between Lions and men.

 

[Daxton Bane]

As she lunged forward, his eyes snapped open and locked on her, the brilliant orbs burning bright orange with desire and amusement, his lips curls in a feral smile as his opponent did exactly as he had planned. There was no fear in Daxton, he drew strength from the negative energy flowing around him, curling around his body like shadowy fetters, hungrily seeking out prey.

Ducking under her slashing claws to her left side, he gathered the force around his right clenched fist as he struck a powerful blow, which caused the ground beneath him to crack and shudder, people screamed in fear and panic as the Sith began to fight. At the point of impact, Daxton utilized a shatterpoint technique, hitting the rift between her arm and her ribs, shattering her bones and driving them into her body. Unless she had a thick bone structure around the chest cavity, he would have pulverized her heart with the bones of her rib cage with that blow alone.

The grin on his face only got wider as he agilely danced out of range before she could strike again.

 

[Lady Abaddon]

Abaddon received a glancing blow to the chest and was hurled down into the street. Her surprise attack was magnificently quenched without even so much as a second thought. Perhaps Knight Bane was truly worthy of the title Sith Knight.

She reared up from all fours to her full height. Standing tall upon two slender legs she reached down and snapped her chest-bound exoskeleton clean off. Ripping three external ribs right off their marrow binding. They cracked and bled as she tossed them to the ground. Watching as the little people dispersed. Devoid of facial emotion, she was a furious ball of rage.

Her ribs then began to bleed a thick black mucus that covered up her wounds. Sealing them and stopping the bleeding. Alas. She was down three ribs.

~ Impressive. No hesitation. No distraction. Not even a single scratch. ...My my. We Sith, are no mere mortals are we? ~

She dropped down to all fours and leapt onto a stone wall. Climbing up it like an effortless spider. Her claws breached the stone and left footprints in her vertical wake. She stalked upon the linear face like a prancing cat.

~ Tell me Bane. Brother. Why does mother bless you so? ...Even with all my cunning I cannot seem to entrap you. Is it your horns that give you such insight. Your past as a slave that hardens you so. ...I wonder? Is killing you the triumph I desire. ~

She stalked and slithered. More animal than man. She wanted to play cat and mouse. But which role was which, she wondered.

 

[Daxton Bane]

~Mortal? Us? Surely you jest, my heart sister. It is not our destiny to scurry like little bugs, scratching an existence just to merely get by. No, we have far greater purpose. We are unto like Gods.~

Always keeping his eyes on hers, he bend forward and low, one knee extended, one flexed as if waiting to spring into action, arms extended, yet seemingly devoid of any weapon, his lightsabers still attached to his belt as if this was merely a sparring match instead of a possible fatal confrontation. ~I know you're hearts desire. To taste my flesh and drink deep of my blood. The Darkness tells me so, yet we both are amused. You still have much to learn and far greater things to achieve before you get what you desire.~

 

[Lady Abaddon]

The creature leapt to a rooftop and perched like a pretty kitten. Profoundly amused that her prey offered no fear. No worry. Daxton was completely confident to remain unarmed. Astounding. Never had the creature encountered prey with such gusto. Was this the type of amusing hunt that Bane had spoken about. A worthy one.

~ Mother says I'm not to kill you. But I detest her favor for you brother. I should be mother's favorite. Not a creature that fights on only two legs. Not a man who holds white petals within his hands. No. No. ...It makes me rather angry to see her enjoy your flattery so. ~

She again began to sharpen her nails. Only her blood-infused eyes revealing the pain of her lost ribs. Her patience.

~ Alas. Alas. I appears I cannot win. Mother's favor holds you so close to her bosom. And I would not wish to upset her. ...But know this little creature who runs upon two legs. Remain watchful always. Oh yes. Brother of my sisters. Son of the Dark Side. ...For if you should fall from her grace? I will be there to grant you your rest. And reclaim that which I have lost. ~

She leaned closer upon her tower and smashed the bricks beneath her mounted claws.

~ Speak your last. For I bid you farewell. ...Until we meet, again. ~