[Act Two] Kill The Boy

[Lief]

Panatha​

​

Four long years since his abandonment.

One might suspect that after having been continuously let down by every parental figure, every guardian, in his life, Kobe Seren might have taken the news of Kaine's disappearance better than he had. Found a way to work it to his advantage. Used it to grow from.

Instead, what had he actually accomplished?

He had found the world of Aurum, where the holocron he still to this day carried had led him. He had fallen amidst fields of corn and barley, where a Darksider had ridiculed him. Yet he had not risen even then. He had subjugated a wayward Sith, yet released her just days later having lost his nerve.

In the end, only the boy remained.

The child who had watched the Cityscape of Coruscant come to life each night from the skyscraper he called home. Who had drawn crayon masterpieces to show parents who never visited. Who had tried to walk the path of the Jedi, just as they had, to make them proud. And who had ultimately fallen prey to his own anger, following the death of all he held dear.

Somehow he had made it back, full circle, to the very beginning.

To Kaine.

The one who had started this whole sordid affair the day he stole away Cassius. Who had ruined his parents lives, to the point where they couldn't bear to look upon the son which remained. Who had taunted his Mother to her death. The man who had finally broken the child who had tried pathetically to avenge her.

Panatha, it seemed, had returned to his iron fist.

The moment that The Haunter touched down he knew he would not have long before the guards came. Kaine was perceptive, and those who were trained to work for him were expected to be moreso. The ship was Kaine's own, no doubt he would recognize the markings... As would the ground crew.

Swiftly descending the ramp, Kobe pulled out the blaster he had been using since he'd cast aside the Lightsaber Kaine had watched him construct and paced toward the Palace. Beneath the mask his eyes narrowed, and when a Guard finally stepped forth to try and stop him he simply lifted one hand and shot a bolt into his chest. When Kobe sensed the slightest twitching of fingertips the other hand rose to grasp at the throat of the nameless man with an unseen force, pushing the air from his lungs.

He was already feet away when the body slumped to the ground.

As always the interior halls of the Palace were dead. But he sensed the eyes of the Guard regardless. Despite having heard the blaster fire none stepped forth from their shadowy posts, and as a result Kobe made it to the gargantuan doors of the Throne Room in record time.

Another press of the Force had them flown inward with a beastly echo. One, two, three large strides, and the boy was already nearing the center of the room. His eyes flicked upward, to the risen dais, while the blaster arm lifted once again to focus on the throne.

The child said nothing. He waited for any signs of life, if one could call the existence of Vornskr such, and even the slightest hint had him pull the trigger.

He was not here to talk, this boy of few words. He was here for the head of Kaine Zambrano.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Initially it seemed that no one occupied the throne room as [member="Raseri Sarosh"] made his dramatic entrance, and the room was cold and dark as if all heat and light had been stripped away to leave behind frigid nothingness. Yet as he approached the raised dais upon which say the Arch-King's throne, his eyes could make out a figure among the darkness and the swirling gloom perched upon that throne with one leg swung over the over.

Kobe approached with weapon drawn and popped off several shots once the figure of Kaine Zambrano became clear, but the Dark Lord merely raised his right hand and caught each bolt with casual ease. Yet, he did not move to rise, he remained sitting and seemed resign to watch the young man approach him with weapon still held firmly in his hand.

"Welcome home. I had wondered when you'd return to us." His voice was like stone cracking and the shadows around them seemed to undulate with each syllable, "I don't appreciate the death of my guards, Kobe, didn't your parents ever teach you manners before they abandoned you? I'll have to make sure and correct their failure." It was an obvious Sith tactic, the Dark Lord was prodding Kobe's weak points in order to incite violent activity and make him react irrationally.

Then he would have him in the palm of his hand.

 

[Lief]

His frustration grew with each toxic word from Kaine's mouth. While he hadn't initially seen the man on the throne he had known he would be there regardless, lurking as always, watching as he stormed into the room. Each shot was absorbed as though naught save air had escaped his blaster, and Kobe's lips pulled back into a snarl beneath the mask.

He did not say a word. He had never been one for speaking, not even when Kaine had torn the words from his throat. And right now, words were wasted on him. Instead he shot again, and again, and again, stepping closer as he did so. He did not care if he wasted the entire pack on worthless shots. Even if he realized deep down that there was no way this monster would ever fall by his hand, it would not stop him from trying.

A growl of frustration escaped him though when each and every shot was cast aside.

Welcome home? Welcome home? You were not here last I came to these halls, fiend!

And then he said it. Brought mention of his parents into the room. That made the boy halt, breathing heavy, as he stared through the man on the throne. How dare he speak of them, after all that had happened.

But he was right. They hadn't been there to teach him. They hadn't shown any interest in him, pawning him off on Josh or some other Jedi. Never had time.

He kept the blaster raised, but refrained from shooting. Instead he stared down the barrel toward the man who had, for whatever reason, taken him in. Had him taught. Fed him, clothed him, took him under his wing.

But he took them from you. He instigated this whole mess, Kobe... He took Cassus, he killed Mother. It's his fault. All of it.

And yet, for whatever reason, he had yet to strike down Kobe.

Why?

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Kaine did not rise, he merely kept his hand outstretched to defend himself against Kobe's frantic barrage -- each collected bolt swelling as nascent power within the Dark Lord ready to be used in whatever capacity he desired.

The boy neared, gun still held out, but he no longer pulled the trigger. His hand was stayed by confusion, the dark truths of his existence beginning to wedge themselves deeper and deeper into his mind. Such hesitation would be the boy's downfall as Kaine suddenly redirected that collected energy into action, reaching out with the Force to seize the weapon and crush it. No doubt there were still several shots left in the blaster's clip, and the destruction of the weapon could cause them to rupture violently.

And then he was standing, his movement so quick it seemed almost instantaneous. He loomed over the smaller boy, his stature utterly imposing. "You are confused, my child. Lost, abandoned, bereft of purpose. I may have let you down once before, but that was a different time, different circumstances. Re-pledge yourself to me and I will forge you into something worthy, something powerful. But this will be the last offer I make to you, spurn it at your own peril. For if you do, then I will gladly reunite you with your mother and brother."

[member="Raseri Sarosh"]​

 

[Lief]

He was pulled from his thoughts by a sudden explosive pop and pain which seared up his hand. Almost immediately he dropped the smoldering weapon, though he did not cry out and the mask hid the very slight grimace which pulled at his lips. The fingers instinctively flexed, though they struggled to do so in truth, and he could feel the very skin burning under his glove.

Still he did nothing to stop it. Instead he drew upon the pain, using it to fuel himself, to steel himself, to face the man before him.

All at once Kaine was looming over him, and the boy realized how small he was in comparison. He dwarfed most, due to his heritage, but Kaine... He was another thing all together. Foreboding. Kobe glanced up, before the mask on his face began to retract inward on itself. Beneath it the boy seemed to have grown some, matured in the face; he looked the perfect mix of his parents, though Asha was painfully obvious moreso than Tracyn if you discounted the hair.

Everything the monster said was true. He even acknowledged that Kobe's disappearance was his own fault. And with each passing moment he found himself lulled back into the same state he had been in when first he left these halls. This man, this monster, was the closest thing to family he had. A Father in the absence of his true blood. He had come here to kill him, but defying him felt wrong.

In the end the boy simply dropped to his knees. Was he weak? Was he wrong? He knew what Kaine had done, and yet he swore fealty to him all the same. He couldn't help himself, he needed him. Kaine was all that he had left.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A hand fell on Kobe's shoulder, one of reassurance.

"There, there young Kobe. Your confusion is only momentary, it will pass with knowledge. Knowledge that I alone can grant you." The hand slipped away, and the Dark Lord stepped down the dais steps that led up to his throne. It became quickly apparent that they were not the only two people in the throne room as the gloom dissipated to reveal the steel-colored guards posted at each column that lined the walkway to the black iron throne. More than that, there were a myriad of other people hidden beyond in the alcoves and antechambers that branched off of the main chamber. Many of them were hidden by hood or mask, and many of them would be unrecognizable to Kobe.

But there were two among the crowd that Kobe would keenly recognize. They were the elderly visages of Instructor One and Instructor Two, the two tutors assigned by Kaine to teach Kobe in all realms of science, literature, mathematics, history, geography, and so on. "But there can be no more of this rebelliousness, Kobe. It is counterproductive to your existence. Is that understood?"

[member="Raseri Sarosh"]​

 

[Lief]

The boy closed his eyes, and exhaled a small breath when the comforting hand settled to his shoulder.

How had he lasted this long alone? How had he managed to survive without the guidance of the man who towered overhead? He bowed his head and gave a small nod of understanding.

There would be no rebellion. There would be no fighting. He had realized the error of his ways, he was ready to learn, to grow, to obey as he had once done.

He could feel eyes upon him, and felt a few familiar presences stirring around where the duo were situated. For now he did not look, he did not need to see further evidence of his past, of his failure.

Of course the muted boy said nothing. His silence spoke volumes.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]