Bad Apple

[Charlie Nooran]

Charlie nodded understanding how the Echani Master was describing the dark side of the Force. She had felt it before and she felt it when she was fighting Elizah. The quick high of power didn’t seem to be good enough for this type of side effect, but maybe for some it was worth it. Charlie found herself watching the rewound version of the Ren, then moved her attention back to the feed that was live. She wanted to talk to her – confront her on everything had happened.

Remembering the work, they have done with organized crime, Charlie shrugged. “I just thought I’d be better at this. Guess I wanted her to be my friend too badly – especially when she said she’d come back to the Rest.” Charlie kept the rest of her thoughts to herself on the matter.

Eyes moved from the video screen and stared at her hand, she remembered the odd comfort she had found with Elizah, but then figured like the alluring package – it was all part of the lie. Surprise washed away the stress from her as she listened to her Master dismiss her along with being cut off from Elizah. Her face showed her disapproval of her Master’s statement, Charlie wanted to talk to Elizah – maybe there was something more to all of this.

She didn’t argue, this wasn’t the place for it. A soft sigh and a nod, “I think everyone is back from their round of missions. I’ll see what Kat and Asaraa are up too.” The mention of cheeseburgers brought a soft smile to the Padawan’s face. “We haven’t been to Randon in a while, mmm they have the best cheeseburgers.” Charlie’s emotions shifted quickly as a sense of happiness lingered on the girl’s face. Nodding her head slightly, she moved to leave the room.

Heading down the hallway, Charlie wondered why her Master seemed quick to dismiss her, either way it was probably for the best as a weight felt as if it lifted from her shoulders as she continued towards her room. Her own mind mulling over the conversation between Jyoti and Elizah continued.

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

She could feel that Charlie wasn't exactly enthused about being cut off from Elizah, but they needed to be separated so that Charlie could process events more objectively. She was trying to see things that weren't there when the truth was right in her face.

Truth be told, Jyoti herself needed a break, too. She had kept a good face in her reaction to Charlie coming to harm, but right now she despised that woman for trying to hurt Charlie. The worst part about it was that she didn't seem too torn up about attempted murder.

Life always seemed to matter so little to a Dark Sider.

"Alright, we're done here." she said as she rose from the console. "I actually missed out on lunch for this, so let's get a bit to eat. Lahisa, I'll leave the rest to you. I don't think I'll be back for a while, she's not giving up anything right now, so I'm just going to let her stew for a while as I work through some other cases."

She waved goodbye to everyone and slipped out of the security room with Charlie, looking down the hall towards Elizah's cell for a few moments before turning to leave the ward altogether.

One Month Later:

Weeks went by before Jyoti finally returned, this time alone. In a change, she was in a more trendy getup of casual wear, dark jeans, and a jade bomber jacket. It was a Friday and an admin day, so the Echani had let loose a bit. She also figured it would give her a more humanizing touch when facing Elizah again.

She knocked loudly on the door before slipping in about a half a minute later, giving Elizah ample time to wrap up whatever she was doing at the time.

"Long time, no see," she said as stepped into the room with a wave.

It looked the same as last time, more a cozy dormroom than a jail cell. The Shadow still found the cell to be much too accommodating and would have preferred keeping the woman stowed away in a proper brig in orbit, but this was a kinder, gentler Jedi Order than what she had come from.

[member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Samka Derith]

Boredom has taken me, Samka Derith reflected on her situation.

The serious lack of recreational activities beyond books deemed suitable by her captors was taking its toll. The guards were not chatty folk, mostly ignoring her queries no matter how polite she phrased them. It irritated her but she moved on. Her days were mostly taken up by exercise. Stretches, crunches, sit-ups, squats, press ups and whatever limited gymnastics she could manage in the space given. She would exercise, take a break, perhaps read but go back to it once her body was rested.

It was in the middle of these stretches that there was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" The Ren called out, her tone chirpy, turning to face the door. "Oh it's you," a half smile greeted the Jedi Master.

"A bit early for my mediocre prison meals, is it not? To what do I owe the pleasure, Master Nooran?"

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Jyoti had stepped into the cell while Elizah was in the midst of some exercising, catching the tail end of some serious stretching. The Temple guards tasked with monitoring Elizah had noted that she always seemed to be exercising, displaying quite the advanced maneuvers at times. As an Echani, the woman earned some respect by keeping in shape, moving quite gracefully. She looked like she could have been a dancer.

"Yes, it's me," she replied with a nod as she moved around Elizah, posting up against her desk like in their first encounter. "I thought it was about time I checked up on you. It's been a while."

She scanned the room, finding what little possessions Elizah had to be neatly organized. The woman may have left a few uneasy with creepy gestures here and there, but otherwise, she seemed to be the model prisoner.

"Oh, you don't like the food? We don't tend to keep people in detention here, so whatever you're eating is usually from the dining hall that everyone uses. Mmm...I'm in a good mood tonight, so I could make an exception. How does take out sound?"

Kashyyyk wasn't exactly a culinary hub, but the Silver Campus was a small city unto itself with a decent food scene for the Antarian Rangers and their families, and there were other good options in the trade houses that orbited the planet. There was usually something for everyone.

"So how are you enjoying your stay at the Rest so far?"

[member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Samka Derith]

"It has," Samka wiped a lingering sweat off of her brow with the sleeve of the Jedi robe provided for her. Robes didn't make the most flexible or comfortable work out clothes but the young woman refused to wear anything else knowing how closely her cell was monitored. "I was beginning to wonder if I had been thrown away without a key."

She watched the woman move past cautiously. From the clothing, to the attitude, Jyoti had changed from their last encounter. A change of tactics, perhaps.

"Oh it's satisfactory," the Ren shrugged nonchalantly. "I privately suspect your chefs decide to give me their least successful dishes but I haven't eaten outside of this to compare it with. Regardless, I've had much worse." Training as an Acolyte with the Knights of Ren provided far from the highest quality meals.

An eyebrow rose in suspicion at the Jedi's offer. The kindness was unexpected and at odds with the Jyoti she'd interacted with before. "I'd like something sweet," she demanded anyway. "Something baked."

The question which then followed earned a quick derisive snort. "Master Nooran, I'd be lying if I said this was the time of my life." She made a sweeping gesture to the fairly cosy but sparse room. "I appreciate not being executed, thrown to the Shadowlands or tortured beyond having to read the Big Book of Wookiee Puns for entertainment but I wouldn't recommend this as a get away to my friends."

The young woman sighed, crossing her arms together, remembering her tours of nature at the Bastion of Ren. "Did you need something from me, Master Nooran?"

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Jyoti nodded along as Elizah spoke, the Echani carefully reading her body language all the while. The woman appeared to be comfortable, albeit bored with her incarceration.

"Oh come now, the Big Book of Wookiee Puns isn't that bad, once you wrap your head around Shyrriwook."

Elizah's theories about her food were quite off, but in fact, Jyoti had played a hand in what sort of reading material Elizah had received from the Library. Mostly low-quality pulp fiction, adventure serials, and romance rags. Nothing particularly thought-provoking or stimulating, unless romance really was her thing. She was never allowed any news by design, keeping her ignorant of current events and thus easier to control.

"Like I said, I just wanted to do a check-up. It's hard to believe, but I do care about your well-being." She raised her hand, waving at Elizah. "Beyond the whole 'Queen of the darkness' act, you don't seem too bad, for a Dark Sider. You're civil, which puts you head and shoulders beyond most I've had to deal with in this situation."

"So something sweet and baked...I think I know just the thing."

She grinned while communicating with the temple's comm system, transmitting an order to her favorite restaurant in the system. By radio-telepathy, this happened instantly. By contrast, she always felt like she was moving at molasses when she had to verbalize every thought to organics. She almost experienced this conversation as slow-motion. Such were the struggles of a cyborg.

"I already have something on the way that I think you'll enjoy. Until then, why don't we chat for a bit? You asked me if I needed anything, but how about yourself?"

[member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Samka Derith]

"I am no linguist," Samka confessed to the woman. "Particularly when it comes to languages the human voice box has no capacity to replicate," the Ren gestured to her throat for good measure. In other company she may refer to the Wookiees themselves as 'primitive' or 'bestial' but Samka suspected the Jedi may take offence so she cut herself off.

"Hm," Samka treated the Jedi's words with scepticism. "I'll take that as a compliment. Queen of darkness aside."

She watched Jyoti grinning like a moron for no clear reason. She'd already ordered something? Samka could admire the efficiency at least. Though at this point she half expected it to be laced with some truth serum.

The Ren still had no doubts that she was alive for a reason. That they were attempting to coerce something from her. Information? A confession? Who knows but her experience with Jedi had been none too friendly. The only Jedi she had met whom she had admired had himself grown disillusioned and left their ways. They were a broken, fractured people prone to violence and mayhem in pursuit of their hypocritical doctrines. The mocking, rude Jyoti she'd met weeks ago was a more accurate representation than this suddenly friendly Jedi Master.

"So be it." Samka shrugged again, privately happy enough to have another being to converse with no matter their eventual intent. "Would you like a list?" A half smirk on the young woman's lips.

"I could go for a more fruity shampoo, the odourless one provided is nowhere near as refreshing. Likewise when the bed sheets are washed, I would prefer they have a clean smell, it's comforting that way. I would appreciate a flute kept in my room to practice my music, I fear I'm becoming rusty trapped in here. The books provided continue to be of lesser quality, something more intelligent and well written is a must and I truly hope you reconsider trying to keep me in this information blackout, it is infuriating. Oh these Jedi robes don't really suit me, if you have any dresses I could use, that would be good of you. Now beyond the obvious of wanting to go outside and cease 24/7 monitoring, which is a grotesque violation of my privacy, I suppose nothing else immediately comes to mind."

Samka paused, having not taken a breath through the entire time she'd talked. "What are the chances of any of those?"

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Elizah wasted no time in rattling off her desires. Some of the things were reasonable, but other items completely out of the question as she was still technically incarcerated.

"Hmm, you should be getting fresh sheets, so I'll check in on that. I could definitely hook you up with some better toiletry and literature. Any other luxuries beyond that may be granted if you accept certain terms of mine. I don't like keeping you cooped up in here, but I want no other altercations between you and other members of the Silver Order."

Her stomach grumbled, and her mind was back on dinner. Powerful Force Users like her were always hungry, requiring a much higher caloric intake to account for much greater brain activity alone.

"Before you answer any of that...how does pizza sound?"

[member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Samka Derith]

"Certain... terms?" Samka repeated the Jedi Master's words with scepticism. "Depends what they are."

The offer of food however, only received a blank look from the Ren. "Judging from the sound in your stomach that's... a food of some sorts?" She paused, smirking as she softly teased the Jedi, "Master Nooran, did you wish to be lunch partners? I've never been trained as a chef but there are a few recipes I've learned to survive off the land for a while. I hope you don't mind a total lack of flavour but it'll be the best I can do, especially if I'm not trusted with knifes or fire."

"But... very well. I'll dine with you," she agreed. Come to think of it, she was rather hungry herself after her exercises and taking the opportunity to get to know her captor was a great advantage in the future. "My place or..." Samka's crimson eyes flickered to the cell's doorway and the relative freedom beyond it.

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Jyoti chuckled at Elizah's offering. So she did have a sense of humor, which made her a lot more bearable than the usual grim types that passed through these cells.

"I'm sure you would do a splendid job even with limited resources, but I'll have to respectfully decline. I can here to treat you out tonight."

She glanced over at the window, the light outside fading as evening came. "I suppose we could take this dinner date outside if you agree to my conditions."

She turned back to meet Elizah's eyes, still quite crimson. Admittedly, they were quite pretty in a strange way, like a pair of glittering rubies. It was a shame that they were the product of hateful corruption. However, all in all, she looked a little healthier, some color on her skin now. The Echani could only speculate, but perhaps the corruption was being reversed being cut off from the Force for so long.

"Which is pretty simple. You have to agree to wear a Force suppression collar at all times while outside the confines of this detention center, until such a time you prove yourself to be a non-threat. If you refuse, then I guess we're munching on pizza here at your place."

[member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Samka Derith]

Samka sighed, the young woman looking up at the ceiling with her arms crossed. The collar would be unpleasant and she'd make no attempt to hide her disgust of the object. It marked her as a prisoner, or worse, a Jedi slave or pet.

"So be it," she responded snappishly.

Despite her disdain for a collar the choice was a simple one. It was a relatively small price to pay for no longer staring at the same walls she had done for weeks. Boredom had become a greater concern than pride right now. Besides, taking a step back from her role, it was a fairly logical move by the Jedi, she'd have demanded the same thing from her prisoners. If they were still alive for this long.

"I do hope it's not ugly," her gaze returned to Jyoti. "Consider that my one counter condition."

The petite girl circled around the older woman to reach the doorway with a small, almost childish skip in her steps. "So when do we leave?"

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]