Private Breaking A Sweat

[Darth Malevolum]

Location: Dromund Kaas Training Facility

These sorts of exercises were always ridiculous if you were to ask Malevolum. Who in their right mind wanted to test a Sith Lord on their combat potential? But, they wanted to test this new training program, and she needed the exercise. Her curiosity set upon the partner which she had been paired with; she had no clue who this Darth might be. She stared at the figure, still clad in her metallic suit as she awaited the all clear signal to proceed. Her saber still sat attached to her hip, her cybernetics flickered between several modes, trying to get a read on the figure before her. Heat signature indicated male, as did structure, but x-ray indicated feminine bone structure. Very odd.

There would be time enough for the pair to talk before the test could begin anyways, effectively they were confined to the locker room of the simulator, waiting for the all clear signal to come in. "I haven't seen you before. I suspect you are new." Malevolum spoke, her tone sounding monotone and uninterested, but her behavior indicated otherwise; she always found people interesting.

Darth Void

 

[Darth Void]

The coded message arrived to the Grey Ghost with a white noise in the transmission interrupting Darth Void as she was just about to place coordinates to another destination entirely. If it was from the Empire, it was important. Her duty to the Sith Empire was always first, she reminded herself as her starship docked. Donned in her usual battle armor and mask, she stood to exit her starship. Crew members at the station flagged on either end of the ship stood at attention as Darth Void stormed past them. Her force presence felt among them like a heavy cold blanket reminding them of their place.

A training facility? How odd she thought as she entered. It was rare for the Empire to send high ranking Sith into the training facilities unless they were conducting some sort of new experiments. Weaving through the hallways quickly, Void came into what looked to be the locker room for the participants. Nearing the shut metal doors ahead, she waited quietly for the signal to proceed.

The Sith felt her force before she heard her speak. Human. Sith. Powerful. Must be a Darth. "I haven't seen you before. I suspect you are new."

In response, Void turned her head and looked right at the other Sith. She didn't look familiar at all. She could tell the other woman was trying to scan her with her pale eyes. Must be advanced cybernetics, she deduced from seeing the durasteel encased jaw that came up to protect her ears. Impressive design. Darth Void had lowered her own force presence when she had entered the room prior so that not all her cards are seen at once, even by a fellow Sith. And she was a beautiful Sith at that.

"Something like that... I could say the same for you." she replied from beneath the mask, her voice low. She was curious as to who this other Sith Lord was. Why were they sent here? And what was the Empire planning? She wanted answers, but it seemed as though her questions wouldn't be answered right away. The Empire first wanted to tango before trot. Perhaps she too didn't know why the Empire requested her presence. But could she trust her? You could never trust another Sith. Not entirely anyway. "Why us?" asked Void.

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Malevolum]

The stranger's presence in the force weakened before she had time for a full assessment of her abilities. That was too bad, but perhaps the test ahead would prove to be such a way as to see what this one could do. Malevolum didn't respond to the new comers first statement, merely craning her head towards the stranger and nodded once. Ideally they would be easy to work with, some Darths got all uptight about coordinating with one another.

It was best to be reserved around fellow Sith, especially other lords. Yet the stranger did bring up a good question; why them. "If I was to guess, someone programmed this course with our capabilities in mind. That is merely my guess however. I do find the idea of having to carry out these functions odd, especially for ones such as ourselves." Malevolum stated, the nails of her gauntlets tapped against her knee, as it gave off a light 'thud' in the process. She got bored at times, and making noise with her armor was just one of the ways to pass the time. Sadly it annoyed those around her, so she wouldn't do that for long; especially when she would be working with this one shortly.

She paused and eyed the stranger once more. "Darth Malevolum. And you would be?" She asked expectantly, wanting to see if she would be given a response or not. Her thoughts went back to the Ines and her crew, surely they had to be busy restocking the ship right now, they had better given the mission she had in mind. "If you are perturbed by this demand, I am as well. I do hope someone explains the meaning of this." Malevolum had a great many things to attend to, and none of those things involved testing combat software.

Darth Void

 

[Darth Void]

Turning back to look straight ahead, the door glared at them as though taunting them with the unknown from the other side. Void clenched her jaw in annoyance, the Empire is certainly taking their precious time. And certainly taking up the time of two reputable Sith. Upon voicing her reasoning behind this meeting, Void nodded once "Odd indeed." she agreed without a questionable doubt. The tapping that followed didn't phase her, it intrigued her further. The Sith was clearly more human than cyborg. Most individuals with implants tend to lose majority of their human emotions.

Also, not only was this meeting odd, but so was an actual Sith who introduced themselves first before reaching for their lightsaber. Void couldn't help but allow a smirk to cross her face behind the mask. On top of that, one who was curious to know the name of another. Usually kill first, ask later. "Darth Void." She replied simply. Darth Malevolum.. She thought as she let her brain scour her mental database of Sith Lords she read about, as a tactician Void made it a point to know all she could of other Sith. She spent hours reading on them committing to memory. She didn't just memorize Jedi foes, but possible Sith allies as well. Massive physical strength, cybernetic implants Void brought her armored right hand to her chin, letting her elbow rest on her crossed left as she tried to recall any other pertinent information. No matter. She will find out soon enough. Oh she was most definitely just as perturbed by this entire situation. But she didn't respond to Malevolum's comment, too lost in thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a siren overhead signalling the start of something. Her arms dropped to her sides quickly.

"Here we go."

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Void? Hm. Sadly, Malevolum didn't know anything about this Sith Lord, then again she wasn't too familiar with fellow Sith Lords; something she would have to work on. Rotating her shoulders, Malevolum felt the bones pop, which felt rather nice for the time being. She noticed that the woman seemed to be deep in thought, but Malevolum didn't say anything. When the siren began to ring, Malevolum rose to her feet, looking towards the large metal door that opened up, and brought the two out into the training room. The white holographic terrain stretched outwards, with several towers living the way between themselves and what looked like an heavily armed building on the other side.

Looking up and behind the pair, the glass booth of a control tower showed the test conductors overseeing the trial facing the pair. Malevolum shouted up to them, growing inpatient with why they had been brought here. "What is the meaning of this test? Calling two Darths seems rather excessive, so I do hope you have a reason for this summoning." One of the technicians was quick to respond. "We're trying to see if our new software will be applicable for training by Sith Knights, but to ensure proper challenge, we wanted to test it against those who are superior to the knights. Just to make sure it provides some degree of a challenge." Malevolum continued to stare up at the control room, before shaking her head and looking to Void. "Well, I guess we have our answer." "The test will begin momentarily, just getting the targets into position." What nonsense. They were using the Darths to test a practice room for Knights? Seemed like a poor choice in test subjects; especially calling in Darths for something so lowly. "Well, this should be fun, perhaps." Based on Malevolum's tone, she sounded anything but thrilled about this.

Darth Void

 

[Darth Void]

The doors hissed shut behind them mere seconds after they stepped inside the holographic terrain that seemed to stretch endlessly with towers looming above them. Narrowing her eyes behind the mask, Void noticed it was heavily armed. It seemed that their goal was to reach the end. WIthout dying she supposed. Void followed Malevolum's gaze to the tower behind them. Ah.. so there sits the Imperial technicians responsible for this interesting situation.

"You understand what a waste of time this is right?" she said evenly adding to Malevolum's first statement, her patience beginning to wane. When the technician explained briefly of the software, the Sith's inclination to detach his head from his body was fueled further. "Oh yes... perhaps." muttered Void with sarcasm. Her attention quickly taken back to the field ahead as several Sith Elite Warbots began to rise from the floors below, several dozen War Droids Mark I, Mark II, Mark III, turrets, some of which were newer and unfamiliar. Various panels on the floor lit up red, others were yellow. Who knows what would happen should one be stepped on. And not a single human entity. This was done on purpose. Suddenly without warning, the lined panels in the floors came up between the pair creating a red translucent shield separating the two that went on for several sections before coming to an end approximately 100 yards ahead into the opening where it was most dense with the droids.

Raising her armored right hand forward, her lightsaber quickly flew up into her grip like a magnet. A vibrating hum followed suit as the red lightsaber came alive in a horizontal manner with the burning saber at the bottom of her hand. Lowering her arm down, the lightsaber came upward behind Void. Widening her stance slightly, Void turned her head momentarily to glance to Malevolum through the red shield separating them. Two beats later and Void vanished, only the panel where she once stood was bent backward from the force of her movement. Reappearing running sideways along the shield separating them avoiding the colored panels and towards the nearest Warbot who had aimed its sights on her, it's large blaster arm came downward in a swooping manner towards her. Slicing the arm through as she ran past the Warbot, Void bounded off the side of the shield and landed on a solid panel behind the droid whose lost arm came crashing down. Taking the advantage, she let out a pulse of her force and thrust her left hand forward pushing the droid with a mighty wave sending it stumbling onto a red panel. With the weight of the Warbot on the red panel, the floor began to emit tremendous amount of heat. Massive flames came up and engulfed the droid in its entirety, the circuits burning apart within seconds. Void held up her arm bracing herself from the heat of the fire as the Warbot crumbled. Turning quickly to the danger behind her, there were several more Warbots already coming her way firing off missiles and lasers. If they stepped on the lit up panels, surely they would die as quickly as the first Warbot. Hopefully Darth Malevolum wouldn't step on those panels, she turned her head briefly searching for the other woman to see how she fared when suddenly an explosion wracked her vision. Several more missiles came down on her location, engulfing the area where she stood, the smoke and fire consuming the area.

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Malevolum]

She agreed with Void. This was a waste of time. Malevolum wouldn't kill the man, but she would certainly check to see if he had violated any protocol with pulling two Sith into this testing facility. "This is utterly ridiculous. I'll see them lose their credentialing for this." This had better be some damn good test. Droids were being deployed, several different models as well. Curious. Was this really want they wanted to show case? A shield rose up, separating the two from one another, as several of the white floor panels glowed either red or yellow. Was this amateur hour? Apparently so.

Malevolum retrieved her saber, letting the purple blade flair to life. Void had sprung ahead, the power rippled off of the Darth as they pushed towards the first droid, tearing through it like a war machine. Curious style. Malevolum on the other hand, preferred a more subtle approach. She rushed forward, flowing like water as she used the force to speed herself up, watching as her targets slowly turned to direct their guns towards her. She continued forward, closing in on the first droid, as she danced around the glowing tiles.

She leapt high, throwing her saber towards the first droid, slicing it in half, as she brought out her left hand and drew another one of the droid infront of her, using it as a blast shield for several of the shots that flew at her. The metal droid exploded, showering the field in scrap metal, as she landed, catching her saber in a reverse grip as she continued onward. A cluster of rockets flew towards her, and with the flick of her wrist, she knocked the missiles into one another, throwing up a screen of smoke that gave the droids pause. With the force still at work, Malevolum switched visions, going to infrared as she found the droids via their power source. She danced into the smoke, moving lightning fast, as she bisected and diced droids apart, lunging at those out of reach, and annihilating those who were too close. The cover of the smoke protected her initially, but the droids adapted not long after. She then found herself dodging shots, moving with instinct as she dodged the attacks, her blade working like a fine tuned machine as she made a small mountain of droid parts. She had managed to kill a little under a dozen of the droids thus far, but there were plenty more where that came from; yet she felt rather bored with this display. Was this truly the best they could do? What Malevolum didn't realize however, was that once the pair crossed the mid-way point, two powerful sonic cannons were to be deployed, to see how well the Sith could handle extreme weaponized sonic weaponry.

Darth Void

 

[Darth Void]

The missiles kept coming and the droids continued their onslaught for several more seconds on Void's location before stopping fire. Thick smoke covered the terrain like a blanket and perfect ground cover. Nearing their objective, the droids suddenly stopped. All 10 of them suddenly were lifted upward off the ground for several seconds before they were each scattered like bullets, exploding upon impact into the walls. Debris falling around her like rain, Void moved quickly towards the mid-way point where the shields were no longer separating the two, careful not to step on the panels. Void sliced through whatever remaining droids there were in her path with quick precision through their centers not leaving to chance that they may get back up and attack. Annihilation was her objective and it showed in the way she cut down her opponents. It was not to disable, but to destroy.

"We made it." she said to Malevolum once reaching the mid-way point. The other Sith took out her opponents with fluidity that Void hasn't seen in a long time. Much different than Void's whirlwind of attacks, still powerful nonetheless. The Darth nodded to Malevolum and gave her a quick once over, she seemed free of injury thus far. Good, which meant their chances of surviving remained the same. As much as it annoyed the two, they would require one another's power if they were to reach their goal. Void didn't mind, Malevolum seemed more than capable. She had met enough arrogant Sith Lords to make her only come to the Council when absolutely necessary.

Two panels opened from the ground and up came the two sonic cannons docking into position just in front of them both. One for each of them. Goody. "Well well.. What do we have here?" mused Void out loud. As if on cue, the cannons fixed their focus on the two Sith and began powering up with a loud high pitched hum. Void thrust her left hand out and with one sweeping motion pulled two of the Warbots that rose up with the cannons towards them to buffer the blast at the same time sending a large wave of the force to counteract the firepower like a shield for them both. The flow of Void's power ripped through the panels in front of them in a destructive manner. The green sonic flare of the blast made a large popping noise when it hit the Warbots releasing a wave of sonic energy. The Warbots exploded immediately and the force pushed them back a panel, one of which was yellow and right beneath Void.

A miscalculation? Was the last thought in Void's mind before a torrent of electricity ravaged through her painfully. Her frame shook from the merciless volts attacking every nerve ending in her body. Several seconds later it stopped, and Void staggered forward a step catching her breath. She refused to fall as wisps of smoke rose from her body from the attack that would have rendered a Sith Master to lie dead on the ground. Void's lightsaber remained in her shaking grip from the onslaught she just endured as she quickly tried to regain her mental composure. The rage was beginning to rise in the Sith.

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Void]

 

[Darth Malevolum]

This was getting boring, rather boring rather fast trust be told. As the smoke cleared, Malevolum found a trio of droids lined up, and soon they began to fire off a salvo of blaster fire towards her. How cute. She moved like a blur, dancing between the blaster fire as it crawled towards her. She reached out her hand steering the left most droid to the right, as the adjustment caused it to destroy the rest of it's companions. Pushing through the fire and smoke of the destroyed droids, Malevolum beheaded the last remaining droids. She paused only a moment, as she witnessed the results of Void's attacks, clearly the Darth was skilled in creating havoc. Rather admirable quality. Malevolum looked ahead, seeing that she was close to being halfway done, when the cannons were deployed. Strange that they thought heavy weaponry would work against Sith, but they were welcome to try. She reached out her hand, prepared to absorb the blasts that were sure to follow.

The sonic blast to impact blew out Malevolum's audio implants, as blood filled her ears, a deafening static ring invaded her mind and she dropped to the ground, feeling stunned from the concussive force. She could feel her suit buckling under the waves, her eyes shorted out as the optic lenses shattered; blinding her in the process. She dropped to one knee, her saber shaking as the waves threatened to break it to pieces. She drew on the pain, letting it dig into her core as her bones were being shaken to pieces within her suit. It fueled her, giving her strength to stand back up against the force acting upon her. She felt like her head was being crushed by a hydrophilic press, the ringing in her ears was horrendous, and blood flowed freely from her destroyed implants. She pushed past the maddening pain, the discomfort, and the sense of nausea that was taking hold. Surely they could do better than that.

Darth Void

 

[Darth Void]

The technicians had no idea what they were bringing upon themselves when they invited the two Darth into the training facility. Their little experiment was beginning to be cumbersome, and now downright dangerous. But then again, nothing was safe with the Sith. Void knew that coming into this.

Sensing Malevolum's pain in the force, Void looked to see the other woman struggle as she dropped to her knee from the pain. Still breathing heavily, Void released her lightsaber which shut off immediately and clipped itself back to her belt as she watched the blood trickle from Malevolum's ears. That was it. Where there was nothing but darkness in the eyes of her mask, now there was a red hue as Void drew her will from the force like a hungry viper as she turned to face the cannons. Searching quickly, Void found her mark and raised both arms towards the tower to the left which began to let out a low groan as metal began to bend beneath the will of the Sith. Sparks flew as cables inside tore and snapped. She had only a few more seconds as the cannons charged again. Letting out a raging cry, Void swung both arms downward causing the top of the tower to break off the side with a loud screeching of twisted metal and come crashing downward on top of the cannons erupting into flames and smoke.

Darth Void stood there as the smoke continued to billow from the crash, still trying to catch her breath and calm herself. Malevolum. She thought as she turned to the other woman and made her way quickly towards the injured Sith. Closing the distance between them quickly, Void looked her over "Malevolum." she managed to say with a haggard breath. "Hey.. hey." Void looked into the Sith's eyes realizing both her eyes and her ear implants might have gotten blown out entirely. She reached forward with a hand and wiped the blood gently off the right side of Malevolum's jaw that had come from her ear. "You probably can't hear me. But we will get you medical attention when we get out of here." Void said calmly, placing the same hand on the other woman's shoulder with a slight squeeze to reassure her that they would be okay. It was possible that the other Sith may have heard nothing that she just said but it was still worth a try even if fragments of language were able to be picked up by what remained of her implants.

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Getting to her feet, Malevolum took the power that was practically washing off her, and prepared to unleash it at her target. She had to call upon the force for sight, as she could feel the sting in her eyes from the shattered impacts, and the blood flowing from her eyelids. She couldn't even feel the pain now, it all just felt numb to her. Her saber fell to the ground, as she extended her hands, preparing to drop her full might upon the cannon that had so grievously offended her. That was when she sensed it. Void must have tired of the game rather quickly, as an ensuing display of mayhem caused the Darth to pause, as she let the aftermath of the destruction to blow towards her. The shielding keeping the two separated seemed to buckle under the destructive force, as it seemed that the test had come to an end.

It was then that Malevolum realized that her jaw-plate had fallen to the ground, seemingly being snapped off when her implants gave. She pulled the broken piece of metal towards her, her thoughts still bitter from having had her implants devastated by this test. It wouldn't have been enough to kill her, at least not initially, but it seemed this form still had it's vulnerabilities. Reaching out with her empty hand, she retrieved her saber as well, securing it to her belt. As Void approached, she began to tear out her hearing implants, trying to clear out the blood so she could at least hear normally. Void was close now, the hand reaching to swipe away the blood caked to her jaw. Upon feeling the contact Malevolum pulled away, and her muscles only tensed as Void put a hand onto her shoulder. She didn't hear most of what her Darth said, as she looked to her fellow Sith with something akin to a scowl. Her white eyes were cracked, the glow to them was a dull grey now, and blood was seeping from the spent implants. "I don't need sympathy. These wounds are nothing." That was partly true. She was blocking out that pain for the time being, but she was probably bleeding rather terribly internally. She placed her hand over where Void had touched her, trying to remove the alien sensation from her mind. It brought back memories, memories she'd rather leave dead and buried. "You don't seem heavily wounded either. I would assume our tests were successful." She couldn't hear what she was saying, which was annoying, but at least she'd have an opportunity to sort her implants out.

Darth Void

 

[Darth Void]

When Malevolum pulled away as though Void was like burning acid, the Sith let her hand drop and took a step back away from her to give the other woman space as she watched her clutch the pieces of her metal jaw. Clearly she had offended her somehow, making Void wonder if she really was fully cyborg or not. Void's rage was still palpable in the air through the force with an indescribable hollowness as the flames from the destroyed cannons continued to burn behind her. In response to her sympathy comment, Void merely surveyed the area noting there was no more droids or cannons emerging, signalling they were finally safe. What could she possibly say? Void wasn't about to justify her action to help the other Sith. Sympathy was not the kind of thing Void was familiar with anyway, so she let the remark go.

The panels on the floors were no longer glowing and all that was left were pieces of the droids they both completely left in pieces. It would take months for the Empire to try and replace the parts. Wasteful idiots. "You don't seem heavily wounded either. I would assume our tests were successful." Malevolum's voice brought her back from her thoughts. "I'm fine." she quipped curtly before walking past her swiftly, blood trickled down her leg leaving a trail of droplets behind her as she approached the doors of the exit which hissed open revealing one of the technicians men holding a datapad. Void looked down at him barely a second before he was flung to the side by the force so hard that his head cracked into the wall killing him on impact. His body crumpled like a ragdoll as Void strode past towards her ship not looking back. This brutality would send a clear message to the Empire's technicians to not toy with her with foolish experiments. She had Jedi to hunt. And if the Empire called on her, it had better be with a true intent.

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Malevolum stood, ignoring the discomfort and pain rattling her body. Just as hate and rage was bellowing off of Void, it was nice and collected within Malevolum. Void didn't seem to understand her reaction, which was justified. You had to keep people away, least they take a liking to you and come to actually care about you; or worse, you care about them. Life had taught her to never drop that guard, and to never let them in, and she wouldn't be doing that here or now; especially not with another Darth. She stood her ground, feeling her strength starting to slowly seep away as she clung to the power more and more to remain conscious. She didn't register what Void said, only sensing the death and destruction that was briefly reigned as the Darth turned to leave. The whole time, Malevolum merely stood there, slowly giving way to her wounds. It was all she could to do to not show weakness, not resign to her flaws.

She had initially thought the implant damage was a minor annoyance, as well as the pain that followed, but now it was becoming clear that wasn't the case. Several technicians began to flood the area, examining the body of their fallen comrade or taking note of the damage. Some eyed the Darth carefully, but Malevolum took no notice of them. She instead tried to march forward, to muster her strength and find a medical droid to fix her wounds, but the strength was just not there. She faltered, her sight with the force gave out, and she was plunged into darkness. She hit the floor, making a loud 'clang' in the process, as blood continued to seep from her eyes and ears, before bubbling out of her mouth. The damage to her implants had given her a brain hemorrhage as well, and she was paying the price for the damages. There was a stunned silence around the facility, before calls began to be made for medical help, a pair of men even bravely moved to check on the Sith, putting their own lives at stake. The force could only sustain so much, and Malevolum was coming to see that now. This training exercise had almost unironically killed her, and now she would have to readjust so this would never happen again. This was all going to have to wait of course, because right now she needed to try and not die before help could arrive.

Darth Void

 

[Darth Void]

The ramp to the Grey Ghost began to open for the approaching Darth Void, who was hellbent on leaving the facility behind her. That's when she felt it, a dimming in the force. She halted in her steps immediately. Darth Malevolum. The other woman's life force weakened to nearly nothing all of a sudden. Alarms echoed from inside. Void could just leave the other Sith right were she was. Everyone deserves a chance at life DuCray. The familiar voice whispered in her mind.

"HV-182. Follow me." Void bellowed out from the bottom of the ramp towards the Grey Ghost before turning back around retracing her steps back inside the facility with the medical droid hot in pursuit "Yes my Lord!" The group of terrified technicians who had come to aide their comrade immediately stepped out of the Sith's path as she stormed past them towards Malevolum's form. The two men who had been inspecting the other Darth quickly called for a medical room to be prepared as Void knelt down beside the fallen Sith. There was so much blood, and time was of the essence. Instead of waiting for the medical transport, Void did something completely out of character. She turned the Sith onto her back and gingerly lifted her up into her arms. "This way my Lord!" said one of the men as he led Void carrying Malevolum into the medical wing of the facility and into the first empty room which had a specially designed operating table for Cyborgs, Organics and Droids alike. Stubborn one. Thought Void as she laid the other woman down gently onto the table. "Running diagnostics now." HV-182 stated as Void took a step back to allow it to do its work. Two other medical droids entered the room and began to work on Malevolum. "Severe damage to subjects implants, brain hemorrhage present. We will begin treatment." stated the other droid as their surgical probes started their journey to recovering Malevolum back to function.

It seemed like hours as they delicately moved around the unconscious Sith. Void watched from the other side of the glass, her mask laying on the table next to her. Blood was crusted just over her right eyebrow as she watched them work, storm grey eyes studied the form from beneath her cowl. Her expression was stoic as she waited for a flicker in the other woman's life force to return. Only her strong jawline clenched indicated a sign of concern. The rapid beeping of the machines slowed to a stable repetition. Void turned her head to the table and looked where her mask lay, she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding before reaching for it and putting it on once more.

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Malevolum]

When Alana opened her eyes, she found herself at a familiar site. The silk bed sheets, the open aired balcony, and the fading warmth of the spot beside her. She sat up, taking in the art and displays around her, the useless decorum that 'she' had always insisted on putting up to keep up appearances. "It can't be." She muttered, feeling out her face, then looked under the sheets to find her suit was nowhere in sight, she was wearing the Naboo silk pajamas that 'she' had bought her. Alana felt a heart throb in her chest, feelings she hadn't felt in almost a decade slammed into her, as she quickly got out of bed. Had it all been a nightmare? It had to of been, there wasn't any other explanation. "Ines?" Alana called out, her feet touching the icy stone floor as she made her way to the balcony, letting the warmth of the sun bask over her. It didn't take long to spot her, the familiar form, her distinct body shape. It was her. There was no mistaking it. Tears welled up in her eyes, as the soft foot falls gave way into a headlong sprint, as though they were hardly ten feet away from one another, Alana just couldn't contain yourself. Ines turned to face her half way before Alana made impact, and the smile that held the shine of a thousands suns graced the former Sith's eyes.

Alana slowed herself, realizing she was moving too fast, but still bumped her lover against the railing as they embraced. "I was waiting for you to wake up. I was about to make breakfast without you, sleepy head." The voice tore at Alana's heartstrings, as she crumbled into the touch of the noble woman. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She wept, tears that had been kept in check for years, hidden behind her persona, drowning herself in her own misery. But that didn't matter now. She was back. It was all over now. She felt Ines' hands shift up, taking hold of her trembling shoulders, Alana's head finding a nice perch on the shorter woman's shoulder to sob on. "Shush. None of that. You keep being mopey and I'll have to intervene." A light tickle stuck at Alana's side caused her to let out a small shriek, before melting into sobbing laughter. She always hated when Ines pulled that card. They held each other for a long moment, Alana clinging to her as if her life depended on it. After a time, she finally had to ask the question that she was terrified to have answered: "Please tell me this is real. Ines, please." Alana pleaded, pulling away to look at the noble woman. She felt something strange, like she was at the cusp of waking up. She didn't want to wake up, she wanted to stay here. Ines only smiled, tears beaming behind her grey eyes. "That's up to you to decide, Alana." She didn't like that answer at all. "I want this to be real. I want to stay." She caught a wince of pain in Ines' eyes, and felt as if someone had plunged a knife into her heart. "I know." Ines muttered, her hand softly caressed Alana's cheek, and Alana clapped the hand into position. "Alana. I know you're hurting inside, but you need to let me go." "No. Don't. I won't." "Alana." "I'm can't. This is all I have left." She felt it again, something was tearing her back, she was going to wake up. She tried to resist it, but there was nothing to resist. She was being pulled away. Ines took hold of her head, holding her in place as there was a familiar fire burning behind those eyes now. "Alana Celestia, you listen to me right now. You are capable of so much more than this." She could only close her eyes at the words, feeling a sense of shame washing over her. "The Alana I love is still in there. I'm talking to her right now, and she wouldn't let this stop her." Alana forced her eyes open, and found the gaze had softened. "I...miss you Ines." Ines only nodded, giving a sad smile. "I know. I miss you too." Using her thumb, Ines wiped away the tears from Alana's eyes. "Please, Alana, just let it go. Stop cutting people out. For me. Please." She wanted to say yes right then and there, just try and say something to make her feel better, but Ines understood her conflict. Alana looked away for a moment, feeling that she would be pulled away any moment now, and fixated her gaze back onto Ines. "I love you." Ines seemed saddened by her words initially, but responded back. "I love you too." Alana pushed towards her, feeling her presence her was growing weaker by the moment. The last thing she felt before being pulled away was the feeling of Ines' lips upon her own, and it would stay with her for months afterwards.

Malevolum awoke to a less than pleasant sight, she couldn't see anything at all. She could hear though, so that was good. Her breathing was irregular, her heart pounding. She had to take a moment and steady herself, else she risked on dissolving into an explosion of rage. There were medical devices set up all around the room, and using her senses with the force, she was not alone; why was Void here? A sense of shame came over the Darth, as she was in such a vulnerable position now. Malevolum forced herself upwards off the table, pulling several devices attached to her in the process, as the medical droids and staff attempted to stop her. "My lord, you shouldn't be getting up. We haven't finished your implant repairs!" Malevolum looked in the direction of where she sensed the Darth, her empty eye sockets trying to gaze upon Void, before allowing herself to recline back onto the table, as she focused on the Darth. 'I didn't think I'd be seeing you here so soon.' She would whisper to the Darths mind, letting the droids get started on reattaching her eye implants. It would be evident that something was wrong with Malevolum, as she was still in the midsts of gathering herself, trying not to think of whatever it was she had seen just moment ago. But was there a hint of anexity within Void she was feeling? Or was she merely imagining it? How odd.

Darth Void

 

[Darth Void]

Void leaned her head back slowly as she waited, her cowl falling back exposing her unruly dark undercut hair matted with her own blood and soot from the fight. She rolled her neck once and bowed her head taking in a deep breath through her mask as she remembered... It was all she could do to keep from pacing anxiously.

DuCray stood with her head bowed to her Sith Master, her hands folded in the pristine black robes of her sleeves as she waited to meet her new mission ally. The Sith was reckless with herself lately in battle and her Master felt she would benefit having an associate with a medical droid in the field. "My lord. It's an honor." a silk soft voice came from the entrance of the Enclave. The young Sith raised her head and turned to meet her new partner. "Master, no. I do not require the aide of another." protested the young Sith as her hands unfolded. The other woman approached, her long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, piercing blue eyes met DuCray's perturbed greys briefly before she bowed her head to the Master.

"It is the will of the Empire. And it is my command." growled the Dark Lord from beneath his cowl. DuCray's usually unreadable expression twitched a moment as she bowed her head once more. "Yes, my Lord." she turned to look at the other woman, leaning forward so that she was just a breath away "Stay out of my way." was all she said before she turned on her heel and rushed off towards the doorway.

The force rippled with Malevolum's presence breaking Void out of her reverie. Raising her head slightly, she watched from behind her mask as the other Sith's startled awakening sent the machines beeping wildly before she composed herself realizing where she was. "Ah! Lord Malevolum you are awake. Please be careful!" stated HV-182 "Do please be cautious with your movements, as your implants are not quite finished. Thankfully my Lord carried you inside just in time to stop the hemorrhagic bleeding in your brain. The rest of the organics were too frightened! " Void turned her head towards the droid as if to silence the yammering from her overly opinionated droid. HV-182 just continued to work on the implants on Malevolum's eyes as the Darth relaxed back onto the operating table. "She hasn't left that spot since." the droid added as an afterthought. Void made a mental note to reprogram the damn thing. Feeling Malevolum's gaze on her, Void shifted her weight slightly as she stood in silence. 'I didn't think I'd be seeing you here so soon.' she heard the Sith's voice whisper in her mind. Very few dared to communicate with her this way, her throat went dry. No one dared to actually, not since.. Void looked away once her eyes were re-implanted in place. 'The wounds were something.' she finally replied in the Darth's mind reflecting to her earlier statement of the wounds being nothing. Void moved away from the glass 'Next time, stay out of the way.' she commented in regard to the cannons line of fire. The Darth didn't expect gratitude from the injured Sith considering how she reacted to Void earlier. "HV, finish here and meet me on the ship." Void commanded the droid who worked meticulously on repairing what it could of her implants with the other droids.

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Malevolum]

The voice of the droid entertained the Darth for the time being, though the tale it weaved was rather peculiar. Void had come back for her? And had they used their own medical droid to aid in Malevolum's recovery? Why had she done this? At least Malevolum was aware of the identity of the other woman, yet she said nothing at first, just letting the droid carry on with the procedure. 'You came back for me? Why?' She prodded, keeping still as she could feel the droid inserting the parts into her eye sockets. 'You have my thanks. My only request is that we keep this between ourselves.' She followed up with, her senses still drifting about the room, trying to get a read on the Darth; was that...embarrassment she was feeling now? If anything, Malevolum should have been the one that was embarrassed, not Void. 'It seems I overestimated my own resolve' She was forced to confess that bit, as she turned her gaze away from one of the soldering tools that was moving to finish the installation of her implants; she never liked watching that part. 'About earlier, don't think I carry dislike for you. It's nothing personal. I merely dislike physical contact.' She typically never explained herself in that aspect, but this woman had helped preserve her life, and was watching over her this entire time; being proper wasn't going to hurt. A small smirk stretched across her face as Void informed her to stay out of the way, like there was any dodging a sonic wave? No, the Darth was embarrassed for having involved herself with this. 'And let you show off? I think not.' There was a touch of humor to the whisper, as Malevolum felt she had found a trace of humanity living with the suit of armor before her.

With the instillation done, Malevolum was finally able to see, as she blinked several times, rotated through her visions, and despite the initial discomfort, everything seemed to be in proper order. She turned her gaze to the droid, HV was it? "You and your master have my thanks." She rose off the table, this time ignoring the doctor who advised against it, only to see that Void had indeed left. No matter. Malevolum felt a bit of conflict as she lingered there, wondering if she should let Void leave and have that be the end of that, or to try and find an ally within the Sith. Ines' words drifted into her head once more, and she couldn't deny what needed to be done. As HV was beginning to leave, Malevolum knew what she had to do. "I wish to accompany you back to your ship. I'd like to thank your master in person." She requested, though as she stood up from the table, she felt a tad light headed from the effort. She hoped to follow the droid back to the ship, and hopefully speak more with Void as a result; perhaps it was time to entertain the idea of trusting people once again.

Darth Void

 

[Darth Void]

It truly was not like her to come back for someone, unless it was for a mission. Any other individual, Void would have just left their corpse for the droids to clean at. Void thought back as she climbed the ramp to the Grey Ghost.

She was silent for a moment when Malevolum asked her why. It's because somewhere down inside, you don't leave anyone behind in the field. A gentle voice from a memory murmured to her mind as a soft hand holding a bloody rag dabbed at the broken skin on her cheek, a wolfish grin formed on DuCray's face in response to the comment.

'I don't think it was meant to be a test for the Sith Knights. But for us.' was the most logical response Void could actually muster in Malevolum's mind. Her thoughts calm and collected now that she could see that the other Darth was able to move around a little more. It was a new question for them both to ponder until they received another summon from the Empire.

Did she just thank her? Void was certainly not expecting that. And definitely not from another Sith. Perhaps she was different... no. She definitely was different than the others, she had concluded. 'It seems I overestimated my own resolve' Void nodded once, agreeing to keep it between them. Letting her continue 'About earlier, don't think I carry dislike for you. It's nothing personal. I merely dislike physical contact.' Void did feel bad about making her possibly repulsed by a simple touch. She never meant to offend Malevolum. The Darth actually out of instinct merely was inspecting the source of her bleed. But she understood the reasoning, clearly she had been through quite a bit. Which made Void curious to her past. Who had hurt her so terribly? 'Noted.. Won't happen again.' It was a simple statement, respecting her wishes for future reference. If she wanted space, she got it. Void's mind pulled away further distancing herself, not that she was probing, she was just being cautious.

When Malevolum's lips came up to smirk, she surprised Void 'And let you show off? I think not.' There was definitely more human than machine in the Darth on the table. Certainly was nicer to witness than the scowl aimed at her prior just several candlemarks ago. 'Take care.' she whispered in her mind before she was gone.

HV-182 briefly paused its movement over Malevolum's form "You and your master have my thanks.", black skeletal frame hovered its probe with a cauterizing tool by her face "Most pleased to be of service to Lord Void. Now do stay still Lord Malevolum." it continued to place finishing touches. Retracting the probes, HV-182 scanned Malevolum again "Not quite at optimal function, but stable. You may require new upgrades for your implants and reconstruction for your jawplate my Lord." stated the droid. "I wish to accompany you back to your ship. I'd like to thank your master in person." the droid paused at the door and looked at Malevolum, "Very well my Lord. I shall escort you to the Grey Ghost." the door from the medical wing opened for them both, the droid leading Darth Malevolum towards the Fury class interceptor.

Darth Void stood on the command bridge just several steps up once inside, a large orbital map projected on the holoterminal. Dressed in fresh black robes, the glow of the map was a dark red reflecting off her mask. Freshly bandaged hands were raised manipulating the map zooming in on several moons and planets on the outer rim. The attack from the panel gave the Sith nasty electrical burns to her hands and feet and a heaviness in her body she couldn't quite explain. On a cellular level, the shock probably singed and overloaded several mitochondria organelles. Literally took zapping energy to a new degree. Void's hands slowly came down to her sides as she felt the presence of Malevolum enter her ship. "Welcome to the Grey Ghost, Lord Malevolum!" Announced HV at the top of the ramp. "Lord Void should be right this way, perhaps working or brooding as usual."
The ship had every basic space required for travel, nothing lavish. Void preferred minimalism in her travels and it showed with the organized and well maintained ship.

Why would the other woman come after her? Curious, Void turned around as HV and Malevolum approached. "You're okay." observed Void carefully. She looked into Malevolum's repaired eyes, her own hidden in the pitch darkness of her mask. Her short hair now clean and brushed back. "What can I do for you Darth Malevolum?" Void remained hesitant around the other Darth. Not wanting to overstep in any way. She was however drawn to the other woman.

Darth Malevolum

 

[Darth Malevolum]

There was something amiss about this woman, her answers had proven that here and now. She had thought to dismiss the way she was reading the woman, feeling that there was little proof that Void was behaving out of character; after all, she hardly knew the woman. That final 'take care' she heard be uttered though, it just felt....different. There was something unspoken there, at least Malevolum felt there had been. When Void departed, it only served to spark Malevolum's curiosity, so quick to leave for one who had supposedly watched her operation; what unspoken business did this woman have? It was something Malevolum needed to find out, and she had just the proposition to do so; after all, she couldn't resist solving a mystery. With Void gone, Malevolum focused on the droid counter-part, only half listening to what it had to say; though the comment about upgrading her implants caught her attention. "The repairs will do just fine, perhaps I'll ask your master to upgrade the implants for me, assuming she is willing to accept my terms." She would follow HV, focused on speaking with Void, and perhaps recruiting the woman to follow her; after all, Malevolum had to find out what was going on with this woman.

Seeing the ship that Void called her own, Malevolum was struck by how unassuming it was. It was small, quaint, and in it's own way rather cute. In comparison to Malevolum's own ship, it was nothing, then again what could compare against a Star Destroyer? Entering the Grey Ghost, Malevolum found Void waiting for her expectantly, even the response from the Darth indicated that she was perhaps surprised about the state Malevolum was in. Malevolum put the thought aside, looking into the eyes of the masked woman before her, studying her posture before she spoke. "I was to depart on an assignment, a sort of revenge if you must know regarding my old Master. I thought given my current injuries, I thought it wise to bring support. Given the short notice, I believe you might be best suited to ask for assistance." Malevolum tipped her head to the side, just a bit, as she continued to look into Void's mask, trying to get a read on what was going on in the woman's mind. "I also thought that you might have something to say to me in private, perhaps a proposition of sorts? If what your droid said is true, I have reason to believe I interest you in some facet, and I might play to an agenda you have in mind." Malevolum looked to HV, then back to Void. A soft smile came across her features, though it was only partly genuine. "If it is okay with you, I had asked that HV upgrade my implants, given he has already seen them, and truth be told I do not trust my crew to see me in such a venerable state. I'm sure you understand." Malevolum crossed her arms, sure that due to her lack of her jaw-plate Void wouldn't take her as seriously, which was fine, there was time to earn that respect for which she demanded. "If I'm asking too much of your time, I understand, but given how I owe you for your past deed today, I think this would be a step towards making ourselves equal." That much was true, Malevolum felt that she had to pay back Void, one way or another. She took a step closer, her hands still remaining crossed across her chest. "I do hope we can continue to view each others as equals, Darth Void." Again, she kept her senses open for a faltering in Void's posture, trying to figure out just what the deal was with this Darth.

Darth Void