Clutching At Straws [Kaine]

[Lief]

Since the fall of Coruscant and its sacking life had taken quite the turn for Rhiari, and not in a positive way. She had not been at the Temple when the initial attack began, and instead was huddled off to one side with a group of children and their carer, the elderly woman having grabbed as many of the little ones from the street as possible. Down beneath her humble little Coruscanti home there had been a basement of sorts, which was reinforced by the previous tenant. There she had been taken in, treated like one of the woman's own, and hidden away from the horrors of the surface. The old woman would whisper lullaby's to the younger children when bedtime came, keeping a watch on the hidden entrance which was found beneath an old dresser.

It wasn't great, in fact for a child such as she it was outright terrifying - she could feel the terror and pain from the planet above and it tore at her little heart. Most of the day she was huddled in one corner of the square basement, a small datacron clutched within her hand, a history of some sort perhaps... She couldn't really understand most of it, but she cherished it all the same for it had been one of Phylis'. Nothing of importance, nothing which would be missed... Well, maybe Phylis would notice it was gone but given the hard times Rhiari guessed a great deal of many things would be missing.

None of the children knew her name, none of them had asked. Each day, around the same time, the woman would emerge timidly down the hatch into the cellar bringing a small amount of food and drink. She would always take care to distribute it evenly, and even in their almost-starved state none of the children ever tried to take more than their fair share. Part of her had to wonder if they had lived this way prior to the Sacking of Coruscant. Maybe that was why she didn't integrate with them. Or perhaps it was her own desire for thought and peace. Besides... They really did have to be quiet; they were not in the lower sections of Coruscant... No, they were just away from the Jedi Plaza, almost as close as they could get without being ontop of the Temple itself.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

They moved without a word.

Through the durasteel jungle of Coruscant.

Like hounds they smelled out enemies of the state.

Weeds to be pulled.

Lives to be culled.

And they closed in on a new target...

And it started with an explosion and a blinding flash of light.

~~~~

Life on Coruscant after the One Sith took control from the Republic had been more or less the same as when it had been before the Sith took control, but there were several distinct differences. Perhaps one of the biggest changes was the myriad of equipment used to monitor the citizens of this new Sith state, and the roaming black-clad soldiers that were constantly on the look-out for troublemakers of any kind. Even the slightest provocation or law-breaking was rewarded with hard-handed punishment, nothing as severe as death, but those that did commit a crime against the new government were battered and beaten. A painful reminder of what happens to those who break the law and disturb the peace, which in itself was a method to deter anyone from breaking the law again, but there were always those who could not understand. In the end they would all face punishment, of course, but we're not talking about looters or minor offenders here.

We're talking about traitors.

And that is why several squads of Blackblades were moving quickly and efficiently through the back alleys of the Jedi Plaza and the nearby city blocks, their weapons primed and ready to be used the moment it became necessary. Their advance was silent and subtle, the only sound they were making was the sound of their armored boots on the durasteel ground, and the occasional rustling of weaponry and equipment. They all quickly congregated at a nearby wall, and while the majority of the soldiers stood back and watched the entrances into the alleyways, another two Blackblades set up charges. After a few seconds of tinkering they moved away from the wall and detonated the charges, blowing the wall inwards and scattering debris into the main living space of the home. Then the Blackblades entered quickly and quietly after the initial boom, and moved to subdue anyone inside.

However; they were not to be the worse thing to enter that home...

Their Lord would be coming soon.

[member="Rhiari Lorr"]

 

[Lief]

In the cellar the walls shook and the children began to cry. Rhiari could feel the life signals of the presences overhead and remained silent, clinging to the datapad in the corner. What was it she had been taught? Emotion, Yet Peace... Yes, that's right, the Code... But even now she couldn't find comfort from it, she hadn't been taught how to use it, merely the words. The younger children continued to bawl, and Rhiari knew that the game was up. "Hush..." she whispered, as soothingly as she could. Even with her rather severe deafness she had heard the explosion, and their cries were almost as loud. "We mustn't let them hear..." Her eyes pleaded with the older children, who shuffled to try and set the youngsters at ease.

Slowly but surely the cries began to vanish, yet Rhiari felt certain that they had been heard all the same.

Up on the main floor the Old Woman was rising up from where the blast had knocked her down, coughing as plumes of smoke and dust descended. "What is the meaning of this?" she rasped, looking fragile as she tentatively took a step backwards.

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

As the dust began to settle the soldiers quickly moved around the old woman, one of them even slamming the butt of his rifle into her gut as the others yanked her up to her feet and painfully restrained her arms. They said nothing, and if they were not even wearing their protective helmets they still would have shown no emotion at the woman's peril. Then, the soldiers towards the opening in the wall went rigid and stood at attention as a figure began to materialize through the haze and rubble. It was a figure dressed in a dark green woolen cloak, and silver and gold body armor that covered most of his body. His head remained obscured by the darkness smothering the confines of his hood, but two small orbs of blazing crimson illuminated the darkness as he approached the restrained woman. Not only was this man frightening to behold, but he was also a behemoth by average human standards standing at six foot nine with a muscular frame to boot.

Without a word the soldiers wrenched her further upwards as the Dark Lord stood before her, his blazing eyes glaring down at her with a natural hatred that was not necessarily directed at her, but rather generally directed at everything. With one hand he smoothly pulled back his hood, revealing a horrid faced scarred by innumerable battles, and a head full of graying hair. He spoke to her in a deep rumble that would send shivers down anyone's spine, "You would do well to be silent, less I cut out your traitorous tongue." He roughly gripped the older woman's jaw, and forcefully made her look up at him whether or not she tried to look away in the first place. "There have been disturbing reports that you are harboring enemies of the state within your own home, and now my soldiers will tear this home apart piece by piece until such evidence could be found validating this claims. Should evidence be found, you, and those you have harbored, will be executed. Do I make myself clear?"

He released his hold on the woman's jaw, and with a hand gesture to his soldiers, they began to do what he said they would do. They would be quite efficient too, practically tearing apart the walls as they searched for whatever evidence could be found condemning this woman to her unfortunate fate. For a time, it seemed like they would find nothing, but one of the soldiers had picked up a certain sound on his helmet's audio, and three of them had begun to break their way into the cellar below.

[member="Rhiari Lorr"]

 

[Lief]

The woman struggled against the restraining grasp of the men who held her in place, quaking and shaking her head. "Enemies... Enemies, no..!" she cried, her babies were not enemies of anyone, they were innocents she kept away from the world to keep them from its horrors! They were hers, she had nursed each and everyone of them, as far as her memory could discern. "P-Please Ser... Please..." she said, staring up into his eyes as he continued his grasp on her jaw. More so her pleading increased when they began to break into the cellar. "Thems just babies, Ser, they've done no harm... Please, I nursed'em all, thems mine, not enemies!" So frightful was she that he would think her precious babes enemies and thus by definition a requirement for execution that the woman began to sob. "Thems done no 'arm, ser!"

Down below the children quaked, staring up as the cellar hatch was crudely broken into. A few of the younger ones began to cry again. Rhiari, however, pressed further back into the shadow. She could not hear what was being said, but she could feel one mans rage and the old womans sorrow. That was enough to tell her that this wasn't going to end well. And what's more, Rhiari had no way of protecting them, of saving them.

She felt weak and useless.

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The soldiers finally broke through, and dropped down into the cellar with weapons drawn and aimed directly at the mass of younglings. They did not shoot, but only created a perimeter to corral them together so they wouldn't run off, and if one attempted to they would be shot on the spot. The one who had broken down the door, and thus was the first to drop down into the room, opened a comm-channel directly with the man up-top who had explained the situation to the old woman. While not wearing a helmet, the man still had an earpiece in his right ear, and as the channel opened up the man answered. "Lord Vornskr, there are several children huddle down here, we believe these to be the younglings that were smuggled out of the temple during the attack. What do you want us to do with them, sire?" The man known as Vornskr rubbed his chin in thought on what to do with these wayward younglings, and had a grand idea on what should be done with them.

"Commander, interrogate them about their age, and then separate them into two groups. One group will consist of those that are five standard years old and above, and the other will consist of those under that age. Prepare the elder children for relocation to my shuttle, and keep the rest of them down there. I will brief you on further instructions once this is done." He cut off the communication with the commander, and turned back to look menacingly at the old woman. She was a pitiful thing, blubbering and mewling like a newborn babe over what would become of the children. It was pathetic really, but then again she wasn't even Force Sensitive, and someone like her was below Vornskr's notice, but the fact that she was harboring younglings was a capital offense. "Shut your mouth, cur. You have no say in what I will do with them, you don't even have a say in what I'm about to do to you now."

Vornskr's arm dropped down to his side, and he unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and brought it up before the old woman's eyes. "By my executive right as a Sith Lord, and from the responsibilities and authority granted to me by the Dark Lord of the Sith, I, Darth Vornskr; Voice of the Dark Lord, hereby sentence you to death for your crimes against the Empire and it's people. This sentence shall be carried out by lightsaber, but know that you shall receive a swift death." He would have added, "Which is more than filth like you deserves", but he held his tongue as he activated the crimson blade of his weapon, and with one foul swoop he quickly rent the old woman's head from her shoulders. Her head would tumble across the floor awkwardly, followed shortly by her body tumbling down to the floor as well. Then the elder children would be brought up, and would be witness to the aftermath.

[member="Rhiari Lorr"]

 

[Lief]

When the men appeared Rhi slowly rose and pressed herself back into the shadows, her eyes narrowed. The smaller children were screaming again, she could feel their misery and fear. Yet what was said by the soldiers made her blood boil with anger. "No!" she yelled, without really thinking, pressing forward to put herself between much of the cowering children and the soldiers. "They're not the Younglings, they're not!" She bit her lip and suddenly her momentary push of fearlessness fled her. "They're innocent, they're not from the Temple." She knew as much, not only did she feel it in the very core of her being, but she had passed this area numerous times since landing on Coruscant. She knew that she could not permit innocents to pay for what was truly her own crime.

"I am."

The tiny little girl that was Rhiari Lorr stared up at the soldiers, flinching slightly in fear of retribution. Nothing was said, no hand raised against her defiance, instead the men continued with their orders, segregating the young from the older. That is, all save Rhi herself. She felt sick and hollow, why did it feel so bad to do the right thing? Instead the initial soldier who had entered the cellar kept her to one side. He did not speak, keeping a tight grip on her arm. She felt certain that it would leave bruising, but at this point in time she did not care. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears.

Finally the older children, Rhiari included, were marched up into the main area of the house where the body of the woman and the rest of the men awaited, including the Epicanthix Lord. Rhiari recognised the Epicanthic folds which were typical to her kind, which she herself bore. Her gaze turned up to his defiantly, although she didn't feel quite so strong inside. The soldier reiterated what she had said, and placed the girl between himself and Lord Zambrano. She tried to hard not to buckle under his gaze, but the strain was visible. Behind her the children were crying, grieving for their mother who had wrongfully been slain.

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

After the commander revealed that these children were not the children they had been searching for, it did somewhat put a damper on Vornskr's mood, but it quickly faded when his eyes turned down to the child that had so willingly revealed this information to the soldier. Slowly Vornskr knelt down to get a better look at the young child, whom he quickly discovered was an Epicanthix like himself, and he smiled amusingly. "My soldier says that you were from the Jedi Temple before it was destroyed, very brave of you to single yourself out like that. You wouldn't see many children your age ready to do that, but perhaps that's because of your training." He gently slid his hand underneath her chin, and slowly pulled her face up into the light so that he could get a better look at her, and he could see the defiance in her eyes.

"Commander, take your men save for the others in the cellar, and escort this one and the children to my shuttle. I will summon the local police to clean up this mess, and deal with the children still in the cellar." The commander would reply with a curt, "Yes, milord." before organizing his troops and start to lead the children out the back and down the alleyway towards where Vornskr's shuttle was located. Vornskr would stare after the young Epicanthix girl for a moment longer before he quickly sent a message for the clean-up crew to come to his location and take care of the mess for him. He took several glances around the ruined apartment before he too left the house through the opening in the wall, but as he made his way down the alley he called in to his soldiers still guarding the rest of the children in the cellar.

"We're moving out, the children I have required have been relocated. Execute the rest and wait for the clean-cup crew to arrive, make sure no civilians interfere and report back to me once you are finished."

As the Sith Lord finished the transmission and began to leave the area, he could hear the faint sounds of blasterfire coming from the ruined remains of the apartment, and then all was silent.

[member="Rhiari Lorr"]

 

[Lief]

The urge to step back into the solder who still held her arm was a strong one, especially when the Epicanthix Lord knelt down before her to examine her. Not even his smile could calm it, and she clenched her jaw tightly. She did not respond to him, not yet at least, her eyes glaring at him when he tipped her chin up and stared at her. She wanted to shake her chin from his grasp, but she wasn't stupid. Her eyes lingered on his lips more so than anywhere else in order to understand every word spoken, not trusting her ears.

It was only when Kaine began to speak to the Soldier who held her that she piped up again, speaking in Epicant as opposed to Basic to ensure that he listened. "Let the others go," she said, voice strong - she wasn't begging. "They've done no wrong." But he did not listen, he didn't even give her the time of day, yet as she was dragged off with the others she could feel his gaze upon her. Slowly she became aware of the children in the basement again, their fear... then pain. Finally she felt their presence disappear in the Force all together, and she pulled back against the Soldier's grip, trying to break free. "NO!" she said, lashing out with her arms when she couldn't break free. "They did nothing wrong!"

Deep within her, a rage began to bubble...

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Kaine gave Rhiari another amused glance as they were herded right into the spaceport where his personal shuttle was awaiting them, and as the Blackblades began to forcefully move them into the shuttle, Vornskr pulled Rhiari aside for one moment, and whispered these words right into her ear.

"Perhaps they had done nothing, but they would eventually grow up to do something. Perhaps they would have been loyal subjects, or perhaps they would have become rebels, dissenters, and traitors. Better to tear the weeds from the garden before they have a chance to grow any further."

He let one of his soldiers pull her away from him, and put her on the shuttle while Vornskr went around to another hatch and entered the shuttle while the soldiers would guard the children stuffed in the cargo hold. Soon enough the ship would blast away from the starport, giving Vornskr's personal codes to allow for a quick and smooth departure from Coruscant.


~*Several Days later*~


Vornskr's shuttle would pass through Panatha's atmosphere, and swiftly touch down on the landing pad of a mighty keep built high in the mountains bordering a lush jungle. The cargo hatch opened up and hit the floor of the landing pad with a dull thud, and soon enough all of the children would be marched out of the shuttle and down onto the pad. Vornskr himself would soon follow, and would request that Rhiari be pulled out of the group to go with Vornskr.

He would kneel down next to her, and say to her these words: "Welcome to your new home, I have a great many things in store for you, my dear."

[member="Rhiari Lorr"]