Deception is a Contact Sport

[Armand Temi]

"You are far too nonchalant about this," said Livna, shaking her head.

I am not going to remain here to be eaten by some unknown predator, she thought. The Caprine already had Marcus to watch out for - did she really need another carnivore on the loose in the Listening Post? The Sith Lord was enough of a predator. Livna was quite sure that she'd much rather be devoured by him than some furred, fanged beast.

Moving into the corridor, the horned maiden grabbed something metal that resembled part a discarded plumping pipe and inched her way up the hallway. Rounding the corner, she stopped when the creature howled again, this time a more sorrowful sound as though it were trapped.

"This way!" she shouted, not sure if Marcus was following her at all. But as she entered the first room in the next wing, she saw a redcrested cougar, a species native to Belkadan, had been caught in what looked like a bear trap. Starved and upset, the large feline growled at her and then lay down, defeated. Livna wasn't sure what to do. On one hand if they freed the carnivore, it was likely to attack them out of fear or its natural defense mechanism. But she felt quite certain that she did not want to leave it here to starve.

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

He smirked at her.

"I am a Sith this happens to me every day." "There is always someone or something trying to kill me."

When she left the room towards the sound he made no move to stop her. He even let her get a head start. It would do her some good to get herself into trouble. He followed a few feet behind her even laughing when she grabbed the pipe to defend herself with. The continued howls did not phase him in the least.

He got to the room a minute or two after see did seeing the Cougar.

"Kill it."

To simple words utter without feeling at all as if he uttered them daily.

[member="Livna Zios"]

 

[Armand Temi]

This wanton cruelty was why Livna could never truly join the ranks of the Sith. She'd experienced the inexplicable savagery on her own skin, bore the scars from it even, and now Marcus wanted her to pass it along to a helpless creature.

I will not, she thought, knowing she would pay for her defiance later.

The Caprine maiden was aware that those with the Force could control the minds of most sentient creatures, so she attempted to calm the cougar as she moved closer to it. Shhhhh, it's okay, majestic one. I'm not going to hurt you, only free you. The cougar snarled at her but didn't snap or bite as Livna released its paw from the trap.

"Go now!" she commanded. "Back to the jungle where you belong."

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

He didn't say a word as Livna released the cougar from the trap nor did he move for a moment. The truth is he was between the wounded animal and it's freedom. The minute it tried to escape past him Vengeance in a single breath would remove his saber from his belt, ignite it, slice through the animals neck to complete remove it's head, deactivate his saber, and return it to his belt.

"It is clear to me your Priestess never taught you anything of value." "Sure you look at me now with complete contempt in your eyes." "That animal would have died anyway." "If the injuries itself didn't kill it then either it would have starved to death unable to catch it's prey, or would have been unable to defend itself again a predator and been food itself."

He paused his voice calm and even.

"If the situation were reversed and you were the wounded one trapped do you think the Cougar would have shown you any mercy?" "No you would be as dead as it is now." "Wise up and toughen up little Flower." "Otherwise you will never survive this life."

[member="Livna Zios"]

 

[Armand Temi]

“That animal was defenseless!” Livna shouted, anger bubbling up, causing a momentary wave of the darkside to course through her. Marcus would feel it like a fiery glow emanating off of her slender frame. Her upper lip curled in a snarl, she felt like retaliating against the Sith Lord for the savage execution of the cougar she tried to save. Is this why being a Sith is so enticing, she thought? You can satisfy your basest desires if and when they please you?

“While you and my former Mistress take pleasure in other creature’s pain, I do not. In fact, it would make me nauseous to kill a beast like that. If that makes me weak, so be it.” The last sentence was said with a little more resignation than she meant to display.

The odor of singed fur and animal blood hung in the air like a cloud of smoke. Livna could not bear to look at the dead cougar’s lifeless eyes. Marcus's gleaming irises were not much better, but at least his head was still on his body.

“Let’s go away from here,” she said, knowing that to command him was inviting trouble. But by the deep core, she wasn’t going to stay in this room where the reminder of mindless brutality lay before them. “Deeper into the building maybe. And then I can tell you everything that I know about the One Sith.”

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance shook his head.

"No.......I took away that creatures pain." "You would see it returned to the wild unable of defending itself from predators." "That is the true offense........and if I wanted to see it suffer I would not have chosen the quickest death possible."

He would not move from the room and neither would she. They would stay there in that room with the sight and that smell. It is something she would have to get used to.

"Now about what you think you know about the One Sith that is of value to me?"

[member="Livna Zios"]

 

[Armand Temi]

"If you want to watch me throw up, that’s your choice,” sniffed Livna, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. Knowing Marcus and his sadistic tendencies, he'd likely enjoy the sight of that. Still, she couldn’t stop looking at the cougar’s severed head, the exposed ligaments, the leaking blood and bodily fluids. So the Caprine squarely planted her gaze upon Marcus for better or for worse. Perhaps she would thank him later for toughening her up, but remaining in a backroom in a Belkadan listening post with a Sith Lord and a freshly dead beast was not something that ranked up there as a rewarding experience for Livna.

“I spent time on Panatha,” said the horned maiden. “In the heavily secured Sith citadel called Vain Hollow where the Director of Intelligence and my mistress conducted… all sorts of activities.” Unusually she blushed at this statement, but continued. “He taught her the basic techniques that Inquisitors are taught when they are indoctrinated into the Sith with the goal of hunting down traitors and deserters.”

She titled her head, the flush fading from her strong cheekbones. “Since you are a rogue Sith, Marcus, wouldn’t you be counted among the deserters?” Her voice had that slight edge of defiance as though she was relishing any scrap of information that painted her oppressor in a negative light.

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance laughed. Laughed at her, laughed at what you said, and laughed at her insinuations.

"All things you already mentioned and things for reasons already provided matter little to me." "Your Mistress is as much of an Inquisitor as I am a Jedi." "And this Intelligence Director is either an Intelligence Director which means he knows zilch about being an Inquisitor or he is an Inquisitor and knows zilch about Intelligence work."

He shrugged.

"Either way neither are of any consequence to me."

He paused.

"First there is no such thing as a Rogue Sith..........you are either Sith or you are not." "Concepts like going Rogue are for Jedi who turn away from the order." "Second Soldiers desert..............Sith commit treason." "And knowing the One Sith like I do I seriously doubt anyone knows I am gone."

He let his words sink in for a moment.

"You see I left as a Knight with no fanfare what so ever." "That tends to largely go unnoticed." "Now a Sith Lord, who is also a Sector Voice telling a bunch of other Sith Lords to go jump in a Sarlaac pit.............that spreads like wildfire."

He smirked.

"No I imagine I could probably walk right up into the Temple of Coruscant and a few would assume I have been out on assignment for the last few years." "Even more would probably even believe it with very little encouragement needed."

[member="Livna Zios"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Marcus’s derisive laugh rang through the empty listening post.

“Perhaps,” said Livna, finally able to forget the animal’s death as she pondered upon the Sith Lord’s standing in the galaxy. While it was clear he was powerful and deadly, perhaps he wasn’t as much of a threat to her life as she thought. Still, she knew how often traitors were discussed among Sith political circles, and not only that, quislings were sought after like a rare material. The One Sith enjoyed making an example of their deserters, if only to frighten the current ranks of Acolytes and Knights to remain the mindless, killing servants for the darkside that they were.

“Well then you hardly need me, don’t you?” she asked, returning his smirk with one of her own.

“Or you could tell me what type of information you do need. You may think me rural and unsophisticated,” she said softer now. “But I do know how to blend in. Despite the horns, no one notices a former servant."

Her beauty was something that most men noticed, but yes, if given a chance to tone down her plump lips, long lashes and shapely cheekbones, she could certainly play the part of a dull pedestrian or passerby in order to glean intelligence.

“Unless you need a femme fatale,” Livna said an eyebrow arching. “Information can be gathered in many ways. And especially from the weaker willed… in a bedroom or a flower grove.” She accentuated the last part of the sentence, reminding Marcus of how the two of them met.

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

He smirked.

"You offered information to me." "I did not ask you for it." "All I wanted in the garden I took."

He rolled his eyes.

"You know nothing about me that is not already public knowledge." "So I would not be lecturing about the different ways to obtain information."

He paused for a moment though.

"The femme fatale comment does give me an idea though." "You going back to the One Sith is impossible at this point and whether you realize it or not you have potential in the Force."

He cocked his head to the side before he continued.

"How would you like to join me and become an instrument of death?"

He smiled after a moment his aura going from the dark abyss to a beacon of light. He had used false light side aura some much he was actually starting to get good at it. A minute later 5 copies of himself appeared surrounding her.

"What do you know about Sith Assassins?" "Would you like to learn the ways of the Force and become a powerful Sith?" "Even more so than the ones who ignored your potential and tortured you into submission?"

[member="Livna Zios"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Again, Marcus was right and well, isn't it quite maddening to be wrong all the time, thought Livna? But as much as she fancied herself as some sexy, female spy from a holomovie, the fact remained: she could not go even near the One Sith without a legion behind her and an impenetrable suit of armor. As much as she loathed to admit it, she really did need the Sith Lord, if only for protection from the other Sith who would be on her tail the minute the Priestess closed her legs, wizened up and began to track her like a hunting dog on a rabbit’s scent.

But she’d been to the literal Den of Demon’s on Panatha and lived to tell the tale. I do not want to go back there. I will not fall to the darkside, Livna told herself.

“I don’t know about an instrument of death,” the Caprine maiden said. “Maybe an instrument of defense.”

Bewildered for a moment, she glanced around at the illusion of Marcus’s form – all five of them – surrounding her. But his aura was calming… soothing even. Yet, something was very off.

“I am interested in possessing Assassin-like skills,” she said, a puzzled wrinkle between her brows. “But I will not be a Sith. Never.” She exhaled sharply. “Because then I will become the one who ignores potential in others and relies on torture, coercion and fear to get what I want.” Her anger was there, but a dull flame. She didn’t know anything about Dun Moch, but right at this moment, she was trying her best to resist the taunts. The lightside aura which emanated from him helped in this respect since he was hiding the darkness which always made her ill at ease, even when Marcus was silent. Because silence normally meant he was plotting his next infliction upon her.

“But I will learn under your firm and capable hand, My Lord," she acquiesced. She was woefully bereft of survival skills at the moment and would learn what she could about the Force, even if it meant her teacher was the handsome, but cruel Marcus of the Sith Empire.

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance shook his head.

"Killing first the person that means to kill you is defense in it's most successful form."

He smirked the false side Aura dropping and the Doppelgangers vanishing. He reached out cupping her cheek.

"Oh you will become Sith little Flower..................the alternative is death." "The Jedi will not trust you and try to kill you for being SIth." "Trust me no amount of talking will convince them you are anything but a Monster of the One Sith." "Any other Sith you come across will either kill you or enslave you to a life of endless torture." "Unfortunately without training you are in no condition to stop them."


He laughed.

"You know nothing about Sith." "Being Sith is more than just using the Dark side but about following a code." "A code that favors strength and the acquisition of power."

He tilted his head at her.

"Ignoring potential little Flower..................if I ignored potential then you would already be dead." "Transgressions must be punished otherwise chaos reigns." "What you have experienced today, the pain you felt, is exactly that and nothing more."

[member="Livna Zios"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Of course Livna wanted to get back at her tormentors, but how to enact revenge without becoming what she feared the most? Like the redcrested cougar who lay dead at their feet, didn’t a predator need to becoming more cunning, fearsome, and infinitely more dangerous than their prey?

She closed her eyes at his gentle touch, never doubting for a minute that it could turn rough, that Marcus would seize her flesh as he saw fit to do - just like the afternoon in the Tigercinth grove. She tried to keep her breathing steady, but knew he could probably feel her pulse racing with his preternatural senses.

The temptation was certainly there, but was her resolve strong enough to resist his offer?

“I am not afraid of death,” she said, a half-truth a best, but what came next was as honest and bare as she’d been a few moments ago in the tub. “I do not want to become them. If you can teach me your ways without becoming an abhorrent, loathsome swine of a woman…” She grit her teeth, her fingers digging into her palms now, fists almost shaking at her side.

Then she gently repeated the gesture as though his mirror, her clawed hand resting on the edge of the Sith Lord’s jaw below his left ear. Her voice was soft, but her blue eyes had an unexpected cold malice embedded in them like an Ilum crystal.

“If you can teach me power without sacrificing my dignity... to those vile serpents of the darkness.” She felt as though she were stepping off of a cliff now into a bottomless abyss below. And drop Livna did, down to her knees now in front of Marcus.

“Then my dignity, my body and soul will belong to you. But you must promise me. I will not become one of them."

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

He smiled looking down at her.

"You are afraid of death little flower it is just not your biggest fear."

His hand cupped her cheek.

"I will teach you our ways...........what you become as a result is up to you."

He let her linger on her knees for a moment enjoying her on her knees before him. Then his hand slide around to underneath her chin and gently pulling up to bring her to her feet.

"My child your body and soul already belong to me."

He smiled.

"I only provide the tools how you use them is up to you." "To promise only something you can provide would be I promise I don't have the power to keep."


[member="Livna Zios"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Livna felt weak-willed and impulsive, but the temptation of power was too difficult to reject. She would no longer need to run and hide in the remote corners of the galaxy, knowing Priestess Tiin would find her eventually, and if just to make an example of her to her other servants or confidants, would either torture her for years on end, or execute her in a slow, horrific and painful way.

And here was Marcus offering her not only the basic needs, but limitless strength beyond what she could imagine. And the type of salvation that her own goddess could not. The thought of one day vanquishing her former Mistress was too enticing.

And in thinking of her basic needs, of which she had none right now, she asked the Sith Lord, “Are you a wealthy man?” The Caprine maiden was not an esoteric scholar nor a seasoned warrior. She was a former servant and right now, having food and a place to stay became a more urgent line of questioning. Especially since she could not remember the last time she’d eaten. “If I am am yours as you say, and you train me to be the assassin you need, do I stay in your quarters with you?"

Her eyes softened, and she took a step closer to Marcus, closing the gap and asked, "And do I also share your bed?"

If Livna was going back into servitude as it were, especially with a Sith Lord which was the most dangerous type of bondage, she had an expectation that he would care for her starting at the root level. Even if not emotionally, than physically and materially so that she wouldn't have to worry about expenses, credits or meals.

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

He smiled a hand cupping her cheek.

"You will live with the other Acolytes, you will eat what they eat, and wear what they wear." "You are an Acolyte and while yes you are my apprentice you are one of several." "You want extra attention....extra time then you will have to prove yourself more worthy of it than they are."

He leaned in a pressed a soft kiss on her lips.

"And that includes my bed."

His soft was gentle but his voice firm and left no room for debate.

"Enjoy your last day or two of your old life." "When I call for you your new life begins."

He smiled to her for a moment before turning and heading towards the door. He knew she probably thought she was his only source of entertainment and carnal pleasure. Unfortunately for her though he had a bad habit of using all young impressionable female Force Users as playthings...........even the Jedi ones.

[member="Livna Zios"]

 

[Armand Temi]

At this point in her young life, there was no room for fanciful dreams and romantic fantasies. Perhaps two years ago, she would have wished for a holobook ending, a strong Balae warrior to sweep her off of her feet and deposit her into a rich palace to live out her idyllic days among whimsical, colorful beasts. To remove every worry and replace it with love and affection.

But the Caprine had been through enough hardship throughout her servitude with the Priestess that she was pragmatic. Fun-loving, wine-soaked, slightly rebellious and wild, but still pragmatic.

Love does not exist for women like me in the galaxy, she thought, not bitterly, but soundly as though she were her an ancient matriarch giving her younger self some advice.

Neither did it for Marcus. Livna already knew that having been exposed to Darth Ax'no and her Sith lover. The darksiders she encountered used passion to fuel their strength – why limit yourself to just one or two libertine moments? Take them all, is what the flaxen-haired Caprine had experience firsthand! She’d even shared the bed of the Priestess and her Master from time to time, together with the other handmaidens. Still, it was tempting to want to be the best in Marcus’s eyes, to prove to him that she was capable of besting the other Acolytes, to exponentially increase her power, as well as gain his favor.

At his kiss, her lips yielded, her soft body pressing into his, urgent hands wandering his torso for at least the moment they were entwined.

Then Marcus pulled away and turned to go. She glanced once more at the lifeless body of the dead cougar on the floor, hoping there wasn’t something prescient about this entire visit to the Listening Post, for Livna was slightly superstitious in nature. Most Caprine were after all. She murmured a blessing to the dead creature, in hopes that, like tea leaves, its flesh, blood and bones did not read her own future just now.

“I have no old life,” she said, blue eyes shining with an azure fire. “This is my life now. And I would like for it to begin.”

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance paused at the door but did not look back.

"Then report to the Academy Acolyte." "One of the Overseers will get you settled in." "They are already expecting you.........and don't think you will get special treatment." "As a matter of fact you will probably be scorned by the Overseers." "Don't worry they won't harm you directly......they are too scared to.......worried they may find out how I got the name Vengeance."

He smirked to himself.

"The other Acolytes though...........are a different story."

With that he disappeared through the door.

[member="Livna Zios"]