Disrupting Another

[Onrai]

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

Honoghr

Honoghr had been a wasteland ever since the unfortunate accident of a Confederate ship wrecking on the world. The Noghri had turned to the Empire, providing them with the might of disruptor-armed assassins that had for decades plagued the Rebellion and New Republic. A betrayal saw them rendered useless as pawns - but such a betrayal was not why Vanessa was here on this otherwise unremarkable world.

The Darkheart project was underway. Though the prototypical test article had not worked out the way she had wanted due to a variety of reasons, she still had faith in the concept of such infiltration - infiltration that would be better conducted by those steeped in the arts of concealment from their humble beginnings as Padawans or Acolytes. Rumors had abounded of an Echani here - perhaps it was a relative of that one Echani she knew - who had come to this remote world. Apparently the Force was at least reasonably strong with her - and indications were that she had received minimal training.

Perhaps she would be a good target.

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Nylea's heart ached every passing day she did not contact Monastery. Ever since the violent betrayal of the last remaining elder of the Order of the Sacred Lotus, [member='Hazel Zanteres'], almost killing [member='Nora Lithos'] in the process, the echani had lost her direction. Everywhere she had gone the sting of treason and the Dark side followed her. Hazel had not been the first one to turn their back on her, nor was she the one to bring harm to her through the Dark side, but mentally it had hit harder than anything had ever done. Surely whatever was left of the Lotus, as little as it was already when she quietly took off in search of, well, anything at all, had disappeared by now, and if that was the case there was no place left to go home to.

Her wandering had led Nylea to many different worlds, where many people crossed her path. Run-ins with the Queen of Naboo and the scrappy woman who she had worked together with after a terrorist attack to tend to the wounded sprung to mind, and despite the fact she still looked for the spark of hope she so desperately needed, they had both taught her valuable lessons in their own ways. Those were the things she would take away from her journey and always remember.

This all did not mean the silver-haired woman had abandoned her duties, however. Even through her struggles and personal demons she helped anyone who needed it during her travels, a self-assigned task that had led her to the ravaged planed of Honoghr. Over the span of a number of days she had spent day and night tending to the sick and wounded, helping with the construction of shelters, and everything inbetween. It was nowhere at the scale she contributed to with the Lotus, but it was all she could do. The title Jedi was one the people she aided had called her by many times, but she brushed it aside every single time. Perhaps back on Monastery she deserved to carry that title, she had often been told the rank of Knight was one she was ready for, but now she simply did not have the heart to claim she was a Jedi at all. She followed the Light fully, but she did not see herself as a Jedi. Not now.

Nylea looked back on all this while taking a quiet walk, away from the settlement she was staying at. She often did so to clear her mind, although lately it didn't seem to help much. There was much trouble in her being, thoughts that kept her up at night. She was so close to coming to terms with her past and moving on, yet now that seemed so far away. The Lotus seemed all but done for, leaving her with no home or direction. The future looked grim, there was nothing to hold on to it seemed, and to only add more doubt there had been a creeping feeling of dread that refused to fade since she had woken up that morning. There was something terrible about to happen, but she did not know when or where it would strike. All she could do as she kept on walking, was pray she could prevent it from happening.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa headed into the settlement, shawled as she usually was when disguised on a world outside the reach of the Sith. She smiled when that presence, the light presence that she had come here to claim. To snuff out - not through death, but through corruption. She let just a trickle of her darkness be felt - after all, if she gave away the secret that a Sith Lord was on Honoghr, she was certain the Galactic Alliance, the Silver Jedi, or wherever good had run off to in the galaxy would be after her. And were they to discover her secret, she would be more than dead - the Jedi would torture her, attempt to accrue whatever scraps of information they could from her mind. Information that she could not simply escape from.

She continued onwards until she felt it - she was on the same path as the presence, walking along the same line. It was getting closer - such a precious thing, a bright little spot of hope on an otherwise terribly desolate planet. But there was one thing Vanessa knew from decades of Sithdom, from so long around some of the galaxy's darkest powers - where the light is, there the shadow is as well. All that must happen is it should be brought to the forefront. And when she finally ripped the core of light away from the Jedi - like Aleema Keto had ripped the core of light from the Crom Cluster's stars - all that would be left would be a servile vessel of darkness.

Still, she moved closer.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

The footsteps of the echani was the only sound in the silence that was all around her, yet she knew she was no longer alone. The presence of another came closer and closer, something that had not happened before during the previous times she walked this path. The feeling of dread she had been feeling flared up, her mind almost immediately linking it to the one who slowly approached her. The presence was drenched in Darkness, to which Nylea was no stranger. She had even carried the Dark side within her herself once, and knew more about it and those who followed it than most beings of the Light did, but she would have much preferred to never have known. It was a chapter in her life she was determined to never repeat. It had brought about pain, suffering, and death, and all it had given her was the feeling of guilt. Her entire life had become devoted to atoning her sins, even if she would likely never shed herself of of concious weighing down on her.

Nylea came to a halt, slowly wrapping her left hand around the metallic cylinder that rested at her hip as she looked around. The lightsaber hilt was unclipped but not yet ignited, her mind on high alert. Still, her breathing was steady and her thoughts calm and collected, something that now came naturally to her like it had before being introduced to the Force in a brutal way. "I do not look to fight. I merely wish to help those in need, I am no threat to you." Every word spoken was true. The chances of stopping the one pursuing her with them was far from favorable, but never would she turn to hostility without attempting a peaceful resolution. "Let us not needlessly spill blood today."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

She continued to walk along the pathway, smiling as the light presence attempted to contact her. She was certainly not intending to make this a violent confrontation - violence was something to be abhorred, after all, though she was sure her tutaminis techniques would defend her in any forthcoming conflict. The darkness was still quite minimal, though as she drew closer to the Echani, still firm in her belief that she could at least induce the taint of darkness into the heart of her purity.

Help those in need? Then perhaps you can help me. she chose to respond. After all, it was also not a lie that she was in need of some help. And unless you intend to try and harm me, what reason do I have to inflict such physical punishment upon you? I’m not that monstrous. Vanessa resisted giggling - she had been more than willing to do such horrific things to people once upon a time. For her to admit that she no longer had it in her to do those sorts of things was both relieving off her shoulder and a lie of the utmost proportions.

But that was alright. After all, light would soon become shadow as she moved closer.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

The answer Nylea got was one that reeked of deception. It was likely that the owner of the voice did not expect her to know much of the Dark side at all, but here that experience set off alarm bells in her head that she could not ignore. Words were easy to say, especially when they did not describe much. It was obvious the two would come face to face however, and so perhaps she had no choice in finding out whether there was ill intent or not.

"I sense the Dark side within you. It has caused trusted allies to turn their backs on everything they stood for, lose all sense of humanity, and desecrate life itself." Seeing it happen was soul-crushing every single time. Nylea mourned them and remembered them to remind herself why she defended those who could not defend themselves, and the Light. "After the things I have experienced, I cannot trust those who follow the Darkness." There really was nothing else for her to add. The woman did not wish to meet her.

With her unlit lightsaber still in hand, Nylea turned on her heel and once again started walking. Although it was unlikely it would be considered in any way, simply walking back to the settlement she stayed in was the only thing she could do to signal that she did not want to be involved with the person in any way. "I shall be on my way. Let us make sure nobody is harmed this day."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

​Well how fantastic that you're talking to a Darksider who doesn't appreciate betrayal.​ How true it was - Vanessa, in her past life, had been betrayed by so many people that it was quite frankly incredulous. She was hardly the sort who would want to inflict such torments on others when she had previously experienced such. She continued to head towards the sensation of the light's presence, closing in ever so swiftly before her potential target could get away. ​You sound like a mirror version of one of the Darksiders I know. "After the things I have experienced, I cannot trust those who follow the Light." Something like that.​ She finally closed to within visual range.

​The only way anyone gets harmed is if you choose to attack first.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

No matter what the voice was telling her, Nylea did not have a good feeling about the entirety of the encounter. A sense of urgency was present in her step as she slightly quickened her pace, although it was still a walking speed. Meanwhile the stranger seemed to be much more carefree, only adding to the echani's wish to get away. She didn't understand why she had been followed, or what the end goal of it all was, but she was not eager to find out.

"I mourn those who have lost faith in the Light. There is nothing more saddening-" The sentence came to an abrupt end when the woman came into view. Nylea made sure to keep her breathing steady as she kept on walking, but her heartbeat was quickening by the second. The settlement was behind the Darksider and she would have to pass her, but there was no fear as the two came closer to each other. "I merely wish to leave. That is all." She was a good few paces to the side of the stranger as she passed by, her head turning to follow her figure as she walked past.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"You know, since we're within speaking range of each other, it would make a lot more sense to talk instead of try and communicate through telepathy." Vanessa said, moving to follow the Echani. "I mean, I'm not here to hurt you." She sighed, waiting for the opportunity to strike. Being a purist who focused almost exclusively on Force attacks, she figured that it would be possible for her to have the advantage in any sudden occurrence. "Your strength in the Force is strong, yet untamed." She said, looking over Nylea. "Perhaps it would be best if you understood the tremendous power available to you - and the correct ways to use it." She sighed, staying a few steps behind Nylea.

After all, she couldn't let the woman get away.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

"I think you are the one who does not understand." Nylea kept on walking and did not look back as she spoke, making it clear she was not very willing to converse. "I know you speak of the Dark side, that which carries nothing but destruction. Perhaps you could call that power, but what is it good for? Oppression? Death? Agony? I have caused too much of that already." Even thinking of the things she had done pained her. She would never fall again, she had too much to lose. "I know exactly what 'tremendous power' you speak of. I was ripped from my home and taken to a place unknown to me, where I was forced down the path of the Dark side. During that time I was led to believe that was all the Force was." Her greatest fortune had been the fact she was able to break free of that life. "It slowly destroyed me from the inside out. I have done horrible things, but I broke free."

The echani gripped her lightsaber that tiny bit tighter, her feet continuing to carry her forward. "Those who lust for power are blinded by it. They fail to see there is so much more to the Force than that. I still have much to learn about the Light, but I have already learned so much more than I did back when I was enslaved by the Darkness." Her tone was resolute; she had an unwavering belief in the Light. In her mind, the stranger was simply wrong. "So, I disagree. It would not be best for me to give in to the Dark side again, and I dispute your claim that your ways of using it are correct. I wish to protect the galaxy, not watch it burn."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"There are a great many things I understand." She chose to stand at the Echani's side - a deliberate vulnerability, though she suspected the woman's power was far inferior to her own. "The Dark Side allows for a great many fantastical things. The twisting of life into new forms, guided by the hand of mortal evolution instead of millions of years of natural selection - accomplishing in months what takes nature millennia. The chrysalide rancors, the terentateks... even the mighty leviathan are all crafted through the strength of will of the Dark Side." She answered. "It is good that you know the power of the Dark Side through preexisting experience. If it means anything to you - which I'm sure it doesn't - I'm sorry that you had to undergo such unnecessary tribulations in order for the darkness within you to be brought out. You broke free of nothing - you were only exposed to an ideology that tried its best to appeal more palatable to you, whose masters were not active with the whip when you failed or disobeyed."

She thought for a moment. "You think you've done horrible things. I've tortured a great many people since becoming a Sith. Destroyed civilizations. Lied, cheated, stole... even seduced. But if I dwelt on those things, my life becomes infinitely depressing. I'm past that - and have already paid for my crimes." She smiled. "Well, those at least. There is more to the Force than just the Dark Side, yes - I just choose it over the Light because I personally find it to be more suitable to me as a person. You learned little while under the training of darkness because your teacher did not know how to teach. That said... let me make a deal with you, since you seem so​ insistent that the Dark Side cannot be used for good."

She sped up and stepped directly in front of the Echani, a few feet away. "You claim the Dark Side cannot be used for good. Come with me. Let ​me​ teach you what that pathetic whelp for an instructor failed to properly elucidate. Six months is all I ask. If at the end of that time you feel that what I've taught you cannot be applied to 'good' as you describe it, then I will let you walk away, and you may forget my lessons. But if my lessons prove successful... then perhaps you will finally be enlightened to the truth of the matter."

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

It had become clear to Nylea at that point in time that the stranger was not going to let her be. Despite this she kept on walking, although it now was more out of instinct than anything. When the Sith had caught up the echani did not strike out, nor did she even look at her. She would not initiate violence. She would not hurt anyone unless it truly was the only way. And no matter what, she would keep her vow to never take a life again. She did not believe to be powerful enough to defeat her in combat, not did she wish to be, but even if she was it would not have changed a thing. Throughout all those words of the Dark side filled her ears, and as much as she wanted to stop her at every sentence she remained patient and waited until she had finished speaking.

Before the woman was finished however, she sped up that little bit more to now stand directly in Nylea's way. It was at that moment she came to a standstill, realizing that continuing to walk was pointless. Her answer was as calm as she had been from the beginning, but her resolve was still very much noticeable.

"No."

The silver-haired woman directly looked at her now, without fear. She realized that refusing the offer was a dangerous thing to do; death only being one of the terrible things that could have been in her future. But it didn't matter, she simply wouldn't suffer at the hands of the Dark side again. "You claim it can be used for good, but then claim that the vicious and destructive beasts shaped by the Dark side are fantastic things. Do you blame me when that only strengthens my current view on what the Dark side is?" Twisting creatures into the vision of of the Dark side was nothing but terrible in Nylea's mind. On Hoylin she had seen this first-hand; Sithspawn and a viral plague created by a being of the Darkness had held the planet by the throat, threatening to wipe out all natural life. The Order of the Sacred Lotus had been able to beat it back, but by then much damage had already been done.

"And then you say that the one who had forced me down the path of Darkness did not punish me enough for failure and disobedience." She found it nothing but sad to hear that the Sith truly thought that suffering was something to be celebrated. Slowly she went to clip her lightsaber back to her belt. It was not going to be protect her against the power she faced. Slowly she rolled up the sleeves of the coat she was wearing, revealing arms that were completely covered in scars. "You know nothing of what happened during that time. I have been tortured for hours on end, I was forced to kill innocent people because if I did not he would kill me instead, I have been reduced to nothing but pain, despair, and anger." Even through saying all this, there was no hatred in her being. The sleeves were rolled back down as she continued. "I should have been beyond saving, but one Jedi still saw good in me. That is the only reason I was able to come to the Light."

Nylea took a breath, letting silence fall for just a moment in order to keep her from losing her train of thought. "Perhaps you could do enough to believe you have atoned for the things you have done. I am still in the process of paying back to the galaxy, and I must do it my own way. I will not let the Dark side reduce me to nothing again like it has done before, for I know I will revert to being an empty husk designed for nothing but destruction the moment I let the Dark side fester in my being again." This was the echani's grandest truth. "So I decline your deal. I do not wish to learn any more of the Dark side."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"The process of forced evolution is a fantastic thing, yes. Given the fact that the Sith have been persecuted by the Jedi since their initial discovery thousands of years ago, of course we're going to just make war creatures. That's kind of a given when you have to use what you have available to you in order to adequately deal with an enemy who is more technologically advanced." The first part of her rebuttal concluded, she chose to continue. "I'm sorry, when did I say that your former teacher did not punish you enough? Excessive punishment is a terrible teaching method. Negative reinforcement is sometimes needed, but I assure you, I'm more of a positive reinforcement sort of master. Given what you just told me about what he forced you to do - I believe the concept of excessive negative reinforcement is the reason that, frankly, you come off as being excessively traumatized. You're using the Light Side as a form of escapism, believing it can somehow purify you of the past torment, of the sins that he forced you to commit."

She stepped forward, knowing that what she was about to do was take a terrible risk. She placed a hand on the shoulder of the Echani. "I don't blame you for hating my kind. If I was abused by a Darksider when I was younger, chances are that I would have the kind of hatred in my heart that you do. But you need to understand that not all Darksiders are monsters to those that serve under them. I'm not going to force you to kill innocents. I'm not going to torture you for hours on end. I'm not going to punish you excessively and leave scars on your being - in fact, I will take those scars away. You fear becoming a husk designed for destruction. Well then - I will make sure you never become that. The only limitation is yourself."

With that, she stared into the eyes of the Echani, attempting to through the piercing focus of her gaze alone elicit a positive response. "All I ask for are six months. Less than a percentage of your lifetime. Give me that and I will prove myself to you."

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

The Sith kept on talking, and perhaps that was the thing that was most complexing to Nylea in the situation she was in. She was resolute in her beliefs and had clearly shown it, yet the woman did not relent in her attempt to change her mind. Before it was her patience that kept her from interrupting what was being said, but now it was merely the knowledge that she was simply not able to stop her from whatever she wanted to do. That fact would still not change how she would respond, however.

For a moment the echani braced herself for whatever was to come when the Sith took a step forward, but it seemed that placing a hand on her shoulder was the only thing she looked to do. She remained suspicious, yet there was no point fighting back if anything happened. It was hard to overlook how uncomfortable she was when it happened, but she would not let it get to her. At the piercing gaze a deep breath was taken, making sure to remain collected despite the way she felt.

"I am done with fighting. I am done with war." It was not a concession of defeat, but a simple truth. "All I want is to be at peace with myself, and everyday I get closer to finding that." Had she not been saved by the master Jedi who had put herself in a vulnerable position to do just that, she still would have been the monster she used to be. Had the Order of the Sacred Lotus not found her back on Coruscant and taken her in, she would have been forever directionless. Perhaps she needed some time to pick that direction back up again, but this encounter had made her realize once more why she had joined the Lotus; not only to heal and protect, but to leave behind her past. That had been distorted when [member='Hazel Zanteres'] drove her lightsaber into the gut of Nylea's friend and with that, metaphorically speaking, into the Sacred Lotus itself, but the picture was clear again.

"You have got it wrong." Out of nowhere she started smiling, and the Sith's close proximity no longer affected her. "You are trying to lay words into my mouth, but there is no truth to them. My allegiance to the Light is no escapism. Those who I now consider my allies and friends lifted me up from my lowest point. They believed I could change, that the person I was before still lived underneath my corrupted surface. They showed me I did not have to be that way, that I had a choice. I decided to no longer be like that and the Light helped me make that change." She was nothing but grateful to those who helped her get to where she had gotten. The past really was just the past. "How could I possibly do such a thing with the same Darkness that made me that way?"

Nylea's hand slowly moved towards the one that rested on her shoulder, and looked to gently remove it. "I don't bear hatred towards anyone. I don't hate you, or your kind. I am saddened by the actions of the Sith and I mourn the souls lost to their own dark and negative emotions, but no more than that." The words would fall to deaf ears, of that she was quite certain, yet she still spoke them. Perhaps it was more for herself than for the one she was talking to. "I am not turning my back on those who care for me and I am not giving up what I have now. I see no reason to follow you. Not for six months, not for a week, not for even a minute. You cannot offer me anything that truly matters to me." At that, she could do nothing but chuckle for a moment. "Do you know why? Because I already have everything I want."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"Well, I tried."

With that, Vanessa sent a significant push of Force power at the woman - enough to send her into any nearby rubble or trees. She did have a lightsaber with her, but in her hubris she chose merely to keep it at her side. "I tried, honestly, to do things in a non-Sithy way. In a way that would be befitting of a woman of character, of humanity. But unfortunately, it seems that in order to achieve the desired results, I must take a different course of action." She looked at the lightsaber as Nylea inevitably withdrew it, eying the shimmering blade. "I'd like to say that will help you, but in all honesty, I doubt it will." She stroked her chin, pondering what move the young Padawan would make. It was something intriguing to say the least - something that she was curious about. Many apprentices had showcased their combat skills to her - sometimes personally - but she was most eager to see the Echani, who perhaps knew the art of Echani, take her stance and pursue a particular fighting style.

Hopefully it wasn't Soresu. She thought it would be a buzzkill then.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

For a moment Nylea's eyes went wide as she was tossed into the air, and before she could react her back would crash into a tree at such an angle where she felt multiple ribs crack, sharp pain shooting through her system. Trying to retain her conciousness she started crumpling to the floor but shaking arms slowly pushed her back up, taking hold of her lightsaber that landed next to her and regaining her footing. The echani stood unsteady, leaning one hand on the tree she had collided with while her breathing was irregular as she tried to make her breathing as painless as possible. While the world became blurry and colors blended into each other she began stumbling forward, but no hostile intent could be felt. Had one reached into the Force, all they would have been able to feel was disappointment. Not in herself, but in what had transpired moments ago.

The Sith spoke, but Nylea's focus was disrupted by the waves of agony that spread throughout her body. Nevertheless she kept on slowly making her way forward. "I'm not..." She winced, taken aback by how hard it had become to speak. "Fighting..." Her trembling left hand moved towards her belt, clipping the still unlit lightsaber to it. "You." Her stumble continued, approaching the other woman slowly but surely. It was there she had accepted whatever has going to happen next, and there was no fear. If this place was going to where her end was, then she would not run from it. At an arm's reach from the Sith her knees buckled, bringing her down. Still there was serenity in her eyes. "I w-will," the echani winced once more, "not foll-follow your actions." Looking up, Nylea cast her gaze directly at her.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"I see." She said, stepping towards the wounded Echani. "If you'd just said you would go with me, I wouldn't have had to hurt you. But don't worry, my dear." She came over and looked down at the woman before responding. "I will heal your injuries. I will not inflict any pain upon you that you do not choose to inflict upon yourself. And I will take care of you like no Darksider has ever done for you before." She took her hand and quickly pressed two fingers against the flesh above the heart of Nylea, Sith magic beginning the process of enacting such sorcery that she could have only dreamed of decades ago - a Sith heart stun. Once the woman's heart was in stasis and she was unconscious, Vanessa would take her to her shuttle, being sure to put a Force Collar on her in order to prevent her from potentially becoming a threat and disassembling her lightsaber once the woman's connection with the Force was temporarily neutered. When they had taken off from the world, Nylea would find that she could not use the Force due to the ixetal cilona running through her system - and that her lightsaber sat disassembled in a bag. She was not cuffed or otherwise restrained - only collared. She would notice some bacta wraps around her waist, working to deal with the injuries she had sustained.

"Good, you're awake. We're heading out of Honoghr and are on our way to Sith space."

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

"I-I am no-" A ragged deep breath that visibly hurt to take interrupted Nylea's sentence. She watched as the Sith came closer and slowly started to get on her feet again, pushing through the pain she felt in an attempt to still walk away. It was in vain, that much was already obvious the moment she decided to try, but it was more about sending a message than anything. "Not coming with you." Her plan was cut short the moment she began to walk again however as she felt two fingers touch her near where the heart was. It was the last thing she would remember of her stay on Honoghr before her vision went black and her body collapsed once more.

---​

​

"Kill her!"

"I know that there's good in you, listen to the Force!"

A fight had unfolded before Nylea's eyes, but it was more than just a Jedi facing a Dark Jedi, the man who had plunged her into the depths of the Dark Side clashing blades with a woman she had never seen before. For the first time since she was forcibly taken and brought to Coruscant, she had been given a choice. A choice between Light and Dark, and that was when her eyes truly opened to what she had become.


In that moment the echani realized she had been turned into a monster, good for nothing but death and decay. It hit her to her very core as all of the atrocities she had committed flashed through her mind, and when it did she could only turn her head towards the man who been responsible for creating that horrendous being. Feelings of anger, guilt, and helplessness came over her like a tidal wave, but that was when her mind had been made up. A red beam of heated plasma erupted from the metal cylinder in her left hand, and what she did not know was that was the last time she let the Dark Side run its course, and the last time she would take a life. Shooting forward, her blade struck true, unable to fend off two people at the same time. Tears started rolling down Nylea's cheeks as her lightsaber extinguished and fell to the floor.

The Dark Jedi followed after.

"What have I done..."

---​

​

"Good, you're awake. We're heading out of Honoghr and are on our way to Sith space."

Silver eyes slowly revealed themselves to the galaxy as Nylea returned to conciousness. The voice concerned her, but what had been the most alarming immediately upon waking up was the fact she could not feel the Force. It was a sensation she had never felt before and it completely disoriented and confused her, sending a wave of panic through her system. "No, this isn't right. I can't... What-" The fact it was far from normal that she had not been restrained in any way did not even come to the echani while she clumsily got to her feet, stumbling as though she had lost her sense of balance. One of the walls of the shuttle would serve as support as her mind was forced to slowly adjust to it, but she quickly decided to let her knees slowly bring her upper body downwards and let her back slide down against it to sit down. Now aware of the collar she instinctively tugged at it to try to remove it, but it was to no avail.

"What do you want from me? Why are you doing this to me?" The questions that were put into words was only a small piece of the swath that had settled into her thoughts. Why had she not killed her? Why had her wounds been taken care of? Why bring her to Sith space? If she somehow managed to withstand whatever she was going to be put through, would she ever be able to get out of Sith space without being killed or detained once again? And only now did she realize that not being restrained was certainly not ordinary. "Are you so adamant on making me suffer?" Hoping she would do a bit better now the silver-haired woman slowly went to stand up again, gaze fixed on the other woman while slowly walking a few steps closer.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

“Ah, Yes.” She said. “You’re a bit confused as to why you can no longer feel the Force. Yes, it has to do with that collar around your neck.” Elaboration was the best way to help foster acceptance. “A fanciful piece of technology, and one of the tools I’ve saved from the original Sith Empire. All you need to know is that for as long as you spend time with me - Well, until you’re at a point I can consider it safe to release you - that collar will prevent you from touching the Force, either Light or Dark.”

The Echani asked what she wanted, or why she was doing this. To that, Vanessa could not help but smile. “I am going to teach you in the ways of using the Dark Side. As I’ve already iterated, my methods of instructing are in no way coming to be comparable to your former instructor’s brutality. They will test you, certainly, but it will be a different form of testing. Not starvation or isolation, not flagellation or emaciation, but trials and tribulation.” She said. “And by the time I finish... you will have been brought to the understanding I wish for you to have.”

To the last comment, she stood up, activating the shuttle’s security holocam, which showed Vanessa sitting the unconscious Nylea down as she exposed the woman’s midriff. Bacta strips were taken out of a compartment in the shuttle as she slowly, with the precision of someone trained in far more than the basic practice of medicine, wrapped them around her waist, the Dark Side assisting her in determining where she had inflicted pain. In time, the bacta would hopefully help heal the injuries of the Echani. As the hologram ended, Vanessa spoke once more. “If I was adamant on making you suffer, I would have left your wounds undressed. I would have let you sit there the entire trip with your ribs broken and lungs in agony, feeling like they were on fire as they would strain for each breath. But I chose not to. I ask again for you to reach an understanding - I do not wish to inflict pain and misery upon you.”

“I suppose we can begin your first lesson here, however.” She sat down across from her captive. “What do you know of the Sith Code?”

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

After taking a few steps Nylea came to a standstill once more. Settling back down and getting the initial shock of everything out of her system was the echani's first priority, and although it happened very slowly, it did so nontheless. A good distance was still kept from her captor, eyeing her cautiously as she listened to the explanation of why it felt like the Force had disappeared. A safety measure, to be sure, but that mattered little to the one affected by it. The mystery had been cleared up and there was little more to say about it, especially with the answer to her second question. It confused her, not entirely certain how to respond to it, and so she remained silent. She had been clear in her decision, yet it seemed that had not properly registered with the Sith. Whatever the reason was, it was impossible to grasp. She turned around and went to walk back to the place where she had been lying down previously, looking to exert as little energy as possible while still recovering.

When the holocam switched on and showed what had transpired while Nylea was unconcious, the woman turned her head and simply watched. This time she knew exactly what she wanted to say in response, yet silence still prevailed. It was doubtful her response would be understood. It had not been physical suffering the silver-haired woman had referred to, but instead the mental agony that followed in the wake of the Dark side whenever it looked to wurm into her being. Perhaps being severed from the Force had been a blessing in disguise; whatever place they were headed to would no doubt be deeply touched by the Darkness, but it would not be able to weigh her down and force her to relive her past as long as she could not feel it.

The silence was finally broken however when the Sith went to sit down in front of her and looked to start her lesson. "I don't want this." Nylea responded quite matter-of-factly as she slowly shook her head. "I don't want to be with the Dark side, I don't want to learn about the ways of the Sith." Nylea wanted to say that the teaching efforts would be in vain and the lessons would fall to deaf ears, but the implication was already there. "I already made my choice back on Honoghr. Taking me prisoner does not make me willing to listen, quite the contrary in fact. By attempting to re-introduce me to the Dark side you will only open up old wounds and hurt me, not make me want to follow it. You are not the first one to have tried." Instead of being concerned about her own well-being however, the echani was much more concerned about the people on Monastery. They needed her, now more than ever, and she knew that. She needed to go get away from here. She needed to go home. "Please, let me go. There are people who need me."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]