Forced Into The Dark

[Hawke]

Deep in the dark bowls of the Ascendancy Dungeon Ship Apothic sat a tortured woman. From what she could recount, it had already been eighteen days since her capture. Where the ship had traveled to since that time was unknown, but likely only deeper into the Ascendancy's territory. Or they could still be around the Hydrian Way, capturing more travelers to torture. Hawke passed the point of caring for those details. They had interrogated, beat, deprived rest, drugged, limited food and water, and worse. Hawke was beyond tired. Mentally and physically exhausted nearing the edge of sanity. Only two things still drove her, the basic instincts of survival, and hatred for her captors. That hatred killed three already. Once they were too lose with her chains. She choked a man to death before they could rip her off. The other two... Hawke had always been able to use the Force. Untrained though she was, and always hid the ability. Well any user powerful enough could do a lot of damage. So she did just that. Now they mostly stayed away. Not wanting to waste lives or resources any more. They kept up the drugging in what little food and water they slid under the cell door, and sleep deprivation. Death seemed inevitable.

Yet it had not come. Something far, far worse than death was on it's way for her.

Captain Promok, The Warden as he was refereed to behind his back and far from his ear. He commanded the Apothic with an Iron Fist. A real one. That he liked to use to knock the teeth out of prisoners when he was feeling particularly happy that day to head down to the cells. Well it wasn't one of those days. Standard procedure included to communicate prisoner information back to command. Should they have any on them. One report sent out more than a week ago had solicited a response beyond the norm. Captain Promok was ordered to make heading to the Kol Huro system and await the arrival of a high ranking official as he was told. Promok was not a man to be kept from secrets. He was not idle in waiting. Twisting the arm of Kol Huro's highest ranking officer netted him just who was coming. The Dark Lord himself. A worry as it was information leaked out about His travel plans. The fact he was coming to his ship was another. He would be ready as he could be for his master. The Apothic was on total lockdown. The hanger bay prepped and the torturing ramped up because what self respecting Sith doesn't like an aura of mass suffering.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Crestfallen bursted out of hyperspace and into realspace, the transition jarring and sudden as the form of the Apothic loomed just before the smaller vessel. The Dark Lord's personal shuttle had its own set of clearance codes that were highly secretive and often replaced to avoid using the same code more than a couple times in a set period. The shuttle transmitted the latest clearance codes to the vessel, and continued on approach as the codes were verified and approved.

The Apothic's single hangar was devoid of starfighters and was trussed up with various ornamentation in preparation for the Dark Lord's arrival, excruciating effort going into ensuring that every minute detail was without imperfection. Personally, the Dark Lord didn't care much for their efforts, but he didn't discourage such devotion from taking place. There was a little bit of him that actually enjoyed the vanity of it all.

The Crestfallen landed, compressed air spewing from the hydraulics as the landing gear made contact with the metal deck and braced the weight of the monstrous shuttle with a groan. The boarding ramp began to descend and out from the shadowy confines emerged two crimson Crownguard armed with menacing force pikes. Their descent heralded the appearance of the Dark Lord himself, his muscular form clad in simple black armor and flowing zeyd-cloth robes. His hands fell upon his hips as he surveyed the hangar, taking in every aspect of it before striding past his guards and standing before the ship's warden.

"Take me to her."

[member="Hawke Katamirth"]​

 

[Hawke]

Lined up before The Crestfallen's ramp, the officers and guards of the Apothic stood at attention. Promok was nervous of the occasion. To displease his lord would result in nothing good for him. Everything had to go to plan. As Darth Carnifex began to descended the ramp after his guards, the Captain lowered to a knee. The Dark Lord wasted little time in getting to his business.

"Take me to her."

"Yes my Lord."

Through the corridors Carnifex was lead deeper and deeper into the dungeons. Each blast door another that slowed them down. Each the Captain used his code cylinder to unlock. They weren't meant to impede them though. Nor were they terribly important should a hull breech cause issue. Rather they were to keep the prisoners contained, should they escape. Not that it had ever been an issue thus far on the Apothic. Nor today as they arrived at the prisoners cell after much delay.

"Here we are my Lord. This cell contains the woman you have come here for." Promok placed his cylinder to the cells control port. A few mechanical clinks and the door was unlocked. The Dark Lord only needed to press a button. Which the Captain gestured to and he would be steps to Hawke.

Roused from a short nap by the stinging of lights again. Hawke could only groan in anger. And keep her eyes shut. Soon the flashing ceased and she was in the low red light they kept the cell at. She'd kill for a hot cup of Caf right now. Pulling herself off the floor she sat legs crossed. She'd seen Jedi meditate this way during her time in the Republic. It had become the best way to pass the time. After an unknown amount of time in this restive position; her concentration was broken for a last time by the locks disengaging on the door. These weren't for the little one they put the food through though. It was for the whole thing. Hawke rose to her feet. They'd finally come back. The fools. Hawke was as prepared as she was going to be. She assumed a solid stance and waited for the guards to come pouring in.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Here we are my Lord. This cell contains the woman you have come here for."

The Warden inserted his code cylinder into the cell's access port causing the door to open shortly after. The Dark Lord would be the only one to enter, his two guards would stand outside with the Warden and the other sycophants to ensure that none disturbed him as the door closed behind him and locked. He was met with the lithe, battered form of [member="Hawke Katamirth"] standing ready and attentive, clearly she had expected her usual guards to fill up the cell's threshold instead of the monstrous form of the Epicanthix Sith Lord. The tell-tale signs of torture and interrogating marred her cream colored skin, entire stretches of her body blackened with bruises and the faint echoes of scars.

"Commander Katamirth." The Dark Lord's gravely voice was unbearable in their confined space, "Former Imperial Captain of the Empyrean turned collaborator of the Republic. You were quite the elusive traitor, weren't you... But, at last, justice has finally caught up with you." He reached out with his right hand, the Dark Side flowing through every fiber of his being as a telekinetic wave of energy exuded from his palm on a straight path towards Katamirth's torso carrying enough strength to lift her off of her feet and send her hurtling into the metal wall behind her.

"And I assure you, it will not be a quick or clean justice."

 

[Hawke]

The girl was wide eyed as the giant of a man entered her cell. Not an army of guards she expected. Questions raced through her mind but cut short as he spoke. That voice. Even after all the years that had passed she still recognized it. His face was foreign but the dark presence could be no other. It was the Emperor of the old Sith Empire himself. Her last emperor. Kaine Zambrano. As the shocking realization came bear not a moment was allotted to let her think on it. Hawke was flung into the wall behind her. As gravity dragged down her knees buckled. Hawke came to a rest on them, back to the wall. Gritting teeth through both pain and anger spat his real name out.

"Zambrano."

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He chuckled, "At least you can still remember my name."

His hand once again reached out, grasping her with invisible coils to pin her against the cold unforgiving metal wall behind her until she was roughly eye-level with the towering Sith Lord. "Although nowadays I go by a more appropriate name, they call me Carnifex." It was an ancient name whose mother language had been lost to the annuls of time, but there was no confusion about its dire meaning.

Carnifex -- Butcher.

The pressure upon Katamirth's torso increase, her body being pushed relentlessly against the wall until the metal began to bend inwards with a great groan. The Dark Lord then swiped his hand sideways and sent the woman careening into another wall, again letting her slump down to the floor after impact.

"Tell me, traitor. Are you afraid?"

[member="Hawke Katamirth"]​

 

[Hawke]

Her chains pulled her back towards the center of the room after being slammed to the far wall. Hawke choked for air after being crushed before that. Pain filled her chest and scrapped at her wrists. She new what it was like to be tortured. [member="Darth Vazela"] after she had committed the betrayal the Dark Lord was referring to. Preformed far worse methods than just flinging her around the room. That experience foretold far worse was to come.

"Afraid?"

Hawke pulled herself up, slowly raising to her feet. Meeting the burning yellow glare of Kaine Zambrano with her own green gaze.

"I'm only afraid of what pain you'll cause me. As anyone chained up who can't defend themselves should be. But you... I'm not afraid of. Never would have gone against you and the other Sith if I was. Not that you'd ever understand why I did. So why don't you just get on with killing me."

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Why you did it is irrelevant."

Now he gestured with his hand and [member="Hawke Katamirth"] was pulled towards his outstretched hand, thick fingers curling to wrap around her throat and squeeze hard enough to close her windpipe. "You betrayed the Empire, you rejected and spat upon its ideals. You collaborated with the Republic to topple everything I had worked so hard to build, set me back decades." He released her, practically throwing her to the ground at his feet.

The door opened again, but this time it wasn't any man but rather an S1 Medical Droid pushing a gravcart full of wicked looking medical instruments, syringes, and saws. "You say that you are not afraid, but you will be... You will be."