Private Frail Child [Open to NIO/Inquisitors]

[Velsora Vox]

Location: Iridonia, Unknown Compound
Music

"I never hated him."

A pathetic, trembling tone uttered.

"But he resented me - I never had to ask, because I could hear it. I could sense it."​

An unknown robed figure nodded slowly, silent but unwavering towards the sentiment slipping out from the helmeted youth. His body levitated just slightly above duracrete flooring, unassuming as to what gender was sealed beneath the oddity of what appeared to be a body-glove mounted with various straps and mechanisms. Atop his head was a bizarre, bulky headpiece accented with an orange hue. Velsora tilted his head downward in contemplation, thinking back to his childhood and how he failed in every regard; killing his mother due to birthing complications, not being physically on par for the tasks his father pushed him through, unable to fulfill the militaristic role desired of him. An underwhelming, lackadaisical runt with nothing but a morbid obsession for the the pain others felt - the very sorrow that ate away at a person and ached their bones with unrelenting, unbiased decadence.

"You a troubled young man - that much is obvious. Yet I do not understand your desire to carry these burdens, surely you are eager to seek a sort of closure? A cleansing of the mind? There is more to living than pitying one's self. You have this pain because you do not understand how to release it."

Velsora lifted his head, glaring at the robed figure before him with utter malice. His eyes burned with contempt - typical answers from a stranger that did not walk his path. There was nothing to redeem, only the loneliness of merely existing in such a fragile body. There were no friends nor kin to confide in, no simple cure-all for the pain trapped within. This was life as Velsora knew it, and in a twisted way, he welcomed it. Fed from it.

"Why did I even bother seeking this nonsense. You are a practitioner of the Force, yet you do not see through my veil of flesh. What purpose do you serve anyone, old man? Do you dare mock me and pity me? DO YOU SMILE BENEATH YOUR CLOAK TO BELITTLE ME?"

Velsora ascended higher into the air, his fingers trembling as they curled inward into fists. His gaze was now direct and unbroken, the robed figure slowly began to back away in an attempt to flee from the nondescript room, but was halted in place. He fell to his knees, breathing heavily before bellowing a guttural scream as he reached for his eyes. Pure anguish now inhabited his being, his skin feeling as if it was shifting and moving on its own accord like liquid - organs twisting into knots and slithering through his rib-cage like serpents wriggling into tight crevices. His mind was being devoured, broken down into a husk where every memory was slowly being sapped away like dust to the wind.

He fell to the chamber floor with a resounding thud, ceasing all bodily movement. Velsora descended, his feet gracefully touching the cold floor before he began walking towards the cadaver. "I need no guidance, nor acceptance. There will be more like you that will learn the errors of their preconceived judgments." An oscillating door hissed as it slid open, marking the departure of the troubled youth. Leaving the corpse to be discovered by some other passerby.

​

 

[FN-999]

Iridonia - Unknown Compound
Engaging: Velsora Vox

Another day, another patrol.
​

He had formerly been called "FN-999" during his many years of service with the First Order. Nowadays, he didn't know what to call himself. So far, he had kept the name FN-999 on official documents related to recruitment and troop movements. However, he wanted something different. He had no right to call himself a FN after his departure from the crumbling First Order. In the past couple days, he had told the small group of troopers under his command to simply call him "Nine". He liked the new name, as it hinted at his past while allowing for a clean slate into the future.

Whether he went by FN-999 or Nine didn't matter at the moment. He was busy on a patrol of a facility on the planet Iridonia, a planet he had never heard of until the day he stepped foot on it. The planet had its own unique features; however, his primary focus was the facility he was now deep inside. It was larger than he expected, filled with a massive grid of hallways, staircases, and elevators leading in all directions. He had taken the past two days to get a feel for the facility's layout, marking areas where dead ends lay or where large objects could be hidden. So far, nothing eventful had occurred. Today, that would change.

FN-999 was on patrol with six stormtroopers behind him in 2 columns of 3 each. He marched in front of them, guiding them along the many halls of the building. Today, they had found a staircase leading down to a part of the building that seemed to be older than the rest. Guessing from the material composition of the area, FN-999 guessed that it was roughly three decades older than the facility around it. Intrigued, FN-999 walked further in, the other troopers on his tail. There was a three way fork in the hall, and FN-999 went straight.

But one of his troopers suddenly froze in place. So did the two behind him. Noticing the lack of footsteps, FN-999 turned around to find their gazes pointed to the left fork in the hallway. He followed their gaze, and then he realized why his whole patrol had stopped so suddenly.

About ten meters down the left hallway, a door hung open. Inside it was a corpse. Oddly enough, it seemed in almost perfect condition, except for its mouth. It was opened wide, its jaw almost unhinged, as if it spent its last moments screaming in agony. While FN-999 had seen plenty of interrogators and assassins at work before, he did not recognize the method used to eliminate the being that lay in the entrance of the nearby room.

He was broken out of his daze when he realized a being was walking down the hallway, away from the troopers and the room which the corpse resided in.

"You two, see if you can identify the corpse." stated FN-999 to the two troopers at the rear of his formation. "You four, stay here and stay alert." continued FN-999 as the other two troopers approached the room.

"Identify yourself!" ordered FN-999, calling out to the oddly shaped being in the hallway in front of him.

 

[Velsora Vox]

Location: Traversing Compound
Engaging: FN-999

His bones ached, his muscles convulsed and coiled around them as Velsora felt his body come alive with an inferno of anguish. His legs locked up as he fell against the wall of the poorly lit corridor, barely able to support himself as struggle set in. Perhaps his father was correct in his assumption that Velsora was far too useless and weak to live a life of any tangible relevance. Hot tears began to blur his vision as he felt them stream down his cheeks - why was he born as such? Was there a purpose to the torment he lived each day? Why did he defend himself and retaliate like so, if it only resulted in a pathetic display of self-destruction? Suddenly a voice boomed from behind - unfamiliar yet demanding, Velsora trembled as he struggled to turn himself around to face the newcomer. "W-what do you want? Are you here to pity me as well?" Shambling forward, the youth forced himself into levitation, now slowly moving forward through the air; due to the stress, his nose began to trickle blood from behind his helmet, his breathing becoming ragged. "Go away... LEAVE ME ALONE!"

In a pathetic display, the boy collapsed hard against the floor, barely able to pick himself back up. He began to quietly sob to himself - alone, damaged, worthless. He was nothing, no one.

"Unfit to uphold the legacy of me or my fathers before me. You are no son of mine."

All he had now were echoes, distant memories of scorn and disappointment.

 

[FN-999]

Iridonia - Unknown Compound
Engaging: Velsora Vox

In his twenty years of service for three empires, FN-999 had never seen such an odd being.
​

As it turned around, it seemed to rise up in the air. It wore a large helmet with a bright orange visor, and the rest of its form was concealed by flowing robes. He couldn't tell whether it was a humanoid, an alien, or even a wraith. Its voice sent shivers through FN-999's spine. It seemed to plea and groan at the same time, its breathing irregular and its motions unpredictable. Yet, at the same time, he was morbidly curious.

The being seemed to have unusual power radiating from it, a twisted version of what he had felt from the Inquisitors in his time serving for the First Order. Upon this realization, FN-999 became much more guarded. Practitioners of the galaxy's telekinetic magic, as well as beings forged from it, had always defied any social and battlefield standard. He had seen Jedi, supposedly the guardians of peace, slaughter hundreds of his comrades without flinching, effortlessly blocking every shot fired their way. In one-on-one and small group combat, a Force user had always been nearly unbeatable. It was part of the reason FN-999 had taken up the riot baton a decade prior: it was one of the few weapons that could parry a Jedi or Sith's fabled lightsaber. Still, nervousness began to creep into him.

Suddenly, the being collapsed and began to emit a noise of anguish. Deciding against combatative action for now, FN-999 decided to take a less formal approach. He slowly walked towards the being, leaving the four unoccupied troopers behind to stand guard. The other two had begun examining the corpse in the nearby room, and were silently debating how to present it to garrison intelligence. FN-999's focus remained on the being as he took off his helmet and tucked it under his right armpit, attempting to provide a more personal audience.

"Who are you?" asked FN-999 in a quieter tone, "Why do you think we're here to 'pity you'?"

 

[Velsora Vox]

Location: Unknown Compound - Corridor
Engaging: FN-999

"Velsora..." the youth mumbled softly, pushing himself up from the floor; dazed with by a bout of brief existential collapse, he began to come to as he pressed his backside to the wall, turning his gaze towards the unmasked soldier. "That is all there has been... there's no room for consideration in this galaxy." Behind the veil of obscurity, Velsora's eyes were bloodshot from stress and fatigue - he hadn't slept in days, nor had he eaten. A grunt of discomfort escaped him as he attempted to slowly get back to his feet. "If you're curious about the corpse, that was my doing. He mocked me, I could feel it. I saw beyond his facade."

In truth, the youth had little exposure to the affairs of Sith nor Jedi - sheltered he was, uninvolved in the greater schemes that incited bloodshed and war spanning across many worlds and civilizations. His travels were lonesome and seldom involved interactions with others, unless an absolute necessity. This very predicament was one of confusion and uncertainty, yet he felt compelled to seek out some form of clarity, a reminder of why he pressed on despite having little to no reason to exist. His pain kept him afloat amidst the ocean of the greater unknown - at least until he met his demise at the hands of fate itself. "What will you do to me?" Velsora whispered inquisitively, knowing his actions had already erected concern and potentially a detainment at the hands of an entity unknown.

His head drooped, his eyes felt heavy. He didn't desire to dream, for it only brought on the terrors that dwell deep within his subconscious.

 

[FN-999]

Iridonia - Unknown Compound - Lower Levels
Engaging: Velsora Vox

"To be honest, I don't know." said FN-999, the phrase materializing in his head but accidentally slipping out of his mouth.
​

It was true, however. FN-999 had no clue what he'd do with a being with proficiency in the supernatural and intentions that remained unknown. However, at least for the moment, the being calling itself "Velsora" did not seem to be hostile. He was still considering what to do with the entity when an unforeseen memory slammed into him, something about the being's potency forcing the memory up past decades of First Order brainwashing.

TWENTY-SIX YEARS AGO

"Daddy, please!"
"You were the son I never wanted. You killed your mother, and then you killed our bloodline. You'll pay!!"
"Daddy, why?"
"You've doomed our family. No woman will ever want a pathetic, cowardly, scrawny little boy like you. If you were a girl, I would have shipped you off to a brothel. But you just HAD to ruin things, didn't you."
"Why do you care about me finding a woman?"
"Because millenia ago, we were a noble bloodline. But after a war long ago, our lands were seized. We may have fallen into poverty, but I still carry their pure blood, and the will of our ancestors to breed back into a wealthy family. My only regret is sullying the ancestral blood by making you!"
"But Dadd-"
A whip cracked. A young, emaciated boy cried out in agony, unkempt brown hair flowing down to his neck. A thin, pale man stood over him, tattered brown robe moving with his arm as he struck again. The boy screamed, his voice reaching an painfully high pitch.
"You're pathetic. You'll have to be a lot stronger than that if you ever want to make our family great again!"
"You'll have to be a lot stronger..."
"a lot stronger....."

PRESENT DAY
​

A flash of brilliant white light momentarily blinded him. Then, he regained his present thought. He had yet to apprehend Velsora. Suddenly not wanting to stay in the corridor for much longer, he issued a second set of orders.

"Escort Velsora to the garrison headquarters." ordered FN-999 to the four troopers behind him. "I'm sure the Inquisitors or the Knights will know what to do with it better than us. You two by the corpse, bring it upstairs for examination and cremation."

"Come with us." continued FN-999, putting his helmet back on over his bald head. "We'll be taking you to some people more qualified to handle you than I am."

He quickly fell into formation, accelerating his pace in the hopes of leading Velsora out of the hallway as soon as possible. He suddenly realized that he was sweating all over, an almost imperceptible quivering in his arms and legs. It was as if he had just gone through an intense workout without moving a finger.

But at the same time, he felt a strange feeling of strength.

​