From Hell's Heart

[Gorba the Hutt]

Heavy steps thudded loudly in the dark, empty hallway. The air smelled of a salty dampness. Muted light fixtures upon the roof of the hall proved the only source of light, though the walls were made entirely of glass. Lord Orcus stared idly out the glass as he walked. Nothing but murky waters, deceptively empty, but this far below the ocean the waters were never empty. He knew what lurked in the deep places of Giju, just as the pirates who raided his ships should have known what waited for them in the bowels of those transports.

Herglic soldiers, peaceful when left to be, less so when roused by villainy.

The cetacean smoothed the front of his suit well aware of his protege's presence beside him. Young Tyro stood tall for a human of his age, though his head did not reach above Orcus' shoulders. His studies were coming along. The same could not be said for Tyro's spine. Sith wore many vices. Weakness was not one of them.

"The chamber is at the next right. Piracy on the Bypass," Orcus shook his head, disgusted, "They should have been weeded out years ago, but the Protectorate's decline has emboldened many seekers of fortune. A shame that it is my fortune they sought to steal. All for the strands from a spider's backside."

The Herglic snorted.

[member="Tyro Ventari"]

 

[Tyro Ventari]

Tyro followed Orcus into the underwater complex. He had been with [member="Hion the Herglic"] for a few years learning by his side and yet was still not entirely comfortable surrounded by water as they were now. Part of him wondered if Orcus knew he wasn't an aquatic species. Such thoughts were pushed aside rapidly, clearly the old whale was smart enough to know this. No it was probably something more subtle, or else the whale simply did not care. Yes that was probably the truth of the mater. "Pirates are nothing but brutal thieves. Too stupid and unskilled to go after the big scores alone." Tyro looked up at Orcus and gave him a little sardonic smile.

"Little fish gather in a school for protection yes?" fish metaphors were often met with mixed results. Tyro was as likely to receive praise as he was the back of Hions arm for such comments. "And yet those with a wide enough jaw devour them regardless. Is that why I'm here? To educate them on the natural order of the galaxy?"

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

"Ah, but is it not the smallest who have the most venom."

Black eyes glittered at [member="Tyro Ventari"].

No wind filtered through the hall. No touch of sun. Orcus found comfort in being so far from those blistering rays. What did he care for solar orbs, when he could build his empire beneath the sea?

"You are here, little fish, to see to the natural order, yes. To see where you fit. At the top..."

They rounded the corner. Two Herglic guards stood posted outside the thick, metal door. They clapped flippers to their chests as Orcus strode up to them.

"...Or somewhere lower."

"All accounted for, Lord Orcus," rumbled a plum-skinned guard.

"Good, good," the Sith Lord smiled and looked to Tyro. "After you."

The door swung wide, exposing a stoic interior. No beds. No furnishings. Nothing but the harsh glow from a single bulb swinging from the ceiling, and the sight of ten kneeling prisoners, hands chained behind them to the floor. Black bags hooded each of their heads.

"Find out what they know, my apprentice. Use whatever force you deem necessary."

 

[Tyro Ventari]

"As you wish master," Tyro said before taking his leave of the whale. He moved about with a catlike grace examining them men to be questions. A quick read of the report and examination of footage from their time incarcerated showed that there was a leader. This man wasn't the captain, but was some sort of middle management figure. Perfect. Middle management has to listen, they are high enough on the chain to be able to react and make decisions but low enough that they couldn't afford not to listen. Out of the group Tyro picked one and ordered the guards to set him up in a chair just outside the cells where all the others could see him.

For the next two hours torture ensued. Tyro started at the feet and worked his way up to the neck. The man begged for it to stop, promised to tell him anything he wanted to know but Tyro remained silent. Even when he begged for death the young sith did not allow him release. Two hours passed, two grueling hours as his comrades watched. Finally Tyro turned to the man of authority and said. "Now you know what I'll do to you. Tell me everything I need to know."

Tyro couldn't get the man to shut up.


[member="Hion the Herglic"]

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

A pitiless gaze watched the blood drip down from the chair and run across the sloping floor in crimson rivers before pooling around the drain in the center of the room. Wide lips twisted as a rivulet came a little too near oversized, suede shoes.

They said Herglics were a peaceful species. True, for the most part. His kind abhorred violence. Yet in every being, no matter how kind, there lurked a demon. A killer unlocked through pain, suffering and sacrifice. Orcus was that fiend. Hion had perished long ago, too weak to survive in this galaxy. Too weak to do what was necessary.

The lacerated flesh of the prisoner grinned at Orcus. A dozen bloody, gaping smiles.

Tyro clearly had the stomach for necessity's acts, but he lacked a certain... sophistication. Anyone could carve up another being and pull answers from their bleeding corpse. It took a true master to make it an art form.

One day, the boy would be ready. Until then, the grooming would continue.

After the prisoners had exhausted their flood of tears, pleading and scraps of pitiful information, Orcus turned to his apprentice. Disapproval clouded his tone.

"Acceptable, but messy. Inelegant." The drain gurgled as a puddle of blood emptied. "And time consuming. If we were pressed for time, you would need other methods. More efficient methods. There are easier ways to extract information."

A massive flipper reached inside Orcus' suit and pulled forth an odd pistol, plated in in gaudy bronzium. "A Gun of Command. Hapan design. The electromagnetic wave will alter the brain of the target, making them compliant to simple commands. A rudimentary form of mind control. Nothing compared to the Force, but a valuable weapon."

He offered the pistol to [member="Tyro Ventari"].

"Until your technique improves to a satisfactory level, you will use this to extract information on more important cases in your new role. If this were the old Empire, some might call you an inquisitor. But this is the Herglic Trade Empire and a such a term polls badly with public relations. You will have an official title as a repossession agent. Would you like to see what you have recovered?"