Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Gold in the Seams [Content Advisory Warning]

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Hanna City, Chandrila

Smoke trailed up from buildings struck by lobbed artillery, the streets filled with bloody panic as the Sith once again appeared above the skies of Chandrila. Though the world had been ravaged during Operation: Eclipse, the Sith were not so ready to move beyond the world that had served as a redoubt for democratic and anti-Imperialist ideas throughout the many centuries. With their dominion over the Core Worlds virtually left unchecked, the Emperor had decreed that all worlds who did not acquiesce to the Sith's demands be put to the torch as an example to others who may refute the divine right of the Sith.

So war had again come to Hanna City, several gunships strafing once busy thoroughfares as they scanned for new targets. Those who were not blown away by their guns were instead immobilized and thrown into energy cages with dozens of other unfortunates. They would be processed on the Imperial warships in orbit, their worth determined by the keen eyes of Imperial officials and then given a designation in the form of a tattoo across the back of their neck.

Those given the prefix of KH would be sent to Kol Huro, the Empire's primary manufacturing system to be worked to death in the planet-wide factories.

Those given the prefix of MC would be handed over to [member="Kalak the Raykkan"] and the Makesh Cartel, where they would be dehumanized and turned into cattle before eventually being slaughtered and served as nourishment.

And finally, those given the prefix of ZY would be sent to Zygerria to be sold in the slave bazaars, their fates determined by those with enough credits.

No one was above this merciless prosecution and deprival of basic rights. Rich or poor, man or woman, soldier or civilian... Not even those who were of the intergalactic medical societies who traveled the stars to bring aid to wartorn worlds, mending both aggressor and defender with no regard to political affiliation or ideological convictions were spared from the Empire's brutal torments.

And that is how [member="Kintsugi"] found herself, torn from the side of a native Chandrila as he bled out from shrapnel. Dragged away to watch him receive a single blaster bolt to the head by one of the Imperial Legionnaires who accompanied those who had taken her. Thrown into a cramped cell with over two dozen others as they were plunged into darkness as the cargo bay door closed behind them.
 

Valgærd

Well-Known Member
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I had been foolish.

Once, I had been asked how I found my way to places of need. I had answered that the Force was my guide. For lack of a better term, it led me to where I was needed. Never had it led me wrong. So when I had heard of the ravaging of Chandrila, I had expected the force to pull me towards it... but it had not. Instead, I had been drawn to smaller conflicts elsewhere. But I had become impatient. I was angry at the slaughter, confused as to why I wasn't meant to go there, frustrated at being away from it, and desperately heartbroken for the poor souls who suffered.

So I went.

I ignored the force; my closest friend and guide for my entire life. I told myself the sick feeling in my gut was just the presence of the Sith. I closed my eyes to the desperate warning.I. Was. Foolish.

The man that had been bleeding in my arms had finally seemed to come to peace. Trying to remove the shrapnel would have been too dangerous with what sparse supplies I had on hand. Instead, I had used the force to stem what bleeding I could as well as remove his pain, to give him at least a modicum of comfort. Well... remove isn't the right word. His pain had become mine, my entire body feeling as if it had been torn apart as agony seeped from where his shrapnel wounds were. It was hard, it's always hard, but I told myself that if I backed away then the pain would return to him; and between the two of us, I had more strength in that moment.

That was why I hadn't heard the soldiers approach.

Kneeling in the rubble, they'd come up behind us, wrenching my patient and I apart as my concentration was destroyed and he was dragged away with a cry.

"N-no!" I shouted, pulling frantically against the iron grip of the soldiers.

My heart sank as I watched, tears streaming down my cheeks. They dragged him away and put a blaster bolt in his head. All at once I felt my own body go numb. Kicking, screaming and summoning all the force energy I could, I fought against these men. It was hard, it was hard not to blame them for what they'd just done. In my panic I reached out to them through the force, seeking to get into their minds, to share my suffering with them. I wanted them to feel how I felt.

But I hit a wall.

They were trained against it. Of course they were. Now I understood why the force had kept me away from this place. Now I understood why I had been warned to turn back, to leave. I couldn't save Chandrila, I couldn't even save one man. Now, I had lost everything. By the time we reached the cargo hold I had lost the will to fight them, focusing instead on simply holding back the tears. There would likely be other prisoners wherever I was going... if they were going to put that blaster to your head, they'd have done it by now. I swallowed, be strong, Kintsugi.

Two dozen other faces gazed up as I was thrown into the hold. The doors slammed shut behind me, plunging us all into darkness.

Darkness... fitting, considering that was exactly how I felt in this moment. I'd hit the ground with a thud, the wind knocked out of me. For a moment I stayed there, giving into the throbbing pain. However, slowly I began to feel the other prisoners around me. They were in pain, far more than I was, they were afraid. They were desperate. They needed me. Pulling myself up from the ground, I opened my palm and summoned a tiny mote of light. Hardly the impressive force light ability some Jedi knew, but enough to light up our prison.

Instantly, some of the closest ones approached me, huddling up to the light. I settled myself on the ground, opening my arms. No one said anything. Nothing needed to be said. However, I closed my eyes and let out my breath, flooding the tiny space and all the minds within with as much peace and calm as I could muster. Everyone deserved a little comfort... before the end.


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[member="Darth Carnifex"]​
 
The transport carrying [member="Kintsugi"] and the others lifted off from the ground and began to make its slow ascent to the Imperial warship in orbit, morosely named the Abrogate. A Sith-Imperial Marr-class Star Destroyer, the Abrogate was the pinnacle of ship-of-the-line technology, capable of fielding an impressive array of fighters while also dishing out enough damage to giver other destroyers a run for their money. Currently only one orbited above Chandrila, moored while it waited for every transport to check back in and dock in its multiple flank hangar bays.

Shuttle designation Orion 2437 began its final approach to the Abrogate, a pair of TIE fighters flanking either side of it. The entire ship was scanned from a distance, clearance codes were exchanged, and only then was it allowed to land on one of the flight decks. A group of Imperial Dungeoneers flanked a Gotal Sith-Imperial Officer as the boarding ramp was lowered and several prisoner cages were moved with gravsleds out onto the hangar deck. One of the cages near Kintsugi's was opened, with each prisoner receiving a rather agonizing electric shock via neuronic whips as they were forcibly removed and flung down onto the cold metal floor.

"Move, maggots! You are all now the property of the esteemed and glorious Emperor of the Sith, to be used and disposed of at his leisure! Make one wrong move, and I will not hesitate to spill your guts on the durasteel floor."

One of the prisoners, a young woman around twenty-three, was too slow to move to the designated area marked by the Dungeoneers and in return received a massive electrical shock as a neuronic whip slashed across her back. She stumbled in fell, spasming and crying as the Dungeoneers moved to grab her by the arms and drag her over to the others. After that, the rest of the prisoners moved at a curt and orderly manner over to wherever the Dungeoneers told them to go.

"Your lives as you once knew them are gone, maggots. Your past, extinct. Your home, a distant memory. In a short few hours, you will be given a designation as to what your future will hold. Some of you will be sent to factories to work, others will be sold to the highest bidder, and others..." The Gotal chuckled, "Well, in the end, you will be enjoyed by the masses." Once every prisoner, including Kintsugi, had been arranged in manageable groups of similar heights, builds, and genders, they were then escorted deeper into the ship and into waiting cells where they were instructed to remove every article of clothing and place it in small receptacles that popped out from the wall. Once that task had been completed, they would be meticulously cleaned by a combination of piping hot water, soap, and pressurized sprays that would leave them exhausted and aching, but functionally clean.

In the next chamber, they would be forced to stand on a small elevated platform adjacent to a garment-fabricator. The machine would scan their bodies, quickly calculate their exact dimensions, and produce a bright orange prison jumpsuit for them to wear. Then they were herded into a larger room surrounded by guards with blaster rifles, a series of elevated platforms towards the center of the room would serve as inspection podiums for individual prisoners to determine their fate.

But no judge had yet come before them, so they were free to mingle quietly under the watchful gaze of the guards.
 

Valgærd

Well-Known Member
I did my best to keep us all calm as the transport rumbled to life.

We were carried away, swept up from the planet's surface and taken--I can only assume--to one of the foreboding looking ships that had been above Chandrila. It hadn't seemed to matter that I looked nothing like them; that my blue skin and lavender hair marked me as Pantoran. They had just swept me up with the rest of these poor souls.

So instead of focusing on that, I focused on the prisoners around me... the... other prisoners. I was one of them now. Honestly? I was frightened, terrified even. I had seen the scars this kind of suffering left on the land and in the force, I had comforted survivors... but the trauma that they had endured, I'd never been through myself. A shudder gripped my shoulders, my concentration wavering. I didn't want to think about what lay ahead.

Eventually we stopped... then the horror began.

I barely remembered what went on as the fear clouded my mind. It was all I could do to retreat into myself and focus on remaining calm. Fear leads to anger. There is no emotion, there is peace. I am no Jedi, but there were a few of their teachings I happened to agree with. There was a big part of me that hated myself for not reaching out and trying to help. That poor girl who was violently shocked, I should have rushed to help her. The man beside me quietly weeping, I should have been able to comfort him. But no, instead, I had hidden within my own mind, whimpering and cowering, shunted like cattle into a cell.

With trembling fingers and slow, shaky movements, I had removed my robes and small medical kit, clutching them to my chest for just a moment, holding back the tears, until I relinquished them to the receptacle in the wall. To say that the bathing that followed was rough would have been an egregious understatement. My skin was raw, stinging from the pressure of the water and the harsh treatment of the soap. Again, tears pricked my eyes but I held them back. My cheeks burned with shame as I was escorted into another chamber. All the other prisoners were naked, and the guards did not appear to even notice us, but it still made me cringe and hug myself, wishing to be anywhere else.

Finally dressed in some orange jumpsuit, the other prisoners and I were left to mill around a large chamber, surrounded by guards.

Here, I was finally able to breathe at least a small sigh of relief, as for the moment, we were left alone. I dare not think about what awaited us, pushing those horrible words out of my mind. Instead, I decided to focus on what I was good at. I kept my voice relatively low, so as not to draw too much attention to myself, but I began to ask the prisoners closest to me,

"Excuse me, do you see anyone who's injured? Bring them close."

As a few prisoners with minor injuries were helped close to me, I began to heal them. I had limited power here, so I could do little beyond stemming bleeding and easing pain. Small cuts were closed, bruises healed. But I wouldn't have even attempted to set any fractures in my state. It exhausted me quickly, but those soft sighs of gratitude, the 'thank yous' whispered through veils of tears... that kept me going.
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[member="Darth Carnifex"]​
 
A shrill whine suddenly pierced the air, lasting only for a second-and-a-half before coming to a sudden stop. The entire chamber was then bathed in an ominous red light before that too disappeared, a door on one of the upper balconies opening as a pair of Dungeoneers emerged clutching vibro-pikes. They stood to attention on either side of the door as the third and final individual emerged, a bloated Jablogian on a hover-saucer clutching an ornate cane in his right hand. Several globs of slobber dripped down onto his stretched Imperial uniform, noticeably staining the dark gray fabric.

He maneuvered his hover-saucer over the crowd of prisoners, hoping to bring their attention to him with a gargle of his phlegm coated throat. "Attention, attention! Newfound beneficiaries of the Emperor's most magnanimous mercy, I am the Prime Designator. I have been chosen to administer judgment upon you, to decide what role you would best be suited for as servants of the illustrious Empire. The hallowed hour draws near, and we would humbly ask you to array yourself in neat orderly rows ten across if you could so kindly please."

Those who were too slow to move were, again, hit with an electrical shock from one of the guards down in the pit with them. But when all of them had been arrayed in their neat little rows, the Jablogian floated on down to their level and began to expect the first row of inmates. A pair of guards stood next to him to aid in his analysis, using brute strength to manhandle the individual under scrutiny in accordance with the Designator's wishes. Whether that was exposing their body to him as cruelly as possible, letting him measure and sample their bodies as part of their judgment. He would only give orders in a prompt manner, belching out each syllable with deliberate harshness.

"Fodder!" The muscular man under his scrutiny was then suddenly yanked away by another guard, an electrical current passed through his body to pacify him as he was then dragged away through a door in the chamber's wall. "Meat!" A man, one of significant heft, was given a similar treatment, though he was escorted out through a different door entirely. "Inventory!" A woman of considerable voluptuousness was then taken away as well, and again through a different door.

This type of selection would continue until the Designator reached [member="Kintsugi"], a malicious grin spread across his corpulent features. "My my my, what an exotic beauty you are. Not a native to Chandrila, I suspect? What were you doing down there, my little blueberry sweet?" He reached out with his cane to poke and prod at her, taking great pleasure in her obvious discomfort.
 

Valgærd

Well-Known Member
At the sudden shriek of a siren or calling bell of some kind rang throughout the room.

I jumped, a squeal of shock escaping my lips. Along with me, a few of the other prisoners also flinched at the loud, shrill sound. Something was about to happen. As the lights changed, I swallowed, holding my fists at my sides and focusing just on keeping my heartrate as low as possible. Almost a dozen prisoners now had been tended to, but I wished I could have reached more. It mattered little, however, as in my heart I knew that even if I'd managed to reach all of them, it would make little difference in what lay ahead of us.

The man who entered on some sort of hoverchair, flanked by guards, was one I did not recognise. Instinctively, many of the prisoners around me curled their upper lips at him, sneering as blatantly as they thought they could get away with. There was disdain and hatred in the air; so much of it. I felt like it was suffocating me. As we were again marched into groups and lined up, I kept my head down, wringing my hands together in front of me.

With every word that came from his mouth; 'meat', 'fodder', 'inventory', I flinched. My heart leapt into my throat. My mind swirled, running away with horrific scenarios depicting what those words might mean. It's a strange thing, to find oneself hoping for a future that involved being treated horrifically and sold off into slavery... but as my stomach churned, I had figured that would be the best option of the three.

Then the man reached me.

I froze, my cheeks burning, as he addressed me.

"Ouch!" I winced as his cane poked and prodded me, trying to remain as still as I could.

"I... I'm Kintsugi..." I sheepishly replied, keeping my head low. I didn't want them to see any reason to bring those electric shocks near me, so I remained as submissive as possible, "I'm... I-I came to... heal. Um... t-to help the s-survivors... Sir."

A pause,

"I'm... n-not a Jedi, Sir."

That I was in a situation where I thought making such a distinction might afford me at least a little mercy... terrified me.

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[member="Darth Carnifex"]​
 
"An interesting refute."

The Prime Designator rubbed one of his many chins with his pudgy crimson fingers, his brow knitting in thought as he looked over her body. "Now why would you say that, little blueberry... Unless you had something to hide?" His tone turned sinister, and he jabbed her against with his cane. However, as the tip of it came into contact with her bare skin she would receive an electrical shock, the Designator's thumb pressed down on a button near the cane's head that activated a hidden stun-prod built into its base.

He floated away from her, making a motion with his hands for the guards to take hold of her. "It looks like to me we might have something special here, gentlemen. Take her to sample processing, they will determine what to do with her."

As the guards dragged her away, towards another door that had never been opened yet during their time here, she would hear the voice of the Designator already moving down the line of people and sorting them into the three categories. Then, as the door closed behind them, all sound from the other room was cut off and ceased to be. Now she was being dragged through one of the warship's corridors, silent except for the sound of her body being roughly dragged across the harsh metal floor and whatever sounds she made in response. Another partition was passed through, this time leading to a smaller chamber with a single durasteel chair outfitted with all manners of reinforced restraints and articulated limbs tipped with ghastly instruments of torture.

[member="Kintsugi"] would be forced into the chair, strapped in, and would suffer a syringe injection that contained a concoction of chemicals designed to render movement difficult, if not impossible and addle her mind to complex thoughts. Another syringe would sink into her skin to draw a vial of her blood, which would then be analyzed for a midi-chlorian count to determine her Force sensitivity.

It would be found positive.
 

Valgærd

Well-Known Member
I blushed, my cheeks burning as for the second time he called me 'Blueberry'.

The nickname made me want to shift uncomfortably, to squirm, to retreat. But with a short sigh I stayed where I was. These men would use anything as an excuse to exert their power and bring pain to use, I didn't want to give them the excuse. But try as I might, the way he called me Blueberry... the glint in his eye... it sent a heavy stone of dread into my gut, sitting uncomfortably as I shifted slightly from one foot to the other. His next words caused a chill to race down my spine, and in my surprise, I looked up into his face before I could stop myself, eyes wide with shock.

"H-hide?" I stammered, "N-no, Sir--ouch!"

My words were cut off as suddenly I was zapped by a jolt from his cane. My knees buckled from the sudden electric shock, leaving me barely able to catch myself before I fell. But I couldn't sigh with relief when he turned away as suddenly I felt the iron grip of two guards clamp down around my arms on either side. Instinctively, I suddenly went cold as a pang of utter terror washed over me. With a grunt, I struggled, my heart beating wildly against my ribs.

"No, please!" I cried, fighting back the tears that pricked my eyes.

It did little good, as the fear, the terror, the anguish and the pain all finally began to come crashing down. Sobbing, trembling, I no longer cared if that would draw their attention. I was terrified, lost, shaking, I just had to let it out.

Eventually, I was brought to a stop in a room with a horrific-looking device. Before I could process what it was, I was roughly strapped into it.

"Ouch, please stop!"

I was just reacting, now. I knew they wouldn't stop, deep down at least. When the first syringe was produced, I melted into a panic. I'd always hated needles. It was difficult enough to suffer them when I could tell myself they were for my benefit, but this?

"No no no no no please no!"

The struggling was useless as they simply held me in place. The sting bit into my neck as the syringe went in, leaving me a few moments later as I began to feel foggy and heavy. The second one was met with much less resistance as whatever they'd given me began to take hold. I sobbed weakly, simply trying to lean away from it. But that didn't even give them pause as they drew some blood. I couldn't imagine why they'd done that, left to tremble and whimper alone in this terrifying place.

Oh gods, what more could they do?

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[member="Darth Carnifex"]​
 
"Take us out, Captain."

The Inquisitor's voice was firm and authoritative, brokering no argument as the order was carried out and the Star Destroyer's viewport was shrouded in the cerulean haze of lightspeed. They were now back en route to the Empire's heartland to deliver their haul to the proper sub-organizations which operated under the Empire's generous purview. Their first stop was Kol Huro, the Empire's primary manufacturing system where over half of the Empire's monstrous war machine was designed and produced.

Then it would be on to Zygerria and Kadavo, and from there to-

"Pardon the interruption, my Lord."

Inquisitor Trellux flattened his ears in annoyance, his nostrils huffing out a burst of warm air as he turned to face the bloated red devil hovering over to him from the bridge's rear corridor, a most content look plastered across his corpulent features.

"This had better be good, Designator. I am in no mood to be vexed."


The smile broadened, "Oh, no vexation intended, my Lord. I just wish to inform you that we've captured a Class D Force Sensitive being during our raid on Chandrila. She's currently being held in Cellblock 25-C." The Designator extended a small holopad over to the Nazzar Sith, which contained the information gained from the sample of Kintsugi's blood they acquired. The Inquisitor glanced over the contents quickly, his left brow quirking in curiosity. "It says here she has quite a substantial midi-chlorian level, within range of the Emperor's personal specifications... How very interesting. Thank you, Designator. I believe I will interrogate the prisoner... Personally."

"By all means, do take your time."

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The door to [member="Kintsugi"]'s cell opened, the sound of hooves against metal heralded the Sith's approach as he rounded the interrogation chair to stand in direct eyesight of the prisoner. With his powerful four digited hands he examined the prisoner, prying open her eyelids to look at her drug-addled eyes. After grunting and snorting several times, he picked up a syringe placed on the nearby tray and injected a powerful adrenaline-based substance into her bloodstream.

Immediately waking her up.

"Greetings, prisoner. I am Inquisitor Trellux, you will state your name, species, age, and gender for the record."
 

Valgærd

Well-Known Member
An inquisitor

I had no idea how long I'd been left alone in the cell. Everything had kind of gone... fuzzy. There wasn't much I could be sure of in the time that passed, if any indeed passed at all. I think I drifted in and out of consciousness, maybe I slept some, I'm not sure. I saw shapes and heard sounds, but whether they were real or not I didn't have the strength to discern. I saw Sobaan, and the tiny precious thing we had rescued together. So that was either a dream or the accumulated panic of my terrified mind manifesting visions or hallucinations.

Or it could have been the force.

I clung to that idea; to the notion that, even though I had gone my own way and ignored the force, that it was somehow trying to comfort me in this cold, terrifying place. Oh yes, I knew that my thoughts and theories on the force would get me expelled from any scientific gathering, I'm sure. But it didn't matter to me whether anyone else believed it; I did, and I had yet to be wrong.

A presence.

Groggily, I opened my eyes, after having them pried open by... something. The moment I realised I was no longer alone, my heart rate skyrocketed and I tugged uselessly against the restraints. Before me stood a Nazzar, calling himself an inquisitor. His voice, crisp and deep with a sharp, Imperial accent, gave me chills that bit all the way to my core. There was a supreme reluctance to meet his eyes, even as the injection of drugs pulled me back to proper consciousness.

With a few moments to gather my thoughts and take a breath,

"K-Kintsugi," I mumbled in reply, staring pointedly at the horse-man's chest, rather than his face, "Pantoran. I... don't know exactly how old I am. 20-something." A pause, accompanied by a shudder, "... Female."


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[member="Darth Carnifex"]​
 
"Kint-su-gi."

The Inquisitor mouthed out each syllable under his breath, repeating her name as he looked over her vitals and processed the rest of the information she meekly croaked out. "Long way from Pantora, aren't you? The soldiers who brought you in reported that you had been attempting to heal a member of the Chandrilan Defense Force, who are known enemies in opposition to the divine providence of our Emperor. How curious that you would put yourself within harm's way to protect such lowly scum."

It was clear that the Empire operated on a different level of discrimination, not one driven by xenophobia or biological pseudoscience, but by nationality and political affiliation. Those who were not part of the glorious Empire were considered to be barbarians, not fit to receive the benefits of civilization that the citizens of the Empire were so blessed with. There existed thousands of tales of the horrors beyond the frontiers of the Empire, lawless star systems governed by despots and republic institutions that championed mob anarchy and allowed the weak to propagate within their borders. Only by accepting the Emperor's mercy and submitting one's self to his laws was one able to transcend their barbaric depravity and join the hallowed ranks of the Imperials.

And Kintsugi, obviously, fell firmly into the category of degenerate.

"So tell me, [member="Kintsugi"]. What are the whereabouts of your Jedi handlers?" An electric shock delivered via the restraints keeping the Pantoran firmly secured to the chair was considered by the Inquisitor to be a motivator in eliciting a primp and proper response from the filth before him.
 

Valgærd

Well-Known Member
A shudder racked my shoulders as he sounded out my name.

I didn't like hearing it coming from his mouth, I didn't like the way he seemed to deconstruct it, reducing me and my name to just data to be filed, a piece of the trash to be processed and discarded. My stomach was doing flips, my nerves all tingling and every fibre pulled taut as my body strained against the straps. My breaths were quick and shallow; much as I tried to keep them steady, I could feel the overwhelming dizziness sneaking into the corners of my mind.

Yes, I should have bitten my tongue as he spoke, condemning my healing of man he considered to be a degenerate. Yes, I should have just kept quiet, but that was one subject I could never seem to leave well enough alone;

"You wouldn't begrudge a child for fixing a bird with a broken wing? Even the simplest creatures deserve that... um... Sir."

At his next question, my heart sank.

Only for a moment, before suddenly a sudden and painful electric shock jolted through me. I yelped, wincing from the sudden pang as it melted into an ache, making the muscles spasm. Of course, I had no Jedi handlers. In fact, certain sects of the Jedi had shunned me because of my beliefs regarding the force. Those that hadn't simply... let me go about my business. But... trying to convince this man of that was going to be difficult... and painful. I whimpered, bracing myself for the inevitable displeasure at my answer.

"I... don't have any!" I winced desperately, "please!"

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[member="Darth Carnifex"]​
 
Another electric shock, "Do not attempt to deceive me, worm!"

And another.

"You attempted to heal that vermin through the Force, there is no mistaking the foul stench of the Light Side upon you. And you would have learned such techniques from someone knowledgeable in the Force, so I will ask once again..." A third and final shock coursed through the Pantoran's systems, shocking every nerve ending with agonizing jolts of electricity. "Where are your Jedi Masters?!" The Inquisitor grew incensed as the girl seemed to spasm about, her mouth agape as any words she might've had for his ears were firmly caught between incomprehensible sobs of pure terror.

A snarl of annoyance burst past his lips as he slammed his hand on one of the buttons controlling her restraints, taking hold of her by the scruff of her neck before throwing her down to the floor. Moving swiftly, he grabbed a bundle of fabric from the back of her jumpsuit, picked up a foot up off of the floor, and forcefully slammed her entire body into the unforgiving durasteel.

"You disgust me, worthless refuse! If you will not relinquish your secrets to me willingly, then I will have to peel them from your flesh." The Dark Side flowed through him like a conduit, granting him immense strength as he flung the girl straight into the far-side wall, her body smashed into it before flopping back onto the floor with an unceremonious thud. Inquisitor Trellux summoned a serrated knife into his right hand from the nearby table, the instrument soaring through the air to land deftly in his outstretched palm.

And he started to approach her, weapon brandished.

[member="Kintsugi"]
 

Valgærd

Well-Known Member
Even though I had tried to brace, I squealed as he inevitably growled his displeasure.

The shock came, making me jump and wince. I had tried to be strong but I could feel the fear, agony and dread all building up behind my eyes, tears beginning to spill onto my cheeks. But I didn't have time to recover; a second shock came, then a third. All of them making me squeal and writhe against the restraints. He spoke, trying to explain how I must surely have a Jedi master. At the bellowing question I flinched, turning my face away, trying to hide.

I didn't even have time to answer as suddenly the restraints were released. But no gasp of relief escaped my lips. Instead, only a choked sob of fear and horror as the huge Inquisitor reached out and grabbed me. I wanted to scream, to cry, to beg, but the electricity that had surged through me left my body not entirely within my control. Even the desperate, quivering sobs were disjointed. As if I was a ragdoll he picked me up, slamming me against the metal.

A loud, desperate shriek escaped, then as my whole body was shocked by the impact. In that moment I was grateful for the adrenaline, protecting me from the bulk of the surging pain that would surely follow.

The Dark side flowed around this place like a thick miasma, suffocating me. I could feel him use this toxic energy, in my haze of agony and confusion, a moment before I was flung cross the room. I shrieked, again hitting the hard metal before landing to the floor with a thud. Everything ached, pain coursing through my whole body. Shoulders shuddering with sobs, I tried to pull myself to my knees, cowering and lifting my hands to shield myself.

He was stalking towards me, an ugly, wicked-looking blade in his hand,

"N-no... please!" I begged, my words cut off by desperate sobbing, "I'm not with the Jedi! P-please... stop!"


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[member="Darth Carnifex"]​
 
The Inquisitor lashed out, blade arcing through the air to slice through the weak fabric covering her arm. It bit into the skin, easily carving a thin jagged gash through the muscle as pressurized blood spurted out to splatter on the floor. There was hardly any time to process the initial shock and pain associated with being cut, as another cut materialized further up her arm. Trellux had reversed the blade in his hand and swung it back up to slice her again, repeating the motion for a second downward strike that bit deeper into her arm, catching on ligaments and bone.

"Real simple, worm. You tell me what I want to know and the pain stops."

He forcefully tore his weapon from her arm, reaching out with his other hand to grab [member="Kintsugi"] by the shoulder and fling her down onto her stomach. Looming over her, he bent down to rake the sharp edge of the blade across the back of her thigh, twice on each leg. He was taking great care not to nick an important artery, only aiming for the fleshy parts of her body to inflict as much pain as he could without coming anywhere close to killing her.

Inquisitor Trellux had many other plans in store for her.

However...

In one swift motion, he jammed the entire length of his knife into the back of her kneecap with such force that the tip of the weapon burst out the other side and into the durasteel floor, pinning her to the ground.
 

Valgærd

Well-Known Member
There was so much darkness in this place.

I knew that my fear was feeding his power. It was like an amplifier; the more poor souls were tormented in this horrible, forsaken place, the more their torment fed the vile powers of the dark side, and round and round it would go. Never before had I ever felt so hopeless, so terrified, so utterly without comfort. As the inquisitor approached, I backed myself up against the wall, sobs reducing to whimpers as I curled up, trying to make myself as small as possible. His shadow fell over me, seeming to trap me in that horrible corner.

My eyes squeezed shut, head bowed, cowering behind my arms.

The sting was intense and sudden. I shrieked when I suddenly felt the angry blade cut into my skin, serrated teeth biting into my flesh. It was agony. The pain shot through my arm instantly, causing me to flinch suddenly and press myself further against the wall. A hot wetness followed... blood. I couldn't even fully process anything beyond the burning, agonising pain before a second bite joined the first, climbing my arm like some monster digging claws into my flesh.

Again, I screamed, tears rolling down my cheeks as blood rolled down my arm.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, my knowledge of healing lurked. I knew what he was doing. I had seen this before, treated poor souls who had survived such horror. These were flesh wounds; designed to inflict maximum pain with minimal damage, a savage and brutal interrogation method.

He spoke again, demanding an answer I did not have. My heart raced in my chest, my mind spinning as it tried to process the agony, the demand, the fear. I could hear sobbing... oh, it was me. Before I could collect any of these thoughts, however, I felt a hand reach down and grab me by my shoulder. I yelped as I was ripped from the corner of the wall and flung onto the ground, landing on my stomach with a wince and a thud. I tried to cry out, to answer him as best I could with the wind knocked out of me;

"I-I'm... n-not a Jedi!" I cried, fresh tears erupting from my eyes.

It didn't matter.

There was a moment of stillness, just a moment. The Nazzar stood over me, blade in his hand. It was not long enough for me to catch my breath, but it was just enough time to come to the realisation, fully and completely, of what was truly happening. I'd worked with victims of torture... but now... I had become one.

That moment was suddenly shattered as the most violent and intense agony I had ever felt exploded from my knee. I shrieked, longer and louder than I ever had, as all the coursing pain came out in a horrific scream I barely recognised as my own. It was the kind of intense agony that saps all the strength from your limbs, leaving you weak and trembling, enslaved to the horror. I could barely drag in a breath, my entire body trembling violently as it struggled to process the pain tearing through it. I was shaking, sobbing...

oh gods... I was pinned.

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[member="Darth Carnifex"]​
 
"Lies always more lies... The truth will be plucked from your heart."

With the smaller Pantoran girl pinned beneath him, that gave the Inquisitor more freedom to momentarily roam and collect all the necessary tools. He stepped out in front of her, the hoof of his left leg coming down to apply pressure on her right hand. Then, with a grin of pure malice, he applied all of his weight onto that leg. The hoof pressed harder onto her hand, straining and eventually crushing the bones in that hand with a sickening crunch and spray of blood as shards of fractured bone broke through the skin at odd and grotesque angles.

The same was then done to the other hand, with the exact same deliberate and cruel slowness displayed earlier.

"Even if you were telling the truth," the Inquisitor mused, "You show great resilience in maintaining your belief, that you are not a Jedi and that you know nothing about their whereabouts. Let us see just how far that resilience goes, shall we?" He chuckled darkly and summoned another bladed instrument to his hand, briefly inspecting it before he knelt down on his haunches on her left side. He ran the sharp tip along the contours of her body, savoring each brief nick it made against her cobalt skin.

Then he jammed the weapon into the back of her other knee, fully pinning her legs down to the ground.

"Carefully must my anger be thrust upon you, worm. I would never deign to ruin such a prize for the master of masters, he would no doubt enjoy such a frail thing such as yourself. How easily you can be broken in so many ways. I will save the best parts of you for his desire, but for now, let me show you mine."

[member="Kintsugi"]
 

Valgærd

Well-Known Member
My only reply to his words was a shivering whimper, as I simply gave into the sobs.

The pain from my leg seemed to bleed into me like liquid lead, heavy and cumbersome. Even if he'd removed the blade I would have been effectively pinned. My eyes had been squeezed shut, but reflexively opened as I felt him move, stepping around me. He placed a hoof over my hand, simply resting it there for the briefest of moments before beginning to apply pressure. It was intentionally slow, and I watched in helpless panic as the pressure became pain, and the nerves in my hand began to scream. My heart raced in my chest, terror blinding me as I tugged my arm, trying in vain to free it.

"Please... please no!" I begged between the sobs.

I squirmed as much as I could where I was, desperately gasping and panting. All of a sudden there was a sickening crunch and the pain in my hand exploded. A tiny spurt of blood hit my face, hot and wet, as the intense agony shot through my whole body. I let out a shriek, the long wail dissolving into incoherent crying as he moved around to the other side. Again he stepped down on my hand, slowly at first.

It was arguably worse the second time around, because now I knew exactly how it felt.

"I am t-telling.... the... truth!" I wailed desperately, my words cut off as again, my hand was crushed and again, pure, unadulterated suffering coursed through me. "l-let's... n-not...."

I was beginning to lose my grip on reality. The agony was so exquisite, so intense, that I could feel my mind beginning to shut down to protect my sanity. The line between appropriate and inappropriate responses had blurred, the seriousness of my predicament belittled as my mind refused to accept what might come next. Another blade went into my other knee, pinning me completely to the ground. The pain was so intense, I let out a long wail as the wicked shaft of metal cut through tendon and bone.

My body felt so weak. There's only so much pain one can take. Even taking the pain of my most intensely-suffering patients had never even come close to this. It had left me supremely unprepared, and now I felt even the panic beginning to fade away as my mind just gave up.

Until he spoke those last few words.

I went cold, sudden, sheer terror shooting through me like ice. In the shock, I managed to tilt my head around to gaze up at him, eyes wide with utter panic and begging. Only now did I suddenly and overwhelmingly feel the vulnerability of my position. A shudder racked my shoulders,

"You're... a monster..."


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[member="Darth Carnifex"]​
 
Inquisitor Trellux emerged onto the bridge of the Eradicate as it reverted back into realspace over the Imperial transit world of Garqi, a world just on the edge of the Sith Empire's vast frontier but nominally part of its network of client worlds that have paid lip service to the Emperor's regime.

Currently, Garqi was the Empire's border gate along the Braxant Run and was a necessary stop for any ship moving along arguably the Empire's most important hyperlane, as traders moving along the Run brought incredible material wealth to the Imperial Capital of Bastion. Typically this came in the form of tributes and other bounties from the Empire's client states in the Core Worlds, but at other times it simply facilitated trade from the Empire's other territories to the heartland.

This time, however, the Eradicate was only making a short stop to unload a specific piece of cargo.

[member="Kintsugi"].

After her tryst with Inquisitor Trellux, she had been confined to a bacta tank as she recovered from her injuries before only recently tossed in a blank cell with a new set of clothes. They were not wholly dissimilar from the ones she wore before her interrogation, but they were modified with various symbols and iconography that clearly denoted her as a tributary prize to the Emperor himself. It was punishable by law to meddle with or interfere with the transference of this prize to the Emperor's person on Bastion, and those working the dockyards and trade hubs over Garqi kept their distance and averted their gaze as she was escorted from the Eradicate to a government transport.

Fortunately for Kintsugi, the transport she was loaded onto was equipped with viewports that allowed her to stargaze out into the void as they made the final journey to Bastion. Even better was the view she was afforded when they exited hyperspace above the Imperial Throneworld, which was ringed by large-scale shipyards and an unceasing swarm of traffic to and from the planet's surface. Perhaps what was even more impressive was the Emperor's flagship, the Behemoth, suspended above Bastion's defense fleet.

The transport descended through the atmosphere and began its final approach to the capital city of Ravelin, which at this point had grown to the size of a continent.
 

Valgærd

Well-Known Member
Everything had gone dark eventually.

For that, I was grateful. The agony had been almost unfathomable. Shame, humiliation, pain the likes of which I hadn't even known existed had been drilled permanently into my memory. I don't even remember being taken out of that horrible room. It was all... fuzzy. I remember briefly the smell of bacta--it's not exactly something you forget, especially if you're a healer. Mostly darkness, occasionally voices. There was warmth and comfort too; a feeling of floating. For a few precious hours I had been able to convince myself I had perished and become one with the force; finally able to rest in the comfortable nothingness.

But alas, eventually I was healed, awoken, and dressed into a new set of clothes.

Things were... different after that. I had a cell of my own, left to study the markings on the jumpsuit I'd been given. The guards had treated me differently as well. Before my... before Trellux... I had been cattle to them, a number amongst hundreds of other numbers. Now, however, I was... something else. Barely spoken to, of course. Still just a prisoner being delivered to a place I didn't want to think about. But there was something about the markings on my clothes that seemed to denote me as important.

It didn't take a genius to figure it out. I'm force-sensitive. I've never explored the full extent of my power, I've never needed to. I focused on healing and taking away others' pain, and gotten good at it, too. Good enough, perhaps, to earn a different fate?

As I was transported, I took every chance to gaze out the windows and watch the universe go by. The sight of the magnificent world and the rings of traffic around it. For that, I was thankful. Inside that cell, I had begun to believe that I'd never see the stars again. While I had no idea what awaited me on the planet's surface, I was glad to have had the chance to watch them one last time. There was one ship in particular that stood out; a monster of construction. Darkness seemed to spew from it, so much that even amid all the darkness of this part of the galaxy, it stood out.

A shudder. I recalled something Trellux had said to me during... the interrogation.

I swallowed, hoping against hope that the Emperor was not who I was going to see.


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[member="Darth Carnifex"]​
 

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