I Call, You Answer

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Enslaved. Tortured. Beaten.

Betrayed.


Darth Vulcanus had disappeared. Perhaps he had died, or perhaps he had simply went off into seclusion. Either way things hadn't turned out the way Graxin had expected. Not at all. When the Mephirium last landed, the Sith had been waiting. His skill with the lightsaber was almost masterful, yes, but it could not overcome two Sith Lords. Not alone, anyway.


He was incapacitated and dragged away from his unknowing crew at the time. The Sith--Inquisitors, that's what they were-- told him that his services, and his freedom were no longer needed by the New Order. Any possibility of finding his siblings had been lost in that very moment, and the Knight had offered no resistance.

What had been the point, anyway? Everything he fought for amounted to nothing. The evils he had caused had no justification. No good had come about in the end. As such, Graxin had resigned to his life in the Sith prison on the unpopulated side of Mytus. He was held in what used to be a temple, guarded by handful of Graug and otherwise left alone. The tribe that watched over him paid him little heed other than to beat him for their own sick pleasures.

There was nothing he could do to resist, and after a time, Graxin simply grew fed up from the treatment. Hanging up high in energy shackles, the former hand of the Emperor called out desperately in the force. For something, someone, anything to rescue him from the torment he now endured.

Considering his luck up to this point; it would only be Krag himself come to end the boy's short life.

[member="Nima Ven"]

 

[Nima Ven]

Lost and alone.

These were the words that had dominated Nima's life ever since the disappearance of her master, Isley Verd. He promised falsely of a safe home for her to reside and learn in. Now with the familiar life style settling back in, Nima had taken to exploring the galaxy in order to broaden her perspective and perhaps find another Master. Her current destination, Mytus, had only recently wormed its way into her plans. The force had overwhelmed her with the desire to visit the planet. She had hitched a ride with a cargo ship inbound from Datooine. The second she set foot on the planet, her purpose was clear. She was filled with an overpowering sense of pain and hopelessness.

She bid a short good bye to the Captain and paid him the credits due, before setting out to explore. Looming in the distance was an old Sith temple, slowly deteriorating after years of neglect and constant attack. Drawing closer, her initial inspection deemed the place abandoned, so why was she here?

Nima picked her way through the debris, scattered on the floor by a gaping hole in the wall. Now with a closer vantage point, she reached out with the force to determine whether the place really was empty. Three life forms were present, along with a forth that seemed to be fading with every minute. With nothing but the guiding hand of the force and her own will power, Nima entered the temple. There seemed to be no electrical lights. Or any lights for that matter. The shadow was a small comfort that her small frame would be hidden from sight. Scaling the walls with her hands was the only way she could gather some idea of the buildings lay out. But every time she reached a cross road she felt the familiar sensation growing stronger and stronger.

An orange glow lit up the wall ahead of her. It flicked and disappeared as a shadow crossed its path. With each step closer grumbling voices made themselves apparent. Three to be exact. From her vantage point in the shadows Nima could make out the outline of two Graugs, and hear the third somewhere behind her. In a matter of minutes she had formulated a plan. A large barrel sat in the corner of the room. The water inside it rippled with the booming steps the Graug made. Her heart raced inside her chest. From day one she had never been sure of her force abilities and even know she could feel the trust fading. But there was nothing for it.

Reaching out with the force, the barrel wobbled for a few painful seconds before toppling over and spreading out across the floor. Loud curses escaped, shaking the walls with a powerful force. The liquid pooled around their feet while the fire hissed in protest. They hardly noticed Nima's figure at the door, one hand raised into the air.

The crack of lightning sounded as it spread out across the water. There was nothing they could do. They barely had time to panic. A short burst of large voltage could stop even the healthiest of men's hearts. Each Graug toppled to the floor, one after the other. A comical celebration followed. "WOO!" Nima's fist punched the air. Her head rushed with the sudden success, but it didn't deter her from the given path. A dark corridor stretched out on the opposing side of the room. She could practically feel the pressure of hands against her back as she took cautious steps over the Graug's. On either side of her heavy iron bars stretched from floor to ceiling. As she walked her fingers idly ran along them, causing the faintest of noises as her bone met metal.

The end of the corridor drew closer. Instead of the solid brick wall she expected Nima was met with a metal door. It swung gently on lose hinges, creaking a little as she pushed her finger tips against it.

"Hello...?"

 

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The sounds of violence outside weren't much out of the norm for Graxin. The Graug often fought over the silliest of things. It was a quick way to show dominance, and sometimes used to impress one of the Graug females that came by with food for the guards. Today, however, it sounded different. Lighter, and a bit more focused, if that made sense.

Graxin tried to reach out with the force to get a handle on what exactly was going on, but the steady electric buzzing that flowed through his arms broke his concentration. He was in a state of constant pain when hung from the energy ropes, and it showed. The soft trill of a woman's voice barely registered in his ears, and it made him squirm, which only served to tighten the ropes.

His amber gaze drifted over to the crude console that ran the decrepit thing; not for the first time. It was just out of reach, undoubtedly placed there to tease whatever prisoners were stuck here with thoughts of escape. His hair hung over his face in dirty tatters. Dried blood as crusted along his cheek, and his tan tunic and pants were stained a nasty crimson here and there. The ritualistic tattoos that ran down the length of his arms could be seen with ease in the dim amber light.

Graxin opened his mouth wide, and attempted to speak. "He-gah!" The voltage cranked up and forced the words to die in the back of his throat. There were no Graug in the room, but the machine was programmed to recognize his voice. Graxin wasn't supposed to speak, after all.

[member="Nima Ven"]

 

[Nima Ven]

The large door crashed against the wall behind it as it swung loosely. Nima stood in the doorway, a shadowed figure against the dying fire behind her and the lights of the console. The voice that met her ears cut out in pain. She hadn't expected a voice, or indeed anyone vaguely human, to respond. She could just barely make the outline of a male, strung up to the walls by some twisted torture device. Nima had never seen the point in torture, but some part of her knew deep down that sometimes it was the only way. From the door way she inspected the room. It could do no harm to check whether or not a trap was laid out for unsuspecting visitors. But Graugs were stupid and less likely to come up with something. They believed, in all their infinite wisdom, that nobody would ever make it past them.

Nima laughed to herself. A cocky laugh that made her head bob with over confidence. It seemed to linger longer than she thought, reverberating off the bare walls as she finally crossed the thresh hold into the room. She now stood two feet away from the hanging male.

This was the man she had come to save? It all made so much sense now. He was the one calling out with the force. He was the one that had brought her here from a cosy bed in Dantooine. A moment of silence ensued as Nima glanced over him. At least he was attractive, and he didn't seem to be hostile. "You look like you could use some help.." She remarked coolly. Despite the sudden lack of Master, Nima had grown more confident over the past few months. Before Isley Verd had found her she was a slave. Beaten, tormented, raped, used and abused. With the recent discovery of her attachment to the force and her own will power to survive, Nima had become quite the little adventurer. She stepped around him and walked toward the console, where she cursed herself for never having taken interest in technology. "I don't suppose you know how to turn it off?" She realised of course that he couldn't speak. She had just watched him writhe in pain after trying a simple greeting.

It was useless. Of course he didn't know how to turn it off. She doubted that they had ever turned it off during his stay here. And feth knows how long he had been chained up to that wall. Nima's face twisted with a small amount of defeat. She didn't want to destroy the machine, for fear of it locking up and never releasing him. But the ropes around his arms seemed a weak material, a kind of crappy metal used to transfer the volts through his body. Her saber clicked as she pushed onto the ignition. The bright red blade lit the dim room with a luminous glow as she slashed through his metal holdings.

As she watched his body slip from the ropes she slid her hand around his waist to offer him some support. She didn't know how long he had been here and even now she could feel his diminishing life force.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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What was that, laughter? Graxin's vision was hazy at best as he hung there, helpless. He made out a single figure; a feminine shape and a higher pitched voice than a male's, but little else. He tried to make out her words, but they were all a hazy blur to the former hand of the Emperor.

Lightsaber.

The word registered in his mind before the swathe of crimson even flurried over his vision. One moment, he was hanging, the next, in the arms of a woman he had never met before. The instant relief was nothing short of holy if one were to describe. His chest heaved as he tried to regain his breath, and his amber gaze slipped slowly over to catch a glimpse of who was keeping him steady.

A red Twi'lek?

Graxin had never encountered a red one before. Plenty of other colors, sure, but the red ones--what were they called again-- were supposedly rather rare. His arm draped over the woman's shoulder while the other continued to twitch at his side. The electricity hadn't fully yet dispersed.

"Thank you." He mumbled in a hoarse, pained voice. He drew in another deep breath, and exhaled slowly. The force began to open up to him once more, and things were beginning to make sense. "You...heard my call, I take it?"


[member="Nima Ven"]

 

[Nima Ven]

He weight her down a little. She wasn't used to so much weight on one arm. There was a wash of relief as his arm settled over her shoulder. This way she had more of a vantage to lift him off the floor. Her eyes travelled over his body with mild curiosity. Before hand, Nima had never encountered a man without seeing more than she originally intended. Even Isley Verd hadn't been an exception to that rule. Her arm snaked around his waist a little tighter and her attention returned to the door. She had the vague idea that he was trying to say something, but a flurry of things raced through her mind. She caught his last question by chance. "I didn't realise it was a call for help till I was on Mytus." There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

She had no idea how many Graug's were in the tribe, or if the rest of them planned on returning soon. The two couldn't stay there. As clever as she was Nima didn't think the man in her arms could fight, and she didn't think she could handle Graug's face on. The fingers on her spare hand entwined with his for extra support.

"We need to get moving. The three in there are dead but I don't know if there are more." She started to step forward, but paused with her foot poised in the air. "Can you even walk?" There was no indication of how much torment he had been through. The only evidence were the now sliced ropes and his rasping voice. Probably some mental anguish as well but that remained to be seen. She turned her head to meet his glance. She couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't safe yet.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Freedom.


The very thought of it was forbidden here, and yet, he had attained it. The woman--a Sith looking to oust her masters most likely-- had been the crux of it, and he would thank her for it later. He stumbled first as he attempted to walk, but managed to right himself. Who was this mysterious woman who had heard his call?

"Good thing you came, then." He mumbled meekly. His senses were slowly returning to him. There was no physical damage save for damaged nerves. He slowly slipped from the woman's grasp and forced a hand against the wall to keep himself upright. It was difficult, but if she couldn't fight because of him, then none of this would amount to anything.

"The guards outside...they have my lightsabers. Grab them, we'll fight together." Graxin stated slightly louder than before. He closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath. It was a Jedi technique used to center the user, and Graxin was thankful he had taken the time to learn it before. "There are four more guards patrolling the grounds...let me gather myself, and we cut through them and steal their dropship."

[member="Nima Ven"]

 

[Nima Ven]

Nima was reluctant to let him go as he stumbled forward. Her hand cupped his elbow to support him further as he righted his footing. After all of this she wasn't about to let him fall over and snap a leg on something. With some of his stability returning Nima relinquished her grasp. There were so many ideas rushing through her head. About who he was, why she was the one to receive his call, what would happen next...

Delicate wrinkles set themselves on the bridge of her nose. "Are you sure you can do this?" He didn't look like he could fight a fly if he tried. But as she asked, she realised there was no time or reason to argue against him. Without his help she wouldn't be able to take down the Graug, or even navigate her way out of here. She took a few cautious steps back, before turning to re-enter the room filled with the decaying dead bodies. Hesitantly, she began to search the bodies for his lightsabers. While she searched she recalled her success just a few moments earlier. She'd come along way from dark corners and not even an ounce of strength to defend herself. The cold sensation of metal spread across her finger tips as they met with the saber hilt.

"I found them!" She turned her head to call out to the dark corridor behind her.

[member="Graxin Rade"]