I'll Peel Off The Rest of Your Armor

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene let out a giggle, strange coming from her.

She smiled and wandered around Mia again, picking up a small set of pasties and wires from the table. Slowly she placed these on Mia's body, two on her temples, one over her heart and another over her ribs where the spikes were located. The Queen smiled slightly, then flipped a switch on a small machine that was attached to the other.

“I do actually, but I wouldn't want your fun to stop while I’m gone.” She smirked. The two machines were quite simple. One monitored brain activity and heart levels, the other shocked Mia. The two together would form a specific function, every time Mia was about to fall asleep, she would receive a shock, a nasty one.

Nemene turned on her heel, away from her victim.

“I'll be back in three days.” She said as her hair flipped slightly. “Have fun my pet.”

Three days with no food, no sleep, no bathroom breaks, and only the barest of water. It would not be a fun time for Mia.
[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Three days without food and the barest of water and no bathroom breaks had been done before. But Mia had done it with the force on her side, drawing on it to sustain her. Now? Now she was in agony, unable to shut here eyes against the pains that racked her body. As the door clicked shut behind Nemene, Mia unleashed a scream of fury that reverberated off the cold white walls around her. Breathing heavily, she swallowed against a lump in her throat. And focused inwards, slowling her rapid breathing down easing the panic that rose in her mind.

She could survive this. She could survive anything. Everything the sith had thrown at her she had survived, rising each time stronger than before. Oh, she'd had help along the way, from her family, from her lover. Piece by piece they helped put her back together and for what? So she could get herself captured again? So that this wench could have Mia worship her? No. Not on her life. She couldn't sleep, she couldn't stop the pain and she couldn't connect to the force, but that didn't mean she couldn't meditate.

So Mia switched off everything around her, she blotted out the light from her mind kept her breathing steady and her heart rate low. A spasm of pain ran through her body as the mahcine shocked her, all focus vanished and a scream erupted from her lips. Twitching, her breathing once more erratic, the fabric beneath tearing her muscles to shreds, she started again. Breath control, calm, focus. Her heart rate remained steady and she was no longer in the room, but she was floating in a cave bathed in purple light. A hand took hers and that lump in her throat rose with vengeance.

"I'm miss you."

"I'm here."

She looked at him then and smiled through her tears. "No you're not."

Pain ripped through her again, dragging her from her sanctuary back to reality. And she started the process again. Over and over, she went back into her mind, to that sanctuary in the nebula of Aeten II. The stygium cave. To see him, sometimes it wouldn't be him, it would be Ordo, or Jaxx. Once, she wasn't in the cave, but on shore of the Keldabe river, Velok beside her. No words passed between them, he was just there in her mind, the source of all her knowledge in the force. The answer to everything she needed to survive this once she was out. Back and forth she passed between the room and the cave, ripped from sanctuary everytime by the machine.

She kept her mind, her wits and when the door opened again and Nemene returned her defiance was more fiery than before. Oh her body was weak, her breath was short, her throat dry and head pounding from dehydration. But her mind was crystal clear. "Why aren't you in hell yet?" she rasped.

[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene watched her prisoner for a time, this time wearing a blue and red sundress that seemed to flow over her soft skin rather than actually cling to it. She smiled warmly at Mia, the girl was covered in sweat, tears, and other unmentionable things.

From the corner of the room Nemene pulled a steel chair, dragging it across the floor causing a grating noise that would likely sting Mia's head, and perhaps trigger her to hear things. After three days with no sleep, the hallucinations should have begun. Mia would be hearing small whispers, tiny voices, perhaps even seeing things. Her mind would be strained and stretched, and her eyes would likely be unable to focus. Three days without rest. Oh sure meditation would help, but it was not REM sleep, something that the body absolutely needed.

Ignoring the womans snipe, Nemene sat herself down into the chair, smoothly crossing her legs and settling her hands on her knee's.

“How are you feeling pet?” They all reacted differently, but she expected pretty much the same results. Lack of sleep was cruel on a body, add dehydration and starvation to that and she expected the woman would be at deaths door, or her body would be at least. Of course it was more of a rhetorical question, she didn't expect Mia to answer her. “Thirsty?”

Nemene smiled and then from her belt pulled a tiny container of water, a sliver of a tube filled with glorious refreshment. She rolled the contained across her fingers, pinning it between her thumb and index and lifting it up to show Mia exactly what it was.

“Would you like a drink pet? It will only cost you a little.” Her smirk grew.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mia reeled back from the noise of the chair scraping across the floor, its screams converting into a cascade of whispers and laughter. She shook her head and let out a snarl in response to Nemene's false concer over her well being. An image shimmered behind her, an eight foot whipid that made Nemene seem like a child. Mia laughed and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling, a soft humming coming from her lips as a song came to mind. The soft slosh of water snapped her head back down and she watched the little vial tilt back and forth in the wench's fingers, a dry tongue coming out to lick cracked lips.

Mia don't.

Mia'ika, its a trap and you know it.

Spring the trap Mia, it can't get any worse.

"Shut up." she said to the echoes of her loved ones. "Give me the water." It wasn't a plea, or a request, it was a demand.

 

[Lira Dajenn]

“Not even waiting to hear the cost...what an impatient little pet you are.” Nemene waited a few minutes, as if considering if she should really give her victim the water. Then slowly she stood from her chair, unplugging the cap from the small tube of water and holding out the small vial of liquid. She gracefully slid over to Mia, grabbing the girls face and opening her lips.

She moved to pour the water into the girls mouth, and then suddenly stopped.

“No.” She said to herself, replacing the cap on the bottle of water. “I will take what is owed first.”

The water disappeared into her belt, and then her right hand came up to Mia's face. With one quick slice of the knife Nemene dug into Mia's eye. The scalpel peeled back the skin, pushed itself into the socket, and then sliced through the optic nerve. She pushed the end of the scalpel blade, and in one smooth motion popped Mia's eye out of her skull.

The organ fell into Nemene's palm, blood pouring from the socket down the Mandalorians face as the Queen quickly released the girl and placed the eye on the left most table, gently putting it down as though she intended to preserve it.

Then, in the next minute she pulled the tube of water from her belt, uncapping it and waving it in front of Mia's gaze, first across her good eye, then into her blind spot.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

"No." Mia breathed as the water moved away "No plea-" the plea was cut off by a scream, she tried to pull away as the vision in her left eye went from red to black. Pain exploded behind her eyes and Mia dug her teeth into her tongue to bite back another scream as warmth ran down her face. A coppery taste filled her mouth and she swallowed it, though the urge to spit it in Nemene's face again was almost overwhelming. Were it not for that vial of water that passed in and out of her vision, she would have.

Her vision blurred as the pain in her head increased tenfold and the welcoming embrace of unconsciousness came to engulf her. The machine kicked in and another scream erupted from Mia, her body going rigid as she was electrocuted. A sob escaped her as the shock stopped, she sucked in a breath and pushed the tears back.

"Give me the water." she demanded again.

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene dangled the vial before the girl for a moment more, her smirk spreading slightly.

Then slowly she reached up and grasped Mia's face with a bloody hand. She forced her mouth open and popped the vial open. She forced Mia's tongue from her mouth and slowly lifted the tube of water above her. Then drop by drop she allowed the cool refreshing liquid to pour onto Mia's tongue and down her throat. Slowly, drop by drop she fed her pet the gift.

Then finally, the final drop fell down Mia's throat. Of course, it wouldn't be enough to satiate her. Mia would feel only a touch of refreshment, but she would still suffer, still want more, that much was assured.

Placing the empty tube of water down onto the left table Nemene returned to her chair, moving her hands onto her knee's as if waiting for something.

Minutes later the door slid open, and a woman dressed in sheer black stepped inside. In her hand was a tray holding a single bowl of food. The smell drifted over to to Nemene and Mia, smelling of fine bantha steak and a side of vegetables. It was a perfectly rounded meal, one fit for a Queen really. The slave placed the tray not near Nemene or Mia, but in the corner of the room, putting the bowl down before leaving quickly, never glancing at either of the women.

“I'm sure you're starving pet.” Nemene said with a smile. “Would you like to pay again?”

The aroma of the steak now filled the room, permeating the very air.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Water had never tasted so sweet, each drop was like heaven on her tongue, but Nemene was correct in knowing that it wouldn't satiate her. She wanted more, needed more but she dare not ask for it, not with the throbbing pain on the left side of her face. She smelt the food long before it arrived, her stomach growled but Mia's eyes were on the woman, not the food. "Help me." a pathetic whisper, but it was the only other person she'd seen for some time.

Nemene drew Mia's attention back to her, back to the food. A meal fit for a queen indeed, but for someone who hadn't eaten for three days it was too rich and it would make her ill. And what would be the cost for being sick? The other eye? A hand? The smell intensified and Mia wretched, almost bringing up the water she'd just been given.

Eat. Eat Mia you need your strength. It can't get any worse can it?
Don't Mia, its not worth it, you can survive without it. You're stronger than this.
No, she isn't, she's weak, pathetic. She is nothing.
She is the Liberator.
She is a lie.

She couldn't put faces to the owners of the voices, her frustration increased, her pain unbearable, something snapped.

"BURN IN HELL!"

The scream was for all of them, for the voices, for the woman who hadn't so much as looked at her and for Nemene. Especially Nemene.

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene didn't react to Mia's scream, she only blinked and deepened her smirk. It was a taunt of course, she could tell that Mia was breaking. Slowly, but she would get there, Nemene was sure of it.

“Do you not want to survive pet?” Nemene said, her tone rising as if it was a genuine question. “Do you not want to take your vengeance upon me? Do you not want to kill me?”

She goaded the woman, it was the only way to get what she wanted. Nemene knew that Mia was on the edge, and she had to be pushed over that edge. She had to be made to lose herself, she had to be broken completely and entirely. It was what the Queen wanted, and she would get it.

Nemene leaned forward slightly, though not too far. “You have to eat to survive.”

The Queen pursed her lips, and then softly she blew the aroma of the food into Mia's face. The fragrance of the food flew at Mia's face, winding its way towards her in an almost seductive manner.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

She tried to ignore her, to recall the cave of purple light to disappear into the sanctuary of her mind and escape the torment. For a brief moment, she was there, for a brief moment she saw his face.

You can do this.

The smell hit her again and she was pulled back to reality. She gritted her teeth, her stomach growled loudly giving her away. "I will end you." she said, softly. "I will end all of you, nothing you do to me will change that. For every break you and your people make I fix. For every weakness you give me I find a new strength to counter it and in the end, you will have created your greatest enemy. I will not worship you. I will destroy you."

She could hold on to faith that by now, her brother would note her absence without contact and they would be looking for her. But faith would not keep her alive. Playing the games would keep her alive and so long as she lived, there was nothing Nemene could take that she couldn't replace, nothing she could break that couldn't be fixed. Right?

Look at you, sweet one, you learn quickly don't you. Play the game and you get a reward. How long can you play it for before you snap though?

She knew that voice, that voice had haunted her nightmares for a lifetime. She willed Bane to disappear from her mind. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck. "What's the cost?" she said finally, still very aware of the warm breath on the back of her neck.

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene smiled slightly, at least she was willing to play now.

She of course knew what she was doing. She had done it over and over again. It all began with a single Jedi, and it would only grow. Eventually Nemene would break them all, in due time of course, first though, Mia would be shattered into a million pieces.

She was unconcerned with the threats, Mia would not be the same by the end of this.

“Nothing i cannot replace for you later.” Nemene said as her foot twitched slightly. Being cryptic worked to her advantage. She of course had a price in mind, and she would take it as soon as Mia accepted. That was part of the game, she had to be honest. Nemene could have taken anything from Mia at any time for no price at all, but that wouldn't be part of the game.

Nemene had to stay true to the game, or else Mia wouldn't trust her, wouldn't come to hate her for the correct reasons.

And that simply wouldn't do.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Oh of course she was going to be cryptic, of course she was going to make the game more complex for Mia. She drew in a deep breath and winced. "No."

She said simply. "I would rather starve, than loose something else to you, without knowing what it is." She rested her head against her arm and stared past Nemene and the white wall above her head. She began to hum again, the song coming to her mind from a lifetime ago, before the sith turned her life on its ahead. Long had it been since she'd sung it.

Her stomach growled again. "Do you know what in my head, Nemene?" she asked

 

[Lira Dajenn]

“I imagine hatred.” Nemene said softly, her fingers intertwining in her lap as she watched her pet with glowing orange eyes.

She let silence pass between them for a time, there was no anger within her now, in fact she felt a bit of curiosity. Mia was unique, she was an interesting plaything. Much different than the others that Nemene had taken, certainly different than Steph, a mile away from Kira, and entirely different than the apprentice Asaak.

In her head Nemene ran down a list of victims, and none of them quite matched up to the fun she was having now.

“Your hands.” Nemene said sanguinely. “I intend to take your hands.”

The Queen smiled slightly, as if she was coaxing Mia into making the decision. She had a plan for denial of course, but that would be far harsher than the loss of Mia's hands.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Mis snorted at Nemene's guess. Hatred was in her heart not her head, in here head was a lifetime that didn't belong to her. She wondered if the wench knew, if she didn't she wasn't going to tell her.

"Hatred..." she repeated slowly as if she was testing the word like it was new to her. Slowly her eye moved fromthe wall to look at Nemene, then back up at her hands.

"Why?" She asked softly. "Why my hands?"

[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

“Sacrifice.” Was Nemene's response.

She shared a smile with Mia, looking at the lovely little hands that the Mandalorian had. There was a slight hint of a lie to her words, but Mia would never be able to catch it. Of course Nemene actually wanted the hands as a sort of poetic irony for Evelynn, replace what was taken by one Mandalorian with the parts of another, life was funny like that after all.

“I am forcing you to give up something, to gain something else. Both things you need, but it is your decision to what you need more.” Nemene spoke softly, almost instructively in fact. “I take your hands, because it is what you would use to eat...well, you know what I mean.”

Taking Mia's jaw would be amusing, but she wouldn't want to mar her pet too badly, missing an eye was already bad enough, without a jaw Mia would be truly ugly, and Nemene wouldn't want that. “You can lose your hands, and survive, or you can keep them, and starve.”

She shrugged, as if whatever Mia chose didn't matter to her. Though there was a slight light in her eye as she said the latter suggestion, as if hinting that Mia would do more than starve.
[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

There was more to it than sacrifice, it was for humiliation. Mia was a proud woman, to reduce to something that eats off a plate like the vornskr she bred was punishment. Pride overruled any rational judgement. She should have let her hands be taken, she should have just endured it, played the game, stopped fighting and maybe she'd get out of here a bit more intact. But to give up in itself was against her nature. She'd suffered a moment of weakness for the water, she hadn't known what was coming.

She drew in a deep breath, clenching her jaw at the momentary pain, and fixed the wench with a defiant glare.

"Go frak yourself."

[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene seemed to smile a soft placid smiling, looking up at Mia from her chair with light orange eyes. She sat there for a moment, not at all reacting.

Then in a burst of speed Nemene stood. A lightsaber came into her hand, the weapon having been strapped onto the outside of her thigh beneath her dress. Crimson red ignited from a curved hilt, springing into life with a brilliant spark. The blade moved immediately, the Queen of Rattatak wasting no time. The Red blade flicked up, and sliced directly through Mia's wrists.

Flesh hissed and burned, instantly cauterized and severed In one smooth motion.

Mia, severed from her chains fell to the floor with Nemene quickly stabbing her heel into the back of the womans neck. As soon as the clatter of Mia's body falling to the floor rang out the door opened once again. The Servant from earlier rushed in and picked up Mia's hands, rushing out the door with them in order to properly preserve them.

It would have been better to have them sliced with a regular blade, some of the nerves would not be dead, but Nemene could fix them with a bit of healing.

Nemene shook her head slight and made a 'tsk'ing' noise, smiling at the woman beneath her heel. “You still seem to be under the impression you have the ability to resist me.” She pressed her heel into the back of Mia's neck, pushing her face into the hard marble ground. “You are wrong.”

“You see, pet. I can give you a choice. I can allow you to have some water in return for an eye. I can allow you to have some food in return for your hands, but ultimately, it is my decision. You are nothing. You are worthless. Your choices are worthless. Your decisions are worthless.” Nemene leaned down slightly as she spoke, flipping the lightsaber down in her grip and letting the tip of the blade inch closer to Mia's skin.
[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

A flash of read and her wrists were burning, she didn't scream at first, unable to comprehend what had just happened even as she hit the floor. It wasn't until the servant came in to pick up her hands that everything fell into place in her mind. The connection between action and consequence seemed to unlock the floodgates to pain that ran up her arms as nerves tried to conter dead endings. Then the scream came. Then she tried to push up on her elbows, only to have the lightsaber come withing her line of sight.

She stopped fighting and then pain threatened to engulf her. The machine kicked in as she slipped, sending another shockwave of pain through her. The wench was talking, but Mia couldn't hear her, she was chanting a mantra in her her.

Everything they take, I will replace. For every weakness, there will be a strength.

"I'm not your frakking pet." She growled from under Nemene's boot.

[member="Nemene Talith"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

“I beg to differ.” Nemene said the words just as her blade plunged down.

She stabbed the Lightsaber into Mia's shoulder, the thin tip pressing into her skin, muscle, and even bone. It carved into her flesh, and with deft fingers Nemene moved the handle of the lightsaber about. Like calligrapher Nemene cut into Mia's shoulder, carving a symbol into the womans shoulder. Very slowly she burned her mark into Mia's scapula, cutting the mark so deep even cosmetic surgery would find difficulty removing it.

When she removed the lightsaber Mia's flesh sizzled and gave off the powerful scent of burning flesh. Nemene breathed it in, as if smelling a wall of roses. She smirked slightly, and then shut off the lightsaber, letting the hilt rest in her palm. Her heel still dug into Mia's neck, and Nemene pressed into her.

“Will you relent, pet?” Her voice was sultry and seductive “Or will you require more convincing?”

Nemene had one more thing for Mia, one more thing that would bring her into a world of agony, one more thing that would tear her apart at the seams.
[member="Mia Monroe"]

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Everything they take...

The scream broke her voice, shredding her already dry throat, dying as she ran out of breath. The problem with burns, is that its not the burn itself that hurts, dead nerves feel nothing. Everything else around it overcompensates. Black edged her vision once more, but she battled against it, refusing to give in.

...I will replace.

She was very aware of how she was trembling beneath Nemene's boot, not out of fear, but out of exhaustion. All the same, being so weak, so unable to defend herself infuriated her and there was perhaps a part of her that believed that Nemene was right, that she was worthless. But Mia refused to relent.

"Only in death." she replied finally.

[member="Nemene Talith"]