Into the Badlands

[Mother Askani]

Her voice grew in pitch and power. The Togruta was never one to have a variety of abilities that could cause harm, but the ones she did, she used to their highest potency. She was on as the skin of her sister vibrated under the wave...she held her ears...and Sochi felt herself growing careless. She pushed her body forward and to keep the energy steady and within that time the darkness that had taken the form of her sister had begun to dissipate.

Before she knew she was gone, she would have never been able to strike her down with her blade...this was the best route. Closing her mouth, and ending the flow of energy she stood straight up and chuckled. A smirk appeared on her face, but she hid that from Sumiko...not that she would have cared either way.

She turned her head to her peer, "Now...for these chains" The Togruta approached her, "What must I do?"

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Sochi Ru"]


"Break them. Those chains only exist as long as your mind allows it," Sumiko spoke. "Gather all your power. Draw upon all your pain, anger and hatred. Every strong emotion about your tormentor and unleash it upon them. Prove that you are a woman, not a slave."


A woman chose, a slave obeyed. In order to provide support, she drew upon her own power and gathered it into a ball of energy inside the palm of her hand. Fury and rage coursed through her being while she prepared a powerful Force blast fuelled by the corrupted energies of the dark side. Combined, they could unleash their power like a thermic lance and will the mental chains to be disintegrated.

 

[Mother Askani]

Her obsidian eyes peered at Sumiko as she spoke, so much so that the woman could see her own reflection in the pools of darkness. She had always had them, but now they appeared more like an abyss; they provided an ominous discomfort. The Togruta lowered her head as her hand slowly rose to meet her gaze.

She repeated her words, "Pain...hatred...anger" She slowly flexed her fingers, and the veins in her wrist protruded from her skin.

The air around her hand began to form into a thin veil that swirled in orbit. She followed along, doing what her fellow did. "I was a slave once, to a belief..." Her exotic voice sounded low.

"I dedicated my entire being to that belief...I was promised change, I was told I would transcend as reward for my service" Her energy began to gather in the center of her palm. "It was a lie...that led me to my death, betrayal." much like Sumikos it began to take the form of a sphere, hovering just above her skin.

"To be done with it...I must. I will display the truth, and save the others."

She approached the woman, holding in her hand her power. She rose her hand, to which she assumed Sumiko would also do at the same time. Between them both, they could end it and begin it...

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Sochi Ru"]


"The truth will set you free," Sumiko spoke cryptically. "The weak let themselves be chained by lies and archaic beliefs to give their lives meaning. The strong break them and forge their own destinies." Jedi, Sith, Republic, Empire, all of them were lies.


Sochi rose her hand and Sumiko did the same. The sphere of power grew inside the palm of her bruised hand. Power surged through her entire being, then exploded outward when she unleashed a powerful blast of unadulterated Force energy fuelled by the Dark Side.


In this moment, Sumiko was remembering her own chains. She recalled almost being murdered by an enraged mob on Atrisia because she was a 'deviant witch'. She recalled being 'saved' by the Inquisition and taken to their Citadel. There she had been given a choice: Submit to the Inquisition and serve the Empire, or die.


A chip had been implanted inside her spine, enabling her to be tracked like an animal. At the flip of a switch, it would paralyse her or cause her to suffer excruciating pain. Any thought of freedom had been burnt out of her. Even the love for her younger sister, Amaya, who'd suffered the same fate. Both had been turned into weapons for an Empire that feared her kind. Then...they'd been discarded and hunted down. She remembered the impotent rage she felt after the Empire turned on the Inquisition and she found herself in a concentration camp, being experimented on.


Then, finally, she remembered breaking free and murdering her tormentors when Atrisia exploded in civil war. Her vengeance was not complete...not yet. All these feelings flowed into her power when the bolt of power was unleashed from her hand like a thermic lance. Then there was an epic crash when it connected with the mental chains ahead of them. Boom.

 

[Mother Askani]

She watched on as their energy made impact...she felt the darkside pumping through her veins and it felt abnormal. This was the first time she truly acknowledged it for what it was...while it was good to feel connected and not inhibited, she only saw it as a means to an end. An end that would come soon enough...whether it was dealt by her hand or not.

In the moment, her mind had flipped through a series of memories...she recalled the battle of Ossus one her most memorable engagement where she helped conscript the natives and turn the tide of battle. Then her mind flipped to her knighting ceremony where she and [member="Rasu Gan"] were knighted together...the two had grown to promise alongside each other. She remembered their voyage...where they discovered their bond through the force.

She dedicated her life to the order...holding their teachings to heart so much so that she was known for it. She even dealt with the death of her sister the same way...destroying the attachment rather than grieving for her as she should have. She also remembered the day she died...the inevitable outcome she foresaw and wouldn't allow [member="Connor Harrison"] to witness. He was one of the orders brightest...

However her mind and spirit perished before...she had grown disillusioned. A fate worse than death for someone entirely spiritual; it is almost like being stuck in limbo.

However she felt the crash of the chains...and heaviness slowly being lifted from her shoulders. So much so that she fell to a knee...and began to breath heavily.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Sochi Ru"]

Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak.
Wonoksh Qyâsik nun.

Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.


No, it was not the Force that had set her free. Sumiko Tanaka had freed herself. The Force was but a tool. The same applied to the Dark Side. Light and Dark, Good and evil, order and chaos, the eternal conflict between these principles was all academic to her. It was just as meaningless as the invisible lines Jedi, Dark Lords, Emperors and Supreme Chancellors drew across the map.


There was no flag for her to pledge herself to. No Code that would enslave her with invisible chains. There was only herself, her sister and...perhaps a certain Scion of the House of Brentioch, who had been entering her thoughts more and more often lately. But she would never allow herself to be leashed and collared again.


There was an epic crash when their combined power collided with the chains and broke them. Sumiko breathed heavily. She was sweating strongly and was suffering from a headache from hell. But her work was done. Now Sochi could become the master of her own destiny. What would she do with her newly found freedom now that she'd been freed from both the shackles of the Jedi and of Kaine? That was up to her.


"It's done. Come on. We must leave." And so she took Sochi's hand, though her own grip was shaky. Power flowed through both of them and they were pulled out of the recesses of the Togruta's mind and would find themselves in the real world again. To be precise, Sumiko's living room. The Atrisian felt she could really use some green tea right about now.