Justice in Murder

[Louise]

Since Daella Apparine had came to visit the Silent Sister of Rattatak was decidedly more silent than usual.

Any other Jedi who came after were given the cold shoulder and their attempts to give her food and water were also completely snubbed. She would simply sit in the corner of her cell, staring furiously at the wall (and occasionally moving to use the toilet).

She had been embarrassed.

That awful blonde Jedi had gotten her riled up, played the dreaded Sopher card and lorded it over her from on high. The blonde boy had not yet come to see her yet. Had he watched her previous interrogation? Was he disgusted with her? Did he hate her now? That would have been for the best, really. He was supposed to be forgotten, the memory of a different girl, long since dead and buried. She had chosen power.

But still.

What if he wasn't permitted to see her? What if he wanted to? What if he had gone to see Nemene first. The last prospect sent a chill down her spine. Her sister would torment him by spouting horrific lies and even worse truths.

As she sat in the corner her stomach growled violently.

[member="Michael Sardun"]

 

[Arage Bao]

A Sith, they called her. Michael had fought Sith, killed them and even redeemed a few. But if there was one thing he knew for sure, it was the fact that this girl did not seem a Sith to him. Of course, he was not as stupid as to think that she was harmless. The Darkside radiated from her, whispered to him of untold mysteries, horrors and the sheer power of the Dark.

That too was not new to him. In his travels and battles he had learned to ignore the allure of the darkside, but it had not stopped to be a danger. Even now, it was gnawing at him, trying to seduce him. Michael would not bend to its will.

It was the main difference between the Sith and the Jedi, Michael thought. Weakness. The Sith were not able to control their inner-turmoil, the emotions that boiled up in times of crisis. The Jedi were a different story, or at least.. they were supposed to be. Serenity and Peace.. beautiful words, but hard to achieve he reckoned.

Regardless of that, Michael entered the prison cell. He had cleared it with the guards, the prisoner had not been eating and Sith or not... everyone had to eat.

“I have been told that you refuse to eat.”

Let's see how long it would take her to try and attack him.

[member="Evelynn"]

 

[Louise]

Another visitor.

With her back to the entrance of the cell the girl scowled, her features becoming twisted with a bitter variety of rage. Of course they couldn't let her be, if a prisoner died of starvation in the custody of the Jedi then chaos would truly erupt. More talks of no confidence. Accusations of cruelty and a lingering notion of the dark side. What? You think they could sweep it under the rug? Of course not, leave it to the Jedi to have a large gap in the armour in regards to public relations.

There would be outrage, no matter how monstrous the prisoners were. Nobody should starve to death under Republic care.

The girl's shoulders hunched slightly as he spoke, it wouldn't be that easy. Her stomach roared again, answering for her and she looked down scowling, almost as if she were cursing her own bodily functions with her eyes.

So still she sat in the corner, boring a hole in the wall with her stare.

[member="Michael Sardun"]

 

[Arage Bao]

“My dear, you think yourself proud now. Happy that you still have the will to refuse your food, the fight in your spirit to resist us even in this little matter. But where will your precious pride be when we forcibly feed you your food through a tube? The last thing we want is for you to... expire.”

It was a truth, Michael doubted they would actually force feed the girl through a tube, but it might be just enough of an incentive for her to get off her high and mighty seat and take the dinner.

Strangely enough, he pitied the girl. There were only rumors of course, but it was said that once she had been one of them. Until someone broke her, and twisted her into what she was now. Michael could not understand it, but then again... maybe that was the reason he was a Jedi himself. Instead of a Sith.

The platter with food hung in the air for a second, and then moved itself softly to place itself next to the girl. The Force. Nifty stuff sometimes.

While the platter transported itself to its destination, Michael sat down next to the door behind the girl. He leaned with his back to the fall, and studied the girl's back. Once... she might have been pretty, he mused. But the corruption had run deep, and if the stories were true... well her soul was blackened to a pitch.

Still, Michael could not help but try and reach out to her. It was a naïve gesture, he knew that. But the Savior of Souls could not help but try and fix her.

“Was this how you imagined yourself all that time ago? Broken? Corrupted and twisted? Do you see strength in the way you cling to your pain and hatred? I truly wonder.”

He hummed softly to himself.

“You know, believe it or not.. but I know the temptation of the Dark well. I have fought, and killed Sith. And in those actions I felt pleasure, simple pleasure. The Thrill I call it. It rises up in my veins, and persuades me to go farther and farther.”

Michael kept humming, and waited to see if the girl had anything to say.

[member="Evelynn"]

 

[Louise]

My dear? Who are you? Grandma?

The girl's shoulders hunched even further as he mentioned the prospect of force feeding. It was so violent, it degraded the status of a person to animal. Would the Jedi really engage in such a barbaric practise? It was difficult to say. Of course it's not likely that the light-siders would be in the habit of just letting their prisoners just die, not before the trail at least.

The tray settled down gently next to her. It was temptation, pure and simple. Were her stomach in charge of her limbs then she would have been feasting faster than you could say, '”father father, where are my socks?” Of course, nobody would say that.

Thankfully Evelynn's brain was in charge.

Perhaps I would rather expire. Those were only her thoughts, not words spoken through telepathy. Her lips became the very thinnest line in existence.

She could only sit and listen as he spoke of anger and of pain. Pain! What did he know of pain? He could not comprehend the beauty and the ecstasy of pain! Well, physical pain at any rate. Torment of the mind and soul was a completely different matter, at least it was for Evelynn. At this grim stage of her existence things like mind and soul were of no concern, she believed her mind to be lost and her soul to be sold, if not stolen.

I do not take pleasure from killing.

[member="Michael Sardun"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Evelynn"]

My mouth twisted itself into a smile, though it held no warmth nor joy. For the simple wretch that sat in front of me was not a sight that put laughter to the heart, she claimed killing did not bring her joy. That might not be a lie, but what she did love was inflicting hurt and pain upon others. Not so much as she enjoyed inflicting pain on her own persona though, if the stories were to be believed.

For a while I just sat there in silence, it’s heavy air restrictive and pressing down on both of us. But finally I spoke, and my voice carried an authority that it hadn’t have for a long time now. Ever since the Army of Light fell apart, but it was back now.

“Tell me. Is it worth it? Losing everything and everyone, to bask in the supposed glory of the Darkside? Does the Queen of Rattatak warm your heart at night, or is that no longer a feeling you wish to feel for it would remind you of better days?”

 

[Louise]

Still with her back to the Jedi the woman shifted, pulling her knees up to her meagre chest as if it could offer her some kind of comfort or solace. No such luck. So they remained in silence, time ticked by only punctuated by the occasional aggressive growl of her empty stomach. The platter of food was beyond tempting, but there was no chance of her giving in so easily.

The effects of starvation offered a new kind of torment, even in the custody of Jedi they couldn't stop her from hurting.

Finally he broke the silence.

The mute dug her fingernails into her arms, breaking skin and drawing blood without much of a second thought. It was frustrating, this Jedi so content to mock and tease. What did he know? Of course in these realms it was rare to come across another being who didn't have all the answers, comebacks that would usually take minutes, even hours to think of. Evelynn was no such silver tongued creature, she didn't have the answers, emotionally she was stunted.

What do you know? What do you know about loss?! Evelynn responded, hissing into the Jedi's mind with her only voice. It stung. Touched more than a nerve. The Silent Sister hadn't lost everything because the call of the Darkside was too alluring. She had lost everything because that's what the universe wanted. It wanted her to suffer, and it wanted to take and take and take.

And it did.

Rather deliberately she didn't respond to the bait regarding Nemene. Naturally they would be asking about that relationship, inquiring upon how they did things. What they did. Why they did. She would keep her tattered shreds of loyalty.

If only Evelynn knew about the lies that her sister was spewing. That she was the mute's slave, showing off a false brand upon her forearm and showing it to ever single Jedi that inquired.

What do you know about me, Jedi? What do you really know?

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Evelynn"]

I didn’t answer her question, neither of them. It wasn’t necessary, but yet again I questioned why I was here. Nobody had asked me to come, but here I was anyway. It was a faint reminder of my founding of the Army of Light, I think. The tendency to go overboard, and do things nobody else wanted to or thought possible.

For a moment I considered the woman, as my lips turned into a wolfish smile.

“Have you ever heard of the Army of Light?”

The Army of Light had been an entity to fight the Darkside, unrestricted by the strict dogma and scriptures of the Jedi Order and the Republic. We did what needed to be done, when it had to be done.

Looking back at it, I now understand my fault. But she didn’t know that, the official word was that we disbanded after the Empire fell. She wouldn’t know my change of heart.

She would only know about the reputation of the Light, and its ways to make people talk.

 

[Louise]

Her involvement in the grand scheme of things, the constant battle waged between light and dark was actually minimal, perhaps even less than that. Evelynn stood for excess, for pleasure and did not concern herself in the wars of those around her. Empires could rise and fall but at the end of the day it didn't matter as long as the mute got her giddy little kicks.

No. I have not.

The answer was cold and blunt. If one were to stop and just smell the very tension in the air then they might have sniffed out the very dramatic eye-roll that Evelynn had just pulled off. Of course, with backs turned it wasn't all that important.

I suspect however, that I am about to, the girl added with that standard frozen tone.

 

[Arage Bao]

I think a smirk appeared on my lips just then, at least they curled up in a familiar way. I studied her for a while, and then finally spoke the words. You gotta understand, I ain’t getting any pleasure from this. But sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.

“You know, my men have talked to Nemene.”

My men. I told her. Not the Jedi. My men, the men of the Army of Light.

“The Order has different ideas, but I have fought your kind before. I never gave them quarter. She sang a pretty song, that one. Told us she was your slave at first, interesting little songbird.”

I trailed off, and waited.

 

[Louise]

At least she was spared a no doubt long and winded story. Something about justice. No, maybe vengeance. Although isn't justice just vengeance tempered with mercy? Of course. Army of Whoever. Army of Whatever. No, instead he would discuss matters more personal to her. Bother.

Her shoulders relaxed somewhat, the prospect of Nemene in captivity a peculiar thought, almost hilarious, just thinking of the poor souls that had to deal with her indignant fury. Or perhaps not. Perhaps her ire was being saved for the mute, after all, she had been the one to surrender to the Jedi, the reason for their current imprisonment. Now that was a thought.

Of course a few moments later and it was revealed. Or perhaps not. A trick? Nobody said it was against the rules for Jedi to be tricky. But Nemene, her slave? Ridiculous. Nemene Talith was the most dominating woman since the Queen of Sheeba, but they didn't know that. Tilting her head to the side the mute pondered her reaction.

...what other songs did she sing?

 

[Arage Bao]

“...ah wouldn’t you like to know.”

My eyes closed themselves in shere content, and I kept my silence. A secret for a secret perhaps? Or maybe I just like to torture the girl in a different kind of way. Regardless, she wouldn’t hear anything from me, for at least a while.

I am a bastard, I know.

 

[Louise]

Well yes, she said blinking, taking his taunt too literally, hence why I asked.

It wasn't until a few more moments of silence later that the woman realised that the Jedi wasn't going to be imparting any nuggets of information any time soon. How utterly frustrating. Evelynn, rather audibly emitted a sigh. If he wanted to play this game then she would gladly play along. She was a mute, silence was her speciality.

I see.

The woman pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her head upon those bony legs. Each vertebrae protruding from her sickly flesh. Imprisonment wasn't a good look on the woman, making her look pitiful, and weak. So small. So child-like.

Enjoy staring at my back.

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Evelynn"]

I yawned, as she decided to give me the silent treatment. She forgot I was a Jedi, you know? those guys who spent their time meditating in a garden? Doing nothing but meditating? All day long? I think I have a bigger chance of winning the ‘who can be a bigger nerf herder’-contest.

But I am a Jedi. I got dem roles to fulfill. So I offered her.

“Eat, and I will talk.”

 

[Louise]

Well, the food did smell good.

For a moment she sat there, jaw grinding in annoyance. The only problem with eating was that it felt like defeat, and this Jedi felt a touch unorthodox, like he might have gotten a little smug. She just had to ask. Was silence worth dying for? From one perspective Evelynn had already won, the Jedi that they had broken would likely never fully recover and the Jedi they had killed could never be brought back.

Fine.

Finally she turned turned to face this Jedi who so far had been speaking to her back. Evidently he looked more suited to modelling than do-gooding but such was the case all over the galaxy.

Crossing her legs, the frail woman began to eat. It wasn't a pretty sight. No cutlery for obvious reasons but hey, she was a very hungry girl.