Lady Beneath the Lake

[Athena Heron]

@Maleagant

Rhen Var

Caid had dropped her off nearly a month ago. He had to go on some important errand before visiting this mythic home world of his. Only. He'd never returned. Athena did t mind much because there were rumors of a rare sith artifact. Some sith lord's spear of destiny. Rumored to give force users a glimpse of the future.

She was too studied to simply believe in these rumors but it was worth a look. Especially because she'd been partially stranded. What else would she do? Didn't take long to track down the artifact but she wasn't prepared for it to be a trap.

It had been a month ago since she'd seen Caid, right?

The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth as one of the Jedi shadow interrogators popped her across the jaw with his balled up fist. Gray walls. Gray door. Everything dull. And cold. Far beneath the ice? The force collar dug into the blue skin of her neck, bruising flesh. Even with the pain and constant torture from these peons, the half omwati sith managed a crooked grin.

"You will tell us where the other artifacts are. And what were you doing here? Did you know this base was here? Who are you working for?"

Grin widened, even as another fist hit her cheek from the other side.

"Tsk tsk. Are the Jedi scared? HMMMM --," CRACK! A jolt ran through her neck from the collar. Dark eyes as midnight screwed closed as her body shook. They were lucky. If it weren't for the surprise and the collar, she would've sucked the life from them by now.

A second shadow member entered. This one younger than her torturer. She stayed his hand. "Enough. She's sent for execution tomorrow at dawn." What was one more punch when she'd seen fists for the past several weeks? The man growled but pulled back.

"Enjoy your last few hours," he sneered and Athena drunk in his frustrations like a heady glass of spiced red wine. Door slammed closed and she was left in a cold room of gray. Head drooped, long strands of dark-feathered hair drifting across her bruised and bloodied features. Crumpled wing shifted along her back.

They'd broken it right away. Fingers flexed as anger continued to stew within her form. Was this it? An unexpected end to a short life? A hiss left a pair of frustrated blue lips.

 

[Darth Osano]

RHEN VAR
FROZEN LAKE

From this distance it looked like a little bump on the hill. Darth Osano knew better, however. That snow covered protrusion was actually an access hatch. A particularly brutal sect of Jedi Shadows, probably associated with the Silver Jedi, had made the bunker underneath it their home. They had fallen on hard times. Not a lot of Sith came through these parts any more, bar one in particular they were now holding hostage. Someone Maleagant had been painstakingly tracking for the better part of several months now. Figures, of course, he would have to find her here in the middle of this frozen wasteland - the heart of Silver Jedi territory. Far be it that she be found at a supermarket. Or a public library. Just something normal, just this once.

Well, beggars can't be choosers. Osano lowered the macrobinoculars and handed it back to the Justiciar accompanying him. "You're sure this is the place?"

"Of course, your lordship, yes, yes. Of course. I-" He stopped just sort, as Osano had begun to dissolve on the spot. Wisps of green smoke spiraled out from his person. He became translucent - as if he were fading from reality. The Justiciar gawked and nearly squealed in surprise, but managed to contain his shock. And excitement. It was rare enough that he should be called out here to serve the Lord Inquisitor directly, but never would he have thought the man would crumble to dust from the cold in front of him. Oh, happy day! What wonder there would be waiting for him in the ensuing power vacuum.

To his disappointment, Osano continued to speak as if not about to vanish into oblivion. "Bring the ship around there in twenty minutes."

"But, your lordship, the defenses..."

"They'll be down by then," Osano said harshly, as if it were an obvious conclusion the Justiciar should have come to on his own. And then he was gone completely.

----​

​

In the interrogation chamber [member="Athena Heron"] found herself in, an odorless green smoke began to filter in through a vent.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Darth Osano"]

Cuffed wrists strained against their bindings. That didn't bother her as much as the thing around her neck. Those bastards.

Blue blood traveled down the corner of her mouth, cascading down the curve of her lighter-blue chin. A plethora of bruises marred a previous mat of consistent tone. At least the cold made things more numb besides the smoldering embers of hatred in her heart.

Head lifted, midnight strands of hair shifting along bruised flesh, hawklike-gaze sharpened on the vent by the door and the misplaced smoke billowing through. Green? Blood-stained tongue ran across her lowerlip.

Perhaps she'd been knocked around harder than she though and she was having a delicious nightmare.

Or perhaps they'd moved up the execution by toxic fumes.

She made no move or struggle. She was too tired to care enough to fight whatever was happening. At least for this second.

 

[Darth Osano]

It was good that she was too tired to care at this point. Any sobbing, pleading, or struggling would have probably alerted the guards - guards who were otherwise occupied preparing a more traditional method of execution for [member="Athena Heron"] . Not that they would get the chance, so far as Maleagant could be concerned. The smoke gently fell downwards. Not to the ground, but about a foot above it. It continued to gather there for a minute. Something that was certainly not normal for any sort of smoke. Slowly, surely, Darth Osano was fading back into existence as his corporeal form rebuilt itself.

Strange. Osano had once heard of a man who walked through voids who would vomit almost immediately after he was done. This, on the other hand, was easy. Comparatively, anyway. He had to have practiced this little trick for months. Still, he didn't puke. Puking was for morons. Whatever. Vomit or no vomit, there was no concealing his signature in the Force while appearing from thin air. Sooner or later someone was going to detect an extra presence in the cell. That or an alarm would go off. He needed to act quickly.

Unfortunately, he was not yet fully materialized.

"Athena Heron," hissed the quasi-formed Maleagant. Still more wisps of green smoke than man. "Guess who."

Might as well kill time until he had feet again.

 

[Athena Heron]

[SIZE=10pt][member="Darth Osano"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Guess who?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Head cocked to the side, dark beady-orbs narrowing. Green wispy smoke? The omwatti hybrid didn’t typically associate Caid with the dramatic. Although he’d been her first and most logical guess, this didn’t seem like him. And the voice certainly didn’t match. A small part of her still thought she was having a disembodied experience.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]But would she place this game?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Of course. Anything to distract from the pain these lightside zealots had inflicted. Blue fingers balled into fists along her lap. There was something about that particular hiss that held an air of haughtiness. Surprise flickered across her marred, blue features.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“Mal?”[/SIZE]

 

[Darth Osano]

"Bingo."

Translucent still, Maleagant glided forward somewhat quickly, coming to a slow, leisurely stop behind Athena. Yes, glided. He would only be incorporeal for another few minutes, best to make the most of them. As much as he enjoyed the old "turn myself into green smoke" trick, it would not be sufficient to get himself out of here. He could not turn [member="Athena Heron"] into mist with him. They would have to get out the old fashioned way, which probably involved a lot of fighting. Or for Athena, a lot of standing behind him while he did a lot of fighting.

So much for breaking gender role stereotypes or whatever. Maleagant examined the collar around her neck, debating how best to get it off. He would have started fiddling with it already, but his hands would have passed right through it. It was almost inconvenient. "I can get you out of that. Can you walk?" He asked, stretching his hand and looking it over, waiting for it to solidify. There was still quite a bit of green smoke trailing out from the vent and after the Shi'ido.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Darth Osano"]

Head turned, long blue neck shifting beneath the force nullify collar. Coal feathered wings twitched, except for the limp, broken one. "Well you've certainly grown since we last met," she twittered with a hint of amusement, alluding to his use of the force. Before it was a lot of lightsaber hacking and now? Transfer by green gas.

"I must say I'm slightly embarrassed for anyone to see me not looking my best." Feathered-brows twitched slightly. "But yes I can walk." Sure she was in a lot of pain. If he was able to get the collar off, she'd be able to use that pain for one final burst of energy. Then she'd probably collapse for a week. Hopefully Mal had access to a decent mattress and sheets with a high enough thread count.

Concerns for later along with questions for this man. Like how the feth had he found her?

Midnight eyes turned back to the door as voices caught her somewhat delirious attention. "Do hurry dear because these dolts have most likely sensed you. Unless they've graciously moved up my execution." Tone was like sizzling and dripping acidic tar.

 

[Darth Osano]

Darth Osano flexed his hands a second time. They had become more tangible. He began fiddling with the collar and explained the exact cause of his character growth since the last time they had met. "I'm a growing boy. It's the vegetables, mostly."

Well, maybe not exactly.

By vegetables Maleagant probably meant something more along the lines of "I spent a few months in the wilderness harassing Dathomiri outcasts until they imparted their wisdom upon me, then I started making ritualistic sacrifices to some foreign spirit-entity living in the bottom of a Netherworld canyon. And then I started a cult dedicated to its veneration and have been using the intelligence gathering apparatus of the Sith Empire to procure tomes of knowledge for my personal gain instead of preventing domestic terrorism." But this was a few too many words for the current situation (not to mention downplaying the role carrots had played). Such details were better left for later, probably over a glass of wine in an atmospherically pleasing setting. Something with dim lights and candles. Now that he had successfully infiltrated a facility by turning himself into a gaseous cloud, it was not the least likely thing that could happen.

Click.

The collar loosed up, allowing the Shi'ido to delicately remove it. This time when Maleagant moved again, there were footsteps. The green smoke had stopped trailing from the vent. Osano knelt and began to undo the rest of Athena's bindings. "Do you usually show up in these places alone?" He asked, trying to pass the time. He did not sound overtly concerned with any approaching Silver Jedi.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Darth Osano"]

She scoffed slightly. Bruised and bloodied lips curved into something right before an actual smile. "Very unique vegetables, I'm sure." Long slender leg bumped against Mal as he came in close to release her restraints. Teeth clenched, a hiss puffing through the tip of her nose as the needles along with the collar were extracted.

Unfortunately, a sense of the force did not come rushing back. Whatever drugs they'd used would be in her system a few hours longer. Darn. She'd been so much looking forward to force choking their windpipes. She'd just have to use her bare hands instead. How uncivilized.

He'd hit on a nerve with his next question. Where was Caid? Puffy lips frowned. As soon as the wrist restraints were freed, her fingers ran along bruised, blue flesh.

"I make it a habit to murder would be captors before anything can happen. This was an unfortunate circumstance. I could ask the same of you. Are you here alone?"

Charcoal-brow lofted as the door to the cell hissed open with three armed Jedi shadows.

 

[Darth Osano]

A moment later, the rest of her restraints were removed. When her leg kept bumping into him, Maleagant put a hand on it and said, "Careful."

He stood back up, unclipping a lightsaber from his belt. Yes, the lightsaber had been made incorporeal with him. So had his mask. And his clothes. It wasn't items that could be contained on his person that couldn't come with him, it was entire human beings. Totally different things, really. Or in this case it was Half-Omwati beings who couldn't make the jump to mist-speed with him. Maleagant noticed the faintest tinge of displeasure with his last question. Probably something to do that Centurion guy his people had been staking out. Domestic trouble? How delightful. Score one for the Shi'ido.

He might just win the game yet. "Nope. Got a shuttle pilot. And you."

The doors slammed open, revealing three angry looking Shadows. The first one immediately lunged for Maleagant, blue saber already activated. Darth Osano's crimson saber snapped to life a second earlier just as he turned, intercepting the downward strike and redirecting it away from [member="Athena Heron"] . Very heroic! And with just one hand too. The other hand shot out, casting forward a powerful, condensed blast of some sort of green energy. Not lightning. Something else. Probably spirit ichor. Whatever it was, it had the happy effect of knocking the second Shadow off her feet and sending her sprawling into the other one. Both were ejected from the room. At least one of them was dead.

Maleagant remained saber-locked with the first, but not for long. It was a momentary distraction, one which he followed up with a brutal headbutt. The force of Maleagant's armored mask against the Shadow's face broke the poor fellow's nose and sent him sprawling on his back. Lightsaber fell from the Shadow's hand. Maleagant's deactivated. He stepped forward, peered down at the Shadow before looking over at Athena. "Here, you want this one?"

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Darth Osano"]

Coal-gaze narrowed at that hand along her leg with a hint of something wicked deep within her orbs. "I was dropped off," she stated dryly. Not much time for chit-chat as she felt the heat of a shadow's blade directed away from her being. Charcoal wings instinctively curled closer to her being. A wince ran through her form as the broken one failed to comply, crunching uncomfortably behind her.

Well, well, well. Mal certainly moved fast. And very efficient. Definitely something special in the carrots and broccoli he'd been eating.

Wobbly legs pushed to a stand. Tall form teetered for a moment, nails digging into her own fists. Somehow, she still had a certain grace about her as she moved elegantly to Mal's side. Tongue clucked against the roof of her mouth as she scooped up the shadow's lightsaber hilt and knelt over the writhing man.

"How kind of you," she spoke to Mal without looking up, savagery within her very focused gaze. Free hand snapped forward, clasping the man's jaw, fingernails drawing blood and digging into his skin. With bruising strength she forced his mouth open. Knee jabbed into the man's gut. He grunted.

"Tut, tut dear. Don't worry. I'll start with the tongue. Then the eyes. And then the nose. Won't smell your own singing flesh for long."

His own blue blade went to life in her hand. He might live and he might not. She frankly, didn't care. She'd rather turn his mind into soup but unfortunately for him, she didn't have the force back yet. Had to go the old fashioned way.

 

[Darth Osano]

It was difficult to say exactly what Maleagant felt as as [member="Athena Heron"] spoke, initiating what was likely to be terrible, graphic vengeance for that poor Shadow. But that's just it: it was difficult to say. Not much else. The process of articulation itself is difficult, if only due to more reasonable reservations held by the chronicler. But it was not an unknowable, conflicted, or ambiguous emotion. It was just inappropriate. Very, very inappropriate. And given the current circumstance of the currently unfolding scene, one could hazard a guess as to which obvious emotion was currently being experienced.

Better not dwell on it.

To Maleagant's credit, he was still aware of the job he had to do. Even if he had almost gotten caught up in the spectacle for a moment, tempting as it was for him to hang around...

"...I'll go clear a path."

The Shi'ido stepped out of the room, half-closing the door behind him. One of the two who had been blasted groaned irritably, but was quickly silenced by a swipe of Maleagant's lightsaber. Poor simpletons. If they had only known a quarter of Athena's rage out there, they would have thanked him for it. No doubt about that. Alarms began to glare and Maleagant set out in the direction of the exit, walking slowly in anticipation of more Silver Jedi.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Darth Osano"]

Did she hear Mal say something about leaving? Maybe. Maybe not. She was having too much fun with her current activity. Burning and singed flesh reached the tip of her nose as she finished and left the twitching body behind her. Along with its lightsaber.

Athena certainly didn't want a jedi weapon and it definitely wasn't stylish enough to match any of her outfits.

The body eventually stopped moaning and twitching but Athena didn't turn back to see. Shed grey feathers were left in her wake, floating through the air silently as she strode forward, using the last ounce of her strength. Dark orbs took in the bodies Mal left. Easy enough to follow the direction he'd taken.

"Are you leading me out unlike our first encounter, my dear Mal, or do you hope to lose me with mistaken directions once again?"

Blood-stained lips curled cruelly upwards with her own jab. And she didn't care who heard them. Legs wobbled against her will and her shoulder caught against one of the icy walls as her body slid slightly downward. Most might despair or pass out entirely. She gave a quiet cackling chuckle, spitting some blue blood out on the frozen floor.

"Oh dear, I suppose not eating for a few days can take its toll on a body."

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

There were bodies. Mostly Silver Jedi Sentinels , but also some regular security personnel. It was very noble of the Silver Jedi to include non-Force Users in their secret bases. Make sure everyone got equal representation. Shame the only thing they were representing now was diversity of casualties. Despite the trail of corpses, Osano was not too far that Athena could not reach him. As one might expect, the majority of the Silver Jedi were perfectly happy to come to them. Or him, anyway. They might have tried to recapture her if he had let any get past him.

He gave a short chuckle. "No idea what you're talking about." Had Maleagant tried to ditch her? Certainly. That was before he got a better look at her, though. Not that it mattered. He'd never admit it.

Suddenly Athena pitched to the side, leaning heavily on the wall for support. She'd definitely seen better days. Maleagant frowned under his mask when she started hacking up blood. If he had come all the way out here just to have her fall over dead from internal injuries a week from now, he'd probably pilot that shuttle of his into a sun. Too cruel of reality to do that to him. Maybe not as cruel as what Athena did to that poor Jedi sap, but still pretty nasty.

"If you'd like to be carried, all you had to do was ask..." Osano took some purposeful steps towards Athena. As he did so, a short explosion could be heard elsewhere in the complex. Breaching charges, most likely. His shuttle had come around and his people were ready to extract them.

Time to go.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Darth Osano"]

Reverberations echoed through the wall she leaned against, sending little trembles through her hollow and broken bones. A sharp intake of air went through the tip of her blue nose. Feathered lashes dropped further, though her dark orbs still managed to find Mal's form. She focused on him, concentrating. As if she was seeing him at the end of a very long and dark tunnel.

"You need to work on your denial lying," she mused, sinking further against the wall and floor, wings a tangled mess behind her. "Hope you weren't a day late and a credit short." A thin smile flickered across her lips spattered with blood - drying and new. They were on a frozen world beneath a frozen lake. She'd been cut off from the one thing she truly loved. Open air. Open sky.

"I can't tell if you're smiling beneath that mask, though," last words muttered as her reserves depleted and head fell, cheek resting against the icy wall, not even the sharp stabs of cold able to pull her from the edge of the oblivion pool she'd been plunged into. In sleep, the Sith almost looked angelic as her cruel gestures softened slightly, murderous intent closed off beneath sealed lids.

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

Maleagant snorted again. He needed to work on his denial lying! As if every step of his existence in the Sith Empire wasn't an act of lying and treachery. Someone had been away far too long, stuck waiting in the wings for some absentee monarch-to-be. Pun not intended. "That's the point of masks, I'm told," Replied Osano, who first reached out to steady her before summarily sweeping her off her feet. Dreams really do come true! He carried her the remainder of the way, which was not altogether much judging from the proximity of that last explosion.

Eventually he got to the entrance, which was littered with more than a few corpses.The turbolift doors were wide open and surrounding walls decorated with scorch marks. A couple Storm Commandos had been killed in the assault, but most of the bodies belonged to the Silver Jedi. A few Sith Justiciars milled idly about the entrance with the remaining Commandos. Their orders had been to hold the entrance, not plunge too deep into the facility. This was primarily a rescue mission, after all. A second ship would be around shortly to dispense more troops to flush out and capture the remaining Silver Jedi personnel. Not to mention loot whatever baubles they had lying around in here.

Hopefully something good, but Maleagant wouldn't hold his breath. He had already procured the only bauble worth his time. The Justiciar that had accompanied him earlier stepped forward and bowed graciously. Like a dandy. "Your lordship, shall I-"

"Have them prep the medical bay," was all Osano said, marching unceremoniously past the Justiciar, bird woman still held in his arms. She was awfully light - probably a combination of malnutrition and her species. Poor thing was also frigid. The High Inquisitor stepped into the turbolift, pausing for a moment to consider how he was going to hit the 'up' button with his hands full. A moment of focus and the button depressed itself. Clearly he was a resourceful one.

The turbolift doors slowly shut themselves and began the climb back to the surface. Weird, there was no music. Usually these things had music. Must have been those Silver Jedi budget cuts he heard so much about. "If you've got a bacta allergy, now's the time to share."

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Darth Osano"] would get no reply from the part avian woman he held in her arms. Dark-feathered lashes were tightly sealed closed. Body was limp and light in his arms, face and flesh marked with multicolored bruises, dried and fresh blood. Beneath the disheveled appearance, there was still something wildly beautiful about Athena Heron.

When the lift stopped and opened to the top-cave entrance and to the frigid world beyond, the only movement from Athena would be a slight shifting in toward Mal's chest. Even though she was well beneath the pool of oblivion, her body sought the closest source of warmth. A moth to the flame. Another tremble ran through her unconscious and limp form.

He'd have to take a chance on the bacta. Luckily for them both, she wasn't allergic.

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

"I'll take that as a no," Maleagant intoned, not that she could hear him - even if she wasn't unconscious, the crunch of the snow and the wind might have drowned him out anyway.

It was the simple things in life that pleased Maleagant the most, more often than not. Simple things like carrying beautiful bird women across about fifteen feet of snowy wasteland and up the ramp into a waiting shuttle. Not something he got to do a lot and, if things panned out like he envisioned, not something he would have to do again. Inside the vessel, there were medical droids milling around that could have taken her the rest of the way, but Maleagant elected to carry her himself. Again, simple things. Had to enjoy them while they lasted.

Maleagant brought her to a cot in the medical bay and let the droids take it from there. They set about running the initial diagnostics in their usual quick, efficient manner. Lacking any medical expertise himself, Maleagant hung back and let them do their thing. It was nothing unexpected. The broken wing was obvious, some internal injuries as well. Athena was apparently malnourished as well, which of course begged the question of how long she had been left down there - unsupervised - in the first place.

He frowned in a dour sort of way - the way you would expect a deeply covetous person would when seeing their prize mishandled. It was like smashing high-end electronics in full view of the impoverished. Why? What was the point of that? Do you have any idea what you're doing? "Alert me when her condition changes," Maleagant said, drifting off towards the exit. He would need to meditate on this, but in his quarters. If she came too and he was lurking around her bedside like a bereaved relative, well, that would just be creepy.

Couldn't have that.

-----​

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Darth Osano"]

The medical droids had good intentions when they brought the bacta tank online. But more like standard programming. Her internal injuries were significant. There was nothing in datalogs about her species being allergic or unable to survive. Though, her hybrid species was rare and there was nothing in datalogs about how an avian would certainly panic submerged within liquid. To the droid's credit, bleep didn't hit the airvents until about thirty minutes submerged in the sticky, healing liquid.

Midnight orbs snapped open. Raven strands of hair floated around her face - semi suspended. Wings stretched but pushed against a glass barrier. White bandeau suit hugged against blue skin that was starting to look less marred and bruised. Liquid amber and red began eclipsing the blacks of her eyes as anger filled her floating form. Head jerked tot he side as a droid wheeled over in haste.

Fear. Anger. Panic.

A guttural scream escaped her throat through the oxygen mask as the darkside exploded outward in a concussive wave. Glass and liquid shattered outward in a wave, sweeping up those poor medical droids and bashing several against the room's sterile walls. Athena sunk to her knees on the cylindrical base of the shattered tank. Streams of bacta carveddown her form, wet hair sticking along blue skin. Fingers ripped the oxygen mask from her face as she took a steadying breath.

 

[Darth Osano]

[member="Athena Heron"]

Maleagant sat alone in his private quarters, kneeling before some eldritch tapestry. A gargantuan spider dominated the material, bearing down on fleeing figures even as the limbs of those to slow to escape dangled from its mandibles. Macabre, yes, but most religious art was. Besides, it helped him meditate. It was less and less often that Maleagant had time to reflect on the mysteries of the Netherworld and study the shifting currents of spirit ichor. Especially now that he essentially headed the secret police. Already it had been hard enough to find the time to come here and-

The Shi'ido's crimson-rimmed eyes flung themselves open moments before Athena screamed. He could feel the tide of the Force abruptly shift - the way the tide suddenly recedes before a tsunami. Then he heard the screeching and the crashing. This was a small enough star yacht, it wasn't as if there were plenty of walls to deafen it in the first place. He left his mask and cloak behind now, not exactly anticipating a fight. Hopefully the medical droids had gotten the worst of her fury.

---​

The medbay was in tatters, but Maleagant had made peace with that fact long before the doors actually opened and he could see it. He took a nice, deep, calming breath while he surveyed the wreckage. The floor and walls were slicked with bacta and broken glass. Those droids who hadn't had their brains crushed by the force of impact were already standing up again. They were programmed to lay off any patients that had spontaneous outbursts of physical violence and wait for security to arrive. Maleagant was the only one who showed up, though. If Athena Heron was awake and angry, stoic battle droids with cattle prods wouldn't do much in the way of calming her down. Not that Maleagant was the most soothing person to be around either...

"I see you're feeling better."