More than a Match

[Ehud]

Ah. Purchase.

Ehud leapt into the boy's mind as he spoke, breaking through his defenses in that ear-shattering scream. As Ehud jumped into the Human's mind, he could feel the child's emotions as if they were his own. There was pain, caution, humor. It was bravery at it's finest. To stare at something stronger than you, unblinking. Ehud did it often.

That didn't mean it was the intelligent thing to do.

"I will, Sire," Ehud said, speaking in Drael. "In fact, I have. I have gained a foothold into this one's mind. It carries many of the traditional hallmarks of the Shamans. They are trained in the Force. If I were to guess, your challenger is of the same ilk."

He switched back to Basic, having to pause as he shoved his barbed mind further into Curtis'. "I have access only to your surface thoughts, Sith. Given time, I am certain I can dredge what else you have."

Whether you are thinking it, or not. Ehud spiked the thought at the Sith's mind, using it as a wedge.

In all honesty, he did not care for many of the Sith's secrets. Many, he would simply pass along to the Chieftain, perhaps to be acted upon. Some, he would keep for his own studies. Few, he would discard entirely.

But one thing was certain; once he latched on like this, he wouldn't let go.

Even if it took days.

[member="Curtis Learchin"] - [member="Tathra Khaeus"] - [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]​

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

​Tathra refrained from interference, remaining on the periphery of the conversation as he allowed the Seer to do his work. The Chieftain knew his strengths, the mental deconstruction of an enemy was not one of them. His pursuits rather entailed physical deconstruction of the highest skill.

​This was not to say, to even his own mind that his mental faculties were meagre; his temperament simply did not possess the ability to delay more cursory instincts that played on his primal rage when dealing with an inferior creature such as a Sith. That was why there was necessity for beings such as the Seer, and the art of his interrogative abilities.

​However the Seer spoke of a challenger, immediately Tathra thought another Sith would come. Whilst the Chieftain welcomed a challenge, the idea of a Sith fleet arriving on the doorstep of one of their larger outposts was an unsavoury thought.

​Tathra turned to the Seer; ​"Find out all you can about this challenger and report to me directly. I will be waiting in the Command centre." ​His mind lingered on the suspect notion of a Sith fleet, leaving the interrogation room with the intention to allow the Seer to continue unbidden.

​| [member="Ehud"] | [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"] | [member="Curtis Learchin"] |​

 

[Curtis Learchin]

"Surface thoughts? I'm not a very deep person so that's all you're gonna get." Curtis said, joking to hide the pain. His mind felt like it was being stuck with a thousand needles, and it was only going to get worse. But he couldn't give in, not if he wanted to keep the Empire safe. Maybe he was over-assuming his own knowledge, but he was the apprentice of a very important and powerful Sith Lord, so that had to mean something. He could feel himself slipping as the larger one spoke.

"Hey big guy, guessing you're in charge." That was the first time he'd addressed [member="Tathra Khaeus"] directly, probably more confident than he should've been. "Let me go and maybe I won't tell my master of your little operation here." He just finished his sentence as another surge of pain shot through his mind, causing his muscles to tense and a scream to escape from his mouth. He couldn't take this much longer.

[member="Ehud"] / [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]

 

[Ehud]

Humor, even now?

Ehud found the human's tactic interesting, at least. Humor as a defense mechanism was as new to him as the Sith's mind was. Ehud supposed it had it's purposes; deflecting aggression and masking fear. Only necessary, Ehud supposed, when one could not match aggression, or felt fear.

All these thoughts raced across Ehud's consciousness as he worked, plucking them like tools from a toolbox to continue his extraction. He cut, he poked, he marked and he seperated sections of Curtis' psyche, trying his hardest to incise a hole, a wound that he could capitalize upon. Ehud could feel the fatigue in his opposition, probably having never been pulled apart in this fashion before, with surgical precision.

Ehud answered Tathra first, bowing his head, even as the mental conquest raged on. "Of course, Sire. I will have answers when next we meet."

Ehud had already turned back to Curtis before he'd finished the sentence, engrossed in his Perfect Work. He redoubled his efforts, using his sharp mind with reckless abandon.

He switched back to Basic, feeling the words grate against his mouth. "Many pools are deeper than they appear. There are few ways to know for certain. My preferred method is to hesitate at the surface, observe. That takes time, patience, and intelligence."

"But in the absence of time, an equally valid technique is much simpler." Ehud sent mental slam after mental slam, tired of hesitation, coyness, weakness.

"To jump."

[member="Curtis Learchin"] - [member="Tathra Khaeus"] - [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"]​

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

​Reality grappled at the Sith as his scream-mumbled pleas fell on deafened ears. It did not show, but as the door slid closed; a shadow of amusement conveyed itself through a small twitch on his maw. Pride.

​In the beginnings of the Seer's endeavours, he had been wary of his choice. Tathra always sought to strengthen his people, even if that meant taking a leap of faith into the unknown. Entrusting the Seer was one such leap. Yet, more and more the Seer brought forth steady and sufficient results. It pleased the Chieftain to know his instinct was correct.

The accomplishments of the Seer were born from Tathra, forefather to all Drael - the titan allowed hubris to swell as even whilst muffled; he could still hear the pain filled screams. The strength of his blood flowed, even in the diluted physical form of Seer Ehud. The Draelvasier grew stronger under his leadership. That was payment enough.

​But fate had gifted him another, more choice reward; combat. Combatants within Wild Space and the unchartered territories that could provide Tathra with a challenge were far and few between. His hand had grown idle, as the sole leader of the Bryn he did not have the luxury of traversing the Galaxy in search of worthy foes; he had to bide his time. But now, his patience would perhaps be rewarded.

​| [member="Ehud"] | [member="Curtis Learchin"] | [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"] |​

 

[Curtis Learchin]

The last of his mental barriers broke as [member="Ehud"] crashed through his mind like a sledgehammer. And suddenly his mind was clear, all his thoughts, recent memories, everything bubbled to the surface. Curtis gasped, like he had been drowning, and his head dropped. He was too far into all this, he couldn't win on his own.

"Happy now?" He said, defeat lingering in his voice. All he could do now was hope that [member="Joycelyn Zambrano"] had gotten his message. He spat on the floor, and waited for whatever came next. He doubted that [member="Tathra Khaeus"] would just let him go.