Private Path of Damnation

[Darth Nefaron]

Anoat was foul.

Bleak, storm-ravaged, and bereft of life save for the foul soldiers in Darth Nefaron's service.

In the force, echoes of countless beings' torment had poisoned the very stone of the Corpse Lord's fortress.

Yet the slave pits were empty. Whips remained unused. But there was but one slave who now called it home.
​

It had been three standard days since the Rebellion on Ukatis had come to its bloody end, three days since the Corpse Lord had ordered his new arrival to be taken to chambers in the citadel's central spire. This was no display of kindness, however, for the room provided to the young Seer was little more than four walls, a small refresher, a stone slab for a bed, and the sealed door to the chambers. What little light there was was offered by a dim red bulb that was fixed into the stone ceiling. Nefaron, nor his Apprentice, had said anything to the girl, nor had they come to visit her. Occasionally, a protocol droid arrived to provide a tray of unappealing meat and bread, but these meals were difficult to predict since the passage of time was a mystery within the walls of the fortress.

Yet on the third day, the door to the chamber opened. This time, however, the original protocol droid had been replaced by a heavily modified medical droid, its sleek black plating and singular red eye made it seem a creature spawned from the depths of the fortress.

"Lady Seer," the droid began, its voice deep and unemotional, "I am DD-421, I am the Seneschal of the great Darth Nefaron, the one true Dark Lord of the Sith."

The droid stepped into the cell, revealing its multiple appendages, all designed to be modular. Behind the droid, two do the Corpse Lords heavily scared soldiers stood, blasters in hand, as they escorted the droid.

"The Master has departed for some time. You are in my service until he returns. He has left me in charge of your initial education in the ways of the Order of the Sith Lords. As I understand it, you are woefully behind on your tutelage, I will see that corrected."

The droid turned, expecting the girl to follow.

"So, do not waste time fleeing. The fortress is sealed, and I would so hate to displease the Master by having you mutilated. Lord Nefaron has great plans for you, young Seer, but he will carry on without you if he must."

DD-421 was, of course, bluffing. The Dark Lord had given him very strict orders not to permanently harm the girl, but she didn't need to know that. The droid simply didn't wish to bother having the girl chased by the Corpse Legionaries. He did not find enjoyment in his current task, for he longed to return to the master's laboratory to continue his dissection and experimentation, for he had been built for this purpose.

"Come. The master commanded me to show you his fortress, know the place that shall be your home. You will come to enjoy its confines in time, once you have been made to see."

The droid began to walk. The Corpse Legionaries, cruel eyes gazing upon the girl, waited for her to follow along so that they could block her escape.

But this fortress was a maze. A vast complex of terror and suffering.

A wrong turn could end with the girl's eternal torment.

Or her freedom.

Was it worth it?

TAG: Eurydice ​

 

[Eurydice]

Eurydice had quickly lost track of time.

Minutes, hours, even days began to blend together - it was difficult to tell without any cues. No window, no view of the world outside her room, no rhythm to the protocol droid's visits.

That was the most frightening thing in this sinister place. The loss of time. No one to speak to, with nothing to do. Nothing to fill the empty, mind-numbing hours. Boredom festered into an endless cycle of thought, of trying to picture why she was here and what would be done with her.

They'd killed Father Erasmus. They'd killed the King. So why hadn't they killed her? Eurydice was so far down the totem pole when it came to the Ukatian hierarchy, just barely above a commoner.

On the third day, the door to her cell - because that's what it was - slid open. The Seer was had laid on her bed of stone with her back to the door. She did not feel like eating and ignored the protocol droid.

It was the deep, stoic tones of unfamiliar vocal synthesizers that roused her. Eurydice turned, peering listlessly over her shoulder.

Bathed in red lighting, the droid's sinister appearance sent a shudder up her spine. Her heart stuttered in panic, but she felt a vague pang of relief for finally having someone speak to her. Starved for information and human contact, she was grateful to even interact with a droid.

Even if she was still terrified.

Pushing herself up from the stone cot, Eurydice followed. The mention of mutilation had her fair features absolutely pale, and the red lighting made her skin look even more sallow.

The pair of corpse legionaries were quick to close rank behind her. Their gazes felt heavy on her back. The Seer tried to ignore them.

"Do you…do you know if my father is still alive?"

She spoke tentatively, uncertain if speaking out of turn would be frowned upon.

Eurydice had been born Agatha Hargrave, the only child of Colonel Hargrave. Her mother had died in childbirth, and Agatha had been taken into the Seers at a young age. She did not yet know that her father had perished in the city's defense.

Darth Nefaron