Private Power of Darth Strelok

[Maple Harte]

Wearing: Biker Leathers

Armed With: Marksman's Toothpick


Objective: Go visit Sawa Ike on Atrisia


Darth Strelok hadn't bothered to report back in for days since brutally injuring her "Sister" for attacking the Silver Rest. She had gone to ground, not answering any calls.

And for the first time she found she had the power to shut out any attempt at Telepathic contact. She had not been expelled---The Battalion had not told anyone the full details of just how bad Xiphos's injuries were, or how much more extensive they had gotten because of her.

She wasn't even talking to Nine.

No. What she was doing right now, was what she had probably needed to do for months.

Visit old friends.

That's why Strelok had taken the Silent Erika to Atrisia, to Sawa's palace.

She needed a bit of a wind down. Sawa had been one of her close friends, but Maple's madness, the chaos of trying to make sure House Io didn't collapse, that Laertia didn't sink too far into her madness, had kept them so separate. Strelok, in particular wanted to show Sawa the new her, to demonstrate how much control she had gained over herself since embracing the Dark Side.

She wanted to have the time to decompress. To be somewhat lucid for once and able to enjoy it.

She couldn't set the Silent Erika on typical Hangars so she just headed directly to the Palace itself. She had thought about trying to contact Siva but thought the better of it. The kindest thing she could do for her was stay away now. If House Io fell, Siva need not be dragged down with it.

There was almost no getting out of the business once you were at Strelok's level. Only way out was a body bag or complete de powering. Strelok had no desire to surrender her power at this point.

But right now she didn't need power. She needed to relax.

The black J-Type Nubian set down on the landing pad and Strelok felt a lot of emotions she struggled to control, lest her broken hands stop functioning. Lest her current level of madness get worse.

Sawa... the mental voice of Darth Strelok called out to the ancient vampire as she stepped out of the ship to spit the sunset just in time. It was an octave lower than Maple's mental voice.

I've missed you, my dear. Me and Uri 'both'...

 

[Sawa Ike]

Maple Harte

Sawa had spent much of her time in the palace.. things on Atrisia were going better then most and she had no reason to venture out of the system let alone off of the planet. Daily governance of her regions that reported to the Emperor and sent their taxes, their excess supplies and even some soldiers. It was an important aspect to keep the great machine that was the Commonwealth working. She oversaw aspects for parts of her family here as well with her daughter and grandchildren... even great grandchildren living their lives this far out... she sat on her throne listenign to the villagers from Ashthorne speak... they were presenting their children to her as was tradition. The ones with the greatest potential would become her apprentices... would be taken to the palace and given the most lavish of lives because they were special.

'Sawa.' The voice was there and reports of a ship coming into the hanger of the palace... using the pass that Maple had.... had Sawa motioning with one hand as she moved excusing herself and not needing to run down the hallway but she allowed herself to move quickly. TO let the force wrap around herself and she entered the hanger. Her senses fidning Maple as she looked at the womana nd there was a difference to her... she quickly strode forward letting her black hair down from a tight bun with the twin hair pins but allowed them to go tot he sides. Herr curtain of hair was down to her ankles "You came back." She said it and moved to embrace her.. the feeling of darkness and everything clung to the woman when she breathed in the scent of her.

 

[Maple Harte]

"Yeah..." the Assassin replied. "I came back..."

She left the embrace of Sawa Ike , blinking at her with sulphur eyes.

"I...became a Sith. I'm called Strelok now, Sawa..." Strelok explained. "Xiphos had the Silver Rest bombed and...I snapped. I crippled her. Utterly." Strelok explained. "Its weird. SHe's still my sister...and I still love her..."

Strelok sighed. "But I couldn't let that chit slide."

Seeing Sawa brought it all back for Strelok. Sawa had been a friend she hadn't had a chance to see in a while-ensuring the Survival of The House came with its own headaches, as well as figuring out how to ensure the death of that thing that had eaten her master from within.

"I missed you..." she said, switching topics like it was nothing. "How have you been?"

 

[Sawa Ike]

Maple Harte

She felt different and Sawa stayed there looking at her, aa small look of concern on her face. "I heard and well good." NOt for defending or revenging the jedi.. more that she had beaten down such a problem case... Sawa's eyes remained on her while she brought her hands up and around to guide her towards the fortress palace. She was looking at her and took it all in as Maple seemed to be distant... distracted but she didn't have a worry about her for now. "You look like you need food my sweet Maple." She said it and was going inside while wrapping her arm around her... "breathed my sweet... allow yourself to take it what you have become. You will find no judgement here... well maybe a little... I do want to get you into either a bikini or a kimono to regal me with tales of what has happened to you."

 

[Maple Harte]

"So anyway..." Strelok said as she ate a bit of shrimp while reclining on the couch in a sling bikini. "Laertia that spiteful short sighted schutta decides to level the Silver Rest, I snap and cripple her sorry ass, and I experience so much rage at doing so I gave into the Darkness on instinct. So now Laertia is possibly gonna be trapped in that armor until she becomes a Force Spawn or whatever, turns out my Master was eaten from the inside by the founder of the Cult she led who had mentally infected her somehow, everybody at House Io is pissed off and we are in hiding and licking our wounds. ANNNNNNNDDD the Brain Demon is being openly worshipped in the streets of this lost Sith Treasure planet we found.

She ate another bit of shrimp on the lawn chair, pausing thoughtfully.

"Everything sucks in other words, and its all screwy."

She had let her hair down for the first time in ages and watched Sawa Ike languidly as she spoke, putting in context for Sawa some of the things Nine had told her about, like why Xiphos was so screwed up in the head (It basically went like: "She and I found out our first Master was secretly The Amalgam the whole time, which caused a nervous breakdown. She failed to help save Nar Kreeta, turned against the Jedi when they wouldn't set aside their feud with the Sith to stop the Bryn'adul, and her first lover turned out to be the Sith who murdered her parents, and she is currently married to the woman who butchered her grandparents on her biological father's side") and all the horrible weapons they were developing, along with how they were basically trying to bring a warrior culture up from scratch.

"Yeah, that about sums it up." she finished, clearly perturbed. "So how's life on your end, 'cause mine's alllllll kinds of fethed."

 

[Sawa Ike]

Maple Harte

She listened and looked at her, standing by a smaller alcove that was filled with a bar they could use. The sith lord herself though taking in much of the information with a nod rather coming over to give her a drink. Whisking her away would be an important thing for them to do.. she wanted to better see what could be done to aid Maple. Walking over with a shimy to her hips and small sway as she took a seat and looked at her offering the drink. "I see." She said it and brought her hand over to trace her forehead and down her cheek. "My poor maple, you have gone through so much but you have managed to return to me." A thin smile showed on her lips when she offered her hand to give energy and warmth through it with the force. "I have been less eventful, More I have been enjoying my time here." Her hand was there. "Fall into me... focus on just me... allow your mind to clear." She said it and looked at her and showed her fangs. "Let me make you feel better my sweet."

 

[Maple Harte]

Strelok grinned as Sawa Ike offered to make her feel better.

"Time to get that Well-Rested Bonus..." she joked as she fell into Sawa's arms, Sulphur staring into Sulphur...

For just a second, her joy at being with Sawa again caused her hold over the Dark Side to falter, and she winced as searing pain swept through hands whose bones were severely fractured. She couldn't heal them, not without the Darkness.

She collapsed in pain as she lost her hold. It took a few moments, remembering her fury at herself, at Laertia, before the pain subsided.

She went over to Sawa, caught in the odd balance of channeling her emotions and indulging her feelings for the super Ancient Energy Vampire, both she and the Narrator remarking on the Anime-esque aspects of her life in private.

She fell into her arms, channeling the Dark Side more even as she began to infuse it with her passion for femme fatales.

"My power over Telekinesis has increased..." Strelok said. "I feel...supercharged...like I could do anything...like I could finally kill The Amalgam..."

Strelok put it out of her mind. No business. Just become a potential snack. And not just in the metaphorical sense.

"So, you gorgeous Kelly Hu Expy You!" Strelok remarked playfully, drawing her arms around her waist. "What ever shall we do with our time alone?"

(Opening tunes of "Calendar Girl" start to play)

 

[Sawa Ike]

Maple Harte

The force gleamed around and she could feel it as well as the pain. Remaining there as Maple came back to her she wrapped her arms around her. Radiating the force to heal herself. Sawa could see it pulsing across her body. The small clicking of her fangs as they came into place was there but she closed her mouth quickly using the skin as a muffle. She didn't need to bite her but she pulsed and sent energy towards her to recover. "Be still." She let the words whisper as she slowly sent it towards her and whispered in her mind. Sawa slowly pulled back and she moved leading the way deeper into the palace and fortress... her black robed handmaidens remaining there.

The moved to remove the clothing and allow the two of them to stand still in the pooling water. Sawa looked at her and stroked her face. "Be in me... be in my eyes." Her silvery eyes looking at her as she held her hand out and shaped the water bringing it up to her hand to swirl around. "Be stillness, be water my sweet treat." Sawa said it and her voice was a mixture of smooth and soothing, a whisper but clear enough to be heard over the sound of the waters coming in. "We have all the time in the universe, until the stars burn out, until our enemies are dust. you just have to be here with me." She smiled bringing the water up and using it as she infused the force into it.

"Allow yourself to let the force wash over you, feed it into your body... your muscles and your bones. Imagine the stillness of an ocean before a storm... the dark depths of it before they come up and reach to drag your enemies down and fill their lungs. Let the force wash over your body and relax into me."

 

[Maple Harte]

Strelok did as Sawa Ike asked, enjoying the various sensations coursing through her body. The power of the Sith-Vampire-Sorceress was like a relaxing current that was also electrified at the same time. She forgot her troubles, pulled Sawa closer and grasped her, letting the moment last. Her madness stilled for a split second.

I love Laertia Io like an older Sister. But she is completely insane Strelok thought to herself, not aware Sawa would be able to clearly see her thoughts.

How do I kill her? What is stopping me? Stelok asked herself. *And Sawa...she doesn't deserve this. Me dragging her into my problems constantly. I don't deserve a friend like her.

Strelok, and not for the first time, wondered what would happen if she went full tilt and just stayed with Sawa. However, Laertia's bizarre stance on Family had begun to rub off on her.

Strelok, being a more burned out, contemplating sort of Sith Assassin, was not so inclined to the more sadistic cruelties of her peers. She preferred just killing the target and getting it over with. And despising typical Sith, found their willingness to betray almost anything or anyone disgusting and abhorrent. It was not easy, due to her own emotions.

She found herself wanting to save House Io. But didn't know how. Oh well. Hot Kelly Hu Expy!

Strelok pushed it out of her mind, embracing Sawa mentally.

"I let Nine down...I couldn't kill her. I couldn't kill The Amalgam because... because I--"

Even now, Strelok couldn't say Loved and The Amalgam in the same sentence. She felt disgusting and dirty for that emotion, even more so after it was revealed The Amalgam had long ago been taken over by the remnants of Darth Phyre.

Even now, Strelok wondered what the Real Amalgam would have done.

"Oh Sawa...I feel like an absolute fool..." Strelok whispered.

 

[Sawa Ike]

Maple Harte

She listened both to the verbal and the mental taking it on in as the waters steamed.. the mists shrouding the room and filling it with a cloying scent. Maple was overthinking things.. a lot of things and Sawa remained there shifting in the waters so she was behind her and just breathed in the scent and exhaled the force. "Quiet your mind, a thousand thoughts is a clamor and from that you will overthink and fret.... perspective comes when you can step back and observe the problem." She said it and remained there behind her just wrapping her arms around the woman. "In this life we are either kings or pawns, emperors or fools." SHe said it while remaining there and found a place to sit and just hold her while the steam was all around.

"You must be careful my sweet Maple... the darkside can be many things... anger is good and will keep you warm but To gain your heart's desire you have to lose some part of your old life, your old self. To do that you have to have courage; without it, you can't make the leap. And if you don't make the leap you have only three choices: You can hate yourself for not taking the chance, you can hate the person from whom you've sacrificed your happiness, or you can hate the one who offered you happiness, and blame them for your lack of courage, convince yourself it wasn't real." She said it and remained there only offering soft words that were low and in a rumble.

 

[Maple Harte]

Strelok considered the words of Sawa Ike .

"You're right. I could have gotten off the ride any time I wanted. I could even have chosen to never get back on the ride in the first place..." Strelok muttered.

"I let myself get pushed to the side. Allowed myself to be only a witness. Never taking a direct hand in matters. If this is my destiny...then I might as well hop in hook, line, and sinker..."

Strelok allowed herself to just enjoy Sawa's company the rest of the evening.

The next day...

Darth Strelok trained in Sawa's castle, dual wielding blaster pistols against similarly armed B1 Droids utterly expendable.

In-between shooting, she tested out her telekinesis by gripping one of the droids, and found crushing it was an almost trivial matter.

"My telekinesis has gotten crazy strong..." she remarked, lifting up multiple B1's and spinning them overhead before flinging them with pinpoint accuracy at each other.

"Hey, Sawa! Do some crazy chit with Pyrokinesis!" Strelok requested, trying to test the limits of her control....

 

[Sawa Ike]

Maple Harte

Listening to her for the night wasn't terrible... she allowed the force to whisper and soothe before going to sleep for the night. SLowly letting it wash over her as she laid there and in the silks. She was debating getting up but there was the sounds of fighting outside in the courtyard... she rolled over and yawned. Stretching out before sliding off of the bed and rising herself up. SHe went to the window and stretched out feeling her limbs pop and pull. The droids were new and in the garden as Maple was training and she started to walk down towards her grabbing a robe and pair of slippers. The black silk robe opening when she came into the courtyard and using fire shaping this early.

She looked at her and grumbled to herself a little but shook out of the robe as she stood there. "Fire shaping is a powerful art... calling it pyro kinesis sounds so dull." She said it but had a smile on her face while she loosened up.. her body becoming flexible and stiff. Valha controlled fire... they burned away more and fire shapers were like that... cheap fire tricks were for childrens entertainers. Her eyes focused on Maple and she moved remaining still mentally and on her face but her kick came with a sweep of the ground sending up an arc of flame that spread out like a crescent moon. Then she spun and used it to swing her arm to make a blast of flame in the distance strikes.