Darth Strelok
Wearing: Prison Jumpsuit
Armed with: Wits.
NOTE: Takes place before Invasion of Rhand
She had been placed in a Universal Energy Cage after her capture at Kerest. She had been stripped of her weapons, having severely maimed Multiple SJC troops during the fighting and severely crippling three Jedi Knight's past their ability to be healed by the Force before some Biot had gotten the better of her. That and she had suffered a schizophrenic episode. They were kept in stasis pods until a solution could be devised to heal them. But Maple had expertly injured them all the same and they were still in critical condition. Skip. Jacen Nimdok had been dead for months, eaten by Bithia. Skip. Back to reality.
She was not beaten. She was kept under 24 hour guard by Jedi Weapon Masters, Veteran SJC Rangers pointing guns at her from all angles, but she was not beaten. She had escaped worse.
Maple had said nothing, despite days of getting interrogated by people who promised everything from execution to making her life a living hell in prison and making certain she would never see the sun again.
Laertia had grown antagonistically violent towards the SJC in the days since Kerest. Jedi who had been at that event were being kidnapped, and having their left limb cut off and mailed to Nimdok. The Jedi were then stripped of The Force, then shipped to Kashyyyk unconscious and Heavily drugged. Any master captured by House Io that had participated in Kerest however, had either all their legs and arms cut off, their eyes gouged out by pissed off refugee converts to the House. and then they were stripped of the Force.
"How can you allow this?!"
Maple looked up, saw a man covered in bruises and slowly healing cuts, dressed in Civilian clothes, a jacket, shirt, pants, and boots.
It was Zabka Bis'clavret, aka The Man in White .
He was holding up a data pad showing the latest photos of traumatized Jedi with amputated limbs. Poison had somehow been administered to one of the Kerest Jedi Masters minutes after he had gotten here a few days ago. He had suffered minor Brain Damage and now could not use the Force as expertly as he once could, and Force Healing didn't seem able to undo the damage, suggesting it was Alchemized. He was suffering seizures. The actual soldiers who had fought there remained untouched, all the wrath seemingly focused on the Silver Jedi Knight's, the Padawans, and their Masters. They didn't find all of the ones who had fought at Kerest. They didn't even find most of them. But the ones they did find were made to suffer terribly and then made terrifying examples for the survivors to mull over.
Xiphos's cruelty was the cruelty of leaving the Jedi to live with the aftermath of their choices, at as greatly reduced a quality of life as possible, as traumatized as possible. Just like the Bryn'adul victims.
"This is insanity." Zabka snarled at her. "Twenty six amputated by Force just last week. Then cut off from the Force. She's getting to be about as brutal as Themis started to get at the end."
Maple glanced at him. One eye a wet green, the other sulphur.
"Not used to getting them back alive, are you?" Maple asked quietly.
"Does she truly hate us so much that not even killing us is satisfactory for her now?" Zabka asked.
"Yes. That much I will say, for it is no secret." Maple replied. "You ask me, it's a far more effective method than simply killing you. Pain, I've noticed, is the only Teacher, the only critic that a Jedi cannot easily ignore, whose lessons that a Jedi cannot easily dismiss, or forget. It's only when the Order is subjected to great, collective suffering that it bothers to re-examine itself on more than a superficial level. Killing you teaches you nothing. Letting you live, mangled, and with memories you will have no choice but to either live with or go mad from, teaches you what it is like for others who suffered from your selfish behavior. I used to respect the Jedi as a whole. I don't want to fight you, personally. But I have obligations."
"What could you possibly be obligated to her for?" Zabka demanded, walking up to her past her guards, realizing this was more words than any had managed to get out of her in weeks.
"Even I in my madness see how she is destined to help bring about the ruination of the Bryn'adul. And possibly help stop another menace. Do I think she's destroyed her own life? Certainly. But that doesn't mean she won't help bring about their death. But only at a cost. A cost that would not have been so high for her if your side had done the right thing and not left all those systems to their death just to help the NIO consolidate their power."
Maple glowered.
"They're going to turn on the GA and the SJC you know. The moment either one of you display enough weakness or incompetence or both--which is likely--they will turn on you. How many lives have you both thrown away just trying to seize planetary ruins on Ziost? How many thousands died pointlessly in those battles."
"Not pointlessly. The Sith Empire collapsed, in spite of all your friend did to stop it, she failed."
Maple snorted in amusement.
"Did she?"
"How else would you look at it?"
"Ask yourself something. You really think Laertia genuinely cared about the Sith Empire's survival beyond it being a barrier to the Bryn'adul? She preserved it as long as she had to. And thwarting or delaying it cost it's enemies significant treasure and personnel. Say the Crusade against the Empire had gone better than your side had dared hoped, with no Laertia to hinder you at every turn. What would have stopped the SJC, the Ashlan's, The GA, The NIO, from ganging up on the CIS, which is led by Sith? They would have demanded immediate surrender, a Purge and arrest of all with Dark Side leanings before your side would even have thought to agree for peace terms. And even if they had done what such a theoretical coalition asked, said coalition still would have gutted the CIS and reshaped it to their liking. Delaying your side helped preserve the CIS as yet another safeguard against the Bryn."
"They're not my side." Zabka said quietly.
"Could have fooled me...so where's the Professor?"
"He'll be along shortly...maybe..." Zabka said.
Armed with: Wits.
NOTE: Takes place before Invasion of Rhand
She had been placed in a Universal Energy Cage after her capture at Kerest. She had been stripped of her weapons, having severely maimed Multiple SJC troops during the fighting and severely crippling three Jedi Knight's past their ability to be healed by the Force before some Biot had gotten the better of her. That and she had suffered a schizophrenic episode. They were kept in stasis pods until a solution could be devised to heal them. But Maple had expertly injured them all the same and they were still in critical condition. Skip. Jacen Nimdok had been dead for months, eaten by Bithia. Skip. Back to reality.
She was not beaten. She was kept under 24 hour guard by Jedi Weapon Masters, Veteran SJC Rangers pointing guns at her from all angles, but she was not beaten. She had escaped worse.
Maple had said nothing, despite days of getting interrogated by people who promised everything from execution to making her life a living hell in prison and making certain she would never see the sun again.
Laertia had grown antagonistically violent towards the SJC in the days since Kerest. Jedi who had been at that event were being kidnapped, and having their left limb cut off and mailed to Nimdok. The Jedi were then stripped of The Force, then shipped to Kashyyyk unconscious and Heavily drugged. Any master captured by House Io that had participated in Kerest however, had either all their legs and arms cut off, their eyes gouged out by pissed off refugee converts to the House. and then they were stripped of the Force.
"How can you allow this?!"
Maple looked up, saw a man covered in bruises and slowly healing cuts, dressed in Civilian clothes, a jacket, shirt, pants, and boots.
It was Zabka Bis'clavret, aka The Man in White .
He was holding up a data pad showing the latest photos of traumatized Jedi with amputated limbs. Poison had somehow been administered to one of the Kerest Jedi Masters minutes after he had gotten here a few days ago. He had suffered minor Brain Damage and now could not use the Force as expertly as he once could, and Force Healing didn't seem able to undo the damage, suggesting it was Alchemized. He was suffering seizures. The actual soldiers who had fought there remained untouched, all the wrath seemingly focused on the Silver Jedi Knight's, the Padawans, and their Masters. They didn't find all of the ones who had fought at Kerest. They didn't even find most of them. But the ones they did find were made to suffer terribly and then made terrifying examples for the survivors to mull over.
Xiphos's cruelty was the cruelty of leaving the Jedi to live with the aftermath of their choices, at as greatly reduced a quality of life as possible, as traumatized as possible. Just like the Bryn'adul victims.
"This is insanity." Zabka snarled at her. "Twenty six amputated by Force just last week. Then cut off from the Force. She's getting to be about as brutal as Themis started to get at the end."
Maple glanced at him. One eye a wet green, the other sulphur.
"Not used to getting them back alive, are you?" Maple asked quietly.
"Does she truly hate us so much that not even killing us is satisfactory for her now?" Zabka asked.
"Yes. That much I will say, for it is no secret." Maple replied. "You ask me, it's a far more effective method than simply killing you. Pain, I've noticed, is the only Teacher, the only critic that a Jedi cannot easily ignore, whose lessons that a Jedi cannot easily dismiss, or forget. It's only when the Order is subjected to great, collective suffering that it bothers to re-examine itself on more than a superficial level. Killing you teaches you nothing. Letting you live, mangled, and with memories you will have no choice but to either live with or go mad from, teaches you what it is like for others who suffered from your selfish behavior. I used to respect the Jedi as a whole. I don't want to fight you, personally. But I have obligations."
"What could you possibly be obligated to her for?" Zabka demanded, walking up to her past her guards, realizing this was more words than any had managed to get out of her in weeks.
"Even I in my madness see how she is destined to help bring about the ruination of the Bryn'adul. And possibly help stop another menace. Do I think she's destroyed her own life? Certainly. But that doesn't mean she won't help bring about their death. But only at a cost. A cost that would not have been so high for her if your side had done the right thing and not left all those systems to their death just to help the NIO consolidate their power."
Maple glowered.
"They're going to turn on the GA and the SJC you know. The moment either one of you display enough weakness or incompetence or both--which is likely--they will turn on you. How many lives have you both thrown away just trying to seize planetary ruins on Ziost? How many thousands died pointlessly in those battles."
"Not pointlessly. The Sith Empire collapsed, in spite of all your friend did to stop it, she failed."
Maple snorted in amusement.
"Did she?"
"How else would you look at it?"
"Ask yourself something. You really think Laertia genuinely cared about the Sith Empire's survival beyond it being a barrier to the Bryn'adul? She preserved it as long as she had to. And thwarting or delaying it cost it's enemies significant treasure and personnel. Say the Crusade against the Empire had gone better than your side had dared hoped, with no Laertia to hinder you at every turn. What would have stopped the SJC, the Ashlan's, The GA, The NIO, from ganging up on the CIS, which is led by Sith? They would have demanded immediate surrender, a Purge and arrest of all with Dark Side leanings before your side would even have thought to agree for peace terms. And even if they had done what such a theoretical coalition asked, said coalition still would have gutted the CIS and reshaped it to their liking. Delaying your side helped preserve the CIS as yet another safeguard against the Bryn."
"They're not my side." Zabka said quietly.
"Could have fooled me...so where's the Professor?"
"He'll be along shortly...maybe..." Zabka said.