Faction Reap What is Sown (Bryn'adul & SJC)

[Kiara Ayres]

​

Her move had been one of self-preservation rather than out of a desire to beat her captor, though it also acted as a display of the strength she still possessed. The past few days had wreaked havoc on her physical state but her presence in the Force remained as strong as ever and it was through her connection to the living Force that she persevered.

Kiara didn't need to sense the anger through the Force when it was so clearly visible in his actions as sparks began to emanate from his fingertips. There was no further back she could go. She was literally and metaphorically cornered and the prospect of being faced by Force lightening was causing fear to rise within her, though she showed no note of it in her expression.

Before he even moved to strike her, she flinched, not at the prospect of being struck but at the growing feeling of desolation through the Force as the Force presence of people around her was violently torn away from them. It would be a feeling that would remain with her and burden her should she live more than the next few minutes enclosed in this room with her potential murderer.

The Jedi cried out in pain as she felt the bolt of lightning coursing throughout her body and her legs soon gave way until she was collapsed on the floor on her hands and knees which were barely holding up themselves, under the strain of her own weight. She breathed heavily, her head facing downwards, her eyes fixated on the ground.

"My death... means nothing... when the Concord will prevail." She spoke shakily between breaths.

Sethrak

 

[Sethrak]

Post: 6
Tag: Kiara Ayres

Sethrak slowly breathed out as The Jedi looked as if she would pass out after all. She could somehow go from resisting him with ease, to looking like a dying dog. He paused for a moment as she claimed her death would mean nothing. At this, Sethrak allowed a laugh. She was far from a strategic thinker. The loss of a leader was devastating, no matter who replaced them.

Sethrak watched the Jedi shake, barely keeping herself up. She had to be faking. Sethrak clenched a fist. If she was this weak he could do nothing more for now. He could try to heal her, but he had only done a limited amount of healing and it required genuine care. He cared about the information. Maybe that would be enough to at least make her stay awake?

It was worth a try. He didn't want to wait, even if it was only an hour.

He walked over to the Jedi. She was no threat now, so he need not worry about an attempted attack while he worked. He closed his eyes, placing a hand on her shoulder both to make the process easier, but also to have leverage in the case that she chose to fight.

He focused, thinking of nothing but healing, and the information. However, he couldn't tell if it was working. The Jedi's actions would reveal the results of his efforts....

 

[Kiara Ayres]

​

Her arms trembled but she pushed herself up into a sitting position, leaning back against the wall while her body worked quickly to recover. His mocking only strengthened her further and spurred her determination but she needed further time until her legs would cooperate to allow her to stand.

The Jedi looked up as he approached her and then her gaze shifted to the hand on her shoulder, staring at it for a moment before rolling her shoulder in an attempt to brush him off. She didn't issue a verbal warning, not wanting to seem too agitated lest it encourage him to attack her further.

She knew how this would go, how interrogations worked. The prospect of being disrespected, dishonoured and humiliated was not a pleasant one. The intervention reminded her that she was only alive because he allowed it and he had the ability to toy with whether or not she lived or died. If he was going to kill her anyway after leeching off of information then there was only one way to end this.

Her hand glided over the lightsaber at her hip, considering the possibility of ensuring she took the intel to her grave.

Sethrak

 

[Sethrak]

Post: 7
Tag: Kiara Ayres

She had shrugged it off. The focus Sethrak was putting into healing her, and the fact that she hadn't been pulverized yet had been a sign of his patience. For her to shrug it off was insulting. She was obviously faking her weakness to begin with, otherwise his healing would have, probably, been more accepted.

He was done playing games. If she became unconscious, so be it, he would no longer go easy on her. He, or The Ashaka, could heal her if her wounds were too much. He would torture her until she revealed the information.

He squeezed the hand that was on her shoulder more and more, slowly but firmly. The Drael had strength unrivaled by even the strongest species, such as Wookies; Eventually this would crush her shoulder, but it was slow, every second would bring more pain. The First Warlock prepared to be shoved away, hoping to be in a position where he could quickly react if needed.

He chose to taunt her, but also remind her that all she had to do was speak. Leaning in close he spoke in a rough whisper, "All that is necessary for this to cease is a simple statement. Tell me what I need to know or you will suffer much worse than this every day for the rest of your life."

Any second now....

 

[Kiara Ayres]

The lightning had given her body a shock but it was gradually recovering and she soon regained the strength to stand, albeit shakily. However, the hand on her shoulder weighed her down and prevented her from standing. She looked up at him, a little light headed from the lack of nutrition that had been withheld from them over the past days.

"Let me-" She started but stopped when she felt the grip of his hand tighten around her shoulder into an uncomfortable grip which soon grew into an intense pain. Initially, she grimaced and instinctively attempted to pull away. Though logic dictated that he was the stronger of the two, her body didn't recognise that in its desperation to free itself.

Kiara was keen not to show weakness but it was hard to not revert to instincts when she could feel her shoulder beginning to collapse on itself. She cried out in pain and with her other hand she attempted to Force push him away again but she was blinded by the pain which threatened her consciousness.

"What... What do you want from me?!" She asked, clearly extremely distressed.

Sethrak

 

[Sethrak]

Post: 8
Tag: Kiara Ayres

Sure enough, she tried to push him away. This time it was too weak. It was enough to push Sethrak back a little, but he never released his grip, simply extending his arm fully and burying his feet into the ground. He recovered his posture, angry, but understanding. Nobody could keep their senses when they were in the amount of pain she must be in.

Sethrak nearly laughed again when she asked what he wanted. She knew. He had told her already. Her question was simply to make him release his grip. If he were a fool he would have fallen for it, she was a good actressHe didn't, instead squeezing harder and faster in an attempt to snap any remaining bones and cause more pain on an already existing injury.

"You know what I want, Jedi scum." He spat in her face this time, just another way to break her spirit but not her bones.

He respected how long she had held on. If he were in her place, he would be dead most likely. He would fight if he were her. Of course, he wouldn't be in her situation at all because he wouldn't surrender to save so few. He would have never surrendered, no matter what. It was dishonorable, and weak.

He grinned as he continued squeezing. Surely now The Jedi knew she was doomed, and would reveal the information....

 

[Kiara Ayres]

The Jedi continued to scream the longer the hand closed in on her shoulder. She had expected that it would come to this when she surrendered herself but she had hoped to spare some lives in the process. It was all for nothing and now her final task was maintaining the safety and integrity of the Concord.

The edges of her vision blurred as she was threatened with becoming unconscious which she knew wouldn't be a relief as she would be in just as much agony when she awoke. However, despite the dire situation and how weak she had become, she was not powerless. Her working arm moved across her body to weakly wrap her hand around her lightsaber hilt.

The pain was unbearable but there was a small solace in the thought that it would not be prolonged. She made no offensive attack with the weapon, her movements too slow and feeble to do so, but instead brought the hilt of the blade facing towards her to place it over her heart.

Sethrak

 

[Sethrak]

Post: 9
Tag: Kiara Ayres

He grinned as the girl continued to scream. The pain would do its' job, eventually. Until then he would enjoy playing with his food, so to speak.

Sethrak gasped, first expecting to be run through by the saber. It never happened. Confused, The First Warlock looked at the saber, quickly he realized that The Grandmaster was opting to kill herself rather than talk.

"NO!" Sethrak yelled, immediately releasing his iron grip from the now shattered shoulder. He quickly reached for the saber, hoping to wrestle it away from The Grandmaster. She could not be allowed to die. Not until he learned what was necessary to bring The Jedi to their knees, and reacquire his planet.

His hand latched onto the saber as he wrestled for it. There was no doubt that he would win it over, but there was a chance of it igniting before he could secure it. If that happened, there was a small chance of The Ashaka saving her....

 

[Kiara Ayres]

.

There was little struggle from the Jedi for control over the weapon given that she had little strength to spare. The sudden jerking of the hilt caused her thumb to slip from its ignition and she lost control of the saber.

Within, she felt her heart sink, a painful defeat as one of the last means she had of protecting the Concord and her people was ripped from her grasp. The only opportunity to end her suffering was out of her reach and now all the information she needed to keep secret was exposed. Now all she faced was endless suffering until her enemy ended her life.

The strength she had was crumbling, noticeable by her willingness to die before talking.

Kiara leaned back against the wall, her gaze showing nothing but contempt for her captor. She was certain she wouldn't walk out of the room alive. Until the end, she attempted to remain more than a blubbering mess on the floor. Even in death the Jedi showed their strength.

Sethrak

 

[Sethrak]

Post: 10
Tag: Kiara Ayres

Sethrak breathed heavily as he snatched the saber from her without either of them dying. It felt unnatural to care about an enemy, but here he was. He was getting desperate, his patience was wearing thinner every second. He told himself that he had weeks, but his patience said otherwise.

He sighed, looking at The Jedi. She looked defeated, tears of pain on her face, her shoulder unnaturally shaped and a little bloody, and her form thin from starvation.

Sethrak decided to talk to her again, worried that any more physical harm may just kill her. He looked at the lightsaber. It was a unique weapon. Maybe one day he would use one himself, if it was ever allowed. Until then he had no use for the thing. He couldn't claim it, he hadn't defeated her in combat. Instead he squeezed it, shattering it and dropping it as two pieces of scrap.

"I hope that wasn't important to you." He smiled, "You have two options, Kiara Ayres, Grandmaster of The Jedi. Tell me who leads while you are away, tell me how many are on Nar Kreeta, and tell me where your next strike is. If you do this, I will release you. If you do not, the pain you felt today will be multiplied by ten. You will dread every day. Each night you will go to your cell, take a bath, be fed well, and recover with the aid of our Ashaka. Every morning you will return to me in this room and suffer pain that you could only imagine. This will never end. So which will it be, Grand Master?"

He never talked that much. Even telepathically, it was a lot for The Warlord. This was a sign of how tired of this interrogation he was. Perhaps The Jedi could sense his irritation. Maybe this would be the final statement to break her, or maybe she would make him wait. If she held out long enough, the information would be irrelevant eventually. Maybe he'd just kill her. No. She would pay if she waited too long. Even once the information was no longer needed, she would be a prisoner forever, by his order.....

 

[Kiara Ayres]

.

The Jedi Master maintained eye contact with the floor initially, the feeling of humiliation present within her. She looked up at her captor at the sound of metal crunching and watched in horror as her only means of saving herself was reduced to nothing more than scrap. A new level of hopelessness washed over her as she became truly at the mercy of her enemy in her weakened state. While before she had some say in her own death, now she had no such input.

The pressure on her body caused her to collapse onto her strongest side but she worked to push herself up into a sitting position again despite one arm being useless. She was angry with her captor and given the perceived finality of the situation she made no attempt at hiding it. Her gaze was one of anger not specifically at her captor but everything he stood for. She remained confident that the Concord would succeed without her but in this moment she felt anger towards their enemies, anger which was so often hidden from the public view.

The threat of being held captive and made to suffer daily until she revealed the information was a terrifying prospect. There was little point in even buying time for the Concord to act. It wouldn't ever be enough. It would not make revealing the information much easier, knowing that her words could impact thousands of lives. This was now a matter of mind over body. She needed to channel her energy into remaining strong, hopeful that they would accidentally kill her out of anger. It just depended how much she could cope with.

The Jedi hesitated at first, unsure how to respond. One of the Jedi Masters was king of a planet and could not afford to become a liability in war. However, she trusted one of the other council members to handle herself so gave her name as the second leader. "Sakadi Sinvala is in charge in my absence" She replied, a half-truth, clearly the words were painful to get out. Sakadi was on the council but had no more official positions beyond that. It was one of the most comfortable pieces of information she felt sharing. She trusted Sakadi to cope with any surprise attacks.

Sethrak

 

[Sethrak]

Post: 11
Tag: Kiara Ayres

Finally. She had revealed the leader. Sethrak grinned, she had finally broken. The question was, should he continue the torture and interrogation, or should he allow her a break? He wanted to continue striking while the metal was hot, but The Grandmaster was defeated, weak, and suicidal. It would be too dangerous to continue on.

"Good. You will be rewarded with a break before the interrogation resumes."

Sethrak raised his communication stone, calling to the guards, "She talked. Take her away, be gentle and feed her. We still need her alive."

Soon the guards would arrive and carry the grandmaster away. Unless she opted to tell him anything else, this interrogation was over. It would resume tomorrow...

 

[Kiara Ayres]

It was difficult to bear the feeling of inferiority in the situation. Among her own kind she was a revered Jedi Master and now she was looked upon as nothing more than a plaything.

While part of her wanted to hit back and insult his 'reward', she hoped that with Sakadi and Thurion's help she could buy at least some time now both were aware of the situation but she was really clutching at straws. She just needed to hold out as long as she could.

Her gaze rose from the floor to her captor as he spoke. She intended to refuse any food or drink from her captors as far as she could help it. Her last weakness was her worldly body but it might just be her saviour too.

Sethrak

 

[Sethrak]

Post: 12
Tag: Kiara Ayres

Sethrak waited for the guards. They were too slow, far from his Lothal Guard. It was shameful to slack so much in the eyes of an enemy. Perhaps Tathra would allow him to train some of the soldiers on the planet. As he waited he decided to speak to the now defeated and exhausted Jedi. "Should you escape and seek revenge, my name is Sethrak. I am The First Warlock." He struggled to find a comparison for his rank that would allow the Jedi to understand better. Instead he simply continued, "I am The Warlord of Lothal and Nar Kreeta..." He emphasized Nar Kreeta, "I welcome your assassins." It was a taunt that challenged her to escape and come for him. It would make her know that she was defeated, even if she escaped because she could never escape the nightmares of this meeting. They would haunt her forever and she could do nothing about it.

Finally the guards arrived. The First Warlock put his hand up, ordering a halt, as he spoke in his native tongue "I want an Ashaka and a Warlock watching her at all times. Do not allow her to die, even by her own hand. If she refuses to eat, inject her with nutrients. If she refuses to drink, do the same. I want The Ashaka to heal her throughout the day. Let her rest. Your orders are to keep her alive."

He lifted his arm again, allowing them to resume...

 

[Sylok'Vanari]

The wretched sound of the Jedi's voice reverberated off the walls. However, her inquisition couldn't stop the fully administered dose of Sylok's new and tested concoction. It had proven exceptionally useful in all the trials; or rather the other prisoners that divulged the information that led them to understand Jedi were among them. Regardless, the most important part of everything was the reaction of Aayla Shan . It seemed the Weaver had begun the interrogation in a strong position, he expected a more hardened warrior of the mind, but clearly he was wrong. Or maybe she cared more about others than he anticipated, given their nasty efforts to prevent many of his own kind from existing.

He questioned everything in that brief moment of realization.

Could this have been the same Jedi that brought upon the Xenophage? The same Jedi, that refused to understand their conquest? The same...the Jedi that killed General Keldothera ? Or was it...

Sylok didn't finsih the thought, it almost felt sympathetic...heretical. He jerked backwards, his dry patches of skin that formulated shell like brows, lifted. He wondered if the Knight before him was anomaly, a different breed, much like himself. He spit towards the floor and gave the order to the heavily breathing test subject. In his native language, he barked the order to the lone man standing before the lightsider.

"Ask her in your language, where the locations are of the Jedi factories of the Xenophage are. Ask her about the temple locations, the Ashaka need this information...Soon!" Sylok's voice grew cold and stern. The deep growl of his language becoming louder towards the end of his instruction.

The man's eyes widened, the slurring motions of the Bryn language infiltrating his mind before he went stiff. He understood it all, everything. Before he began to relay the message to Aayla Shan , a thick red blob formulated in his throat. The liquid sprayed outward, words following quickly after. Leaving the mess to fall upon the table and Jedi Knight in front of him.

"I...I understand him. He demands locations, factories..." The man paused, looking back to the tall Aeravalin. "Temples, he wants the temples too. Please I beg you Jedi!"

Sylok watched carefully, curious if the poor girl would comply. He hoped for the poor man's sake...she would.

​

 

[Aayla Shan]

She watched Sylok blankly for a moment longer, eyes trailing over to the man that had been subjected to Force knew what. She had no idea what it was Sylok injected him with, but knew it wasn't good. As such she tried to maintain clarity. It would have been better to keep herself keen for whatever lay ahead. For Aayla this interrogation was a waste of his breath. She had no guarantee of any of the lives they held now. She would never have that honestly. What would Sylok offer her in return for information? His word that he wouldn't immediately slaughter the rest of the people they held prisoner?

The thought brought a shudder from her form, slight, but visible. followed by her inhaling and closing her eyes as he began to speak; a beat would pass before he started speaking, hearing the questions that came from the man, she would not react immediately. She wanted to get lost in the Force, plainly; and so she did. Within her discord remained that trust in that which binded everything. The questions were heard, and given no immediate heed. She felt outwards instead, feeling for the life of Kiara. Indeed it was felt, and Aayla would blink her eyes open, the left moving only slightly, as she had still weathered quite a beating prior.

"I am sorry... We promised to protect you people."

She said, noting Sylok had moved away at this point, she would slide the chair back partly. Easing herself back into a more leisurely posture.

"After Charros IV, I heard from a Jedi Knight... Jax Thio, that the refugees inscribed the names of the dead on a tree... A grand tree.."

Whether or not he could understand, her eyes would have softly rested on his form. She just needed a straight shot at him... Well, her sabers wouldn't hurt either.

"They ran out of room... So... You see I know very well what you are... You, are a coward. That would prefer to press your boot on another's neck, than uplift... For that, one day it will come down to me or you;

Aayla would scoff warily then. She didn't want to watch this man die, but... The reality of the situation was grim. They had let her keep her sabers, after all. She was positive they hadn't 'forgotten' to remove them. She wasn't ready yet though... Not for him, save for if he took a careless misstep. She waited for that patiently, while playing whatever game he wanted to play. A light nod given as she finished that comment.

"That's all the information I have for you, like I told your goons earlier, if you aren't going to kill us, then can it Nyork face"

She said flatly, aware it could easily cost a man his life here and now, but not even remotely feeling guilt over it... Instead, Aayla redirected that guilt, and angst on who deserved it. The Bryn'Adul, and the murderous bastard ahead of her... A quiet storm raging just beyond the silver streaked grays that she stared him down with. By all means it seemed that was her policy for the rest of life against them.

Not an inch, if she controlled her actions...

Sylok'Vanari

 

[Kiara Ayres]

Kiara pushed herself off of the floor and onto her feet, determined to retain some dignity. "Jedi don't seek revenge. Only peace." She replied, looking him in the eyes. "You are a product of war and we will destroy you one way or another." She threatened him. Her words held little power now but in the future the Concord would prove them true. For now, they provided her a small comfort and showed her continued willingness to defy.

The Jedi clung to her lifeless arm and made no attempts to resist, knowing anything she said could be used against her. She remained silent, instead opting to communicate another way, to offer Sakadi a warning telepathically.

"Sakadi, the Bryn'adul have your name. They may try and kill you. Be cautious." She warned the Jedi Master, hoping she would receive the message despite the extreme effort it took to concentrate to do so due to the shooting pain in her shattered shoulder.

Whatever happened now was out of her hands. She hoped that when they afforded her time to rest she would be able to send more warnings with what she knew in a final act of protection.

Once in the new room, she sat on the floor with her back against the wall, taking some time to compose herself, place her entire focus into the Force and away from her throbbing shoulder or what was left of the mangled bone. She kept her eyes open to avoid raising too many suspicions but kept them trained ahead.

It took a great effort to compose such a long message and transmit it at great distances through the Force but she attempted anyway, having nothing left to lose.

"Listen to these words. They may be my last." She started the message to Sakadi. "They asked about military presence on Nar Kreeta and where we plan to strike next. Increase our military presence on Nar Kreeta and if I can help in any way from here, I will."

Sethrak Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

 

[Osam]

The water sloshed mightily from side to side as the series of troughs were pushed throughout the hallways of the Super-Construct. These corridors had not been designed originally to allow for this form of cargo, and the width of the troughs was pushing the logistics of the hall to its limits. Nevertheless, every second brought another squeaking wheel from the troughs as they were settled slowly but surely in front of the storage rooms that had been set aside for the prisoners.

Osam sniffed the air, the iron stench of spilled blood filling his senses. He had known that there would need to be a culling in order to allay suspicions as to their true purposes... but he did not expect that so many would fail to meet the Ultra's standards. The Warlord hoped that they still had a sufficient number of persons alive in order to maximize their infectivity. They would need at least five hundred living souls according to the reports of the Aeravalin scientists who had worked on the creation of the serum. Any fewer than that and the viral load would travel, but it might not be able to infest as many worlds as they desired.

Short term, the hybrid had hopes that the virus would be able to spread throughout all of the Concord worlds. That the sudden infiltration of the plague would cripple and weaken their opponents and force them to focus on internal developments and recovery. That would mean allaying any sudden surprise attacks against the conquered territories of the Bryn'adul. That was good because recent developments had destabilized their society rather dramatically... they would need time to guarantee that everything was functioning appropriately under the new system of sole Ish'makra rule.

The troughs each came to a stop, one in front of every segment of prisoner storage, large enough to hydrate about fifteen people at once, and about a hundred in total. They would need to drink from it like animals, of course, but that did not matter to the Draelvasier. What did matter was the presence of the Curse within each tank, invisibly placed within each batch of water so that the prisoners would not be certain that they were drinking their own doom with every grateful sip.

The Warlord activated his mind-stone, transmitting a thought to the Ultra by means of the archaic technology.
"Gordrak. The Curse is ready outside of the chambers in troughs of water. Once it's been disseminated, we can ready ourselves for the release procedures. The shuttlecraft should be ready. We'll need a few human pilots if any remain."

The message sent, the hybrid turned his attention over to the interrogators still busy with their work.
"The water troughs are available. Return your prisoners to the main holding cells when you are finished... we'll be releasing them tomorrow, but not before they've all been infected."

 

[Sethrak]

Post: 13
Tag: Kiara Ayres

Sethrak made a noise resembling both a sigh and a growl. The Jedi was communicating with her replacement. It was difficult to intercept a message that was not directed at him and thus he couldn't stop it from being sent. That being said, he knew what the message said. She was warning her replacement and sending more forces to Nar Kreeta.

Sethrak clenched a fist, tempted to kill The Jedi here and now. But he couldn't, he needed the information. He would let her leave and punish her tomorrow, once The Ashaka had healed and fed her. Until then he needed patience.

He decided to say one last thing to her, however, "You can send an army. Nothing can stop us. You are doomed and Nar Kreeta is mine."

 

[Thova 'Mdanam]

Thova stood to one side of a large gathering of prisoners, his eyes downcast in shame and disgust. Before him, Bryn'adul warriors were herding and corralling the civilians as they continued their efforts to control them, bruises and broken bones the most common denominator now among their kind. Vaydralen warriors around the room were similarly at a distance, watching the events proceed with barely contained disgust, though they did nothing. They had been given orders, and the Vaydralen obeyed.

Thova had given his word to Kiara Ayres on the world he had invaded, his word to do what he could to help the civilians and protect them. He had given his word to her, as a Clan Leader and Fleetmaster, he had given his word. The moment they had come back to Caerdar, his peoples very homeworld, that word had been at first strained, then broken. Bryn'adul warriors had been harsh to the civilians, and while Thova had attempted to keep them at bay, he could not be everywhere. While deescalating one situation across the complex where the civilians were being kept, word had come to Thova that an entire score had been butchered where they stood. Slaughtered for not understanding the orders roared at them in another language.

The weak had no place in this galaxy, Thova knew that. It had been ingrained to his being, both as a Vaydralen and as a Bryn'adul officer. The weak had no right to exist, but he had given his word. To the highly honor bound Vaydralen, to have broken his word in such a way, Thova might as well have committed suicide. His warriors did not hold it against him, they understood the impossible situation he had been placed in, but they could similarly do nothing. The Vaydralen had chosen to do exactly that, nothing, in protest. Across the complex, Vaydralen warriors did nothing to aid their Bryn'adul allies, and only watched.

Turning away, Thova marched away through the corridors of the Super-Construct, his eyes shielded from view by the helmet he wore. He had not gone far when he came across Sethrak and the Jedi, watching from the shadows. He was conflicted, frozen between action and inaction, his mind tearing itself apart on the proper course of action in this moment. Finally, Thova could not hold back anymore and advanced. His black cloak with red lining billowed behind him as the crimson clad warrior advanced into the chamber, his voice ringing out sharp and clear.

"That is enough, Warlock."