Private Seek and Ye Shall Find

[Kalanda Tishire]

Location: Nathema Orbit.

There was something wrong with the planet infront of her. It was like an empty void in space. She couldn't see the thriving life within, nor the unique touch that life brought to a world. How depressing. Using her one hand, she pushed in the coordinates, hoping that she wouldn't experience any issues on the world itself. She was quite literally going in blind. She watched from the confines of her metal capsule, as she submerged into an inky darkness, finding herself in a place she felt she had no right being. This was the only place she could come for help. This was the only answer she could think of to mend her arm. The nightsisters would not take her betrayal fondly, and going back meant death; that was obvious to the witch now. She felt a fear grip at her chest, watching as the light above her faded, the force seemingly thinned into a fine mist that she could catch glimpses of vision as if looking through small strands of glass. She was doing this for Amur (Amur ). For herself. For her future. This was no time to be scared.

She sat still, watching through her limited vision she gripped the sides of her chair as the Totoro finally settle down on what Kalanda could only hope was a landing pad. She rose, unable to feel the ground beneath her feet, hardly able to make out the confines of her ship in this new environment. She scowled. Taking a step forward, she felt her foot bump against something solid, and feeling it out found it was the console of her ship. This was going to take some getting used to. Fumbling around the cockpit, she roughly found her way to the loading ramp, moving at a pace that one would expect an old woman to move at, as she tried to catch glimpses of the world through the loose strands of the force that were all too quickly leaving her sight. She knew there were detriments to being part Miraluka, but she never expected it to be this rough. "Hello?" She called out, looking about, trying to find someone to speak with, straining her ears for the sounds of another being. Hopefully the Sith Lord here would be kind.


Onrai

 

[Onrai]

“Hello.”

A voice would call to the young Sith, a smile on the face of the bearer of that voice. Vanessa had received word of the craft from the moment it entered the system and had ordered it to be allowed to land. She was surprised that no notice had been seen of The orbital complex above the world, but was able to tell that whoever it was had a dark heart, a tainted heart that appealed to a Sith like herself. So it was that she had traveled to the planet’s surface to greet this individual.

“I’m surprised that you came to this planet. Do tell me who you are.” She eyed the woman, noticing that for a young Sith she had a disturbing amount of biological degradation. Evidently she was blind, and Vanessa noticed unnatural damage to one of her arms that pulsed with Dark Side energy. Seeing this as something of ease, she took one of the writhing fuzzy blankets she kept, one capable of entrapping anyone within it through its softness and comfort alone, and wrapped it around the young Darksider. Hopefully the comfort would give her time to transport the woman to her laboratory on board the complex and see what exactly was wrong with her.

Perhaps it was something that could be fixed.

Kalanda Tishire

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

A voice sounded near her, giving Kalanda a fright as she jumped, her limp arm flapped awkwardly at the movement, as she quickly grabbed it to cradle it close to her body. She could make out traces of a humanoid form now, though it was rough in the details. "My name is Kalanda Tishire, I....um...I need help." She stated, her arm holding the injured limb tight to her body, letting small traces of the ichor trail out from it's covering. "What...what is wrong with this world, it's...the force. It's so hard to see." She asked, looking about, trying to work out what she was experiencing, not to mention who she was talking to. Kalanda felt the world differently than most others. She could see auras, see the flows of life, read into peoples emotions, the very energy of the planet. This one on the other hand, she had no such luck with. It was as if she was staring into a black hole, it's energy was twisted, like a garbled message that's only true meaning was static. Needless to say the witch was baffled and frankly terrified of the world she now stood upon.

"I was told there was a Sith Lord here, a woman wise and powerful that could help me. I...I need her. Could you show me where she is?" Kalanda inquired, before feeling a blanket be wrapped around her. At least the people here were nice. Kalanda froze however, as she found that the blanket itself was alive in the force, a beacon of light she could see in this void of streaming light she found herself in. A cold began to sink into her, almost as if she was being submerged in a ice bath. She had felt this before. When she was with Amur, and in times of great strife. She had come to associate this feeling with fear, with anger, but now...it felt welcoming; it was familiar enough in this strange land. Feeling a small bit of her anxieties subside, Kalanda took in a breath, her empty eyes looking for the one who was being so kind to her, only to find that she was being lead away; where to she knew not. "Thank you for the blanket, but where are we going?" She asked, the comfort of the fabric kept her from devolving into panic, but she still wasn't sure where her target would be.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

“I am Vanessa Vantai. This is my domain.” She replied, a smile on her face as she led the young Sith to her own shuttle. They would soon leave the world’s surface. “I can see the problem you have. A child playing with things she should not be playing with, I take it?” She thought for a bit and patted then Sith on the head as the craft soon headed to the orbital complex above the planet. “The planet still has scars on it, even though life has long since come back. I can help you with your condition. We are going to my laboratory so I can examine you.”

As they traveled up, Vanessa raised an eyebrow. “Tell me more about yourself.” The blanket continued to snuggle up with her as she did so.

Kalanda Tishire

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

A smile spread across Kalanda's face at hearing the woman's response. Kala felt a tad relieved that she had found her quarry, maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. That smile soon faded when she was called a child. "I am no child, I'm a sister of Dathomir!" She protested, before being silenced by a pat on the head. Confusion followed suit, as Kalanda was put onto the shuttle and ferried away from the scary dead world, and into something more familiar. This platform reminded her of Drommand Kaas and Yavin IV thrown together. "Who hurt the planet like this?" Kalanda asked, watching the corrupt world be left behind.

Kalanda felt her blood turn to ice as they disembarked, a chill traced up her spine and she could have sworn she could see her breath. Where the hell was she? At least she could see now, as she set sight on her new friend, and found the Sith rather composed and even entertained by the witches presence. Being inquired upon, Kalanda did what she did best; she just acted herself. "My name is Kalanda Tishire. I used to be a member of the CIS and an Obsidian Knight and um...I guess I'm Sith now." Kala almost couldn't believe what she was saying. She had followed Amur loyally as she could. She was one with the Sith now. She wasn't sure if she was pulling the blanket against her, or if it had that of it's own free will. Either way it was a comfort.


Onrai

 

[Onrai]

“Yes, yes, a Nightsister.” She said as they continued onwards, the ship soon docking at the complex in question. “And I’m sure you probably ran into my old friends, the Cavataios. Or have they lost their influence? I haven’t been to that world in decades.” She shrugged, continuing to pacify Kala as they landed. “The planet was devoured by a Sith Lord a long time ago. All life died. Since his death it has regrown, but there is a good amount of decay still on the world due to his actions.”

That the woman had previously been a part of the CIS did not bother her, though now that she was a Sith, Vanessa supposed it was worth asking. “I suppose now that you’re a Sith, you’re looking for someone to teach you in the ways of the Dark Side as we know them.” She pondered. “I can do such, in concert with helping to heal the damage your... amateurish use of Dathomiri magic has caused.” The arm looked wrong, but she was certain it would be possible to heal.

Kalanda Tishire

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda wasn't sure if the woman was talking down to her or just trying very hard to form a bridge between their conversations. She had to assume the later, because she was rather nice for a Sith Lord. "I don't know what that is." Kalanda admited, having not heard if a Cavatois, nor did it sound like something she wanted to find. It had to be one of the clans; Kalanda didn't exactly take a tour of all the clans after all. She listened to the story of the planet fell sick, but at least it was getting better. Maybe in the future she could actually see it for what it was supposed to be.

Vanessa seemed entirely unphased by Kalanda's admission, which surprised her slightly, but then again Amur never had her put in an interrogation cell; well there was the one time, but that was hardly the Sith's fault. What did catch her intrest however, was the woman inquiring as to becoming a mentor. Murmur was supposed to be her master, but at the same time they hadn't settled on an actual formal claim; Amur doubted it would work for long, and Kalanda had to agree that her skills were beyond that of a mere Sith student. "I...um...I don't know? I sorta have a master, but it's just not...officially Sith approved?" She wondered if this Vanessa woman was going to snap at her. She didn't think she would, most of the Sith she encountered were strangely pleasant.

"I'm not an amateur, I just...I pushed the ichor too hard, and it punished me in return." Okay, maybe it was a bit amateurish, but she did it for a good cause. "I was trying to protect someone very dear to me, and I let it go to my head." She confessed, though had no desire to throw Amur's name into the ring; she didn't want her love to be known to a stranger. "Can....you fix my arm?" Kalanda asked, unwrapping the bandages once they had the capacity to inspect the injury. The blackened skin flaked off, as more of the tendrils of green energy pulsated to the surface, causing the witch to grimace in disgust. The skin was as black as charcoal all the way to the elbow, with an eerie green light pulsating from the palm. The limb hung limply as Kalanda kept the elbow elevated, letting the Sith get a good look at the injury in question. "Please don't cut it off." She added, looking a tad worried at what this treatment method might entail.


Onrai

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa ignored the ignorance of Kala regarding the Nightsister clans - if anything, this meant the influence of the Cavataios, the Hawks, and the other Dathomiri clans that had remained influential in her time was either nonexistent or greatly diminished. Either was good enough - while she had liked Petra, too much dominance from a family was never a good thing.

Vanessa listened to Kala’s comments about not having a master. “Well, either you do, or you don’t. I am offering to teach you either way.” She said, before observing the damaged arm as Vanessa considered what precisely was the best approach. The arm looked as though it belonged to a Dathomiri zombie. “Well, I see a couple of options here. I can attempt to use some of the old Project Starscream serum on it, see if that causes the cells to revive themselves. I can channel my own power into it and stabilize the arm. I could develop a retrovirus for it after driving out the magic, though that would be extremely painful. Or I could scrape the dead flesh away and replace it with biofiber, giving you a hybrid of prosthetic arm and real arm.” She said.

“in short, what do you want me to do to it? Help me narrow down my options.”

Kalanda Tishire

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

"Oh." Kalanda replied, not sure how to accept the offer that was being put before her. This would probably help things with Murmur, make it far less stressful for the Darth to be, not to mention give them a bit of breathing room. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad idea. "I mean, I'd be humbled to accept your offer of mastership as...a...mere...apprenticeling." She had no clue what she was talking about, but it sounded all Sithy and proper like, so maybe it was okay. She hadn't had an actual master in a very long time. She seemed like a nice lady at the very least, though Amur was probably going to be displeased given she ran away from home and came back with an actual Sith Lord as her mentor; hopefully Murmur wouldn't be too jealous.

Letting Vanessa take a look at the arm, Kalanda was a bit confused as to what a Starscream was, and the whole stripping off the dead flesh, and forcing the magic out seemed extremely unpleasant. Stabilizing sounded good, but with this level of damage Kalanda didn't think it would make for a cute addition, so she could only hope this Starscream thing wasn't too bad. "Um....I'll...have a Starscream treatment, please? That sounds the least bad." Kalanda said, her facial expression showing she wasn't sure what she was getting into. She knew about bringing back cells and what not, and she could even manage it with the force at times. But she didn't want a biofiber implanted due to the maintenance concerns, and she really didn't want to risk causing more issues by forcing the force into the wound. She was frankly concerned about what her arm was going to look like when this was said and done. The blanket seemed to get just a tag more comfy as she thought about it, helping her stress levels just a tad. At least Vanessa didn't seem to concerned about it.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa smiled - it was the first time she had gotten the opportunity to train a proper apprentice since the debacle that was Darth Ayra. Perhaps she wouldn’t bugger things up if trained properly, particularly since her new apprentice was less sensual and more... marshmallow-like. “Good. But there are some things we need to do with you first. No apprentice of mine is going to be unable to use their bodily functions.” She said.

Firstly, she grasped the necrotic limb, hiding it firm in her own hand as the sorcerous essence of the Dark Side washed away and drove out the Nightsister magic, fortunate as it was. With the arm effectively dead, she reached for a syringe containing clear serum that was soon injected into the dead arm in question. Where it was once pale and necrotic, it began to slowly rejuvenate until it had regained effective motion at Kala’s hands and some degree of physical sensation. Still ashen, it would be weeks before the outermost layers of skin sloughed off and were replaced with fresh pinkish flesh.

“Now what about your eyes? I can make them work, but I need to know: Did they work for you before, or did you never have the ability to see with them?” This would be an important factor in determine what method to take in order for her to see.

Kalanda Tishire

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda wasn't sure what all the woman meant by that statement, given how the only thing that didn't work was her arm, but maybe that's what the woman was on about. "Sure?" Kala stated, her voice full of confusion as she waited for the Darth to do her work. She was rather curious how Sith medicine worked.

Needless to say when Vanessa went to work on her arm, the witch was astonished at how quickly the poison was driven from the wound, and even more so at how painless the whole thing felt. She was left with a dead husk of a limb for a moment, until Vanessa slide a syringe under the dead skin and the serum took it's work. The skin began to come back to life, and with it small degrees of sensation. She could feel the faintest bit of movement within her arm, but it was soon replaced by a fierce aching as the muscles attempted to repair and mend themselves. It was no where near as bad as when she had tried to mend the flesh last time thankfully, and Kalanda felt as if she could live with this mild annoyance.

When Vanessa mentioned her eyes, Kalanda looked at the woman with shock, as the slightly yellow pupils blinked several times before she offered an explanation. "N-No, I want to keep my eyes, I got them from my mother. I've always been like this. Ever since I was a little girl I've seen things through the force. It helps me read people's emotions, their feelings, the energies of the planet. I'd rather not lose that." The witch stated, taking a small step back as she eyed Vanessa, seeing that she was inspecting the witches form, perhaps looking for defects to correct. Her sight was her greatest asset, it had saved her many times, and helped dozens more with her insight. Hopefully Vanessa would understand this.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa smiled as the arm regained a semblance of its origins function before being confused by Kala’s reason. “What- what do you think I intend to do? Rip your eyes out? Replace them with cybernetics? I’m just asking you whether or not your actual biological eyes have ever been able to see anything, or whether they never have. That determines whether you need implants to connect them to your brain, or whether you just need the nerves to be stimulated.” She replied.

Kalanda Tishire

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda looked at her potential new master with confusion, not liking where the current talk was going. Her mom had threatened to tear her eyes out once. Not that it would have mattered, but the thought of losing her gift was rather horrible to the young woman. Vanessa seemed to think otherwise, thinking to perhaps give Kalanda a sight that she hadn't possessed; something the witch wasn't exactly fond of. "No?" She answered to the first question, tilting her head at the woman as she went into a further explanation. She didn't want to look upon Amur with new eyes, to lose what she had already established with the woman.

"I can see just fine, it's just through the force. It's always been this way. I'm part Miraluka, it's part of my people." She explained, wondering if in Vanessa's mind Kala was the one that sounded insane. "I don't think there is anything wrong with my eyes though." She tried to explain, looking around the confines of the lab, trying to keep herself calm as the fuzzy blanket did it's job. A sad thought crossed Kala's mind, that perhaps her force sight was holding her back from being Sith. She had depended on the ability to read people for so long, the thought of it going away forever terrified her. "I...I don't want this vision to go away. It...helps me understand people better. Is..that wrong?" Kala asked after a moment, looking a tad distraught at the thought. "If you do things to my eyes, will I not be able to see through the force anymore?" The witch's expression looked akin to that of a sad puppy, as her lip protruded out, her good arm pulled tight against her body as she was perhaps getting a little worked up over this whole ordeal. Amur was going to be so upset about her arm being mended in this manner, what would she say if her eyes had been changed? What if she couldn't understand Amur the same way anymore? It was all a tad much for the witch, as she began a spiral of what-ifs from the potential actions of Vanessa.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

“Ah. So your eyes don’t work. You’ve been using Force Sight to get around this entire time. That makes sense given how blind you were in the void that was Nathema.” She considered for a bit the questions of the Sithling. “You’re asking me if making your eyes work the way everyone else’s do, so you can see things with physical sight, not just Force sight, is going to take said Force sight away? No, it shouldn’t. That’s an ability you’ve learned how to use since childhood and I see no reason that will change so long as you continue to use it.”

As Kala descended into sadness, Vanessa patted her on the head in an attempt to redirect her attention from such negative thoughts. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Kalanda Tishire

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Her eyes didn't work? Her eyes worked just fine! They were just different! She listened to Vanessa's explanation, though in truth it didn't make her feel any better about the prospect of getting eye surgery. "So...I'll still be able to see things? Just...have to practice with my force sight?" Kalanda asked, trying to get a better idea of what was being suggested. She was rather curious how Amur saw the world, but....this was all rather sudden. She would need to think about this a bit more before moving forward. "Can...I think on it a bit? This is a bit much." Kalanda stated, trying not to annoy her mentor, but knowing that deep down she wasn't sure if she wanted to have 'normal' eyes.

Taking the pats on the head in stride, Kalanda lowered her head, taking the pats full force, unsure what else to do but...well...just appreciate the head pats coming her way. She was going to have to ask Amur to do this, she was starting to take to it. "And it's not going to hurt or anything?" Kalanda asked, pressing her index fingers together as she questioned her master, trying to find a way to rationalize this procedure so she wouldn't suffer from an identity crisis in spite of it.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

She nodded. “You should be able to see things the way everyone else does presuming the nerve connections and shit are all there.” She was still unsure as to how biologically complete Kala’s eyes were. She thought for a bit, then responded. “I suppose you can. However it will make you far more aware in general environments - there are many means by which one can hide from your sight right now.”

Vanessa smiled, watching as Kala grew more comfortable with her presence. “Oh no, it will probably hurt. I’ll have to stimulate the nerves and reactivate them so your brain works with your eyes.” She smiled. “But it will be worth it. Pain is worth it if the pleasure achieved is greater in the long term.” She thought for a bit about how malleable Kala was. This could be her opportunity to regain the prominence she had long since lost.

It could be.

Kalanda Tishire

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda tilted her head, listening to what her new mentor was saying, though not fully on board with what was being suggested. "But being part Miraluka, those optic nerves might not even be developed. How are you planning on forming the connection without the proper nerves being present?" She inquired, wondering what Vanessa would respond back with. "People that can hide from my vision? But how? The force touches everyone and everything." She paused, before shrugging her shoulders. "Well, except for that one planet down there, but other than that I mean....do you mean there are people that can sneak up on me?" Kalanda's voice took on a touch of concern, as she realized a possible flaw within herself, one that might lead to herself or Amur's death.

She frowned at Vanessa' answer, but at least the woman was being honest. "Oh, lovely." She muttered, rubbing her brow as she was not looking forward to having a headache following reconstructive surgery on her optic nerves. She took a seat on the medical table, looking a tad glum at the prospect of losing her sight, but if Vanessa was right, the long term benefits outweighed the short term discomforts. "I don't know, I kinda liked being able to see things as is right now. But you make a good point." She sighed, reclingin back on the table, ready to submit to whatever horror awaited her.

Onrai

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa utilized her training in the White current to mask her presence in the Force. To poor Kala, she would seemingly disappear. “I’m still here, but you don’t know I’m here. Not with your sight. There are a number of other methods that people can use to do this as well.” She stopped. “If you don’t have optic nerves, I will give you optic nerves.” Vanessa explained, not necessarily elaborating on how she would do such. As Kala got on the table, Vanessa patted her on the head and kept her in the blanket as she got to work.

It was a painful process, one Vanessa was certain would likely leave Kala with mental scarring of some sort, but upon completion, articulated ocular nerves connected Kala’s eyes to the rest of her nervous system. She waved a hand in front of the woman’s face, scratching her head as she did so.

“What do you see now?”

Kalanda Tishire

 

[Kalanda Tishire]

Kalanda frowned as the woman vanished from her sight, wondering if it was some sort of illusion that the Sith was trying to pull on her. She watched for the currents that she had come to establish with Vanessa, but only found an open space where the woman once was. A small wrinkle stretched across her brow as she had to admit that there was something wrong with her sight, but perhaps she could train it to become even better. But for now, perhaps this was for the best. "Okay, maybe you're right." She grumbled, before letting the woman go to work.

Kalanda forced herself into a trance, making the pain vanish from her mind, though she carefully watched what Vanessa did as she began to work on Kalanda's eyes. She could only assume that the woman was using genetically engineered nerves and melding them into her body with Sith magicks; the thought of it made her feel a bit uncomfortable truth be told.

As the work was finished, Kalanda slipped back into conciousness, and immediately became aware of a sharp stinging pain in her eyes, stretching to the back of her skull; probably just her body trying to grapple with these new impulses. Opening her eyes, she found a confusion jumble of colors and force auras slamming into each other, as if she was looking upon an ocean tearing itself apart; utterly unrecognizable squalor. "It's.....hard to see. Everything looks so cluttered, and messy. I can't make anything out." She spoke, sitting up and trying to get a grip on the situation, though the pain in her eyes pulsated on.


Onrai

 

[Onrai]

Kalanda Tishire

"Focus." Vanessa said, standing in front of her new apprentice. You've used the Force Sight for so long. Focus and convince your body to stop using it." She pondered for a moment, trying to think of another way to more effectively encourage the transition from Force Sight to physical sight. "Wait here." She would head back to a secure room in the complex, before soon retrieving a Ysalamiri and bringing it over to Kalanda. Presumably, the Force nullifying effects of the Ysalamiri would forcibly disengage her Force Sight, allowing her to mandatorily focus on seeing the world through her physical eyes.

"Can you see?"