Shroud of Darkness

[Cylus Jest]

Cylus turned to the dark cell as he heard something reminiscent of a rat rustling about, finally the Jedi was awakening it seemed. He watched through the mask he wore, emitting an extreme lack of emotion, he was almost like a droid in the way he didn't feel.

A slight slip of it broke through, something similar to satisfaction as he watched the Jedi move off of his cruddy bed and look around. The man still hadn't been provided medical treatment beyond stopping the bleeding in his hand, perhaps that should have been provided...it may make interrogation easier in the long run.

The Jedi spoke, it was something that surprisingly wasn't some sort of contradiction. Apparently all that the Jedi needed to think coherently was a couple of days in the depths of his own subconscious. It was also beyond a doubt true, and quite obviously so. No man would stun someone and then drag them all the way to another planet just to kill them, it simply wasn't efficient. Cylus was all about being efficient in his work.

"You are correct." He rumbled quietly as he watched. The Jedi may have been joking about using the bathroom in a bucket or not...in either case it was quite possible, those were simply prisoner conditions. Unless of course the prisoner acted in a non-threatening manner, then perhaps they would be allowed a private refresher. "If you behave in a good manner, I believe that I will allow you some luxuries." He spoke cordially, wiping the coldness from his voice.

This Jedi was wickedly dangerous, he had never met one who could punch through durasteel so easily. Even now, the Jedi's inexperience shone like a light in his eyes, the slight flickering of fear which Cylus had grown accustomed to spotting. He was still just a beginner, and yet as a master he would be a mighty foe.
"I've been rude, I am Cylus Jest, Servant of the Inquisition. Who might you be, Jedi?" He asked, still using cordial speech instead of his true one.
[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Cylus Jest]

Des eyed the figure suspiciously in the dim light. This was the same tone of voice he'd heard on Umbara, before he'd almost been shot in the back. It was nearly enough to make him look over his shoulder for weapons aimed at him. Still, he supposed there was no reason not to meet formality with the same. If only he was better at the whole conversation thing. Instead, he tackled talking like he did everything else: with characteristic bluntness. "Rude?" he echoed incredulously. "You shot at me, sicked a Hunter-Killer droid on me, and locked me up. That was a bit rude, yeah," he sneered. "In truth, I'm no Jedi. Just an initiate. I don't even have my own Master." He hesitated another moment, then stood up cautiously, slowly putting weight on his numb legs. "Des Kovak, of Ghôsh Torden," he said finally, speaking of the clan he'd been exiled from on his homeworld of Haruun Kal. He still held on to some Korunnai traditions like some sort of safety net. "I suppose there's nothing to be gained from... not behaving in a good manner," he conceded, though he did not plan to languish here. I will not become your lap dog, his thoughts swirled fiercely. It was all he could do not to jump at the confines of his cage, trying to reach this Cylus Jest through the bars.

 

[Cylus Jest]

Cylus met the Jedi's gaze with his own, cold eyes locked into them as if he were peering into his very being, it was a common enough interrogation tactic which was usually used to make the victim feel uncomfortable. That was something Cylus never quite understood, apparently staring was a good way to scare people though.

The man had gradually stood up and spoken his name, that was a good start. It was always good to know your opponents before you really got into the nitty gritty interrogations and whatnot of the sort. "Good to know." He replied simply as he continued watching the fellow.

He thought for a few moments before replying "I sincerely doubt you are just an initiate, you punched through durasteel. I'd rather prefer not to be lied to, Monsieur Kovak." The voice took on a more emotionless feel as it neared the end of the sentence, as if the game of make-believe was at an end.
[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Cylus Jest]

Des met the inquisitor's stare head-on, staring back into the cold windows of the facemask. Yes, it was unnervinf, but Des was determined not to flinch. "If I remember right, I only bent it far enough to get at the wires behind it," he said. "I do not know if that is supposed to be difficult, but I wore myself out doing it." What was he doing? Had the inquisitor actually managed to trick him into arguing his own weakness? Tricky bastard, that one. "I may be an initiate, but that does not mean I can't fight," he said adamently, hoping to make up for his own mistake. "And I will be a Jedi."

He stepped towards the bars and looped his arms through them, his hands grabbing on to the bars on the other side. "Do you think I could bend these bars, once I regain my strength?" he asked, keeping his voice as level as he could, almost sounding as if he were simply curious about it. "I mean, if I can punch through durasteel like you said..." Of course, he realised full well he would not be able to do that. It would be a fool's errand to even try.

He fixed the inquisitor with another hard, unblinking stare, and he knew it would be met. "You said you are a servant of something called the inquisition," he recalled. "I've never heard of any inquisition before." He didn't quite ask the question, but it was of course heavily implied that he wanted to know more about it.

 

[Cylus Jest]

Cylus shook his head once at the Jedi as he tried to cover for himself. It was not a test of strengths and weaknesses, but the fellow had yet to realize that yet. Cylus already knew he was quite strong and he had a good feeling that the man may have been some sort of hunter in his past, but there really was no need for him to try and act tough. "You are trying to act tough, and yet here you stand in a dark cell." He voiced coldly, a hint of feeling peeking through it.

The Jedi moved towards the bars, grabbing at them and Cylus took a step backwards, just in case the man could somehow find a way of reaching all the way through, he didn't want to be caught between a hard place and his hands. He had said something stupid at an attempt of intimidation, but Cylus just ignored it.

The Jedi said something interesting afterwards though, about how he had never heard of the Inquisition. That was a bit unnerving, it meant Cylus wasn't doing his job well enough didn't it? After all, he had been trying to keep busy and people still didn't even know what the organization was? That felt...wrong.
"The Inquisition is a part of the One Sith, that is all you need to know. I am the Servant of the Inquisition because it is where I work, allow me to demonstrate." He said in a rapid fashion before snagging his hand onto one of the Jedi's.

In an instant, a small swarm of very tiny metallic insects moved out of the glove and began to go onto the Jedi's hand, snapping into his fingers with reinforced durasteel pincers. They would tear flesh with ease if allowed, however after about three seconds of this, regardless of the damage inflicted, Cylus would recall the two-hundred 0.5 centimeter insects to their glove home.
"Any other questions?"
[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Cylus Jest]

Des struggled against the inquisitor's grip, trying to pull away. But in his weakened state, and perhaps even regardless of that, it was no use. He gritted his teeth against the searing pain as the insect things cut up his hands, leaving hundreds of tiny incisions and bleeding him. As soon as he was released, he hastily stepped back from the edge of the cell and clutched his wounded hand with the other, blood quickly coagulating around his wounds. "Yes," he agreed, through heavy breathing. "Here I am." For now.

He edges back further away from the bars, sitting back on the edge of the bed. The inquisitor had certainly made an impression on him now, through he was too prideful to admit it. "You still haven't told me what you want from me," he said. Perhaps, if he did what this guy wanted, he'd be let go. Though the mention of the One Sith did not encourage the thought. Now there was a name he did know, firmly pressed on him as that belonging to the classic 'bad guys'. There were some nasty stories about the One Sith, and this inquisitor seemed to fit the ticket.

 

[Cylus Jest]

Cylus continued staring as the man moved from the cell bars, was it really so easy to break an individual. They were all like animals, which had a natural fear of fire and lightning and the crack of weaponry. Except these were humans, they were afraid of pain and hurt...and they felt anguish.

It didn't really matter did it? He had left his mark in the form of a hundred wounds, tiny wounds, like papercuts created by a razor blade. He had a distinct feeling that it must hurt terribly, but he said nothing about it, there was no reason to mock the man...it wasn't efficient. Efficiency was all that there was some days.

The Jedi said something about how he didn't understand why he was here or something along those lines, as usual Cylus only half listened to what his prisoners said. "I intend to hold you here, to re-educate you, and then to send you back to whichever faction you belong. Speaking of, what little Order are you in, Monsieur Kovak?" He spoke once more with cordiality, abandoning the coldness with his false fanciness.

It would be quite nice to know where he'd be sending this Jedi however.
[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Cylus Jest]

"Reeducate me?" Des echoed the words with some incredulousness. Was this man hoping to turn him into some sort of double agent? If that was what it took to get him out of his cell, Des supposed he could play the game. "Mister inquisitor, I haven't been fully educated in the first place. I get class instructions with groups of Jedi. Everything else is self-tought from archives and practice. You saw yourself I do not even have my own lightsaber." Perhaps it was of little importance to this man, but Des doubted his usefulness because of this. His pride did not let him quit, but the Jedi clearly saw little in Des. "The Jedi who took me from my home was with the Republic. I've been at a place called Ossus for a while, and a place called Yavin IV. Does that answer your question?" He hoped so, for he had little other information to give.

 

[Cylus Jest]

Cylus couldn't help but wonder what was going on inside the Jedi's head. Perhaps he was thinking about what he had lost, or perhaps his mind had already switched over to that phase where one began to plan their own escape. It was unlikely that was the case however, especially given the wound he had caused just recently.

The Jedi was an obvious beginner, that was easy enough to see simply by his lack of having used the Force as of yet, however it was good to have a reaffirmation of what he had already known, that meant compliance. Compliance was good as it was recognition of authority, of which Cylus had.

The next few words were more interesting however, they implied that the Jedi was a pupil of The Republic, albeit not an entirely well known one given his current status as a beginner. Still, it would be one more Jedi to throw up on a Holo and to re-educate. "You do not understand, I do not expect you to. Do not worry, we will re-educate soon." He spoke as he continued observing the strange creature that was the Jedi and his mind.
[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Cylus Jest]

There were quite a few things Des did not yet understand, he imagined, but he resolved to learn as much as he could. The self-styled inquisitor could not keep him here forever, and you could not keep a man prisoner without having him learn a little bit about you. The would-be Jedi had no idea how he could get out of this, let alone the makings of a formulated plan, but he silently swore he would escape. Somehow. Anyhow. For now, though, he would have to wait and see what happened with this 're-education'.

It was a word that filled Des with a deep rooted apprehension. He doubted that it could be a good thing, and it would more than likely not be a friendly set of instructions on how to better his life. The use of 'we' instead of 'I' was also something that cought Des' attention. He did not want to expedite things, however, so he did not ask. Instead, his imagination races with all sorts of possible horrors. Beware your fear. It can lead you astray. He was reminded by the words that had been spoken to him on various occasions by various Jedi, and he forced himself to remain calm.

 

[Cylus Jest]

Cylus simply nodded once before giving a bow and a flicker of his wide-rimmed hat. Afterwards, he simply stalked away. It seemed the prisoner had no more questions, which was good for him, it meant that there would be fewer things to set into place before the fellow began his inevitable re-education.

For now, he needed to make sure everything was in place and quite ready for him to begin. He moved along the darkened passage-way for a bit before speaking a quiet code and opening it from the inside, he stepped back into the main piece of The Estate and looked around for a few moments until he made eye-contact with an Undying trooper.

It took him a few moments to reach the fellow who wore the same sort of mask he did. These were his soldiers, his fearless and psychological warriors with whom he would wield the blade of re-education.
"How large is the new shipment?" He spoke softly as the Undying raised two fingers up to his mask in a salute.
"Latest shipment contains six prisoners, shall I fetch them, sir?" The man asked.
Cylus gave a simple nod, excusing the soldier away to bring forth the prisoners.

Re-education would be interesting, especially with only six individuals to use, still it was an efficient use of resources breaking the Jedi's will.
[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Cylus Jest]

Des watched his captor take his leave wearily. The man was strangely polite, but then again he showed no trouble torturing his captives. It was curious, and Des was unsure of what to think of him. Still, whatever this re-education would be, Des had no doubt it would require much of him to endure. He could use all the rest he got to regain his stength.

With a grunt of effort, Des hauled his legs back onto the bed and lay down on the bed. He had difficulty finding any real rest, for he could not be certain when the inquisitor would return, and he had to admit it worried him. After several hours, a light, fitful sleep finally overcame Des.

 

[Cylus Jest]

A pair of Undying troopers would be allowed access to the hidden prison cells by Cylus. They would walk down the way until they reached the cell held by the Jedi, at which point they would both raise their weapons and unleash a torrent of stun bolts into the room to incapacitate him for transport.

The Jedi would be brought out of his cell and put onto a chair where he would have stun-cuffs attached to his hands and legs. They would then bring the Jedi outside of The Estate and to a small flat area of dusty plain where six individuals were being monitored by six Undying troopers.

"Good, wake him up." Cylus spoke in an authoritarian manner, motioning for one of the Undying next to him to do something. The man would jab the Jedi in the ribs with his weapon to attempt to awaken him.
"Welcome Jedi, to step one of your Re-education." He spoke softly, but with a hint of threat behind it.
[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Cylus jest]

Des woke with a start, coughing as he lurched forward. There was a dull sting in his ribs, and when he lurched forward he was held in place by restraints. Looking about him bleary eyed, he saw the bonds and the soldier standing over him, and put one and one together easily enough. There were others here, more soldiers. Did they report to the inquisitor, or was he simply one of them? The former seemed more likely, but Des could not be certain. Each trooper had what seemed like his own ward, just as Des had a trooper standing over him. And then then inquisitor hove into view, clearly calling the shots as Des had suspected. There was that word again. Des really didn't like the sound of that word. Des looked over at the six others who apparently shared his fate again. What was the idea here? Some kind of contest between them? Did this Cylus Jest believe he could shock the Jedi by making him eliminate others for his own survival? True, he had only killed someone else once, but that did not mean that fighting for his survival wasn't ingrained in his very being. Perhaps he was wrong, but if this turned into some sort of contest, it might not be the re-education the inquisitor expected.

 

[Cylus Jest]

Cylus watched with vague curiosity as Des woke from his little shock induced nap. He had done this before with another Jedi, and that one had reacted in much the same way. Curiosity mixed with confusion, it didn't matter really, the emotions would change by the end of the day and then they would continue the next day.

"Bring me one." He ordered calmly. One of the Undying complied, jarring forth a prisoner, a man in his 40's with an almost balding head. The prisoner shook slightly in obvious fear, he didn't know what was happening either.

Cylus retrieved the E-11 from his side, before moving back to Des and laying a gloved hand upon his shoulder. The rules of the re-education had to be explained of course.
"Here's what we're going to do. When you give the word, I will shoot this man. Every few seconds you do not give the word, we execute another prisoner. Understood? Good." He said with frost creeping into his voice.

He stood back up, pointing at one of the Undying troopers who gave a soft nod before turning to his captive, raising the E-11, and sending a bolt of red light with the crack of the blaster into the prisoner's chest. He collapsed immediately with a slight shriek of terror from the other prisoners.
"Time starts now."
[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Cylus Jest]

So it was not to be a contest after all. Instead, this inquisitor wanted him to order the death of another man. If it was a logical equation, the death of one versus th death of four, or perhaps even five is Des counted himself, was an easy calculation to me. But it did not work like that. Letting someone die was far easier than actively giving the word and causing someone's death. And Des did not know if it would end when he said the word. The inquisitor might execute them all anyway.

Faced with this dilemma, Des held his tongue and watched as the first victim fell. He averted his eyes, but he knew full well the prisoner was dead. He felt sick in the pit of his stomach. Last time he had seen death, he had killed the victim himself, in a moment that had pased too fast for Des to think, and he had spewed up his breakfast. Now, Des did not vomit, but he came close. He could taste the stomach acid in the back of his throat. "I will not order anyone's death. You can't do this," Des protested, but even as he said it he knew his objections were in vain. These people were most likely innocent. Just random nobodies picked off a street somewhere. And Des felt powerless to stop their deaths. The whole thing reeked of Sith modus operandi. He fixed Cylus Jest with a cold, hard stare, hatred for this man only now trulytaking shape. "You are sick, and a coward."

 

[Cylus Jest]

Cylus watched as the Jedi went through the motions of decisions. The last Jedi he'd met had been quick to give the order, but this one seemed a little stronger in his morals. That would need to be broken before he could be released back to his people, after all, Re-education required breaking and then rebuilding.

He wished he knew how uncomfortable this made the Jedi, but in reality he felt nothing. All the guilt and sickly feelings of wickedness that pervaded so many individuals simply were not present in him. Despite the actions he took, he held no hate, no malice. In actuality, the only thing he extended outwards was calm and collected intelligence.

The Jedi wasn't going to play along so easily. He had refused to do what had been ordered of him, and that would only lead to future hardships, starting with a quick blow to rattle his physical existence. He drew back his gloved hand before releasing a powerful backhand into Des' face, near his nasal cavity.
"I can do this, I will do this. He spoke with more frost in his voice as he met the angry gaze of the Jedi with his own emotionless one, hidden behind his mask.

He raised one finger, and the next Undying trooper in line raised his weapon and sent another couple of bolts of red light flying into the young woman in front of him, striking her in the abdomen and chest before she dropped to the ground. One of the prisoners in the line tried to tackle the man, but quickly recieved a bolt through the side of his head, dropping him as well.
"And yes...I know I am." He spoke as he watched the events.
[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Cylus Jest]

Des' head jerked to the side with the backhand, and the Jedi grunted with pain. But he would not give this inquisitor the satisfaction of hearing him squeal. He returned his gaze upward, the same look of intense hate still flaring. When the next two died, Des bit his tongue. It was only when a blaster was raised to the fourth prisoner, he spoke. "Stop!" he called. He balled his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he squeezed his eyes shut. Should he have made the call sooner? Could he have saved three people? He would probably never know. "Okay," he said hesitantly, hanging his head in defeat. "Do it..." Even as he said it, he cursed himself. Was that how much his defiance was worth, or was it the price of his precious pride? Three lives, snuffed out with little more effort than it took to switch off a lightbulb. And now a fourth would follow, on his say so.

 

[Cylus Jest]

Cylus squatted down next to Des, so as to make sure he was near eye level with him. He needed to be, he wanted to make sure that the Jedi understood that psychologically they were now coming to the same standards. Even if he consciously didn't note it, the hope was that his sub-conscious would.

"Good, you've played along." He said quietly as he sat the E-11 on Des' lap and hit the trigger, the bolt of red energy catching the prisoner dead on and causing him to collapse.
It was a simple enough action, the flicking of a trigger, and yet the ending result had caused the end of a life. Curious how that worked, wasn't it?

He stood once more, looking to the two remaining prisoners before he brought two fingers to the end of his mask. The remaining Undying troopers gave a similar salute before turning and firing on the remaining pair. No prisoner remained except for Des. He was uncuffed from the chair, yet he remained stun-cuffed up until the point where he was taken to his cell. At that point he would simply be stunned once more so the cuffs could be removed.

"You've lost your high ground, Des. Now you are as much a murderer as I am." He spoke softly before leaving the Jedi to himself, in his cell.
[member="Des Kovak"]

 

[Des Kovak]

[member=Cylus Jest]

Des could not keep from staring at his own reflection in the glass eye-covers of the mask that showed so close in front of his face. He did not like what he saw in his own eyes. Apart from hatred, he also saw doubt, and fear. As he watched, the other two prisoners were gunned down as well. "No!" Des cried. He struggled against his bonds, trying uselessly to break free. "You lied! That wasn't the deal! You said I could stop you!" He knew the inquisitor had only implied that, never said the words he placed in his mouth now, but he didn't care. He should have known, he thought. Of course this man would never let anyone go just like that. Nonetheless, he raged on against his bonds, tugging at his restraints with little result.

When they uncuffed him, he made a hasty, aggressive lurch for the inquisitor, reaching for the man's facemask, but he was stopped by the troopers and dragged along kicking and screaming. At the inquisitor's accusation, he only raged more, so he wouldn't have to face the truth of it. "You monsters! All of you!" he flung the insult at the soldiers as well.

When the door closed heavily behind his captors, he fell silent and sagged against the bars of his cell, panting, and his thoughts lurched up. Is it true? Have I become a murderer? Have I lost my moral grounds? Or have I lost them on Antar IV, when I cleaved that Gotal in half? Have I been a murderer since then? Am I even fit to be a Jedi? He did not have the answers, but the possibility was enough to unsettle him.