Private The Lengths That Were Went

[Darth Strosius]

An amused hum left Darth Strosius at the comment of the irony of Thocha's mask, finding it a surprisingly apt addition to their conversation as well. "Yes it is rather coincidental is it not?" While he was indeed on an errand for the Prophet, Thocha's mission had nothing to do with Revna's condition nor with His research and reading on Darth Nihilus. Not at the moment at least. Perhaps in the future He may endeavor to send the cleric to retrieve something relevant to her predicament but He had no real idea of what that could be currently.

Another hum, this one more in agreement, met her murmur in spite of it not quite being meant as a remark for Him to respond to. A very apt assessment indeed. When she mentioned not wanting to overwork her healing body however, she was met by a quick glance that wasn't quite indicative of confidence in her assurance. He simply knew Revna far better than that. Reaching beyond her capabilities was a trait that she exhibited in earnest, it was one of the things which had sparked His initial interest in her after all. Darth Strosius was much the same in that regard.

She was similarly disappointed by His lack of findings thus far but He still had hope, it had only been a day of reading after all and even if the records proved to be devoid of usable information then some minor experimentation could still provide answers. A notion that Revna herself noted as well. "Indeed, a pity that. I wouldn't mind having such a language to use for ourselves, it would certainly make interceptions of our transmissions far less threatening at least." Having most of their more important messages done in Ur-Kittat had only somewhat diminished such a risk unfortunately. Were it not for those accursed holonet translators and the nature of their foes within Sith space, it would almost be a perfect solution.

In His little moment of musing He didn't notice the self-examination that His daughter underwent, only the culmination of a rather concerned expression and a question which had His masked gaze return to her properly. Darth Strosius glanced her up and down for a moment in what appeared like a simple motion of His head but which was altogether a more critical and particular gaze hidden beneath His visor. Over the past few days He had kept a close eye on Revna, noting her recovery and improvement over the course of her unconsciousness both for practical reasons and to soothe His own worries.

Being bedridden and only taking in nutrients through drips had naturally resulted in Revna growing a bit petite and frail in appearance, her body weakening from proper movement and nutrition as one might expect. Upon a more watchful gaze however, it became very apparent that she wasn't just a bit pale and thin from too much bed rest. Her skin tone was off, far too off to be a simple result of being cooped up inside the med bay, her features more gaunt than they should have been and the blackened veins around her eyes much too prominent.

His previous cursory glances and fretting hadn't quite stopped to take in the full picture as it were but now it was clear to see that she was unwell. And not at all in the manner that He had assumed. The long silence after her question was finally broken, signaled by a subtle twitch of a barely visible tendril over His shoulder before Darth Strosius spoke. "Sixteen days." His response was clipped and intentionally neutral in spite of the sense of dread that underlaid His words. An impending sense of concern was beginning to take root in the back of His mind and with a thought the holocommunicator was back in His hand.

"How many?" Darth Strosius pressed a gloved finger against the call button but didn't push enough for it to actually be activated, the dour nature of His question necessitated that it be answered before He did so. "I know for a fact that we have five prisoners onboard for interrogation at this moment, I can have them here within three minutes and have a dozen more on the way within six." Depending on the state of His injuries He could drain the lifeblood from half a dozen damned souls before He was fully sated. Revna hadn't indulged in her affliction at least since her rescue, more than likely before.

Revna Marr

 

[Revna Marr]

Much of her comments were met with hums, some in agreement with her statements, and one of which was accompanied with a look that she could feel, especially towards her comment about not overexerting herself. She tried to feign an innocent look, but she was well aware that Strosius knew her all too well. It was just in her nature to go above and beyond her own capabilities, to test herself to see where her own limits were. But wisdom and caution tempered her this time. She knew that if she pushed herself too hard right now, she could do irreparable damage to her body.

Her Father seemed to agree that it was a pity they couldn’t decipher or understand the dead language used by Nihilus; it certainly would have been a benefit to their Order, and He seemed to slip into His own musings when she began her self-examination. The Sith Lord didn’t seem to notice this until she spoke up once more and pulled His attention back to her. He gave her an up and down look, one that was more critical this time. His long silence seemed to stir up a bit of anxiousness within Revna as she waited for Him to make any remarks, to confirm or deny if they were seeing the same thing.

Finally, He responded to her question on how long she’d been aboard the ship - how long it had been since He had rescued her. She blinked hearing that it had been sixteen days…just a smidge over two weeks…a look of surprise crossing her face. She’d been unconscious for most of that time, so of course it hadn’t felt like it was that long.

Still, it gave her some idea as to the nature of her Void Hunger. She had been on Dromund Kaas for a few days, undergoing testings and trials before she had received her Sith tattoos, and with that in perspective it meant that she could roughly go half a month to twenty days before she needed to feed the Void. She’d been wounded, nearly killed, and no doubt that had some negative impact upon her in regards to the timeframe of the Hunger. She must have used up much of that stored energy and power while in her coma…or at least, that was her suspicion. If she hadn’t been wounded…then perhaps she could have pushed off the Void for a month before needing to feed it.

She would have to starve herself again to truly see if that was the case or not.

But right now, something needed to be done to reverse the Void’s interaction within her body. It seemed to be targeting her now - leeching away her own life energy to feed itself. A horrific and terrifying thought, for sure. And just another reminder that this affliction of hers was still so much of a mystery to her - one that could have disastrous consequences if she didn’t pay attention to it and study it closely.

Darth Strosius seemed to realize the gravity of the situation they currently found themselves in, as the communicator He carried with Him was suddenly in His hand. He asked her ‘How many’, and then revealed the reason behind such a question. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized He was ready to bring living beings to her bedside, for her to drain. Prisoners, of course - no doubt individuals who would have met their end one way or another, sooner or later. Be it as prey for the Highblood Sangnir staring her down, or by other means of execution.

Revna swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry and parched, as she considered the number He presented to her. Was five enough? A dozen? She wasn’t sure, truthfully.

Only one way to find out. This…is unfortunate but perhaps this is something that needs to happen. So we both can learn from this.

“I…I don’t know how many, really. We can start with the five…I suppose. And if I need more I can tell You...” she said, her voice somewhat strangled. “You said they were here for interrogations? Is that…important? I don’t want to destroy anyone that could provide information for You. But if You feel they can be sacrificed then…I won’t say no.”

It would be good to have some relief from the ever present Hunger that clawed at the edges of her sanity. If only for a brief time. Maybe, too, it would help accelerate her healing. She just didn’t know for certain about any of it - but the thought that this opportunity could provide answers was just too significant to pass up.

Darth Strosius
​