Private The Mind Electric

[Alicio Organa]

ALICIO'S WAREHOUSE, LEVEL 3797
CORUSCANT, EVENING
​

The space had been a steal of a purchase.

At one point, the long, squat building, 1,330 levels below the surface, had been a warehouse, shipping imported machinery products across Coruscant, until the organization that built it ran dry. The space changed hands a few times, passing between starship manufacturers and startup companies, eventually scheduled for demolition.

Alicio had scooped up the warehouse at the last second, charging his aide, Orso, with overseeing the process of turning it into a House Organa-funded soup kitchen. Every weekend, the warehouse opened it's doors to those that needed a hot meal and a place to rest for a few hours. Dozens of people each day stopped by, grabbing a meal, and procuring a spot on one of the laid-out mats. Some took their food away, to be consumed elsewhere, but others stayed, chatted, just glad to have somewhere they were welcome.

But most days, the large, open space was empty, cots stacked in neat rows, crates of simple rations scattered around, the beginnings of a shower system still under construction. In these times, the warehouse was quiet, forgotten about, lonely.

Except when Alicio used it for training, that was.

The low hum of Alicio's lightsaber was the only sound disturbing the peace, as the Count, dressed in breathable workout clothes, practiced his form. He practically danced across the room, lunging stabs punctuated by sweeping, warding slashes across his body, each movement showing off the growing muscle definition in his arms, his legs, his chest, as well as his growing proficiency with the blue-and-black blade.

Kai had finally been released from prison, and Alicio was eager to make good on his promise to the Jedi. Hence the private surroundings, and the unopened pizza box on a nearby crate.

Might as well get in a little bit of training before the training, right?

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

The latch clicked and the door slid open with barely a whisper. Faint footsteps, followed by the click of nails, entered the warehouse.

Kai paused and looked around, taking in the surroundings. Sophie stood still next to him. She hadn’t left his side since they were reunited after his release from Azrael.

Spotting Alicio practicing his moves, Kai approached him. He looked nothing like the boy Alicio had gotten to know in prison, and not merely because he had grown older. No, this young man was a stranger. Taller, broader, with a shock of white hair and very blue eyes in an unfamiliar face. Even his aura in the Force was obscured, thanks to the ring on his right hand.

Kai was fully aware of this unrecognizability, and couldn’t resist the urge to mess with the Count.

“Hey. I’m looking for a guy named Alicio. You know him?” he asked, feigning ignorance. Glancing by chance off to the side, he abruptly dropped all pretense. <Is that a pizza?!>

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

One glaring weakness in his form was his rigidity. From within the flashing cuts and prudent stabs of his Makashi/Soresu style, his back was almost always straight, his limbs rarely extended beyond the necessary, and almost always, two feet were on the floor. Everything was practiced, sharp, but entirely too grounded.

But that came with specializing in two forms that stressed conservation of energy, he supposed. Maybe one day, he'd try out the fancy flips some saber duelists so preferred.

So focused was he on his training, he didn't notice as two beings entered the room, and one spoke up. Surprised, Alicio wheeled on them, Introspect glittering coldly in front of him in a defensive stance, before the Count dropped the lit blade to his side, studying the white-haired man and enormous wolf beside him.

He was about to respond, with something cautious and mysterious, before the man's eyes lit up at the thought of pizza, and realization dawned on Alicio. After a moment, he stowed his lightsaber, and shot the 'stranger' a warm smile. "Um... Yes. I doubt we can finish it all today, but... There's nothing better than an 'out of jail pizza party'."

"Or at the very least, it beats our 'in jail pizza parties'." Alicio walked up to the shapeshifter, extending a hand to shake. "Hello, Kai. It's good to see you."

The senator studied Kai's new face, his own suddenly very hard to read. "So... you did it?"

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

<In this body, yeah, I absolutely will finish an entire pizza. You better take what you want while you still can.>

While the euphoria of freedom had yet to wear off, Kai was more subdued than he expected to be. At Azrael, his life had been rigidly controlled, but everything ran like clockwork. Now he suddenly had no such structure to guide him, and he was left feeling a bit untethered.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten Alicio’s promise to give him a job, at least. Hopefully the offer still stood.

He shook Alicio’s hand. <Hi again. Long time no see.> He gestured to the Warghest. <This is Sophie. You remember me mentioning her? She’s a good girl, don’t worry.>

Kai scratched Sophie behind the ears, then with a silent command got her to lay down on the floor with her head between her front paws.

Catching the Senator’s eye, Kai nodded. <This is the same body I had before you met me.> After making sure no one else was around, he removed the ring. Instantly, his aura came into focus, no longer dispersed by the prism of the gem he wore on his finger. Dark with corruption… but gleaming light within. A black sheath around a white-hot blade, or a beacon encased in a grimy lighthouse.

<As for how I got it back, that’s a long story.> Replacing the ring on his finger, he took a seat beside the crate and grabbed a slice of pizza.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio flashed an easy smile to the Jedi as they shook hands, despite still getting used to the telepathic conversation. He had never quite acclimated to having other's words in his head.

Kai was quick to turn his attention to the creature at his side, and Alicio simply studied it, before offering her a bow in turn. "I remember. She's... bigger... than I imagined she'd be, though."

At Alicio's question, Kai removed his ring. Immediately, a conflicting palate of tastes graced his tongue. Light, bursting from within dark. Covered, but not concealed. Shining, but not spotless. It reminded Alicio of Introspect's crystal, but in reverse; a veneer of unnatural cold, unable to contain the sun-spot burn of life within.

"Well, we have all the time in the world," Alicio offered, sitting beside Kai, and taking his advice by snatching a slice before the Sithspawn could theoretically devour the pie whole. "If you want to share."

"And... if you're looking for a job, my offer still stands." Alicio looked at the pizza. Certainly not his usual meal, but he took a small bite anyways. "Bodyguarding, and a bit of training. I can't promise it will be glorious work, but... it is necessary."

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

<Well, she is a Sithspawn, and that’s the thing with the Sith. They go big or go home.> Kai spread his hands for emphasis, then let his arms drop. “You know I can go back to talking, if you prefer,” he said, shoulders hunching just a bit as he picked up on Alicio’s discomfort. “I don’t really like talking out loud, but… I’m not as scared of it as I used to be, I guess.”

He sat down cross-legged and took a bite out of his pizza. “Okay. So, I made a deal with a witch named Erictho to give me a new body, while she took this one.” He pointed to himself with his free hand. “So when I wanted my old body back, I had to go and find Erictho. It was no easy task, especially after being incarcerated for so long, but eventually I was able to track her down to, of all places, an abandoned penitentiary…”

The ruins sat right in the middle of a street crowded with shops and restaurants. Built like a fortress and surrounded by tall walls, it looked grand and imposing at a distance, more like an ancient castle than a prison. But as Kai drew nearer, the decay that had suffused the building gradually became more apparent.

He approached the gate—or what was left of it. Disruptor shield projectors were installed in the skeleton of a doorway, but when he hit one with his lightsaber, it didn’t even spark. Even the shields had long since given up the ghost.

So he entered unhindered. Plant life sprouted from between broken stones, vines snaking across the grounds. Every surface seemed slick with slime, and there was an unpleasant stench of mildew and the decomposing remains of an animal.

It was bitterly cold. Unnaturally cold, his instincts told him. Still Kai kept going, moving deeper and deeper, through long cell blocks shaped like the spokes of a wheel, until he reached the center of the maze.

“Hello, Kai,” a voice greeted him from somewhere in the murky darkness.

Taking a deep breath, he replied, “Hello, Erictho.”

“It’s been a while. Last I heard, you were just released from Azrael Asylum, weren’t you? I can’t imagine why you’d want to visit another prison so soon. So—” At last, a figure emerged from the shadows. Tall, feminine, and yet distorted and monstrous, she stood before him with the regal bearing of a dark queen welcoming a guest into her palace. “Why are you here? Surely not just to see me?”

“I want what you took from me.”

She laughed. “I knew this day would come. This is a very nice body, you know. It was rather silly of you to give it up in the first place. But now, oh, you want it back.” She pouted mockingly. “You always were such a spoiled, entitled brat. I don’t know how Damsy ever put up with you.”

Kai compressed his lips. He had asked Damsy to come here with him, and she had agreed… and then never showed up. Rather than wait for her, he had decided to go alone.

“I like this body,” Erictho continued, running her hands up and down her twisted form. “It has so much to offer. So much that was wasted on you. I won’t let you have it.”

“Enough talk, then.” Kai stepped forward, but rather than using his lightsaber, he unsheathed a sword.

The sight of the gleaming songsteel blade jolted Erictho, prompting her to take a half-step backwards. “The Sword of Tania Bayern?” she sputtered. “But—how? Where did you get that?!”

Kai ignored her questions, advancing toward the witch with the sword held aloft.

“Aren’t your kind limited in the number of times you can switch host bodies?” she snapped, backing away. “This would be, what, your third possession? What if it doesn’t work? You’ll die.”

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.” Without further warning, Kai swung the sword in an arc, aiming to decapitate her. Panicking, Erictho lashed out—and impaled the boy with her arm, molded into a sharpened stake.

“You thought you could kill me with some ancient weapon?” she sneered. “You’re a fool.”

Kai’s body weakened and went limp, but the spirit was still willing. Erictho might’ve caught a brief glimpse of the Bamarri’s radiant true form as it abandoned the mortal coil and leaped into her.

What followed next was a battle of wills, as each soul fought for control over the Doppelganger body. How long the fight lasted, Kai didn’t know, but eventually Erictho was forced to retreat. Kai saw her slithering away and gave chase, seizing the sword along the way. As he moved, he assumed the form he once had—the white-haired youth with the physique of an acrobat, his features compiled from the faces of everyone he had ever loved.

He pursued the witch down Cell Block 3, finally cornering her in a cell. She had hidden herself in the body of a Coruscanti rat. Before she could scurry away, Kai lunged forward and cut off her head. He had a split-second perception of a vacuum as her life was abruptly cut short—for Erictho was very old, and in her time had amassed a great and terrible power—but then the gap she left behind sealed over. The universe would go on in her absence, and Kai had regained what he had lost.

“...and then I returned the human body I had been using back to his family,” Kai finished. Picking off some of the meatier pizza toppings on the last slice of pizza, he held out his open palm to Sophie, who carefully ate them out of his hand.

He fell quiet after telling the tale. The pizza had been demolished, the biggest threat in his life defeated, and now…

"... if you're looking for a job, my offer still stands. Bodyguarding, and a bit of training. I can't promise it will be glorious work, but... it is necessary."

Kai’s demeanor brightened. For a moment he looked like he might reach over and embrace the Count. But not wanting to wear out his welcome or risk ruining the rapport he had built up with Alicio, he instead went down on one knee, like a knight of old swearing fealty. “I’ll do it,” he said. “I don’t care about glory. I’ll do whatever you ask of me. I’ll love what you love, and shun what you shun. Your enemies are my enemies, so long as you’ll have me.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio shook his hand dismissively. "Whichever you prefer. By all means, continue with the..." He gestured to his own head. "I can get used to it." It wasn't a bad experience by any means. Just... new. Different. And possibly useful, given the work Kai might do for him.

It was then that Kai launched into his story about the witch. It was the kind of epic tale the Count might expect to hear sitting around a campfire, or in the annals of an epic fantasy novel. To think that the man before him dueled a body-snatching witch for his body back was a fantastical story, one that Alicio wouldn't have believed, if the proof weren't standing before him, devouring a pizza, slice after slice.

Kai's silence gave Alicio the chance to look at his own piece of 'za. He'd nibbled two bites off of the thing. He blinked. "I'm glad you're okay," he finally said, skewing a smile. "That sounds dangerous. Next time you enter a mind-duel with a Force Witch, think about inviting me, yeah? If only as back-up. Not that I know anything about 'mind battles'," he said contemplatively.

Alicio was stunned by Kai's response to his offer, as the Sithspawn regally bowed before the Count. The nobleman took a second to respond, before chuckling, and holding out a hand to help the boy up, and to shake. "I appreciate it, but I'm not looking for a servant, Kai."

"I'm looking for some help. Maybe a friend, if you're willing."

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai furrowed his brow at Alicio’s request to be included in his next psychic battle. At least, until the Count acknowledged his lack of proficiency with telepathy. <Would you like to learn?> he asked.

Alicio was perhaps a half-second too late in his refusal of Kai’s knightly service. The moment the Count put his hand out to help the boy up, Kai misinterpreted the gesture and, in keeping with the traditions he was conjuring up with his little show of vassalage, he completed the ritual by kissing Alicio’s ring (or imaginary ring, if there was no actual piece of jewelry adorning his finger).

Then, realizing his mistake, he said, <Oh.>

Rising to his feet, face a little darker with embarrassment, Kai shook the Count’s hand. <Okay. We’re friends. And as my first act of friendship…> He gestured to Alicio’s barely-eaten slice. <Are you going to eat that?>

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

<Would you like to learn?>

Alicio's eyes widened, before the corner of his mouth twitched up. "If you wouldn't mind," he joked, before a series of increasingly awkward events occured.

The Count looked on in muted confusion as Kai kissed his ringless, outstretched hand. His other hand's ring finger had a band of silver and blue on it, not that kissing that one instead would have been much better. Alicio continued to laugh, finding it more funny than anything. He was glad to see Kai so quickly fall into a more casual role.

<Are you going to eat that?>

His eyes traced to the pizza in his hand. Then back to Kai. He simply held it out to the Sithspawn. "Knock yourself out."

"So... Are you actually willing to teach me some... telepathy." He said the word slowly, as if he weren't used to speaking it aloud. "I was going to ask you for saber practice today, but... I've been in a few situations recently where some mind powers would have been nice to have." Alicio looked expectantly at Kai, a question in his grey eyes.

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai more or less inhaled the pizza slice as soon as Alicio gave it to him, then nodded his head.

<Yeah sure. Telepathy would probably be easier for you.> Was that a subtle dig at Alicio’s fighting prowess? Maybe. <It’s just that most people are super protective of what’s in their brains. It’s a lot easier to project your thoughts than it is to read somebody else’s mind because of that.>

<I dunno if you’ve ever tried Beast Control, but it's pretty much the same principle. Only with animals, you’re using a more primitive form of telepathy. It's impulses rather than coherent thoughts.>

Returning to a seated position on the floor, he evidently sent such an impulse toward Sophie, who happily rolled over in front of Alicio and presented her belly to be rubbed.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

<Yeah sure. Telepathy would probably be easier for you.>

Alicio raised a coy eyebrow Kai's direction. The Count gotten a bit better with the blade, and a lot better with seeing the future, since the Jedi's imprisonment.

He would just have to prove it to him later.

Alicio crossed his arms over his chest, considering Kai's explanation of the intricacies of telepathy. "I've never tried beast control before." The words together felt strange to him. He pondered the terminology silently, although a small smile escaped him as Sophie presented her belly for pats. He reached down, and gently rewarded the canine.

"I have been able to... influence the decisions of people. It feels like... shoving thoughts into their heads. But I haven't been able to read minds, aside from strong emotions, and I haven't really tried to send a message before."

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

<You could try it on Sophie, if you want to pick up that skill too,> Kai said. <It’s mainly useful for stopping wild animals from attacking you. That way you won’t have to end their life to defend yourself.>

Alicio’s description of what he had already managed to do gave Kai pause. <That’s a Jedi Mind Trick,> he said. <It’s even closer to Beast Control, but you’re using it on sapient beings.>

At his command, Sophie got up, circled around her master, then sat obediently beside him. <But let’s start out with you sending a message to my mind…>

He did his best to explain the method by which he’d been communicating for his entire life, in the simplest, clearest of terms, then waited for Alicio to mount an attempt.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio looked at Sophie inquisitively. He didn't want to control her. Even if it was just for training. "Maybe..." he ventured, though the question in his voice betrayed his discomfort. Still, if it could save him, or others in the future, he probably should learn the skill.

Jedi Mind Trick. So that's what that was. Alicio grinned. "Well... I'm not a Jedi, so it's more like an... 'Alicio Mind Trick', I guess." He huffed to himself, before refocusing on Kai's lesson. "Sorry, that was... that was dumb."

The Count listened as Kai explained the process to him. In short order, Alicio felt ready for his first try at it.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in, trying to focus on the words he was trying to convey. He thought so hard about his words, that his brain started to fatigue. As if he were trying to hold tight to it, squeeze some kind of reaction out of it.

There was one more moment of waiting, before he quietly projected an Alderaanian children's song to the awaiting Kai, faint in the back of his mind.

<Five little thrantas playing in the sky, one flew off and said goodbye. Four little thrantas playing in the sky...>

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Though it was a dumb joke, Kai still chuckled at it. <Since I’m not a Jedi anymore either, I think we had better just call it a “Mind Trick” from now on.>

While Alicio focused on projecting his thoughts, Kai kept his mind open, like a catcher awaiting a baseball. Since reclaiming the Doppelganger body, he had not felt the hunger for thoughts and memories yet… until now, as the children’s rhyme trickled into his consciousness, word by tantalizing word. He ignored the temptation, however, and raised a hand to his ear as if to say speak up.

<What happened to the rest of the thrantas?> he asked.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

<One... One flapped it's wings and it flew too high...>

Alicio continued his nursery rhyme, the words drilled into him from a young age, allowing him to focus his attention on actually projecting the message. The story was rather simple, a slowly thinning herd of thrantas, leaving through inane means, with veiled cautionary undertones. Something parents would've sung to children to teach them to stay close to home, and listen to their elders.

As he went through each line of the song, the volume gradually grew, as he found the connection to Kai's mind, and strengthened it, until the words flowed freely.

<One little thranta, flying all alone. Mother came a-calling, and what do you know? One little thranta went flying home.>

Alicio smiled, sending a different message into Kai's mind. His mental voice was a little slower than his physical, as he heavily pondered every word before he sent it.. <I think I'm getting... the hang of it.>

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

With Alicio’s telepathic “voice” now coming through clearly, Kai smiled. <How does it feel?> he asked, curious about what it was like for someone who had never communicated with their mind before to project their thoughts for the first time.

<Try to use telepathy as much as you can,> he said. <I think you'll need the practice.>

Now what? <I can teach you how to read minds, but we need to go somewhere with plenty of people around,> he explained, getting to his feet. <If I let you read my mind, I’ll open my thoughts to you subconsciously, and it’ll be too easy. You need to try it on someone who doesn’t know you’re trying to read them. That way their defenses will still be up.>

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Good question.

Alicio struggled to find the right words for how telepathy felt, especially using the new form of communication. <It's like... Like a mind trick. But I don't put intention in my words. I just... speak. Let the words fly. And hope you hear me.>

Of course, that wasn't exactly what it felt like. But it got the point across well enough.

Kai's next suggestion earned a distasteful look from the Count. "Kai, I..." he began to say, before switching to telepathy once more. <I don't want to pry into innocent minds... Seems like an invasion of privacy.> Alicio twisted his lip, crossing his arms over his chest.

<I don't want to cross that line. Not... unless I have to. Is there no other way to learn?>

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

<It’s an invasion of privacy no matter what,> Kai retorted. <People aren’t going to just let you read their minds. If they have information you need, or they’re keeping secrets you want to know, they’re not going to part with it willingly!>

Kai’s impassioned speech ended, and with it went his intensity. He averted his gaze, looking ashamed of himself in the aftermath.

<Fine,> he said at last. <You can practice on me. Read my mind. Okay good, okay fine?>

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Kai's sudden vitriol was met by a stoic assuredness from the Count. He let Kai vent, even pausing a moment to let the shapeshifter consider his words after he'd released them, before responding with a measured calm.

<I'm not going to look into the heads of unsuspecting people.> He repeated the thought, his conviction only having grown. <If my prying will save lives, I'll do it, but only to save lives.> A little necessary evil, but he was unwilling to go further.

Kai finally relented, and Alicio nodded, his slow movements full of meaning. He spoke his next words. "Thank you."

He reconnected that bridge between his and Kai's mind. Studied the barrier between them with a curious inner eye.

<Now what?>

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai hadn't meant to sound so insistent. There was a logic to his stance, but he'd gotten defensive the moment Alicio pushed back against his teaching. Teacher or not, he was still only a boy, insecure and easy to rile up...

Sensing her master’s lowered spirits, Sophie began to lick Kai’s ear and the side of his face. It was hard to maintain a scowl while you were covered in Warghest slobber.

<You can sense the barrier between our minds,> Kai replied. <You have to find a way across it. There’s not really any particular technique, it’s more… intuitive, I guess? Every barrier is going to be unique as far as how strong it is and how difficult it will be to cross.>

He stroked Sophie’s fur, though he held eye contact with Alicio. <Once you make it across, you’ll be in my mind. Try not to get overwhelmed.>

Alicio Organa​