The Original Sin

[Farah]

Khar Delba
Castle Methushael
[member="Darth Carnifex"]

The concrete structure was all she had known. It was her world and she hadn’t even been allowed in the better part of it—only the medical wing for the most part. There was plenty of observation, plenty of tests and exams concerning her physical stature, mental fortitude and ability in the Force. Not that she knew what it was, but she got the impression that it was important.

Five days and sixteen hours. That was how old Farah Zambrano was, taking the form of an adult Zeltron woman. She was a biological replica of someone who’d already existed, who’d grown from childhood and had her own memories and experiences. On this front, Farah was lacking.

Her eyes traced along one of the many chrome pipelines in the exam room, from the machine where they began to the exhaust somewhere outside. There were bundles of them, streaming out from the various devices that were neatly arranged against the walls. She recognized her surroundings as an exam room, a place where she’d spent most of her life. It wasn’t necessarily pleasant, but she found comfort in it all the same because she had nothing else to fall back on as a familiar concept.

Farah was nervous. After days of questions that had been dodged by the men and women in white lab coats, she was to meet her creator. Today, for the first time. She did not know what to expect, idly picking at the lining of the armrest of her chair. All she could do was wait until someone entered the room or she was escorted away—wait and keep her mind from wandering into a more anxious place.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Burning of Thyferra had been a resounding success.

Not only had the Sith Empire delivered a devastating blow to the Galactic Alliance, burning all of Thyferra in the process, but they had managed to capture a large number of prisoners both civilian and military. Their greatest prize, however, was a Jedi Master.

[member="Joza Perl"] to be exact.

She had been tagged, bagged, and shipped off to the Emperor's private fortress on Khar Delba. There she had been interrogated briefly before being subject to horrendous torture, parts of her body harvested for the Dark Lord's own insidious means. Her DNA was stored in his vast genetic databank, with a portion of it used to create a brand new entity in the exact same mold as Miss Perl herself. The woman had been given the designation of Farah, with the Emperor's own surname being attached for good measure.

Now they would meet, face-to-face, for the first time.

The Emperor strode through the stark gray halls of the fortress, a heavy ruby cloak hanging from his shoulders like a shawl. Behind him was a small cadre of scientists, each of them clutching a datapad in their gloved hands as they hurried to keep up with the gargantuan Sith Lord's long gait. At last they reached the chamber where the clone was being held, and with only a moment's pause the door opened and the eight foot tall giant entered to the most likely stunned younger woman.

"Farah Zambrano. I am Kaine Zambrano, I am your maker."

[member="Farah"]​

 

[Farah]

The doors slid open to reveal a mountain of a man flanked by a team of scientists with their sterile white lab coats. Farah’s head turned sharply, pupils dilating as she took in everything she could about his new arrival.

The man leading them was different from the men and women she’d seen throughout her short life. He was much taller, wore no lab coat and held no scientific devices. She figured that he must have been in a difference class than those who’d been working with her for the better part of the week.

Not that she knew what they were working towards. She answered their questions and went through procedures without much complaint. Some were boring, some were painful. Though largely compliant on that front, she had attacked one of the scientists who’d deigned to touch her in a manner she did not like. Farah did not see him again after that.

There was something different about this giant, not just his clothes or his stature. He addressed her, introducing himself as her maker and Farah went silent, still taking it all in. She wasn’t sure who or what she was. Maybe this giant could help shed some light.

“We have the same name.” She observed. Zambrano. She’d heard the name tossed around several times in the lab in regards to beings other than herself.

He was her maker. Her creator. Flash training had given her basic knowledge of how life worked and she squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again. To create life, one needed a mother and a father. That was how the family structure worked from a biological angle. A maternal pronucleus merged with a male pronucleus and life began from there.

Which begged the question.

“Are you my father, Kaine Zambrano?”

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Only in a symbolic sense."

He towered over the young half-Zeltron by several feet, his head angled down to look her straight in the eyes with his own baleful gaze. "You were not conceived through natural methods, Farah. You are the clone of a woman named Joza Perl, born from her harvested DNA and grown in one of my incubation cradles. Though I supplied none of my own genetic material into your creation, I engineered your existence and ensured that it was carried out."

How strange it must have been to know that you were nothing but a copy of another person, someone who had lived a full life of experience, pain, pleasure, joy, and sorrow? Flash training could only impart so much on the mind of a clone, yet there was still so much more for them to learn.

"In that way I am very much your father, which is why my family name was given to you in recognition. It is a powerful name, one that inspires both awe and fear to those that hear it."

[member="Farah"]​

 

[Farah]

Farah felt herself sink down into the chair under her creator’s harsh gaze. She would have taken her eyes off of him if she could, but she feared being reprimanded. What was the proper protocol here? The clone didn’t know. She hadn’t been instructed in the proper decorum to show her creator.

“Oh.” It was all she could say, neither disappointed nor pleased. She wasn’t sure what to think at this point. He was her family and family was important. Biologically, family was important to ensure the survival of your genes. Familial love was nothing more than a chemical cocktail designed to protect offspring, the vessels of genetic material. This she knew. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew. Farah remembered things but could not conjure up the memories they came from.

The memories simply didn’t exist. She did not share any genetic material with Kaine Zambrano in the familial sense. So why?

“Did you…create me for a reason?” Farah was almost hesitant in asking for she feared the answer. This man looked sinister at every angle.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I created you to fulfill a purpose, one that will be revealed to you once I am confident in your ability to exist separate of your original self."

There was no point to filling in all the dots for Farah at this junction, she was barely a week old and had yet to embrace the life he had paved for her. It was rare for him to inform a clone that they were in fact just a copy of another being, he usually filled their minds with fabrications to make them believe that they had always been. Doctor Vain was another example, and it was fortunate enough that the good doctor was right behind the Dark Lord.

He turned slightly, beckoning the clone of [member="Irajah Ven"] forward to stand next to him. He then commanded her to remove her mask, which she did; albeit reluctantly, and revealed a beautiful porcelain face crowned by a head of raven black hair. Eyes similar to that of Kaine stared out behind stray bangs, pupils burning with fire and darkness. "Farah, this is Doctor Vain Jar'He, she is the clone of a dead woman named Irajah Ven who once worked under my employ many months ago. Like you she is aware of her origins, but has taken hold of her own destiny to become her own person. You can achieve the same."

[member="Farah"]​

 

[Farah]

Her original self.

The implication caused her stomach to drop and a pit of violent uncertainty to well there. All Farah had been was nothing other than…this. She wouldn’t even call it much of a life, and she had no memories from her template. At least, she assumed so. Thinking about it made her head hurt—trying to separate things she’d experienced from those of her template.

She swallowed thickly, shaking the uncomfortable thoughts from her head and focusing on what was happening now. The air was thick in the exam room and gave off the impression that this Kaine Zambrano, her creator, was revered to the highest degree.

Her head lifted when one of the scientists who’d followed him in, a masked figure garbed in mysterious robes, was revealed to be a clone as well. Farah stared at the woman’s face, soft pretty features hardened by some unknown quality. Her mind briefly entertained the idea of what is Irajah Ven must have been like and how she and the woman standing before her differed.

“Why Joza Perl?” She asked suddenly, curiosity at her template eating away at her. She knew nothing about the woman other than that she was made in her image, and that alone was enough to give her a distaste for the name. Was she someone important? A warrior? A scientist? Farah wondered about the qualities that would make a good candidate for spawning a clone. “What was she like?”

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"She was an enemy of me and my order, so she was apprehended after a battle and placed under my supervision. I relieved her of certain possessions, chiefly of which was some of her DNA which was used in your creation." A rather cold, but factual, way of putting it to the new clone. Doctor Vain saw it fit to return her mask to its rightly place, obscuring her features yet again with a metallica avian glare. Carnifex didn't see the need in commanding her to do otherwise, her introduction was over and she could go back to being a silent witness.

As for who Joza Perl was, well... That depended on who you asked.

"Joza Perl was a Jedi Master who often dealt in certain forms of entertainment in the Outer Rim, and she supported the enemies of my Empire." The bare basics was all the Dark Lord cared to impart onto his newest servant, "And you possess her potential for strength in the Force, but you will walk a different path than that of your template. You have a curious mind."

[member="Farah"]​

 

[Farah]

Farah remained silent, listening with rapt interest as the Dark Lord spoke of the woman she was cloned from. Put shortly, the clone was experiencing some form of shock. It wasn’t every day that you found out that you were an exact biological replica of an existing person. Someone who had a life shaped by experiences whereas Farah was just…conjured into existence. To serve.

She wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that, but instinct told her not to feel much of anything right now. All she’d ever known was this lab, and her survival depended on her compliance. She was determined to learn as much about life and how it worked.

“So she was someone worth cloning.” Farah stated slowly, eyes unfocusing over Kaine’s shoulder just slightly as her mind worked to digest everything he’d said.

Dark green eyes focused back onto the Sith Lord. “I read a book.” She stated, pausing for a moment before continuing. “One of the men in white left it out. On accident, I think. It was about the biology of life.” She look over to her arm, smooth pink dermis covering layers of muscle and bone. “I read it cover to cover. Twice.”

She looked back up to her creator. “But it didn’t really talk about the Force. What is it? Where does it come from?”

Curious indeed.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Lord blew air out of his nostrils, and then proceeded to take a seat next to the inquisitive clone. Though the chair groaned under his weight, he made no effort to show any concern over its wellbeing. "The Force isn't something you can understand from a textbook. The Force is an energy field that binds and connects all living things in the galaxy to one another, and it has two distinct natures; the Living Force and the Cosmic Force. The Living Force feeds from the energy of living creatures, and is cycled back into the Cosmic Force, the aspect of the Force that binds all creation together, when that living organism ceases to exist. Though the Force exists within all things, it can only be accessed by those beings who possess a certain sensitivity towards the Force. This sensitivity is achieved via microscopic organisms called midi-chlorians, they act as a bridge between the Cosmic Force and the Living Force and allow people like me to tap into the Force to alter reality as I wish."

He waved his hand through the air, and the various loose items around the room suddenly rose up into the air and levitated for a couple of seconds before falling back down. Kaine waved his hand again, and one of the tools shot back up into the air before contorting violently into a small ball of cracked and bent metal. "The Force can allow one to perform many great feats, though without proper training the best you could hope to achieve is less than basic. Gifted individuals might have greater innate talent in the Force, but nothing trumps a finely honed mind and body; completely in tune with the Force."

Just by looking at Kaine could one see the decades of dedication it took to transform his physical self into a pure extension of war and violence, yet his mind was equally as powerful as his muscles that strained against his clothing. "Beyond the Living and Cosmic Force, there are two more aspects. The Light Side of the Force and the Dark Side of the Force, of which I am firmly an adherent of the latter. The Light Side of the Force is tied intrinsically with the full detachment of one's animal nature, it is the path of calmness, serenity, and a sterile life of abstinence from all worldly pleasures. It's practitioners are the Jedi, our mortal enemy. The Dark Side, on the other hand, draws its strength from darker emotions such as fear, anger, hatred, passion and aggression. The Sith, my brethren, are its practitioners. It is an extremely volatile substance, and those who partake of its power are susceptible to depravity and madness if improperly handled."

It was the sad truth, how many of his compatriots had fallen into that blackened pit never to return to their senses? It was a fine lead that many of them tread, but the benefits far outweighed the risks in the Dark Lord's mind. "But hate and anger are not the only emotions that the Dark Side can be empowered by, for as I said passion feeds the fire of the Dark Side within a skilled practitioner. Love, joy, sadness, all can provide a wellspring of energy that an attuned wielder can tap into for strength. The Light Side is devoid of emotion while the Dark Side thrives on it. The way of the Dark Side is evolution, we Sith have changed over the eons to survive the oppression of the Jedi who are content to maintain the cultural status quo. Under their rule the galaxy has stagnated countless times in history, though now the galaxy is rent apart by conflict thanks to their inaction."

"That is why I intend to destroy the Jedi."

[member="Farah"]​

 

[Farah]

Farah fell silent in a mix of reverence and curiosity. Her mind was swimming as it tried to digest these new realizations—she was a clone, a carbon copy, a biological replica of someone else. Someone with their own past, their own experiences and joys and sorrows. A rich life. In comparison, Farah felt empty. Empty and jealous, though she did not yet realize those feelings for what they were.

Instead she listened to Kaine’s explanation of the Force. It was beyond what she had imagined but then again she didn’t know what to expect. She did jump when many of the loose objects in the room began levitating as if they were held up by invisible strings. Bottle, books and instruments all hovered in the air simultaneously before being placed back down into their proper positions. Her heart pulsed quickly as one of the old scopes contorted violently into a useless hunk of metal.

“Can the Jedi do that? What you just did?” Gently, her brows knit at a troubling thought. He’d said that her template had been a Jedi Master. “Does that…” She looked up at her creator, blinking as she had to arch her neck back a bit more in order to meet his gaze. “Do I I have the blood of a Jedi?” There was a threat of fear in her voice, though as she thought about it, it wouldn’t have made sense for him to clone a Jedi simply to kill her.

At least, that was what made sense to her.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He nodded, "Joza Perl was a master of some renown, and her blood flows through your veins. You have the same capacity to tap into the Force as her, but you are still newborn and untrained. No doubt you will start to develop your own grasp over the Force as you mature."

He didn't tell her of the dangers inherent with cloning Force Sensitive material, the clone's proclivity towards madness and self-destruction. Perhaps she would come to her own conclusions through her research, but otherwise the Dark Lord would continue to silently monitor her mental condition throughout her existence.

Carnifex rose, "But I think you've spent too long in this stuffy room, would you like to have a tour of your home?"

[member="Farah"]​

 

[Farah]

Farah was unsure about this Force, especially after Kaine had displayed what it was he could do with it. Little did she know that basic telekinesis was only the tip of the iceberg. Still, her mind whizzed with possible applications for what she had seen. It was natural when you only had several days of memories in a fully developed adult mind, not a lifetime to clutter things up.

Then he offered her to move elsewhere, to see something other than these clinical white walls. “Oh,” She seemed a little startled, surprise quickly melting into hopeful appreciation. “Yes. I’d like very much to see my home.”

Her home. A benign concept, but one she had yet to apply to herself. Until now—and now, it didn’t seem to fit quite right.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Then follow me."

Her current abode was a utilitarian medical chamber, one among many in the lower levels of the castle. As they rose higher and higher into the structure that stark, sterile white melted away to reveal cold gray steel illuminated by white and red electroluminescence strips that cast the halls in perpetual gloom. At every intersection a pair of Imperial Guards would watch silently, their bodies so still they could be easily mistaken for statues.

"You are currently on the world of Khar Delba, one of the Sith's most holiest worlds. It is a world of ice and stone, hidden away within the Stygian Caldera. I built this castle many years ago on the ruins of a citadel once occupied by the ancient Sith Lord Naga Sadow, you can still feel slight tremors of his ancient power rising up through the architecture."

[member="Farah"]​

 

[Farah]

Farah trailed behind Kaine as they ascended from the basement of the castle into the upper levels. The décor changed from clinical to…something she couldn’t describe yet. It was darker. Heavier. Richer. Less clear cut than the sterile laboratory she’d grown up in and more ornate.

Her head turned this way and that, finding herself appreciative of the color scheme because it was something different. Everything about this place was different, and as he spoke of ancient power seeping through and into the body of the building, Farah didn’t know if she felt that or a mix of nerves and excitement. Whatever mix of emotions she was feeling was difficult to pick apart.

Still, she smiled. Her expression wasn’t born out of pure joy or anything similar, but again a mix of feelings. Confusion, appreciation, curiosity and excitement were all present in some form.

“Do I have a specific duty to fulfil for now?” She eyed a pair of guards, noting their immense height compared to her and the form of their armor, molded to be intimidating and cast a certain shadow of mystery.

“You said that I have potential in the Force. Does that mean that I am to train as a Sith, like you?”

It was the only logical connection she could make at this time.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

They passed a large viewport that afforded passerbyers a grandiose view of the surrounding fortress and the distant mountain peaks, the banners of the Sith Empire fluttering in the frigid breeze as guards in thermally insulated armor patrolled the walls. The belly of a star cruiser briefly jutted down from the endless expanse of clouds, the rumbling of its engines heard even from the safety of the castle's interior. "You may choose whatever path you desire, so long as you remember where you came from; what you are, and who gave you life." Her existence was wholly bound to the Dark Lord, and he could help it flourish or snuff it out with but a word.

It would serve her well to remember that sobering fact.

Kaine led Farah past a pair of large double doors, one of them slightly ajar. Inside one could see a mighty throne wrought of polished black metal rising from a dais and ringed with dark energies. Yet, they bypassed it and continued further into the upper echelon of the fortress. Beyond that was the royal quarters, where Kaine and his family resided when occupying the castle, and a room had been furbished for Farah's own use. It too came with a window of resilient transparisteel that showcased the beautiful terrain of Khar Delba.

"I hope it is to your liking."

[member="Farah"]​

 

[Farah]

Her gaze lingered to the window as they passed, fascination written on her features as she had her first glimpse of the outdoors. Silly as it may seem, she’d only seen land and sky depicted in imagery. Still, it seemed familiar. Was it innate to recognize these things?

The pair traveled through the throne room and ascended further into the castle where things seemed more residential. As he showed her to her room, the Zeltron seemed to hesitate. Her gaze drifted around the room—the bed, to the desk and the décor of it all. “I don’t have to stay in the lab anymore?” There was no hiding the hopeful tone in her voice. Farah was both excited and nervous about being pushed from the nest, essentially. There was always some level of comfort in familiar things, and the lab was neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It couldn’t be one or the other really, not when she’d had nothing else to compare it to.

“Yes, yes it is. Very much so.” She inhaled deeply, slowly as the realization that she was now freer to explore washed over her.

“What are my limits?” She inquired, head tilting softly to look up to the imposing form of her creator. “Am I allowed to leave this building? This planet?”

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"For now you may peruse the castle grounds, all of its facilities will be open for your use. You are still young, however, and I do not believe you are ready to travel beyond the planet's borders."

It wasn't that the Emperor didn't trust his new clone to galavant off and join his enemies, it was that the wider galaxy was a wholly different beast than the stark abode she had known for her entire life. She would need adjusting, to temper her experiences by slowly introducing her to the Sith Empire first. And Castle Methushael had everything the clone could ever want; a fully stocked library with access to the Imperial Holonet, an extensive laboratory with the full commodities, and a veritable army of servants ready to fulfill her every need at the drop of a hat.

"After a month has passed I will take you to Bastion, the capital of my Empire and show you its wonders as well."

[member="Farah"]​

 

[Farah]

Until now, Farah’s world had consisted of an enclosed space. Now it had expanded from the white clinical walls and strange machines to the more nuanced architecture of the castle. Only a few days old, this new semblance of quasi-freedom was a lot to comprehend. Still, she was nothing short of excited to explore the grounds. Time would tell if she could handle the galaxy at large.

“Bastion.” She tested the name on her tongue, nodding slowly in acknowledgement. She’d never heard of it of course, not even in passing. It was highly likely that she’d make good use of the library during her stay at Methushael.

“I look forward to it.”

And that was the truth.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A Month Later

The Crestfallen bobbed and weaved through the thick defensive screen of warships and cruisers that wreathed the Imperial throneworld like a crown of dark steel, dipping down into the cloud-laden atmosphere of Bastion on a direct flight path to the capital. Ravelin was a bustling metropolis heightened by its designation as the capital of the Sith Empire, towering spires of durasteel and duracrete rising several hundred meters into the sky while a seemingly endless river of starship traffic swirled around these monoliths.

At the center of the city stood the Imperial Palace, a massive edifice to the Empire's magnificence and opulence rising three kilometers into the air. It was one of the most heavily defended locations within the Empire, and served not as the center of the Imperial Government and Imperial High Command, but as the personal residence of the Sith Emperor as well.

The Emperor's shuttle set down inside of his private hangar situated closer to the pyramid's apex, which was concealed by retractable walls when not in immediate use. The boarding ramp descended and the Emperor emerged from his shuttle, followed shortly by a smaller pink-skinned individual. He turned his head to partially face her while they walked further into the palace, "I hope you view of the city was to your liking, not many are afforded such a luxury."

[member="Farah"]​