Private The Taurannik Theorem

[Sofiel]

"You think of me like your droid. Or that you or your others are an actual threat to me. Let me make something clear, Knight Inquisitor. We cannot be killed or contained. Understand that what you say is only serving to insult me."

Her eyes narrowed further.

"I have judged you helpful to upholding my deal. And I have no qualms with working with you. But continue to speak to me as if I am a child and I will drag you to my realm and show you just how powerless even you can be." With that said, Sofiel straightened her posture, turned her gaze towards the mirror they were investigating.

"You cannot, unless the Force is denied to her. Such is the nature of the deal."

Darth Temerant

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Sofiel
​

“I treat you for what you are,” Temerant calmly countered. “A Nether entity that lacks the wisdom and maturity to conceal its true nature. If that makes you analogue to a child in your mind, that is scarcely my concern. Do you feel like a child?” He queried, a part of him genuinely curious over the fact. “Besides, that is patently not true, following your own logic. I can definitely kill the body you require to be manifested in this realm, which would prove a pragmatic if impermanent solution. And you are contained by the terms of your deal, are you not?” He continued. “A deal which can be interpreted and manipulated, hrm? A deal which can be subject to loopholes.”

He tilted his head, studying the once-woman.

“Even if I were to believe that you could do that, I have long known my end would not be a pleasant one. And you would have so many Sith hunting you your little deal might as well be over. X3 would make sure of that,” he let her know.

“Damned right,” the droid chimed in defensively.

“As far as I am concerned, I still hold all the cards here. Whether you see it or not, you need me more than I need you And it is you who should understand…” he cliked a button on his glove then, the upper half of his helmet retracting to reveal half of his face as only the rebreather remained, his white-blue eyes observing her with a dull frown, bordering the scar that laid between them. They were almost unsettling for a human, cold not just in hue, but in their resolve: the eyes of a man who had not only seen but survived great suffering… and certainly the eyes of a man who had imparted it. They were almost distant, as if they kept what was left of his soul in the deepest pit of their frozen depths. “That my true power does not reside in my strength in the Force, or even that of my body. It is in that of my spirit. And though you may very well destroy me… You shall never take that from me.”

In this the man seemed not only confident but… unyielding. As if she had threatened a core part of who he was. The Knight Inquisitor might be ready to suffer the worst of fates at her hands… but he would not be rendered powerless.

Never again.

The helmet shot back up over his features. “We are done here,” the man announced, as if it was business as usual then. “Before we continue with our investigation, and certainly before I allow you to roam my wolrd unfettered, I need to know I can trust you. And for that, I will need to speak to your host, so I guess we will have to temporarily cut her off from the Force, hrm?” He suggested, almost non-chalant about the fact. “And if I am satisfied with what I learn from her… well then. I suppose you and I are going to make a deal.”

 

[Sofiel]

"You're weird."

It was a stated fact as Sofiel watched him continue to speak. Spin his tales. What was his goal? What was he trying to say? Her eyes narrowed just a little more as she listened to X3. He would be the problem. Not Temerant.

"You seem to think because you know my deal, you can control it. You cannot. You seem to think that if I'm hunted as I am, it's a problem. It is not. If this deal is broken, I will make a new one with someone else. That does or does not include the Sith and ensuring their survival. Keeping to my deal is what allows me to use this host. We do not keep to all of our deals once they are either rendered impossible or completed."

Her yellow eyes flashed with emotion. True emotion. Not clear exactly on what it was, but something powerful. Real.

"I can simply wait for you to die and come back centuries in your time. I am not limited by time, Knight Inquisitor. And I am very patient. I do not need you. You are simply the avenue of least resistance to work alongside."

And like that her expression calmed as he said the conversation was done. The same smile, the same expression in her eyes.

"I will always make a deal, if it helps my goals. You are welcome to speak with her. Just know she is an extremist of the Maw. And I know your Inquisition does not take kindly to them. Keep her in one piece, if you can."

Darth Temerant

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Sofiel
​

"I get that a lot," Temerant shrugged as he returned the evidence to its place.

"He does," X3 agreed.

"...But that's rich coming from you," he noted.

"Also true," the droid continued.

X3 wasn't exactly being helpful. But the information coming back was: Sofiel seemed to lack much of a filter when she wanted to get a point across... and he had touched some manner of nerve. He could see it in those strange eyes: a genuine, emotive response.

With the mirror pieces loosely rearranged, he spoke to the droid then, motioning for her to follow as he began to make his way out.

"X3, get me Deluge on the line," the man demanded.

"At once Master. Shall I relay what we have learned to the Intelligence Bureau?" he queried.

"No. We do not know how deep this runs. There might be someone messing with the files, or running interference for the cult," he growled, concerned by the notion.

"Hm. It is a distinct possibility, yes," the droid conceded. "Patching you through."

Temerant switched the comms back to a more private setting.

"Hello darling," a sultry voice came through. "So nice of you to call. If I didn't know better, I would start to worry there's another woman in your life..."

"Don't be coy, Arya," the man gruffed. "I need you to do me a favour," he let the woman know.

"Hm. You only ever call to ask for things. Isn't it enough that I run all your enterprises?" the woman asked. "What must a lady do to get invited out on a date?"

"You know I don't date," the man grumbled. "I need some of those prototype cuffs, the ones we based off Zakuulan technology," he told her.

"Ugh. You and your toys," she sighed. "Those are still in development. We have yet to test them on high level..."

"I ran into a group of freedom fighters in Coruscant who had their own functioning versions," the man growled. "And they worked just fine. Trust me," he remarked, reflecting on his little adventure with Capris. "Are you telling me we are falling behind?"

"...No, of course not, darling. Where shall I send them to?" the woman asked.

"X3 will send you the address," the Sith let her know. "Thank you, Arya. Have a good day."

"Oh, whilst I have you, dear, the board of directors wants to..."

As soon as the words 'board of directors' had escaped her mouth, he hung up. The businesswoman let out an exasperated sigh as she turned to look out the window of her executive office.

"I really hate that he does that," she muttered to herself, even as X3 came back onto the line.

"Yes, well, you do earn an awful lot of money to deal with that side of things, Miss Deluge," the droid observed.

The redhead quirked a brow, looking at the disembodied head hologram of the droid on her device. "I hate even more that he trusts you more than me," she let him know dryly.

"What can I say?" the droid countered. "Not everyone is blessed with my raw charisma. But don't fret. He won't date me either."

Arya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just give me the address, buckethead," she demanded.

Back at the crime scene, Temerant had already bolted onto the driver's seat, securing himself to it. "Seatbelt," he reminded his strange new companion. "I'm taking you back home for the day."

 

[Sofiel]

"Oh. Shit."

She'd realized it too late. How calm he'd gotten, how easily he switched subjects. He wasn't making bold assumptions from thin air, he was probing for information. Goading her into answering.

She'd fallen for it. A frown settled on her expression as they left the basement and went back to the speeder. She'd certainly given more than she should have, but not everything. As Sofiel clicked in her seatbelt, the calm smile returned. It wasn't all bad. Already she was learning valuable lessons she wouldn't in her little pocket realm.

"Am I to assume I am under.. House Arrest? That's the term, correct?"

Darth Temerant

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Sofiel
​

"Oh, very much so," the man agreed with her conclusion. "At least until we sort this mess out. X3?"

"Yes Master?"

"Is the package on its way?" he asked as he revved the engine.

"Indeed," the droid assured him.

"Good. Send Arya some nice flowers or something," he prompted the droid as they took off.

"You do understand that that will probably only tick her off further yes?" the droid queried. "You're not really the kind to buy flowers."

"I do," the man grunted.

X3 sighed. "Very well, Master..."

***
​

By the time they arrived, a drone droid was already hovering over the entrance of the building, dropping off a package for the man.

He waited until she'd let them back into her apartment to open it up, producing a pair of handcuffs, albeit a pair that seemed extraordinarily high tech, its design reminiscent of technology of the Eternal Empire of old, albeit less liberal with all the white and gold, a simple, metallic sheen to them.

"These are going to cut your host off from the force whilst you're wearing them," he informed her.

"Should," X3 corrected.

"These should cut your host off from the force whilst you're wearing them," he corrected, rolling his eyes. "After I am done talking to her, I shall remove you, and inform you of what I decide to do with you two," he let her know.

"Well, isn't this a dangerous game," X3 commented.

"Shush," he hushed him. "Wrists, please," he asked, ready to slap them on.

 

[Sofiel]

She lifted her hands then, the calm smile as always plastered on her face. Surprise calm, all things considered.

"Good luck."

That was the last thing she'd say before they were clipped on and activated. There'd be a second, several at that, of the calm expression. But little by little the glimmering yellow of her eyes faded until only the green of the host remained. She blinked, slowly at first. Groggily.

Then looked around.

Then back to him.

And panicked.

"T' fuck did you do!? Where is she!?"

Darth Temerant

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Sofiel
​

Temerant canted his head as he observed the transformation. So she'd not lied to him. Curious. He spared a glance for her familiar, wondering how this affected the corvine entity.

"I find it somewhat alarming that you do not know, young lady. Considering the nature of the arrangement the entity going by Sofiel claims you two have, I would expect you to be more savvy as to where she may be," the man remarked as he moved to take a seat, gesturing for her to do the same. "You appear to have summoned a Nether entity which is now running free under my jurisdiction. I wished to speak to you to hear your side of things, so I have cut off your connection to the force, as per Sofiel's instructions. Not permanently, so do be so kind as to not tie your panties into a knot. Any further, anyway," the man remarked.

He rocked his head from side to side in consideration. "Here's the deal. You are going to tell me everything I want to know, and in exchange, I do not rip you in half with my bare hands," the man remarked, his calm almost mirroring the devil's.

"He means that quite literally, too. I have seen him do it," X3 chimed in, once again on speakers. Interrogation tactics at their finest. "It was quite messy. And the young gentleman's nervous system seemed to keep running for quite a few more moments before he succumbed to blood loss. Isn't biology just the weirdest?" he asked with morbid fascination. "I do believe it is in your best interests to comply."

"Quite," Temerant conceded. "We can start with who you really are, as well as why you thought it would be a good idea to give yourself over to a 'devil' to advance the interests of the Sith."

 

[Sofiel]

"Ye' did fuckin' what?" She stared in disbelief at the man before her, then around where they actually were. Panic, now, filled her eyes. All at once it was obvious she wasn't all.. There. Panic, fear. She turned her gaze down to the handcuffs, seemed to realize they were there. Then desperately started to try and tug them off. She didn't even register the threat. At first. Slowly she blinked, glancing up to him. Then to the speaker the voice came from.

".. Who t' fuck are you two? T' fuck r' ye messin' with all this fer? Tha' deal cost m' almost everythin' t' make! Don' go fuckin' with m' deal! Take these damn things off 'fore ye neagte everything!"

Darth Temerant

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Sofiel
​

"Well this is going smoothly," X3 commented.

"Shush," Temerant hushed him, focused on the girl. "Calm down. You're not in danger of anything yet. The devil, or demon, or however it pleases you to call it, has agreed to let this happen. And I will very much 'fuck with your deal' unless you help me understand what is happening here, so take a deep breath," he encouraged her.

"Perhaps some tea might calm her nerves?" X3 suggested.

"I said quiet," Temerant sentenced more firmly. "Listen to me carefully, before you hurt yourself or force me to do so. The entity possessing your body wishes to remain a part of my society. A society I am duty-bound to protect, amongst other things, from beings such as it," he explained calmly. "I now have to decide how I am going to deal with it. What most would choose to do is to kill you here and now. But I do not wish to make matters worse and if it speaks true about its purpose, I may consider allowing this deal of yours to remain. But I need to understand it first. In depth," he elaborated. "If you are so starkly concerned about the repercussions, then I reccommend you submit to my request and give me what I want," he concluded. "Understood?"

 

[Sofiel]

".. Yer sayin' a lo' o' fuckin' words n' none of it matters t' me. Who t' fuck are ye?"

She now stared at the mask. Prior panic was gone, replaced by.. Annoyance. Frustration. Rage. She raised her hands, pointing towards him as her brow furrowed.

"No.. I know who ye' are! Yer one of 'em fuckin' cowards callin' yerself Sith! Followin' that fuckin' Triumative group o' cowards! T' fuck is she doin' here!? She's supposed t' be fuckin' helpin' t' Maw! No' you fuckin' cowards!"

Darth Temerant

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Sofiel
​

X3 knew better than to quip this time around. Temerant calmly stood up.

"At least I am actually saying words. Somehow, I already miss Sofiel," he growled, towering in height as he spoke. "You should be mindful of who you call a coward, girl. I am not the pathetic wretch who had to give up control of his very being to some creature from beyond because I was too fucking useless to do something about it myself," he growled then. There was something almost primal about his voice, slightly modulated as it was, raw in its husky tones. "The Maw is gone. The Brotherhood is no more. Your leaders wiped. Your precious capital and your strongholds destroyed. The Galaxy finally got its shit together and did something worthwhile by completely annihilating you mindless pieces of shit," he announced, not bothering with niceties this time around. "Good riddance. You shan't be missed," he asserted. "Seems you couldn't even get the most basic of terms down during your little deal. Or perhaps your devil simply is smart enough to recognize real Sith when she sees them," he suggested.

He began encroaching on her personal space then, slowly walking towards her. "The question is... What now? Because believe me... Any sympathy I might have for you is quickly evaporating."

 

[Sofiel]

".. Huh?"

She wasn't intimidated. Not at first. She rolled her eyes, tugged at the cuffs, looked around for something to use to get away. Sofiel would take care of the pretenders. But she froze. Like a deer in headlights, she froze.

".. The Maw's.. Gone?" She knew it was. Sofiel and her, they did share some memories. Even now she could see the destruction of Exegol. Sofiel was there. Watching.

She dropped. Collapsed onto herself as she held her face in her hands. Everything she'd done. Everything they all did to bridge the gap. To help. All for naught.

"It was.. All o' it. Fer nothin'. T' fuck happened..?"

Darth Temerant

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Sofiel
​

Temerant growled as she fell, contempt filling him. He didn't know what he'd hoped for. A true Sith. A skilled sorceress, perhaps. Certainly not this. She was pathetic. A waste of time and space. Ending her now would likely be a mercy. She was...

Broken.

The muscles in his jaw clenched, the man falling to a squat, forearms resting on his knees as he addressed her.

"What do you think?" he asked her plainly. "You lashed out against everyone for the sake of lashing out. No endgame. No purpose. War. Death. Rebirth. Destruction for destruction's sake, using flawed logic and empty promises to justify your thirst for blood. Did you think such a thing would go unpunished?" he canted his head with the question. "Did you think the rest of the galaxy would stop and watch as you burned everything they love? That it would not retaliate and put you down like a berghast foaming at the mouth?"

He stood back up then. She wasn't worth his anger. Only his pity.

"This is the end of the road. It's over, girl. So tell me what I want to know and I shall release you from your pain. Your name. Everything you know about this creature who now resides in you. The specifics of your deal. I want it all."

 

[Sofiel]

She stared blankly. Whatever fight or contempt she had was long gone now. The reality of it, of everything she'd hoped for being gone. It was too much.

"Voran. .. I'm Voran. I.. We reached out. T' the Nether, t' where we were promised. We just wanted help t'-" What they wanted didn't matter. The green eyed woman just stared blankly towards the ground.

"Everyone was sacrificed. We had t' open a path. Everyone but me. Tha' whole town, gone. We tore open the Nether with their deaths, n' made contact. Ah made contact. Deal was simple. They use m' body as they need n' want, n' they ensure the Sith no' just survive, bu' thrive. .. If t' Maw's gone, then she.. Dis isn' supposed t' be wha' happened.."

Darth Temerant

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Sofiel
​

"You sacrificed an entire town to make this happen?" the man grunted.

That was an unusual amount of energy. Clearly, this entity had to be powerful... Powerful enough that they thought it would make a difference. It was only fortunate that they had not thought it through properly. That, or that the girl had been too shell-shocked to articulate a proper deal. Regardless, it granted him a measure of clarity as to how to proceed. The... particulars of her deal still troubled him, but it was nothing he couldn't work with.

"You messed with powers you did not comprehend in a half-assed attempt at saving your people. You didn't put any thought behind the specifics of conniving with a creature of the Nether. How exactly did you think this would play out?" the man queried. "Like it or not, you're a part of the Sith Order now, Voran, for what little good that will do you," the man surmised. His empathy only went so far, not to mention sacrificing an entire town was not something he particularly looked upon kindly. "Before I bring Sofiel back, is there anything else I should know about the entity?" he asked dryly.

 

[Sofiel]

She just gave a hollow glare at all his prodding. Hollow, and short lived. Voran was already defeated. Without the Maw, without any hope that everything she'd done hadn't been for nothing, how was she going to snip back?

Instead she shook her head.

"Time don' matter t' her. Ah've seen it. T' place she comes from. Don' ever go there."

Darth Temerant

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Sofiel
​

A warning. That was unexpected. It had to be truly bad if she was concerned he'd arrive there somehow. Maybe she could rip him back to her plane.

"Don't worry about me," the man told her, coming to the ground once more. "I can handle myself. Which is more than I can say for you," he admonished her, beginning to interact with the cuffs. He had more he wanted to ask, naturally... but even cut from the Force, he did not entirely understand this entity as of yet. He had to be careful what he told her host... or with what her host told him. At least until he had a better handle on things. One thing was certain: he would get little sleep during the next few days reading up on devils, though X3 had already managed to sneak to him a little intel. Predominantly, that she seemed to be sincere about the nature of deals: everything he'd seen so far certainly seemed to support it.

"When time allows and if I deem sensible, we shall bring you back in this fashion. It depends on the specific of whatever deal I strike with your passenger. Perhaps I will design something a little more comfortable. A bracelet, maybe. It'll be difficult to further miniaturize the technology responsible for cutting you off from the force, I doubt you'll want to remain in shackles every time you return," the man remarked. "I don't understand what you did. Or rather, I don't approve. But you are now a citizen a citizen of the Imperium," he noted. "And I may need you to be up to date and on board with everything that happens, in case something goes wrong. Maybe rehabilitation is in order. We shall see," he concluded as he finished manipulating the cuffs.

"Goodbye, Voran," he bid her, then simply... waited. For the turn back to those strange, eery eyes. "Welcome back, Sofiel."

 

[Sofiel]

She didn't respond. Voran was at the end of her rope now. It was easier not to be concious. Not to deal with this reality. Not to deal with him. She gave a soft grunt. Would she be back? Did she even want to come back?

Right now, no. She did not.

Voran closed her eyes, and almost immediately Sofiel opened them. The cold yellow formed as she glanced around for a brief moment. Then reached up to rub her wrists.

"Did you learn what you were hoping for, Knight Inquisitor?"

Darth Temerant

 

[Darth Temerant]

TAGS: Sofiel
​

Was she being coy, or was it a genuine question? It was hard to say, her aureate hues almost hypnotic as they returned.

He made a mental note of how she rubbed her wrists. It was an entirely humane thing to do, denoting she was capable of feeling physical discomfort. That, or she'd seen enough holo-flicks to know to replicate the motion in his presence. What a puzzle she was. And what a phenomenal chitshow he'd just gotten into.

"In part," the man replied bluntly. "Your host, Voran, seemed very upset that you are helping the Order now that the Maw has dissolved," he let her know. "A lot of people died so that you could be here," he remarked then. "Maw filth, but a lot of people all the same. The question now is... Do we let that sacrifice go to waste?"

It was an important question... Even if a dangerous one. Temerant was under no illusion that a fight between the two would not be bloody and absent collateral damage. He pondered a moment longer, giving himself time to think.

"You're obviously at a bit of a loss as to how to comport yourself in front of mortals," the man spoke in her language, which was, much to his chagrin, becoming his own. The idea of mortality seemed to hold less significance with each passing day as gods and demons walked the galaxy unfettered. He was even meeting more than he was entirely comfortable with. "And I doubt your knowledge of the Sith is where you would like it to be. Though at least your little collection of books makes more sense now. I thought perhaps you were a psychopath," he admitted. "I do not yet know that the term does not apply, but at the very least, I am no longer working with speculation," he concluded.

"How powerful are you?" he asked her then. "Within and without this realm. I would like to know the extent of your abilities, if you would share. And what is your endgame, here?" he had less hopes she would answer the latter. "Surely, curiosity alone cannot be it. And you clearly have a determination to walk amongst us, no matter how long it takes," he concluded.