You Sent For Me?

[Sylvi]

|| B A C K W A T E R S P A C E S T A T I O N ||​

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Well, this hadn't been what I'd expected.

Around me, the space station bustled as dozens of folks from dozens of species rushed to and fro against the steady hum of the machines that kept as all alive amid the cold vacuum of space. In the docks, crafts of varying sizes and states of repair docked and cast off. It was actually a little busier than I had been expecting, given the remoteness of the place, but that definitely came as a pleasant surprise.

The message hadn't exactly been welcoming, after all.

I leaned against a wall at the entrance to a small alley between two of the buildings in the station wearing a pair of nondescript pants and a long-sleeved top that concealed the ugly scar on my shoulder. To anyone around, I was merely a young woman, nervously checking a datapad as she clearly waited for someone, probably a lover, to rescue her from this awful place. The rounded shoulders, the way I hid my face behind a curtain of hair, the girl I portrayed was quiet, worried, nondescript, nonthreatening.

This way, with a little luck, I'd spot my mysterious friend before they spotted me.

Letting my gaze fall back to the datapad, my fingers moved swiftly to pull up the message once more. It was aggressive, violent, forthcoming. My Master had even been surprised by how upfront it was.

That was that had caught our attention.

So now I waited, to see if this seeker of knowledge would make good on their promises.






[member="Qaheesh the Scorned"]

 

[Qaheesh the Scorned]

It was all too simple to find the Force Witch.

Qaheesh walked silently through the space station, dipping around the crates and cargo that lined the cold steel walls, keeping to herself. The hood that covered her head was enough to hide her blood-red skin and the trenchcoat that flowed behind her like an over-seized cape kept her form hidden. The lightsabre hung loose against her leg, ready to be touched at a moment's notice but kept hidden from those who may... Dislike it's presence.

The letter she had sent to the witch was simple enough. "You have something I dearly want, little cretin. Now, you are to meet me upon Backwater Space Station or will feel the wrath of a thousand suns upon your pathetic skin. I would not ignore the warning of a Sith Lord." Okay, maybe it was a tad exaggerated and maybe a bit too threatening, but it got the message across, so to speak. Knowledge and power? Qaheesh would be barely able resist the urge to throttle the woman she had heard so many whispers about. A smile came to those full lips of hers and she lengthened her stride in an effort to speed up.

That must be her. A woman, leaning against a crate and checking a datapad. She looked like any other civilian, perhaps even a mere laborer but the power of the force radiating around her was undeniable. Unless there was another here, it must be here. Qaheesh approached slowly, keeping to the shadows of the space station. Her boots made little noise as she approached before she paused and lifted those amber eyes to spy who she was about to meet...

[member="Sylvi"]

 

[Sylvi]

I felt her before I saw her.

A presence in the force; seething, dark, violent and hot like the core of a star. Female... a very tempest of force energy. In truth it was almost overwhelming. Although the Lucites are often seen as barbaric because of our practices, my family were tempered, even, calm. Suffering was our currency, but this woman? It felt for a moment as though it were more her obsession.

A smile curled at the corners of my mouth.

Keeping my head down, I allowed my eyes to flicker up to subtly scan my surroundings briefly.

There!

A figure clad all in black, long coat flailing behind it like a cloak. Although it concealed the woman within, the garment itself stood out starkly from the dull, earthy colors of the travelers that milled around us. My gaze flickered back down to the datapad, and once more when I looked up, she had vanished. No doubt the woman had slipped into the shadows somewhere, as her force signature was still present.

I could feel my hearts begin to race, a hundred tiny drums all beating at once. I shifted my weight slightly and clipped the small datapad back to its hook on my hip and folded my arms across my chest. I didn't know whether or not the woman was close enough to hear me, or if she could enhance her senses through the force, but I figured it was worth a try anyway. Softly, with my head still tilted down, I spoke.

"I got your message."





[member="Qaheesh the Scorned"]

 

[Qaheesh the Scorned]

Qaheesh doesn't stop until she's right in front of the stranger. Cold eyes staring down at her, calculating and almost feral in a way. Gold and black, flecked with crimson and shining in the low light. The energy coming from the person before her was neither light nor dark, just the will of the Force. In her mind, she was questioning it, but no such emotion showed upon her face. She simply maintained that aloofness, that cold attitude until she could be ready to ensure this was a safe location.

Around he corner she came and there Qaheesh was, standing to the left of the mysterious witch. Eyes holding only malicious intent now, the urge to cause blood and death strong withen her. A strangle, a froce-choke, or perhaps lightning... No, she needed her alive. She had knowledge, a way with the Force that even the Zabrak couldn't understand.

At the words spoken, she smiles a little. "Good. It means we can make this easy. You are a Force Witch, I know this. And you are more in line with the Force..." A narrowing of eyes, an idle threat on a sharpened tongue. "So we are going to have some fun learning all you know."

[member="Sylvi"]

 

[Sylvi]

A shudder took my shoulders.

She appeared almost without my noticing at all. There was nothing and then suddenly there she was, at my left. Even though I had been expecting her, I flinched, suppressing a wince as the powerful presence suddenly enshrouded me. She was a Zabrak, her skin the deep crimson of spilled blood sporting the telltale void-black markings of her kind. She gazed at me with eyes of yellow and black, burning with intensity.

I shifted slightly, swallowing. It was impossible not to feel like some prey that had wandered into a predator's trap, particularly with the way she had all but pounced on me.

Her words came as a command, coupled with an idle threat. No wonder she had captured my Master's attention; she was forceful and blunt, unafraid to show her cruelty. However, at her words, I hid a tiny smile of my own. She named me "witch", but I doubt she knew of my true kind. Oh yes, the threat of torment could lead me to compliance, but it wasn't the fear of it, no.

Suffering is my language.

Raising an eyebrow, I glanced up to her, allowing the racing of my hearts and short, shallow breaths to temper the fear and anticipation coursing through my system.

"I confess you've piqued my curiosity, Sith." I replied, "you can call me Sylvi. Please... lead the way."





[member="Qaheesh the Scorned"]

 

[Qaheesh the Scorned]

A smile. The witch was afraid... Good. This please Qaheesh more then it should and she bared all of her teeth, long and sharpened, like they were all canines and deadly. The smile faded away quickly as she stared down at the woman, trying to assess what was there. Reaching out tentatively with the Force, she reached to probe the woman's mind. To feel how she was expression emotions, what was running through her mind now.

The woman turned and waved a hand. "Come, we've got much to discuss..." Qa says in a low tone and she steps away, that trenchcoat billowing out around her like a great cloak. As they walk, she'd speak to the woman. "Please do not try to run, though, it may chasing you down much more interesting." This is all said casually, as if discussing the weather or the local hyperspace lane conditions. A laugh came after this and she winked at the little witch now.

Qaheesh turned and directed the woman towards what looked to be a junker of a cargo ship, rusted and falling apart, but flyable. It was being tended to by service droids who looked none too happy to be tending to such a thing. One even lept back, beeping and booping in anger, when a panel fell off and crashed to the ground. Qa ignored it and kept going, heading up the ramp. She paused, looking back to see if Sylvi was following. A flash in her eyes and she pulled her boa aside to show the sabre in her belt, a silent threat that Sylvi was to follow or to experience the pain that followed...

[member="Sylvi"]

 

[Sylvi]

To say the Zabrak's smile was unsettling would be to say that the cold vacuum of space was a little uninviting.

A shiver raced down my spine as she bared her rows of sharp, canine teeth. But unnerving as it was, I was more worried when the smile suddenly vanished, and her intense gaze seemed to not so much study me as bore a hole right through me. No doubt she would be reaching out through the force, perhaps trying to sense how genuine I was. The woman would definitely feel the unease and fear... I wondered if the anticipation and excitement, however, would surprise her. Few people outside of my family would meet the idea of pain with exhilaration, after all.

She beckoned for me to follow and I did, hiding a small smile of my own. How many would willingly follow such a creature with no more than a wave of her hand? As we walked I considered how the simple folk around us--if any of them knew who or what she was--would urge me to run.

"I expect I'll what energy I have," I replied to her as she advised against such a thing, "as much as I'd like to know which of us is superior."

The bucket of bolts that served as her ship surprised me, I expected a mysterious Sith lady to have something sleek like a dagger and as black as the void. One of the droids working on the vessel suddenly emitted an angry string of sounds as the old thing dropped a panel almost on its head. I chuckled.

I paused at the base of the ramp for a moment, staring up at the Sith standing above me. Now or never. Follow the lady and submit to whatever she had planned... or flee, and give up on whatever I might learn. A tiny smile touched the corners of my lips, and I walked up the ramp.

I am a lucite, after all.





[member="Qaheesh the Scorned"]

 

[Qaheesh the Scorned]

Qaheesh moved up the ramp before the witch and as soon as both were up, she pulled the lever to close up the only way in or out. That cruel smile came back and she chuckled, gesturing for the woman to sit at a nearby table and chairs, which seemed to be the only comfortable spots aside from the pilot's chair. "Sit," she commands softly, but the request is kinder then one may expect.

"Drink?" Qaheesh asks bluntly, lifting a hand in the air. With a wave of her fingers, a nearby cabinet opened and two glasses floated over with the Force, before a small bottle of chilled water followed. Both were set down softly, without too much noise, and the Zabrak gazed intently at the woman before her, taking in every feature. Trying to deduce her thoughts or what laid in them at least. She reached out with her mind, trying to probe, but this was not her strong suit.

"Let us start with a name," the Sith says in a cold tone. "Yours, witch."

[member="Sylvi"]

 

[Sylvi]

I was very much playing with fire now.

As the ramp slid up and the doors closed with a soft, mechanical hiss, I couldn't help but feel as though something of a trap had closed behind me. No longer could I rely on the option to flee; I was in the den of the lioness, and was now forced to rely on my wit and endurance to keep me alive. To say that I was excited would be a most egregious understatement.

Glancing around the small space, I took in all I could before the Zabrak gave a softly spoken command. Sit. Thankfully, there were a small table and chairs and so I did just that, elegantly lowering myself into a chair. No sooner had I done so than she offered me a drink, bringing forth iced water and cups with the force. With a soft smile I raised my hand, softly shaking my head,

"No thank you."

It felt like only yesterday that I had accepted a drink from a relative strange, one that had been poisoned... the antidote to which had also been a poison in its own right. No, that was not a mistake I was about to repeat. Of course, I felt her probing my mind, her curious tendrils reaching out through the force, seeking entry. With a soft grimace, I focused on keeping her out. You want answers? You get them the hard way. Thankfully, while I'm not much of a combatant, the battlefield of the mind is where my strength lies.

I must have angered her, because the next question was asked coldly.

Canting my head to one side, I took my time in considering her words, turning them over in my mind, regarding her with a casual interest,

"I've been amicable this far, Sith." I purred in response, "why not give yours first?"

Even though I spoke with calm confidence, we both knew that she very much had the upper hand in this setting. No, I didn't expect her to yield to my request. This was a test... I wanted to see how she'd react to me, to a quiet, reasonable defiance of her order.

The game was afoot.





[member="Qaheesh the Scorned"]

 

[Qaheesh the Scorned]

Defiance. Oh, this was going to be fun.

Qaheesh merely smiled, showing those sharpened teeth once more. "I insist. If you are worried about poison, do not fret. I need you alive." She laughed after this, as if the threat was not there and valid towards the young witch, as if she was commenting on a rude child's lack of table manners! A swipe of her tongue across her lower lip and she regains her stoic and stern expression once more.

Another wave of power from the force and the young Sith tried to probe once more, but finding naught but barriers. This was never her strong suit, she remembered with a grimace and withdrew, growling internally at the lack of answers.

A name? What was a name, anyway? She could say any and Sylvi would be none the wiser. Qaheesh smiled and a lie formed, forming upon her wicked tongue and coming out fluidly, yet easily. "Darth Odium," she answers, smiling wryly. Her hand balled into a fist, little sparks of lightning darting around crimson fingers. "Now speak, worm, or things will get... Messy."

Yes indeed, this was going to be fun.

[member="Sylvi"]

 

[Sylvi]

The sith's words caused me to raise an eyebrow, my head canted to one side.

It was interesting that she brought up poison. Did she know? Was that merely a guess? Was poison something the woman used regularly? Perhaps it wasn't so unusual, I considered what my Master had said the moment he had revealed the poison he'd given me; toasting was a tradition that began from just such suspicions.

"Poison isn't always intended to kill." I replied, a tiny, knowing smile curling at the corner of my lips.

The drink remained untouched. I'd learned that lesson already. The sith grimaced, at first I thought from my continued resistance to the drink, but I felt her retreat from probing about my mind. Ah, my fingers curled into a fist in my lap, I'd won my privacy, but I suspected that I'd pay dearly for the privilege soon enough.

She gave me a name, another surprise. A Darth? I swallowed, my jaw clenching nervously. I knew precious little about the ways of the Sith and the Jedi, but I'd heard the title of the Darths They were legendarily powerful... and legendarily cruel. A shiver raced down my spine as she again demanded I speak.

"... Sylvi." I replied.

I kept my tone even, calm, quiet but steady. My eyes remained fixed on hers, the anticipation of what might come next creeping up into my throat.





[member="Qaheesh the Scorned"]

 

[Qaheesh the Scorned]

Sylvi... An interesting name.

The Sith smiled then and she waved away the bottle and cup now, placing them away. She needed to keep up with the lie, keep up with her act. She was no Darth, but she needed to get something solid from the witch or this will all be for naught. Her Master would be displeased, very much so. Qaheesh drew herself up a little bit more. "You resist still... Yet there is no fear in your mind. Tell me then, what are you afraid of? Or rather... Perhaps you are not afraid. You want this. Am I correct?"

A taunt and a goad all in one. Qaheesh reached out, trying a bit more forcibly now to get into that pretty little head of hers, to get what she wanted it.

Knowledge is power, after all.

[member="Sylvi"]

 

[Sylvi]

I watched as the Darth raised her hand once more, moving the pitcher and glasses back to the cupboard.

It was far from a victory on my part, however. In fact, it was entirely possible this was part of her plan. In fact it was likely that she had indeed planned for both possible choices, as with every question she would pose. But I couldn't help but wonder, did she know about me? Did she know whom she threatened? She had to suspect, at least, her message had sought me out, after all.

The Zabrak teased me, asking what I feared. I snickered, allowing a smirk onto my features. I opened my mouth to answer her question, revealing a tease of my own about my nature,

"The path to knowledge weaves through suffering," I answered, parroting what my mentors had taught me, "and suffering is an art in which I am well versed. Suffice to say, Darth, I am... looking forward to what we each might learn."

Suddenly, I felt her pounce in a renewed attack on my mind. My eyes squeezed shut and a gasp slipped through my lips as the sudden assault caught me off-guard. The sudden intensity, combined with her catching me off-guard, meant that it took me a moment to fight her, to feed my wards. Given what I'd just said, it was likely that she saw a memory or two before I pushed her out; my upbringing in a violent and reclusive cult. The emotions that clung to those memories were pain, excitement, fear, hunger, all mingled together.

With a sly grin on my face, eyes still closed, I managed to lock the rest down, shaking my head,

"Uh, uh uuh, Sith." I taunted, "I won't make it so easy."





[member="Qaheesh the Scorned"]

 

[Qaheesh the Scorned]

A taunt... Qaheesh simply smiled another cruel smile, flicking her tongue against her lower lip. Almost predatory in nature, really, like a snake eyeing a lone mouse that just wandered into it's nest. She liked this woman, more then what she should.

Her thoughts revealed naught but a glimpse. A cult? Hm, that explained a little. Qaheesh leaned back against her chair, her fingers forming a tent as they rested against each other and her head tilting back. Her voice was still cool, but a seductive edge now laced the venom, trying to goad a little more of of the witch. "Tell me about this cult... Quite violent, it appears. Yet here you are, meek and afraid. Suffering brings knowledge... Indeed, I agree. But I see no suffering... Just a pathetic mess of woman. Perhaps I should let you go."

A lie, of course. The Zabrak laughed at that thought and leaned forward, bringing her sabre to her hand. It wasn't alive, no, not yet, but it called for blood. A warning and a message in one... Unless things changed, there would be carnage upon this ship.

"Let me in or die."

[member="Sylvi"]

 

[Sylvi]

I remained still in my chair, my eyes following the Sith as she leaned back in her chair, her fingers forming a steeple.

The woman was an exquisite huntress, The Zabrak exuded sex appeal and an elegant authority the likes of which only women could handle. William was a powerful man, his very presence able to command an entire room, but the Sith's command of the air was altogether different; luxurious, seductive. My own was different again; as I preferred to be more subtle than she. After all, if you have no reason to fear me, then your guard is less likely to be up.

She spoke, and I raised an eyebrow, thoughtfully biting my bottom lip for a moment.

"You believe meek and afraid makes me pathetic?" I replied, a tiny smile curling at my lips, "They couldn't be tools that I use to protect myself, the way that lightsaber protects you?"

That was the beauty of my armor. Those gifted in the force can pick out a liar among men. I truly did fear the Sith, and that was what she could pick up on. It made her feel more powerful, to see something trembling and meek before her; at least that was how it appeared. With the dynamic like this, she had no reason to go further.

Once more she gave me a command, coupled with a threat.

I pursed my lips, brows knitting together as I gazed back at her. I might survive such a threat, but I didn't like my chances. After a moment's internal thought, I let a tiny sigh pass through my lips and closed my eyes.

"Very well."

My words were laced with defeat, the tinge of it in my chest. The Sith wanted magic, she wanted knowledge, she wanted what I had learned from my time with my family. So those I left open, my shield receding. I hoped this would be enough, as my Master remained behind the shield. He wasn't a Lucite, there wasn't anything there anyway. But if the Zabrak managed to get to that, then it wouldn't matter what she did to me.

William would kill me himself.





[member="Qaheesh the Scorned"]

 

[Qaheesh the Scorned]

A chuckle came from Qaheesh and she smiled wide. "Very good, little one. You're afraid... But not of me." The force reaches out and she tries to probe at her mind, feeling her way into memories and thoughts. "Oh? A Master? No... An owner? Or perhaps even a lover?" A harsh laugh leaves her lips, the sound ringing about the room, akin to nails on chalkboard. Loud. Harsh. Brutal.

Thoughts came and the Zabrak paused, picking through memories. Now, there was not hatred in her mind or rage. No, she felt somewhat sorry for the woman, seeing how her life was and perhaps still was. A look of pity flashed through her eyes and she receded, almost suddenly, bringing herself back to reality and simply gazing at the witch with curious, thoughtful eyes. A 'hmm' comes from her lips now and she simply bows her head, not saying another word now.

"You may go."

[member="Sylvi"]

 

[Sylvi]

The Sith woman chuckled, uttering her approval before I felt her reach out into my mind.

I closed my eyes, lacing my fingers together in my lap as I focused on retaining my shield. It was invasive, the powerful feeling of the Zabrak's force presence pushing into my thoughts and memories. I felt far more vulnerable now, my one private place, the only thing I could truly call my own, now being trodden on and investigated by the Sith. She was shown my upbringing; the Lucites and the way they taught us. She saw how I had learned to fall in love with the suffering, how my family had molded me into a tool to gain information... enlightenment.

Then she spoke, a harsh chuckle leaving her lips. She mentioned a Master, or an owner... or a lover. At the last word she'd have felt my sudden reaction; a mote of surprise. But the surprise soon melted into relief, if she guessed that, then she must not have been able to get past my final shield, to see who or what he truly was.

But as with every doorway, once it had been opened, it could go both ways. As the Zabrak moved around in my mind, I slipped into hers. She was a powerful sith, one whom I did not wish to have a ongoing conflict. I was there only to make sure she didn't learn anything that might anger William... well, mostly.

The Zabrak retreated, and I felt a sigh of relief uncoil from my chest. She seemed to watch me for a moment, her expression softening and almost becoming sympathetic for a moment. That caught me off-guard. Sympathy? For me? What could a Sith see in my life that would be so awful even they would feel bad for me? The thought seemed to consume me for a moment. A part of me wanted to ask her, to delve back into her mind and compare my upbringing to her own. But then she simply said I could go. No explanation, no threats, nothing. Just... you may go.

I rose my seat, gently placing my fingertips on the table.

"Just like that?"

Keeping my eyes on the woman, I slowly moved around the table. Already I was planning where I'd go; somewhere far from here, far from William, somewhere I could cleanse my mind and ensure that the Sith hadn't left anything with which she could track me. A shudder gripped my shoulders, even I didn't care to entertain what William would do if I led someone back to him. Moving towards the door, I turned,

"Thank you... Qaheesh."

I still wasn't sure if she'd actually let me go or not, but if she was... at least she should know what I had plucked from her mind when she had been moving around in mine.





[member="Qaheesh the Scorned"]