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Fallenreaper- Posts : 42
Join date : 2020-04-25
007 - Week 3 Day 1: Master and Apprentice
Thu Apr 30, 2020 11:20 am
Lo's head hung down from her shoulders. Her eyes closed and swallow breaths escaped into the room, indicating recent slumber. A dull, familiar pain etched into her wrist down her arm into her shoulders. It settled in her neck where the weight of the collar rested.
Blood still crusted on her fur, leaving matted streaks. The device crackled then buzzed. Lo's muzzle tightened as the current rushed the length of her whole body. In response, her muscles tightened then released. A small pulse. Her tired mind gave up trying to find the pattern or brace when the next one hit her. Again, her body seized from the loss of control in her limbs. She pulled against the restraints before dropping again.
With a lazy look, Lo's eyelids dragged themselves open. Through blurry vision, she collected the unchanged scenery around her. A more aware mind would sense the painful stretch in her tendons, but she just accepted it to be normal.
For the following days, their number blending into each other, Lo had tried to gain control. Her mind tried to recall the ways. Whenever the Sith came into the room, her lips tightened and silence became her shield. Before the fatigue set in, she had tried to practice efforts at crucitorn with little success. About every... maybe fifty shocks she managed to lessen the pain on a small scale. She had stopped letting her thoughts slip from her mouth, but it didn't help much. Focus was so much harder now.
She regretted not receiving the training offer from Kayda before this happened. Lo's heart sank at the thought of the older Knight. She hoped the woman had gotten away and managed to return safely to the others.
The process of breaking down her prisoner was not a short one. It was easy enough to break someone, but to truly reprogram them required many more steps. So far, Nimm had begun the complex process of breaking down the bothan’s identity. Bereave her of her Jedi identity. However, it was clear to her that the prisoner still held onto the hope of being rescued. That was not acceptable.
The second part of this stage began sometime in what she—unlike the prisoner—knew to be the third day. To facilitate more effective dismantling she had set up a 21-hour day cycle for the prisoner. That way, the prisoner would constantly be tired and feel as if more days had passed since her capture.
She had entered the cargo hold at one point to goad the prisoner a little. “You know, my young apprentice… Had you been able to contact your so-called Jedi friends, you could have warned them. But you cannot. Isn’t that sad?”
When the Sith finally entered and addressed Lo, she kept her head down. A blade of guilt pushed into her. She pressed her chin to her chest and kept looking at the floor. Lo didn't want to say much. After all, she could not defend herself against the facts.
Nimm smiled. “I invited an old associate of your old master’s over. She was quite delighted to hear of his poisoning and your presence here on my ship.”
"You're lying. He wouldn't let himself become poisoned." Lo's anger tugged at her restraints as she inhaled, trying to push it away.
“Oh, you would like that, wouldn’t you? Would you like to know how I got the toxin into his body?”
"Just...stop. Stop lying. All sith are liars."
“I had my agent sneak into your hut while you were out playing with the local wildlife. He dosed your old master’s waterskin with the poison. The same waterskin you gave him the day I captured you.”
"That waterskin was barely out of my sight!" She snapped back, her anger clawing at the bottle she corked it in. Her head had risen to glare at the woman and even tugged at her binds when she spoke, unable to yell it in the sith face.
“My agent did not need more than a few seconds, my young apprentice. Hssiss poison is quite potent and has neither scent nor flavor.”
"He won't die. He's stronger than you think…" Lo was trembling, but she didn't know the cause. Her insides burned from anger and fear attempted to cool it, both meeting in the middle. Her breath was heavy as if she ran a kilometer in seconds.
“I don’t need to know him well. Lord Vane knows him better than either of us, my young apprentice.” As she said this, Nimm pressed a button on her wrist. On the wall beside the bothan a video began playing, showing a considerably younger Dom, strapped down to a table, with a female Sith standing over him.
Lo eyes jerked to the video and horror replaced her frustrations, realising what was about to come. "No…"
The plea, not directed at anyone, sounded weak and helpless to her ears. Words from Dominik about his capture and torture by the Sith rushed into her head. Her breath stilled in her throat as she shut her eyes. She couldn't watch or even stomach it.
“Yes. Lord Vane is traveling this way as we speak. She expressed a strong desire to finish what she started twenty years ago. With your poisoning your old master, he is even more susceptible than ever.”
Lo kept her eyes shut, her emotions swirling enough to make her dizzy. She chided her lack of control and tried to focus inwards. 'Trust in the force. Trust in the force.`She repeated the phrase even if each word dug in with its own barbs and bled her heart out. As her anger subsided, for the moment, Lo spoke again.
"Cora will find a way to save him. You won't win." Lo knew Cora would do everything in her power to save her master. She had to.
“Is this ‘Cora’ well-versed in Sith Alchemy?” Nimm inquired, already knowing the answer.
"I have hope she will." Lo firmly stated, not saying the thoughts that plagued her guilt.
“Unfortunately for your old master, only Sith Alchemy can reverse the full effect of the toxin you gave him.”
"I will find a way!" Lo's voice rose louder than she intended for it to, her words poorly chosen. Upon realising this, her body tried to make itself smaller. She was trapped here.
Nimm turned up the volume of the video, the tortured screams of then-Jedi Knight Dominik Rothul reverberating through the hold. “There is a way you could learn about these types of toxins, my young apprentice.”
"How can I trust you?" Lo shivered when the question slipped out. It shouldn't have even existed, but the thought of her master suffering and dying hurt in a way she had only felt once. When he tried to sacrifice himself for her.
This question made Nimm smile. Already the Bothan was starting to slip up. “Poisons and toxins are an art. One does not lie when teaching someone art.”
So many questions pulled at her want to help her master. It disgusted her in a way that by opening up, she risked falling to the dark side. With her weakness out in the open and exposed, Lo realised there was little point in hiding it.
"I just… don't want him to die."
“Only the knowledge I can teach you can change his fate.”
"And if he d…" Lo couldn't say the rest, stopping short of it. Her body continued to shiver and shake, the screams of her master rattled in her ears.
“All you have to do is ask me for lessons.” Nimm stated, making the offer clear.
"I… can't." The young Bothan hesitated, but she knew why. As much as she wanted to help, the dark side was dangerous and betrayed everything she had been taught.
“Then… He will die. You will have killed him.”
Lo's tears started to sting at the corners of her eyes. She fought the desire to just break down and cry. Every emotion wired and bundled up inside of her that she couldn't tell them apart.
"I'm sorry master," Lo said quietly, hoping that despite their distance he might understand.
“The offer stands. You can ask at any time.” Nimm was a little disappointed to not have had full success here, but she had gotten something. It might take several more days or even weeks, but she would succeed, sooner or later.
Blood still crusted on her fur, leaving matted streaks. The device crackled then buzzed. Lo's muzzle tightened as the current rushed the length of her whole body. In response, her muscles tightened then released. A small pulse. Her tired mind gave up trying to find the pattern or brace when the next one hit her. Again, her body seized from the loss of control in her limbs. She pulled against the restraints before dropping again.
With a lazy look, Lo's eyelids dragged themselves open. Through blurry vision, she collected the unchanged scenery around her. A more aware mind would sense the painful stretch in her tendons, but she just accepted it to be normal.
For the following days, their number blending into each other, Lo had tried to gain control. Her mind tried to recall the ways. Whenever the Sith came into the room, her lips tightened and silence became her shield. Before the fatigue set in, she had tried to practice efforts at crucitorn with little success. About every... maybe fifty shocks she managed to lessen the pain on a small scale. She had stopped letting her thoughts slip from her mouth, but it didn't help much. Focus was so much harder now.
She regretted not receiving the training offer from Kayda before this happened. Lo's heart sank at the thought of the older Knight. She hoped the woman had gotten away and managed to return safely to the others.
The process of breaking down her prisoner was not a short one. It was easy enough to break someone, but to truly reprogram them required many more steps. So far, Nimm had begun the complex process of breaking down the bothan’s identity. Bereave her of her Jedi identity. However, it was clear to her that the prisoner still held onto the hope of being rescued. That was not acceptable.
The second part of this stage began sometime in what she—unlike the prisoner—knew to be the third day. To facilitate more effective dismantling she had set up a 21-hour day cycle for the prisoner. That way, the prisoner would constantly be tired and feel as if more days had passed since her capture.
She had entered the cargo hold at one point to goad the prisoner a little. “You know, my young apprentice… Had you been able to contact your so-called Jedi friends, you could have warned them. But you cannot. Isn’t that sad?”
When the Sith finally entered and addressed Lo, she kept her head down. A blade of guilt pushed into her. She pressed her chin to her chest and kept looking at the floor. Lo didn't want to say much. After all, she could not defend herself against the facts.
Nimm smiled. “I invited an old associate of your old master’s over. She was quite delighted to hear of his poisoning and your presence here on my ship.”
"You're lying. He wouldn't let himself become poisoned." Lo's anger tugged at her restraints as she inhaled, trying to push it away.
“Oh, you would like that, wouldn’t you? Would you like to know how I got the toxin into his body?”
"Just...stop. Stop lying. All sith are liars."
“I had my agent sneak into your hut while you were out playing with the local wildlife. He dosed your old master’s waterskin with the poison. The same waterskin you gave him the day I captured you.”
"That waterskin was barely out of my sight!" She snapped back, her anger clawing at the bottle she corked it in. Her head had risen to glare at the woman and even tugged at her binds when she spoke, unable to yell it in the sith face.
“My agent did not need more than a few seconds, my young apprentice. Hssiss poison is quite potent and has neither scent nor flavor.”
"He won't die. He's stronger than you think…" Lo was trembling, but she didn't know the cause. Her insides burned from anger and fear attempted to cool it, both meeting in the middle. Her breath was heavy as if she ran a kilometer in seconds.
“I don’t need to know him well. Lord Vane knows him better than either of us, my young apprentice.” As she said this, Nimm pressed a button on her wrist. On the wall beside the bothan a video began playing, showing a considerably younger Dom, strapped down to a table, with a female Sith standing over him.
Lo eyes jerked to the video and horror replaced her frustrations, realising what was about to come. "No…"
The plea, not directed at anyone, sounded weak and helpless to her ears. Words from Dominik about his capture and torture by the Sith rushed into her head. Her breath stilled in her throat as she shut her eyes. She couldn't watch or even stomach it.
“Yes. Lord Vane is traveling this way as we speak. She expressed a strong desire to finish what she started twenty years ago. With your poisoning your old master, he is even more susceptible than ever.”
Lo kept her eyes shut, her emotions swirling enough to make her dizzy. She chided her lack of control and tried to focus inwards. 'Trust in the force. Trust in the force.`She repeated the phrase even if each word dug in with its own barbs and bled her heart out. As her anger subsided, for the moment, Lo spoke again.
"Cora will find a way to save him. You won't win." Lo knew Cora would do everything in her power to save her master. She had to.
“Is this ‘Cora’ well-versed in Sith Alchemy?” Nimm inquired, already knowing the answer.
"I have hope she will." Lo firmly stated, not saying the thoughts that plagued her guilt.
“Unfortunately for your old master, only Sith Alchemy can reverse the full effect of the toxin you gave him.”
"I will find a way!" Lo's voice rose louder than she intended for it to, her words poorly chosen. Upon realising this, her body tried to make itself smaller. She was trapped here.
Nimm turned up the volume of the video, the tortured screams of then-Jedi Knight Dominik Rothul reverberating through the hold. “There is a way you could learn about these types of toxins, my young apprentice.”
"How can I trust you?" Lo shivered when the question slipped out. It shouldn't have even existed, but the thought of her master suffering and dying hurt in a way she had only felt once. When he tried to sacrifice himself for her.
This question made Nimm smile. Already the Bothan was starting to slip up. “Poisons and toxins are an art. One does not lie when teaching someone art.”
So many questions pulled at her want to help her master. It disgusted her in a way that by opening up, she risked falling to the dark side. With her weakness out in the open and exposed, Lo realised there was little point in hiding it.
"I just… don't want him to die."
“Only the knowledge I can teach you can change his fate.”
"And if he d…" Lo couldn't say the rest, stopping short of it. Her body continued to shiver and shake, the screams of her master rattled in her ears.
“All you have to do is ask me for lessons.” Nimm stated, making the offer clear.
"I… can't." The young Bothan hesitated, but she knew why. As much as she wanted to help, the dark side was dangerous and betrayed everything she had been taught.
“Then… He will die. You will have killed him.”
Lo's tears started to sting at the corners of her eyes. She fought the desire to just break down and cry. Every emotion wired and bundled up inside of her that she couldn't tell them apart.
"I'm sorry master," Lo said quietly, hoping that despite their distance he might understand.
“The offer stands. You can ask at any time.” Nimm was a little disappointed to not have had full success here, but she had gotten something. It might take several more days or even weeks, but she would succeed, sooner or later.
Ellri- Posts : 50
Join date : 2020-04-25
Age : 101
Location : Niflheim
Re: 007 - Week 3 Day 1: Master and Apprentice
Fri May 01, 2020 5:49 am
Nimm had done her research. When she first arranged to have Jedi Master Dominik Rothul poisoned, she had had no idea he was a Jedi Master, let alone a member of the Jedi High Council. With that lesson learned, she had made sure to acquire as much information as she could about him. One of those veins of research had led her to Lord Vane. Normally, she would have been wary of associating with Sith Lords outside her master’s chain of command, but when you are dealing with a Jedi as influential as this one, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Of course, she had no doubt that she would have to pay Lord Vane back at some point for the information, but that was only to be expected. There were other interesting things she learned in all of this research, such as the reason she had pulled one of her trophies out of the display case she normally kept such in, bringing it into the cargo hold.
"Do you know what this is, my young apprentice?" Nimm says, holding up a lightsaber. At first glance, it was a simple enough standard-hilt saber, but at a closer inspection it had significant ornamentation, subtle yet intricate. Even though it was of Jedi make, the level of detail to this one was why she brought it with her, rather than keeping it on display in one of her residences back home. When she had brought it along, she had not expected to have a real use for it beyond decoration.
Lo had been allowed to sleep on the floor this time. Her figure sat upright, ignoring the aches that confirmed her existence, then rubbed her eyes. It took a moment for her vision to clear enough to actually force focus. Her eyes tightened with confusion. It had the markings of a Jedi once, but it wasn’t hers.
“A lightsaber?” Lo asked, her back pressed against the wall.
Nimm did not visibly react to the rather simplistic and confused response from her prisoner. "Do you know where I got it?"
Lo shook her head, “I don’t want to know.”
“Too bad. I will tell you anyways, my young apprentice. I found it on Coruscant, in the hands of a Jedi Padawan who lost his head.” she paused for effect. “He insisted on fighting and refused to surrender. Thus, I removed his head from his shoulders.”
The young Bothan flinched at the image in her head. The idea of someone her or Val’s age having faced the Sith and falling prey to her sadistic nature. Her arms pulled up to cross in front of her, and she bowed her head down.
“Your previous master would undoubtedly recognize it. If he can still see after you poisoned him, that is. You see, you are not the first of Dominik Rothul’s former padawans I have encountered. His name was Evin Raethen, I believe.”
“You… killed Evin?” Shock and fear oozed from the Padawan, her grip tightened about herself. Tingling happened before a fresh and powerful current ran through her body. Immediately Lo’s body locked up. The pain faded as she forcefully lifted her arms the moment she could. Her breath now heavier than before and her figure shaking.
“Yes. I did.” Nimm answered, satisfied that as usual her crew did not need to be micromanaged. “You need to control yourself more, my young apprentice. Shows of weakness like that will get you killed in the Empire.”
“I don’t know what else to do…” Lo stated, her hands still raised. After noting the unsavory title the Sith used, she slowly lowered her arms to the floor. Every time that word had been used, the pain stopped or lessened depending on her actions. At first, Lo thought it was her imagination. Recently, she realized it wasn’t.
“I didn’t surrender, but you didn’t kill me. I don’t think you grew a heart over the years.”
“Do not reveal your thoughts or feelings except when you want them seen. You had already defeated yourself by the time I decided to pick you up. You overextended yourself, apprentice. If you are to truly free yourself, you need to learn and master your limits.”
Lo kept her head down. Her fur rippled and revealed her inner pain. As much as she hated the Sith’s observation, she couldn’t ignore how true they were.
“I will, but it won’t be from you.” Lo tried to keep her voice calm with each word.
“Very well. If you do not wish to learn from me right now, I will let you think about that decision for a bit. alone.” With that, Nimm turned around and walked out of the room, even as she reached out with the Force, cutting Lo off from the last remnant of her bond with her previous master.
Lo’s eyes widened. Her fingers fisted together as she began to search for that familiar sense of her master’s presence.
Nothing. It was if it had been severed within her. Her lungs inhaled then exhaled, but her control had faded. Instead, panic filled her. This couldn’t happen, she thought. Immediately her figure rose upright as she rushed at the Sith’s retreating back. Her arms jerked behind her, held by the tether, as she screamed.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?”
“I took care of the interference.” Nimm stated succinctly, not turning around.
“How?” Lo’s breathing continued its rapid rhythm. Her heart slammed at her chest with the rush of adrenaline and fear. She kept tugging at the restraints, but they refused to give.
“I could say I killed him, but that would be a lie. When he dies, it is the poison you gave him that will do it… Or perhaps Lord Vane.”
“Please, stop it. You can’t do this.”
“I already have.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” Lo’s mind whirled for answers, but she couldn’t find them.
“I am finishing your training. Unfortunately, there are lessons you must unlearn first.”
“I rather die than let you.”
“You do not have that option, my pet.”
Lo’s anger wanted to fight and resist. However, the Sith’s words struck a cord. Her legs gave out from under her. The padawan’s knees hit the durasteel hard, the thump echoing off the walls. Her body wavered with rage, pity, and loss then stilled. Motionless and locked in place staring at the floor, she focused on the depression.
Just before she walked out of the hold, Nimm pressed a button on her wrist and the restraints reeled in so that the young bothan would only barely be able to take some weight off her arms with her toes. This would not be a comfortable night for her, but she had misbehaved so punishment was only to be expected.
Lo flinched when her arms jerked up and her toes barely touched the ground. Her face buried itself into her arm as she tried to hide the unyielding tears. At this point, all that Lo wished for was the sensation of her master’s presence. The last hope she had now threatened to flicker out within her. In the darkness of this ship, she was truly and utterly… alone.
Time had lost all sense or meaning to Kayda. She didn’t know where she was. She didn’t even know when she was. Last thing she recalled was… wooden? No. An impact. But how could that make sense?
She forced her eyes open. Nothing. Everything was dark. Her body hurt. Particularly her leg. And her head. She vaguely recalled a bad landing, but the head confused her. Something must have hit her in the head, she decided. She tried to lift her arms, but they wouldn’t move. Something restrained them. Something hard. Metallic, she thought.
The air was dry. Cool, but not cold. She tried to sniff the air. There was something stale about it. Something unfamiliar. She reached out with the rest of her senses, with the Force. It was hard to tell what her surroundings were like. She had a certain level of training in seeing with the Force, but She wasn’t used to relying on that alone. The room felt metallic. Or maybe stony? Not alive, at least.
There was a presence in the Force. A connection of sorts. “That’s strange…” she thought, not recalling having any bonds with anyone. She was usually very careful not to form that. Her master, may he rest in peace, had warned her about her tendency to form bonds. They were dangerous, he said. Still, she needed to make sense of things, so she reached out along this bond. She needed to know who she had connected to, and why.
As long as she could feel her master, Lo had confidence Master Rothul would find her. Now, her faith began to slip. The young Bothan's mind fixed on the absent Force and couldn't explain why it existed. Ever since her time at H'ratth, she never experienced the black hole in her core until now.
Her back turned on the world, Lo focused inward. The loss, pain, and sorrow began to drown her. Even touch failed to comfort her like before. Instead, it gave her pain. Her snout buried itself into her tingling arm. Lo listened to her own heartbeat thumping in time with her dying adrenaline. The blood rushing to her head and made her mind spin from the memories.
She karked up.
Denial only proved what a useless child she was. One who poisoned her master, then got captured and tortured by a Sith. Lo wondered if her own stupidity earned her this, a small, guilt ridden voice squeaked yes. The emptiness swelled and flowed through her mind. An occasional shock flickered on her neck and ripped a scream from her lungs. Lo made a struggling cry then she trembled, trying to seal herself deeper from the world.
After a while, the world around her deafened into silence. Numbness spread through her muscles, but she didn't care.
The same could not be said for something else.
A flicker of something bright and bland caught her attention. It poked then prodded, stirring Lo from her defense. She twitched as she hung from the beams. A new shock distracted her only to fade shortly afterwards.
She had started to build a tolerance... or an acceptance.
Lo's toes moved a bit across the floor. Both to show discomfort and ease her pain while she examined the new presence. A failure on both accounts.
She ignored it for now. Her attention focused on the light.
Unlike Master Dominik or Cora, the bond’s warmth didn’t hold the strength of a sun in the Force. It was smaller and dimmer. A familiarity washed over her, pulling from her depression. Her hope pulsed against her will. Dim and weak, it gradually grew a little. It reminded her of the first time Master Rothul and her began to bond.
Desperation led her to reach out towards it with the Force and 'touch' it.
The presence Kayda found at the other end of the bond was suffering. It was in pain. No. She was in pain. ‘Where was she?’ Kayda thought to herself, but nothing comprehensible came through. If only she had learned more about bonds… If only… But no. Master Nost had denied her those lessons. ‘Too dangerous’ he had said.
Incapable of movement or sight as she was, Kayda tried her best to send a sense of comfort across the bond. After a while—maybe minutes, maybe hours—she thought she had a better idea of what she sensed. They were both trapped, it seemed. They were both lost. With their bond being emotional rather than telepathic, she couldn’t send words, but she tried to project a sense of acceptance that sometimes one had no control over one’ own circumstances.
It was frustrating to have no control, but there was no benefit in trying to change the inalterable. She began to wonder who had locked her up and why they had done so. Taking some time, she did what she could to sense more about her body and her surroundings. There was something embedded in her body. Tubes of some kind. ‘What are they for?’ she thought, confused. They didn’t feel like anything harmful, but beyond that nothing made sense.
All she could do was comfort her bonded companion as best as she could.
Lo's tears started to lessen. The occasional shocks brought pain, but her mind didn't register them. Her body reacted and slackened, still dangling above the floor. The thought of being helpless and accepting, a deadening expression settled on her face. She wanted to go back to Ryloth, her fellow jedi, and most of all… her master.
All she could do was focus on that small, significant comfort given to her. A life line against the darkness to come.
Of course, she had no doubt that she would have to pay Lord Vane back at some point for the information, but that was only to be expected. There were other interesting things she learned in all of this research, such as the reason she had pulled one of her trophies out of the display case she normally kept such in, bringing it into the cargo hold.
"Do you know what this is, my young apprentice?" Nimm says, holding up a lightsaber. At first glance, it was a simple enough standard-hilt saber, but at a closer inspection it had significant ornamentation, subtle yet intricate. Even though it was of Jedi make, the level of detail to this one was why she brought it with her, rather than keeping it on display in one of her residences back home. When she had brought it along, she had not expected to have a real use for it beyond decoration.
Lo had been allowed to sleep on the floor this time. Her figure sat upright, ignoring the aches that confirmed her existence, then rubbed her eyes. It took a moment for her vision to clear enough to actually force focus. Her eyes tightened with confusion. It had the markings of a Jedi once, but it wasn’t hers.
“A lightsaber?” Lo asked, her back pressed against the wall.
Nimm did not visibly react to the rather simplistic and confused response from her prisoner. "Do you know where I got it?"
Lo shook her head, “I don’t want to know.”
“Too bad. I will tell you anyways, my young apprentice. I found it on Coruscant, in the hands of a Jedi Padawan who lost his head.” she paused for effect. “He insisted on fighting and refused to surrender. Thus, I removed his head from his shoulders.”
The young Bothan flinched at the image in her head. The idea of someone her or Val’s age having faced the Sith and falling prey to her sadistic nature. Her arms pulled up to cross in front of her, and she bowed her head down.
“Your previous master would undoubtedly recognize it. If he can still see after you poisoned him, that is. You see, you are not the first of Dominik Rothul’s former padawans I have encountered. His name was Evin Raethen, I believe.”
“You… killed Evin?” Shock and fear oozed from the Padawan, her grip tightened about herself. Tingling happened before a fresh and powerful current ran through her body. Immediately Lo’s body locked up. The pain faded as she forcefully lifted her arms the moment she could. Her breath now heavier than before and her figure shaking.
“Yes. I did.” Nimm answered, satisfied that as usual her crew did not need to be micromanaged. “You need to control yourself more, my young apprentice. Shows of weakness like that will get you killed in the Empire.”
“I don’t know what else to do…” Lo stated, her hands still raised. After noting the unsavory title the Sith used, she slowly lowered her arms to the floor. Every time that word had been used, the pain stopped or lessened depending on her actions. At first, Lo thought it was her imagination. Recently, she realized it wasn’t.
“I didn’t surrender, but you didn’t kill me. I don’t think you grew a heart over the years.”
“Do not reveal your thoughts or feelings except when you want them seen. You had already defeated yourself by the time I decided to pick you up. You overextended yourself, apprentice. If you are to truly free yourself, you need to learn and master your limits.”
Lo kept her head down. Her fur rippled and revealed her inner pain. As much as she hated the Sith’s observation, she couldn’t ignore how true they were.
“I will, but it won’t be from you.” Lo tried to keep her voice calm with each word.
“Very well. If you do not wish to learn from me right now, I will let you think about that decision for a bit. alone.” With that, Nimm turned around and walked out of the room, even as she reached out with the Force, cutting Lo off from the last remnant of her bond with her previous master.
Lo’s eyes widened. Her fingers fisted together as she began to search for that familiar sense of her master’s presence.
Nothing. It was if it had been severed within her. Her lungs inhaled then exhaled, but her control had faded. Instead, panic filled her. This couldn’t happen, she thought. Immediately her figure rose upright as she rushed at the Sith’s retreating back. Her arms jerked behind her, held by the tether, as she screamed.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?”
“I took care of the interference.” Nimm stated succinctly, not turning around.
“How?” Lo’s breathing continued its rapid rhythm. Her heart slammed at her chest with the rush of adrenaline and fear. She kept tugging at the restraints, but they refused to give.
“I could say I killed him, but that would be a lie. When he dies, it is the poison you gave him that will do it… Or perhaps Lord Vane.”
“Please, stop it. You can’t do this.”
“I already have.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” Lo’s mind whirled for answers, but she couldn’t find them.
“I am finishing your training. Unfortunately, there are lessons you must unlearn first.”
“I rather die than let you.”
“You do not have that option, my pet.”
Lo’s anger wanted to fight and resist. However, the Sith’s words struck a cord. Her legs gave out from under her. The padawan’s knees hit the durasteel hard, the thump echoing off the walls. Her body wavered with rage, pity, and loss then stilled. Motionless and locked in place staring at the floor, she focused on the depression.
Just before she walked out of the hold, Nimm pressed a button on her wrist and the restraints reeled in so that the young bothan would only barely be able to take some weight off her arms with her toes. This would not be a comfortable night for her, but she had misbehaved so punishment was only to be expected.
Lo flinched when her arms jerked up and her toes barely touched the ground. Her face buried itself into her arm as she tried to hide the unyielding tears. At this point, all that Lo wished for was the sensation of her master’s presence. The last hope she had now threatened to flicker out within her. In the darkness of this ship, she was truly and utterly… alone.
~| Somewhere else |~
Time had lost all sense or meaning to Kayda. She didn’t know where she was. She didn’t even know when she was. Last thing she recalled was… wooden? No. An impact. But how could that make sense?
She forced her eyes open. Nothing. Everything was dark. Her body hurt. Particularly her leg. And her head. She vaguely recalled a bad landing, but the head confused her. Something must have hit her in the head, she decided. She tried to lift her arms, but they wouldn’t move. Something restrained them. Something hard. Metallic, she thought.
The air was dry. Cool, but not cold. She tried to sniff the air. There was something stale about it. Something unfamiliar. She reached out with the rest of her senses, with the Force. It was hard to tell what her surroundings were like. She had a certain level of training in seeing with the Force, but She wasn’t used to relying on that alone. The room felt metallic. Or maybe stony? Not alive, at least.
There was a presence in the Force. A connection of sorts. “That’s strange…” she thought, not recalling having any bonds with anyone. She was usually very careful not to form that. Her master, may he rest in peace, had warned her about her tendency to form bonds. They were dangerous, he said. Still, she needed to make sense of things, so she reached out along this bond. She needed to know who she had connected to, and why.
As long as she could feel her master, Lo had confidence Master Rothul would find her. Now, her faith began to slip. The young Bothan's mind fixed on the absent Force and couldn't explain why it existed. Ever since her time at H'ratth, she never experienced the black hole in her core until now.
Her back turned on the world, Lo focused inward. The loss, pain, and sorrow began to drown her. Even touch failed to comfort her like before. Instead, it gave her pain. Her snout buried itself into her tingling arm. Lo listened to her own heartbeat thumping in time with her dying adrenaline. The blood rushing to her head and made her mind spin from the memories.
She karked up.
Denial only proved what a useless child she was. One who poisoned her master, then got captured and tortured by a Sith. Lo wondered if her own stupidity earned her this, a small, guilt ridden voice squeaked yes. The emptiness swelled and flowed through her mind. An occasional shock flickered on her neck and ripped a scream from her lungs. Lo made a struggling cry then she trembled, trying to seal herself deeper from the world.
After a while, the world around her deafened into silence. Numbness spread through her muscles, but she didn't care.
The same could not be said for something else.
A flicker of something bright and bland caught her attention. It poked then prodded, stirring Lo from her defense. She twitched as she hung from the beams. A new shock distracted her only to fade shortly afterwards.
She had started to build a tolerance... or an acceptance.
Lo's toes moved a bit across the floor. Both to show discomfort and ease her pain while she examined the new presence. A failure on both accounts.
She ignored it for now. Her attention focused on the light.
Unlike Master Dominik or Cora, the bond’s warmth didn’t hold the strength of a sun in the Force. It was smaller and dimmer. A familiarity washed over her, pulling from her depression. Her hope pulsed against her will. Dim and weak, it gradually grew a little. It reminded her of the first time Master Rothul and her began to bond.
Desperation led her to reach out towards it with the Force and 'touch' it.
The presence Kayda found at the other end of the bond was suffering. It was in pain. No. She was in pain. ‘Where was she?’ Kayda thought to herself, but nothing comprehensible came through. If only she had learned more about bonds… If only… But no. Master Nost had denied her those lessons. ‘Too dangerous’ he had said.
Incapable of movement or sight as she was, Kayda tried her best to send a sense of comfort across the bond. After a while—maybe minutes, maybe hours—she thought she had a better idea of what she sensed. They were both trapped, it seemed. They were both lost. With their bond being emotional rather than telepathic, she couldn’t send words, but she tried to project a sense of acceptance that sometimes one had no control over one’ own circumstances.
It was frustrating to have no control, but there was no benefit in trying to change the inalterable. She began to wonder who had locked her up and why they had done so. Taking some time, she did what she could to sense more about her body and her surroundings. There was something embedded in her body. Tubes of some kind. ‘What are they for?’ she thought, confused. They didn’t feel like anything harmful, but beyond that nothing made sense.
All she could do was comfort her bonded companion as best as she could.
Lo's tears started to lessen. The occasional shocks brought pain, but her mind didn't register them. Her body reacted and slackened, still dangling above the floor. The thought of being helpless and accepting, a deadening expression settled on her face. She wanted to go back to Ryloth, her fellow jedi, and most of all… her master.
All she could do was focus on that small, significant comfort given to her. A life line against the darkness to come.
- Ellri
- Posts : 50
Join date : 2020-04-25
Age : 101
Location : Niflheim
6 ATC, Month 9, week 3, day 2
Sun May 03, 2020 10:50 pm
In her quarters, Nimm could only smile. One day had passed since she severed the bond between her pet and the pet’s old master. In a matter of days the Jedi and their allies over on Ryloth would be in for a surprise. Not only was Lord Vane on the way here, but several other Sith as well, including one of her own apprentices. She had not had him in her presence in months now. That alone would be dark tidings for the Jedi… But they were not coming alone. Someone had pulled enough strings to get a Terminus-class destroyer sent this way, fully armed and crewed.
She had no idea what the Hutts had been promised in return for letting an imperial destroyer blockade one of their worlds, but it must have been something fairly significant. Of course, it could be that the promise was simply to wipe out the hutts’ Zygerrian problem. It would be funny if that was the case. She sat there contemplating this when her wrist unit let out a short sound. It was time to interact with the prisoner again, and she knew exactly what she would do.
Resolutely walking out of her quarters and into the cargo hold, Nimm went into the lab unit, rather than going to the prisoner as she usually did. There she began to pick out a series of ingredients that she would use in this lesson.
Lo listened to the dull and familiar buzz of the energy dying down from the latest shock. Her pounding heart began to right itself into a lazy rhythm. Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Her ears echoed with Dom’s screams and the feeder tube’s dripping into her arm. She didn’t seem as dead as last she slept, but she didn’t feel lively.
The Sith had been true to her word. Death wasn’t an option for Lo. The moment the Padawan’s appetite vanished, they hooked her into a machine. Recalling it, her eyes shifted up and glazed into the beams. It hung in the support beams above her. A tube dangled from the fluid storage and attached into her collarbone. Each time she touched it, a sound shock happened. They obviously didn’t want her to remove it. A sigh passed through her canine lips and blew her hair from her eyes. Her hair tie broke from wear and tear allowing her hair to drift into her face. At this point, she didn’t care.
Her mind continued to dwell on the sensation of a faint bond. One moment it was there, the next it faded away, only to flicker back into existence later on again. This pattern continued randomly. Lo exhaled once more then shifted to the other side, facing the wall. Right now, it was gone and she missed it. Lately she resisted talking at all if she could help it. Following her outburst, the Sith had frequently visited. Each time, Lo barely talked or reacted to whatever was said. This behavior led to more shocks or being strung up overnight. Thankfully, nothing nearly as bad as when her outburst happened.
Lo’s eyelids sank down and closed. She relaxed as sleep edged into her consciousness, lulling her into sinking deeper and deeper into it. Her mind could barely focus anymore. The shock from losing the connection to her master had left her confused and lost. Without it, she couldn’t be sure if he would continue to search. The Bothan wondered if it hurt him. At least as much as it did for her right now.
Nimm noted that the prisoner was particularly distant this time. She did not appear to react to her entry. Perhaps she had been going a bit too hard on the prisoner? A prisoner who is ignorant of all that occurs around her is one that will far too easily die. One who is boring and practically useless. Two of the compounds were already ready, but the third she had to mix on the spot. The intent she had with giving the bothan a shorter-than-normal day was to wear her down and to make her feel as if more days had passed. It was not to make her half-comatose.
She infused the stimulants with a touch of the Dark Side, hoping that it might inspire some anger at her situation, rather than the current ennui. After a few minutes she was satisfied with it, so she filled some of it into a syringe, then carried it over to where the prisoner currently lay. She gave no warning as she stuck it into the young bothan’s right arm, pulling the needle back out the moment the contents had been injected.
Lo’s eyes snapped open, and she jerked, fighting the instinct to ball up. The tube shifted with her movements as her postured tensed. Immediately, the shock collar threatened to crackle causing her eyes to brace. It passed as quickly as it came, drawing more life from her. Thankfully there weren’t any shocks. Another soft whimper escaped her muzzle. With adrenaline in her veins now, her figure sat upright and looked at her arm. Her eyes darted to the Sith.
Fear shimmered under the surface at seeing the woman dangerously close to her. The nearest in fact since their introduction. Her hand rubbed her arm, unsure if she wanted to know the answer to her question. A ripple shifted through her fur.
“Are you done moping over the fact that your life is in my hands now?” Nimm asked. “I decide whether you live or die, and I have no intention of letting you die.” She grabbed the bothan by the arm, hauling her upright.
Lo's eyes widened. Her heart pounded and her adrenaline spiked, trying to overwhelm her heart. Usually she would enjoy the contact, but not from a Sith. Especially a woman who drew enjoyment from pain and misery. She reached out with her other arm and tried to pull the Sith's grip off her. Fear rolled with anger and pain, her control lost.
"Don't touch me!" Lo cried, her body raised with the pull. She tried to step back, but found herself fixed in place due to her weaken body.
“So you hate being touched, do you? How Interesting… How absolutely fascinating…” Nimm did not even try to conceal her satisfied smile.
The Bothan’s horror became clear at what she had done. She pleaded once more, realizing how helpless she was now. “No… please, just leave me alone.”
Her fingers gripped around the Sith’s vice-like grip and tried to pull the fingers off, to make them release her. She kept tugging back to put distance between them.
Nimm did not let go. The fact that mere touch seemed to hurt more than many of the other things she had tried before was more than a little surprising. It was also something she would capitalize on from now on. “No, my young apprentice… You will not be left alone.”
“I have plans for you. It is time to take this to the next stage.” While still holding the young bothan in place, she pulled out one of the other syringes. “Where do you want this injected?”
“Nowhere.” Lo stated, her body trembling. She tensed and braced herself for it anyways.
“Nowhere is not a location.” Nimm chided. “Since you chose not to pick, I will have to pick for you.” With that, she plunged the syringe into the young bothan’s left breast, where she expected there to be a significant number of pain receptors.
“Kark…” Lo cursed, unable to help herself. She flinched as the needle pushed past the shirt, fur, and into the muscle. Her grip on the Sith’s hand tightened and her fur pressed to her skin.
“I will give you another chance to choose,” Nimm informed the girl as she pulled the syringe back out and put it away. She pulled out the third and final syringe, the one with the toxin in it. “This last one will hurt no matter where it is injected. You will choose where it goes.”
Lo knew she was fighting a losing battle. She tried to calm herself enough not to stutter her words as she answered.
“My arm. The one you didn’t stab. Please, can you just let go. I won’t fight.” She begged.
“The left arm? A wise choice.” said Nimm, pleased to have gotten even a modicum of dialogue running. Because of that, she was almost gentle as she pushed the needle into the bothan’s left arm, just a little below the shoulder.
Lo didn't expect the pain. Liquid fire shot into her veins, following the pathways and burying deep in her body. It caused the young girl to bite down on her screams. She couldn't topple over with the Sith's iron grip still on her arm as she pushed to stay upright. Her thoughts tried to focus on her breathing. As the pain dulled to embers under her flesh, she began to lessen her movements.
She looked into the Sith's eyes. "What did you inject me with?"
It was clear to Nimm that the girl was trying not to show how much it hurt. Compared to how she had been before, that was a significant improvement. She pulled the needle back out, then let go of the girl’s other arm. “That was a toxin. In some ways similar to the one you gave your master, In the way a holdout blaster is similar to a turbolaser emplacement. It hurts now and it will continue to hurt as it slowly burns its way through your system over the next three days. You can choose to wait it out in constant agony . . . Or you could accept my offer of training and learn how to make the antidote.”
“Why are you so insistent on teaching me? You don’t gain anything… “Lo asked, failing to see the benefit. She also used the question to avoid deciding immediately what to do. Her hand rubbed the location where the last one stabbed, hurting more than the one in her breast.
“Your previous master failed at training you properly. Since you will serve me for the foreseeable future, I will have to fix that set of mistakes… So, do you wish to suffer or to learn?”
“You said it was similar to the poison you used on Master Rothul? How do I know it’s the truth?”
“You don’t. You have only my word for it. Your comprehension of the necessary sciences is too thin to be able to see the nuances.”
Lo gazed at the floor for a moment, debating on her options. With the lack of the connection to her Master and her escape chances dwindling, she knew time wasn’t on her side. After a moment, her eyes rose and her decision made.
“Fine. I won’t have to do any dark side stuff… because I can’t.” Her voice shifted with dislike of the word 'dark side'.
Inwardly, Nimm chuckled. The girl actually thought that she could make something with Sith Alchemy and not use the full power of the Force? She really was naïve. She didn’t need to say or do anything to have the barriers extended to permit the girl to follow her to the lab unit. Helia would be taking care of that part from the cockpit. “Follow me.” she said.
Lo cocked her head to the side. Her eyes narrowed and she hesitated in following. “What about the limits?”
Nimm turned around and smiled at the young bothan. “A good question… Do you believe they are the same, or do you believe they have changed?”
The girl’s jawline tensed as she pinpointed what she thought had been the barrier’s edge. She inhaled then exhaled, partly expecting a shock. It didn’t happen. Feeling a little courage fill her, Lo began to count her steps and walk to follow in the Sith’s wake. She instinctively slowed when she neared the edge only to feel nothing.
“I guess it changed.” Her voice took on an uncertain tone.
The moment she walked more than three meters away from the beams, the small auto-feeder droid detached from one of them and floated along behind her, bobbing slightly on its repulsors.
A soft hovering noise caught her attention as Lo jerked back, seeing the machine following her. She didn’t comment on it as she turned back to follow the Sith.
“You are correct.” The inside of the lab module was fairly simple. A workbench along most of the long wall, with racks of vials, ingredients, tools and other things above it. There was equipment both to rapidly heat up and cool down any creations. For the most part, it resembled any other portable laboratory. But there were minute differences. Tools and ingredients not normal to a lab. Underneath the workbench there was a box of sorts that looked to be designed to conduct electricity with no apparent source for it, and a variety of other discrepancies.
The set up reminded Lo of her own workstation, but more advanced and slightly off. Her eyes wandered through the various tools as she compared the differences. She couldn't help, but edge forward to the table. Curiosity sparked in her eyes giving them a bright awareness compared to earlier.
The curiosity and interest was blatant to Nimm. She could work with that. “I imagine that you know better than to touch anything without knowing what it is first.” she stated factually.
“Well, yes.” Lo knew if someone foolishly messed with something they knew little about, it would result in something bad. She had a few close encounters with Ro’sara getting hurt because of her carelessness.
"I know some of this stuff... but not all of it. I didn't expect it to be so similar."
“I pick up ingredients here and there on my travels. It never hurts to have a wide selection of raw materials.”
“I take it that you know the effects and what they mix well with?” Lo asked, unknowingly challenging the Sith’s knowledge on the topic. Her hand rubbed her injection location a bit more and ignored the pain that gradually grew.
“Intimately.” she answered easily.
Lo’s attention turned to the Sith, her eyes observing her and spoke again. “I guess it makes sense, you’re a bit more experienced than me.”
She didn’t say anything in response. It was better that her prisoner assumed she was as young as she looked. “You will need the following ingredients for this particular antidote: ten milliliters of salt water, two strands of razor reed, five grams of Inverted Jenstem, a blob of Thaylian bog slime, and three milliliters of nautolan blood.”
Lo nodded slowly. She began to turn her attention to the table and search for the ingredients, collecting the amounts in containers. She had cleared a work space as she struggled to locate one. Inverted Jenstem. She frowned and continued to look, only to find nothing.
"What's Inverted Jenstem?" Lo asked, still glancing through the gear on the table for clues.
“That one contains Jenstem.” Nimm said, pointing to a translucent box with a medium-sized plant inside. “It is a bit wilful, so you need to use the Force to render it harmless before use.”
Lo looked at the plant, suspecting it defended itself somehow. “Oh kay. That doesn’t explain how I make it Inverted.”
“It is very simple. You channel the Force into it, making it very clear that you desire it to be harmless to humans. It will resist you, but who is strongest? You or a plant?”
She glanced at the Sith apprentice with a frown then back to the plant. “That doesn’t sound pleasant at all.”
Lo reached out for the bottle and brought it closer. She raised her other hand and gestured out with the force. It resisted as the Sith stated. Refusing to detoxify or give up its leaves causing a confused look to cross Lo’s face. A plant had never fought her before. At least, not like this. She took a breath and tried to coax it into working with her. Her gentle, but firm energy tried to loosen it enough to release a few leaves. Nothing happened. She frowned then tried again. By this point, the heat in her body had started to rise from the toxin. Again she tried a little harder, but her rewards were nothing.
“You cannot coax it into doing your bidding. It is far too stubborn a plant. Push your intent onto it.”
“Are you sure there’s not another way?” Lo stopped and dropped her hand, pausing for a moment in her efforts. Again, she rubbed her arm and tried to ease the pain in it.
“Well, if I had five liters of the right type of bothan blood, I could have replaced the blood in your body with untainted blood. Do you know of any bothans in the area with the right blood type that don’t need their blood?”
Lo visibly flinched at the Sith’s sarcasm. “No.”
Nimm smiled. “I thought not.” she said after seeing the reaction to her rather grim suggestion. “That is the only alternative when it comes to dealing with certain types of toxins. You need to render at least one key ingredient inert through inversion.”
“Kark.” The Bothan cursed again, getting used to how the curse fit her situations.
She inhaled then exhaled, then raised her hand again. Her fingers curled this time as she tried to make it obey. Her force churned and seemed to bubble under her skin, making it crawl almost. It stretched out over the plant before she tried again. Lo tried to keep it up only to fizzle half-way.
The bothan got closer this time, but not quite far enough. “While anger is a useful tool, it is but one tool I will teach you to use.” She didn’t wait more than a second before continuing. “Anger and rage will only get you so far. What you seek now is determination and willpower. Think of it like this… The plant is your enemy in this challenge. You must force your will and desire onto it, make it clear that it will be the way you desire it to be.”
"That's not how the Jedi do it." Lo blurted out, turning to face the woman. After her word escaped her lips, she quickly realized her mistake. On instinct, the padawan braced for another shock and expected a stronger one. It always happened with conversations over the Jedi. Her hands lowered to her side as she gripped her pants, ready to be sent into a series of spasms.
“Oh?” Nimm asked, “The Jedi are just as stubborn about indoctrinating young children as we Sith. The difference is that we are honest about the fact that we do it. Do you know of any laws in the republic that permit the Jedi Order to take infants from their families?”
The shock didn’t come. Lo body relaxed, and she straightened up. Her own eyes met the Sith’s as she continued the conversation. “I don’t recall any, but the Jedi do approach the families and explain it is important they learn. Master Rothul told me the Empire simply just takes the children. Like they tried to take me after blasting my mother down.”
“Unlike the Jedi, we Sith have the law on our side. It is imperial law that all Force-sensitives must be trained, either at the Sith Academy, or by another Sith in privacy. Of course, there are families that do not want their young trained by Sith they do not know, so they train their children themselves.” She took a breath. “As for those who attend the Academy? Their families get to visit them, and they are free to contact them at any time after their training is completed. The Jedi Order on the other hand, does everything it can to erase a child’s ties to his or her former family. The Order is the only family they truly approve of, exempting the few Dynastic families, of course.”
“That doesn’t justify murder outside Empire space… “ Lo pointed out.
“You say they shot your mother down and tried to abduct you? That does not sound like any sort of normal recruiting. When and where was this? I find this intriguing and would like to see if I can find out the whole story.”
“I don’t… I don’t remember clearly. I was too young and upset. Just fragmented memories and nightmares. I just know what my Master told me.” Lo stated, avoiding the woman’s eyes.
“You might not remember many details, but you can’t honestly claim you don’t know how long ago it was. If your former master has talked of it, you probably have a good idea of where in the galaxy it was.”
“He’s not my former [Master.” She corrected trying to be stubborn.
“Oh? Is he here? And how do you think he would feel if he learned you poisoned him, with a very lethal toxin at that?”
“I… I didn’t know.” Lo tried to defend herself.
“So. Let’s look at it from what could be their perspective. They have a member of the Jedi High Council who is poisoned. They fairly quickly determine that Sith Alchemy was used in its creation, and they track the poison back to your supplies. Then they look more closely at your history and find that you have unusual ties to the Sith Empire. How innocent does that make you look, hmm?”
“...”
“I sense that you see where that evidence puts you.” she didn’t show any clear expression on her face. “Now any details you remember might let me find out the rest of your story from imperial records. Would you not like to know it?”
“I know what my Master told me and I trust it is the truth.” By now, the toxin was starting to hurt. Lo wiggled in her seat a bit and continued to rub her arm. She felt warmish and sweaty, her fur started to lay against her skin.
“Oh. He probably would not have lied. Not when you might remember something that deviated from his tale. However, chances are good that he would have omitted part of the tale, in the name of ‘protecting’ you until you were ‘old enough’, whatever that means.” She didn’t hide the scorn she felt towards such measures. She preferred the truth from the start. “Should he die from your poison, imperial records are likely the only place you could learn about your…” she seemed to almost reach out with the Force, though no gesture was made, “Father?”
“He won’t die. Cora will fix him and things will be better.” She sounded weak in her conviction as she avoided the question, feeling stranger.
“We already went over that, my young apprentice… That Jedi you spoke of, Cora, clearly doesn’t have the knowledge and training necessary to fabricate an antidote. To do that she would have to be well-trained in Sith Alchemy.”
“I said I wasn’t your apprentice.” Lo snapped back, irritated by the title. Her arms had curled around her middle now.
“Yet you are here, taking lessons from me.” She shook her head at the child’s stubbornness. “I would advice you to think about completing the lesson I gave you. The toxin in your bloodstream is not going to wait while you repeat your delusions to yourself over and over.”
Slightly relieved the topic had shifted, Lo extended her hand again. “I’m still not sure how to do this.”
Once more, she tried to bend the plant to her will. The stem moved and shifted, turning another color. Then it faded back, leaving Lo puzzled at her mistake.
“What do your repeated failures make you feel?”
“Depressed.” She stated, firmly lying.
“So you have convinced yourself that a plant is more strong-willed than you are? How does that add up with your insistence on other subjects, hmm?”
“Now you’re being mean.”
“I am pointing out the obvious that you refuse to admit to yourself. Had you been the weakling you seem to think you are, you would already be dead.”
Lo tried to focus her frustration into the plant. Several moments passed and nothing happened. Finally, it twitched and jerked, a leaf started to pull away. She gritted her teeth while she continued to force it to turn into what she needed. A small brown leaf floated from the stem toward her, drifting into the container.
“That is how you do it.” she said.
“I don’t like how that feels.”
“Do you apologize to your food before eating it?” She queried, “This plant is no higher on the food chain than an evening meal is.”
“Now take that leaf and put it into the mortar with the other ingredients and grind them together for two minutes, when the mixture turns purple.”
“I wonder if some numbroot might help this mix.” Lo mumbled to herself then began to follow instruction.
“Well, if you want to add paralysis to the effects, you could add numbroot.” Nimm answered, knowing exactly how that particular root could be used both for helpful and harmful purposes, depending on what it was mixed with.
“What? Numbroot is a painkiller, how would it have paralysis effects?” Lo looked shocked at the statement, unsure how it even worked that way. Her hands held the stone bowl as she ground it.
“On its own or mixed with certain herbs, it is a mild numbing agent. When mixed with Thaylian bog slime, however… Then its effectiveness is exponentially, turning what would normally numb someone to pain into a paralytic agent. It is also how a single Inverted Jenstem leaf is enough to make your antidote.”
“So each ingredient, like in my salves, influences the other components. Do the effects follow a simple rule or more of a guessing game? I know with numbroot, it goes with nearly everything without harmful effects. At least, I thought that until now.” Lo continued to rotate and grind the paste, her mind distracted.
“Medicine, by its very nature, is closely related to poison. Too little and it is ineffective. Too much, and it is deadly. Just enough, and it does what you want it to do. As for whether they follow any simple rules or not? Some do, others don’t. I prefer to consult others’ work where it is available.”
‘That’s not helpful.’ Lo thought, sighing at the facts.
“It looks ready now.” she said.
Lo paused, realizing what the Sith had been referring to.
“Okay, now what?” The bothan asked as she set the concoction down. Her hands lifted to push her longer hair out of her face, the strands plastered to her snout.
“You need to get it into your bloodstream. You could drink it, but that would not act very fast. It is better to inject it.”
“Where’s the injector?” The Bothan eyes glanced on the table. She knew what an injector looked like, but some times the models varied between territories.
“Right there.” Nimm said, pointing out a conveniently placed box of unused injectors.
Lo pushed up and pulled the box closer, reaching in for the first injector. She then pushed the watery substance in and pressed it to her arm. With a small brace, she closed her eyes briefly then pressed the button. An ice-cold sensation raced along her veins. It began to cool and soothe the burning, causing it to die down. She noted she stopped sweating almost immediately.
Now a new issue rose up in her mind. Her hand set down the injector, and she rubbed the area of the second injection thoughtfully.
"You said the last injection was a toxin… With the way I feel, I am guessing the first one made me more energetic and aware. Like what Caffa does. What was the second one?"
Lo pursed her lips as she waited for an answer, unsure if she could trust it or not.
“Oh that? Just a little concoction my master designed… Should assist your recovery from certain undesired conditions.” It would do exactly as Nimm had planned. While most of her own alchemical creations were not simple, they were primitive in comparison to her master’s.
Lo's eyes narrowed. She frowned, debating on the trust value before accepting it. Her hand reached up to rub at the location where the feeding tube penetrated her skin. The Bothan took care not to dislodge it as her hands returned to her lap.
"Can you explain to me what some of these ingredients could do in Alchemy? It might help me understand better." Lo figured she might as well cooperate to some degree.
“That is the wrong question. The question you should ask is this: ‘what do I want to achieve?’.”
“I figured that was obvious. Especially since you’ve mentioned it a few times and made it clear it might help my master.” Her eyes didn’t look at Nimm, still unsure if he would be willing to see her now.
“Your master is fine, as I made you into my apprentice, young one. Your previous master, however… His condition is fast approaching the point of no recovery. Should you desire to learn what it takes to bring someone back from the brink of death, you will have to do much better than you have so far.”
"I just want to learn how to cure him before he dies.” Lo said, irritation in her tone.
“Death is incurable. To learn how to deal with toxins of the level you gave him, you will have to delve head-first into the lessons I give.”
“I didn’t give him anything!
“Keep lying to yourself, and you might even come to believe it. I would provide you with evidence of how several of your former friends are accusing you, but my agent is laying low right now, as he does not desire to be killed.”
“So what happens now?” Lo fought not to growl as she felt her lip flicker up.
“You could keep lying to yourself, or I could continue your education. This first round was primitive in comparison to what you will have to learn to achieve your goals.”
The more Lo heard, the more she wondered about the right path to choose. She exhaled then rose her head up a bit, making her decision. “I know my goal, but I don’t know if you’ll let me achieve it. That’s the issue. As you said, death is incurable and if my motivation dies before I’m done… What's the point of continuing the education?”
“Is not learning a goal onto itself?” Nimm said, smiling mischievously. “You might learn what you need, or you might not. However, if you don’t take the offered lessons, he will die.”
The young Bothan wanted to argue, but the discussion tilted too far in the Sith’s favor. “Fine… what’s the next lesson?”
Nimm smiled, starting to explain the next lesson. As much of it as she deemed necessary to explain, at least. She had her little pet right where she wanted her… No choice but to learn or see one she cared about die. Sooner, rather than later, this would set her on the path to the Dark Side.[/color]
She had no idea what the Hutts had been promised in return for letting an imperial destroyer blockade one of their worlds, but it must have been something fairly significant. Of course, it could be that the promise was simply to wipe out the hutts’ Zygerrian problem. It would be funny if that was the case. She sat there contemplating this when her wrist unit let out a short sound. It was time to interact with the prisoner again, and she knew exactly what she would do.
Resolutely walking out of her quarters and into the cargo hold, Nimm went into the lab unit, rather than going to the prisoner as she usually did. There she began to pick out a series of ingredients that she would use in this lesson.
Lo listened to the dull and familiar buzz of the energy dying down from the latest shock. Her pounding heart began to right itself into a lazy rhythm. Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Her ears echoed with Dom’s screams and the feeder tube’s dripping into her arm. She didn’t seem as dead as last she slept, but she didn’t feel lively.
The Sith had been true to her word. Death wasn’t an option for Lo. The moment the Padawan’s appetite vanished, they hooked her into a machine. Recalling it, her eyes shifted up and glazed into the beams. It hung in the support beams above her. A tube dangled from the fluid storage and attached into her collarbone. Each time she touched it, a sound shock happened. They obviously didn’t want her to remove it. A sigh passed through her canine lips and blew her hair from her eyes. Her hair tie broke from wear and tear allowing her hair to drift into her face. At this point, she didn’t care.
Her mind continued to dwell on the sensation of a faint bond. One moment it was there, the next it faded away, only to flicker back into existence later on again. This pattern continued randomly. Lo exhaled once more then shifted to the other side, facing the wall. Right now, it was gone and she missed it. Lately she resisted talking at all if she could help it. Following her outburst, the Sith had frequently visited. Each time, Lo barely talked or reacted to whatever was said. This behavior led to more shocks or being strung up overnight. Thankfully, nothing nearly as bad as when her outburst happened.
Lo’s eyelids sank down and closed. She relaxed as sleep edged into her consciousness, lulling her into sinking deeper and deeper into it. Her mind could barely focus anymore. The shock from losing the connection to her master had left her confused and lost. Without it, she couldn’t be sure if he would continue to search. The Bothan wondered if it hurt him. At least as much as it did for her right now.
Nimm noted that the prisoner was particularly distant this time. She did not appear to react to her entry. Perhaps she had been going a bit too hard on the prisoner? A prisoner who is ignorant of all that occurs around her is one that will far too easily die. One who is boring and practically useless. Two of the compounds were already ready, but the third she had to mix on the spot. The intent she had with giving the bothan a shorter-than-normal day was to wear her down and to make her feel as if more days had passed. It was not to make her half-comatose.
She infused the stimulants with a touch of the Dark Side, hoping that it might inspire some anger at her situation, rather than the current ennui. After a few minutes she was satisfied with it, so she filled some of it into a syringe, then carried it over to where the prisoner currently lay. She gave no warning as she stuck it into the young bothan’s right arm, pulling the needle back out the moment the contents had been injected.
Lo’s eyes snapped open, and she jerked, fighting the instinct to ball up. The tube shifted with her movements as her postured tensed. Immediately, the shock collar threatened to crackle causing her eyes to brace. It passed as quickly as it came, drawing more life from her. Thankfully there weren’t any shocks. Another soft whimper escaped her muzzle. With adrenaline in her veins now, her figure sat upright and looked at her arm. Her eyes darted to the Sith.
Fear shimmered under the surface at seeing the woman dangerously close to her. The nearest in fact since their introduction. Her hand rubbed her arm, unsure if she wanted to know the answer to her question. A ripple shifted through her fur.
“Are you done moping over the fact that your life is in my hands now?” Nimm asked. “I decide whether you live or die, and I have no intention of letting you die.” She grabbed the bothan by the arm, hauling her upright.
Lo's eyes widened. Her heart pounded and her adrenaline spiked, trying to overwhelm her heart. Usually she would enjoy the contact, but not from a Sith. Especially a woman who drew enjoyment from pain and misery. She reached out with her other arm and tried to pull the Sith's grip off her. Fear rolled with anger and pain, her control lost.
"Don't touch me!" Lo cried, her body raised with the pull. She tried to step back, but found herself fixed in place due to her weaken body.
“So you hate being touched, do you? How Interesting… How absolutely fascinating…” Nimm did not even try to conceal her satisfied smile.
The Bothan’s horror became clear at what she had done. She pleaded once more, realizing how helpless she was now. “No… please, just leave me alone.”
Her fingers gripped around the Sith’s vice-like grip and tried to pull the fingers off, to make them release her. She kept tugging back to put distance between them.
Nimm did not let go. The fact that mere touch seemed to hurt more than many of the other things she had tried before was more than a little surprising. It was also something she would capitalize on from now on. “No, my young apprentice… You will not be left alone.”
“I have plans for you. It is time to take this to the next stage.” While still holding the young bothan in place, she pulled out one of the other syringes. “Where do you want this injected?”
“Nowhere.” Lo stated, her body trembling. She tensed and braced herself for it anyways.
“Nowhere is not a location.” Nimm chided. “Since you chose not to pick, I will have to pick for you.” With that, she plunged the syringe into the young bothan’s left breast, where she expected there to be a significant number of pain receptors.
“Kark…” Lo cursed, unable to help herself. She flinched as the needle pushed past the shirt, fur, and into the muscle. Her grip on the Sith’s hand tightened and her fur pressed to her skin.
“I will give you another chance to choose,” Nimm informed the girl as she pulled the syringe back out and put it away. She pulled out the third and final syringe, the one with the toxin in it. “This last one will hurt no matter where it is injected. You will choose where it goes.”
Lo knew she was fighting a losing battle. She tried to calm herself enough not to stutter her words as she answered.
“My arm. The one you didn’t stab. Please, can you just let go. I won’t fight.” She begged.
“The left arm? A wise choice.” said Nimm, pleased to have gotten even a modicum of dialogue running. Because of that, she was almost gentle as she pushed the needle into the bothan’s left arm, just a little below the shoulder.
Lo didn't expect the pain. Liquid fire shot into her veins, following the pathways and burying deep in her body. It caused the young girl to bite down on her screams. She couldn't topple over with the Sith's iron grip still on her arm as she pushed to stay upright. Her thoughts tried to focus on her breathing. As the pain dulled to embers under her flesh, she began to lessen her movements.
She looked into the Sith's eyes. "What did you inject me with?"
It was clear to Nimm that the girl was trying not to show how much it hurt. Compared to how she had been before, that was a significant improvement. She pulled the needle back out, then let go of the girl’s other arm. “That was a toxin. In some ways similar to the one you gave your master, In the way a holdout blaster is similar to a turbolaser emplacement. It hurts now and it will continue to hurt as it slowly burns its way through your system over the next three days. You can choose to wait it out in constant agony . . . Or you could accept my offer of training and learn how to make the antidote.”
“Why are you so insistent on teaching me? You don’t gain anything… “Lo asked, failing to see the benefit. She also used the question to avoid deciding immediately what to do. Her hand rubbed the location where the last one stabbed, hurting more than the one in her breast.
“Your previous master failed at training you properly. Since you will serve me for the foreseeable future, I will have to fix that set of mistakes… So, do you wish to suffer or to learn?”
“You said it was similar to the poison you used on Master Rothul? How do I know it’s the truth?”
“You don’t. You have only my word for it. Your comprehension of the necessary sciences is too thin to be able to see the nuances.”
Lo gazed at the floor for a moment, debating on her options. With the lack of the connection to her Master and her escape chances dwindling, she knew time wasn’t on her side. After a moment, her eyes rose and her decision made.
“Fine. I won’t have to do any dark side stuff… because I can’t.” Her voice shifted with dislike of the word 'dark side'.
Inwardly, Nimm chuckled. The girl actually thought that she could make something with Sith Alchemy and not use the full power of the Force? She really was naïve. She didn’t need to say or do anything to have the barriers extended to permit the girl to follow her to the lab unit. Helia would be taking care of that part from the cockpit. “Follow me.” she said.
Lo cocked her head to the side. Her eyes narrowed and she hesitated in following. “What about the limits?”
Nimm turned around and smiled at the young bothan. “A good question… Do you believe they are the same, or do you believe they have changed?”
The girl’s jawline tensed as she pinpointed what she thought had been the barrier’s edge. She inhaled then exhaled, partly expecting a shock. It didn’t happen. Feeling a little courage fill her, Lo began to count her steps and walk to follow in the Sith’s wake. She instinctively slowed when she neared the edge only to feel nothing.
“I guess it changed.” Her voice took on an uncertain tone.
The moment she walked more than three meters away from the beams, the small auto-feeder droid detached from one of them and floated along behind her, bobbing slightly on its repulsors.
A soft hovering noise caught her attention as Lo jerked back, seeing the machine following her. She didn’t comment on it as she turned back to follow the Sith.
“You are correct.” The inside of the lab module was fairly simple. A workbench along most of the long wall, with racks of vials, ingredients, tools and other things above it. There was equipment both to rapidly heat up and cool down any creations. For the most part, it resembled any other portable laboratory. But there were minute differences. Tools and ingredients not normal to a lab. Underneath the workbench there was a box of sorts that looked to be designed to conduct electricity with no apparent source for it, and a variety of other discrepancies.
The set up reminded Lo of her own workstation, but more advanced and slightly off. Her eyes wandered through the various tools as she compared the differences. She couldn't help, but edge forward to the table. Curiosity sparked in her eyes giving them a bright awareness compared to earlier.
The curiosity and interest was blatant to Nimm. She could work with that. “I imagine that you know better than to touch anything without knowing what it is first.” she stated factually.
“Well, yes.” Lo knew if someone foolishly messed with something they knew little about, it would result in something bad. She had a few close encounters with Ro’sara getting hurt because of her carelessness.
"I know some of this stuff... but not all of it. I didn't expect it to be so similar."
“I pick up ingredients here and there on my travels. It never hurts to have a wide selection of raw materials.”
“I take it that you know the effects and what they mix well with?” Lo asked, unknowingly challenging the Sith’s knowledge on the topic. Her hand rubbed her injection location a bit more and ignored the pain that gradually grew.
“Intimately.” she answered easily.
Lo’s attention turned to the Sith, her eyes observing her and spoke again. “I guess it makes sense, you’re a bit more experienced than me.”
She didn’t say anything in response. It was better that her prisoner assumed she was as young as she looked. “You will need the following ingredients for this particular antidote: ten milliliters of salt water, two strands of razor reed, five grams of Inverted Jenstem, a blob of Thaylian bog slime, and three milliliters of nautolan blood.”
Lo nodded slowly. She began to turn her attention to the table and search for the ingredients, collecting the amounts in containers. She had cleared a work space as she struggled to locate one. Inverted Jenstem. She frowned and continued to look, only to find nothing.
"What's Inverted Jenstem?" Lo asked, still glancing through the gear on the table for clues.
“That one contains Jenstem.” Nimm said, pointing to a translucent box with a medium-sized plant inside. “It is a bit wilful, so you need to use the Force to render it harmless before use.”
Lo looked at the plant, suspecting it defended itself somehow. “Oh kay. That doesn’t explain how I make it Inverted.”
“It is very simple. You channel the Force into it, making it very clear that you desire it to be harmless to humans. It will resist you, but who is strongest? You or a plant?”
She glanced at the Sith apprentice with a frown then back to the plant. “That doesn’t sound pleasant at all.”
Lo reached out for the bottle and brought it closer. She raised her other hand and gestured out with the force. It resisted as the Sith stated. Refusing to detoxify or give up its leaves causing a confused look to cross Lo’s face. A plant had never fought her before. At least, not like this. She took a breath and tried to coax it into working with her. Her gentle, but firm energy tried to loosen it enough to release a few leaves. Nothing happened. She frowned then tried again. By this point, the heat in her body had started to rise from the toxin. Again she tried a little harder, but her rewards were nothing.
“You cannot coax it into doing your bidding. It is far too stubborn a plant. Push your intent onto it.”
“Are you sure there’s not another way?” Lo stopped and dropped her hand, pausing for a moment in her efforts. Again, she rubbed her arm and tried to ease the pain in it.
“Well, if I had five liters of the right type of bothan blood, I could have replaced the blood in your body with untainted blood. Do you know of any bothans in the area with the right blood type that don’t need their blood?”
Lo visibly flinched at the Sith’s sarcasm. “No.”
Nimm smiled. “I thought not.” she said after seeing the reaction to her rather grim suggestion. “That is the only alternative when it comes to dealing with certain types of toxins. You need to render at least one key ingredient inert through inversion.”
“Kark.” The Bothan cursed again, getting used to how the curse fit her situations.
She inhaled then exhaled, then raised her hand again. Her fingers curled this time as she tried to make it obey. Her force churned and seemed to bubble under her skin, making it crawl almost. It stretched out over the plant before she tried again. Lo tried to keep it up only to fizzle half-way.
The bothan got closer this time, but not quite far enough. “While anger is a useful tool, it is but one tool I will teach you to use.” She didn’t wait more than a second before continuing. “Anger and rage will only get you so far. What you seek now is determination and willpower. Think of it like this… The plant is your enemy in this challenge. You must force your will and desire onto it, make it clear that it will be the way you desire it to be.”
"That's not how the Jedi do it." Lo blurted out, turning to face the woman. After her word escaped her lips, she quickly realized her mistake. On instinct, the padawan braced for another shock and expected a stronger one. It always happened with conversations over the Jedi. Her hands lowered to her side as she gripped her pants, ready to be sent into a series of spasms.
“Oh?” Nimm asked, “The Jedi are just as stubborn about indoctrinating young children as we Sith. The difference is that we are honest about the fact that we do it. Do you know of any laws in the republic that permit the Jedi Order to take infants from their families?”
The shock didn’t come. Lo body relaxed, and she straightened up. Her own eyes met the Sith’s as she continued the conversation. “I don’t recall any, but the Jedi do approach the families and explain it is important they learn. Master Rothul told me the Empire simply just takes the children. Like they tried to take me after blasting my mother down.”
“Unlike the Jedi, we Sith have the law on our side. It is imperial law that all Force-sensitives must be trained, either at the Sith Academy, or by another Sith in privacy. Of course, there are families that do not want their young trained by Sith they do not know, so they train their children themselves.” She took a breath. “As for those who attend the Academy? Their families get to visit them, and they are free to contact them at any time after their training is completed. The Jedi Order on the other hand, does everything it can to erase a child’s ties to his or her former family. The Order is the only family they truly approve of, exempting the few Dynastic families, of course.”
“That doesn’t justify murder outside Empire space… “ Lo pointed out.
“You say they shot your mother down and tried to abduct you? That does not sound like any sort of normal recruiting. When and where was this? I find this intriguing and would like to see if I can find out the whole story.”
“I don’t… I don’t remember clearly. I was too young and upset. Just fragmented memories and nightmares. I just know what my Master told me.” Lo stated, avoiding the woman’s eyes.
“You might not remember many details, but you can’t honestly claim you don’t know how long ago it was. If your former master has talked of it, you probably have a good idea of where in the galaxy it was.”
“He’s not my former [Master.” She corrected trying to be stubborn.
“Oh? Is he here? And how do you think he would feel if he learned you poisoned him, with a very lethal toxin at that?”
“I… I didn’t know.” Lo tried to defend herself.
“So. Let’s look at it from what could be their perspective. They have a member of the Jedi High Council who is poisoned. They fairly quickly determine that Sith Alchemy was used in its creation, and they track the poison back to your supplies. Then they look more closely at your history and find that you have unusual ties to the Sith Empire. How innocent does that make you look, hmm?”
“...”
“I sense that you see where that evidence puts you.” she didn’t show any clear expression on her face. “Now any details you remember might let me find out the rest of your story from imperial records. Would you not like to know it?”
“I know what my Master told me and I trust it is the truth.” By now, the toxin was starting to hurt. Lo wiggled in her seat a bit and continued to rub her arm. She felt warmish and sweaty, her fur started to lay against her skin.
“Oh. He probably would not have lied. Not when you might remember something that deviated from his tale. However, chances are good that he would have omitted part of the tale, in the name of ‘protecting’ you until you were ‘old enough’, whatever that means.” She didn’t hide the scorn she felt towards such measures. She preferred the truth from the start. “Should he die from your poison, imperial records are likely the only place you could learn about your…” she seemed to almost reach out with the Force, though no gesture was made, “Father?”
“He won’t die. Cora will fix him and things will be better.” She sounded weak in her conviction as she avoided the question, feeling stranger.
“We already went over that, my young apprentice… That Jedi you spoke of, Cora, clearly doesn’t have the knowledge and training necessary to fabricate an antidote. To do that she would have to be well-trained in Sith Alchemy.”
“I said I wasn’t your apprentice.” Lo snapped back, irritated by the title. Her arms had curled around her middle now.
“Yet you are here, taking lessons from me.” She shook her head at the child’s stubbornness. “I would advice you to think about completing the lesson I gave you. The toxin in your bloodstream is not going to wait while you repeat your delusions to yourself over and over.”
Slightly relieved the topic had shifted, Lo extended her hand again. “I’m still not sure how to do this.”
Once more, she tried to bend the plant to her will. The stem moved and shifted, turning another color. Then it faded back, leaving Lo puzzled at her mistake.
“What do your repeated failures make you feel?”
“Depressed.” She stated, firmly lying.
“So you have convinced yourself that a plant is more strong-willed than you are? How does that add up with your insistence on other subjects, hmm?”
“Now you’re being mean.”
“I am pointing out the obvious that you refuse to admit to yourself. Had you been the weakling you seem to think you are, you would already be dead.”
Lo tried to focus her frustration into the plant. Several moments passed and nothing happened. Finally, it twitched and jerked, a leaf started to pull away. She gritted her teeth while she continued to force it to turn into what she needed. A small brown leaf floated from the stem toward her, drifting into the container.
“That is how you do it.” she said.
“I don’t like how that feels.”
“Do you apologize to your food before eating it?” She queried, “This plant is no higher on the food chain than an evening meal is.”
“Now take that leaf and put it into the mortar with the other ingredients and grind them together for two minutes, when the mixture turns purple.”
“I wonder if some numbroot might help this mix.” Lo mumbled to herself then began to follow instruction.
“Well, if you want to add paralysis to the effects, you could add numbroot.” Nimm answered, knowing exactly how that particular root could be used both for helpful and harmful purposes, depending on what it was mixed with.
“What? Numbroot is a painkiller, how would it have paralysis effects?” Lo looked shocked at the statement, unsure how it even worked that way. Her hands held the stone bowl as she ground it.
“On its own or mixed with certain herbs, it is a mild numbing agent. When mixed with Thaylian bog slime, however… Then its effectiveness is exponentially, turning what would normally numb someone to pain into a paralytic agent. It is also how a single Inverted Jenstem leaf is enough to make your antidote.”
“So each ingredient, like in my salves, influences the other components. Do the effects follow a simple rule or more of a guessing game? I know with numbroot, it goes with nearly everything without harmful effects. At least, I thought that until now.” Lo continued to rotate and grind the paste, her mind distracted.
“Medicine, by its very nature, is closely related to poison. Too little and it is ineffective. Too much, and it is deadly. Just enough, and it does what you want it to do. As for whether they follow any simple rules or not? Some do, others don’t. I prefer to consult others’ work where it is available.”
‘That’s not helpful.’ Lo thought, sighing at the facts.
“It looks ready now.” she said.
Lo paused, realizing what the Sith had been referring to.
“Okay, now what?” The bothan asked as she set the concoction down. Her hands lifted to push her longer hair out of her face, the strands plastered to her snout.
“You need to get it into your bloodstream. You could drink it, but that would not act very fast. It is better to inject it.”
“Where’s the injector?” The Bothan eyes glanced on the table. She knew what an injector looked like, but some times the models varied between territories.
“Right there.” Nimm said, pointing out a conveniently placed box of unused injectors.
Lo pushed up and pulled the box closer, reaching in for the first injector. She then pushed the watery substance in and pressed it to her arm. With a small brace, she closed her eyes briefly then pressed the button. An ice-cold sensation raced along her veins. It began to cool and soothe the burning, causing it to die down. She noted she stopped sweating almost immediately.
Now a new issue rose up in her mind. Her hand set down the injector, and she rubbed the area of the second injection thoughtfully.
"You said the last injection was a toxin… With the way I feel, I am guessing the first one made me more energetic and aware. Like what Caffa does. What was the second one?"
Lo pursed her lips as she waited for an answer, unsure if she could trust it or not.
“Oh that? Just a little concoction my master designed… Should assist your recovery from certain undesired conditions.” It would do exactly as Nimm had planned. While most of her own alchemical creations were not simple, they were primitive in comparison to her master’s.
Lo's eyes narrowed. She frowned, debating on the trust value before accepting it. Her hand reached up to rub at the location where the feeding tube penetrated her skin. The Bothan took care not to dislodge it as her hands returned to her lap.
"Can you explain to me what some of these ingredients could do in Alchemy? It might help me understand better." Lo figured she might as well cooperate to some degree.
“That is the wrong question. The question you should ask is this: ‘what do I want to achieve?’.”
“I figured that was obvious. Especially since you’ve mentioned it a few times and made it clear it might help my master.” Her eyes didn’t look at Nimm, still unsure if he would be willing to see her now.
“Your master is fine, as I made you into my apprentice, young one. Your previous master, however… His condition is fast approaching the point of no recovery. Should you desire to learn what it takes to bring someone back from the brink of death, you will have to do much better than you have so far.”
"I just want to learn how to cure him before he dies.” Lo said, irritation in her tone.
“Death is incurable. To learn how to deal with toxins of the level you gave him, you will have to delve head-first into the lessons I give.”
“I didn’t give him anything!
“Keep lying to yourself, and you might even come to believe it. I would provide you with evidence of how several of your former friends are accusing you, but my agent is laying low right now, as he does not desire to be killed.”
“So what happens now?” Lo fought not to growl as she felt her lip flicker up.
“You could keep lying to yourself, or I could continue your education. This first round was primitive in comparison to what you will have to learn to achieve your goals.”
The more Lo heard, the more she wondered about the right path to choose. She exhaled then rose her head up a bit, making her decision. “I know my goal, but I don’t know if you’ll let me achieve it. That’s the issue. As you said, death is incurable and if my motivation dies before I’m done… What's the point of continuing the education?”
“Is not learning a goal onto itself?” Nimm said, smiling mischievously. “You might learn what you need, or you might not. However, if you don’t take the offered lessons, he will die.”
The young Bothan wanted to argue, but the discussion tilted too far in the Sith’s favor. “Fine… what’s the next lesson?”
Nimm smiled, starting to explain the next lesson. As much of it as she deemed necessary to explain, at least. She had her little pet right where she wanted her… No choice but to learn or see one she cared about die. Sooner, rather than later, this would set her on the path to the Dark Side.[/color]
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