Private A Reunion of Man and Wife

[Darth Morrow]

Perhaps there would be one day where Aveline could take on the Emperor in a fair fight, though today was not one of those days.

In her weakened and less aware state her connection to the force was only a fraction of what it had been, the knowledge she reaped over the years but a single sliver of a massive mental library. It would be that reason, and that alone that he won that fight. She hadn't remembed what it was truly like to face him down, and she wasn't ready.

In his grasp the painful cries eventually dulled to silence as her struggling body went limp in the Emperor's hold. The physical strain ceasing to show and the wounds of whatever had happened since her departure showed.

Though he would be keen to remembed the abikities she once held, shaping her own form and rapidly healing wounds in a moment of reprieve. Now she was broken, beaten, and as far as he was aware she had little idea who he was.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The woman went limp in his grasp, and the lightning abated. ​

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Slinging her body over his shoulder, the Emperor began to make his way back to the shuttle. With the withdrawal of the Emperor, his forces pulled back as well. The last sight the denizens of the world saw of the Emperor was his massive warship turning about and disappearing into deep space.​

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The Behemoth II would return to the Imperial Capital, gliding past the orbital defenses and fleets of warships which surrounded the system. Instead of docking at Bastion, however, the dreadnought moved into the opaque atmosphere of Sarti, the system's sole gas giant. Hidden within the swirling miasma of gas was the Emperor's own private sanctum, the floating worldcraft known as Malsheem. The sphere opened up to accept the dreadnought's docking procedures, the Emperor and his entourage leaving the ship with the captive woman in tow.​

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She would be taken to the Emperor's personal medical facility, monitored and studied while her wounds were repaired.​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

Eyes lit to life as the woman launched upwards from the bed she remained chained to, arms pulling against the restraints as a moment of panic set in, she wasn't dead.

How long it had been was hard to tell, the guard watching from the entrance glancing over unamused at her sudden start. Another person disappeared around the corner out the door, what could only be assumed to go alert her captor of her wake.

Pale yellow eyes glanced down to her torso wrapped in bandages, slumping ever so slightly back into the uncomfortable bedding.

He had her, now what did the Sith plan to do.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The door slide open into its partition, and there stood the Sith Emperor. What armor he wore during their brief skirmish had been removed, replaced by monkish black and dark teal robes. Still at his side was his lightsaber, hooked at the belt around his waist by a magnetic hook. He stepped into the room flanked by a pair of his nefarious Crownguard bodyguards, who stood at attention on either side of the door as it closed behind them. The Emperor still wore that stoic expression, no emotion of his betrayed by the impassive gloomy stare. ​

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"How often we find ourselves here..." He stood next to the table she was shackled to, running the tips of his fingers along the bare skin of her arm. "Sometimes I wonder if you're far too much of a hassle than you're worth." The words were spoken softly, a rare departure from the boisterous baritone that he had utilized on the field of battle.​

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"But then I remember... You are mine."​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

She watched him silence, that was until he got within arms reach. Eyes stared intently as the hand reached out to caress hers, then she made every attempt to pull away.

"I am not yours!" The voice released with pent up anger, an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time now.

"Let me out of this bed!" That moment was enough the let it all release from its tightly held jar, flames wisping out of her mouth towards the man she held these feelings for.

A look of horror holding her as it was over.

I, I cant do that, why did I do that...

Another memory pressed to break into her mind, the druming pain gripping the back of her skull and threatening to shatter it into a million pieces.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A smile crept over the Emperor's lips as the fire billowed forth from the woman's mouth, easily countered by the Dark Lord's power in the Force. A barrier of energy caught the flames as they neared, causing them to bend around the Emperor's body and dissipate harmlessly in the air behind him.​

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"It appears that you do not know yourself, Aveline."​

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He looked down at her, his hand again reaching out but this time to caress the cheek of her face. His touch was cold as if all the warmth in his body had been drained to leave only a frigid chill.​

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"But perhaps I do, I can fill in the gaps if you will let me."​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

The tension left her for a moment as the hand made contact with her cheek, anger melting for but a moment as she listened to him in silence.

--
Because you are mine, Valeska. You would do well to remember that fact.
Your son's death is entirely your fault.
Care to beg.
Perhaps you need a reminder.
Simply heed my commands, apprentice.
It seems the death of your son has struck a chord.
-
You're merely the tablet to carve my message.
I'll deliver your head to your husband.
-
Lady Morrow please wake up!
--

After but a moment she pulled her face away from his hand, her back bending forward slightly as she brought head down to meet the tops of her hands, pulling against the chains to bring them to her face. Voices flooded her mind, his voice, a woman's voice, Alexi's voice... A room of blood flashed before her eyes, a scene of utter brutality, a murdered child, a woman with white skin coated in crimson...

The woman shook her head in her hands and pulled away from any other touch.

"Please... I don't want to fill those gaps... Just let me leave..." The voice cracked as it verged on the edge of tears.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"But you are incomplete, my love." spoke the Emperor, softly, sweetly, honeyed words dripping into the bound woman's ears with the most succulent allure.​

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"I can make you whole, I can restore the power that lies dormant within you..." Again, a smile split apart his stoic features in a reassuring manner, the façade of a wolf in sheep's' clothing. "I can even cure the dark thoughts that swirl within your mind, my dear, I can protect you from the trauma that has locked you away."​

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His hand fell to her shoulder, gripping it lightly as if to hold her. "If you do not believe me, then let this be a token of my goodwill." He waved his hand at the shackles which bound her, and they disengaged with an audible pop. She would be allowed to sit or stand if she wished, but the door would remain closed.​

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"For your own safety, you must remain my guest regardless of whether or not you accept my offer. Though I must insist you accept."​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

Aveline took slow post panic breaths as she listened once more; the soothing words, while a false comfort, aided in the moment. A lion waiting to rip apart its prey was before her, adaptive to any situation; yet there was just something about them that offered her promise of a deep desire, a warmth she had lacked in many days. A hand fell to her stomach, the pain of being cored drilling itself once more into her mind.

"You cannot make me whole without all of my memories..." She looked up to him for a moment, dwarfed by his size even while sitting.

"Is it not memories that make us who we are... I wouldn't be the same person you remembered without them..."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Perhaps that is for the best, my love."​

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Again he caressed her cheek, "Perhaps you will be better, be stronger..."​

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Indeed, it would be very fortuitous for the Emperor to erase certain memories from her mind, tossing aside that which had set her against him in the first place. He was willing to forgive the transgression of running away so long as she willingly submitted as this new persona that had been born. ​

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"What do you say?"​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

"If you believe it's for the best..." The woman pondered, moving to sit on the edge of the bed beside him as she considered these options.

If she was a Sith, before all of this, what happened to make this man chase her to the ends of the galaxy. Why did he need he so badly that she was hunted like prey.

Why had he gone from aggressive- to concerned for her well being. There was a moment when the man was ready to cut her in two... now he showed affection...

What had happened before she woke in that chamber...

There was a pause before she glanced back to him, the offer whirring around her thoughts. "I accept... but I wish for all of my memories..."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Of course," lied the Emperor, "All of your memories will be restored, my love."​

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He reached out to caress her chin, gently drawing her gaze up towards his. "But for now, my love, you must sleep." He placed one finger upon Aveline's forehead, and she was sent into a deep sleep at the Emperor's command. ​

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She would be re-interred on the table, her mind subjected to the Emperor's most capable mentalists and dark technology. They would manipulate her memories, pulling away those that the Emperor deemed unnecessary and replacing them with memories that painted the Emperor and their marriage in a more favorable light. Memories of hurt and trauma were replaced with joy and bliss, the scars wrought upon her mind slowly healed by the magic of the Dark Side of the Force. By the time that the Emperor was finished, her memories would be restored; albeit altered.​

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With another touch to her forehead, he returned her to consciousness.​

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Darth Morrow ​

 

[Darth Morrow]

Sulfuric eyes of orange opened to view the harsh light above, should they have contained a pupil they would have surely contracted to near nothing, but they were devoid of such as they were long before. In the time she was left to heal from the trauma of her mind being altered the woman's form shifted to one he was familiar with from past; a muscle memory as it were for a shifting being like herself. White hair, porcelain skin and eyes like molten magma. The process while crude to watch resembled that of a Shi'ido, with the aide of the dark side and a different energy of swirling darkness that made up much of her form to which was not much truly physical. A half monstrosity as she was, it would be intriguing none the less.

Taking in slow breaths Morrow watched the ceiling impassively as she gathered herself, blinking a few times before glancing to the side to view the hovering man likely waiting for a reaction.

"Ripped me from death's grip once more, and this time I've been gone long enough for you to no longer be hideous?" There would have been a dry laugh had she not had to clear her throat, shifting her position in the bed to find some comfort in the sore muscles and pain of altering her form. She watched him stand beside her bed, waiting to see what he had to say if anything at all. There was little way of telling for her how long she was gone, especially since it had been a long time since she set eyes on her husband at all.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"You would have complained if I hadn't healed, my love."​

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The Emperor joked, even chuckled slightly, before sitting down beside Morrow and wrapping one gargantuan arm around her shoulders. From there he pulled her towards him, partially an embrace, and merely sat there for several moments as he breathed slowly. ​

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"For a moment, I had thought I had lost you. It was a..." He scrunched his brow in thought, his mouth grumbling as if searching for the right word. In the end, he settled on, "Discomforting state of mind." He looked at her, his dark burning eyes staring down at her with a smoldering intensity.​

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"I apologize if I was angry."​

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Darth Morrow ​