Private A Whispered Call

[Leora]

Outfit: Link (No Blasters)
Weapons: 2m Collapsible Staff made of Songsteel
Tags: Nulgath Zardai

Why did it always seem she was being drawn to the Jedi Temple? The first time she'd ever come to Coruscant, only the third world she'd ever been to in her life, she'd been immediately drawn to it. Something about that place kept pulling her there. She felt very strongly that there was some connection the Force was trying to lead her to, but no matter how she meditated on it, she couldn't quite come to a grip on what it was. It was frustrating, so she always left feeling empty and lost whenever she went.

This time, though, she felt a peculiar draw. Something different. Not to the place itself, though she did feel that, but to someone within it. She had a feeling it was work related, and so wore her uniform as she entered the temple. Though she was not a Jedi, she was a lightsider hailing from a fringe group that had preferred, at least in the past, to avoid being heavily involved in galactic governments. The Lightseekers generally worked independently for the betterment of all those around them, and for the preservation of the light. While Leora had left their new conclave, and adopted the task of working for the Alliance, she still adhered to the principles she'd been taught.

So it was that she ended up gaining permission to descend into the heart of the temple itself, down to the cells utilized to house prisoners of the Order, or, at least, those who were under heavy scrutiny. Something about the place gave her the chills. Perhaps it was just the nature of being confined since her earliest memories were of being confined to a ship stuck in hyperspace. The idea of being in a place you couldn't ever leave was unsettling.

She found her way to a particular room. It wasn't the typical cell, almost like a single room apartment minus the kitchen. It seemed relatively nice. Housed within was a rather large individual, unique in appearance. He kind of looked... like a corpse? Seemed rude of her to think that, but she couldn't help herself. She handed her staff to the guard and he opened the door to allow her to enter. The calling of the Force was strong to this being and she couldn't get away from it without resolving it. Not only couldn't, but wouldn't. This wasn't like the calling where she couldn't figure it out, she had a specific person here.

"My name is Leora," she said upon entering the room. "I am someone who seeks what the Force wants found, and today it has led me to you."

She remained just inside of the door, not wanting to intrude further, though she had every right to do so. Showing politeness, even to prisoners, was something she believed strongly in.

"May I ask your name? Your real one, not the title you used to go by."

 

[Nulgath Zardai]

Immortuos's skeletal fingers drummed against the wall in a steady rhythm, mirroring the guards' shift changes he'd long since committed to memory. His cell—comfortable by most standards, with a padded bench and ample lighting—had, over time, lost its comfort to him and become little more than a gilded cage. The walls murmured secrets; patterns of footsteps betrayed familiarity and routine, which Immortuos listened to, marking time in his own way. Calculating and scheming. But this new arrival—shifted the air around him. How quaint, he thought with an amused smile tugging at his cracked lips.

He watched her enter, his gaze sharp and cold, though softened by a curiosity that ran deeper than mere interest. She was different. Not a Jedi, not like the stiff guardians he had seen here before. Yet, there was a steady purpose in her, a guiding light that sparked in her eyes. She stepped in, offering him the courtesy of her name, and then she asked for his.

For a moment, he chuckled softly, a dry, rasping sound echoing off the cell walls. This—Leora had come all this way, guided by something she knew as the Force, just to find him. Strange.

"Hmm? Leora," he greeted, his tone a blend of mock formality and a strange warmth, almost playful. "The Force brought you to my humble doorstep, did it? Always meddling, always pulling strings. Truly we have no will of our own." He mocked. He straightened, still keeping his distance, hands clasped behind his back. She was here to ask questions, to explore perhaps, and he found that amusing.

"My name," he replied, letting the words hang in the air with a smirk. "The one I wore before?" he licked his lips. "After all, names are such delicate things, don't you think? So very... revealing of ones own character. Is this a census? "

He took a slow step forward, shadows clinging to his undead form as if reluctant to part from him. He observed her closely, curious, wondering what she hoped to find.

Leora

 

[Leora]

Outfit: Link (No Blasters)
Weapons: 2m Collapsible Staff made of Songsteel
Tags: Nulgath Zardai

She furrowed her brow as he spoke.

"That's not how the Force works," she said in response to his comment on will. "We have the ability to ignore what the Force wants. You are evidence of that in your historical actions. The Force does not wish to be abused, after all."

He was strange, but then, she had limited experienced with people who weren't members of the Lightseekers. Perhaps he represented the norm for Sith and those who utilized the dark side? She had never expected them to be so prevalent, and for there to be so many Jedi, when she'd left the group behind. Everything she'd been told had led her to believe that Sith were rare and Jedi had been hunted.

"Names hold no special power. It's just an identifier. It can be changed."

Hadn't he done that when he'd taken the name Immortuous?

"No, this isn't a census, it's an inquiry into you and objects in your possession. Primarily artifacts that you know the whereabouts of."

He had moved towards her, but she didn't shy away. She wasn't afraid of him. This whole situation was controlled, and she was confident in her ability to protect herself should she need to. Considering she had no weapons, unless he overpowered her, which required him to get past her defenses, he wouldn't be able to harm her.

"You know where something is, I can feel it. Something of incredible power that you've hoarded for yourself, that would be dangerous in the wrong hands. I want to know what, and where, it is."

 

[Nulgath Zardai]

His mouth curled into a smirk as he considered her naïveté—and perhaps a flicker of wisdom—on how the Force worked. Her conviction amused him, even though he saw its terrible flaw.

The Force being described and talked about in ways that forced relatability to the individual. Disgusting.

"Oh, the Force does not wish to be abused, does it?" he repeated, his voice dripping with mockery. "Such a quaint, mortal sentiment—this notion of wish and abuse. As if the Force were some sentimental being, wringing its hands over our deeds like a timid creature watching a storm." He chuckled, and the sound was low, hollow, almost derisive. "You flatter yourself, truly. The Force is not some spirit watching over you like a parent, pleased or displeased by your actions. Such a perspective is nothing more than mortal limitation. Convenient stories spun by beings and orders bound and limited by time and ignorance, seeking comfort in a universe that cares nothing for their smallness. In till you step outside of time you will never know this to be true."

He leaned forward, shadows gathering under his sharp gaze. "The Force is beyond your comprehension—beyond the tiny bounds of flesh and mortality you cling to. It is an aspect of a reality higher than you, higher than your Order, even higher than I. To imagine it has feelings or perceptions, as you do, is simply incorrect." He retorted in ample time as if her view was an affront and to him it was. His voice had the cadence of dust settling in long-forgotten tombs, an eerie echo carrying undertones of amusement and pity. " Despite this... Here you stand, as if summoned, telling me of its wishes and whims. An interesting notion, no?" He gloated and poised his intellect against her with what he saw as rhetoric.

"No, this isn't a census, it's an inquiry into you and objects in your possession. Primarily artifacts that you know the whereabouts of."

He had moved towards her, but she didn't shy away. She wasn't afraid of him. This whole situation was controlled, and she was confident in her ability to protect herself should she need to. Considering she had no weapons, unless he overpowered her, which required him to get past her defenses, he wouldn't be able to harm her.

"You know where something is, I can feel it. Something of incredible power that you've hoarded for yourself, that would be dangerous in the wrong hands. I want to know what, and where, it is."

His gaze glassed over as he dived deep into thought. For a moment he may of not of even been present with the Lightseeker and then he blinked and was there once more. He could of remarked apon her sense of names and scrutinized her further but something inside him was rather tired of those games. They were waning and like him he was having difficulty enjoying them as he did in his past. " The name of my birth was Nulgath Zardai....And your senses are not wrong. During my time I have collected and come across many force artifacts and trinkets. But my favorites were the gauntlet of Crassus and the helmet of Dathka Graush."

Leora

 

[Leora]

Outfit: Link (No Blasters)
Weapons: 2m Collapsible Staff made of Songsteel
Tags: Nulgath Zardai

He talked a lot. Most of what he said, she noticed, was designed to make her feel bad about herself, to talk down to her. Some small part of her wondered if he did that because of her age, but the more he went on, the more she didn't think that was the case. Not because of her age, at least. She didn't think he cared about that. It seemed to her that there was an entirely different reason for him to speak to her the way he was.

"You derive too much of your personality from a need to make yourself feel superior to others," she said, not batting an eye at him. "Pointless, really, as doing so only proves you are inferior in your own mind."

She didn't have time for the games. It wasn't why she was there. No amount of her time was going to be spent delving into a deeper discussion on the Force and how it worked. This visit wasn't for the purpose of converting him. It wasn't for the purpose of ironing out his deep, emotional need to feel better than other people. That was going to have to come from someone who cared more about him. Chiefly, it was going to have to come from the Jedi, of which she was not one.

When he finally spoke up about the artifacts, she listened intently, focusing on the names he said. Within her connection to the Force she could feel that he did, indeed, have a connection to these objects, and that she was on the right track.

"Good. I require the knowledge of their location," she said, focusing her eyes on his. "If you won't give them up willingly I will read them from you instead. Neither will do you any harm."

 

[Nulgath Zardai]

"You derive too much of your personality from a need to make yourself feel superior to others," she said, not batting an eye at him. "Pointless, really, as doing so only proves you are inferior in your own mind."

...

When he finally spoke up about the artifacts, she listened intently, focusing on the names he said. Within her connection to the Force she could feel that he did, indeed, have a connection to these objects, and that she was on the right track.

"Good. I require the knowledge of their location," she said, focusing her eyes on his. "If you won't give them up willingly I will read them from you instead. Neither will do you any harm."

Immortuos let out a low, rumbling laugh that echoed off the walls of his cell, a sound genuine of warmth, rich with both amusement and contempt. It may of been the first laugh he had in a long time. He eyed her with a glint of something dark, as if she'd just unwittingly revealed her most naïve thoughts. Her words, with all their conviction, were little more than hollow threats to him—threats that only deepened his amusement.

"You think you can read me?" he drawled, his gaze wide and starkly curious. "You can reach into my mind, my memories, as if they were open pages? I appreciate your resolve." He chuckled softly, leaning back, arms crossed over his chest as he took her in, fully savoring her underestimation. Nulgath tilted his head, a thin smirk settling on his lips as he regarded Leora, his voice sliding into a tone that, while still laced with his usual condescension, carried a subtle note of genuine critique.

"Leora," he began, his voice like gravel softened by a trace of silk, "a word of advice, if you're willing to hear it. In the future, it may serve you well to conduct more thorough research on those you intend to confront, particularly when their reputations are… well, not insignificant. Knowledge is power, sharper than any weapon you may carry, and wielding it carelessly only dulls your edge." He let his gaze linger, assessing her reaction as he continued. "Take myself, for instance. My identity was hardly hidden from you, and yet you approach me with threats as though I were any other prisoner. If you had known of my Epicanthix heritage, you would have known that any attempt to read my mind would be... a delightful waste of your time."

Leaning forward, he lowered his voice, his words dripping with a cool practicality. "There is no shame in acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of others. In fact, it shows wisdom. Your lack of preparation here, however... reveals not only underestimation but a reliance on assumptions—assumptions that, in a less controlled environment, would see you outmaneuvered before you even began." He sat back, studying her with a hint of genuine curiosity and lectured her further. "Strength, conviction, even skill—these are commendable. But the galaxy is full of beings who wield such attributes. True power lies in understanding who stands before you, and in mastering the art of preparation. Remember this, if you wish to keep whatever edge you believe yourself to possess. Your going to need it on..... Ithor." He hinted. Purposefully breadcrumbing information and attempting to verbally keep her hostage for as long as he could enjoy it.

Leora

 

[Leora]

Outfit: Link (No Blasters)
Weapons: 2m Collapsible Staff made of Songsteel
Tags: Nulgath Zardai

She listened to what he said, smiling the whole time because he was making assumptions about things she'd never said. He considered himself very knowledgeable, but in reality he was a pompous ass who could use being brought down a peg or two. She might be young. She might have been born on a starship with limited interaction with the galaxy, but she was smart enough to know when it was not a good idea to make assumptions about the people around you.

So she let him go on and on until he finished, just smiling the whole time.

"Mr. Zardai, when did I say I was going to read your mind?" she asked. "And when did I threaten you? I'm unarmed and have made no move towards you this whole time. All I did, was lead you to make an assumption, and expose yourself to the reality that you aren't the smartest person in the room. You even made an ordeal about the power of a name, and then gave it to me all the same."

Even though she hadn't moved the whole time they were talking, she'd been using the Force to reach out to him. Not in the traditional sense, but to read the aura around him. The artifacts that he had mentioned left lingering traces of their power on those that touched them. Most artifacts did this, and it was these traces that she could pick up and read. She didn't need to touch him. He didn't need a connection to the Force for her to do this as well. Just further proof that he wasn't as smart as he thought he was.

"I've already read you because of your decision to be so difficult. The traces of the artifacts on you will lead me to them."

She lifted a hand and brushed some hair back from her face.

"I'm curious, though. You seem to think you know who and what I am, mentioning my 'order' before. What order do you think it is that I belong to?"

 

[Nulgath Zardai]

Nulgath reclined slowly as Leora smiled and spoke, his expression flattening into a detached mask, as though he were an elder watching a child fumble through a tantrum, entirely unfazed by her words. When she finished, his face shifted with an unnatural, predatory stillness. In this position he remained and seemed almost frozen for a long pause.

He said nothing to her questions. He couldn't. Instead, his jade eyes abruptly glazed over, his gaze darting wildly, shifting with unsettling rapidity to stare at nothing in particular. His mouth moved up and down as if to chew something raw, From his maw whispers of places and names seemed to materialize before him. "Far reaches… Outer Rim… they. Sickness. Merging, breathing, twisting as ... join in- a madness…" His voice lowered to a whisper, more to himself than to her, his mind seemingly elsewhere, his hands twitching ever so slightly as though tracing invisible lines through the air.

He continued, his body now twisted and angular, movements jittery and uncoordinated, his eyes flicking back and forth as if he were witnessing hundreds of things at once—visions swimming through him, beyond his control. His body language contorted inhumanly as he muttered, "They breathe, grow… they see, yes, they see and fractured... and joined again… Pulsating. Devouring. So many voices. Screaming."

For a brief moment, his stare was unfocused, his voice hollow, almost chanting and his aura in the force became vile. Not from him but something inside and apart of. Something vastly bigger than one being or man. But legions. Abruptly, whatever took hold of him passed, and Nulgath's eyes sharpened as he tilted his head back toward Leora with a faint, amused smirk, as though no time had passed at all.

"True power lies in understanding who stands before you, and in mastering the art of preparation," he repeated, then paused, squinting in mild confusion. "Hmmm. Remember this, if you wish to keep whatever edge you believe yourself to possess. Your going to need it on..... Ithor.?" His brow furrowed slightly, studying her as if she'd only just arrived. But it felt wrong. It was wrong. " There is a massive quarantine zone in the jungles of Ithor. The locals call it the Blight. One of my many past sins. The artifacts you so desperately most likely will be in the underground caverns...with those infected with the Sickness." Whatever expression he had faded some apon mentioning that last word. " You amuse them, Leora." He blinked and a twitch came over his brow. " You amuse me. Who do you represent again?"