Amidst The Stars

[Darth Prazutis]

The Zambrano Monster formed a maddening grin on his face as the woman gave in to his cunning words, his offer of a way out. Saira so early in the process spilled everything on his apprentice. What Saira just told him could ruin Briga back home, no it might even get her crucified or worse for shattering those vows to such an extent as the woman's "favorite" maiden described. It made it all the better when she abruptly yelled in pain, his apprentice ripping the veil of protection away as fast as she could her anger swelling. She needed to learn that people like this couldn't be trusted so easily, she was too gentle and too compliant with them. Prazutis only just began and already she was spewing her secrets so easily, he wasn't done yet, she needed to learn how easy it was to rip information out of such a naive, weak, and pathetic being.

"Now now Saira my dear you're not lying to me again are you?" Prazutis said as he turned away from the slab she was restrained to, sharpening one of the knives on the table with a sharpening steel creating a loud metallic scraping sound. "No I'm not I swear to Ax'no the other two will tell you the same thing! It's not just government officials or the rich, she'll bed anyone regardless of their position, whether she wants something from them or not!" Saira proclaimed loudly, just to save her own skin. Prazutis turned to her and in a tone of voice that Briga would be able to pick up is a bold faced lie said "You have been very forthcoming and truthful, Saira. You have done an excellent job." Prazutis said as he turned towards her now with long black leather gloves on, he moved over to the slab and put a hand on the side of her cheek, a testament to how convincing the man could be.

"But I have one question. The way you describe her frivolous ways, it makes her sound...what's the word i'm looking for.." Prazutis began, continuing bold faced deceit to the naive maiden who immediately responded "Yes she acts like a wh-" Prazutis delivered a powerful backhand to the woman's face just as she was about to name the priestess a despicable word he made sure Briga would hear before stopping its completion. "You said you'd let me go! You promised! Please! You monster!" Saira cried out to him. Prazutis turned away and walked over to the table, carefully pulling off his helmet and placing it on the table, with his back to the room he put on the white mask a surgeon would wear when he goes into an operation. Turning he said "A monster? No girl, I'm a Zambrano. When I'm done with you, you'll never talk like that again." Prazutis said as he walked over to her, wheeling next to her a side table with a variety of items on it.

First Prazutis injected her with a syringe Dr. Schmidt would tell her is a moderate dose of adrenaline that'll keep Saira from passing out. Then he tore off the womans shirt to reveal exposed flesh beneath. With surgical precision Prazutis made a number of criss crossed cuts over the womans body with knives, some with smooth blades other with serrated blades to the agonizing shrieks and howls of the naive woman strapped to the table. Most were clustered together, but he would occasionally perform longer cuts with the serrated blade for added pain. He spent a good amount of time on the womans chest and sides, as well as the upper arms. Only stopping to briefly wipe away the blood enough to continue working in a specific area.

After some time Prazutis leaned back on the stool he was sitting on and put down a bloody knife. "You know I almost forgot to mention." Prazutis said as he briefly pulled off the bloodstained surgeons mask. "The priestess you were oh so forthcoming about spilling all her secrets, the goddess you were so loose lipped in dragging her name through the mud, is right behind that one way mirror, watching this entire time. She gave the order that brought you and your three companions down here." Prazutis said wiping off Saira's face and neck of blood and tears. "She told me you were her favorite. That out of the three she had the most confidence in you, she said you wouldn't break, that you were loyal. You just slid her name through the mud and stomped on it because of a little pain? Betrayal stings doesn't it? My love come in here please." Prazutis said as he looked up at the mirror, as if he could see Briga standing right behind it. He grabbed from the table a jar labeled Sodium Chloride, the maiden wouldn't understand but it was a jar, of salt. As soon as she came in Prazutis would hold out the jar of sodium chloride to her "For you my dearest."

[member="Briga Tiin"]

 

[Ax'no]

Briga could feel the scraping noise of the knives almost in her bones as Darth Prazutis sharpened them with loving care like a butcher would. The mystic snorted at Saira’s accusation that she had not been too selective with her sexual partners. Had she taken a couple of random Iktotchi patrons in the refresher of the Cavern Cantina? At times, yes. And they were paid handsomely for their silence. As was Saira.

But so easily, the maiden had betrayed her. The horned Priestess knew that if she were tied to the slab, she would not spill her Master’s secrets. I would rather die than display such pathetic disloyalty, she thought.

But when Lord Prazutis began his surgical intrusion into Saira’s fair, fur-lined skin, Briga did have to turn her head. In her soul, she knew this was the right thing to do, but her heart and head still found it difficult to process. She clutched at the neck of her gown, tighter with each cut across the maiden’s torso. Between Saira’s agonizing screams, she could hear the noise of the blood as it dripped and dripped out an eerie symphony onto the floor.

And finally it was Briga’s curtain call in their grisly game, a chance to bask in the terror of the brunette maenad, now torn open, flesh hanging in ribbons. And to gain the admiration of her teacher. Saira’s eyes bulged, her limbs twitching, the adrenaline coursing through her system, only amplifying her pain and anxiety. The Acolyte came out from behind the two way mirror and accepted the sodium chloride. Briga was a little pale, her mouth a tense line, but she showed no other signs that she was not up to the task. She touched Lord Prazutis’s arm softly, showing the maiden what she was missing in her mistress’s gentle touch.

“Saira,” she admonished, removing the jar lid. “I am very ashamed of you. After all that I’ve endured on your behalf. I was the one who was whipped daily by the Elders. Not you. You have had a life of luxury up until now.” She licked her fingers and dipped them into the salt so that the granules stuck to her clawed hand. Briga then dove fingers first into the wounds on Saira, a series of ghastly cuts across her midsection, causing the maiden a fresh round of screams and thrashing.

“Please Priestess, make it stop,” she begged. “Do the thing you do with the Force. Help me to not feel this agony!” The small brunette Caprine was unable to move, pass out or divert her attention from the pain. All she could do was yell out, and even now, her voice was hoarse from crying. Briga liberally covered the wounds in salt, paying no heed to her maiden’s whimpering. The only mercy she showed her servant was when she was through with the salt; she came around to Saira’s head and gave the woman a deep kiss on the mouth. Cradling Saira’s face for a moment, she turned around to the Prince of Panatha and asked, “Do you have a bonesaw?”

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

A dark grin formed on his face to the symphony of screams as his twisted apprentice asked of a bonesaw. Briga had brought this whole experience down upon herself, her weakness of compassion and instinct to protect her favorite maiden would inevitably be her downfall. This wasn't his first course of action on what to do with the maiden but it certainly what he decided on when he felt her boon. It was child's play to expose the treacherous ways of someone so foolish and naive, and barely had they begun. Lucky for the poor girl Prazutis could have made this last for days, weeks even while prolonging death, yet she had already caved in.

When his apprentice entered the chamber he could easily see the look of sheer hatred, anger, shame, and even embarrassment at the apprentice who spilled all of her dirty laundry in front of him, who she clearly was eager to learn from. Briga to his surprise was not completely driven by hate, but she turned out to be completely methodical in her torture of Saira. The goddess dipped her fingers inside wounds to drive the salt ever deeper and it wasn't just a quick rush of pain either, from just being inside and on her wounds it drove Saira to feel a massive amount of pain, paling in comparison to what he had done so far.

"Certainly my apprentice." Prazutis said as he shot a glare through the two-way mirror, the man would get the message. He stood up from his chair and walked over to Briga, pulling the woman with him away from the screaming Saira and close to the wall. Prazutis could still feel the pain and embarassment inside her swelling, she didn't want those secrets to spill out right in front of him so easily, and he could have brushed it off but this was yet another opportunity. Prazutis began to speak but he saw her eyes locked on Saira, the pain of betrayal and rage were controlling her.

"Don't look at her, look at me." Prazutis said as he forcibly turned her head and kissed her lips, hoping it would bring her back to reality "Don't let your emotions control you, you control your emotions. They give you focus, and make you stronger when you want them to." Prazutis told her, staring into her eyes with his own dark ones yellow with corruption. "I could care less about what stories this whelp admits. You have a darkness in you, I can see it in your eyes, show me you've understood my teachings, give this treacherous whelp the pain she deserves, leave scars on her mind that will last for eternity." Prazutis said as he pulled away and took her hand, guiding her over to the table where he would explain the tools to her balancing intimate care, with clear authority.

The table was filled with an entire cutlery set of knives long and short, serrated and smooth, each and every one had a purpose twisted for pain, even a cleaver was present. There were many syringes that held adrenaline to keep the canvas awake and stop them from passing out, high dosage serums to wake them up, serums to deliver seizures, serums to knock the canvas out, paralytic poisons for precise work, Clamps, spikes, it was an entire arsenal. There was even gallons of water on the floor and a sack neatly folded for waterboarding. Prazutis turned on a screen in the corner of the room that would show all of the vitals for Saira, everything one needed to know to prolong the pain without killing the victim. "Her vitals are up there, that'll tell you everything you need to know about her changing condition. The whelps heart rate is up from adrenaline." Prazutis said to her as the door to the chamber opened up, an officer brought in the bonesaw the woman was seeking and set it down before bowing and leaving.

"Begin."

[member="Briga Tiin"]

 

[Ax'no]

Briga had finally welcomed the anger and rage; seeds of the Dark Side had been planted, and now those seeds had begun to germinate and blossom. She ruminated on what she planned to do with the bonesaw, still watching Saira writhe and struggle, adrenaline keeping the poor Caprine in a state of high panic as evidenced by her erratic vital signs, which for the most part, remained somewhat stable. The entire re-education so far had been relatively clinical experience. But what Briga had in mind would cause long-lasting damage to the maiden, ruination of her pride and reputation for life.

Still, Darth Prazutis's touch was welcome and broke her out of her dream-like state. As he locked eyes with her, she wondered, if she'd taken things too far. Surely not! Briga had inflicted none of the torture that the Director of Intelligence had. The half-Anzati kissed her deeply, and she responded in kind, slipping her tongue into his mouth and savoring his lips with her own. His yellow eyes shone with a golden glow, the corruption in them almost kingly.

"I understand, My Lord," said Briga. The intervention was good. He would be able to tell that she was less distracted by her own obsessive fury. She took the bonesaw from the table. It was heavier than she imagined and she hoisted it up, at first with one hand and then with two. Briga wasn't completely conditioned for athletic activity yet - as a mystic she spent a lot of time praying, in ritual and meditation - but that would likely change in the coming months. She approached Saira, who glanced worriedly at her mistress again. The trust was gone now. The brunette Caprine was quiet and afraid, breathing heavily through her nostrils, emitting an occasional groan of pain. Briga grasped one of the maiden's horns and began to saw. It wouldn't hurt her - not nearly as much as the wounds or the salt rubbed into them.

But having her horns cut off would be a symbol to the rest of Caprine society. Hornless Caprine were either criminals, slaves, prostitutes, the destitute or the dead. Briga was going to systematically remove one of Saira's main sources of pride. And although she struggled with the giant saw, once she got most of the way through the first horn, it broke off easily in her hand. She efficiently removed the other one, while Saira sobbed quietly and then lay the two horns down on the table.

"I think we should have these mounted somewhere," she said to Lord Prazutis. "Perhaps in Saira's chambers."

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

He grinned as his apprentice chose the bonesaw as her instrument of torture, his mind wandering at what she'd do to the helpless maiden. But he immediately understood once she began sawing off the maidens horns. According to what he read in the information file his agents prepared on caprine the horns were extremely important to them. In their society a caprine with no horns was a criminal, prostitute, slave, or dead. The wound she was to give her prized pet maiden would leave long lasting psychological damage, as if this whole experience wasn't traumatic enough already for her.

Saira's lifesigns erratic but relatively stable, the adrenaline kept the woman awake and feeling every bit of the pain he inflicted upon her. The Butcher carved her up like an Imperial Day turkey, her body bloodied and in constant throbbing pain from the salt that irritated her wounds. But still he was far from done with the re-education process. Long lasting psychological damage had already been inflicted upon her, but what he was about to do was change the womans psyche completely. "Yes we shall, but the process has only just begun, watch carefully." Prazutis said to Briga as he rested a hand on her shoulder, taking the bonesaw from her hands and effortlessly setting it down on the torture table.

The process of re-education was one used by Sith Intelligence in cooperation with the Sphere of Sith Philosophy to be used on the most troublesome individuals. There were many forms and methods of doing it but his was painful, his was much more permanent than some drug. "Saira what is the Philosophy of the One Sith?" Prazutis said as he walked slowly around the slab with his hands behind his back, like a monster stalking its prey just before the kill, he stared down at Saira. Briga would notice the womans heart rate would jump as she looked at him with terror, each step that happened to bring him closer to her caused the woman to flinch. "P-Please I'm s-so sorry! Just let me go p-!" Saira said as Prazutis delivered a powerful mind shard to the womans mind, causing her to scream and her entire body to shake.

"That is not it. The philosophy of the One Sith, of the Imperial Mission is as follows: Strength Through Unity, Unity Through Faith, Faith Through Obedience!" Prazutis said and just when Saira's body began to settle he delivered another powerful mind shard, eliciting the same howling screaming reaction. "Loyalty is something you lack Saira, willpower is something you lack, but we will go through this together. This is what you will live by for the rest of your pathetic existance. Say it: Strength Through Unity, Unity Through Faith, Faith Through Obedience!" This time he waited and didn't hit her again with a mind shard.

"Strength Through Unity! Unity Through Faith! Faith Through Obedience!" Saira struggled to say amidst her sobbing. This time he touched her mind and delivered a different, powerful blast as the Sith Knight tore through her defenses like a raging tidal wave. He would cause immeasurable agony, but at the same time ripping away the weakness of desire, the weakness of self-preservation, all of it under the sickening yet mystifying slogan he was saying to her over and over, rooting it deeper and deeper into the mind of a maiden who was becoming more and more the re-educated Slave.

"Loyalty to the Empire! Loyalty to your superiors! Loyalty to your masters to the death! Say it! Strength Through Unity! Unity Through Faith! Faith Through Obedience!" Another mind shard came down as he finished.

"Strength Through Unity! Unity Through Faith! Faith Through Obedience!" The woman said louder than before.

"Again!" Prazutis replied, delivering another blast.

"Strength Through Unity! Unity Through Faith! Faith Through Obedience!" Saira replied yelling it now with every fiber of her being. There was some sort of transformation occurring beneath the surface with each tear of her mind. The woman was being reforged into something else, and she would never be the same again. Prazutis for a time made her repeat the slogan, screaming it loudly again, again, and again, and again. Each time he blasted into her psyche. It wasn't until the last time she just kept yelling it over, and over, and over again that he finally didn't deliver a blast, his work was done. "That is enough Saira." He said, his apprentice wasn't able to clearly see exactly what else he was doing to work on her mind. Prazutis with a cloth cleaned off all of her bloody knife-wounds and took off her restraints.

Perhaps to Briga's surprise however Saira didn't even so much as move, cry, speak, or chirp in pain when he took them off and continued to clean her off. In fact she gave her full cooperation when he went to give her another shot of adrenaline, holding her arm very still. It was to keep her body pumping long enough to get her all patched up, and stop the woman from bleeding out eventually. "Sit up my dear and answer a question for me. A Sith is backed up into a corner and he either has the choice to give up his superiors, or be tortured and then killed, what option does the Sith always choose? Look to your master when you answer the question please." Prazutis said. Saira sluggishly sat up and watched him as he spoke but then she looked over to Briga, her eyes seemed to look glossed over and in an almost rehearsed and apathetic manner, devoid of any emotion the woman said "Death before disloyalty."

"Excellent my dear. First I'd like for you to apologize to your master, Priestess Tiin for everything you've done. Then go wait outside the good doctor will take you to the medical bay to get all patched up." Prazutis said, and sure enough Saira obliged "Priestess Tiin, I am so sorry for everything I have done." The woman said in a way that was almost comical to watch for both him and his apprentice. Saira then stood up and slowly walked outside, stopping a few feet from the door where the doctor would grab her hand and pull her down the hall.

"After she heals up she'll be less...distant. We will be performing the same ritual on the other two Livna and Toole."

[member="Briga Tiin"]

 

[Ax'no]

Briga watched the re-education with fascination. It made her realize just how primitive of a species the Caprine were. The One Sith had created this intricate and sophisticated system for keeping the population in line and compliant. Darth Prazutis had an absolute mastery of brainwashing, and the Caprine mystic was taking notes.

They would start with Saira, Livna and Toole and then Briga hoped she’d be able to indoctrinate more of the Caprine to the Ax’no goddess cult and of course, by proxy, the One Sith.

The horned mystic asked one of the guards to bring in a chair so, like the deity she was, she could sit and survey what was going on. The mind shard that her Master used on her favorite maiden – and Saira was still her favorite, despite the nymph’s disloyalty – was something Briga desperately wanted to learn.

She laced her fingertips together and set her hands on her knees, continuing to marvel at Lord Prazutis’s work. His nubile Acolyte was now working up an appetite again, but not for nourishment. Still she didn’t dare interrupt him – he was standing next to a table of cutting instruments after all and while Briga knew her new lover was hotblooded in the bedroom, she did not know whether his temper ran hot yet as well. She imagined for a man with such a demanding position, and the pressure it brought along with it, notwithstanding the promise of execution if he failed, he would be not suffer fools lightly.

And the mystic was no fool.

When the zombiefied Saira shuffled over to address her, Briga had to find a little composure. It was utterly starting to see her, once sprightly servant, with glazed eyes and a dull pallor.

“She won’t be like that forever, will she?” asked his Caprine Acolyte. He would be able to hear a little discomfort in her voice. Now that her anger had died down, conflict raged in her mind over their heinous acts.

“The power you used on Saira to break her… will you show me how to do that? I could try it next on Livna.”

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Once Saira had shuffled out of the door and down the hall Prazutis listened to his apprentices questions, her curiosity peaked after witnessing his cunning powers of the mind on the unsuspecting maiden. There were multiple powers at work here one of which was the Mind Shard, a sliver of psychic pain generated and hurled from one consciousness to the next. If the strike succeeded the intense agony it leaves the victim in leaves them vulnerable, particularly to a lightsaber lunge. The primary difficulty of the mind shard was establishing a mental lock especially if you were fighting a strong willed opponent, however this could be achieved through the careful use of Dun Moch. The maiden was already scarred psychologically from the procedure he put her through and the pain of betrayal left scars in itself.

The second power he wielded against her was the powers of the mind, to crush his way into the maidens psyche and tear it asunder. Prazutis erased portions of her mind that made her who she was, and replaced them to make her a more efficient servant. Each time the mind shard continued to grind her mind into pulp, leaving long lasting pains long after the bleeding wounds healed. "The technique I was using is called the mind shard." Prazutis said as he wheeled the side table sitting by the slab back against the wall, just to the left of the large torture table. He took all of the knives that were used during the procedure and cleaned them off, sharpening each one with care.

"It will come easier as you refine the powers of the mind, psychic clarity is needed for it. You generate in your mind a sliver of sheer psychic pain and hurl it at your opponents brain." Prazutis said, placing down one knife to pick up and begin on the next. While they spoke two men of the ships crew filed in, and began to wipe down and clean away all the blood on the slab. "It can be difficult to establish a mental lock depending on who you are trying to effect with it, and how strong of will they are. The art of Dun Moch, or the art of delivering pain can both help in this. Once you are successful your target will be left in a state of terrible agony, perfect to use in combat to deliver a swift ending strike with your lightsaber."

In this case it wasn't being used as an advantage in combat rather it was being used to grind her mind into pulp. Overwhelming it with intense pain to both traumatize and make it easier for him to work and turn her into a more obedient servant. "She won't be so....distant forever no. The maiden will become more lively to an extent, but she will never be the same again as she was before." Prazutis told her. Briga was but an acolyte new to the ways of the force, but she had an acolytes basic skills nonetheless. "Focus your mind on the target you wish to effect and imagine it is like a weapon as you would when using mind tricks, but this time spear or perhaps a drawn bow. Focus on your anger, it is through the ways of the dark side that it will then form. Then when you establish a lock on your opponents mind, let the arrow fly. Never try to take on an opponent more well versed in the art than yourself, or if they are strong of will distract them and it will make it easier."

Prazutis placed the last knife down on the counter and turned around to face Briga. Already she was ready to pull apart the other two of her maidens, good. The lesson he was trying to teach her was well received and sinking deep. Trust was a weakness as well as a privilege for an extremely rare group of people, and she should have known better than to go behind her word, acquiesce to her own generous, foolish ways. "This session was slightly unorthodox as I altered what I was going to do to Saira. Did you think you could conceal your boon of relief on that whelp from me?" Prazutis asked her, his voice cold. "You didn't want to see the truth, so I had to show you the truth."

[member="Briga Tiin"]

 

[Ax'no]

As the torture chamber was being cleaned as though it was a sterile operating room and not a place of agony in a Sith Lord’s lair, Briga listened to her Master explain how to perform the Mind Shard. The terminology was so new to her. Her emotions were a little raw at not just having, but wanting to show such cruelty to her favorite maiden that she could barely conceal a bit of embarrassment at not knowing what Dun Moch even was.

Am I no better than a Force sensitive slave who is purchased at a premium for their talents? Am I just a glorified midichlorian-filled solider for the front lines of the Sith? Briga began to ruminate on her choice suddenly as a being at the bottom of the food chain. Well, perhaps not sitting on the lowest rung, but only slightly higher than a serf?

Briga wasn’t just like a goddess. She was Ax’no herself. Patience was not a strong suit, and how long would she have to lie in wait, removed from the galaxy who clearly needed her talents and holy presence?

His icy tone jolted her from her thoughts, a prickle of anxiety creeping up her neck. The trick with Saira.

He knew.

Briga was absolutely sure the right thing to do was to throw herself at Lord Prazutis’s feet and beg for mercy. She had seen with her own flame-orange eyes just what horrific acts he was capable of, not just by hand but with his own mind. But the embarrassment of being a lowly Acolyte, the longing for more power – the quicker, the better - her burning ambition, all of it was so close to the surface that she was not in the state of mind to make a good decision.

“Are you disappointed in me, My Lord?” she asked, her chin titled up defiantly. The horned Caprine took a step closer to him, a signal to him that she wasn’t afraid. Or at least trying to hide her fear. A plum-colored bruise remained on her neck; blood droplets that not even the dark fabric could hide, decorated on her dress like a grotesque pattern. In a softer voice, she said, “Did I disappoint you last night?”

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Prazutis's anger flared as she stepped up to him boldly, defiant as if she was something he had to respect. Briga didn't bear the mark and she wasn't a full fledged Sith, she was nothing. Better yet until she bears the mark she was his slave. As she whispered softly Prazutis brought the cleaver up in a flash as if he was going to take the woman's head off, and brought it down with a booming crash on the table. Prazutis grabbed her by the neck with one hand and lifted the caprine at least three feet off the ground. "Mind your tongue girl I enjoy you. But you will know your place beneath me." Prazutis put her down.

The man continued to sharpen the knives to absolute perfection until every single one was as perfect as it could possibly get. He then grabbed the large blackskull helmet and placed it on his head, the HUD flickering on as he did. Prazutis brushed past Briga and walked out of the chamber, immediately two Blackblade Guards flanked him on either side. The Dark Titan walked tall down the hall of the brig his massive, muscular six foot eight frame clad in the robe of a butcher made him look like Death itself, the heavy boots booming down the hall as he walked.

As the man rounded a corner past the central office his pace slowed. Subject 2 also known as Livna was being brought out of her cell and in the process of being shackled. No doubt the woman was tense and scared at being thrown in the brig, surely confused at her reasoning of being locked away and the dissapearance of Saira. However as soon as her eyes met the stalking giant of death, a blood stained butchers apron on and a skull for a face, Livna screamed and delivered the dropkick of the ages to the crewman shackling her. All of the color drained from her face at the sight of Prazutis and her fear rose to uncontrollable levels, it was as if she was seeing the Grim Reaper himself.

Defiance. Prazutis was trained and honed for many years under his masters tutelage and one thing he learned during this time: Defiance was swiftly crushed. Prazutis drew the rudis from his side and thrust his other palm forward sending a powerful telekinetic blast down the hall. The blast sent Livna careening into the wall, falling in a heap. Immediately Prazutis grabbed her by the throat and pushed her so far up the wall above his own head, he touched the blade to her gut "If you dare to do something like that again I'll gut you like the worthless animal you are and feed you to my pets." Prazutis tossed her down the hall. The mans voice was guttural and deep, almost otherworldy as he barked his orders at the maiden. Prazutis walked behind her close with the blade in his grip.

[member="Briga Tiin"]

 

[Ax'no]

At the sight of the cleaver, Briga’s eyes flashed with panic. Then Darth Prazutis brought the giant knife down with a crashing thud on the table and the horned mystic literally jumped backwards. When he grabbed her windpipe in his strong grip and hoisted her up, she made a whimpering sound, not unlike Saira when she’d been on the slab. But like an animal cornered, Briga breathed heavily, amber eyes wide, and remained very still until he put her down.

And just like that, the temperature of the room changed to Hoth-like. She was no longer in his favor. Luckily, the Acolyte was a quick study, and the Sith Lord had made it frighteningly clear that there were very defined boundaries between the two of them. She was not his courtesan or his mistress. She was his Acolyte now, and judging from her words to him earlier that morning, she was indeed his slave.

Thoughts of grandeur quickly fled as soon as they’d arrived. But would she be able to put aside her resentfulness over the difference in power? You might have to trade your stubborn pride for survival right now, Briga told herself, glancing back at the table of knives. Not to mention that this is what you want!

But Briga was used to receiving the sacrifices, not making them. Still, she knew better than to push the issue.

She followed paying heed to the guards, not entirely sure that they weren’t going to shackle her too like one of her maidens. But they did not. The horned seer caught up just in time to see Livna, feisty and fighting back. She would not dare to help her. Briga would not give her a boon to ease the pain. She merely stood there watching, a sliver of pride running through her at the maenad’s ability to fight back so ferociously. Fear was not an aphrodisiac for her Master. In fact, what Briga had seen of Darth Prazutis’s temperament was the exact opposite. Fear in others made him downright homicidal as though there was no remedy for terror but death and pain. It was a lesson that Saira, and now Livna, would learn.

This is not a lesson for you, Briga. You will not fail in this goal. It was bound to happen, but now that it did, the Caprine mystic was certain she would not make the same mistake twice. She could not. Failure was not an option in the slightest.

Perfection of her supreme form of Ax’no was all that mattered. She did not speak or protest, but merely followed Darth Prazutis, playing the part of the humble Acolyte that she was.

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

The maiden terrified by the dark titan behind her didn't dare run from the large form of Darth Prazutis as they walked down the hall. In fact he didn't even bother putting restraints on her, the woman wasn't brave enough to break and run. There really wasn't anywhere she could successfully run to, they were in the detention center of the ship. All activity in and out was monitored and there were guards and other members of the ships crew constantly around.

But the Prince's gaze fell on his apprentice Briga as they turned the corner, the cunning and ruthless priestess standing there watching the encounter unfold. In truth he was only annoyed at the womans actions and her defiance of authority. She was used to the pampered wealthy lifestyle on Ikotch where she could get anything she wanted with but a simple request. Their relationship was a double edged sword and she needed to understand that, while she was more than his apprentice, she was still his apprentice. Prazutis did not fool around when it came to training and passing on the teachings of his master, it was his job to continue the legacy of the Sith by training newer generations.

Briga was powerful in the force with a drive to do what had to be done, she would make an excellent Sith with the right knowledge and training he would give her. But during training he set certain boundaries that had to be followed, she needed to turn out into an excellent Sith and he would make sure she did. Everything she did would be a reflection upon himself. "Get her ready." Prazutis said as he pushed her forward. The two dark armored guardsman flanking his sides immediately walked past him and grabbed Livna, rushing the woman down the hall and into the chamber while he turned to his apprentice.

"What we are doing in the language of the Sith is called Tave Ats iv Xela, the Art of Pain. When there's a subject up on that table, their body is a canvas in which you can craft a masterpiece of pain. Some are stronger than others but everyone has their breaking point. You just need to find that breaking point, without sending them too far over the edge." Prazutis told her. Briga would notice when he spoke the words each pronunciation was so alien, so perfect that either had to have learned it to perfection or he was a native speaker, it was hard to tell. "One of your first studies will be to begin learning the languages of the ancient Sith, as one cannot truly excel without them. All of the tomes, scripts, scrolls, spellbooks, artifacts, runes, traps, are in Sith. All of the spell inscriptions for the magical arts are in Sith and High Sith. Both must be mastered to perfection, a mistake could prove...disastrous." He exclaimed.

They would walk back down the hall towards the torture chamber where those same two guards stood outside. "One must be acutely aware of his or her canvas, and how they react, and how their character is. Some will say anything to acquire relief so you must sort through their lies and find truth if seeking information. Some can't last as long as others and will fade quicker, these individuals need to be forcibly kept awake, through different serums. You will begin with Livna, show me what you have learned." Prazutis said. He then waited for his apprentice to go in, in which case he would follow in right behind her.

[member="Briga Tiin"]

 

[Ax'no]

When Darth Prazutis whirled around to face Briga, her maiden whimpering off in the distance, she half expected him to strike her or lash out again, but he did not. He was giving her a chance to prove herself.

And prove to him she would try.

“Thank you, Master. I think you will like what I have planned,” his horned Acolyte said with business-like efficiency. Discussing what transpired the night before had been risky, and Briga wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. The result appeared to be better when she was compliant, servile and eager to learn.

Being blonde and buxom, Livna was especially sought after, not only on Iktotch, but when they traveled the galaxy. Her beauty had come in extremely handy at times when negotiating with simpler, weak-minded males or even females at times. Therefore she did not want to disfigure her like she had Saira. After Prazutis’s tutorial about the art of pain, before going into the torture chamber, Briga stopped at one of the guards.“Will you kindly fetch me a whip?” she asked. “Not a neuro-whip. Something more traditional.”

“Tave Ats iv Xela,” she said, likely butchering the pronunciation. “It’s something that my ancestors also practiced and still do to this day. Unknowingly of course. But there was a ritual that I had to endure as between girlhood and womanhood, sometimes for hours at a time. Ax’no’s whip was made from Iktotchian vines, and therefore do not cut the skin, leaving no scars. But the pain… well, it was quite incredible, but eventually I would enter a trance-like state which was a way for the Caprine Elders to honor their goddess.”

“Thank you,” she said as the whip was promptly procured. Then unexpectedly, Briga began to undress, unzipping her gown in the back and allowing the material to fall down to her shapely hips, where the dress remained. “Remove her clothing from the waist down,” the Acolyte said to the guard who had brought her the whip. Livna didn’t struggle as she was disrobed; she only scowled furiously at the guard. Briga then handed the long, leather whip to Darth Prazutis.

“I want you to whip me first to show Livna just how much this is going to hurt. Five lashes only,” Briga said, hoping he didn’t mistake her directions for a direct order. The horned mystic then went over to Livna who trembled as she approached. Whispering in her ear, but loud enough for the Sith to hear, with her teeth bared, she said, “These are not Ax’no vines, and my dear, you will bleed by my hand.” Livna let out one huge sob and then sniveled quietly as she was made to stand in the corner by the guard. She then took her place in the center of the room, quite ceremoniously, kneeling down, her spine straight up. It had been awhile since she’d felt the sting of a whip on her back, but this was such a repeated juvenile event for her, that she knew she would be able to endure it, possibly relishing the feeling with some sick sense of nostalgia.

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Prazutis was shocked that his apprentice wanted him to whip her, and five whole lashes at that. Even though she had been whipped on her homeworld by some old deft vine wielding priests, they were the hardened, strong Anzati giant that he was. But then a grin formed on his face as he gripped the handle of the whip tightly, he would see how his apprentice truly took to pain. The same lessons he was teaching her maidens were also meant for her, disloyalty was met with extreme measures. "Very well." He said as he uncoiled the whip, his bare apprentice standing against the backwall, next to the maiden tied to it.

Prazutis stood a few feet behind them and inhaled deeply, taking in the cool air from the ventilation before deeply exhaling. He brought the whip up high and swung it with brutal, deadly force against the exposed back of his apprentice. Crack As the whip made contact with Briga's back like a powerful shockwave, the lash of the whip drawing blood almost immediately. This wasn't in the hands of a staunch disciplinarian or a security guard, this was in the hands of someone much worse. Prazutis without hesitation brought the whip strike down again. Crack

The maiden flinched with each strike, paralyzed by fear as she tried to pull away from the restraints to no avail, she was stuck in place with nowhere to run or hide. But surprisingly with each of the stinging strikes, Briga with no restraints didn't move. Crack The third lash ringing out with force, reminding him of his expeditions to Fornow in the Pacanth Reach. Fornow was controlled by the Graug Hordes that served the Zambranos, and discipline was dealt out by the strong graug with their powerful, heavy leather whips sometimes with barbs. Crack Prazutis brought it down again harder than the last, and quickly he brought down the last Crack. He coiled the whip up in his hand as he walked over to Briga, sliding the whip into her hands while whispering "Excellent, your tolerance for pain is...higher than expected." While he gazed towards Livna. Prazutis then walked out of the way and towards the table of instruments, sitting on the stool and leaning back with his arms crossed, watching what came next.

[member="Briga Tiin"]

 

[Ax'no]

Briga tried not to concentrate on her surroundings and instead, delved inside her mind to the place she used to go when the ritual whipping occurred so many years ago. The key was to focus on anything else but the present. But a small part of her also felt unsure that she would be able to withstand these whip blows from Darth Prazutis. His physique was more powerful than the Caprine elders, and the whip was quite vicious looking.

Still, it was a test to see if she could truly withstand high levels of pain as she did as a teenager.

Prazutis didn’t flinch at the request. He calmly stood behind Briga, ready to do as she had asked. The Caprine could hear the whip whistle in the air a second before it hit her back. And then the lash was so painful, she nearly lost control of her legs for a moment. She made no noise whatsoever, but an animal grunt, as time and time again, the whip made contact with her soft skin, splitting it open in red ribbons. Her Master would not be able to see her face, but Briga was wincing. Livna was watching her mistress’s wrinkled brow and tense, tight frown. The blonde maiden’s eyes darted back and forth to Priestess Tiin’s face and her swan-like back which was striped now with blood.

And it was over. Her back throbbed with red, hot pain, making her vision cloud. Darth Prazutis handed her the whip, whispering words of pride, which she had to admit, were like a salve on her wounds. With as much dignity as she could muster, Briga pulled her dress back up onto her shoulders, feeling the fabric stick to her exposed, cut-open flesh. Breathing deeply through her nose, the pain had welled up into a sweet gully of anger now that she planned to take out on her maiden. But unlike Briga, Livna would not be treated for her injuries with warm water, bacta patches and perhaps even pharmaceutical strength pain killers. She would be deposited back in a holding pen somewhere to suffer in silence and solitude.

“No, no, no, please Priestess. I’ll do anything you say. Anything. Please don’t whip me. Pleaseeeeee,” Livna begged, but Briga only growled two words: “Hold still.”

The Caprine mystic ignored the pain in her own arms and brought the whip down again and again on Livna’s pampered flesh. Howling like a tortured banshee, Briga would not give up her relentless lashing upon her second maiden. When Livna buckled to the floor, she wordlessly motioned for the guards to stand her back up so the horned woman could continue.

“You wiiiitttcch! I hateee youuuu,” sang out the furious and agonized handmaiden. The tips of her golden locks were wet with the blood from her back, the flesh barely resembling skin, looking instead like raw meat. Briga finally stopped and threw the whip to the side in disgust, spitting on Livna when she was done.

“You are now an agent of the Sith, Livna. You will serve myself and Lord Prazutis without question. If you don’t, you will be whipped every day like this until you die.”

And just like that, she felt no remorse. The maidens had their fun on Dosuun, they had been spoiled by Briga beyond belief, and now it was their turn to do her bidding without laughing, questioning or protesting as they normally did. “Where is Toole being kept?” the Acolyte asked Darth Prazutis. But he could tell on her face that weariness was setting in. The Caprine was tired, in pain and hadn't slept but for an hour or so the night before. But whether he was willing to give her a rest or push her even harder was his decision to make.

[member="Darth Prazutis"]