Private Cruelty of the Mockingbird

[Ravenous]

Somewhere near the Kriselist System...

A cloaked Ravenous stared blankly into the endless abyss of space his bright golden pupils a lantern in his otherwise emotionless demeanor. His gloved right hand clenched tightly by his side while his left held the mask that customarily dawned the Dark Jedi's face. For the past few month's Ravenous basked in Nihilus's corrupting light, soaking in his power and forgoing a part of himself with each passing moment he laid stagnant under the Lord of hunger's influence. But even someone as steeped in the void as he could not endure Nihlius's insanity for more than a few months at a time for even the wicked need to rest whether it be physically, mentally or a break from the constant strain on his own mortality.

"Lord Ravenous." Came a metallic voice that ripped through the air like a blade. "We have acquired the Captain of our latest catch. We found him hiding in the cargo bay. Cowardly, even for an organic." Said an old KX- Security droid with a rather large blaster strapped to its back. Most likely another one of the misfits he had accepted into the company after all with the galaxy constantly evolving an old unit like him would serve no purpose...He's become obsolete...Tragic, a word that could be used to describe everyone here. The droid and his robotic companions parted so that an armor-clad mercenary could approach the Dark monarch. Ravenous sighed as he examined the man several bruises and gashes adorning his face and neck...Typical.

"I am Superiex Ravenous, Wooer of women, Master of villainy, wielder of dark arts, and chronicler of the extinct. Who might you be?" A crinkled expression formed on the mercenary's face followed by a bloodcurdling scream as Ravenous used the Force to send currents of energy through the memory glands of the mercenary driving the documents of his name into his thoughts and into a place Ravenous could listen in on. "Vaan Hawton. Magnetic name though I'm sure you could say the same. Now let me ask you something but not without a little background beforehand. As we speak my forces are spilling your vessel for any resources that we can scrounge up and while we could always count the money in there I prefer to save time. So tell me approximately how much wealth will we find aboard your ship." A relived yet blanched mixture of emotions seemed to wash over Vaan as he answered Ravenous' quarry.

"N-Nothing. I was heading back to Abraxas to receive payment for a job I just finished, The only thing on board was the woman I was sent to capture, think it was the dude's wife or something..." Ravenous stood motionless for a moment taking in the severity of what he'd just heard. All these resources all this time and effort that went into planning this VERY WELL thought out "Mockingbird trap" and for what? Two scavengers and a broke mercenary...Today just wasn't his day. Without making a sound or even acknowledging the man Ravenous unclipped his Lightsaber from his belt and rose it above his head. Two quick flashes of indigo light and the mercenary was dead his corpse now a burning husk on the bridge of the Intrepid Class - Heavy Cruiser.

"Find the woman this Mercenary was escorting, Lock her in the detention levels until I have time to deal with her. Continue broadcasting our distress signal and alert me of any developments."

Telani ​

 

[Telani]

Telani was in her Sith starfighter, a simple, single passenger vessel used for fast flight through space. She was passing through the sector when she picked up the distress signal. Normally she wouldn't care about people on the side, or at least that's what the sith had taught her to be like, but ever since leaving the sith behind she had begun to feel more and more compassion. So with a groan she altered course and went towards the distress signal. She was easy prey for anyone with a good tractor beam, although without that she wouldn't be easy to overpower.

(I apologize for the short reply, I'm not sure what else I can put here.)

 

[Ravenous]

Nothing...Not a single credit. Not a glimmer of fortune in the ship's crevices and not a glint of carnivorous hope in Vaan's pockets, he was truly and completely broke. What a waste of a man, Unable to gain any fortune from his endeavors he pitied the man not just because he was poor but because he somewhat reminded him of himself some 15 years ago. Wow, to think he'd gotten old enough to reminisce on his mischievous adolescence. A tear streamed down his right cheek as he came to the revelation of just how far he'd fallen since then, To think he once thought he could settle down and become a doctor he thought he could turn away from darkness, he thought he could choose a different path. He was wrong...

"I have a destiny..." He said to himself as a brute wearing a large black trench coat and iron-clad armor entered through the sliding door of Ravenous' onboard office.

"Talking to yourself now Ravenous? We really do need to get you a shrink eh? Anyway, techs just picked up a vessel entering our sector, Must've heard our distress call." Ignoring the brutes jabs at his ego Ravenous reached across his desk and seized his Mask dawning its corrupting light and enduring its incessant hunger.

His cloak billowing behind him the dark lord leaned over towards one of the technicians in charge of sensor controls and surveyed his screen. There was indeed a ship approaching. From the model and transponder codes in appeared to be a Sith fighter of sorts...Interesting. While his eyes scanned the terminal Ravenous felt a tremor rippled through the Force, It carried a deep cold within its message and crippling darkness soon followed.

The trademark presence of the Darkside a presence he knew all too well. Slamming his fist on the console the Dark Jedi approached the gunnery crew a nasty snarl hiding behind his mask.

"Bring all Ion cannons online! Tell our frigates to do the same! Once that ship is disabled fire the tractor beam and bring them aboard. I want any and all people on that vessel brought to the detention area." The dark Jedi stared into the black abyss his gaze fixated on the ship now occupying its space.

Telani ​

 

[Telani]

The tremor was not unnoticed by the rogue Sith. She felt the presence of a dark side force user, and she immediately knew that not all was well. She moved to alter course, but sadly a ship was not as agile as a well trained Atari practitioner. The ion cannon made its mark, and her ship was fried. Now caught in a tractor beam, she put her feet on the seat beneat her and pulled out her lightsabers, but didn’t activate them just yet. Her lightsabers were of a slightly less common type, and could be connected at the hilts to make a double bladed lightsaber. This combined with her acrobatic Atari form, made her a formidable enemy in close combat. Her force powers were limited to amplifying her speed, force grip, push and lightning. So her force powers could be improved. Now, she only had to wait for the tractor beam to pull her in, then slaughter everybody aboard.

 

[Ravenous]

An analytical Ravenous watched as Telani 's starfighter vanished into his cruiser's docking bay, hidden from the galaxy and thrall to the forces that awaited inside. Glancing over at the ship's monitors he took note of the ship's appearance as well as the presence connected to the vessel. Like looking into a reflection the pilot's thoughts were of him and what power he may possess. Releasing the strain purposefully put on his mind Ravenous allowed Nihilus's corrupting force to overtake him filling his mind and soul with an empty unyielding void which shrouded his thoughts and emotions and left a gaping hole in the force where his presence should be.

He pushed outwards spreading his influence across the ship and rending the Force around its inhabitants. He felt a stark contrast in power as his influence reached the Sith Starfighter, A sudden jolt in rage and pain put him on alert just as a wave of bloodlust washed over him. Usually reading the thoughts and emotions of others was enigmatic to him but when you empty yourself of life and emotion the thoughts of others suddenly become a beacon. Composedly Ravenous straddled over towards the comm control panel and pressed his gloved index finger down on its activation key.

"Sayna Rei. Listen to me closely and follow my orders exactly. Do not make any attempt to capture the pilot of that vessel while they are still conscious. As soon as you break inside the ship stun the pilot and bring her to the bridge...Got it?" "You got it, boss." The deck officer replied. Two dozen men and droids behind them the deck officer planted the charges of Telani's ship intent on carrying out Ravenous' orders.

 

[Telani]

Perfect. They came to her.

The ship opened and Telani leapt out and engaged her lightsabers. Landing in front of her ship, and using the force to enhance her speed and acrobatic abilities, she dashed into the ranks of the attackers as a blur of red light, a whirlwind of cutting, deadly precision and hate. twelve droids were cut down withing moments, and she charged for the rest. She would slaughter every last one of them, their captain last. She wanted to destroy all of the backup that the opposing force user had before facing him, she would like to even the odds a little before facing him in a duel to the death.

linking her lightsabers together into a double bladed one, she charged forth, destroying droids and butchering men and women without hesitation. They were her enemy, so they died or she died, and she hated them. With her hate only fueling her to go faster, with increased help from the force, and a deeper power with greater hatred, the longer she fought the more deadly she became. This would continue until the dark jedi showed himself, and faced her, instead of hiding like a coward.

 

[Ravenous]

With darted eyes, Ravenous watched in agony as an unknown Red Twi'lek woman cut through his troops like hot butter showing no signs of falter or impendence in her fighting style. An expert duelist he figures. She could be troublesome and with her powers in the Force still up for speculation all the masked man could do was grasp at straws. Still, he has yet to be blinded. The speed at which she delivered her blows was so immense that without the Force or some obvious cybernetic enhancement it would be impossible for her body to handle the strain. Furthermore, as the assailant cut down his men Ravenous found it harder and harder for his eyes to track the woman which implied that her bloodlust was fueling her speed...Noted.

Other than those two notions there wasn't much to go off of, Not to worry he would simply have to access the assailant and their thinking style. First was an assessment of how they dealt with new forms of stress, both physical and mental. Turning his head towards a green male Rodian Ravenous prepared to learn EVERYTHING about his newest rival.

"Listen closely and follow my orders to the letter. Firstly send in all the heavy machinery and droids we have on that level. Get every melee and heavy weapons specialist down there to engage that woman. Once their inside the hangar lockdown every door except for the one that leads to the bridge. And one more thing...Blast frequency 4812 on the hangar's speakers." 4812, A frequency so high pitched with such incredible wavelength that it disrupts the brain's concentration and makes it near impossible to use the Force. The Rodian nodded and spun on his heel as he marched over to a nearby console and arranged Ravenous' next trial.

Telani ​

 

[Telani]

With her hate only growing, and with that fueling her abilities. The room was cleared before the heavy reinforcements got there. She found herself surrounded by heavily armoured and heavily armed troops, with helmets that would protect them from such a high frequency as was about to make her life hell over the next few moments. She was about to unleash a storm of force lightning when all of a sudden a high pitched shriek tore through her hearing, and sent pain all throughout her skull. Her mind was whited out with pain for a few brief moments while the enemy closed in. But as most of her opponent's countermeasures did, they made her angry, no, livid. Such fury, combined with the pain she was currently experiencing and her already existing hatred, only served to give her strength. With this newfound power, she was able to get her thoughts back into working condition, with considerable effort that is. Seeing the speakers, she knew what she'd have to do. Channeling what force capabilities she had been able to retain through this hellish sound, she turned all of it into force lightning, and launched it at the speakers. One by one, they blew up, and once they were gone, she could fight again.

His temporarily crippling blow had turned into a fatal mistake, as she was a great deal angrier than she had been throughout the entire encounter. Her eyes practically burned with Dark Force, and she put her lightsabers on her belt again, now going to simply electrify EVERYBODY in the room. With a loud shriek of her own, lightning flew from her fingertips in a large spread, hitting everyone. When she let up, not all of them were dead, thanks to the wide area in which she had put her lightning, but almost all of them were sporting burns.

The cost to this was that a great deal of her anger had been vented, so she no longer had the same amount of power that had been available to her when she had done her Force Storm. But needles to say, the more she fought and the worse she was hurt, the more dangerous she'd be. Still surrounded, and now less angry and less force-imbued, she drew her lightsabers, and connected their hilts, to make them a double bladed saber, and prepared for battle.

 

[Ravenous]

Entranced in deep contemplation, Ravenous painstakingly analyzed Telani as she sent currents filled with pure hatred and pain ripping through his troops. He shook his head in despair as he felt their presence begin to fade before descending into the void. The Force that had ripped away their lives became apparent in Ravenous's mind as he clasped a metaphysical hand around that energy. He loosened the strain on his mind to allow hunger to flood his body before pushing it outwards to consume the dwindling life force of his now-dead compatriots. He was cruel, He knew that much but his affection for his friends and associates outweighed that insanity and bloodlust. It gave him a sense of closure to know that he still held ties to the mortal world despite how far he had fallen into the void.

"Now we test her mentally. Do you recall the corridor I ordered you to leave open? When she walks inside I want you to fill the room with toxic gas, not enough to kill her but enough to send her mind into an endless spiral. Then I want you to release Ysalamir on the floors above and below the corridor so that, they don't die from the toxins. Lastly, blast frequency 4812 once more and see how she fares." A menacing grin formed behind his mask as Ravenous watched his orders being carried out. This was more than just a game to him it was a battle of attrition to see just how much he could wear this woman down before he swooped in for the killing blow.

 

[Telani]

She saw the open corridor, but using her brain didn't need the force to help it. It was quite clear that it was a trap. But with everything else closed off, it was the only route to move to other parts of the ship. But she could always stay there and cause as much damage as she possibly could to the one room or look for alternative routes through the ventilation or maintenance ducts. After destroying his remaining forces, her power slowly rebuilding as she did, she stood alone amongst a pile of bodies and scrap metal. She wanted more, she wanted to kill everyone. But then the teachings of her second master returned to her. He had been her master breifly but he had taught her much. She sheathed her weapons, put them away, and sat down. Her legs crossed, and her hands in her lap. A deep breath, a long exhale, and the repetition of this. Slowly, the dark side receded, and a light side grew. It had been there from the start, and neither the dark nor light would leave her, she wouldn't let them. While the dark side was far more prominent, the light was steadily growing. And a calm mind was probing around the ship, and she felt him.

"There you are."

She didn't move.

 

[Ravenous]

As much as it pained him both physically and figuratively a smile managed to purse his lips as Ravenous studied the energy flowing from the woman now encased in the inner bowels of his vessel. Temperance and serenity rotted in his nostrils like a vile stench as the purity of the light side pierced the veil that was his own inner darkness. Did she intend to filter her body of poison through meditation? That could only conclude that she had an affinity with the light and dark sides of the Force...Troubling but not something he had yet to deal with before.

"We'll see how well you meditate when your eardrums are beating against your skull like a battering ram. HIT IT!" At his command, the bridge began to scramble as his crew desperately carried out his orders blind to the actual genius behind them. That's how it always was working for the dark lord, He'd give you an impossible mission to complete with even fewer resources to carry it out. You would hear of his fearsome reputation as someone who feeds on the very life force of his subordinates and immediately be filled with dread as you contemplated what he was hiding under his mask and what terrors he could inflict on you. Then out of nowhere he would seemingly go insane and start handing out orders that made zero sense. Only then you would realize maybe your fear was irrelevant as you counted up to coin from your successful endeavor.

Working with Ravenous was a rollercoaster of emotions but the ride is well worth the destination. Once again this time with a revived fury a hellish sound blared on the speakers of level 3 as toxins filtered through the ventilation system and into the corridor. A laser gate was placed in front of the blast doors that subsequentially shut as part of the lockdown initiation. A Force dead bubble shrouded the corridor as the Ysalimir moved freely inside the ship's electrical wiring, safe from the toxins being emitted in the adjacent chamber.

"Mrias you pestilant child. Mrias."

Telani ​

 

[Telani]

The speakers did not function as her burst of force lightning had destroyed them quite thoroughly. So she was no longer bothered by such high pitched sound. Sensing the person approaching her she stood up. But her meditation did not end, it changed. She set aside the light, and delved back into the dark abyss that was her mind. She forced herself into a state of near uncontrollable rage at having been dragged in here. She focused her dark force powers into her speed, and time seemed to slow down for her, allowing her mind to catch up to her body. And she dashed forth down the corridor, much too fast to be caught by a blow, and so fast that sounds were dulled, as was her intent. On the camera monitors, only a red blur could be seen as she sped through the ship, damaging everything that looked important as she went. It was not long before the door to the bridge was blown open, and she rushed in, her lightsabers alight, and her eyes blazing with hate. She wasted no time, and ran straight for him.

 

[Ravenous]

Golden eyes fueled by hatred and a Force induced focus observed Telani as she darted through the ship's corridors at speeds considered inhuman by any standard metric. Even with the Force speeding up his perception it became increasingly difficult to track the assailant's movements. Wherever Telani went flashes of light followed by a trail of carnage were left in her wake. By his calculation, the damage was done in under 3.2 seconds, and if he was correct in that his opponent's rage grew exponentially and with it, their speed that would mean eventually if given enough time his opponent's speed would be under one millisecond...even faster than signals travel inside the brain.

This calls for a deeper investigation one completely focused on the limitations of this person's body. Speeds under one millisecond should not be possible without incredible physical enhancements, not just of the body but of the mind as well. Perhaps if she were to be put under enough pressure or pain perhaps she would reveal her true nature and with it all her secrets. Just then without warning the doors to the bridge were blown open and launched across the room sending some poor souls head flying along with it.

An angry growl escaped Ravenous's lips as he turned away from the monitors and towards Telani who was already primed to separate his head from his shoulders.

"You're fighting style is fast but sloppy. Without my analytical eye, it would be hard to notice." Reaching out with the Force Ravenous felt the energy around Telani and adjusted it arc sending it flying slightly over him as the Twi'lek sped at him. Using his Cybernetic Spine Ravenous folded in on himself and bent his back at such an angle that his head was touching the back of his knees.

 

[Telani]

She felt her course altered, and she simply altered it further, so that instead of slashing for his neck, she spun like a propeller, which could easily cut him in half. And even if she missed, she’d do a great deal of damage to the bridge, making sure that even if she lost, he’d have to go through hell to get his ship working again. Landing behind him, she just went for him again, not swinging wildly, she was quite clearly very skilled with lightsabers, and she was fast. And with the force aiding her speed and making her energy seemingly endless, she’d be difficult to overcome, even for someone as dangerous as he.

He had made a mistake bringing her in, even if he won, he and what was left of his crew would starve before they could go anywhere. So in a sense, she couldn’t lose, even if she were to die.

 

[Ravenous]

Ravenous's golden eyes became slits as a pinwheel of death barreled toward him its motions making his previous notion ineffective Darting to the side he narrowly voided the oncoming attack a console (and its operator) being struck in his stead. Rising to his feet Ravenous summoned his indigo crossguard and all its malevolent energies into the palm of his hand, He took a defensive stance ready to guard against any oncoming attacks that may come his way. Crimson streaks of light tore apart the bridge while Ravenous parried errant strikes as his head and body. This woman was fast very fast. No doubt she was using some physical enhancement to increase her speed and endurance. Typical.

Ravenous delved deep within himself deep within the depths of his will of his pain and spiteful nature. Fuel for the fire, devotion to the path he chose, and conviction in the choices he makes. Power, true power. Any other Force user would tell you strength comes from the Force but in reality, power is nothing without the conviction to wield it. Energy flowed through Ravenous as the world around him seemed to halt (or slow down to such a degree that speed became meaningless). He could see Telani in all her terrible fury ripping through the bridge and all its crew and machinery.

Irritant. If this woman destroyed his bridge (and his crew) he'd have a hard time recovering afterward. Not gonna happen. Ravenous stretched his arm outward toward the Twi'lek turned raging inferno and charged the air around her with energy. His focus compounded until the energy around Telani has become the epicenter of heat in the room. Fire and brimstone sputtered around Telani as Ravenous poured more of his anger and will into the Force its malevolent energies rending the air around the fire and turning its particles into tiny needles that cut through the ship like a beskar blade.

If she stayed put she'd be burned to a crisp. If she tried to escape she'd be mutilated.

...A fine trap indeed.

 

[Telani]

His force was strong, and as he put her in his little force trap, she realized that the best thing she could do was attack his mind, so instead of physically countering, she sent forth a burst of blinding agony aimed at his mind, which would destroy his use of the force momentarily. How well he handled the pain was up to him, but she escaped his trap, by stopping it before it could take effect, and then she began to collect force power, rather than immediately make it enhance her speed, now she was letting it build, making her own mental defenses impenetrable, defending her from mind attacks such as the one she had just used. She was still fast, though it clearly wasn’t as enhanced. But this lesser speed made her more agile, and so she would seem to be on two sides of him at once, by jumping and often attacking midair as well as strafing, she was on the offensive and all over the place. Her force reserves building as her hate fueled it.

 

[Ravenous]

Vision and perception now dilated beyond human capabilities, Ravenous braced himself at the arrival of a plague inside Telani its energy ridden with death and afflictions that only affected the mind. Telani certainly had an extensive amount of stamina and focus, even when subjected to extreme scrutiny such as this. In his eyes, this wasn't a duel rather it was a test of will of conviction and focus...Perfect. Strong will, even stronger connection the Force, not to mention impressive survival skills. All the qualities of a well rounded and principled warrior. Yes, this woman was the type of person that could be allowed to roam the galaxy without fear of ethereal reprisal. A saint and a deadly one at that.

Time to truly test her limits. She needed to meet the omega, she needed to meet the void.

Reaching deep within himself Ravenous let go of the strain purposefully placed on his mind allowing the eternal darkness within himself to consume his psyche as wrap it in a maw with a hunger willing and able to consume ten thousand suns. With a ferocious intensity, the void around Ravenous began eating away at the wave of pain sent his way. Focusing hard to not be completely engulfed by the power presiding him Ravenous marched forward blade at the ready whilst Telani once again became a blur of crimson as she sped side to side in hopes of disorientating her opponent.

"These eyes can't be decided young one, I can see you clearly. Firstly if there really were two of you an advance would have already have come. Secondly, for all your speed and agility the clear discernment of the air around you is preeminent. And finally..." With a swing of his arm's Ravenous's blade slammed into Telani's twin saber's spewing sparks and other hot shrapnel from the point of contact. "I don't need to match your speed, rather its prudent to predict your movements and adapt. For instance..."

Launching off the ground Ravenous flipped over Telani and whilst mid-air struck downward at her and with his free hand took hold of the molecules in the air and condensed them creating a solid wall of air behind and adjacent to Telani. Once he landed on his feet Ravenous immediately pushed off again and towards Telani his blade ready to deflect any oncoming attacks.

The perfect trap. While Telani is occupied with his aerial assault he should be able to box her in and engage her in close-quarter combat, his personal specialty.

 

[Telani]

Telani's fury grew even worse, and despite being an apprentice when she left the sith, she was very skilled with lightsabers, and in terms of power, with the force she was very strong. Thanks to her balanced thoughts on light and dark, she was very closely tied with both sides of the force, and was therefore strong. But right then, she favoured the dark side, and the force energy collected by her days was literally pouring out other in the form of intense lightning by the time he came at her from behind. Her lightsabers were now blue with lightning, and she came at him full force, attacking in every way she could think of a fast as she could manage, probably destroying everything around her too. He was a strong opponent, and she knew that she'd be unlikely to survive, but that just solidified her determination to make him hurt as much as possible before she fell.

"You talk too much."

 

[Ravenous]

Ravenous' golden eyes became pincers whilst arcs of blue lightning shot past him errant and fueled only by unbridled rage. It was interesting to think about what could have made this woman so vengeful and what training she could have undergone to convert her rage into energy the way she did. He could tell that what she was doing wasn't a basic enhancement technique rather her rage became palpable and destructive as though she were acting as a generator. He could see himself spending many lonely nights probing her for information on her abilities.

As the movement of her body indicated Telani was going on the offensive berating the Dark Jedi with several furious blows attempting to pummel him with brute strength alone. It was in question whether or not Ravenous could block or even parry Telani's strikes so he chose not to go with either, instead he elected to use her own strength against her by rolling with her strikes and counter-attacking when given the opportunity. Sparks and ash spewed with each strike followed by the horrible crashing noise of saber on saber. Admittedly it was a struggle for Ravenous to keep up with the Lightning AND Telani all at once but he made do even if it was exhausting.

Recourse finally came when Ravenous sidestepped an overhead strike undoubtedly the result of Telani's blind fury. Not wanting to waste an opportunity Ravenous swung his blade downward trapping Telani's twin blades with his own.

"You know your one hot chick, even if your playing impossible to get. Say should you survive this do you see us perhaps catching up over a nice spread? FOOD! I'm talking about FOOD!"

 

[Telani]

Him using her brute force against her wasn’t quite as effective as he’d think, because she never lost control to the point of becoming an animal, and she always let one strike flow into the next, keeping up momentum and power whilst retaining control, when her sabers were struck, she’d follow through with and redirect the motion into a vicious jump-spinning roundhouse kick to his cheek, then follow through with her lightsabers, swiping at his feet as she landed, low to the ground, before proceeding to appear as a red, glowing tornado that spewed lightning like sweat, though she wasn’t as powerful as he in terms of strength, her speed and agility as well as her force-enhancement made her his match. Then he mentioned her appearance.

“If that’s what this was about you only had to ask, not attack me.” She says leaping well out of his range, her fury brought to heel, at least momentarily. “We don’t have to fight you know. I act in self defense, you try to earn a living, and I just happen to be running from justice myself. We don’t have to be enemies, we could be quite the opposite.”

She held her sabers up in a sign of truce. “It’s clear to me that if we continue this fight, neither of us are likely to survive. Put your saber away, and so will I, and let’s talk.”