Wearing:
Snakeskin
Armed with: Ceremonial Lightsaber (
Synthetic Ankarres )
Objective: BYOO (Medical relief)
Themis had laid low amongst the Ashlan's after that one invasion, worried she might have drawn too much attention to herself.
She had gone to ground after Kerest. The Jedi knew for certain Xiphos had a Sith Teacher, but had not been able to identify her. Themis had killed rather than permit witnesses.
For up to a year now, she had hid behind the Identity of Moya De Lifte, Jedi Healer, and had quietly treated the wounds of Ashlan Soldiers, who marveled at how quickly she could heal them... Themis could do in minutes with severe injuries what often took other, sometimes multiple Jedi hours.
Repeatedly she had been offered a place in the Healing Divisions of the Church, but had always refused, remaining strictly volunteer. Many had come to her, requesting to study at her feet but she had always refused, making up excuses that she was simply too busy.
That, and because so far, every future where she did accept a student she was inevitably exposed when the student got too curious.
Darth Themis was doing every thing she could to avoid getting too involved with The Ashlan Church. Not just because of their inquisition type methods for finding signs of heresy, but because, when it came right down to it...
...she couldn't stand these people.
She had thought Jedi self righteous, but the Ashlan's had them completely beat in that regard. She had never encountered a people so
insufferable about imposing the Light Side. Themis used the Light herself, but she would
never have imposed it on anyone this way. Living amongst them was a nightmare to her.
She hid her contempt of them well enough--even very powerful Force Adepts never sensed more than minor flashes of annoyance.
Her opinion of them had soured completely upon learning what they had done at Ziost. Going door to door, executing
families, just for being related to Stormtroopers.
And worse...there was what had happened to her poor granddaughter...
Themis no longer knew how to help Laertia. Every vision showed that Themis would just make it worse if she tried to intervene in Laertia's choices by Force. It was like being paralyzed.
So Themis had stayed away, even when Laertia's choices caused her to draw The Cult of The Brain Demon and her own Serpents of Ashla to work ever closer in a form of perverted Irony. Laertia promised she would destroy the cult, and Themis, for the most part, believed it. She knew Laertia could not let what happened to her parents go unavenged. Not forever. But she still needed them for her own purposes before disposing of them. She had even promised Themis a front row seat for it. All she had to do was wait.
So wait she had, cut off from her own cult save one or two life lines. It was picking up disillusioned Jedi all the time, and the number had skyrocketed after the Maw attacked Coruscant. She was having them trained on multiple worlds in secret, teaching them how to twist their will upon the light, to impose upon it rather than be imposed upon. She had remained as a low level type, doing her best to go unnoticed, however powerful she was. A simple healer. A powerful healer. Seemingly a pacifist.
In that respect, it was much like the days when she truly had
been Moya De Lifte, having tried to sincerely escape the identity of Darth Themis. That had ended after Darth Phyre killed everyone she cared about and cast her into a magical black flame where her soul had suffered for centuries. After her resurrection, she had permanently sworn off the Jedi as anything except a front.
And now they were retaking Ession. After all the chit they had pulled.
Themis tried not to pay attention to the Puritans marching through the streets of Ession, or the feelings of those present made to watch this latest conquest. She instead operated quietly from a set up Triage tent, healing the wounded they brought to her. There were still Sith Holdouts, loyalists. And those who were not loyalist didn't look all that enthusiastic regardless.
She was clad in her scaly, skintight black catsuit, heavily enchanted, healing various injuries on multiple people, quickly, at the same time from terrible burns from a surprise flamethrower attack to a sucking chest wound an Ashlan Jedi had received from a sniper. It was trivial work, and cost her only a moment's Concentration, but the worst part was the
awe she saw in the faces of observers. Their prayers under their breath as they witnessed what they thought was a miracle filled her with revulsion towards them she was barely able to conceal.
Fortunately, being a Light Side Sith, they couldn't sense her heresy, even if they themselves were Force Sensitive. That was one of the Major Benefits of being a Light Sith: you couldn't set off any other Adepts alarm bells unless you started fighting. Only then would they sense anything amiss about your connection to the Light. Being a pacifist healer was virtually guaranteed cover.
The latest group stood up, fully recovered from terrible injuries. "Moya De Lifte" was not a member of the Ashlan Papacy, but that didn't mean word of her powerful ability to regenerate multiple people at once had not made the rounds.
"Thank you, Master De Lifte!" one of them said.
Themis said nothing except "I need these beds. Please vacate so I can fill more of them."
His face fell. "No bedside manner..."
Themis said nothing as others quietly began to exit. Themis was about to get out another tarp for one whose injuries had been too severe even for her when she got a vision, the first clear one she had had in months.
There was an Ashlan Knight headed to meet her.
Not certain over what, Themis had only stilled her mind, when the Ashlan Knight walked in, garbed in robes of purest white, a reflective gold face mask concealing his features. From his belt hung a silver, ornate double bladed Lightsaber.
"Lady De Lifte, a pleasure..." The Knight began in a deep baritone.
"There could be more injured coming here any second..." Themis pointed out.
"I hope you don't mind, but I have had them diverted to other Triage tents. They tell me your healing abilities are so powerful that you barely leave the other tents anyone else to treat. I wanted to talk with you."
"Surely the Crusade doesn't take issue with me pulling their personnel from an early demise."
"Not at all. If anything, we find it most distressing that such an extremely strong healer as you doesn't seem to be a member of the Papacy.
Themis sat down on a nearby stool.
"I am a Volunteer Healer. I serve the Crusade at my own initiative."
"And we do not question the good you have been doing for us. I have heard from people who have witnessed your healings...many of those you treated had wounds so severe they would have almost certainly expired under anyone else's care, or remained badly mutilated and crippled for the rest of their life. But think about how much more good you could do in the Papacy, even as a low level member. You could even end up joining my own order. Your healing talents could benefit many if they were more properly understood."
Themis kept calm. "I'm not looking to be a teacher. I seek only to do what I am good at...at my own pace."
"A pity." The Knight said. Ashla smiles on your efforts regardless. Forgive me for taking up your--"
She saw it almost too late. She was already running out of the tent.
There was a Sith Loyalist hiding in the ranks of the injured. He had a grenade. She ran as fast as she could. She had been so busy trying not to freak at the fact he was trying to persuade her into the Papacy that she hadn't been paying attention to the currents of the Force.
Just as the grenade left his hand she conjured a sphere of water around it. The blast went off within...but didn't leave it. She had successfully contained it.
The Loyalist grabbed a pistol but an Ashlan trooper tackled him before he could do any more harm.
Themis was silent as she watched him get dragged away. She magnificently avoided flinching as those nearby started chearing her.
"I didn't know you were precognitive..." said the Ashlan Knight behind her.
Themis turned to him.
"I keep that sort of thing to myself..." she said.
The Knight shrugged. "I still think you are capable of offering Lady Ashla much more than you are willing to commit...but I commend you for preventing a tragedy."
Themis didn't say he was welcome, merely going quiet. He tilted his head in curiosity before heading off.
"Moya De Lifte" turned to the crowd of people still wheeling injured soldiers in.
"Alright, next group!"
