Private Machine Men, with Machine Minds and Machine Hearts

[Darth Carnifex]

Swooping through the acrid atmosphere, the sleek black shuttle came to rest upon a diamond-shaped edifice of soot-stained metal that jutted out from the base of an impossibly enormous tower. The tower wore no adornment of allegiance or designation, for it required neither as all who came to inhabit its labyrinthine corridors knew where they were and who had them in their clutches.​

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The tower was the Citadel and the world around them was Lola Sayu.​

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When the Sith Empire came to Lola Sayu the world was still under the influence of the Silver Jedi Order, who used the world to isolate their most dangerous inmates and criminals. The Sith shattered the bonds shackling these murderers and war criminals and set them loose upon the Jedi wardens, who either fled or were murdered in the riots. The Sith returned the Citadel to its original purpose as a prison for Jedi and other powerful Force-sensitive individuals, locking away many of the Silver Jedi that had managed to survive those early campaigns.​

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Most recently, the Citadel had played host to the Silver Jedi's Grandmaster, Elise, who had been captured by bounty hunters and handed over to the Sith despite the Silver Jedi's best efforts to thwart such a transfer. She had been interrogated multiple times over by the Saaraishash but had relinquished nothing of vital importance, and thus had been left to languish in her cell on the wasted world. ​

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The sound of boots scuffing against the metal floor outside the cell would draw the occupant's gaze towards the heavily reinforced turadium door, which parted to reveal a pair of Imperial Detention officers with their stun rifles raised and pointed towards the prisoner. Entering, they ordered her to the far wall and to place her hands against the cold metal surface. The sound of heavier footfalls permeated the recycled air as another entered, followed quickly by the receding footsteps of the two officers as they left and closed the cell door behind them.​

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For a brief moment, there was only the slow methodical breathing of the unknown occupant, and then a voice as dark as midnight filled the silent gulf.​

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"Turn around."​

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When she did, she would find her sight consumed with the sheer immensity of the Dark Lord of the Sith. His towering muscular body was swaddled in black robes trimmed with maroon along the hem and sleeves, ornate patterns of Sith runes stitched across the robe's chest and where it parted around his groin and legs. His head was uncovered, his jet-black hair drawn back and bound with simple linen bands. He wore the scars of recent battle across his face and on the back of his hands, which were clasped at his waist in a neutral stance.​

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"It is about time we met."​

 

[Elise]

The master did not turn, her back to the bars as she sat cross legged and unmoving. Her eyes remained closed in meditation, the woman attempting to simply... block it all out. But it was nigh on impossible to ignore the presence of The sith lord at your back, her neck hairs standing on end as his corruption coated her senses like copper.

She took a deep breath in, her breath silent as it slipped between her lips like a leaky tire. "Darth Carnifex. To what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked, her tone precise yet still calm. If there were any cracks broken into her by her past visitors, she was not inclined to show them here. Her decision to remain cross-legged in a state of half zen might speak for it all though, her connection to the force acting as a wall shield her mind. There was panic as she felt him hovering tall over her back, but she did not let it grow into more than it's primal spark.

She was Grand Master of the Silver Jedi, beacon of hope, leader of her kind. It would take more than that to shake her.

The chant ran through her mind, as of yet keeping her strong amongst the torment. She had lives to protect, she would not fail them here.

"I'm afraid if you've come to get answers to your questions, I cannot help you."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"You anticipate my intentions incorrectly, Grandmaster, that is why you are here in chains."​

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It was an amusing notion that the Sith Emperor would continue to use Elise's honorifics than her actual name, whereas Elise referred to him only by the name he had taken when he had remade himself following the collapse of the One Sith. The name he had once worn with pride, Vornskr, was cast aside in favor of something more fitting; Carnifex. Vornskr was the hound of a dead and insane Dark Lord, Carnifex was himself the Dark Lord of the Sith. And though he carried himself with dignity and his tone of voice was measured and neutral, masked beneath it was the most insidious contempt for who Elise was and who she embodied.​

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The Jedi.​

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"I have not come here to question you, much greater savants of that art have already come and gone." He crouched down on his haunches, hands now lightly grasping the fabric around his knees as he looked down on her sitting form. "Why they chose you to replace Heavenshield I have yet to understand," the venom and revulsion in his voice were far more clear now, a marked departure from the cool and collected facade he had displayed on entering.​

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"Regardless, the reason I have come here is simple." He reached in the confines of his cloak and produced a single lightsaber, tossing it down onto the ground at the Grandmaster's back. ​

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"I want to see how hard you will fight to deny your impulses."​

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Elise ​

 

[Elise]

Elise's shoulders tensed as the sound of metal clattered behind her, braced for more pain. None came. She took a deep breath, too weary to care that the facade had broken for a slight moment. She was to take this all a step at a time. Blood drained back into her neck as she made her shoulders relax.

She could feel his eyes on her. The sound of his clothing shifting added a layer of tension as he kneeled at her level.

The weight of his attention burned holes through her, but she did not shift. One step at a time. The Grandmaster had returned to Adriana Fortemps horrifically damaged. She had no recollection of the times proceeding each vicious session worked on her. She only knew she came to a little more healed than when she had gone down. Despite this, her body ached, his attention creating phantom pains for the future she could not shake.

She did not turn around, his request ringing through her. Fight him.

It was so ludicrous-- so inane-- she couldn't help the crazed laughter that fell from her lips. "My impulse is for peace. To use diplomacy over violence. I do not pick up a saber. There is always another way." She tilted her head, revealing the barest shape of her cheek and jawline as she uttered softly.

"Looks can be deceiving."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

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He did not react to her refusal of his demand, his face an impassive mask of indifference while his eyes blazed with intense heat. He rose from where he had been crouching, leaving the lightsaber he had deposited still laying where it had fallen, and walked towards the door.​

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Then he stopped about a meter away from it, his back turned to Elise, and with a subtle nudge of his hand the door opened and a body was yanked through by an invisible force. ​

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Hand flashing out like a viper, the Dark Lord of the Sith coiled his powerful fingers around the throat of a young woman, who grasped futilely at the hand which throttled her. Turning her entire body around to face the Silver Grandmaster, the Emperor spoke with an even monotone rumble; "I presume you know who this is, Grandmaster. "​

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The Dark Lord's hand squeezed a little tighter, and the girl's face flushed with purple as her airway tightened considerably.​

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"You tell yourself that you are an advocate for peace, but how long can you maintain such a facade as the life fades from poor Nida Perl's eyes? If you wish her to leave, you merely have to pick up the blade and strike me down."​

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Elise | Nida Perl ​

 

[Nida Perl]

The Emperor had been nothing if not kind to her.

Confusion and loneliness clouded Nida’s natural senses for deception. Having been ripped from everything and everyone familiar, Carnifex was a monument of stability for her. Not only was he the highest power in The Sith Empire, but he was also her true father. He’d been moved to tears at the prospect of retrieving his long-lost daughter, even showing her a sense of familial affection.

If it was all lies, then Nida didn’t want to know. His company was one of the few aspects of this strange new life that brought her comfort, and she desperately wanted to do good in his eyes.

Before she’d been brought into Elise’s cell, The Emperor had calmly explained his expectations to her. The Grandmaster had no idea of Nida’s turning, and so they needed to create a theatrical moment that would bid Elise to Carnifex’s will. It would be an opportunity to prove her loyalty.

Nida gasped and choked as Kaine’s hand constricted around her throat. Her hands, far smaller in comparison, tugged at the fingers squeezing her neck to no avail, keenly aware that her windpipe could be crushed with only a smidge more pressure. Even though it was an act, everything was real. The panic signals rushing through her body were real. The wide-eyed alarm and flailing of her legs were real. The hand around her neck was real.

The pleading look she gave Elise was very real.

Darth Carnifex | Elise​

 

[Elise]

Elise's mind froze over, the new presence filling her. She knew who entered before he even spoke her name. Nida Perl. The padawan had often worked under her instruction and care amongst the Halls of Healing. Elise oversaw the welfare of many of the temple's padawan, but it was the healers she tended to the most.

NIda's fear pulsated around the space, drawing cold horror from the grandmaster that sat with her back to the sith lord at the entrance. "No," she breathed, disbelief cracking her composure. How did the girl get here? The answer reached her at once, flooding through her with a flash of guilt. She knew exactly how the padawan's life became laid down beside hers, and it started with a rescue attempt that haunted her dreams. Elise couldn't think through the horror that stilled her thoughts. She had accepted the inevitability of her death down here. She had found peace in surrendering to the force. If this was her destiny, then so be it.

But Nida would not die for her choices.

The saber whipped through the air, snapping into the Grandmaster's hands. The weapon felt foreign and unfamiliar, it's energy an old friend that she had vowed to never use again. The vow was broken, the saber pulsing to life with a warm, blue hum. She turned, the force flooding her weary limbs and imparting newfound strength as she swept to her feet. In a heart beat-- just one pump of blood rushing through Nida Perl's body-- the Master was armed and standing.

In that spare moment they were both meet by a set of murky blue eyes. Elise's vision had been lost to Darth Prazutis 's hand, but she was not without sight. She lunged forward, the saber twisting in a single, decisive arc meant to remove the wrist that choked Her Padawan.

"Enough!"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Grandmaster's weapon swung soundly through the air, plasma blade buzzing with crackling energy, to cut cleanly through the flesh connecting the Emperor's hand to the rest of his arm. Flesh parted with a sizzling hiss, bone instantly vitrified as the blade continued onward until nothing remained where it had passed.​

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Nida fell, the Emperor's hand still clutched her throat, to the floor with a clatter. ​

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The Emperor still stood, arm outstretched, his eyes having followed Elise's rise and lunge. His face was placid, immobile, as if he hadn't even been struck at all. His eyes remained fixated on the Silver Grandmaster as the hand which still throttled Nida relinquished it's vice-grip and began to crawl rapidly across the floor, each finger moving independently like those of a spider, until it crawled itself up the Emperor's gargantuan frame. Reaching out with his still-attached hand, the Emperor grasped his errant lobbed off extremity and gingerly positioned it against his cauterized stump. ​

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He twisted his hand around the wound once, twice, and then let go. The once dismembered hand was now reattached to the Emperor's arm, the flesh seamlessly mended as if nothing had even cut through it.​

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"You amuse me, Grandmaster. I had assumed that it would take more to goad you into violence, but you exceeded my expectations."​

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Elise | Nida Perl ​

 

[Elise]

Elise ignored the taunting words of the sith lord, the saber falling from her hands as she reached out to catch the padawan. He was sick. As if she would have waited a second longer for the life to start bleeding out of Nida. She knew he meant his words. She knew exactly what would have resulted from her hesitation.

There was no choice to be made.

The woman's fragile frame caught Nida, her hands reaching to tear off the severed limb. She could feel the corruption in the hand, fueling it with life that shouldn't be possible. She tossed it away, pulling them both backwards and while simultaneously trying to place Nida at her back. Murky blue eyes jumped erratically around as Elise strained to sense the next threat. Darkness flooded the room, dampening the subtle warnings of the force or signs of danger.

There was danger was everywhere.

Her chest rose and fell in rapid puffs, the blind Grandmaster holding her ground.

"Leave the child out of this. Your issues are with me."

 

[Nida Perl]

Her vision had been narrowing to a pinhole when Elise’s saber cauterized a path through the Emperor’s wrist, severing the limb with frightening ease. Nida wasn’t particularly close to the woman, but the Grandmaster had supervised her on a number of occasions in the capacity of a healer. It was easy to forget that Elise had the capacity to wield the skill of a Jedi Master in combat.

Nida fell to the floor, but the pressure on her neck did not let up. Kaine’s hand was frozen around her throat, maintaining the aggressive pressure that starved her brain for oxygen and caused her vision to twinkle dangerously. Suddenly, the limb was torn from her neck and tossed away. It then proceeded to skitter its way back to its owner, where it was reattached like screwing in a light bulb.

The Zeltron didn’t have to fabricate her abject terror and confusion, skootching aware from Elise and to a corner of the cell that would afford her the most distance from the two titanic powers. She was instinctively grateful for Elise’s aid, but her eyes flashed a brief look of affection towards her father. He certainly wouldn’t have killed her, right?

Nida hoped she had done well by him, lest his kindness towards her run dry.

Darth Carnifex | Elise

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Nida had performed her part perfectly, the fear that etched itself across her face was more than genuine. ​

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"My business is with all Jedi, Grandmaster. To finally tear down your decrepit order."​

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His leg swung out like a viper's bite, boot rushing forward to connect squarely with Elise's midsection and send her sprawling across the cell floor and into the nearest wall. The Emperor did not follow up with another strike, letting his leg naturally lower back to the floor. ​

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"How long have the Jedi been the controlling interest in the galaxy? Thousands of years? And look at what you have squandered with your power, the chance to right the galaxy, and bring order to all worlds. You should have seized control, but you were too weak. The Sith will not make that mistake, Grandmaster, when our time comes we will reshape the galaxy."​

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He looked over towards where the lightsaber had fallen, a feral glint in his eye.​

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"Unless you can take up that weapon and strike me down with all of your hatred. Only then will you prevent everything that will happen by my hand."​

Nida Perl | Elise

 

[Elise]

Elise collided into the cell wall, her spine arching as the half-healed wounds from Darth Prazutis screamed out in pain. Memories of what he had done echoed forward, vivid behind her unseeing eyes. The smell of sulfur assaulted her, the heat of that dessert hell smothering her lungs. For a moment, it was as if she was back there. She rolled onto her stomach, grounding herself against the cell floor. Just a memory, she coaxed, breathing through primal fear as she forced herself to stand.

It was done.

Adrenaline spiked through her. She leaned heavily into the wall. "You want me to crack," she whispered, breathing deep and slow as she tried to calm her mind. "You think I'm toy." She lifted herself straight and adjusted her feet, strengthening her stance. The cell was cold against the bare skin. She let that ground her too. "That if you just push the right buttons, I'll respond the way you want. Like one of your little machines." Her attention flickered to the saber. He thought it was harmless. He wanted her to play. He thought he could handle her.


It crossed her mind that through his confidence, he had overlooked its other use.

They were keeping her alive for a reason. All it took was a single choice, and she could twart them even now. The decision was made in a split moment, acceptance found with the sacrifice she was prepared to make. They were keeping her alive for a reason.

She wouldn't give it to them.

Her knuckles turned white as she the force wrapped around the saber, jerking it to her palm.

And then the padawan whimpered.

Her expression contorted, the hilt twisting end over as she caught it. It's blade sparked to life, the deadly glow pointed at him. "I will not be played."

She dropped to one knee, the force surging around her as she struck at the ground. Energy rippled out from her palm, billowing out in an attempt to lock everything into force stasis.

Darth Carnifex Nida Perl

 

[Nida Perl]

The exchange was hard to witness.

It was difficult to shake her attachment and respect for Elise, difficult to see the Grandmaster she’d looked up to in so much pain.

Nida squeezed her eyes shut, praying to no avail for a quick end.

Just give in. Do as he says.

She’d never be as strong as Elise.

Her eyes slid towards her father, rubbing at the marks around her neck and reminding herself that she didn’t have to be. That was not to be her path, not after how the Jedi had twisted her mind and her life.

Nida squeezed her eyes shut, tucking her chin into her knees as the force stasis rippled over her. It was a familiar sensation, a tool she’d become proficient in, yet did not fight. Nida succumbed, frozen in the corner of the cell as a living statue of fear and casualty.

Darth Carnifex | Elise