Private New Horizons

[Del]

New Horizons​

Location: Morellia
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Darth Insatious

---​

She was disappointed by the initial response. I kind but definitive 'Not right now'. Still, she held no ill-will towards Morr and tried to hide her disappointment while offering him a smile and a nod "I understand" she said softly as the energy shield powered up and locked her in. But then he gave her some more encouraging news. The smile she wore on her lips quickly brightened as it grew in sincerity. But a quick thought blasted through her mind - Morr was just a Lieutenant and he was going to ask the 'Lord' for something just for her sake. Hesitantly, she raised her hand and let out a few careful words "J-just don't put yourself in any danger."

Soon, he started walking away. Delphine stayed close to the barrier, trying to listen to the tap of his boots for as long as she could as the sound that stemmed from them slowly faded as he got farther and farther away.

Before, they had always pushed her to the limit. They always trained her until she was a bloodied and beaten. And as soon as she recovered, they would quickly send her back to the training area, giving her little free time. In a way it had been fortunate, seeing how she dealt rather poorly with the isolation and hated the nightmares. Still, it felt a bit unusual to have free time when she wasn't physically broken. For a bit of time, she practiced some dance sequences. It was hard for her not to notice that she was a little bit rusty but an untrained eye wouldn't have noticed a thing. However, she also noticed that her agility and stamina had improved significantly since having been put through the brutal training against the annoying serial numbers.

Eventually, she heard a coarse voice from outside of the energy shield. Her eyebrows furrowed while she produced a confused but amused smirk. 'New meat' - it was ridiculous, considering for how long that Delphine had been there. But then, it sounded like she might be new meat in relation to how old the woman was - for judging by her voice, she had to be quite a bit older than the athlete.

"H-hi?" she spoke with careful hesitation - albeit with traces of enthusiasm. "I'm Delphine." The girl quickly became quiet upon hearing the guard in the distance, thinking that her time in 'freedom' was over. But then the woman started to speak again. Making herself small, the athlete came close to the energy barrier where the voice came from. "It is amazing to hear someone who isn't here to kill or train me" she said, feeling genuinely excited - not for a moment thinking that it might be a ruse like the old man from before.

"What are you here for? I have no idea why they brought me in, but they keep putting me up against these guys with practice blades." she said, quickly sharing what was happening to her as if she was talking to a friend. She soft smile grew on her lips "Maybe you've seen they carry me back here from the medbay?" A chuckle escaped her as she half-joked "The practice blades hurt a lot"

 

[Darth Insatious]

New ~ Horizons
Tag: Del | Location: Morellia

"Delphine, you say? Well, a pleasure to meet you" greeted Delphine's neighbour.

"Trust me, the last thing I want to do is fight or kill anyone" expressed Tyrialla with a dry but short laugh.

Delphine's neighbour grew quiet for a few seconds before she spoke again. "I stole an artefact from that insane Sith Lord long, long ago... Can't even remember how long I've been here" explained Tyrialla with a bit of an ironic chuckle. A light 'thud' could be heard through the wall as Tyrialla most likely leaned against her own wall.

"Oh, the clones? Yeah, a mean bunch, the lots. Used to come down here and threaten me with all kinds of horrible torture. At some point, you grow a certain numbness to their childish threats" explained Tyrialla with a shrug despite Delphine not seeing her do it. "A yet you lived through it with your optimism. That's survival hon"

A small pause ensued again before Delphine's neighbour spoke again. "I doubt I'll ever leave this cell, but it sounds like this Sith has plans for you, or else he wouldn't be spending time having his lapdogs training you, but that's just my theory. Speak of Carnifex, I think you're getting a visitor" pointed Tyrialla out before getting quiet in her own cell.

True enough, Lieutenant Morr's knee-high officer boots could be heard clicking as he approached her cell along with the heavy footsteps of the two Death Troopers. Surprisingly, the fact that not too much time had passed from when he left her in her cell, meant progress of some kind, had happened. The familiar face of the Lieutenant appeared in front of the cell, depowering the door of the cell.

"Lord Insatious wishes you speak with you in person" explained the young officer and waited for Delphine to exit the cell. The Lieutenant was weirdly distant in his voice and what little friendship Delphine might have gained seemed to be gone. Lieutenant Morr had raised his walls and looked like any other officer Delphine had met while arriving against her will. It was as if something had happened.

Once Delphine exited the cell, she was led away from the prison and her neighbour as Delphine soon found herself walking the same cold and sterile hallways passing often crew or soldiers posted on the large ship. However, unlike when she first arrived, at least she had some decent clothing on, instead of a bathing suit.

Standing once again in front of the large blast door leading into the stone entire room, Lieutenant Morr entered, leading Delphine towards the other door on the opposite side. As the other blast door opened, Delphine would find herself in a small hallway with an interior exactly the large square-shaped room.

At the end of the hallway, another blast door stood looming over them all. However, unlike before, Lieutenant Morr stopped and turned to face Delphine, "Insatious awaits, only you are allowed to enter" explained Lieutenant Morr, clearly showing worry in his eyes, while keeping his face straight and neutral.

Upon walking through the last set of blast doors, Delphine would find herself in a rather simple interior for a room. No throne, no death pit, not torturing souls strapped to some horrible torture table or anything else horrible she could come up with. Instead, what she saw, was a room with the same metallic walls and floor as the rest of the Star Destroyer's rooms. No trophies hanging on the walls, just a lot of various shapes and sizes spread out around the room. However, what did make the room stand out, was the stuff on the tables while hard to see from where Delphine, but it was clearly important stuff.

And lastly, she would find Insatious, in his dusty grey robes, hood down, leaning over one of his tables doing something Delphine couldn't see what was. "Ah, welcome my dear" greeted Insatious with a kind elderly voice, standing up from his leaned position to face Delphine. "I hear your progression has gone by well" expressed the Sith Lord with a satisfying smile.

 

[Del]

New Horizons​

Location: Morellia
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Darth Insatious

---​

This other prisoner, this Tyrialla, was quite the chatterbox. Delphine listened to the woman speak and share her story - it was hard to blame her for being so chattery - they were, after all, kept in isolation. Her brows raised slightly upon hearing that the woman had managed to steal something from their captor. It was a sign that he was beatable. At least for a time - eventually, he had to have won, seeing as she was now a prisoner. "What did you steal?" she asked, letting the curiosity linger in her voice, inviting the woman to share more than just a short one-word reply.

"Clones?!" her surprised voice rung a little too loudly, causing her to cast a fearful glance out of the energy field to see if they were noticed by the guards. Thankfully, it seemed like they were still unheard. The pieces of the puzzle was starting to come together as she allowed the thought of their nature to sink in. It explained why they were so similar in everything from appearance to voice to demeanour. It also made her realise how much resources this Insatious Lord guy had. Cloning wasn't even something which the big galactic powers did. Yet he appeared to posses both the technology and means to do it. Her mind didn't linger on it for long however - for the woman kept talking. "You must be one tough cookie" she said with a hint of a smile on her lips as she thought of how real their threats had felt when they had beaten her up during training "I consider myself lucky when they overestimate me and accidentally knock me out early" she said, half-jokingly as there was a high degree of truth to it too.

The chance to respond to Tyrialla's theories never came. Instead, the familiar clicking of Morr's boots could be heard approaching. "Don't compare him to that monster" she muttered quietly - more for herself than for the ears of her new acquaintance. Her face lit up as the Lieutenant arrived followed by a quick bow of the head "Hello Lieutenant Morr"

The smile that had begun to grow on her lips soon faded a little as she saw his demeanour. It was almost as if he was a different person. He was wearing a mask and he was bringing bad news. Some really bad news. Her eyes looked up to him for help but she received nothing in return. Instead, she was simply to follow him through the ship. Her eyes went to the other cells and the prisoners in them as they moved through the long corridors until they reached the warm room where she had met the old man. She regretted coming unarmed - it was a regret that surprised her. Before her capture, she had never even tried to do violence onto someone for real - now, she almost felt battle tested. She felt as if carrying a sword or staff made her safer.

Once more, her eyes went wide as she entered the room. Almost greedily, she observed the runes and inscriptions in the walls. Memories of how the comfortably warm room had snapped into an eerie cold as the walls came closer came back to her mind - but it was not something that made her all too concerned. For compared to the pains that the clones had inflicted on her, that was barely something that registered on the threat register.

When they arrived by the second set of doors that lead into the corridor, she looked up at Morr. She knew him by now. At least enough to read his face. She could see that he was still putting up a business mask. And she could see that he was concerned - even if he didn't quite want it to show. Until now, he had been her protector but it was clear from the way he behaved that he wouldn't be able to protect her now. Her eyes ventured over to the large door at the opposite end of the corridor. It was daunting. Then her gaze switched back to the officer. She forced herself to produce a smile - to be brave in the face of the unknown threat that loomed beyond. "Thank you, Lieutenant Morr."

She then walked to the large door, letting her eyes study the intricate walls as she did.

Once inside, her gaze once more curiously studied her surroundings. Observing whatever there was to observe had helped her so far. There was no reason to stop now. Soon, the elder spoke. He didn't seem particularly evil just like that. Humble surroundings. Humble clothing. A kindly old voice. She looked to him - he was just some old guy. But deep inside, she could feel it. He was anything but 'just some old guy'.

"Uhh, thank you... lord" she said, unsure of how to speak to him or how to address him. She straightened her back and clasped her hands behind her back, similar to - but a bit more relaxed than - if she were standing on guard. She would not move deeper into the room unless prompted to do so. "I am glad that, uh, you think so." she said, still not sure on whether she should add in a 'lord' somewhere or not. "Sooooo" she said, drawing the word out as she considered whether to say it or not. But what was there to loose? "Those plans you had for me - and the family bonding time. What happened to that?" she said, trying - but failing - to slap some charm onto the obvious nervousness she displayed as she asked the - perhaps - overly friendly question.

 

[Darth Insatious]

New ~ Horizons
Tag: Del | Location: Morellia

"Don't be shy, young one. I'm not going to do anything to you" reassured the elderly looking man by the table. He had a very accommodating and warm smile, giving the sense of being nothing but a grandpa speaking with his granddaughter. Even though Delphine knew what this Sith was capable of, she felt no dread, not malice and most of all, she felt no cold void being near him.

A smile spread across his wrinkled face of his when she mentioned the 'family bonding time'. If Delphine hadn't moved deeper into the room, she would feel an invisible hand start to actually push her deeper into the room until she found herself in the middle of it. However, if she willingly moved away from the door and closer to Insatious, the Sith Lord wouldn't have used the force to pull her closer.

"You see, your training has only just begun, my dear. The Subject-TCs has done admirable work on you, even managed to find your hidden potential in the Force!" explained Insatious with such a passion it was hard to not get affected by his excitement. Raising his hand, every single table was lifted just a foot or two above the floor and gently pushed back, forming a self-made circle.

"It's time to begin on the next step of your training, my dear" stated the Elderly looking Sith and the door that she had entered suddenly opened, with Lieutenant Morr entering. His face showed no emotions, standing with his hands crossed behind his back, feet positioned into a salute. "My Lord, My Lady" greeted Lieutenant Morr's professionally.

Walking away from Delphine again, as such he had Delphine on his right and Morr on his left. Without removing his eyes from Delphine, Insatious with a snap raised his hand shoulder height in an open-palmed grasping hand position. Immediately Lieutenant Morr's rose from the floor, floating just a few feet above the floor, gasping for air, right before Delphine's eyes. Even while being choked, Lieutenant Morr fought a brave fight in keeping his professionalism, but it was a losing battle and the cracks quickly found their way onto his face.

Insatious didn't even look at his officer, giving Delphine a curious look. "Imagine my surprise, when I received your progress that you managed to shatter Subject-TC16's arm with the force with Fear" explained Insatious, slowly closing his open palm, causing Lieutenant Morr to gasp even more desperately for air, kicking his legs in a failed attempt to find the ground.

"Oh, this is exacting" expressed the old man with an also giddiness to his voice. "Your real training is starting now. Your first lesson is to use your fear to stop me, or young Lieutenant Morr here will die. It's as simple as that" explained Insatious as he started to slowly close his hand, giving a rather clear signal to Delphine that if Insatious' hand turned into a fist, the Lieutenant would die. It was rather clear that Insatious used Lieutenant Morr as an example to force Delphine to delve deep into her darkness of Fear to save the one person she had grown to like.

 

[Del]

New Horizons​

Location: Morellia
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Darth Insatious

---​

She gulped hard. Trust was not something he had earned and thus, the promises of not 'doing anything to her' fell on unbelieving ears. Still, she nodded - while she did not trust him, she did fear him. And that was enough to make her feign agreement. Still, he seemed kind and harmless enough for the time being. Until he reached out through the force to pull her closer - showing that he had power to move her entire being without moving a finger himself. Delphine clenched her jaw, trying to supress a shiver whilst also avoiding to show too much weakness.

Insatious continued speaking, both praising the clone and explaining that he had further plans for her. Even more training. Delphine didn't understand - why her? Why was the Sith Lord so keen on training her? She was nothing special and even if he managed to make a warrior out of her, she didn't owe him any loyalty. Why would he spend so much time and resources on that? This time, she allowed herself to ask the question "But why? Why m-" she didn't manage to complete the question when the doors suddenly swooshed open, revealing Lieutenant Morr in the doorway. Her heart immediately sank - normally, she saw him as a saviour - but next to Insatious, he might become her attacker. Or vice versa.

The officer would be met with fearful eyes. The fear was briefly - very briefly - replaced with surprise as he called her 'My Lady'. In another situation, she might have blushed but in this context, it only made her concerned of what he knew that she did not. Before she could truly comprehend what was happening, Insatious had position himself between his two subjects. And then, he reached out through the force once more. Delphine gasped - if she had not been so drenched in fear for her one and only ally, she would have exclaimed a clear No!. Almost paralysed, she only managed to produce a no-sounding gasp before bringing both hands up to cover her open mouth.

Her mind was quickly processing all that was happening. This was his idea of training? He had to be insane. He was insane. He was definitely insane.

"No" she said from behind her hands, her voice small and eyes pleading. Yet the Sith continued "No, please. Stop." her voice started to sound more agitated and her hands clasped together. "Please, stop. I will train, just don't kill him. Please!" she begged. Time was quickly running out as the Lord's grasp grew tighter. She continued pleading and begging for the Lieutenant's life - increasingly helpless and desperate. Tears started slowly rolling down her cheeks as she fell down onto her knees. But it only continued.

Turmoil. She didn't know what to think or what to say or what to do. Nothing seemed to help. Unknowingly, she reached out through the force. The tables he had moved into a circle around them started to rumble until they floated off of the ground along with other loose objects in the room. Large floor panels, lamps and ventilation shafts started to rumble until some were ripped off from their fixed positions and others started to show signs of being force crushed. A few consoles started to spark and electricity bounced between a few of the ceiling lamps. Even Insatious would feel something pull by him - not nearly strong enough to truly affect him - but still, it was there. Soon, the tables, glass canisters, datapads and other objects started to spin in a wide circle around them.

Delphine was not truly thinking. She was displaying raw, unrefined power. It was not controlled and not disciplined. Her mind went back to how Morr had been with her throughout her time at Insatious' complex and how he had saved her from the blasted clones. She cared for him and did not want him to be hurt. It was all that her fear allowed her to think of - not wanting to loose him. Soon, the spinning objects would increase in speed. From time to time, she would lose control of an object, causing it to be spit out and flung out across the room, sometimes crashing violently against a wall. But as the situation became more dire for Morr, the circle would become smaller. Suddenly, a table would be snatched out from the tornado-like phenomenon. It would come crashing down on Insatious. For as long as Morr was still in danger, more and more objects would be ripped out from the tornado and thrown at the Sith Lord.

 

[Darth Insatious]

New ~ Horizons
Tag: Del | Location: Morellia

Seeing Delphine falter more and more into despair upon seeing Lieutenant gasping for air. An almost statistic gleam in his eyes shine ever brighter as he felt the Dark Side push its claw deeper into Delphine. the Sith Lord didn't even look away from Delphine, almost studying the girl's rapid changing expression and emotions washed over the girl's face.

The smirking smile only spread, seeing the wind building into a storm of raw, unrefined power, ready to be honed into a weapon of emotional torture. Insatious withheld the last bit of centimetres from forming his hand into a fist and killing the Lieutenant but would let fear overpower Delphine. Even when things started to fling at him at greater and great speed, the Sith Lord slapped items out of harm's way.

After maybe a minute of what must have been an unimaginable torturous moment in Delphine's life, Insatious released his hold around Lieutenant's throat, letting him fall with a heavy 'thud' on the floor. The man coughed heavily as his body could finally accept air into his lungs.

While Insatious showed great satisfaction in causing Delphine to open the gate more and more to the Dark Side of the Force, he wasn't stupid and was ready for any sort of retaliation from the girl. However, if Delphine actually dropped her tornado-like phenomenon, the joyful smile felt ever-present on the man.

Walking over to Delphine, standing obliquely to, he looked down at her. "Raise Lieutenant Morr" spoke the Sith Lord in a shocking turn of events as Insatious studied Delphine's face for a reaction of betrayal or any other type of negative emotion. With a bit of struggle wheezing, having just returned his ability to breath again, despite it all, Lieutenant Morr rose from the floor.

"Yes... My Lord" spoke Lieutenant Morr finally, standing salute with arms down along the sides of his body. Despite standing salute and showcasing his absolute loyalty to the insane Sith Lord, it was clear that it all had been Insatious' plan and that Morr wasn't exactly happy by the event that had just unfolded.

 

[Del]

New Horizons​

Location: Morellia
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Darth Insatious

---​

Morr had survived, but Delphine had failed. She had seen how Insatious had simply bashed the projectiles away. While she knew that he whirlwind of objects flying about was her doing, she had no idea on how to control it - it all happened naturally. But she had not been able to force his hand. He had simply chosen to put her through massive fear and then sparing him. As soon as she saw Morr fall, her heart sank and the space within the whirlwind grew tighter. But then, the officer started coughing as he could once more breathe properly. Suddenly, it was as if the force that had controlled the whirlwind released its grip. Instead of going around in a circle, the objects were all tossed out at the same time. Unless stopped, most of it would be flung into walls and other fixed objects, causing massive damage to the room.

The girl wanted to rush forth to check on the Lieutenant, but as she started to move, she could feel how an invisible force was holding her back. The Lord probably had other plans. Her eyes wandered to Insatious who was frustratingly satisfied. He was coming closer. Her form was dwarfed in comparison to his but the power difference between them was far greater than what the physical realm indicated. Her mind was not on vengeance - she was extremely well aware of how futile it would be. Instead, it was on how to avoid similar situations in the future. And striking him now clearly was not the path there. Instead, appeasing him until the right moment came seemed smarter.

Her gaze left Insatious as he spoke to Morr. She studied the man with concerned eyes and let out a sigh of relief when he seemed to be alright. Or at least as alright as he could be, all things considered. When their eyes would eventually meet - even if it was just briefly - she would flash a smile that disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. He was safe and she was glad for that. Still, she was standing face to face with the Sith Lord who was basically hovering above her. Looking back to Insatious, she first sucked her lips in to form a narrow line before finally speaking with a careful tone "I hope my performance was satisfactory" She was trying to appease him and used a respectful tone - leaving out 'my lord' was a result of her nervousness rather than any real intent on slighting him.

 

[Darth Insatious]

New ~ Horizons
Tag: Del | Location: Morellia

For the next couple of months, Delphine would find herself be put through some very rigorous training exercises. However, unlike the clones, Delphine would actually get real lectures and lessons, granted, they were still brutal. Delphine would often return to her cell, still bruised and wounded, but nowhere near death, weirdly enough. She was almost instantly thrown into lightsaber training with training sabres, but instead of Insatious just beating her half to death and then sending her to the medical wing, he would critique and teach her lessons she messed up.

Insatious wasn't afraid to hurt Delphine badly, but he didn't do it for no reason, but to teach Delphine. Each time Delphine failed to meet Insatious' expectations. The worse punishment Delphine would face, was something broken, either by landing wrongly or hitting the surface too hard, but that would quickly be regular pain to be expected after months of training.

Her nightmares never left her and sometimes, she would even get glimpses of illusions of the nightmares in her cell.

Lieutenant was also not to be seen anywhere for the time she spent training with Insatious, having only the two Death Troopers to keep her company on getting from and to places. Besides the Death Troopers, she also had her neighbour cellmate, ever the chatty type when the opportunity arrived.

While Delphine wouldn't get a chance to see Lieutenant or even knew where he was, her request apparently got through. One day, after getting dropped off by her silent guards to her cell, she would find a metal desk with a single chair beside it. On top of the desk, she would actually find reading materials, though probably not the materials she was used to.

Upon looking through all her gifted books by Insatious himself most likely, she would find books about the Dark Side, philosophy of the Sith and the Sith Code. There were multiple books on the Sith language, the origin behind the Sith and Sith language. There were even texts on how to construct her own Holocron and lightsaber. But most of all, she would find a book that placed the Jedi and their teachings in a completely negative light and all the horrible things they had done throughout the entire recorded galactic history.

 

[Del]

New Horizons​

Location: Morellia
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Darth Insatious

---​

The training that followed was rigorous, disciplined, harsh even. But it was not brutal - at least not compared to what it had been so far. She had despised the clones. In a way, she still did. They annoyed her and it always felt like they hated her. It wasn't just them giving her a tough time - they wanted her to suffer. To end all training sessions as a destroyed wreck, fearful and in pain. Most of the time, they succeeded. Insatious however, he was different. He was not a kind teacher, far from it. He allowed her to feel pain and make mistakes. She would be hurt and injured but not unnecessarily so. In away, he reminded me of he swim instructor and one of her favourite dance teachers - for in the end, his focus seemed to be on her growth.

There was nothing selfish in his actions - at least not from her point of view. He did not grow stronger from training her. Nobody was forcing him to do it like he had forced the clones. She felt no real loyalty to him so he wasn't even expanding his own influence. It made her question how she perceived him - annoyingly some of the resentment she held towards him from the horrors he had inflicted on her trainer and herself started to fade as it made way for a weary sense of respect. This was far from voluntary, however, as she knew that he was a bad person. A killer and a kidnapper.

She was an athlete. Someone used to arduous training sessions, discipline and perfecting a form, whether it be a dance sequence or other motions. It made her uniquely well suited at receiving his training to the point where she even practiced on her own in her cell. This, of course, would be paused at times as she also allowed herself to chat with her neighbour, even if those talks started to become more sparse the more she trained. The same was true for Lieutenant Morr whom she missed a great deal in the early stages - but in the end, she started to find that his protection wasn't all that important to her. She was surviving despite his absence and with time, her focus shifted more and more to the training. To becoming the best she could be.

What she was less well suited at handling was the continuing nightmares. The good memories of her family and friends were starting to become corrupted. Instead of fond celebrations and visits to the park, she now started to mix them up with the contents of the nightmares. It made her despise sleeping and ruined her mood after waking up.

Upon returning to her cell one day, she would find a bunch of books inside. It was a rather outdated and inefficient way to store information. She associated it with either rich snobs like her parents or people archeologist-types. Belonging to the former category, she felt a certain sense of nostalgia upon seeing them. While being somewhat skeptical of the contents, she was intrigued enough to start reading through them. It was her first exposure to the Sith teachings intellectually - in practice, she had experienced them first hand during her time with Insatious. While skeptical towards them, she did slowly but surely start buying into their teachings whilst also becoming more hesitant about the Jedi. While this didn't close her rather open mind, it did make her lean more towards the teachings of the dark side.

 

[Darth Insatious]

New ~ Horizons
Tag: Del | Location: Morellia

Her introduction to Sith knowledge, Sith teachings and the Sith Code, was all carefully nurtured and controlled to show it in the best possible light. Each time Delphine would read about the Sith doing something horrible or awful, it was always presented as the better alternative to what the Jedi would have done. Even the Dark Side of the Force was portrayed as something personal to strive towards and aspire for. It would be very easy to compare it to personal goals within training and sport, which didn't really stand out as something evil or corrupt.

Ultimately, the Dark Side and the Sith Code was like training towards a new personal best and having the freedom to gain those new heights and one had to be willing to take the steps to reach it.

Furthermore, Delphine would also learn about the extinction of the Sith race at the hands of the Jedi or how the Jedi takes babies away from their parents to indoctrinate the children.

Insatious would also at some point, as Del had gotten enough time to learn enough to test her knowledge. As they would train, he would ask her questions, some easy, others hard.

An easy question and the first question Delphine always had to repeat at the beginning of their training sessions, was the Sith Code. "Repeat The Sith Code" requested Insatious, often in a very friendly tone, but the tone would quickly switch to harsh if she got any question wrong. Especially since her punishment for getting things wrong, was a pain, but quickened electrocution by lightning from Insatious himself.

Sometimes Insatious liked to switch it up a bit and requested her to repeat certain pillars from The Code itself. "Repeat the fifth pillar the Code for me" and if she got it wrong, punishment by quick electrocution and then a disapproval lecture where she got things wrong.

To make things even harder for the poor girl, was the fact that Insatious also taught his granddaughter Sith, as in the language, explaining that there were strong properties of Dark Side Magic in knowing the original practitioners of the art. It might not be the most pleasant way to learn a language, but the constant reminder, when she got something wrong, force her to learn the correct pronunciation or grammar.

Among other things Delphine would find herself being taught, was lightsaber forms, not to mention reading materials on the different styles. As time when on Delphine would be able to recognise the different combat styles just by how Insatious would stand and swing his blade at her. Not only that, but whether she would notice or not, she would almost certainly pick up a style herself.

Sooner or later she would hit a point where the Sith language felt so common to her, that she would maybe not fluently speak it, but be able to actually speak it without problems. She would also get ample time to hone and grow to her preferred combat style.

As time passed, it was hard to pinpoint what day it was or how much time had actually passed. For a long time, the only person she would see, was her grandfather Insatious and his dreadful soldiers, Death Troopers. Though she wasn't completely alone as she had her neighbour to talk to when she was back in her cell.

One day, which wasn't a particularly special day, Delphine would find herself in her cell, with reasonably new education material, that a familiar voice could be heard by her energy powered cell door. "Miss Parvall" spoke the calm and professional voice of Lieutenant Morr.

By now, Delphine hadn't really seen or heard back from the Lieutenant in a long time. He looked like himself, though maybe a bit more weathered. He had a small scar visible on his chin, probably from some type of cut. "Miss Parvall. My Lord wishes to speak with you on the bridge, if you please, follow me" requested Lieutenant Morr ever the professional and loyal man to Delphine's grandfather. Flanking the Lieutenant stood the two clad in black Death Troopers with long capes, looking similar and yet different from the ones guarding her.

With a push of a button, the energy shield powered down and with a hand gesture for Delphine to follow him, he would start to lead Delphine to the bridge of the ship she had stayed on for the entire time.

 

[Del]

New Horizons​

Location: Morellia
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Darth Insatious

---​

She had never been opposed to learning. It was certainly a lot less fun than training or being with friends - but it was not that bad either. At least that is what she had thought until she experienced what Insatious put her through. The girl was far from daft. In fact, she had a good head on her shoulders. But learning the history of the Sith and the evils of the Jedi was not easy and with Insatious' rapidly and dramatically shifting temperament, it was quite the fear induced challenge. But then, the fear she held of him and his wrath was a good motivating factor. It made her double her efforts and learn at a rather rapid rate. The fact that sleeping was a rather horrendous experience helped in that department. For most of the time, studying or training was preferable. Over time, she came to associate failures in following the Darth's instructions with pain - at times worse than what she would suffer during a normal training session.

Some lessons did really stick with her. The young athlete did feel bad for the Sith species. Wiping them out really did highlight the hypocrisy of the Jedi. Of course, it was hard to fact check the truth of what she was taught considering the circumstances she was in - but it did seem rather convincing. Such a massive event in history was hard to falsify. Right? Regardless, her sympathies for the species also made her more fascinated with their history and culture as well as their language. It was one of the topics which she showed more eagerness in learning.

The lightsabre forms fascinated her. It was something which she would study to a great extent. Her interest and background as an athlete made her all the more enticed to practice them. When given some free time, she would try to learn a bit from all of the different forms. She was far from an expert but it gave her a good base of understanding a duel. Over time, Delphine would become more and more focused on a nimble variant of Niman - the sixth lightsabre form. She had a particular emphasis on the elements incorporated from Ataru.

While the Death Troopers did have a rather terrifying appearance, Delphine was getting used to them. Unlike the clones, they were predictable and loyal. They never got any tantrums and would never lay a finger on her lest commanded to do so.

Her attachment to people like the woman in the cell next to hers started to warp. Delphine enjoyed her company - but ultimately, she was not important. Their talks made her realise that the woman couldn't really help her any more than she already had. The woman seemed to have shared the information she held but after that, she never really contributed to making Delphine stronger or better at the tests. What mattered was pleasing Insatious and thus avoiding his wrath - and that was not something which the woman could help with.

And then there was Morr. The warm and fuzzy feeling she used to get upon hearing or seeing him was mostly gone. It made her a little sad to realise it. The man had stood up for her and kept her safe. She respected him. Liked him. Felt gratitude towards him. But then, it was he whom she had begged for. Memories of horrible she felt when Insatious had him at his mercy still had a stark presence in her mind. She couldn't even protect herself from the Dark Lord's wrath. How could she ever care for someone else? Part of her despised him. He had made her weak and his thanks for all her tears and efforts had been a staunch professionalism. Maybe he had saved her once - but that was in his own interests. Insatious had showed her as much.

Turmoil bubbled within her. Part of her still liked the Lieutenant. Another part despised him. At any rate: Morr didn't have to know that. When he arrived, she produced the same sweet smile as she had done so many times before "Hello Lieutenant Morr" her eyes shone brightly as she spoke with warmth and happiness. She nodded as he explained what grandfather wished "Okay, Lieutenant Morr" she spoke softly before following him to meet Insatious.

 

[Darth Insatious]

New ~ Horizons
Tag: Del | Location: Morellia

Delphine actually received a friendly smile when she greeted him back with her bright and happy greeting, which felt like genuine joy to see Delphine again. Leading Delphine away from the prison, she passed through the exit door leading away from what had been her home for, who knows how long. As they walked through the massive Star Destroyer, the people they passed equally feared the Death Troopers and saluted Morr, stepping to the side with their back up against the walls. The harsh and haggard breathing filled the corridor from the Death Troopers who, silent as ever, kept close to Delphine and Morr.

A thing Delphine would notice quickly was the fact that when other crew members passed their little group, the stationed personnel saluted Morr, but they called him Commander Morr, instead of Lieutenant. Furthermore, if she had paid attention when he had his front to her, she would notice a new insignia to his uniform. Whether Delphine knew much if anything about Navy ranking systems, it was quite clear that Lieutenant Morr, had been promoted to Commander.

Upon exiting a turbolift, Delphine would find herself entering the bridge tower of the entire Star Destroyer. The command bridge itself featured two elongated pits set below floor level, whose walls were lined with monitors and control panels. In addition, six more duty station consoles were mounted freely in each pit. The superior officers stood on a walkway surrounding the pits at the normal deck height. All the consoles were aligned perpendicular to the walkway. A small room behind the main bridge existed separated by a single blast door, which had access to advanced communications equipment and a holographic imaging table.

At the very end, by the wide and expansive windows, overseeing the entire outside of the front of the Star Destroyer, stood a robed figure, flanked by Death Troopers. These Death Troopers were even more different from the usual ones that Delphine knew and the ones flanking her now. These were clad in red flesh-like robe armour, but the helmet had no mouth or nose, just two piercing black sunken eyes along with a red cape. These carried stun staffs and immediately reacted upon Commander Morr and Delphine neared Insatious.

The wild crackling electricity filled the area as the two Death Troopers moved to shield their Master from the potential threat. "Let them pass" spoke the old man behind the dusty. Just like that, the two guards powered down their staffs and went back to standing as if they were statues if it hadn't been for the slow haggard breathing.

"My lord, I've brought miss Parvell" stated Commander Morr, bowing his head to Insatious.

"Good"

"My dear, come, come" issued Insatious to Delphine, turning to the side, beckoning her over by the window.

 

[Del]

New Horizons​

Location: Morellia
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Darth Insatious

---​

As they moved through the ship, it was hard not to notice its massive scale. It was as if they moved towards a part where she had never been before. They passed by new areas, took way more elevator rides and walked a longer distance. Of course, they could just have been walking in a circle. Regardless, it was good to take in some more sights. She had been rather limited in what she had been allowed to explore when held in Insatious' captivity.

Of course, she noticed the way that the others addressed Morr. Commander - the word rolled around in her mind for a bit. He had been promoted. She couldn't help but to wonder why. Had he done something meritorious when they were apart? Maybe he had made a heroic sacrifice but survived or come up with a bold and clever plan that turned the tides of battle? A soft smile grew on her lips as they walked and she thought of what deeds he could have accomplished. But then the thoughts went to a darker place: Had he been promoted because of his work with her? Was it her suffering and desperation that paved the way towards his ascension. Her gaze fell, the smile faded and her shoulders sunk. What if he had just used her?

When they eventually arrived, she wanted to go to her grandfather. He was a harsh man - but at least he was honest. He didn't need to bow his head to anyone or even feign a smile. Still, she remained behind Morr. She knew the price of disobedience and stepping out of line. Perhaps disobeying Morr wouldn't be such a biggie - but he was acting on the instructions of Insatious - and his words should always be heeded.

A genuine smile grew on her lips as her grandfather told - what she assumed was - his elite guard to let them pass. Straightening her back and raising her chin, the girl approached. With a deep curtsy, she let out a rather formal "Greeting, my Lord. I am at your service." Once she stood back upright and assumed a somewhat brighter tone "Is it time for another training session?"

 

[Darth Insatious]

New ~ Horizons
Tag: Del | Location: Morellia

A smile spread across the old Sith Lord. "No, I'm releasing you as my ward, you are being sent home" explained Insatious, raising his left hand from behind his back to the glass, gesturing to the planet below. Insatious was sure it definitely wasn't what she expected to hear as her grandfather never really made jokes.

And just like that, the Sith Lord turned around and left the bridge, followed by his two elite Death Trooper guards. As Insatious left the bridge he spoke up. "A transport ship has been readied for you. Commander Morr will see to your departure". Standing left behind along with Commander Morr, the officer gave her a cautious smile, curious to see her reaction to the news she had just been dumped with. To be honest, he himself, was taken back by the sudden change of heart.
His Lord had oftentimes given expression to never letting Delphine gain her freedom again and frankly, this was a strange behaviour for the Sith Lord who made it his personal mission to make his apprentice's life a living hell back when he served the Jedi.

But Lord Insatious never really did tell his true goals for most plans and often only gave information on a need-to-know basis. "Congratulation miss Parvell" congratulated Commander Morr, gathering his hands, behind his back. "When you're ready, I will guide you back down to the hanger miss" explained Commander Morr.

Once Delphine had come to terms with her given freedom, she would get led down to the hanger, passing through many familiar hallways from when she first arrived.

The hanger itself was still as busy as when she arrived, walking across the massive hanger on the clean reflective black metal floor. Upon arrival at the powered up transport ship, she stood face to face with the same ship that she had been in when arriving. In fact, the face female officer, was there to greet Morr and Delphine. While ignoring Delphine completely, given the fact that no one really knew who she was, the female officer saluted Commander Morr. "The ship has been prepped and the cargo had been locked securely" explained the officer with a professionalism matching or maybe even rivalling Commander Morr's own.

With a nod, "thank you, you're dismissed, Lieutenant." dismissed Commander Morr as the prep crew exited the transporter. Turning to look at Delphine with a friendly smile, "shall we?" Asked Morr for the first time, instead of giving a command to her for the first time since they've met.

When they were ready, the pilots took off with a slight humming and rumbling, which increased upon entering the atmosphere. Upon landing, Delphine would find herself standing on solid ground in a space station's hanger with only a few more steps, before she would find herself completely free from any traces of Insatious' forces.

Droids started to carry Delphine's cargo out, containing everything she received in her cell, surprisingly enough.

However, when she exited the ramp, Morr along with the two Death Troopers stopped by the bottom. Commander Morr had both hands folded behind his back, watching Delphine. "That reminds me Miss Parvell" remembered the officer, pulling out a small holocomm for Delphine. "Last gift from my Lord. If you ever find your old life boring, my Lord is only a call away" explained Morr. Placing the holocomm in Delphine's palm, the young officer then finally bowed for Delphine.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, my Lady" bid Morr farewell. He wanted to also apologise, but it wasn't his place and honestly, he both feared and was loyal to his lord. With all said and done, the two Death Troopers, despite having watched over and guarded Delphine for, who knows how long, just turned around without a word.
Lastly, Commander Morr ascended the ramp as the transport ship powered up, closing the ramp slowly. The last thing Delphine saw, was the face of the young man who had been with her almost the entire journey, both bad and good.

 

[Del]

New Horizons​

Location: Morellia
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Darth Insatious

---​

She stood still. Very still. On the outside, it was as if she had been frozen in place. But her mind was working at peak capacity. It was hard to even process what he had just said. Home? What did that even mean anymore? She had not been 'home' for what felt - and probably was - years. To call the time she had spent with him 'formative' would probably be an understatement. Regardless, whilst it felt weird, she was happy. While it was always present in the back of her mind, the athlete had stopped thinking about 'going home' for quite some time. It was simply not realistic and while she suffered, she had - in a way - learned to live with it. Besides, it made her grow. But the prospect of going home was still appealing. It had been her goal from the start. Maybe she would finally be able to return to some sort of normalcy.

At first, she tried to suppress the smile that her lips wanted to form. But the urge was nigh on impossible. When the girl finally relented, it was abundantly clear that she was extremely happy about it. Performing another deep curtsy, he bowed her head "Thank you, my lord" she tried to sound more composed than she really was. The results were mixed. Genuine joy was hard to hide. Perhaps there were a few heavy thoughts floating around somewhere - she was going to part with someone whom she had spent quite a bit of time with and learned extremely much from. But in the end - he was a harsh and brutal man. She didn't dare to think a harmful thought of him but if he was going to let her go, she wouldn't object.

When the man left, she looked to Commander Morr. Her bright smile remained. Gone, were the suspicious thoughts of his character. They weren't needed - not anymore. Before, she assumed that she would have to deal with him for a long time and that he had a hand in her captivity. But now, they were probably never going to see each other again and he was going to liberate her. She approached him with a bounce to her step "Thanks! I've never been so ready in my life"

Her enthusiasm lingered for the entirety of their journey through the large ship to the shuttle. She passed so many people who had been partially responsible for the misery she had gone through but all she could think of now was how great it would be to finally be free. To meet her mother and father. To seek out her friends. See how the girls at the swimming team were doing. Visit her dance teacher and her old school. She was probably too old for it now - fortunately, Grandfather had not held back on getting her educated so it was probably still possible for her to cope with higher education. She mostly ignored the officer that received her the first time she arrived. Delphine was, after all, in a rather good mood. When Morr finally spoke to her again, she gave him a happy nod before boarding the shuttle.

The trip to the spaceport was short. Surprisingly, it didn't feel as great as she expected when going away from the dark Lord's ship. Still, she knew that something better awaited. The girl was concerned that she would hold grudges against her family and friends. Years of tormenting nightmares could have a bad impact on her impression of them. It would have to be something she worked on. And she would have to remember to keep the mask on if she did feel resentment. It was a strange thought - to return to the people she loved and whom loved her back but still have to play pretend.

Regardless, when they eventually landed, she looked up to Morr. She let out a satisfied sigh as he spoke his last words to her. When he extended his arm to give her the holocomm, she automatically extended her hand to receive it. Somewhere deep inside, the girl didn't want it. She never wanted to go back. But throughout all the time she had been a captive, she had been trained to do and think what Insatious wanted. And if he wanted her to have the device, she would have the device. In a way, it felt simple. It wasn't anything she had to think about, it was just something she did - just like breathing.

With Morr, she didn't mind keeping the mask. Besides, he was courteous to her and so, she smiled and nodded at him "Thank you, Commander Morr." she offered him a small curtsy, far less dramatic than the one she did to Insatious. Still, it was a sign of respect.

After a little bit of travelling, she finally arrived at the family mansion. It was still as pristine as before and the eye-recognition software at the gates still seemed to remember her. The systems probably alerted her adoptive parents about it too, for before she reached the entrance, the two of them rushed out. They looked older than last time - strangely enough, however, they had aged exactly the same way in her nightmares.

As soon as she saw them, Delphine dropped her bags and rushed towards them. Her arms opened up for an embrace but when they finally clasped around her father, she could feel how he didn't hug her back. She dismissed it as shock and quickly turned to hug her mother whilst telling them how much she had missed them.

Their replies were disappointing.

For some reason, they seemed distant. They clearly recognised her but they treated her as if she was the black sheep of the family. They didn't say anything bad to her but they didn't say much that was good to her either. The athlete took a step back and looked to them "Mother? Father?" her small voice carried a clear sense of confusion. Her mother looked away - almost as if something broke inside of her. Delphine's father pursed his lips and made the same kind of expression someone made when firing a long-time employee. Then he spoke "Delphine" his tone was cold "Just go to your room."

She looked at him, absolutely crushed. Wasn't he supposed to be overwhelmed with joy? Wasn't he supposed to be happy that his little girl had returned? "Okay" she said, her voice small and disappointed. When she arrived at her room, she quickly noticed that it wasn't the same as before. Her belongings were gone - instead, it had been transformed into a rather generic guest room. And they really had no shortage of those in the mansion.

What followed was a rather strange experience. Her parents were freezing her out and whenever she tried to talk to them about it, they would just try to dismiss her. When she texted her old friends, she found out that a number of them had blocked her, some left her on 'read' and others barely replied. Slowly but surely, she started to realise that they were behaving just like they had in her nightmares. They were isolating her. Freezing her out. Probably shunning her behind her back. She started to become paranoid. For what always happened in connection to the isolation was violence. Either from the critters or from the abominations.

Sleeping was still as horrible as ever and with that, she returned to what she used to do back at the ship. She trained. Practiced her form and read the study materials Insatious had given her. In a way, she started to miss the old man - her grandfather. Still, she had no real intentions on going back. She had not given up on her family and friends.

The days passed, however. She kept feeling more and more isolated. One day, she decided to go to a nearby lake - for obvious reasons, the swimming hall was not very appealing to her. It was good to finally be able to swim again. Her form had deteriorated slightly as Insatious had not really offered her a pool on the ship. Still, she had tried to train a bit in her room on the bed from time to time.

Then she spotted them. It was four girls from her old swimming team. The ones she had been with during her first encounter with Insatious. The memory brought a shiver through her spine but she tried to push the bad thoughts away. The girls had been unresponsive when she tried to text them, but maybe they would take her back now? A meeting in person was always different. Right?

It wasn't.

When she approached, the happy chatter that she could hear quickly died out. "Hey hey hey" she tried to sound happy as she greeted them.

"Delphie" one of them answered, her voice rather annoyed.

The athlete tried to muster a smile. Why was this happening? "How are you doing"

"We're busy" the answer was curt

"Maybe... uh, y'know..." she softly kicked a pebble as she mustered the courage to ask - beg - for them to let her join "... uhhhh, I could join you?" she smiled meekly

The girls looked to each other - just as if they were dealing with an annoying kid "Maybe another time"

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. Tears started welling up in her eyes as she started to come to terms with the strange reality that nobody wanted anything to do with her. She couldn't explain it. And they wouldn't explain it. The girl felt small as she stood on the wooden platform in front of the others. And then they turned their backs on her. Her head carefully rose to watch as they all jumped to leap into the water.

But she wasn't going to let them hit the water. Her hand shot out and gripped them telekinetically. Slowly, she turned them so that they would face her. It was clear that the girl was struggling. Suddenly, she lost the grip over one of the girls who plummeted into the water. Then she lost another. But with half of them released, she could put her full focus on the two who remained. They started to float closer to the descendant. Tears were running down her cheek when the two swimmers started to choke. Silently, she worded a sad "Why?"

Before anyone had been fully deprived of oxygen, the two who had been dropped came up from the water. They rushed towards Delphine, fully intending to tackle her to save their mates. The apprentice quickly dropped the first two, sending them into the lake. They quickly tried to regain their breath but would soon find themselves drawing water rather than oxygen. With all of her training, Delphine quickly produced a high kick against one of the swimmer's head which immediately knocked her out. Before the second one could arrive, the girl sent a telekinetic blast her way, flinging her far out to the water.

Crying, she ran to her bag a few dozen metres away and picked up the communicator that grandfather had given her. She pressed the button and tried to speak as clearly as possible "My Lord. Please let me return. I want back. Let me return to your side"

 

[Darth Insatious]

New ~ Horizons
Tag: Del | Location: Morellia

Despite Delphine's request to her grandfather, no one returned her call. A cooling breeze caught her long wet hair for a second making the air slightly colder than before. Then, right before her eyes, no more than 10 or so meters from her location, a poisonous scar in the very air ripped open a blackened portal of crackling darkness.

The portal stood two meters in height and almost one and a half meters in diameter. Thundering darkness gushed out like ocean waves on the deep sea. It had a deep toxic green hue to its edges, whereas the rest was nothing but a black cold void. The very grass around the portal burned down, leaving nothing but sod and ash.

Stepping through the darkness, Delphine would instantly feel her grandfather's very aura devour her own, encapsulating her own aura in the force. However, an elderly man in a dusty robe, grey hair and a long pointy beard to match, stepped through. It was incredibly confusing for those who relied on the force, 'cause the old man showed no sign of frightening powers, and yet he performed abilities only a Master was capable of.

In quick flashes, Insatious' eyes flashed his true blood-red eye colour, as if his true demonic soul wanted out and just waited for the second to be released from its prison.

Staring at Delphine, the old man's face was half shrouded in shadows from the hood, showing only the lower part of his face clearly. Without a word, the Lord of Hunger reached out his open palm. It was a clear invitation but also a warning as this was a point of no return for Delphine. Once the girl accepted her grandfather's hand, she would leave her old life behind... Forever.

 

[Del]

New Horizons​

Location: Morellia
Notable Equipment: N/A
Tags: Darth Insatious

---​

The words were spoken. She had asked for him to take her back. But no response came. Delphine blinked hard as if it would refresh reality but nothing happened. All the comms device showed was an undefined hologram along with static noise. "Hello?" she asked with a voice showing both confusion and desperation.

"My Lord? Hello? Are you there?" the degree of desperation steadily increased "Grandfather!" she swallowed hard. What if it was just some mean spirited trick? What if Officer Morr had seen through her mask and wanted payback? Trying to keep her composure, she tried once more "Please. Take me back."

A small gasped escaped her as a portal suddenly opened. While the initial reaction had been fear, it quickly transformed into hope. Would this portal be grandfather's vessel to save her? Delphine didn't fear the dark colours, the burning grass or its rather ominous appearance at large. She had been trapped with Insatious and his horrific Death troops to have grown rather immune to that. In fact, she was rather fond of the Death troops despite of their monstrous appearances.

She had already taken a few light steps towards it when a familiar figure appeared. Her eyes watered. She was moved: Grandfather had come to save her personally. His overpowering aura hit her like a truck. It devoured and enveloped her being, causing her to feel weak. The athlete fell down onto her knees. She slouched forth until she had to extend her arms to support herself in order not to fall face first to the ground. It put her in a rather appropriate position for when he would finally appear.

Mustering her strength, the girl look up "My Lord" she said, clearly moved by his arrival. Her body and mind quickly adapted to his presence - she had learned to live in it for quite some time, after all. Still, she remained in her position until her eyes ventured down to see him extending a hand. Knowing exactly what it meant, the girl moved without hesitation. She stood up - good postured as always - and walked towards him.

She looked down at the hand and then up to his face. She could see the reddish eyes ominously shining under the shadow of the cowl. It was just about as close to his true form as she would get. Looking into them, she felt comfortable. They offered her an odd sense of safety. Unlike the people she had just been with - he was always the same. She knew the price of angering him but she also knew that he had never betrayed her or wanting anything but what was the best for her. Almost by instinct, she extended her own hand and gently placed it in his. "I am at your service" she said, producing a deep curtsy while nodding her head in a bow-like gesture.