No Rest For the Wicked

[Zola]

Perhaps traversing through the Khoonda plains of Dantooine by herself wasn't the sanest thing that Jemmila Kyrgen had ever done, but the Dark Jedi Padawan wasn't known to be the pillar of prudence. The young Hapan wasn't a girl who was meant to be locked up on the Machinator with only droids for company until Master Adekos decided to grace her with his presence. She needed to roam free, to clear her head and lose herself in cigarettes, alcohol and spice. And lightsaber crystals.

Yes, she was crystal hunting. Jem had heard stories about the crystals, how precious and beautiful they were, and how they sometimes spoke to you, beckoning you with the promise of a powerful bond between you and your weapon. One stolen shuttle later, Jemmila was on Dantooine, armed with the lightsaber that Adekos had given her and a Datapad that showed the Crystal Caves' whereabouts. The cigarettes, alcohol and spice were just extras.

Dressed in a long army-green trenchcoat, draped over a man's black suit, with combat boots on her feet, she made her way through the caves, swigging directly from the bottle and blowing a generous amount of smoke out of the side of her lips. As the cave's winding path descended, Jem felt a dark energy stirring in the gloom, a strange sensation that seemed to intensify the deeper she went. Were those the crystals calling to her? As the path in front of her became hazy with an anomalous fog, eventually she lost sight of her path altogether and merely followed the trail of her own cigarette smoke.

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

Dantooine​

Crystal Caves​

Snap-Hiss!

The curved lightsaber quickly ignited, and a scream was muffled by a hand. Old flesh, covered in simple garb fell to it’s knees before landing on it’s stomach. Hushed cries barely echoed in the rocky area, reverberating off the crystals around them. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and the crimson blade reflected off of them before quickly deactivating. Quickly clipping the electrum plated hilt to the back of his belt, he squatted down to roll over the flesh he had impaled. Weak breathes could be heard, and through the darkness he could feel a few things. Panic was written all over the man’s face, but the lightsaber had burned through the top of his spinal cord, he was dying.

What Jerec felt was fear, and it felt delicious.

“It’s going to be alright, I know you can’t speak but it will be okay.”

A hand, with skin much too wrinkled met the old man’s neck. “This will be over soon.” Fear, emanating from himself mixed with that hunger and leached out of his hand. Tendrils of energy slithered their way inside the man. A pure hearted spirit met his power, and soon that energy was being transferred. Pangs of despair were filled with memories that weren’t his, and he soon knew the entire area along with his victims family. Wrinkles disappeared and soon his full strength was returned. Releasing his grip, he stood and looked down at the now fully decomposed body below.

What to do with that?

A presence was nearby, and he smiled again as he carried his leftovers with him and went to hide what he had done.

 

[Zola]

There was a sudden disturbance in the Force, a wicked shimmering that filled her with the feeling of loss and finality. She had never felt such darkness, even around the auras of the Voices of the Dark Lord. It was a terrible sensation, as if someone was reaching inside of her and tearing out her lining so it could embed itself in the walls of her soul and feed. A flash of panic coursed through her veins. Jemmila had made a grievous mistake coming here, of that she was sure. Stumbling around in an inebriated haze, she tried to go back the way she came, but as she whirled around, she was horrified to find that she had company.

A juvenile kinrath skittered out from behind a large stalamite, and it looked hungry. Even with a belly full of whiskey Jem's reflexes were razor-sharp. Her lightsaber snapped into her hand and without hesitation, thumbed the activation switch. With a grunt she cleaved the creature in two with her red plasma blade. From her studies she remembered that one could remove the creature's sweat gland and use it as a talisman to ward off further attacks from the arachnoid. She reached into the kinrath's stomach, pulled out a dripping, kidney-shaped organ, and shoved it in her pocket.

Raising her gaze to the tunnels, it was clear that she was pathetically lost. With a sigh, Jem extinguished her blade. She focused on calling the Force into her body, filling every molecule with the power of the dark side. When maps and constellations failed you, you always let the Force guide the way.

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

Pouring a bit of fuel on a body, the using Force lightning was a quick way to vaporize a body. That particular trick was useful against law enforcement, and with certain incompetent Sith Lords. Now, left with nothing but ash, he pushed the air pressure around the area a bit to scatter what was left of the man. Brushing the rest under a few nearby rocks, he adjusted his robes quickly. Something was near, and it was a damn shame he had already fed. This felt young, it felt like it had potential.

It had power, and it was afraid.

Recalling the memories of the man he had just consumed, he knew a good path that would lead him to where the “intruder” was. Walking the path quickly, he confidently walked the large circle that would lead him to her. All the beasts that inhabited the caves backed away in fear, they could feel the primal hunger he had. Sentient life couldn’t feel it, and in the Force he appeared as a black hole. Whatever was light, and honestly dark had to fear him.

Only the animals truly understand what I am.

Tendrils of darkness oozed out from him, dampening the sounds of his footfalls as he appeared behind her. Walking right up to her, he admired the curvature of her small petite body before leaning against the wall. “You seem lost, and afraid. Not befitting of one with all the potential you have,” those blue eyes lingered on her hips for a moment. “Nor should one as beautiful as you be alone with..”

A predatory smile crossed those handsome features.

“....something like me.”

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

The more Jem wandered, the thicker that nagging dark disturbance became, until it surrounded her like the waves of an oil-black sea. It expanded until she was infinitesimal, and then it began to drag her down. She could not escape its undertow, and began to feel her body plummeting, her lungs filling with water. At the bottom there was no mud, nor rock, nor slate. There was only oblivion. An absence. Her heartbeat quickened as her limbs were flooded with adrenaline. What was this madness?

Her crystal! It was testing her resolve. The crystal was making sure that Jemmila was worthy of it, that she had the will and courage to possess it. Curling her fingers around the bottle, Jem took another swig of whiskey and forged ahead with a new-found determination. She would chase down her fears. She would hunt them, and face them. She would...

“You seem lost, and afraid. Not befitting of one with all the potential you have...”

The bottle dropped from her hand, spilling whiskey on the floor of the cavern.

“Nor should one as beautiful as you be alone with..”

She whirled around to face the owner of the spine-tingling baritone.

“....something like me.”

His face was handsome, chiseled like fine wood, but something wrong lingered in his gaze. Jemmila's lightsaber hilt flew into her hand, and she ignited it with a snap-hiss. The Hapan's brown eyes were calm pools, but her chest rose and fell too quickly, betraying the composure on her face. Oh what she would give for one of Adekos' bucket heads right now. If she got out of this alive, she swore to herself that she'd even wear the grey jumpsuit again.

"How long have you been following me?"

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

“How long have you been following me?”

Oh child, it’s not good to panic so soon. That thought allowed him to continue to smirk as he leaned against the stone for a moment, the sharp protrusions providing him with some sort of a sensation. Coarse black fabric bristled against his skin, and he appreciated that feeling as he eyed up the woman before him. Ozone flooded his nostrils, but he paid little attention to the lightsaber that was ignited. Her form was poor, and she was alone and seemingly not that far in her training in the blade. No, I’ll keep my hilt where it was.

So the curved hilt stayed on his hip, and he came off the wall and crossed the distance slowly.

Right up to the range of where she could strike him.

“Way to waste the whiskey, I could have used some after my meal.” He hadn’t really ate, food was still a priority to him. It did pain him to smell such good bourbon all over the floor of a cave. Now, if it was poured on her...well that was a different story. Panicked breathing told him the entire story, but he reached out with the Force and cloaked her aura with his. Her darkness was chaotic, and quite new. Ancient power, the kind that only those only as foolish as he was seeped out and met her aura head on and the two shades of night intermingled. Jerec’s playful smile never left his lips while he let her feel just what she was dealing with.

“Listen, do you really need to have that ignited apprentice?” He let that little bit of information sink as he held an open palm up and let a few sparks of Sith Lightning fire from his fingers into the ceiling. “I’m guessing you’re alone, on a mission,” hungry eyes searched her as he took another step into her range. “Judging by your outfit, you seemed to have run off from the man teaching you.” Another step was taken, this time he was almost at the base of her blade, it’s hum like music in his ear. “That whiskey indicates rebellion, and that someone had some good taste before his student stole it from him.”

Another step, followed by another and he was just a few inches from her face.

“So, are you going to take the chance and try to strike me down. See how fast I can kill you?” His hand gently went up to push her chin to look him in the eye. “Or would you rather take the chance, deactivate that lightsaber and learn, see, and experience more than you ever thought possible?” Every word a challenge, and a promise at the same time.

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

Her large brown eyes searching his, Jemmila continued to maintain an expression of calm insouciance, but her legs were shaking like leaves on a windy branch. The panic was rising up in her like a tidal wave. In her head she heard the caustic voice of her Umbaran Master. "Use it," he said. The worried Hapan began to call upon the dark side of the Force, but her anxiety undermined her focus. He was saying something about the whiskey spilling but she barely heard it. The thumping of her racing heart was drowning out all other sound.

Suddenly she felt his aura washing over her, warm and seductive, like milk to a cat. It entangled with her own aura, and her fear melted into it and became something else. Something she felt in her spine all the way down to her toes. He inched closer to her, chiding her softly, flaunting his superiority. She was paralyzed as he closed the distance between them, lifting her chin to meet his mesmerizing gaze. When Jemmila found her voice, she barely recognized the sound.

"I have a Master already, but thanks for the offer."

Finally, the heady wave of emotions, a mixture of fear, panic, and a strange dark lust, crested and fell. and her eyes snapped to a nearby rock, the size of a melon. She lifted it off the ground and sent it careening towards the stranger's head. While that was happening, she lunged forward, swinging her lightsaber. The attack was a simple, but powerful Sarlaac sweep, aimed right at his midsection.

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

“I have a Master already, thanks.”


If she had been paying attention, because he knew she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have attacked. Instead of even fear showing on his face, it was annoyed disinterest. Years of dealing with this same situation, and they all ended in the same first step. Everyone wanted to be the hero, to stop the thing they didn’t understand when it was presented as such to them. No, he didn’t even reach for his lightsaber as she moved, her speed quite impressive. Years past, he would have engaged her in a duel until he achieved the desired result.

Not today, thanks little brother.

A small thought of crimes committed against him, and that was all he needed as his face grew determined. Extending his left hand directly into her chest, he reached deep into the well of power inside him. Cold, like Hoth, that abyss deep in his soul was brought out by his will. Malice, and a plan congealed as his thoughts became reality from the palm of his hand. She would regret her little stunt to try and attack him.

Jerec, well he would enjoy being himself.

Blue eyes turned red and yellow as a bubble of Force energy wrapped around her and lightning launched forth from his hand. Making contact with her chest, he kept the energy low enough to not kill her as he launched her with great force about ten meters away from him. Wraith’s right hand extended, and another hand of darkness extended for her lightsaber hilt. Ripping it out of her hand, he caught it and then went to lean against the wall again. His eyes, now blue, examined the exquisite construction for a moment while he let her recover.

“If you’re into pain, there are better ways to do that.” A knowing look said everything he didn’t, “or you can get up and I’ll kill you.”

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

There was a look in the stranger's eyes that was as dark as the most treacherous depths of the Crystal Cave itself. Then, as his pensive blue eyes became tiny red flames in their sockets, the Sith Lord introduced her to his wrath.

It was child's play to him. As easy as blowing ashes into the wind. Spikes of electricity coursed through her body as Jemmila felt herself lifted off of the ground and thrown clear across the cave. The rocky floor did not cushion her blow, and she landed with a dull thump that knocked the wind out of her. After confiscating her weapon, the stranger leaned nonchalantly against the cavern wall. There was no fanfare. It was almost as if dispatching of her was the most mundane task he'd ever had to perform. Jemmila instantly hated him more for that dismissive smirk than for the physical assault on her. Humiliation was funny that way.

As purple bruises blossomed underneath her clothing, Jem tried to rise to her feet, but her body betrayed her. She made it as far as her hands and knees and stayed there for a moment, slowly lifting her head to face him. Her sandy brown hair curtained around her face, she furrowed her youthful brow. Her words scratched her dry throat like splinters.

"Who are you?"

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

“Me, well I’m the boogey man.”

Tossing her hilt from his left to right hand, he whistled a short tune for a moment before tossing it directly in front of her. Drawing from inside his coat pocket, he pulled out a cigar and lit it up. Flames danced from the lighter before a few drags brought sweet nicotine to his lungs. Holding it for a moment, he let out a slow exhale as he enjoyed the simple pleasure for but a moment. Echoes filled the cavern, and light danced on the crystals as he paced a few short steps back in forth. No words were said, he simply kept taking the occasional drag from his sweet addiction and kept pacing before coming to a halt.

“You know,” he paused just a bint as dark desires played across his mind’s eye. “You look quite exquisite on your knees.” There was no inference to the typical, you must kneel before me, rhetoric of the Sith. No, this was as straight as it got with innuendos. He didn’t have the time, nor the care to be subtle with such a woman before him. Years, upon years of being in this same situation had taught him to just not give a feth. Twenty years of wandering the galaxy without a body had taught him to just not really care.

This situation was different, she had his interest.

Walking up and squatting down, he let out another exhale of smoke directly in her face. “So, ask another question and I might answer it.” Looking down at her form, then at the saber, then back up he continued. “Go for that weapon, I’m going to use your own weapon and burn a hole right through the top of your neck so you can suffocate due to paralysis.”

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

Jemmila's face fell when she realized what he was doing. He was playing with his food. Toying with her like a kitten in a koi pond. He even had the audacity to light a cigar, as if basking in some twisted afterglow. Honey, was it good for you? Oh yes, I especially liked the part where you threatened to fecking paralyze me. She let out a sharp laugh despite herself, then shrunk under his gaze, just a pitiful girl, hopelessly lost in a deep, dark place. Where did you go? The defiant woman who dared rebel against one of the most powerful Masters in the galaxy? A spitfire who trained almost twenty-four hours a day, with the diligence of a monk?

The stranger stalked around her, a tiger loose from his cage. His aura turned, the darkness joined by a more indecent proposal. A storm of emotions flooded her. These were uncharted waters for the young Hapan apprentice. Although whip-smart, the Hapan had been ridiculously sheltered by her adoptive parents and by Adekos as well. She called upon the dark side of the Force to guide her through. She would follow its atlas to either safety or hell, but either way, she put her trust in it. However, even she knew that sometimes the Force wasn't enough.

"There is no need," Jem finally answered, her brown eyes diving straight down into his. "I am paralyzed enough by your gaze."

She stayed on the ground kneeling, before him, her face inches from his. "If you won't tell me who you are, then will you tell me what you want?"

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

“Are you now, then look closely in there.” Instead of backing away to give her some room, maybe a little comfort, he did the opposite. Slowly, as if time halted to a crawl, he inched further. Weight shifted from his heels, to the arch, then to the balls of his feet as he leaned forward. Darkness coiled in his hands, just in case she decided to lose her mind and her life. It wasn’t noticeable, because he made sure to just throw more of his power at her. Slowly, but surely, he unleashed to totality of the darkness within him. Dimly lit as it was, the cave darkened by the second to where there was only one thing visible.

The lit end of his cigar.

Whiskey, perfume, and a bit of sweat and pheromones met his nostrils as he got close enough to feel the warmth of her face. In the soft light, he viewed deep into her soul, and saw the rebellious spirit within her. His own breath was practically beating against her own, smoke and whiskey filled his senses. Small tingles of pleasure filled his mind as he further inched forward towards her. “I want you to simply be what you are, and I want you to educate me on the world that I have been so far removed from.”

Now, only a centimeter separated their faces. His hungry eyes locking onto hers, and he could practically feel a fire coming from her face. “Tell me this, and I’ll show you the path to power...and pleasures you would never have known otherwise.”

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]

 

[Zola]

Jemmila was frozen, like a rabbit cornered by a fox. Her only movements were her pupils, dilating as the heady power seeped over them, falling on them like a curtain of blackness. The dark side of the Force undulated closer, a snake coiling around her, its tongue flickering at her neck, ready to sink its fangs into her porcelain skin. The handsome face grew nearer, an unexpressed leer right behind his mouth, a fire burning in his eyes. His smell was sweet and acrid at the same time, a demonstrably male smell, the smell of dominance. Her senses were reeling.

"And what if I say no?" Jemmila asked defiantly. "Do I have a choice in the matter?"

This path to power the stranger offered her. Was this like Adekos' concept of transcendence? Was it better or worse? Or were both just flowery lies told by Sith Lords punch-drunk on their own stratospheric egos?

Jem let out a disdainful huff of air. "You talk of bringing me pleasure, when so far you've only brought me pain."

A hand struck out lightning-quick, slapping him across his beautiful face.

"I'll see you in hell."

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

“I’ll see you in hell.”

A whisper came to his ear from the ether, that pit where all Lords eventually went after drawing all they could. Her intent reached his consciousness, and he allowed it to happen. Whether it was out of curiousity to see what she would do, if she was brave enough, or if he just wanted to feel some sensation were the options. Jerec himself didn’t know, and he honestly didn’t care. Dying, and coming back could have that effect when dealing with potentially tricky situations. He knew better than to poke a wounded animal, especially one he had corned himself and had threatened repeatedly.

Wraith didn’t really give a feth, so he let her slap him.

“That,” he whispered as he dropped his cigar from the impact. Copper flooded his lips, he had bit his tongue from the impact. Euphoria washed over him, pain mixed with pleasure and the scowl on his face turned into a smile. Yep, I still can feel and enjoy some pain. Inner monologue kept solely to himself, he slowly turned his face back to look right in her eyes. Bottomless cerulean orbs bore into her, before they drastically morphed to red and yellow as his skin grew pale.

A burst of lightning fired directly into her skull, just enough to knock her unconscious. Standing to his full height, he kicked her lightly to ensure she was out. “That was quite brave girl, you can live today.” His power reached around her, and scooped her up and they left.

Three hours later​

Aboard Jerec’s Monitor-Class..​

Her vessel had been destroyed, a parting gift of his as they were in hyperspace. No longer in his robes, he stood in a simple tank top and his trousers from earlier. Hair, unkempt and unruly from training was soaked with sweat. Leaning against the wall, he eyed the his prize. Her wrists, and ankles were tied and she was suspended by her wrists. A force field kept her hovering, but she was firmly secure. Examining her lightsaber some more, he held his as well. Folded next to him was her coat, and her white shirt had been unbuttoned just enough to expose an onyx bra that showed plenty of skin. Enough with the waiting, he set down the hilts and grabbed the mug of icey water.

Throwing the contents directly onto her face, he smiled as she awoke.

“You said go to hell, so I brought you to my own personal one.”

[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]​

 

[Zola]

Splash!

Frigid ice water drenched the Hapan awake and she let out a startled gasp and a sputter. Her eyes snapped open, vision slowly coming into focus. There was a momentary haze as her memory failed her, her synapses misfiring from the lighting strike to her brain. Where am I? What the feth is happening? Why can't I move my...Oh. She was suspended by her wrists and levitating in mid air so that she couldn't buck or struggle. Her surroundings were unfamiliar, but there was no doubt she was aboard a ship. Jem's mystery predicament became solved as soon as she saw exactly who it was that threw the water. It was him

The stranger from the Crystal Caves was standing a mere inches away from her with blue eyes roving all over her limp form. He was slick, all sweat and body heat and musk, and dressed in what seemed to be training clothes. His face held a vicious grin that made her drop her gaze, her face edged with embarrassment. Thankfully, she was fully clothed yet her shirt hung open revealing her demi cut black bra. Her chest rose and fell quickly as her pulse raced. She could feel it thumping against her restraints.

"You..." Jem sputtered.

"You still haven't told me your name."

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

"You still haven't told me your name."

Mocha met cerulean, and he just held her gaze for a moment. Do I kill her, or keep her? Prickling sensations of pain ran down his cheek as he bit the inner part of his. Hungry eyes broke the contact and instead looked over the hilt in his hand some more. Senses honed from years of constant training ran over the hilt. Instead of looking at the woman he had chained up, he instead poured himself into what she had made. That was where he could find some truth, without breaking her mind to find out more about her. It allowed him to feel her spirit, to see what made her tick.

His only other option to learn that would be to feed.

“Hmm, so you just don’t care about a great many things do you?” Jerec’s words were clearly directed at her. There was no fear, no rage in the construction of the weapon in his hand. If she knew how to read his hilt, she would feel what made him tick. This allowed him to see that she just didn’t care for much of the galaxy, and she wanted the things she wanted. “You didn’t know your real parents did you, and you were close to someone.” Again, he was reading who she was just from her pouring herself into the blade. It wasn’t the easiest task, and he wasn’t as skilled as some of his peers.

“So, you have an adopted sister. Let’s hear about her?”

Silence was all he heard, so he closed the distance. Wandering eyes traveled down her neck, and at the edge of her shirt. “You asked what my name is, but I don’t feel like I should tell you yet. Because, quite frankly. I don’t think you deserve to know it.” He leaned in, dangerously close to her face again. Sweat mingled with her own perfumes, and he could feel her breath again before he put the emitter of her glad right on the edge of her skin. Wraith angled it just so that the blade would graze the skin on her arm.

His thumb hit the switch.

SNAP-HISS!


[member="Jemmila Kyrgen"]