Private Psychological Entropy

[Darth Carnifex]

B A S T I O N
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Night had fallen across the Imperial capital, but the darkness did not rule for long. The city shone brightly as every building was wreathed in brilliant illumination from the pillars of light which routinely scanned the sky for signs of the enemy. Lumbering warships plowed through the lower atmosphere, an ever-present reminder of the proximity of war to the Empire's premier seat of power. Though no major assault had been launched against the capital, many believed that it was only a matter of time before the skies were filled with flame and destruction. Against all expectations, the Empire's propaganda machine did no longer sugar-coat the threat posed by the insurrectionists advancing along the Braxant Run towards the capital and vehemently implored that every citizen is prepared to fight to their dying breath to preserve the Empire's heart. Already, they had engaged in a grueling war of attrition against the besieging forces, leaving little succor behind them as they withdrew from worlds like Muunilinst and Mygeeto.​

​

It was quickly being toted as the Great National Struggle, an existential crisis to the citizens of the Empire to fight for what they had bled so much to obtain.​

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The Sith knew it differently.​

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For them, it was the Great Purification, a time where the weakness of the Empire would be bled in the crucible of fierce and unrelenting warfare. The strong would persevere, traumatized by violence and hardened by brutality, to one day cauterize the wound inflicted by the oath-breakers and cultural traitors. The weak would be crushed underfoot, forming the bedrock of a new age in which only those who possessed the power to take what they wanted would continue forward and inherit the galaxy as their own.​

​

In the Dark Lord of the Sith's eyes, it was a necessary action. An act that he had allowed to continue without much interference from himself, his own attention drawn to his private projects across the periphery of known space and beyond. Now he had come back to the Imperial capital for the first time in months, his return going without notice as he temporarily settled in his seat of Imperial power. He had come to see one who had been of particular interest to him these past few weeks, one who had initially infiltrated his grand imperium as a spy for the eternal enemy but had herself fallen victim to a web of her own design. The truth was breaking free from behind her facade, and the time had come to make his intentions known directly.​

​

This is why the Legionnaire Rae had been summoned seemingly at the behest of the Lord Inquisitor herself to Bastion, to a location seemingly under the purview of her graces in what appeared to be an offer to discuss recent events in person. But the truth of the invitation would not be discovered until the moment she passed beyond the threshold, as she came face-to-face not with the Lord Inquisitor, but with the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. ​

Allyson Locke ​

 

[Allyson Locke]

It was hard to wake up in the morning, the realization of what had happened weighed on her mind. Nightmares fueled her evenings, and sleep had been a struggle. A hand rested against her chest, feeling the healing wound and bacta patch. Rae glanced up towards the entryway and paused, something felt different about today, about this summons. It was because it was addressed to Rae, she was Allyson. She accepted that part of her, which manifested enough to claim life and a stake in all of this. Allyson wondered if she should loathe this part of her, forgetting her into this trouble. ​

Viridescent eyes looked upon the doorway she was about to walk through. Her life had shifted drastically, and none of this was part of the plan. Allyson looked down at her comm device and re-read the summons from Jorryn. Knowing their relationship, Allyson was curious as to why the call was so formal. Part of it made the spy uncomfortable, but she still obeyed. Still obedient as always. ​

Heavy footsteps climbed the walkway, and Allyson found herself pushing her way through the door. A guard escorted her to the chambers of where the presumed Lord Inquisitor was waiting for her. A hint of danger coursed through her system, the Force speaking in whispers to her. The Corellian regretted wearing her plain clothing, as she donned her blood stripes once again. A hand tugged at the fitted fineweave white shirt. She looked like her typical self, far from the persona she masqueraded around as. ​

Passing the entryway threshold into where she was set to meet Jorryn, the Corellian was hit with a familiar feeling. One that she hadn’t felt outside of her nightmares. Allyson held her breath, her body growing tense. Her mind raced, could this be where her journey ended?​

Darth Carnifex ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A wide viewport overlooking a vast construction area, where the lights from welding machines could be seen working on new mechanisms of war in the distance, dominated the farthest wall as Allyson Locke entered the room. The light passing through the window illuminated the silhouette which loomed imposingly with their back turned towards the Galactic Alliance spy. A long blood-red cape hung from their broad shoulders falling down to brush against the very floor itself and obscuring the rest of their body from Allyson's gaze.​

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It wasn't until that figure began to turn that more of their body was revealed, frighteningly tall and well-stocked with muscle covered by a tight bodysuit, rerebracers molded to resemble metallic muscle, long spiked glove-less vambraces which covered the entire forearm, metallic sabatons which covered the entirety of their calves and arched up over the front of the knee. What was most striking was the cloth tabard which was stretched over their broad chest, trailing down to about the midsection of their calf. It was fashioned entirely out of black material and emblazoned with a great lidless red eye wreathed in writhing black flames.​

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The Eye of Solomon.​

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The symbol of House Zambrano.​

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Light fixtures in the room's ceiling sputtered to life, fully revealing the being which now stood directly across from Allyson Locke. The door behind her closed as well, snapping shut into place with the distinct rumble of locks falling into position. Brilliant molten eyes stared out from the face that had haunted Allyson's dreams for months, if not years.​

​

Kaine Zambrano, the Dark Lord of the Sith, and not Adriana Fortemps had summoned her here to meet with him.​

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"Allyson Locke," the Dark Lord's face was impassive as if chiseled from stone, his voice a booming monotone. "Welcome, I had been eager to meet with you for some time since our last encounter."​

Allyson Locke ​

 

[Allyson Locke]

Darth Carnifex

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It didn’t take long for Allyson to realize that her summons was a farce. Seeing the branding that was on the cloak only sealed her suspicions of who had actually called her. Everything about the meeting caused her to tense. The only times the pair had met was on the battlefield or in a cell. Phantom pains worked their way down her back, remembering the horrors that she encountered at his hand. ​

​

The Corellian pushed through them as her face tightened, air sucked through her teeth as her first instinct was to fight. Fingers flexed, searching for the weapon Jedi reached for first. She had nothing with her to protect her except the Force. With her intuition taking over, the thought shield she had mastered hazed her mind, protecting it from his intrusions. Her fingers itched, wanting to do something, but on his game board, she was in his territory. ​

As much as she should have been surprised about him knowing her name, it didn't phase her. The Sith, like the Jedi, were all-knowing and could easily use the whispers of the Force to find the information they needed. When she met Taeli Raaf as Rae, she knew the woman had already figured her out. Why wouldn't the Dark Lord of the Sith who had known her mind intimately as he did not figure out who and what she was? Still, knowing that he knew it rocked her to her core. The danger was all around her, instantly, her mind wandered back to the one that could be hurt the most. ​

​

Where was Jorryn in all of this? Was she the ultimate price she had to pay with everything she had done? Allyson had already lost her friends in this madness, was she to miss her chance at happiness? The questions continued to fire off rapidly in her mind as she looked at Kaine Zambrano, trying to formulate a plan. ​

​

“Where’s Jorryn?” Her words sounded more like a demand than a question. She didn’t care about anything else at this moment. The Corellian needed to know that nothing foul had happened to the Lord Inquisitor. It was one of Allyson’s greatest fears, especially after seeing how ruthlessly the Lady of Secrets had assassinated the previous Lord Inquisitor. Remembering that, Allyson felt her chest constrict upon itself. ​

​

Sometimes, she wondered if she had just left things well enough alone - if people would have been better off, Kaili, Ryv, Loske, and now Jorryn. Everyone she hurt in some way, why was she like this? Shaking her head slightly, she continued to stare definitely at him. ​

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“What do you want with me, Zambrano?”​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Such little twitches.​

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Such little ticks.​

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The Dark Lord of the Sith could see every reaction her body, voluntarily and involuntarily, had at the precise moment her mind pieced together who exactly had summoned her. Allyson was more composed than most others the Dark Lord had encountered, she would have been a horrible spy if she didn't have such a great command of her body and emotions. Yet still, the icy gnawing of fear tip-toeing up her spine was unmistakable to those who peddled in terror, though he was amused to see it joined by another powerful emotion.​

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Concern.​

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Concern for the woman that had planted the seeds for her betrayal, not the betrayal of those who attempted to infiltrate but those she had once pledged her life to serve.​

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Jorryn's name materialized front and center on her mind.​

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Not Ryv Karis, Sword of the Jedi.​

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Not Loske Matson, Pilot of the Galactic Alliance.​

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But Jorryn Fordyce, Lord Inquisitor of the Sith Empire.​

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" Adriana Fortemps is not in any danger, Allyson Locke. She is going about her duties for the Empire, unaware that you have been lured here to meet with me." The Sith Emperor spread his arms wide in a conciliatory manner, "And I am not here to do you harm, my dear. I have actually come to congratulate you, your performance has been most exemplary." There was a malevolent twinkle in the Dark Lord's molten eyes as he spoke, the fainted twinge of a smile curling the corners of his lips. "Has it not all gone as I had said on Muunilinst? The Dark Side is strong."​

Allyson Locke ​

 

[Allyson Locke]

Darth Carnifex

​

Allyson felt the pounding of her heart slow as she heard the words she needed to hear from the beast in front of her. Her concern was focused on the one that could be hurt the most by her actions, yet there were so many others who were already hurting. Her mind wandered to the others, the ones she left back in the Alliance. The look on their faces, the surprise of the choice she made to protect Jorryn from Ryv's blade. Allyson justified it by the necessity of protecting her asset and her cover story. All it did was create a blowback, her covert operation blowing up in her face, and she was permanently burned and denied by the Galactic Alliance and the SIA. ​

​

Knowing all of this, Allyson made a fist, there were times she wondered if Jorryn was an elaborate honey pot placed in front of her by the Empire. It would make the most sense, the woman was everything she found attractive, and the Dark Lord who had gleaned her mind so long ago would know these things about her. Some doubt hung in her heart about the Inquisitor, but the longer she spent with her, she could pick up that their meeting was by chance. ​

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Hopefully. ​

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The Corellian regained her composure as she watched the curious action of the Dark Lord. He wasn't here to kill her for her extravagant clandestine operation that went terribly wrong. He was here to congratulate her and to enjoy his villainous moment of being correct. Allyson was reminded of the villains in spy holofilms when they had overcome their foe and their prophecy coming true. It frustrated the agent, she hated that she had fallen just like he said, but was this in her nature? ​

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"Out of danger is where she better stay, Zambrano." She used his last name, the name of his house instead of his title. She would never bend to his will in that sense. Corellian blood flowed too strongly in her to ever bend at the knee. "You'll regret the day harm comes to her, I swear it." Allyson paused, trying to bite down the sarcastic remarks that flowed so naturally for her, instead she focused on his last comment - remembering the words that he left her with as she ran towards the fallen Kiffar pilot who was on the verge of death. ​

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Thinking of his words, she remembered Taeli's. The advice she was given played a more substantial hand in everything. Already she was wavering in her thoughts, and Taeli fed her the words that pushed her past the edge. Her mouth was suddenly dry, as she did her best to keep her composure. "It's not like you prophesied, the Dark Side may be strong within you, but it's temptation holds nothing over me. I'll never walk towards it like you have, I'll never find comfort within it." She wanted to say she'll always be a Jedi, but even then, that felt like the biggest lie she had ever held onto. ​

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"I'll never be a Sith." ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Oh no?"​

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The Sith Emperor clasped his hands together slowly, relishing in Allyson's fiery defiance. Theatrics such as this was a rare but cherished opportunity for the Dark Lord of the Sith, an opportunity when he had an enemy tangled deep within his web and unable to break free.​

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Of course, this time there was no enemy.​

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Just a lost soul who clung to the last buoy in the ocean that sought to yank her under.​

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"I do not believe that your former allies will think the same as you do, my dear. Even now my agents tell me that they've sent out an order for your death, as a traitor to the Alliance. I assume you comprehend the magnitude your defection has wrought on the SIA, such an embarrassment for them." Whether or not the Emperor was telling the truth was impossible to discern, his mind was a black void where no thoughts could be gleamed even by the most talented of mentalists. His face likewise betrayed nothing, remaining utterly stoic and still as stone when his mouth wasn't moving. The Dark Lord gave no indication as to what he was thinking or how he was feeling for any particular thing, and it was most assuredly that any emotion he did display was nothing more than a veneer; the memories of emotion being paraded as a tool for misdirection.​

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"But you needn't worry." Suddenly the feeling of the Emperor's fingers gently caressing and tapping each individual finger against her shoulders descended over Allyson, only to disappear the moment she looked or reached for her shoulders. "My Empire is a home for broken and discarded creatures, as you have come to see. The love you feel for the Lord Inquisitor is not unusual or taboo, we Sith embrace what the Jedi suppress. In time you will come to know the truths that we have known, and you will take hold of the Dark Side without hesitation."​

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This time the Emperor did let the facsimile of a smile cross his features, "It is inevitable."​

Allyson Locke ​

 

[Allyson Locke]

Darth Carnifex

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The feeling of drowning suddenly threatened to suffocate her. Her body tensed at the Emperor's words. She knew the first thing that the SIA would do and they had already done. The network was on fire with her betrayal, every spy that was involved in her web knew that she was compromised. It would only make sense that she was the SIA's number one target. The information in her mind of the Jedi, the GA, the NIO all of them, was valuable to anyone. It was information that Allyson vowed to keep safe, she wasn't going to betray them deeper than she had already. ​

​

The cold touch of the Dark Lord made her shiver, remembering how his tools and presence loomed over her in that dark dungeon below Bastion. Eyes closed quickly as she pushed everything from her mind. He spoke of her affections of the Inquisitor, the main reason she had gotten into the predicament she was in. Her heart was torn in two as she contemplated her duty and her feelings. Thoughts reminded her of what happened between her and Kaili. ​

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She had chosen her duty as a good soldier, in the end she lost what was most precious to her. Not this time, Allyson wouldn't sacrifice Jorryn to be a good soldier. ​

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"You won't be right again. I'll make sure of it. Your Empire isn't my home, and it never will be. My loyalties are where I place them." Anger flared in the Corellian's heart; she hated this man, she hated everything he stood for, and she despised him, even more, knowing that he was right. She had nowhere else to go. She could disappear into the unknown region, but she would be forever hunted. She could go to Kiribi with Jyoti and the Echani, but she would be bringing hunters and the Alliance hunters to the woman's doorstep - endangering her children. ​

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No, Allyson had nowhere else to go. She did her best to convince herself that the reason she stayed was to be at her Echani lover's side. Once again, she searched for the force's calm, and her eyes fell upon the Emperor again. "The SIA will recover, I was expendable." She recalled her first briefing and nodded. "I've already prepared myself for what's coming my way, on my own - without the help of your Empire." Always the defiant one.​

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"Why did you call me here? Was it just to gloat? What do you want with me?" ​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Everyone is expendable for the right price, Allyson. To the highest standing official to the lowest orphan, just another arrow in the quiver of intergalactic governments. Like your Alliance and like my Empire."​

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It was the truth, brutal and sharp. No matter how virtuous a government in this galaxy may tote itself, no matter their efforts to make themselves appear like the champion of democracy and the people, they were still great devouring machines that churned up people and resources as they spread out across the galaxy and waged their wars against one another.​

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The great and powerful, swaggering about the galaxy, gambling with uncountable lives.​

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What separated the Sith from so many others was that they were much more honest about their intentions, they didn't sugarcoat their actions or hide behind some facade of chivalric righteousness. They proclaimed that the Sith Empire was destined to rule the galaxy, and that they would take what they wanted rather than scrape and beg. What most didn't realize was that the Dark Lord only thought of the Empire as another tool, just like the trillions of lives it lorded over, in an ever complex agenda to secure for himself greater power over the fabrics of reality.​

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"And as for why I have brought you here, I wanted to reunite you with someone who, like yourself, has undergone a new awakening as a result of your relationship with the Lord Inquisitor." A door to the side of the Emperor opened slowly, the light from their chamber illuminating just enough to reveal the sihoulette of another. With an overdramatic flourish of his hands, the Emperor gestured towards the hooded and masked individual.​

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"May I present to you, matron of the Valkyries, Lady Vaylin."​

Allyson Locke
Vaylin ​

 

[Vaylin]

Ever since she had accepted the Emperor's gift, Vaylin's duties had been split between her role as an Elder Valkyrie and her responsibilities as one of Carnifex's Hands. That of which had been few and far between for now, but as he had spoken on Remnicore; they were still just chess pieces being moved in the shadows for now.

When he called, she answered without hesitation.

The summons to Bastion had piqued Vaylin's curiosity, wondering what the Emperor had needed of her within the Sith Empire's capitol. But upon arriving she had been informed on just who would be attending that night. The grin behind Vaylin's mask grew, oh how she had waited for a moment like this.

She had wiped her hands clean of Jorryn, but not of the Corellian who had disguised herself as 'Rae'. There had been a sense of irony that her initial innocuous suspicions of the woman had turned into something much more. And then to learn of the truth, to learn the game the Emperor and Lady Taeli had been playing. Vaylin would've felt a great sense of amusement at how the events had played out.

But of course, she couldn't feel that.

It was still a fresh feeling, even after so long since the ritual. She was after all an infant in comparison to Carnifex's years of not feeling the emotion that was visually on display. There was admittedly that small tug of want, but the ever constant pain reminded her of what had been traded. She pushed it down, twisting it into power beneath her skin.

Before Allyson had set foot beyond the threshold, the Emperor had ordered her to the shadows. Slinking into them within a side room. She had remained there, listening as the two conversed. Silent like a ghost until she heard the door hiss open. From there she strode out, adorned in robes and mask that concealed her face, intricate Sith patterns decorating it.

She stopped before the Emperor, just to his side before she finally turned to face the only other occupant in the room. "Greetings Miss Locke," her voice was modulated, but the Zabrak's accent was very apparent. "I don't think we've had the chance to be formerly introduced, not since you finally unshackled yourself from pretence."

Darth Carnifex | Allyson Locke​

 

[Allyson Locke]

Vaylin Darth Carnifex

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Everyone was expendable, it was something that the Corellian had learned quickly. She was tired of being the pawn that was chosen to be sacrificed to the hellfire of war. Yet, as much as she hated it, she would do it every time to protect her loved ones. Was this one of those times? Was her betrayal a sacrifice to protect the ones she cared about in the Alliance? Allyson would never know that answer, and she chose not to dwell on it too much. It was an opportunity to find some ounce of happiness, but it was clouded with the dark side.​

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The Dark Lord mentioned that she was to meet someone affected by the relationship she had developed with the Lord Inquisitor. There was only one person that came to mind; she had dragged her to a sparring room, had broken the heart of the Echani in public, and had loomed in the shadows since then. Allyson had sensed the shift back at the Grand Moff's estate, Rae had seen the exchange between the two women. Knowing that she was the cause of their break up didn't bother Allyson as much as knowing that Vaylin had only hurt the Jorryn during the lead-up to her meeting Rae. Her hands balled into fists seeing the woman, she felt her jaw tighten at the Valkyrie's sight.​

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Allyson listened as the woman spoke her name, mentioning that they haven't been properly introduced. It seemed she already knew who the Corellian was. How many people in the upper circle of the Empire know about her operation? Instantly, her mind thought back to Jorryn, their first night. It felt out of the ordinary that she would summon the trooper to hear what they thought. She is so trusting to allow the same soldier into her office, share what they shared, and keep her close. The familiar tightness in her chest strangulated her, while doubt once more rose to wonder if her emotions were ultimately what snared her into a trap.​

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Eyes darted between the Zabrak and the Emperor, had she been outplayed by her own game? Shaking her head slightly, what she felt, what she had gathered from her time with the Echani, none of that could be true. They both had to have been pawns in this. Allyson shot a look towards Vaylin as venom collected on her words. "You've got to be kidding me. Who are you to talk about pretense? What is going on?" Allyson looked towards Kaine once more and then back to Vaylin, instinct rose as her fight or flight began to kick in. Unlucky for her, flight was out of the question, and Allyson became defensive.​

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Still, lingering on her mind was the question of what part Jorryn played in all of this.​

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Allyson didn't dare ask, fearful of what the answer would be.​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The tension in the air was palpable, you could slice it with a blade. Carnifex remained silent as the two came face-to-face for the first time since their last meeting, which the Emperor had been partially aware of in his efforts to keep an eye on his newly appointed hand after she departed Remnicore. Much had changed even since then, the power that he had imbued inside of Vaylin manifesting more noticeably. She was now well on her way to becoming more akin to the Dark Lord than any other Sith save for her fellow hands.​

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Now he finally spoke to answer Allyson, "Shortly after the Lord Inquisitor became enamored with you, Allyson, I summoned Vaylin to meet with me. Her devastation and heartbreak were easy to decipher, and I offered her a remedy to her affliction. She accepted. Now she is reborn." What the Dark Lord omitted was where he had summoned Vaylin to, for that was a closely guarded secret from even the rest of the Sith Empire. What he also failed to mention was that he had preyed upon Vaylin's insecurities and emotional distress to manipulate her into accepting his offer of power and immortality, as he had done with many other potential Hands prior to his sights settling on the Valkyrie.​

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"No more sadness, no more tears." ​

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No more laughs, no more kisses.​

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"She is emboldened with glorious purpose, relinquished of distraction." The Dark Lord's molten eyes flitted between Vaylin and Allyson as his faux smile grew only bigger, "I suppose she has you to thank for setting her on the true path."​

Allyson Locke | Vaylin ​

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin remained silent as the Emperor spoke. It had been a bit of time after she had departed Remnicore, that it had dawned on her what Carnifex had done. He had picked the perfect time to summon her, when her emotions had been balancing on an edge. Sure, he could've picked a time before Vaylin had talked with Jorryn, discussed their issues and started to try and make amends. Her emotions had been raw at that time, as Allyson Locke had been witness to during their short-lived sparring session.

But no, he had waited patiently.

Waited until a time after that, when a spark of hope started to reach for the surface. Only to be drowned out by rising doubt again. It was masterfully done, to a point that when the revelation had finally struck her, Vaylin laughed. The Emperor had played her well, and honestly she couldn't be mad about it, even if that were possible now.

No anger.

No sadness.

Just a sense of amusement that what had felt like the worst thing in her life, had been twisted into the best thing that had happened to her. The Emperor's words rang true in the Zabrak's ears. And she couldn't help but let out a slightly modulated chuckle.

"I suppose you are right," Vaylin looked at the Corellian. "Thank you, Allyson. If it weren't for you, I'd have never become what I am now." She bowed her head in a mocking gesture.

Darth Carnifex | Allyson Locke​

 

[Allyson Locke]

Vaylin Darth Carnifex

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The Corellian hated the way they said her name. Each time her name was spoken, it was another pile of guilt upon what she had done. None of this was her fault, it couldn't have been. Everything fell upon the Dark Lord- he took advantage of a situation like he always did like every Sith did before him. He preyed upon Vaylin, but why had she gone along with it? None of it made sense to the Corellian. If you loved someone, you fought for them, did everything in your power for them. A quiet moment in her mind as she remembered those in the Alliance. She claimed to love them, even was in love with one - yet she was so easily lured away. ​

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Pushing the thoughts away, Allyson showed her emotions on her face, the anger flaring in her chest as she looked between the two of them. Both seemingly amused by this turn of events. Eyes darted towards Vaylin's masked face; she stepped forward, not wanting to back down. ​

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"You did this. I had nothing to do with any of this. You left Jorryn, you knew how uncomfortable she was with what you were doing. Did you not see it when you showed up as that bloodied corpse?!" Allyson remembered feeling the emotions of the Inquisitor through the budding bond that they were fostering between them. Allyson wished she could have controlled it, prevented it, but that same bond brought courage and warmth to her heart. ​

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"You walked away from her, you continued to keep your distance. You chose your duty and your loyalty…" As the Corellian emphasized the word she looked towards the Dark Lord, no, she would never be loyal to him - her loyalties rested in the hands of the Lord Inquisitor. She would never do his bidding. ​

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"You chose all of that over Jorryn. I chose her over everything else - what you are now is because of YOU Vaylin, not me, not Jorryn. It was all you, running away like a coward with your tail between your legs." Allyson knew she should have stopped while she was ahead, but the Echani woman's voice echoed in her mind, those words that haunted her dreams as she followed the Inquisitor into nightmares. Make me feel better. ​

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"You didn't deserve her Vaylin, you never did!"​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Lord of the Sith remained silent as Allyson exploded with her refutal of having anything to do with Vaylin's transformation, the smile he masked himself with never wavering in its grotesque intensity. Around them, the Force flickered with the emotions that ran high. not just Allyson's own but those she had empathized with from the Lord Inquisitor and Vaylin before her fateful meeting with the Emperor on Remnicore. Nothing could be derived from the Emperor himself, he was like a black hole of emotionless darkness from which all Light was devoured.​

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He could still remember what those emotions felt like, where they had stemmed from, but he could no longer feel them in any capacity. Even while Vaylin could still tentatively feel the fading vestiges of emotion, the Emperor had lost all sensation years ago. Essentially emotionless, he could use his prior knowledge of emotion to manipulate and wound others to startling effectiveness.​

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Vaylin was just one in a long line of manipulations by his hand.​

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So the Dark Lord was content to sit back and let this conflict unfold before his eyes, an observer, and an orchestrator of this tightly strung web. With every second that passed between Allyson and Vaylin, the lights in the room grew dimmer and dimmer until darkness was nearly upon them, the peripheries of the room already swallowed by the umbral gulf of the Dark Lord's omnipresent entropic hunger. Gradually, even the molten halos that hung suspended in the black sea of the Emperor's eyes were swallowed by shadows as he remained fixated on their feud, engorging himself on the emotions being shunted into the open air.​

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Fanning the flames, the Emperor spoke; "How delicious." ​

Allyson Locke
Vaylin ​

 

[Vaylin]

"Oh there it is...the fire, the anger." Vaylin grinned beneath her mask, glad she couldn't give off any emotion now. This was so much fun. "And yet disappointedly, you're blinded by the Light still."

She began to pace back and forth before the Emperor, at an even pace and never taking her eyes off Allyson. Vaylin could feel the energy in the room, relished in the encroaching darkness around them.

"Oh, I'd never deny I made my own choices. I could've walked away, but I didn't." Technically, Vaylin didn't know that for sure. She knew how the Emperor could be in the past, and didn't know if she would've faced his wrath or just his disappointment. If she had ultimately turned down his offer on Remnicore. "But you, Allyson. Refuse to admit your part in it, in this." Vaylin waved hand down at herself. "If you hadn't been there on Dantooine, if you hadn't been there at all when I returned to Jorryn this wouldn't have happened."

Vaylin had thought about all those scenarios, before she had accepted the Emperorer's invitation.

"Jorryn and I would've had the same talks, tried to find a similar middle ground. And sure, we might've still broken things off by the end." She paused, staring at Allyson. "But, it wouldn't have involved her having even more compounded emotions, as a result of you. Your actions caused that hurt in Jorryn, just as much as mine did." It had been a domino effect that was out of the control of either of them at the time. "I never left Jorryn, or kept my distance until after I realized that old spark was gone, after we made up. Hmm, those were some lovely nights we spent. Which I'm sure was oh so lovely for you too." Vaylin had done her digging into 'Allyson Locke' before tonight. She was familiar with K'paur and the type of bonds they formed with someone.

"But my point is this, Allyson. Yes, I didn't know about Jorryn's feelings towards my Netherworld connections, not until it was too late. But you want to know why?" The Zabrak stopped her pacing finally, facing Allyson head on. "Because Jorryn never said a thing. Not a single peep over the years we were together. Jorryn is strong and beautiful yes, but do you know what else she is?"

The air in the room seemed to thin in anticipation, the shadows almost touching their forms with how dark it had gotten.

"She was a coward. For all her bravado, she couldn't face confronting me with her issues. She's just as much at fault for the relationship collapsing, as me. So I shall repeat myself. Thank you, Allyson Locke. You helped to reveal Jorryn's betrayal. So easily swayed by a pretty face. and someone who manipulated a moment of weakness, of vulnerability." It was the moment of retaliation, and Vaylin was prepared for it. But the Zabrak wasn't finished yet, oh no. She still had one last thing to say.

"I suppose it shouldn't be too surprising you'd be able to get others to turn their back on their loved ones. You're very proficient in that, given recent events."

Darth Carnifex | Allyson Locke​

 

[Allyson Locke]

Vaylin Darth Carnifex

​

Eyes followed the Hand of the Emperor as she paced, Allyson wasn't going to let the woman blame her for her shortcomings in the relationship with the Lord Inquisitor. Allyson had been at the right place at the right time to comfort the Echani. How could one person leave someone they love alone? Memories of the blonde-haired girl she left on Kiara bubbled up. The pain she used to feel in her heart when she remembered her shortcomings with Kaili Talith faded as quickly as she remembered her. Instead of feeling sorrow, Allyson found the courage to hold onto the one she loved. ​

​

Her lips moved to interject to stop everything that Vaylin was saying. To deny every claim the woman rambled on. Yet she remained silent, no words escaped her lips as she watched feeling something inside of her grow. The Pit in her stomach stopped sinking, the guilt morphed into something more directed towards the Zabrak. Allyson felt her nails dig into her palms as her jaw grew so tight her teeth hurt. A strangulating tightness welled in her chest, but she continued to breathe, sucking in the air through her gritted teeth. ​

​

Allyson felt her face tighten even when she felt surprised when Vaylin mentioned the K'paur bond. She had felt the shift in emotions, the rise and fall of them during the nights she spoke of. Her own feelings being shattered as she felt the reignited passion the two had shared, brief as it was - Allyson thought she was going to die from it. The bond shared between someone and a K'paur even as a halfling was more potent than anything the Force could create. The dig fueled the fire and anger that threatened to swallow the Corellian. She never felt this sort of hate before, not even in the pits of Bastion staring down the Dark Lord as he peeled away her flesh. Vaylin was doing the same, just with her words instead of a blade of precision. ​

​

Her mouth felt dry, her face cold as emotion started to give way to the anger inside of her. Everything that the Zabrak was saying struck a chord with the Corellian. Jorryn was a sensitive subject, Allyson wanted to protect the woman at all costs, including her character. ​

She was a coward.​

Breathing became labored as she played the phrase over and over in her mind as Vaylin continued. Allyson teetered on the edge of control, fighting between lashing out, ripping the tongue from the Zabrak's mouth to quietly take the verbal assault. What would a Jedi do? How would a Jedi find the calm within them? Was the fight worth it? Allyson continued to cling to the light side - not wanting to tap into the anger that burned every inch of her skin. ​

I suppose it shouldn't be too surprising you'd be able to get others to turn their back on their loved ones. You're very proficient in that, given recent events.​

Anger grew to hate, and that hate exploded into a blaze engulfing the Corellian. The fires of the room burned around her, and Allyson felt an odd calm wash over her. I'm not a Jedi anymore. Her mind releasing the barriers that she set for herself so long ago. She wanted to be a hero, she wanted to do right in this world - yet something always told her that she didn't belong walking in the light. ​

​

A surge of renewed powers as she used the swirling hatred of what she had done, of what the Zabrak was saying and represented - all of it fueled the woman. The Force felt different as it surged through her, it was something more natural to what she had felt before in the past. Her heritage, her savant powers, and her profession - all of it bathed in the song of the dark side. She fought it for long enough, a finger dipping into the pool of the overwhelming power was all she needed to stop the woman from continuing her speech. ​

​

Allyson hated Vaylin, she hated what she had done to Jorryn, she hated what the Zabrak had become, and she wanted to do something. ​

​

"Shut up." Words slithered between the Corellian's tightened jaw. "You don't know anything. Don't EVER say her name again." As she finished, the Force swirled around her, Allyson never being as in tune with the Force as the Master should be felt the overwhelming power that was her genuine connection. Being a K'paur, the woman had an affinity with darkness and mechu deru - the cards were always stacked against her desire to be a Jedi. ​

​

A hand reached out, the Force followed, acting as a vice grip that spun around the Zabrak's throat. Without remorse, Allyson commanded the invisible manifestation to strangle the newest Hand of the Emperor.​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Everything was going according to plan.​

​

With indivisible rapture, the Dark Lord of the Sith watched as the verbal barbs were traded back and forth between the two of them. Allyson's anger continued to seethe and seethe, tipping over into a hateful boil that radiated out through the Force like heat from an open furnace. What followed such venomous words was emotional action, and such action quickly turned to violence as Allyson channeled her hate to coil around Vaylin's throat and constrict it shut. It was then that the Emperor decided to intervene on his Hand's behalf.​

​

The sensation of another hand grasping that which invisibly seized the Zabrak's throat materialized shortly after it appeared, wrenching away the asphyxiating claw and shoving it back at Allyson to no real detrimental effect.​

​

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk."​

​

Carnifex waggled one finger at Allyson. "Such a feud cannot be settled with your knowledge of the Force, Allyson Locke." He reached down inside of his cloak and produced a lightsaber of silver and bronze design, chucking it up into the air towards Allyson for her to catch. "It must be settled by your skill with a lightsaber. That weapon once belonged to a Jedi, I took it from her body after I killed her. It has not yet been used since her death, use it now as an extension of the hate you feel in your heart. Strike down Vaylin, or be struck down in return."​

​

Thus the challenge was laid down before them, they must fight one another.​

​

To the death.​

Allyson Locke
Vaylin ​

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin just stood there, not moving and simply anticipating what Allyson's attack would be. She could feel the Force swirling within the Corellian, mixing in with the darkness that had been lingering inside for so long. Even before Allyson had raised her hand, Vaylin knew it would be a Force Choke. She wanted the Zabrak to shut up, so what better way than trying to crush her throat.

As she felt the invisible force constrict, Vaylin stretched her arms out and began to laugh. Seemingly unfazed by the beginning tightening of her windpipe. Only for it to suddenly dissipate with a sudden force from Carnifex.

Vaylin's head sharply turned to the right, glancing towards the Emperor. She let out small moan of disappointment. The Zabrak had wanted to see just how far Allyson had been pushed. If she truly meant the hatred she felt within her, if it translated to the power beneath the Force Choke. But the Emperor's word was law, and thus Vaylin didn't voice any further complaint.

She stood to the side as Carnifex addressed Allyson, her masked eyes immediately catching sight of the lightsaber as it soared overhead towards the Corellian. Vaylin hadn't kept her lightsabers on her person upon walking in, fully aware of Allyson's ability with Mechu-deru. Going into this with the full intent of getting under the woman's skin, Vaylin wasn't going to give her any advantage. Thank the Force she had no cybernetics.

With a wave of her hand, the side door she had come through opened. Seconds later two lightsabers, one a regular hilt, another a shoto, flew out and into Vaylin's outstretched hand.

"Don't even think about using your Mechu-deru, Allyson." The Zabrak drew her main lightsaber into her right hand, spinning it a little. "Or I will burn that pretty little face of yours, to a point Jorryn won't be able to stand looking at you." Flipping her shoto into a reverse grip, Vaylin ignited her twin red blades.

A particular thought struck the Zabrak, and she let out a chuckle. In the wake of learning who 'Rae' really was, Vaylin had researched Allyson Locke to the fullest ability, which wasn't an amazing lot. But then a bit of time later, the NIO invaded Borosk and Troska, and the Zabrak just so happened to find herself granted access to the reports surrounding Allyson and Jorryn there. Thinking back on it now, Vaylin wondered if the Emperor had been behind that. Feeding her more fuel to eventually throw onto the fire they were stoking within the Corellian.

"You know what I should do? I should go find Jorryn and take one of her hands." The Zabrak paused for effect, slipping into a stance. "Then you'd have a matching pair, between both your former and current lovers."

Darth Carnifex | Allyson Locke​

 

[Allyson Locke]

Vaylin Darth Carnifex

​

Allyson let the hate for the Zabrak flow freely form her core and through her fingertips as she wanted to silence the woman. Yet, as quickly as she accepted the hatred, it disappeared. Her reach silenced as the Dark Lord interned, convenient for the Hand. The sound of the Emperor’s voice quelled the bubbling instincts of the K’paur hybrid. It was a feeling she had never felt, something bred deep into her bloodline, and it scared her. ​

​

Emerald orbs blinked as she looked towards the man as he spoke to her and tossed the saber to her. Reaching up, Allyson felt the Force again as it shot the cold metal into her palm. She felt the righteousness of the Jedi whom it belonged to. She was briefly reminded of the good that she used to feel, the calm of Ashla flowing from the weapon, and Allyson felt the hatred begin to simmer. Looking back up towards Vaylin, who now brandished lightsabers as well, the azure blade snapped and hissed. Allyson wasn’t built for lightsaber combat, the girl was trained to hide in the shadows and attack from a distance. Coming face to face with the Hand was going to prove interesting. ​

​

The blue glow of the saber shined in the darkness, reminding her of her weapon. Dropping the blade to the ground, the tip sparked against the flooring. Her senses giving into the K’paur lineage, she was able to see the Zabrak and the rest of the room as clear as day. An advantage she hoped for over the woman, one of the few she did. ​

​

A small smirk spread across her face as she chuckled at the woman’s threat. “Well, Vaylin, she liked your face - so I doubt anything you do to mine will ever rival your bantha skrag face.” As quickly as the comment escaped, her mind focused on the inner workings of the shoto lightsaber. The technology housing the crystal was simple and easy to throw off. Lightsabers were a delicate piece of technology, and Allyson relished in the moment of her slipping the mechanical workings in hopes of short-circuiting the saber. ​

​

The fire that burned with hate calmed, and she realized what the pair had been trying to do. Struggling against the dark side of the Force was always an uphill battle. Every effort the Corellian made was to remain on the path of the light the best she could. Even now, with her betrayal, she felt herself slipping, and if she was going to slip, it was going to be of her own accord. Allyson swore she would not be a puppet to anyone any longer, not the SIS, the SIA, the Jedi Order, or the Sith Empire. No one was going to control her or manipulate her ever again. ​

​

“How about you stop moving your jaw and actually fight Vaylin because the last time all I remember was how pathetic you were after you kissed me. Get over yourself, and show me this all-mighty power this guy tempted you with.”​