Secrets In The Dark

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The shock came instantaneously once again, and unfortunately was a little bit too much for Vrak. He was already injured, and the press of Jamie's hand into his side couple with the sudden press of a stunning lightsaber right into his abdomen? No amount of the force could save him for that.

As soon as the blade ignited and touched his skin Vrak seized. His fingers tightened into fists, his body practically became a plank, the chain tightened around Jamie's neck for just a few seconds until finally Vrak lapsed into unconsciousness. His head lulled to the side and his body collapsed against the cold ground, the chain around Jamie's neck loosened and the 5th Legion soldiers seemed to jump to her side almost instantaniously. They pulled Vrak's arms away from her neck and gently tugged her back.

A foot found its way to Vrak's side, sending the Pureblood to his side as he was pushed away from the young Padawan.

His body lay limply on the ground, his chest barely rising and falling with shallow breaths.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie released the lightsaber and allowed it to fall to the floor before she erupted into a violent coughing fit the moment the chain loosened around her neck. Her eyes had become bloodshot, the imprint of the chain left around her neck as she laid on the floor gasping and choking for several minutes while the soldiers tended to her. Her head was pounding so hard she could feel her heartbeat in it. She could hear it in her ears. It was as if she'd just run a marathon of sorts. Her body had become instantly exhausted, oxygen starved.

The guards collected the weapon she had dropped, holding onto it for the time being as they secured the Sith to a nearby support column, tying his arms back behind the stone.

Minutes would pass before she was finally calm enough to think clearly. "Put the karking bacta patch on him." She directed them, much to their surprise. "Are you sure you want us to do that?" A look of scorn washed over her as she glared upwards at them. That was all the confirmation they'd need to proceed. "I said I wasn't going to kill him. I'm not. Apparently he needed a reminder." Using her feet she pushed herself up against the opposite wall, leaning her head back and shutting her eyes for a minute. She needed to rest.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vrak awoke to the feel of much less gentle hands slapping a bacta patch onto his side. The robes had practically been torn off his torso and his arms had now been bound behind a stolen column. The cuffs were also tighter now, squeezing his wrists to the point of almost being painful. His head lulled for a few moments as he tried to collect himself, his chest rising and falling a bit faster as he took in deep calming breaths. The hand on his side eventually moved away, and slowly the Pureblood opened his eyes.

He didn't say anything at first, instead remaining quiet, but holding an almost self-satisfied smirk when he glanced towards Jamie standing on the opposite end of the wall. His lightsaber hung on her belt, her own he couldn't see. Two of the guards had now moved to stand directly over him, each holding their blaster rifle directly at his head. A third man moved away from him, presumably the one that had placed the patch on his side.

Vrak smiled, looking at Jamie. "Can't blame me for trying."

Perhaps he had tempted fate a bit too far. Escaping now seemed like a...less likely option. He certainly couldn't remove the column that was holding him in place and there was no way for him to break the cuffs.

Inwardly he frowned, not letting them see the slight bit of panic that raised within him. Vrak knew that there would be other opportunities. If they intended on taking him back to the Alliance they would have to move him...that...that was when he would try.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

One of the men mumbled some words to the other, then they both backed away from Vrak. The blonde opened her eyes and looked at the Sith when he spoke. There was an empty expression on her face now. Jamie simply shook her head slowly. "Stop plotting your next opportunity to kill me. I can see it in your eyes already." She tapped her fingers on her knees, her other hand rubbing her neck. "Sometimes I wonder if there is anyone you Sith wouldn't kill for the slightest chance of advantage."

Parents? Children? Siblings? Is nothing above power?

"Travor, will you get my bag from the other room please? It's beside the table." The man nodded and stepped away. "Thank you." She said quietly. The air remained silent as she watched Vrak until the soldier returned, handing it to her gently. The Jedi set the bag beside her, but didn't open it just yet. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Surely you've got one of those. And not one of those silly darth monikers. An actual name."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Killing was a part of their culture as much as breathing. That was how you rose through society, that was how you showed you were strong. To Purebloods killing was natural, Vrak especially had learned from an early age that death could gain him favor faster than most things in life. His siblings had been the sacrifice for that lesson to be taught, but perhaps now was not the time to share that bit of family history with the Jedi and her associates.

"Vrak." He stated simply. There was no hint of cowardice in giving his name, no, there was only pride. Some Sith would have preferred to operate in secret, to keep their identities hidden and themselves tucked away, but that was not his way. There was a time for secrecy and then a time for boldness. Now was the latter.

"Vrak Nashar." The syllables sounded harsh, an accent of an unfamiliar language placed upon them as he spoke. "And yours?"

It would have been rude of him not to ask.

His eyes flickered to the Trooper who went to fetch the bag, Vrak noting that his armor had a slight chip in it on the back. That would be enough to mark him out as 'Travor' in case that information ever came up in the future.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

An eye raised when he asked what her name was. "Certainly you don't actually care what my name is. If you had perhaps you'd have asked for it before you tried to kill me twice." Her eyes averted away from his for a moment as she fished around in her back, pulling back out her camera to examine it for any damage. "So why ask now?" She turned the device several times over in her hands, thoroughly checking it before she gave a huff. Jamie set the camera in her lap, then looked back up to Vrak.

"You don't seem the type to ask out of simply curiosity."

While they exchanged words she had to begin thinking of what to do with him. There weren't a whole lot of options. They could leave him chained to the pillar, where he could very likely die, or perhaps find a way to free himself. They could simply execute him, though that wouldn't sit well with her, despite that being the option the others were most apt to take. She could try and transport him as a prisoner back to Alliance space, but that would run the inherent risk of him once again doing something foolish. The only other option she could think of was to give him another jolt of her lightsaber to incapacitate him, before unshackling and leaving him stranded. That was when another question popped into her head.

"How did you get here anyway?"

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Manners." Vrak said said simply as he attempted to shrug. The chains on the back of the pillar caught onto something, making it difficult for him to move his shoulders.

A frown set on his lips as he realized just how tightly they had bound him, his arms already beginning to ache from the awkward position that they had tied him him. His gaze fell onto the trooper closest to him, Vrak deciding that he would blame him for the matter of this affront. His lips thinned and slowly he turned his attention back to Jamie.

The quesiton was more dangerous than she realized. Vrak came from a world filled with Purebloods, a world that for the last several Millenia had remained completely undiscovered from the rest of the galaxy. If she were to find his ship she would be able to access the navigation data in the computer and find his world. That was a risk that he was not willing to take, especially considering that she was from the Alliance. The predominant and most Sith hating government in the entire galaxy.

"I was stranded here." He would weave a story. "Millenia ago."

It was a lie, but his face was kept straight and his heartbeat calm. "Frozen in carbonite during an attempt to reclaim this citadel."

The idea wasn't too far fetched. At one point in the galaxy Purebloods had been incredibly prevalent. The Lost Tribe of the Sith, the Old Empire, all of them had Pureblood of some sort. If the girl knew her histories then his story would not be too difficult believe, especially since the One Sith had taken up residence here so recently.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Manners." She repeated. A second passed. Then another. And another. Then she burst into laughter, her head falling back to rest against the stonework wall behind her. She laughed until her chest ached, reaching up to wipe away the small liquid droplets that formed in the corners of her eyes. "Manners." She said once more. "You asked my name because of manners?" The blonde shook her head, strands of hair bouncing their way across her face from left to right before settling back again. "You have a strange sense of mannerisms. Kill me without a thought, but you'll ask my name because you are tied to a pillar, and I asked for it?"

Jamie rubbed her face, trying to find some way to comprehend the train of thought this Sith followed. "I haven't even tortured you. Haven't threatened you. I've not really even hurt you. Well," She started, pointing to his chest. "Aside from that, anyway. but you really didn't give me another option there." Her arms folded atop one another. "And yet now you're eager to tell me your life story?" She exhaled between thinned lips. "You are very, very strange."

She considered his story for a moment, then bit her lip. "If you were frozen in carbonite, who let you out?"

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Just because I attempted to kill you doesn't mean I've been dishonest with you, save for your first question." Despite the first thing he'd said to her being a lie, well...kind of. Andeddu hadn't been Pureblood, but he had been a Sith Lord at one time.

Close enough by most peoples estimations.

"No one." He explained. "Though Carbonite can last almost an eternity the switches that control it cannot. Over the centuries the electrics that contained me were torn away and during the Battle of Prakith I was awoken."

This was where his own memory was strained. He had learned much about the One Sith, but information on Athiss about the group had been more than a little spotty. "I was blind when I awoke, half dead. By the time my senses returned to me I found this world occupied by a Cult that..."

He trailed off and glanced towards the Troopers, then back at Jamie.

"...I did not see eye to eye with." It was well known that the Sith were a fractured bunch, and admitting to such would only add truth to his story.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie pressed the button on the camera to turn the device on. She half ignored Vrak as he spoke, though heard his words. It was as if she was focused on something about the camera.

"Sith are liars." She said as she continued to fiddle with the device. "Everything you're telling me is likely a lie." She looked up for a second. "I'm only wasting my time with your answers while I consider what to do with you."

Perhaps being a bide snide would get her points across. He seemed to need reminders, not taking well to the whole I'm not trying to kill you and don't plan on it thing. Though now he had proven to be more of an issue than she had hoped for. It was slightly irritating really. A more honest conversation would likely come from the pillar he was tied to. Jamie focused her gaze back on the camera as she began to click through the various data she'd captured on the device before she was interrupted.

"Every time I try and study one of your people's ancient structures, I'm always interrupted. You build these massive shrines that demand attention, but then try to snuff out anyone who ventures inside."

She was more so talking to herself about Vrak, than speaking to him at this point. Anything he said she merely brushed off as a brief pause in his plot to try and kill her again.

Jamie looked over at Vrak, clicked another button, and snapped a photo of the man as he sat restrained. Notably there was no flash of light. "I've never seen one of your kind before. I suppose I owe you a thanks of sorts. Not that I'm really that impressed, given your demeanor and behavior. I did hope you would be less inclined to lie to my face, but such is the way of things I suppose."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He smiled for the camera, or rather, at her words. "We build the shrines for ourselves."

That was really the best way of putting it. It was true that he was a liar, but all Purebloods were. Lies, deceit, all of it was the way of their people. It was how their society functioned. Lies were told to children, parents, allies, even friends. Without lies their entire society was nothing. It was the small grains of truth that slipped through the cracks that more often then not brought things tumbling down. A sad fact of being a Sith was that your life was in a very real way built upon lies.

"Not for others." He went on. "The tombs are a monument to what we accomplished in life."

Anything else was just bonus.

He couldn't help but smile when she disparaged his species. It was amusing to him that she would think Purebloods were somehow more honorable or inclined to the truth. His eyes danced to the camera she was holding for a moment and then back at her. "Where do you think they got it from? Those that you call 'Sith'. They are just a pale reflection of us."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"You're all the same, really. If the dark side of the Force was actually stronger, you wouldn't have been hunted to extermination. The Sith would rule the galaxy without opposition. And you wouldn't be chained to that pillar."

The Padawan slowly stood from the floor, taking the camera in one hand, the strap still around her neck. "In the end everyone dies, and everyone forgets what you did, and what you accomplished." She gestured around the crumbling building. "This is all that's left. And even this, as old as it is, will slowly be forgotten. Just as you were, when you were left here." She was perhaps one of the few Jedi who did care enough to document such ancient relics. She'd yet to meet another anyway.

"Now, I'd like to take a few pictures of the oratory, before I tell you what I've decided your fate to be."

She took extra care to emphasize the fact that she had decided his fate.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vrak shrugged. "Perhaps."

There was truth to what she said, a sliver of it anyway. Things weren't quite as simple as she put them, but then again they weren't as simple as Vrak had made them sound either. The force was a complex thing after all. One could argue all day and night whether or not the darkside was actually stronger than the light, and in truth it didn't really matter. A part of him couldn't help but wonder whether or not there were cycles of strength. Rather than one side being dominant at all times it was more of a push and pull.

An endless, eternal struggle for dominance. It seemed fitting enough considering the history of the galaxy, the idea that as the wheel turned the darkness and the light both rise and fell as regularly as the sun on most worlds.

"I suppose you'll want to document it all." He smiled slightly. "Including Andeddu's Inner Sanctum."

He bore that smug look again. The inner sanctum was the hidden part of this fortress, the place that had supposedly once kept the spirit of the Sith Lord himself. Vrak knew where it was, an ancient piece of writing that had been kept on Athiss had told him it's location. It was why he had come here after all. He wondered if Jamie knew the same.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh. And I suppose you want to be the ever helpful little guide and show me right where it is, right?" Her tone was impeccably sarcastic.

She turned as she reached the damaged archway that separated the oratory from the hall, looking down at Vrak.

"Are you going to tell me you've had a change of heart and won't try and kill me the moment I undo those restraints? You'll excuse me if I have no such belief in you."

What was that saying? Fool me once, shame on you? Fool me twice shame on me? She'd already been made the fool of twice. Third time was most certainly not going to be a charm. "How about you just sit there quietly?" Her head turned momentarily from the Sith to Travor. She barked a command that was obviously meant more to simply frighten the Sith than an actual order. "If he moves put a few more holes in him." There was another nod, and the guards stood to watch him while Jamie proceeded into the next room for a few moments.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vrak didn't say anything, only remained silent and watched Jamie with amusement.

He had no doubt in his mind that she was curious about the Sanctum, though she seemed to be just a bit too intelligent to actually go for his ploy. He was disgusted with himself to be caught, but he did have to giver her credit for being clever. His eyes followed her as she half left the room, stalking towards the oratory. For a moment the Pureblood considered his options, looking between the three remaining Troopers as though he were thinking about if they'd actually shoot him.

For some reason he had no doubt that they would.

A minute passed, and then Vrak slowly let his eyes close. He didn't have any other options, and enough time had passed...A frown settled on his lips as he began to concentrate. He didn't know whether or not the Jedi Girl would feel it, but it didn't matter. Power began to trickle through him, at first just a touch, and then it became a slow rolling wave. The darkside filled him, and then slowly crept out into the room.

The old ones called it Sith Battle Coordination, a perversion of what the Jedi Called Battle Meditation. Vrak was not a Sith Sorcerer, he was not particularly gifted in the force, but this...this was one of his talents. The ability to reach out and not just influence, but command those around him. In this instance his mind swarmed towards the soldier that had taken him captive, thoughts slowly extending, and then seizing him. The trooper let out small gasp, his spine stiffening as Vrak took his mind for his own.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie went about taking about a dozen or so photographs of the neighboring room. She was relatively unaware as to whatever was going on in the corridor. She was also not terribly great at sensing danger before it happened, otherwise she likely wouldn't have found herself with a chain around her neck, or a Sith stumbling upon her not more than three feet away while she observed some stonework. She did feel the dark side of the Force here, but she could hardly distinguish that from Vrak's little handiwork he was working on in the next room.

While she took her photographs she continued to debate with herself about what to do, his words sticking to her like glue. She did want to see the entire structure, though she knew absolutely that going with him would be her end. He was dangerous, more so than she was willing to wager alone, or in a place she was unfamiliar with without any avenue for escape. If he really did know of a hidden chamber, he knew how to get it and out, whereas she did not.

Bad idea.

She sighed, turning back to return to the Sith only when she had taken what she needed of the room.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vrak smiled in satisfaction. The Troopers mind turned like a switch. In an instant Travor found himself without a will, without a single thought. In an instant he became nothing but a puppet. It was a glorious thing, something that no Jedi could ever truly understood. For a second Vrak did nothing with the man, simply holding him in place until he was sure...

The Jedi did not appear. His smirk grew wider, and then suddenly he spoke. "Travor."

The other two Troopers looked towards Vrak for a second, their stance uttering a mix of confusion and annoyance. Neither of them knew of course, they couldn't have. It was really a pity, they seemed like such good people. Vrak couldn't help but feel a twist of pleasure at what would come next.

"Kill them." The Trooper under his control acted instantly.

Travor raised the rifle in his hand, that odd weapon that had struck him with a firm bolt in the ribs. His finger slipped onto the trigger and before even half a second had passed he fired four bolts in total, two at each of the soldiers. Both men fell to the ground, unable to react, or perhaps to stunned to do so, as their friend murdered them in cold bold.

Two loud thuds rang out within the hall as the men fell to the floor.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie stepped through the archway simply to watch the events. She heard Vrak speak, but it took more than the time required to understand what exactly had happened.

When she did realize what had happened, that leaving him alone was in fact, a mistake, she simply screamed in both horror and anger as the two others were gunned down in an instant. A single blink of the eye. "No!" She screamed as she threw her hands forward, sending a wave of Force energy against the guard, throwing him against the wall with enough force to crack the wall behind him, leaving the man to slide down, limp, unconscious.

Without even paying the Sith any attention she rushed to the aide of the fallen soldiers, quickly pulling off their helmets to check for a pulse.

Gone.

She turned her head, a look of pure rage filling her eyes. The blonde knelt down, picking up the lightsaber she'd entrusted to the now dead man. Jamie slipped the weapon onto her hip, but curiously removed the Sith's from where it loosely hung. Fire danced along the pupils of her eyes as she studied the rather plain looking device. As if she was contemplating something. Her thumb pressed down on the button, and the deadly red beam of light came tearing outwards.

She turned it to face Vrak, mere centimeters from the facial bones that hung from his jowls. Her eyes narrowed.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vrak didn't say anything. He had hoped to have more time before the Jedi made it back, hoped to have the Trooper free him but...a glance towards the man told him that wasn't happening any time soon. He frowned slightly, just slightly, looking back up at the Jedi. He could feel her anger, the rage, It was a beautiful thing. She wouldn't appreciate it of course, and he doubted that he could make her fall...but that doesn't mean he couldn't enjoy the bounties of his harvest.

His lips broke into a smile.

She was standing close, a bit too close, and what he was about to do was more dangerous than he would actually care to admit, but it didn't matter much at this point. As she stepped towards him with lightsaber ignited Vrask lashed out once more. This time his leg kicked forward, but not to strike against her. Instead his foot sought to hook between her legs and jerk to the side.

In one quick motion Vrak hoped to pull her off her feet.

If she fell the way that he wanted, either caught by surprise or maybe wrapped up in her own rage the blade wouldn't deactivate. Instead during her fall it would slice through his arm, freeing him of both his appendage, and the column that held him in place.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

His leg caught her on the left, pulling her. She stumbled to the side, trying to catch her footing rather than fall outright. Her awkward bit of almost dance left her tripping back with only the railing along the outer wall to catch her. She fumbled with the Sith's weapon, dropping it over the side. She cursed as her eyes watched it fall out of view. Though perhaps that was best in the long run. The momentary flutter of overwhelming rage had nearly gotten the better of her. She blinked, then pulled her sight away from where the weapon had plummeted down.

Jamie raised her hand, wiping her face with the palm of her hand before looking at Vrak again. "I should kill you. You know that?"

She drew a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her heart was beating twice as fast as it should have been, her blood still coursing through her with urgency. Her tongue pressed against the bottom of her lip within her mouth, running along her teeth while she considered the situation.

"I've decided what I am going to do with you. Since clearly you can't be reasoned with."

The girl drew her own weapon, igniting the bright yellow plasma sword. "I can't leave you here while I wander around. You'll find a way out. I can't take you with me. And I don't trust you anywhere near enough to free you on your own promise to simply go."

She shrugged.

"That leaves me one option." The Padawan stepped wide around the man this time, towards the back of the pillar. "You're going to have to stay here while I leave." She shook her head. "This will probably hurt. I'm sorry."

Jamie would drag the edge of her weapon along the man's belly, exposing him to a far longer strike than the brief moments before.

Only after it was obvious he wouldn't be moving for a bit would she release his arms from their restraints.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]