Strike Back

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Goosebumps ran across his spine as he pulled back, the bite of her teeth sinking over his lips even as he retreated just a little to speak. "I won't kill Berilin."

Not yet away. His fingers tightened on her legs, holding her in place as he kissed her. His teeth sinking into her lip in return as if in a small bit of vengeance. Blood spilled over his tongue, and slowly he drew back to look at her once more, hands pinning her.

"That doesn't mean I won't do something." He smiled. "Berilin has a dozen apprentices."

His fingers slowly trailed up her legs and over her clothes. "Some of them were likely the ones that intend to kill me."

That only made sense.

"I will kill them." His fingers slowly slipped beneath the hem of her pants, pulling the garment down. "Then kill the rest."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Emerald eyes observed Vrak's motions as he manipulated his hands along her legs, up towards her waistline.

"And how exactly does the great Lord Nashar plan to track down these apprentices and kill them, one by one?" Her hand quickly slapped away Vrak's as he began to subtly slip beneath the fabric of her clothing. "Surely this man will find suitable replacements as long as breath fills his lungs." Exactly how hard was it to find people willing to die for a cause under the guise of becoming something greater?

Sera wasn't quite sure if these apprentices were Force sensitives or just trained assassins. The former would be a slightly pricklier situation to handle. Most other assassins were sloppy, leaving trails to follow in abundance, regardless of the care they thought to put into their cover.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He growled at her, his hand coming up to close around one of her wrists before quickly scooping up the other. "He can replace them."

Vrak admitted as he brought her arms above her head, pinning her hands in place there.

"Will replace them." Berilin didn't lack for manpower. Unlike the other seats on the Council he had nearly an entire caste at his disposal. Most, if not all, Massassi swore their loyalty to Berilin himself. They wanted power, they wanted blood, and they wanted war. Berilin out of all the Councilors could draw upon the most people. Even more than Vrak himself in fact, something that annoyed the new christened Sith Lord to absolutely no end. "But it's not about that."

His fingers tightened on her wrist, Vrak leaning down to bite Seraphina's neck almost to the point of bleeding. "It's about sending a message."

"Every corpse." He kissed her skin. "Every body will tell a story."

A rather artful one. "I'm watching. I'm waiting. I'm daring you."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Again she made no attempt to resist his rather forceful restraint of her. She did however, revel in his growling response to her swatting away his hand from what he was after. A taunting smile graced her lips even whilst he held her arms above her head. As he spoke she listened, that same taunting smile on her face throughout, right up until he laid his teeth across the flesh of her neck.

Instantly the muscles in her neck tensed, her hands trying desperately to free themselves from his grip to push him away. A pained yelp pushed its' way through her lungs and past her lips. Words were lost on her in that moment, the force of his teeth against her skin drawing all of her attention, even after releasing her a scowl lingered with a fire burning behind her eyes.

"Then you have work to do."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"I do." His other hand slowly began to trace down her body again, his fingers running over the flat of her already exposed stomach before stopping.

This little vacation would come to an end shortly, Vrak knew that. With Korriban nearly upon them and now this news of Berilins inevitable betrayal he was sure something would interrupt him soon, but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little bit of fun before such a thing happened. Even a Pureblood needed to relieve a bit of stress after all. Taking out his frustrations was healthy, in a way at least.

With the Empire quickly growing he would face numerous threats from without and within. Even as his hand traced lower and his fingers hooked beneath the hem of cloth Vrak couldn't help but think of a half dozen things that he would have to do when he left here. He considered Berilin, The Council, The Silver Jedi, and other matter that would need his attention. The lack of focus was annoying, but as Sera drew in a hitched breath his scrutiny turned to her.

He smiled down at Seraphina. "But so do you, My little Pink Pet."

That would block some of the distractions.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'lek looked over at Vrak, yawning away the bit of exhaustion. "I believe your servant knocked on the door a short time ago."

Likely it was the meal Vrak had ordered to be prepared though, given the circumstances, the servant probably left it just outside the room upon hearing the festivities ongoing just beyond the door before entering.

"I'm guessing it wasn't important enough to interrupt."

The woman slipped from beneath the warmth of the blankets to stand beside the bed and stretched arms and legs. Green eyes set back on the man still laying, a look of satisfaction about him that told more than words could. "I've done the work needed of me. Now it's your turn. The longer you wait around the more time Berilin has to plan what to do about his missing messenger, and those apprentices." Not that she was overly concerned about a small group of toddlers making some half-hearted attempt to kill Vrak, but she was concerned that giving Berilin more time to do anything was hardly advantageous for them. The faster they acted on those underlings the better off they would be, even if the man found eligible replacements, training took time, time they could use to get at the man.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He couldn't help but agree with her of course.

Berilin would be moving swiftly, and those little assassins that were sent after him would be seeking Vrak out even now. They wouldn't find him here of course, Dromund Fel was a carefully kept secret. They would wait for him to return to Athiss, the world having become Vrak's principal estate after the Rise of the Empire. He shifted slightly, then slowly followed Seraphina out of her. His eyes wandered over her form for a moment, taking her in with appreciation before heading towards the closet.

"We will return to Athiss." He told her quite simply, of course offering her no choice in the matter.

He quickly began to don his robes.

"Take what you require." Berilin's apprentices would strike when he returned, it was the most logical place. "We'll see to this little problem."

First they would have to dispatch the ones coming after him, then they would go after the others. The process would take a few days, but it would be a bit of sporting fun. At the end Berilin would know that he either needed to try harder, or stop all together. Either was fine with Vrak now that he knew the game was on.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

What I require? The only three things she required were two lightsabers and clothing. The Twi'lek scooped up her garments from the floor that had been tossed about the room in various corners and dressed quickly enough. Her twin blades had been left back in her own room. Those she would need to get before they departed, but other than that? She was more or less ready to leave. The armor she typically wore was already on board Vrak's ship as it had been left there proceeding her previous assignment the Sith had given to her.

"Very well." She said, nodding slowly in an almost bow towards the Pureblood. "I will meet you at the ship."

Seraphina had only spent a brief period of time on Athiss before. Going back seemed ironic, given the reasons for their initial departure, and now their return. Before it had been in flight, now in vengeance.

"I only need to grab a few things from my room."

Five minutes was about all she needed.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak finished tying the golden belt that sat around his stomach, the saber-staff he carried quickly hooked upon it as he swept after Seraphina. They wandered past a cart with a meal upon it, a small smile touching Vrak's lips as he saw it.

Hunger had left him, replaced by a dire need to see Berilin pay for his treachery. The Sith wandered forward, Seraphina breaking off to the right to find her room while Vrak headed towards the landing pad. The Hssiss-class shuttle still rested there, and on the way he waved towards one of the standing servants in the hall. The woman bowed her head in deference, nodding as Vrak told her to alert the pilot they would be returning to Athiss earlier than had been scheduled.

"Ensure our arrival is known of." Vrak said as he continued to wander through the estate.

The Palace here on Dromund Fel was smaller than the one he'd rebuilt on Athiss, but it was still more than enough for what it was used for. Not to mention it's small sized allowed it to remain hidden more easily. Eventually he found his way to the shuttle, rain splashing down outside as he wandered towards the ramp.

He walked on board without delay, knowing Sera would be along shortly.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Several minutes was all Sera would need to gather the few belongings she would take with her to Athiss. Back in her room she packed her personal affects into a bag, before scooping up both lightsabers and slipping them through the loops on either side of her hips. The Twi'lek then proceeded to make her way towards the shuttle at the opposite end of the palace where Vrak would meet her.

It was ironic that they were returning to Athiss for this reason, given the reason for their departure some time ago being one of flight from pursuing forces sent by Vrak's rival. This time, they were the ones pursuing.

As she stepped foot onto the modest sized shuttle the woman noted the presence of a few servants that would accompany them on the trip to Vrak's home world.

"I have a question." She began, finding Vrak within the ship. "Do you plan to overthrow the council?"

Most Sith trusted only themselves to rule, after all. Given the uncertainty and unpredictability of things now, how Vrak felt about the council was a mystery to her, but one of intrigue. "Will you rule solely? Or insert puppets into the role? Or simply let others fight over it?"

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

The question brought an amused chuckle from Vrak's lips, mostly because he'd never thought she would care. His own station effected her only slightly after all, he had always figured that as long as he could provide the Palace and servants she so enjoyed Sera wouldn't care what he did or planned. Perhaps that was changing after all the time they had spent together, or maybe she was just indulging herself in idle curiosity for the sake of entertainment.

Either way Vrak wanted to know. "Why do you care?"

He mused to her as he slowly sat himself down within one of the chairs in the ships lounge. The space was akin to one of the rooms in the palace, soft red lights, two large chairs situated around a simple table. This was usually where he ate his meals when on the ship.

"I intend to take my place above the Council." He told her truthfully. "I take my current seat as little more than a stepping stone."

His fingers gently spidered over the arm of the chair. "To them, my word will be law, but I will leave them to squabble."

It was clear that the Pureblood had grander designs than where he was now.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

An amused smirk found its' way to her lips. So he did intend to more or less overthrow the council, even if they were still there in essence. The appearance would be there was a council that convened to make decisions, yet the final authority would come from Vrak himself.

"I want to know because I was curious if you were as ambitious as the thousands of generations of Sith before you."

A small puff of oxygen pushed through her nose as a snicker. "Turns out you are in fact, no different in that aspect."

The woman sat in the chair opposite Vrak, the expression on her face showing little surprise in his answer. In truth she expected that to be his answer from the moment they had left Athiss to begin with, that one day he would look to overturn the council, to control it from within and become the ruler of his people, even if she didn't quite believe him capable of such a thing.

"Why keep them at all, then?"

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He mused for a moment.

Seraphina was, in a very strange way, the one person that he trusted. Oh he believed that she would still kill him in a heartbeat, and he would do the same to her without question, but she would not betray him for any other Sith. That alone made her valuable, and it also made her special. His confidence in her was very nearly complete, at the very least far more so than any of his other servants or pawns. That had earned her a little bit of insight into his mind.

Though she'd likely gotten plenty on her own by now. "I do not intend to be shackled by this Empire."

He gazed at her, his eyes rolling over her body for a moment before he began to explain to himself.

"To do as I wish I require the strength of a united people." Or near enough. "But I have no interest in ensuring those people stay united."

In other words, Vrak needed an Empire, but he had no interest in actually running that Empire. The Pureblood was either already mad, or he intended something that most would simply not understand. Perhaps it was a little bit of both. "The Council, with all their bickering and arguing, will do fine in my stead. When I am ready."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

One pink leg crossed over the other. The former Jedi leaned her head back, lekku shifting along the front of her chest.

"And what of the wretched Silver Order bordering on Ziost?"

If Vrak believed they wouldn't become an issue in the future he was blind. That is, unless he intended to strike at them in short order as well. While Seraphina had a decent enough reading of the Pureblood, his motives did on occasion, escape her. In some ways he was still unpredictable, even if he was in many others, as typical as one would assume a Sith to be.

A moment later and the ship lurched following the firing of engines.

By now the desire to kill him simply for the sake of revenge over their initial meeting had faded. Even if she were still weary of the lengths he would go, the sacrifices he would make to achieve his goals, one of which being her, if that guaranteed him success, she was comfortable enough in assuming that her life was relatively safe, provided that she proved useful.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Their time will come." It was true. The Silvers would not just sit idly by and watch as the Sith rose right on their borders. There was no denying that, yet there were other threats. The Dominion was rising to the galactic North, the Ascendancy as they now called themselves to the east, and the south was fraught with a dozen governments all claiming some piece of the galaxy.

The Pureblood stayed silent for a moment.

"Kaas will be first." He explained to her as his fingers wove together. "The world was once the Capital of VItiate's Empire, and though the Mandalorians reduced it to ash decades ago, the planet still holds more value than most would expect."

The expedition that he had undertaken with Yidhra proved that. "There is still power there, and I intend to reclaim it."

Such an act was integral to his plans after all.

Kaas was almost as valuable to him as Nathema had been. The secrets that were burred beneath the surface of that world could not be understated. Even with all the devastation that the planet had undergone Vrak knew that most of the Tombs were still intact, buried deep beneath the surface and just waiting.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Very well." Whatever rock heap Vrak wanted to claim as his own first made little difference to her. Dromund Kaas, Korriban, Bastion, they were all birthplaces of legends and lore from eons ago. If digging up relics and fossils was what the crimson man wanted to spend his time doing, she would happily watch while enjoying the benefits provided by his position.

After all, their arrangement was more than amicable for Seraphina. A bit of assassin work now and then, in exchange for a lavish lifestyle tended to by servants, among a number of other, more discreet benefits.

"And when, in this grand plan of yours, will you make time to see that human girl from Nabokov you love to despise?"

Sera found the sour expression Vrak made every time that girl was mentioned mildly amusing.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He frowned.

In truth, during the hectic chaos of the Empire's ascension he had somewhat forgotten about Jamie Payne, yet the mere mention of her caused a spike of hatred to quickly pierce through him. The girl had kept him locked up on Naboo for what seemed like half a life time. She had nearly caused decades of work to be undone and had starved Vrak to the point where he'd nearly been unable to function. His fingers tightened ever so slightly on the arm of the chair.

"She will be dealt with." He told her simply, his gaze wandering over Seraphina for a moment before he glanced towards the holo-projector on the table.

The Pureblood mused for a moment, then spoke again.

"I promised her..." He trailed off as his eyes wander back towards Sera. "That I would break her."

Vrak did not enjoy torture. He was no sadist, and he certainly wasn't the type of fool to go around stabbing people for no good reason. Yet Jamie had earned enough of his ire that she almost made him consider it. Yet pain was not enough for the girl. It was not enough that she hurt, she had to be destroyed. Utterly torn apart at the seams and ripped into an unrecognizable shape. "Perhaps you'll get to hear her beg for mercy as she kneels before me."

The thought amused him.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Is that so?" She asked, the rise he got out of the mere thought of this girl told Sera that the subject was still quite a sore one for him. A deviant look crossed her face as she spoke to the Sith across the way from her. "Just see to it that she doesn't capture you again. You looked like poodoo when you returned."

Seraphina remembered that day quite well. The surprise on Vrak's face as he made his way into the palace to see the Twi'lek lounging around, still waiting on him to return while continuing to enjoy the benefits of his estate.

"But judging by what little I know of this woman, I am not entirely convinced she would beg for mercy, nor am I one to find pleasure in it."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

The idea that Jamie wouldnt break in some way hadn't ever actually occurred to Vrak. He was so confident in his abilities and the plan he had that such a thing didn't even seem possible. He glanced towards Sera, his expression more stern than before. ”Everyone has their limits.”

The Pureblood said simply.

”You can take away from a person time and time again.”” Again he looked away from her, then back, this time a smile on his face as he thought of the fate that he had in store for Jamie. ”But eventually theyll break. They always do.”

You just had to know what to take.

The Pureblood knew that Jamie was stubborn, and he would begrudgingly admit that she was even strong, but to Vrak that was only a small bump in this road. He would bend, and then break her no matter the cost.

Slowly Vrak rose, wandering over to Sera and looming over her for just a moment. The way he lingered made it seem as though he was about to strike her, but instead his palm gently flattened against her cheek.

”You need not enjoy it or witness it.” He smiled at her, stroking his thumb over her cheek before turning away. ”That pleasure will be mine.”

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Emerald colored eyes lifted to Vrak as he stood before her, hand caressing her face while he spoke of how he might achieve that particular goal.

"Did you break? After all of those months?"

Sera wondered what exactly kept him going that entire time, whether it was sheer hatred for this woman, the desire to return to Athiss, to see what she herself had done in his wake, or something entirely different. These probing questions all served similar purpose, to get a better idea of what exactly was going on in that turbulent mind of his. While she was able to gauge a lot of his reactionary impulses, his inner thoughts and closely guarded secrets were much more intriguing and obscured to her.

"Alone, severed from the Force. Starved."

The last few comments were more to instigate an answer from him.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]