The Blind Leading The Blind (The Valley of Lies)

[Doctor Zendu]

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OPEN TO ALL RAPTURED​

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Location: The Valley of Lies, Netherworld​

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Oops I mixed too many pharmaceutical products. Those were Doctor Robert Zendu's first thoughts when he found himself in the Valley of Lies. The Xenopsychiatrist had no other way to explain the fact that one minute he was sitting at his desk in the office of his private psychiatry practice on Belasco, and the next, he was well, not at his desk. But where was the good doctor? He found himself in a valley, bereft of much else besides a large mountain range made up of rocks with the faces of grimacing skulls. Aside from the omnious rocks, which seemed to be shifting and howling in a way that could only be described as a geographic anomaly, there was an expansive river winding through the gorge. Here and there was an occasional scrubby bush, but otherwise the place contained no sign of wildlife.

There were other people here, humans, near-humans, and aliens alike wandering around, some fully-clothed, some partially, and some wet and naked as if they'd just been showering. All were equally perplexed just like the doctor. Although many of his patients did, Robert Zendu did not believe in the concept of a grand Maker, and as far as his patients were concerned that was no one else's belief but his. He wasn't about to force his beliefs or lack thereof on those he counselled, when religion clearly helped some of his patients cope. So in this sense, the doctor had no idea that the valley wasn't just a hallucination from a very bad drug trip. It didn't even dawn on him that he was existing on another plane away from the galaxy-at-large, and even less of an inkling that half the universe had joined him.

[member="Mistress Malkite"] [member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

I can't see. Well, not in her own ethereal way, at least. For once in her life, Juwiela was completely and utterly isolated from the Force, and it was a feeling akin to losing a limb in all respects. The energy field was something she relied on just to see, let alone traverse the world in any manner comparable to one with physical sight to guide them. It seemed that, for once, she was well and truly blind, something that those of her lineage were often mistaken for anyhow thanks to their inherent lack of eye sockets. Being sightless in the literal sense was something that immediately unbalanced her, to say the least. Thankfully she still had her other senses, primarily that of hearing, to guide her. So she wasn't completely at a loss.

Slowly pushing herself into a standing position made difficult to detect if it weren't for the ground she could feel beneath booted feet, she stayed in one place, silent, listening for the telltale signs of movement that would indicate her not being the only one stuck in such a predicament. Why can't I see? Reaching up a hand she eventually located her durasteel fighting staff still strapped to her back, something that would likely be used more for sight than any actual combat in whatever was to come. At least that much was familiar. Upon a further search, which was nothing more than her feeling blindly, she found her blaster pistol strapped to one hip as well, not that it would do much good.

There were a number of individuals trapped here with her, it seemed, though she still wasn't sure where here was. That at least told her this likely wasn't an isolated event, but rather something that had at least afflicted a good portion of the galactic population. It was at that point her military training, however rudimentary it was in comparison to what fully structured militia had to offer, but it serviced just as well. The first step would be locating any potential allies, something made more challenging by her severance from the Force. Improvisation would be a tool used in vast amounts.

Her pace was markedly slow and even hesitant, but she began walking, not feeling in front of her with her staff just yet. There was enough noise for her to be able to effectively avoid running into anyone just yet, and her measured steps gave everyone ample time to step out of her path on the chance that she didn't hear them. I don't like this.

[member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

Robert was still convinced that he was tripping hard. He was a rational man, science-minded, and a drug side-effect was the most reasonable explanation he could come up with. Even though there were strange anomolies in space, like wormholes, he'd never read about anything quite like this. Since his hallucination seemed far from ending anytime soon, the doctor began to get his bearings. He noticed that most people had started either freaking out or banding together to try and find their way through the valley. One solitary person stood out like a sore thumb, however. A young woman walked very slowly and gingerly through the dry grass, her steps measured and tentative. Robert walked a few paces closer to get a better look at her, careful to keep his body language non-threatening. Once he was close enough, he noticed why her walk was different from the others. She was Miraluka so therefore physically sightless. However, most Miraluka used their Force powers to make up for the lost sense. Curious.

Since his body language didn't matter anymore, he simply moved closer to the young woman, and spoke up in the gentle voice of a practiced therapist. "Hello, young lady. Do you need any help?" The wind chill in the valley was so biting that before she could even answer him, he took off his tweed jacket, and wrapped it around her shoulders so that she wouldn't freeze to death.

[member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

Instinctively she reached up to pull the jacket tighter around her shoulders before she'd even registered the man that had spoken, taking solace in the warmth the garment offered. That one gesture told Juwiela that whoever this man was, or at least she perceived the stranger to be male, he was someone she could trust for the moment. But before she could process whether he was a friendly or not, a question had been posed to her, and one that begged answering. It was blatantly obvious to most anyone that she needed assistance, but wording it was an entirely different matter. "Well, I can't see..." She trailed off, smiling faintly, doing her best to appear friendly despite the circumstances. "It's quite a bit to ask, but would you mind being my eyes?" Pausing for a moment, she deigned to give more in the way of information. "The Force is void here, or I wouldn't have a problem."

While waiting for a reply she sized the man up mentally by detecting where his voice had come from and measuring up his height in comparison to her own, finding unsurprisingly that he was at least a few inches taller than her, but she couldn't comprise much more of a mental image just from the sound of his voice. Once again she was reminded of just how much she took her sight via the Force for granted. It was such an intrinsic part of her being that she hardly noticed it until it was gone, such as now. Other species really did not consider what a blessing their physical sight was, whether it was inhibited by other means or not. They could at the very least function normally without a connection to the Force, which was more than she could ask for.

"My name's Juwiela. Do you have any idea where we are? Or could you at least describe it?" She supposed it didn't really matter just then whether or not she used the callsigns designated by the Rebel Alliance to prevent any interference from outside parties. There was more at stake than her identity. For her survival was the top priority at the moment, regardless of whatever odds were stacked against her. It was the very life of the Alliance, beating the odds, and this was no different. There were, however, more unknown variables at play than she would have liked. In fact, the only thing she could be entirely sure of was that she'd arrived wherever she stood in one piece.

There was one thing she could help, and that was, well, not running into anything potentially dangerous. So she drew her staff off of her back, holding it loosely in her right hand, resting one end on the ground. It would have to suffice, for however long it took her to find some way out of this place so strangely empty of the Force.

[member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Location: The Valley of Lies, Netherworld

The Mistress had been in the middle of a treatment session with a client, a Coruscanti businessman. She had finally wrestled him quite unwillingly into the Thorn Seat, one of her favorite Yuuzhan Vong playtoys and then stood for awhile just admiring her handiwork. When suddenly, she found herself in a windy and cold valley. She had been treating her client in this fur and leather ensemble so while her arms were covered, her legs were exposed and she began to shiver.

Spoiler

Mistress Malkite was extremely confused and annoyed at the weather conditions. There was also the matter of hundreds of skull-shaped stones that dotted the valley. She wondered if the Thorn Chair had somehow emitted a hallucinogenic gas that was causing her to see these visions. But everything around her felt so real. Her senses were assaulted by the elements and her soul with an eerie feeling she could not explain.

Reluctant to make human contact in general unless it was inflicting pain, Mistress Malkite had to force herself to approach two figures, a young woman who was clearly a Miraluka and a human male.

"Excuse me, do either of you know where we are?" she asked. The Mistress was a calm and cool character for the most part. But as she waited for a reply, she noticed she did not have her medication on her. And without that, it wouldn't be long before she would show signs of the mental affliction which plagued her.

[member="Doctor Zendu"] [member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

When Juwiela asked Robert if he would guide her around this waking dream world, he answered without hesitation. “Of course, I will be your eyes young lady.” He hooked his arm around hers in demonstration. Helping people was in Robert’s DNA. Even though he wasn’t always the most ethical doctor in his practice, especially when it came to testing the more experimental psychiatric medicines, he was a selfless creature at heart. “My name is Robert,” he said. “I’m a doctor,” Zendu then added, only because he hoped that it would help infuse a marginal amount of trust in the blind woman.

Then the Miraluka woman asked for a description of her surroundings. Robert adjusted his horn rimmed glasses and dutifully described the scene for her. “We’re in a strange valley, with some interesting rock formations.” He left out the detail about the skull faces carved into the rocks. No need to terrorize the poor woman, especially since this was just a hallucination. “Besides these other strangers, there’s not much else here. Well, aside for the river.” Juwiela must have heard the sounds of rushing water and the places where the water lapped at the lip of the valley.

Another woman came forth, dressed in a skimpy black mini-skirt, perhaps some sort of prostitute. In her eyes was confusion, but also a chilliness. This was not a friendly person. She asked the same question as the Miraluka. Where were they?

“Hell if I know,” admitted the doctor to both of the woman. Then his thin fingers gestured to winding water. “But if we follow that river, perhaps we’ll come to a village or a city?”

Giving a tight smile to the woman in black, he began leading Juwiela to the riverbank.

[member="Mistress Malkite"] [member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Armand Temi]

The Miraluka and the bespectacled man appeared to not inhabit the world they had been thrown into and were merely visitors like The Mistress. Both of them had a kindness about them which quite frankly was a weakness to be exploited. She would stick with these two for the time being.

The man reminded her of someone. She searched her mind to why and how he was familiar to her. All Mistress Malkite could come up with was that he reminded her of her skin doctor, Armand Temi. The Mistress was cruel to just about any other male figure in the galaxy but was extremely nice and generous to Dr. Temi. Her doctor was her ally in the endless battle against time and aging and he was pretty much the only steady man in her life. It didn't matter that their relationship was not sexual or romantic. Mistress Malkite treated her doctor with the same respect as she treated a sensitive lover.

"By the way, you seem familiar to me," she said to the human male. "You wouldn't happen to be a physician, would you?"

[member="Doctor Zendu"] [member="Juwiela Melec"] [member="Gorgeous John"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

It seemed that, at least for the moment, Juwiela wouldn’t require her staff in hand, so she once more let it hang at her back, smiling gratefully once Robert hooked his arm through hers. When he revealed himself to be a doctor, it did give her cause to relax just a bit more, though she was hardly at ease with her situation. Wherever they were, the place felt empty, hollow, almost dead. Something told her that no matter how far they followed the river, no civilization would reveal itself. Despite the others around, they were alone in this, in a way that wasn't entirely explainable. This was their own personal struggle, regardless of what company they were keeping at the moment. It just hadn't revealed itself yet.

"A doctor, huh? I'm a pilot. If you've heard of the Rebel Alliance, then you already know me." If they were going to travel this seeming wasteland together, it was only fair that they know something about each other, in her mind. And she didn't see a point in trying to disguise her allegiances when they would likely not cross paths again after they found their way out of this place. They had to work together in some semblance of order, and past experience told her that it would help if each of them knew something about the other. And falling short of telling him her exact position within the Alliance, that was the best she had to offer.

As he described their surroundings she listened silently, forming her own mental image of just where she stood in relation to both the valley and the others currently wandering it. The sound of running water that became louder with every step she took told her they had neared the bank of the river and would likely continue walking along it. There being water meant that the climate here was favorable for wildlife, though she hadn't heard any signs of such since her arrival. That could eventually mean there being predator animals to worry about, but it also gave them a possible food source if it came to that. Always her mind was working towards the next logical step.

Being one of few words unless spoken to or under a combat situation she remained silent, only listening as another approached, female by the sound of her voice. It seemed that she was friendly as well. Despite her lack of sight that she was slowly adjusting to, things were going fairly decently so far.

[member="Doctor Zendu"], [member="Mistress Malkite"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

"A pilot with the Rebel Alliance. That's magnificent," he said enthusiastically, smiling and nodding and wondering how the hell a blind pilot was able to fly. As the Force was beyond his understanding as a scientific man, he thought he'd not even bother trying to get her to explain. "I am supportive of what the Rebel Alliance stands for," he added. "However some of the means your organizations uses to get to the end are, well. Let's just save the political discussions for later when we find a way out of here, shall we?' The doctor let out a geeky chuckle, and then whipped his head around to the blonde in leather.

He beamed at her with a wide toothy grin. "I am a doctor, yes," Robert explained to the prostitute, briefly signalling Juwiela that they were stopping with a slight tap on her arm. "My name is Robert, I'm not only a physician but also a psychiatrist." A rather well-known psychiatrist, too, he wanted to add, but it was natural that a prostitute would hardly be keeping up with the latest issues of Xenopsychiatry Today, so he kept his mouth shut.

His eyes flickering briefly to the strange murky fog rolling over the river, he smiled at the prostitute and gestured to Juwiela. "The pilot and I are going up-river to see if we can find a town or..." Robert suddenly trailed off mid-sentence, his stricken gaze drawn towards the river bank.

[member="Juwiela Melec"] [member="Mistress Malkite"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Oh thank the stars there was a doctor in the house! Mistress Malkite had a fondness for doctors. In fact her relationship with Dr. Temi on Hapes was borderline obsessive. But he never seemed to mind, always willing to entertain her ideas on the latest youth serums and wrinkle injections.

"Such a relief!" said Mistress Malkite, with an uncharacteristic smile. Robert would notice that her whole countenance changed. Instead of her chilly demeanor she was quite warm and pleasant. She peered down at the blind girl. "I always feel much better around my doctors. I think I'll stay with you and your daughter for awhile." She patted Juwiela on the head as if she were a doll.

"May I ask what your specialty is?"

[member="Doctor Zendu"] [member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

Had Juwiela been able to roll her eyes, she would have in that moment. It wasn't as if she wasn't ever underestimated because of her apparent age, nor was this the first time someone had perceived her to be far younger than her actual age, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. This was, however, a first for her being assumed to be someone's daughter. Maybe it was a tactic she could put to use later, but for now it was a discrepancy in need of remedying. "I'm not his daughter, and I'm not even that young." Her indignant tone was likely undermined by her current sightlessness. Typically one to favor being undervalued so she could prove others wrong, it was something of an annoyance, being treated like a child that didn't know any better, when she was in fact far from it.

Doing her best to brush off the fact that the other woman likely wouldn't stop talking to her as if she were somehow less intelligent, she stopped when Robert tapped on her arm and took the moment to once again listen, profiling how near they were to both the river, each other and any large landmarks. From the sound of the running water it seemed that they were at the riverbank, for what reason she wasn't entirely sure. If they were going to follow the river to some kind of civilization, it made the most sense to her that they walk and talk, instead of stopping to converse. But in the light of cooperation she kept silent in that regard.

"What's your name, then?" She turned her head towards where she perceived the woman to be standing, at least from the sound of her voice. "Mine's Juwiela." Even if her newest acquaintance insisted on treating her like a lesser due to her blindness that wouldn't have been much of a disability under other circumstances, she would do her best to stubbornly prove her wrong.

A slight frown found her lips as Robert trailed off mid-sentence, and she could tell there was something wrong, even with no other senses to really guide her besides her hearing, at this point. "What do you see?" To her this was only another mark of the continued unnaturality of this place, and it only gave her further cause to be wary of her surroundings. Yet another reason her method of sight was extremely useful at certain times, but elsewise a bane in most others.

[member="Mistress Malkite"], [member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

Robert blinked a few times and shook his head. What he was seeing on the riverbank was just part of the hallucination from hell. It would go away soon. He turned towards the tall blonde who had asked him his specialty.

"I'm an expert in many fields of medicine, but my main specialty is Xenopsychiatry." he answered the blonde woman. "I have extensively studied the cultural and emotional patterns of tens of thousands of alien species across the galaxy, and I speak hundreds of languages in order to better connect with all of them." Suddenly the doctor realized just what was missing in the conversation. "What did you say your name was, Miss?"

Robert turned back to the misty riverbank and let out a soft gasp. Yep, it was still there. There stood a drenched figure on the shore, its dark hair lank and pasted to its neck, it's head twisted at an odd angle, staring at him with cold, dead eyes, which were pinpointed right on him. It looked as if it had just risen up out of the rushing waters.

Picking up on his distress, perhaps from the feeling of his racing pulse against her arm, Juwiela asked Robert what he saw. He took a deep breath and never keeping his eye off the figure, told them in hushed tones.

"I don't know how this is even possible, but standing right there on the river bank is a former patient of mine from med school. She died on the operating table when my scalpel hand slipped."

[member="Juwiela Melec"] [member="Mistress Malkite"]

 

[Armand Temi]

The tall blonde woman turned to Juweila. "Oh terribly sorry," said Mistress Malkite. "I thought you were related. My name is Mistress Malkite but I will also answer to The Mistress. I'm from Syvris but I imagine that's not where we are."

She listened to Dr. Robert describe his specialty it reminded her that she was without her trusty pill case. "Interesting," she commented. "You don't happen to have any medication on you currently, do you?"

But Dr. Robert could not answer because he was distracted by something on the riverbank. He described to them what he saw, an unfortunate incident from medical school. To Mistress Malkite it didn't really seem that bad. People make mistakes, even surgeons. She went to reassure the doctor but noticed another strange vision, this one more personal to her. She saw Mistress Malkite but an extremely old and frail version of herself holding a walking stick. The Mistress was horrified. She had made it her life goal, with the help of Dr. Temi, to not age or to grow old. She wasn't afraid to die - that thought didn't bother her one bit.

Mistress Malkite heaved out a sob and then began to cry, tears streaming down her cheek. "I can't... I don't know what I'm seeing but I'm over there!" she yelled, pointing in the general vicinity where the Doctor saw his vision. "And I'm hideous!!!"

She knew that Juweila couldn't see and for a brief moment she longed to trade places with the Miraluka. Anything to not be able to look at the awful image of herself as an old woman.

@Juweila Melec [member="Doctor Zendu"]