The Blood Price

[Darth Prazutis]

Narvas Iv Zveris, Thule
Throne Room...

​Deep within the inhospitable wilds of Thule one would find a citadel unlike any other on the planet. A dark monolith rising defiantly into the sky surrounded by wall after wall, battlement after battlement lined with the unforgiving black armored butchers of the Blackblade Guard, an innumerable force of battle droids, and an substantial garrison of Crownguard completed the defenders of this towering fortress. Narvas Iv Zveris easily stood as the most well defended complex on Thule as befitting its position. This citadel served as the domain for newly crowned King of Thule, Warlord of Rattatak, and Arch-Prince of the Panathan Empire Braxus Zambrano. Deep within the great spires of the central towers the King of Thule oversaw his vast domain and ruled it with his unmatched foresight, and iron fisted grip.

​It was from Thule that he conducted the elaborate game of intergalactic chess.

​The Crown of Thule and Rattatak was bestowed to him after the Sith Lord ascended from the brutal kaggath on Khar Delba which saw Darth Vitium, a self styled Dark Lord and proven equal to Kaine Zambrano dead at the Destroyers feet. The woman's death meant far more than his rise in the order, it was the passing of ones charge to another. The mantle of shepherd would fall to him and he was now responsible for bringing the pack of wolves together. Silara Kuhns death served several purposes including proving his worth, and strength to all in the Sith Order.

​It was on the throne of black iron that one found the King of Thule clad in an awe inspiring, ornate set of robes that hung loosely off his gigantic muscular frame, while a dark crown with inset rubies sat atop his head. The Dark Lord examined the twin pair of lightsabers held in his hands, a pair that belonged to the woman whose soul he reaped. They were his trophy from the duel in which he took everything from the Sith Lady. Brief memories of the recent bout flashed through his mind and the scar she left him with bringing a smile to his face. Today the Kings focus wasn't on the many plots weaved among the Sith or ruling his vast domain, it involved something different entirely.

Legacy.

[member="Valessia Brentioch"], First Order Ambassador to Panatha he grew close to since their frequent meetings. It was in these talks that he played the game of wordplay with her, planting seeds that ultimately came to fruition. She bowed before him and pleaded to be remade, to be changed by her Master so she could one day be strong. Valessia showed her skills outside of court during the incursion on Kaeshana where she fought alongside him, and now it was time for his Apprentice to be remade, reborn as someone else befitting the Destroyers legacy. But in order to do this she needed to be torn down to her foundation where a new one would be forged, and from it a new and stronger Valessia.

​The Dark Lord already felt his apprentices descent as her moving through the atmosphere, it was time. Braxus gestured through the air a command through the force that activated the throne rooms holographic projector which chimed to life. The visage of a black armored full Blackblade Captain came into view, the man immediately knelt a fist slammed to his chest. "Captain a ship will dock in your hangar soon and aboard is a single, unique woman passenger. She is to be treated like an enemy of the state. Keep her alive and have her transferred to the Crownguard for processing." ​Braxus ordered. "Right away your majesty."

​A short time later...

​The X70-B Phantom was directed to the massive venator sized hangar where a large space was cleared for its arrival. In no way was any noticed given that she'd be anything but welcome as a dignitary, she always had before. However unbeknownst to Valessia while she was still deep within the phantom preparing a new surprise waited. When the ramp of the phantom hit the metal floor a group of six heavily armored, fully geared black blade guardsman would storm into the phantom. Two of the men would break off to detain the crew of the phantom while four of these men charged through its halls towards Valessia's chambers, where they'd immediately kick the door in. "Valessia Brentioch you are to come with us." One of the guards said cold and utterly apathetic as they barged right into her personal chambers. Two of the men moved immediately on either side of her, one by one the deceptively skilled Ambassador was able to catch these two off guard with her myriad of blows to send them back, but not the second two.

​The other two like a pack of rabid dogs descended on her with one of the men delivering a crushing baton blow to her chest while the other drove her head into the wall. As all four once more descended on her she was driven right into the wall before being picked up and slammed down to the hard floor where these men would attempt to flip and bind her arms, any attempts to resist would be met with crushing punches to the face and body, extreme aggression would win the day to bind her. As these men carried her out of the chamber she'd be brought through the central area of her ship to see the rest of her crew being restrained by a pair of similar armored guardsman while she was being brought out of the ship.

 

[Valessia Brentioch]

Valessia knew what she had agreed to when she decided to accept [member="Darth Prazutis"]'s offer to train. And yet, deep within the inhospitable wilds of Thule - as the dark monolith came into full view. She wondered if she had made the right choice. There was no turning back now, no matter how much she thought to undo her decision. As battlement after battlement lined with the Blackblade Guard became clearer for the eye to see. The Scion of House Brentioch knew that this was the right choice, she informed her staff of her decision and no amount of talking could back her out of it. She was determined to take the reigns of control, to be the master of her own destiny.

Even now as they prepared to land on the citadel, she envisioned for herself something quite similar. A hidden fortress, an army at your beck and call - the desire, the hunger for more was strong. Valessia knew now - the only way to achieve this power was through strength, and to gain the strength necessary she must have the passion and the will to do what needed to be done. There could never be peace, not for her - for peace, was a lie. The X70-B Phantom-class vessel docked, and just as the ramp was lowered the Blackblades boarded much to the surprise of everyone aboard. Two of them broke off to detain her crew while the other four went for the Ambassador herself.

Now - this was a surprise.

She knew not what her master had in store for her, but it seemed her training would begin, now.

As they barged into her chambers one at either side, she dodged their first attempts to take her. Kicking one in the shin while grabbing the other by the arm and throwing him into his comrade. Brute force was attempted by the first one again, this time she side stepped him using his own body weight against him as she let him fall over her foot. Throwing his body into the floor, his comrade tried to get a grasp of her grabbing her from behind as the first guard stood up. Chest kick to him, sending him back down as the second was thrust into the wall.

Enough was enough, the other two guards rushed Valessia, violently.

Cin, Edra and Paddy gasped at the sight of their mistress being taken in such a manner. Restrained by the menacing pair of guards - they watched helplessly as she was taken from the Phantom and into the Citadel.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

​What came next could only be described as a storm of events.

​[member="Valessia Brentioch"] was for lack of a better term carried through the halls of Narvas Iv Zveris by two of the dark armored Blackblades, two more joined them mid journey as they moved out of the massive courtyard holding her ship and through one of the many barracks that separated the courtyards, all through these dark halls similar faceless legionnaires could be seen by the woman as well as many battle droids.

​After passing through the barracks and entering into the great citadel itself the entire group stopped where a small entourage of crownguard, royal guards of House Zambrano awaited them. The blackblade legionnaires released her into the custody of a pair of these tall humanoids, who had to be Epicanthix based on their size alone. A fifth man among the crownguard stood the markings on his armor clearly showing his superior rank compared to the others. A short layer of dark hair covered his slender, rugged facial features. The man was clean shaven and what clearly stuck out on him was the sulfuric yellow eyes, not nearly as deep and luminous as her masters but certainly far enough along. One of the blackblades walked up to this Commander exchanging a few words before Valessia was carried deeper into the citadel through its many halls. She was brought into a turbolift a telltale shift telling her that they were going underground.

​Finally they stopped and she was set down in what appeared to be an empty room the same commander emerging back into her sight again as the four men held her down on her knees. Valessia would feel a familiar presence close in then minutes before she heard the mechanical hiss of the door opening once more. A choking smog, waves of undulating darkness assaulting her undeveloped force senses as the Commander brought a fist to his chest and knelt down before the Sith Lord.

​Darth Prazutis swept into the room his head devoid of the crown he wore and replaced with the hood on his dark robes hiding his face. A simple hand gesture to rise brought the Commander to his feet, the man falling to his side as the King turned to face Valessia. "The process of your rebirth begins today my apprentice. Your life has been built on a weak foundation, a foundation that needs to be torn out and replaced. There will be pain, a lot of pain before it is done but if you wish to truly rise you will survive...if not you will die down here." ​Those were the last words the King said followed by a gesture of his hand. Immediately Valessia was slammed against the wall as he swept out of the chamber.

​All of the womans clothing, everything she had on her was taken away any struggling was met with a vicious beating as she was stripped. Valessia was gagged and her entire head was covered by a thick black bag. She was carried through the citadel once more the exact amount of time she moved on this unknown level wasn't known to her. Until finally the bag and gag were removed and the darkness of a cell could be seen. Valessia was pushed into this cell which was so incredibly small land cramped she could only stand with her arms by her sides in utter darkness. The cell was so small in fact that how she was able to breath was completely unknown to her. Inside it was extremely cold and almost immediately ear piercing sounds rocked the cell at irregular intervals, locking her away in this sensory deprivation chamber.

Valessia wasn't provided with any food or drink the irregular whirring sounds ensured she couldn't sleep in the darkness, the cold setting in.

 

[Valessia Brentioch]

You will survive. Were her only thoughts - sensory deprivation wasn't exactly new to Valessia. It was how she and Sumiko were, when they had been together. This - this was an extreme that pushed all of her memories, all of her expierence to the test. She'd never been a stranger to torture in anyform but all together? That was new. She had been placed in small, cold places before. She had been starved out before. Beaten and torn apart physically, yes.

Did it mean that she did not whimper, that she did not feel this pain as she had before. Of course not, because she felt everything from being slammed into the wall, the beatings from her refusal to bow. Stripped of her clothing, stripped of any rank and title that had been afforded to her in her previous life. Her previous life, she thought. Recalling the gagging feeling she had when her master approached in the lift. How his presence alone could subdue hers, suffocate it even.

Her body was bare, skin pasty and pale now glistening with cold sweat. Valessia had to recall that this was her decision, and the decision of the woman she wanted to become. Her knees were raw and sore from the crownguard's forcing her down. She knelt for no one, willingly - and on this day she was made to bow, bow before her master [member="Darth Prazutis"]. Even now she willed herself to try and find some mockery in the situation, sure she had been made to stand as a form of torture. Denial was perhaps the first thing that came into her mind, denying that she had done this to herself.

Denying that she was even her, convincing herself that she was somewhere else in this galaxy. Her denial lasted for an unknown amount of time. Somewhere between the dried blood, cold sweat and fear her denial turned into anger. Anger which led to her own self flaggelation as it were. Beating herself against the small walls, feeling the stone against her skin, breaking it - bleeding. It was somewhere here, with the mix of denial and rage that a voice in her mind could be heard. Clear as day.

My, my, my - what an unfortunate soul.

A poor, unfortunate soul.

Truly, how weak you have become my dear.

That voice, and that snarky tone. The attitude alone made Valessia want to tear it apart. She knew better, she knew that this was only the sounds of a mad woman. She was going mad - and if she didn't starve out she'd kill herself with the voice alone.

Now, now. Do not deny me my time, you've used me before and now I feel it is time for you to pay me back.

This voice was more familiar, this was the bravado - the facade she so easily placated before. Now it wanted more. To be more than just a simple falsehood presented to everyone else. She wanted to be real, as real as the flesh and bone that was Valessia Brentioch.

Do you not remember your dear ancestor from the tombs on Dromund Kaas. Oh, how you delighted in my stories - conquering the galaxy and making it kneel before me.

Darth Issari.

An ancient dark lord that held a seat on the dark council during the height of the Sith Empire. Darth Issari's blood ran through Valessia's veins, a progeny - a legacy a milennia away. The Scion of House Brentioch was hearing things.

I can do this on my own, be gone.

You are doing this on your own, am I not you? Are you not me? Your trip was so long ago, and I am but a feint. Conjured up by your own subconcious to help you along.

Madness.

Valessia was descending into madness.