First Reply The Damned [GA / NJO Only]

[Rath Nihro]

B O U N D

Location: Coruscant
Tag: Open

As time had passed, there wasn’t much else to tell as there was only food to be served by a droid. Likewise the other Sith and allies of the Dark Empire had been taken out of their force cages and into the unknown. Never to be seen again as Rath was eventually left in his solitude. He had been informed that he was to be imprisoned until the Jedi could come to an agreement of how to deal with him.

’Ordinarily they would have killed me by now. They wouldn’t risk me getting out and returning to the dark fold. So what are they waiting for?’ Rath doubted that they had used him as the information they might have been after were either about his personal life or subjects they had already known. They were able to confirm that Rath was responsible for multiple assassinations of both Jedi and personnel from various factions that were against the Dark Empire, or to frame the innocent of things they did not commit. Yet he used their own system of justice to brand their own allies as traitors.

Ever since he had been interrogated by a Jedi Master named Leonant with minor assistance from Katarina, nobody had come to speak with Rath since then. How many days has it been? How many weeks have passed? Months? The dark haired man couldn’t say for certain. All he knew was that someone had him under constant surveillance as the cage would shock him the instant he tried to feel the Force.

Now all he could hear was the constant low hum of the force cage as the shield prevented him from moving let alone stretching his arms out. The only thing that he kept track of was simply when the droid brought him food, which was typically twice a day if his math was correct. Every twelve hours or so. It didn’t help that the food was always bland, but Rath didn’t complain as it was substance at least.

His concern less on himself, and more specifically on Sir Pounce-A-Lot. The rast’an’cat was last seen on his ship before the final battle on Tython took place. He had made a small request of Leonant to at least ensure that the cat was let off the ship and into the wilds. At least then the old friend would have a fighting chance as Rath was certain that his fate was sealed. Death was but a release in his eyes; or perhaps that was precisely why they didn’t plan on executing him just yet. Perhaps the Jedi believed that death was too good for him? He wouldn’t think that the Jedi would allow themselves to go that far, but Rath wouldn’t put it past them either. For no matter how slim of a chance it was, there was always the few that would rather see him suffer than to kill him quickly for everything he had done.

Lately, while he wasn’t allowed to reach out into the Force itself, he could still feel its currents ebb and flow through the cell. As if tempting him that it was always present, yet always just out of reach. Lately there had been mercenaries who had been growing bolder in their activities. Specifically they’re hired muscle for whoever paid for their services, and some allegedly displayed some form of telekinesis albeit basic. It was enough that these select few were not only able to get ahold of a lightsaber with a sanguine blade, but they were able to use it effectively without slicing their own limbs off.

Granted they were no match to someone better trained in lightsaber combat such as the Jedi, but a peculiar note was that one of these force sensitive mercs possessed a signet ring of a broken ziggurat as if sundered by lightning. The Jedi certainly had their own resources to determine what the symbol represents, and yet one particular soul had a different method. For while they had Rath in custody, why not prickle his brain in hopes that he might shed light on this mystery?

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

Wearing: Jedi Jumpsuit (Black)

Armed With: Training Lightsaber (blue)

He had lost his left arm on Tython recently.

It still hurts. He hadn't gotten a replacement for it yet.

Nathan almost didn't mind. In his first death, he had suffered total dismemberment as the price of failure at Darth Phyre's hands.

On his second life, he has simply a reminder of the first.

It had been his choice to lose the arm saving a Jedi, and he didn't regret it.

They were keeping dark empire captures down here, and mercs he didn't recognize.

Still acting as a low level courier all this time, despite secretly being in control of Bacta-Works of Epica, Nathan was much more powerful in the Force then he let on or revealed to most, especially Jedi. Rath Nihro was not the only one with secrets. It had been nothing to telekinetically sabotage the Droid bringing him food from afar, and then conveniently be nearby and volunteer to take the food to the prisoner. He had made it look like a power surge in one of its essential processors that had caused a cascade failure in other systems. Nothing that could not be quickly fixed. Nothing that would draw scrutiny.

His thought processes had become more and more...esoteric...as time passed. The prisoner interested him as he very rarely interacted much with modern Dark Side users. Most were the same kind of trash he had put down during the Gulag Era, but apparently he had heard this one wasn't a Sith. For his own whim, he had decided to see if he could gain some insight on how these modern non sith types thought...

The Mercs had let him pass once he had explained what happened to the Droid. Nathan walked in with a cold stiff walk, his artificial green eyes which looked fully human fixing on him.

"I requested the chefs sprinkle a bit of salt on your meal. Not too much... apparently you're not supposed to taste the food, normally..." Nathan said as he walked in, carrying the tray with his right arm.

"Honest question...just how many light side users have you ended?" Nathan asked. Perhaps Rath would notice he had not used the word Jedi in that question. The query was different from standard interrogation...

 

[Rath Nihro]

A W A K E N I N G

Location: Coruscant
Tag: Nathan Bloodscrawl

For once, the one to bring Rath the food was not the droid that he had become familiar with. Familiarity might have been a strong word as it would suggest that they talked, but more accurately to say that Rath recognized the droid. The man that had walked inside of the holding cell was an unfamiliar face.

The door had opened with a hiss that drew the dark one’s eyes of yellow, signs of corruption from using the dark side of the Force. It was the first time since Rath’s capture that another living soul deemed to speak with him. Ordinarily, such solitude would likely draw a man to the brink of insanity for the lack of stimuli for extended periods of time. Yet he couldn’t shrug off the notion that either was the Jedi’s way of wringing for more information out of Rath, or something else entirely. An agenda of their own.

The second thing that Rath noted was the cylindrical hilt that was clipped to the man’s belt. Unlike the previous interrogators, he at least brought a weapon with him. Or at least that was simply how Rath viewed the lightsabers. Some had tried to correct his viewpoint, but the simple matter was that a lightsaber was no different than a sword. A tool that was simply made to cut and stab for functional purposes. Perhaps that was just the soldier mindset that the dark haired human couldn’t break out of.

”I just assumed they forgot to take lessons on proper seasoning.” Rath’s expression was notably stoic, but the sarcasm laced in his tone certainly didn’t go amiss. The duets of citrine that burned like a calm flame were focused on the man before him.

”That’s a rather broad question…” Rath commented with a slight tilt of his head, his brow slightly furrowed as the man had never thought about it before. Jedi certainly, but those of the Light in general? He could feel the souls within him begin to stir for once as their voices echo within the depths of Rath’s mind. Much like how one would stand in a large room as everyone started to talk all at once. It was more like they were attempting to help him remember.

”One too many in truth. It’s difficult to recount over the years, especially when death have become a daily occurrence.” All Rath could say for certain was that dozens had fallen to his hand, and more had become corrupted or suffered indirectly not by his hand or blades, but his words and careful espionage at work. None of which he took pride in, but he had done it all the same.

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

Nathan inclined his head with an odd but very slight tilt as he slid him his food through through the cell tray.

"I am not without my own trails of dead behind me. It's an inevitable reality of the profession..." Nathan admitted. This Padawan was clearly different from the others. He didn't seem offended the way other Jedi might have been. There was just an acceptance of the situation.

Then again, Rath Nihro was not Darth Phyre. Rath was no Brain Demon Cultist.

"So, was it business, pleasure, or both?" Nathan asked. "Me, I stand on business. I don't recall ever feeling pleasure at killing..."

Nathan took out a nutrient bar that was likely even blander than the food he handed Rath and took a bite.

"I'm a creature of opportunity..." he admitted dryly and casually, observing him. "Death haunted me since I was in my teens... watching...people that I knew get murdered...I doubt I could give you an exact count any more than you just gave of your own. But I suppose keeping score is too much of a pointless endeavor for either of us..."

He took another bit of his bar.

"So, did one of us do something that sparked off your rampage? Or is it a more out-for-yourself sort of thing and we just happen to be in the way?" Nathan wondered. "Or was it more... cumulative...your decision to keep killing us?" He questioned...

"Like a frog, slowly being boiled as the temperature increases bit by bit..."

Another bite. A cold, calculated stare that was nothing like the wide eyed Padawans that looked on him with scorn. Nathan's stare was placid and indifferent, like someone reading the label on a milk carton.

 

[Rath Nihro]

A W A K E N I N G

Tag: Nathan Bloodscrawl

If this was any other Jedi, Padawan or not, they’d likely be upset at the very notion that Rath had slain one of their own. Or perhaps even targeted those who sided with the Light. They were often sensitive about Rath’s involvement of killing their own as if he killed their kin.

Fortunately the man that stood on the other side of the cell wasn’t of that sort, or perhaps he was simply better at hiding it than the other Jedi. The tray slid through the small opening of Rath’s cell as the dark one took it into his hands. He listened as Nathan pressed into the reasoning behind his actions, and Rath slightly shrugged his shoulders in response.

”It was never personal with them. Some of them were ordered by the Emperor of whom drew his ire, but the others were purely coincidental. Naturally I’d give them an out, they don’t take it, sabers are drawn, and now I am here while they are not.” Yet the way Rath spoke of them in a nonchalant way. He was more disappointed as the majority of the deaths likely could’ve been prevented, but amongst the Dark Empire he couldn’t afford to spare lives especially those amongst the Jedi. As evident in moments before his capture where he had slain two Knights and critically injured a Master. In truth, sparing Master Leonant was something out of the ordinary for Rath.

Rath took a moment to take a bit of his food. Even if it was just salt added to it, the food tasted better than it had been. It was then that Nathan had gone about delving into his own past, his pain, and Rath recognized it as a means of showing trust in a way. But for what? What was this man’s end game? Or perhaps he had spent too much time amongst the Sith and the Imperials where everything had an ulterior motive. Especially if it was seen as a decent gesture, it was likely a trap for something.

”Not necessarily. The Force always desires conflict amongst the two sides. It was through conflict that growth can be made, and for ideals to prosper.” Rath paused as he took another bite, minding his manners before he delved further into the subject.

”Most spoke of fighting for peace, to usher in a new age where war becomes a distant memory. They figured that if they can take down one of the Dark Elites, then they’d be one step closer to put an end to the Dark Empire and it’d be one less war for the galaxy to worry about.” However, Rath only shook his head in disappointment as he could recall those points of conflict. How the Light sought for what was right, unknowingly aware that they had been pulled by the Force itself towards him. Believing that the Force wanted them to end his life to rid the galaxy of another darkness. The only thing that Rath could think was that most of them were fools for following the Force so blindly.

”Of course, when everyone believes that you’re a Sith, no one believes a word you say unless it’s to delve into their pain and misery.” Then the dark haired human looked up from his tray, as he had been frequently glancing over at Nathan as he spoke, but this time he looked directly into those dual green eyes. Not in a sense of intimidating, but rather piercing as Rath was speaking directly to him.

”Why are you here?”

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

"My targets were the usually the worst of the worst. Next-Level Vile even by the standards of your bosses..." Nathan admitted quietly to Rath Nihro , he himself not exactly certain why he was being honest. But Rath had that certain feel of one drawn into a battle in spite of themselves.

"I myself however privately believe that the Force has never desired this conflict. I think it is all random chess moves even it no longer understands the reasons for, if indeed it ever did. Other than that... It's the longest running sunk cost fallacy in history..." Nathan said. "And our bosses hide from that by blaming The Force for driving the conflict instead of themselves and their own intractability. It allows them to evade responsibility for why nothing ever changes...and passes such a toxic conceit onto those that follow them..."

Keep in mind, Nathan was saying this even as he was leading his own house...

"I mainly fight these days to prevent as many as I can from suffering fates similar to others I knew. Unlike these others, I know it will make no difference if you are executed. Or if the empire you serve gets destroyed. We'll be dealing with another variant of your empire in three years, maybe five. And we'll be right back where we started. Many of the Padawans are too young to appreciate this, still blinded by tales of heroes long past...it's why I don't find it wise to hope for an end to the conflict. I merely prepare for the next one...if someone on the other side dies as a result...than that's how it is...with few exceptions..."

Nathan blinked as the prisoner asked why he was here.

"I'm here because the droid that normally brings your food malfunctioned, and I'm unimportant enough to be given the task..." Nathan answered back. "But I do rarely get a chance to try and see what makes the other side tick...I think you might well be one of the longest conversations I've ever had with a Dark Side user. Makes me wonder how you fell in with such people at all..."

 

[Rath Nihro]

R E G R E T

Tag: Nathan Bloodscrawl

Rath simply opted to listen to the man as he spoke of his experience. He certainly had his fair share of eliminating Sith, whether they be Lords or even parasitic spirits who thought they could bend Rath to their will. In the past, the dark haired man tended to prove that he bent the knee to no one since the Eternal Empire’s fall. Not truly at any rate. There were certainly people who made the Sith Lords look like saints in comparison, but they often tended to be the most deranged and the most dangerous. If Nathan hadn’t taken care of them, then it was possible that Rath would’ve done it himself had he known about them. Provided he had the time of course.

”You’re certainly not wrong about that. Technically it’s not the Force itself that desires conflict, but instead it’s more like it pulls one another for one reason or another. Like a current that flows along a river with no shoreline. Sometimes our paths meet, other times the river that it takes us down causes us to split ways. But in the end they all reach the same end.” At that, Rath referred to the fact that they returned to the Force. At least, that was the natural order as he was aware that certain individuals had the ability to steal life from others, enslaving them to the master’s will.

There was also truth to what Nathan had said regarding how people tended to place the blame on the Force as a whole, and perhaps it was simply easier to say that someone or something made them do certain things. But it still didn’t change the fact that they committed such atrocities by their own hands. It was something that Rath could directly relate to, except there was a time that he cursed his own existence. For he found the one good thing that made his life tolerable, and it almost made him put this miserable life behind.

The memory of her face came to mind, and it made Rath pause as his eyes were gazing beyond Nathan. The time that he had begged, something that he had never done before, for her to stop the Sithspit ritual. Yet even when death was imminent, she just smiled softly at him. Her eyes radiated a warmth and security whenever Rath looked into them, as if everything was going to be okay. Except he knew all too well that it was anything but that.

”Do not despair, for I choose to save your life. Not because of the future the Force has shown me, or how this will affect you. But because I know you can do great things. You just have to welcome the change with open arms.” Deep down, Rath knew what she had meant, but at that moment… and even currently; Rath believed that he had killed her. All because of a parting gift his former master had left for him after Rath had defeated the traitor.

”The Empires rise, spread tyranny and destruction, then they crumble to give birth to new Empires under new leadership.” Rath expressed his own opinion regarding the nations that accepted aid from the Sith. Not that he could solely blame them entirely, but there was a reason that the Rule of Two had remained strong for so long. That was simply because a nation of Sith is essentially inviting disaster in some form or another.

”I was born into it.” Of course, at the time Rath had seen nothing wrong with it. In fact he had even hated the Jedi, the Sith, and the Force as a whole. Now he no longer cared enough to hate them. Without saying more into it, Rath looked down at his plate to finish the rest of his food.