To Redeem a Broken Soul

[Darth Morrow]

Sulfuric eyes glanced over the man before her in distrust. Anger indeed built up in her chest as she wanted nothing more than to slice him in half; though she remembered his iron grip on her form as she tried before. Without turning her back Valeska stepped to the pillow to pick up her saber, her eyes still set on Carnifex. Images of his smile flashed through her mind from her last moments of consciousness, the look in his eyes as he watched her take her saber, there was a game.

Looking past him a training blade rested across the room, damaged and discarded; likely it was to be picked up in the next sweep of the crew, though with hand on her saber the blade ignited. Idly she focused, her mind reaching out and gripping the broken steel and pulled it towards her enemy attempting to skewer him from behind while charging from his front in an idle distraction.

Her mind ached, her body weak and useless in terms of her usual strength, though she was hoping it would be enough. For once, she could control her rage just enough.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

His expression never wavering, the Emperor watched as his apprentice continued to court disaster. It would appear that she hadn't yet learned her lesson, and while her tenacity was commendable it was ultimately futile. With his eyes still staring directly into hers, the Emperor allowed the faintest glimmer of a smile to tug at the corner of his lips as he seized the blade careening towards his back with the Force and spoke a single word in a language that undoubtedly unfamiliar to Morrow.

~หยุด~

Morrow would find that her body would seize up beyond her volition, the muscles spasming and constricting until it became impossible to move an inch. Her entire nervous system, infected with the meltmassif that the Emperor had surgically implanted into her brain, now turned her very body against her. She would be cognizant of what her body was doing, and she would recognize that it was not the Force that was seizing her like before during their duel. This was entirely different, more insidious, more invasive.

~คุกเข่า~

The Emperor commanded and Morrow's body obeyed. Morrow fell to one knee, arms falling to the side while her head involuntarily bent down in subservience to the Dark Lord.

[member="Darth Morrow"]​

 

[Darth Morrow]

Her muscles seized and her eyes went wide as her body gave into his demands against her will. Falling to a knee the saber dropped from her grasp as her hands relaxed and her arms fell to her sides. No matter how hard she may try, Valeska's body was no longer obeying her commands; it was obeying his.

Panic shot through her mind as she now stared to the floor, kneeling before him at his mercy. Her breathing quickened as she desperately tried to break free of the hold she could not understand; this wasn't the force, this was something else. There was nothing Valeska ever read that mentioned this, nothing. This was foreign to her, just as the language he had spoken.

"What did you do to me," The accusation came up with a hint of worried panic surfacing.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Now, that would be spoiling the surprise, would it not?"

It had been almost by happenstance that the Emperor had come across this ancient and forgotten method of control, if it hadn't been for the efforts of the Lords of the Fringe it might have been lost completely. Fortunately, not all of the Sorcerers of Rhand had been destroyed. Some had endured in the darkest recesses of the Unknown Regions, and one of them had fallen right into the Emperor's clutches following a secret expedition by the Emperor's most trusted agents.

They had tortured him for months before his mind was susceptible enough to be cracked open like an egg, his knowledge taken in the Emperor's name. He was long dead now, his corpse ravaged by beasts and whittled down to nothing but bloodied bone, but what he had once known was being put to good use.

"Just know that your body obeys my commands now, Valeska. Be grateful that I have left your mind intact, I could have easily rewired it to be more... agreeable."

[member="Darth Morrow"]​

 

[Darth Morrow]

"Why don't you just kill me. This is cruel even by your standard." Her words came out quiet, yet still full of hate. Spoken between bared teeth the woman remained knelt on the ground before him, her muscles still locked in place. He could see her attempts at breaking it, the bulge of bicep and the twitching of hands, though it was too much for even her to resist.

For a moment Valeska's eyes closed as the saber at her side shifted to be before her, so closely in grasp yet nothing she could do. Minds split with pain as she lifted the blade with nothing but the force between her and Carnifex, a pitiful attempt at self defense in such a situation.

"I would rather be trapped in the void that this." The blade activated and twirled slowly in the air, in a moments notice it shot towards her as she remained kneeling at his feet, her eyes still closed as she hoped he wouldn't stop her. All that mattered is her legacy would continue even without her. Through her apprentices now long gone deep into space, and her children slipped into society under a different name.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

In fact, the Emperor did stop her.

But that did not mean that she would be unharmed. Instead, the Emperor took hold of the weapon itself once stopping it with the Force, and with a casual display of the Force he pushed Valeska over and onto her back; her body still locked in the kneeling position. Then he drove the tip of the lightsaber through her stomach, at such a point where it would miss all of her vital organs and pass directly through the empty space of her torso cavity and out into the floor beneath her.

"Perhaps one day, when I bore of you, I will grant you that gift." He twisted the blade, further burning her flesh as the beam of plasma churned inside of her. She was utterly incapable of moving, her body seized by the Emperor's insidious experiment, and there was little more she could do other than scream in agony.

Then he deactivated the blade, and proceeded to crush the weapon by squeezing his hand until the metal cracked and the internal components snapped. Tossing it aside, he looked down on his apprentice. "Until that day comes, if it ever does, you will serve me as my apprentice without defiance or betrayal. You will carry out my will to the letter, obeying my word without refusal, for your body will serve me even if your mind does not. You will learn what it means to be obedient, Valeska, I will reinforce that idea into you even if I have to destroy everything you have ever loved to do so."

He barked another word in that blasphemous language, and Morrow's muscles relaxed and she regained control of her body as she laid there on the cold cruel floor.

"I hope you're not stupid enough to try anything else, worm. You would do well to not try my patience any further."

[member="Darth Morrow"]​

 

[Darth Morrow]

The woman screamed loudly in pain, her body trying to writhe in agony though held tight under his command. Tears welled in her eyes as the saber was twisted through her form and it cauterized every wound and slice it made, the unbearable heat eating and charring her flesh only to fill the air with the horrible smell.

Black blood oozed from between the cracks of scabbing as she remained kneeling in pain, her back pressed against the floor with nothing she could do.

Watching her saber crushed like a twig between tear filled eyes she breathed shakily, trying to keep her hold on consciousness as pain continued to wrack through her both mind and body. Only when she was released from his grasp did she curl on the floor before him, arms pressed over the open wound through her center.

“There’s nothing left in this world that I love…” The words came out quietly, the floor being greeted with the tears of her suffering as she desperately tried to gather enough strength to begin piecing together her torso with a hole bore through.

Slowly flesh shifted, painfully, agonizingly covering the wound, bringing it closer to her center so it would later be healed with gentle nursing. Though for now, her shape shifting would have to do. Razor teeth bit into her lower lip as she avoided another cry of hellish suffering, the wound shifting through her form feeling as if the blade traveled through her once more.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Tsk tsk tsk," evoked the Emperor mockingly, his shadow engulfing Morrow's pained form entirely. "How cruel of you, apprentice. All of those lengths you went to... Just to throw it all away." Carnifex pressed the toe of his boot against her cheek, pushing her head to the side so that her face was pointed up towards him. The true immensity of their difference in power was on full display now, the Emperor towering over the cowed and wounded apprentice.

All pretenses had been discarded, there was only the powerful and the powerless.

"I suppose then that if you love nothing, then there is no reason for me to keep my followers from destroying everything you sought to keep hidden from me." He crouched down on his haunches, his voice dropping low to a venomous whisper. "Even now they near it, eager to destroy. I assume that it will give you some satisfaction, considering how you love nothing."

[member="Darth Morrow"]​

 

[Darth Morrow]

"You wouldn't dare." A moment of rage sparked in her as he brought mention of the hidden children, after all, it was all she had hidden. Eyes came to life like fire as she struggled to uncurl herself from the floor before him, her movements slow, pained. Placing her hands on the floor Valeska came to a stand, her back arching and then coming to a full attention as she stood before him, her eyes set on his menacing form.

"You will have to kill me, and everyone else protecting before you can destroy them." Her form quivered as she stood there in an attempt to show resistance, it had only been a few minutes and he had already worn her down so thin, her grip on consciousness fleeting in the wake of pain coursing through her. Hands clenched into fists, feet adjusted on the tile to hold up her up in a last bit of adrenaline now fading, only kept burning by the rage inside.

She had never cared about anything, but unfortunately, she regrettable cared about the kids, and that could be their demise. Before she had a chance to move her body gave out, knees hitting the tile with enough force to crack them as only her hands caught her full descent. Like this, there was nothing she could do to stop him. Pain raced through her veins itself as her body attempted to focus on healing her wounds, so many not yet cared for from so many weeks, and now here she was about to take even more.

"There is only one person in this galaxy who knows where everything is that I have hid from you. Perhaps by chance you may find my ship, or one of my apprentices, but you will never find everything I care for."

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Them? How enlightening."

The Emperor had taken a gamble, basing his accusations on nothing more than conjecture and inference from monitoring Valeska following their encounter on Iridonia. Her year-long absence had been noticed by the Emperor, it was impossible for him to have not taken notice of her disappearance. His agents had scoured the galaxy in search of her, only finding scraps of clues to her whereabouts. In the end, the Emperor had summoned forth his Eyes to peer through the webways of the Cosmic Force to track her down.

In the end, he had let her be. He hadn't fully known the exact circumstances of her disappearance, he only had assumptions. Until now, that was, as Valeska had told him all that the Emperor had needed to know without fully realizing it.

"I thank you for being so forthcoming, apprentice. Do not fear, Valeska, I would not harm a hair on their heads so long as you remain... obedient. But know that if you stoop so low as to betray me again, and I will not be so forgiving as I have been."

[member="Darth Morrow"]​

 

[Darth Morrow]

An almost growl like noise escaped her lips as she remained holding herself up by nothing by her hands, the pain pulsing through her making it near impossible to move; this was the worst time to be incapable of defending herself. Fingers dug through the floor like sand once more as she tried to muster the strength to stand, a quiet whimper of suffering was all that became before she let herself rest.

"You wouldn't even be able to find them if you tried..." A smile, a possibly delirious smile, inched across her lips as she felt her mind get dizzy, the feet before her doubling and even tripling as she watched her vision shift and cross over itself over and over again.

"My body may be obedient, but I never will be..." He'd watch as her arms gave out and she fell to the cold floor beneath them, her consciousness faded as the pain finally overwhelmed her strength to hold on. Reflexively her body curled up to put pressure on her midsection only to go slightly limp a few moments later. She was in no state to move at all, let alone fight the Emperor if she could. No matter how strong she might be, the list of injuries was too great for the form she took to handle.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"You should know by now to never underestimate me..."

The fire of her defiance lasted very little, her body succumbing to its injuries as she slumped over unconscious. He stepped over her prone body, the hem of his cloak running over her as he passed. Two servants in white medical garments approached from an adjacent chamber, a collapsible stretcher held in their hands as they wordlessly hauled Morrow's body onto the flexible fabric. With a light groan of exertion, they lifted Morrow's body up and looked to the Emperor for orders.

"Take her to the chamber I had prepared for her, change her out of those clothes into something more fitting."

They inclined their heads in acknowledgement before disappearing with Morrow's body in tow, the door closing behind them with a sharp snap as they disappeared. Emperor Carnifex remained standing in that spot for several more seconds before he turned to look at the new pair of apprentices enter, walk to stand before him, and fall to their knees to press their forehead against the cold metal floor in subservience. At his gesture they rose, walked to either end of the combat arena, and ignited lightsabers.

"Begin."

[member="Darth Morrow"]​

 

[Darth Morrow]

--

"Killing you would be a simple task, but it would also be a great disservice to the Empire."

--

It would be awhile before Valeska finally came to consciousness, hours, days, well she couldn't have really been sure of that detail. The only thing she did know is unfortunately she was still alive. A panicked breathing pattern shot to life as her upper half launched up in the bed. As she came to her eyes met with a bedroom before her, decorated in plain Imperial fashion though enough to keep the common comforts. Glancing about as she slowly shifted from under the covers her eyes passed over the room studying every small detail.

No weapons in sight, though no chains to keep her bound. No guard in the room, no cameras; at least none she could see. This hadn't been what she expected, not at all.

Placing her feet on the floor as quietly as she could Valeska stepped out of the bed and moved to the door, her ear placed against it softly to listen to the hall on the other side. If nothing was heard, the door would slowly creak open to view the surroundings. Of course, she was in the palace, where else would she be.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

From the shadows emerged a vaguely humanoid form, its movements robotic as its droid chassis came into view from the lights hanging above. A pair of bright red photoreceptors stared blankly ahead at Morrow as she poked her head out, contracted and widening as her image focused in its vision. It's limbs and torso extended as it grew to a formidable size, various holoprojectors along its body shimmering to life as the image of the Emperor was imposed over its metallic body.

And when it spoke, it spoke with the Emperor's voice. "Ah, awake at last, my apprentice. I see your wounds have healed nicely..." The droid even mimicked the Emperor's physical movement in conjunction with the cadence of his voice, creating a realistic copy as the Emperor's visage was projected from afar. "I have tasked this holodroid to serve as your guardian, so that you will always remember that I am keeping my eye on you. Perhaps in time you will no longer require its presence, but until your obedience dysfunctions can be corrected you will have to be kept on a short leash."

The Emperor did not trust his apprentice in the slightest, even after he had infected her nervous system with meltmassif. She was too headstrong, too disobedient. She would soon learn that such defiance had a price, but would she even be able to withstand such a price?

Carnifex was interested in finding out.

[member="Darth Morrow"]​

 

[Darth Morrow]

"So you plan to keep me trapped here." Her eyes locked on the visage of the Emperor, her volcanic gaze narrowing with hate. Stepping out from the room she closed the door behind her, hand rested on the cold metal of its form as her fingers tapped against it quietly. He may have taken her weaponry, though he seemed to have forgotten about her other abilities, fortunate.

"What is it you want from me Kaine. I'm done playing games. You claim me useless and then refuse me death, trap me here as a toy yet still insist I am not worth your troubles." Metal bubbled around her fingers as her words grew with restrained anger. Memories of her past lingered in mind as she remembered their early days of training, the complements he paid. How fair, yet strict, she thought he was. Yet here she was, at his mercy with fury in her soul, her anger feeding her powers to the point of overflow.

It was something she hadn't felt in a long time. Not since the slap of insult from training.

That was always a problem of hers, emotion controlled her intent. It may not have shown but deep down it was what fueled every movement, every cut, every death by her hand. She had realized it was misguided all this time. But when she had, there was nothing she could do; and even then, it was what led her here. Eyes cast down for a moment before glancing back to the metallic monstrosity of a droid before her.

"I am tired of your patronizing, just let me leave if I am truly useless."

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"You misunderstand me, apprentice." Retorted the droid, clasping its hands behind its back and it paced first left than right. "If I wanted a caged bird, I would have stripped you of your powers." Instead, he had left her with all of her powers intact, her connection to the Force undampened. The power of the Dark Side was still at her fingertips, as easy to call upon as it had been before she had been humbled by the Sith Emperor. All that had changed was his power over her, the strength to compel her body to do whatever he wished with a mere verbal command.

"You are still my student, Valeska, regardless of how disobedient you have become. I shall endeavor to mold you into something worthier than what you currently are, but such things take time. Fortunately, time is a resource I have in abundance." The droid stopped pacing, gesturing towards Morrow with its right hand. "In time you will regain your ship and your other assets that I have confiscated, so long as you obey my commands and carry out my will. I have tasks that I want you to complete, and I am confident that you will complete them without delay or complaint."

The brow of the holographic Emperor furrowed in seriousness, a rare break in his typically placid face. "Otherwise I will have to punish you, Valeska. Trust me when I say that all that you have suffered up until now has been the lightest of my disciplinary methods. Do you understand?"

[member="Darth Morrow"]​

 

[Darth Morrow]

Metal melted around her fist, an indent the shape of her hand resting in the door, while the silvery substance coated her skin up to elbow length. Audible exhales left her nose as she stood there in consideration, unfocused eyes locked on the furrow of his brow.

"And if I no longer wish to be a part of your Empire, you still force me at your feet. What is the worst punishment you could grant me, I promise I have endured worse. Suffering at the hands of an immortal lord? Pain ripping through my existence of every moment, my mind experiencing toying from the strings of another. I have suffered, I have overcome; and you could do no worse to me than I have dealt with in this life or any of my others." Claws dug back into the door, its form crushing under the pressure as the metal formed around her hand punctured through.

"The only difference between us is you have lived longer, and suffered longer. There is nothing you can do to me that will make me wish to bend to you." The previously angry face of Morrow now rested in complete neutrality, though her eyes still burned holes in his own.

Stepping forward towards the droid, her face remained placid as she inclined her head slightly to meet his serious gaze. "What is it, that you think you can do to change my mind."

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"You will see."

Cryptic promise delivered, the image of the Sith Emperor disappeared. The holodroid's body retracted to its normal size, holoprojectors emanating a mechanical whine that lessened gradually over time. After a moment, the droid's photoreceptors angled to settle on Morrow after she had stepped towards it. Though only a droid, its advanced brain had been imbued with its own personality matrix that had been deemed acceptable by the Emperor's scientist.

In a clearly modulated feminine voice, it intoned; +That was not very wise. The Master is not recognized for his empathetic programming. I can calculate within a four-percent margin of error that you will come to regret your verbalizations.+

[member="Darth Morrow"]​

 

[Darth Morrow]

"And he will come to regret the time he spends trying to punish me." The woman turned back to the door, opening it and sealing it against the surrounding framework as she stepped inside, forbidding any other from entry, even the droid. Once the door was properly sealed in place she sat herself on the floor of the chamber with her legs crossed.

Closing her eyes the woman focused on her few connections through the force, flickering through until she could settle on the two she maintained the closest. Slowing her breathing and resting her hands on her knees she took a moment to see if she could detect how close they were. Should all still be the way she had hoped, she wouldn't feel them within lightyears from her. Hands twisted in the fabric covering her legs as her eyes opened and she remained sitting where she was, eyes locked on the door patiently.

Grant me death, for I would rather face the void for eternity than serve him any longer.

Ý̛͎͔̠̮̬̼o̯̠̺̲̪͝u͎͎̖̥̝͜͝ ̛́҉̤̥͙k̨̘̀ṉ̬̝͕̦͈͎ͅo̜̻̟̪͇̯̯̩w̛̰͚̼͓̖̯̟͢͡ ̢̥̭͚͖̩ͅh̵̵̠͇̖͍̪̖̱̹̟͝è̠̲̤̼̫̙̯̻ ̵̬͔̺͖̜̩͖̹̀w͏͚͎̮̪o̶͏̜̠̼̙͎͙͎̩͈n̨̖͓̪̫̞̫̖͉'̩͉̼ͅt̴͔͇̜͉̭͠ ҉̙͕̭̙̣̙͙̠͟ḱ̳͍̻̻͟i͎͇͍͜ļ̠͈̥͈ͅl̛̙͎̹ ͢͏̬̠̞y̟̺̺͍̦̯͍̥̩ơ̦̪ͅú̵̱͉͕̯͢.̢͏͓͔̞̼̣͚ ̴̩͓̠̖͈͓̯I͏͓͇̤͕̲͕̳f̻͔͝ ̲̪͚̀ḥ̮͘ȩ͓̙̫ ̢̮̫͓̙͔̗͓̻͘w̵̩͚͚͓a̛̛̳̖̖̖̫n̪̱̤ͅt̸̨̬͇͞e͇̳̲͖d̛̟̩̪̥̫̜ ̶̶̧͍̺͙̮̞͕̖ͅț̷̢̫̘͢o̵̪͓͎͈̜̠͜͝ ̣̩͔͎̤y̷̞͈͍̲̮͎͍̰o̴̳̥̱͟u҉̦͓̻̦͚͎̜͠ ̸̨̱͕̰͉̱̖̯̕w̡̪̰o̶͎̤̜̞̭͔͇̯͢͢u̴̶͚̹̥̝̼l̗̗̮̳̱̺̯̺͟d̢̧̰̝̼̤̱̠ ͕̣͍̲̹̩̣̣͟͝b̯̺̤̼͔̘̠͠͡e̗̞ ̩͎̼́͘͢ͅd̢̖͇̤͇͙͘è̖̤̙̜͢ͅa̧̯̻̞̞̭͚̻̺d̗̖̳̼͚̩̫̟̀ ̜̩̝̲͠b̨̮͉̫̝͝y̼͕̹̭͎͘ͅ ͞͏̺̠̺̞̝̤n̵̨̻̮̣ǫ͇̠̬̯̲w̸̟͚̠͍͚̹͖̱̲͘͘.̪͎͓̫̠͉ ̛̗̯̲Ỳ̹̜̗̬͉̝̲o̯͍̟u̼̝̹̼̘͚̮̩̖̕͢'̶̢̘̜̘̞̝̼͙ͅr̲͕͔̭̮e̜̞̣͞ ̢҉̴̬͎̲u̘̪̫̪̫̘͝s̗͍͉͢ͅe̢͙̤̣̲̫̗f̼̭͙͇̠̪̀͡ų̳̣̲͉̥̕l̥͈͚̩̲͎̝͉͜ ̶͜҉̙t̫̺̯̭̙̙͢ó̢̮͎͙̳̼͉̞ ̡̛͚̪͚͘m̷̰͚͚̠͙̞̬̬͝e͙͡ ̴̵͍̪̯͚͓̪̟̦͠a͔̬̬̕͜s̩̰̮̱̩͜ ͏͏̥̻̩̲w̛̥̥̬̮͈̪͕e̖̠̰̪͈͞ͅl̺̱͓̝̩̺̼̭l̸͍͉͇̗͔̜,̷͔͈̥̥̞͘ ̶̧͇͞ͅs̨͎̤͕͍͡ͅo̵̦͇̺̰͙ͅͅ ̢̡҉̱̟͓̦ḏ͈̥͝o̸̢͎̜̝͘ń̺̯͚͎͈̱̬̬͢'̼͈̤̘̻͕̀ṱ̜͝ ̝̜́͟a̗̯̠̲̭̟̗͉̳͞ş͕͉͍̜͎̞k͓͔̘͈͔͘͞ ̸̩̯͢s͏̲͔̝͚̗u̡̦͖͇̪c̘͕̹̕͠h̞ ͟͏̭̫̳̦͞ͅá̷̞̫̣͉̥̬͕͓ ̛̳̘͢f̸̻̬̦̩͉̼̪̲a҉̛͉̗͔̩̕v̹̹ͅo͏̭̭͢ṛ̴̰͓̠̝̺̠ ̸̰̹̼͈̟̮̕͞f̪̭̕r̴̪̮̗͖̮͍̀o̸̳̤̙̻m̧̬̝ ̵̢̤̰̱͙̠̯̥̮m̢̛̗̣̥̙̬̲͔͝e͏҉͈̺̤,̨͇̗̺̫̟̩̤̮͜ͅ ̼͙͙͙̣̹p̦͙̱e̶͚̯̦͜t҉̜̣͖̫͉͈̜͠.͞͏̺̮̩̣̻


Eyes remained locked on the door, an audible sigh escaping her lips as she drifted back to her focus, eyes growing hazy, her stare unfocused as she waited for some sort of summons.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The holodroid remained where it stood, a silent statue lurking just outside of Morrow's room.

There it remained, silent and unmoving, for several hours.

It wasn't until a message ran through its droid processors that it moved, approaching the door and wrapping its mechanical knuckles against the warped metal. It spoke with the same feminine mechanical dirge as before, louder and more authoritative as a pale mimicry of its master.

+The Master commands your presence, Apprentice Valeska. He has a gift for you, I have been instructed to escort you to him.+

[member="Darth Morrow"]​