Trouble in the Shadowlands

[Klesta]

"Yula, take Ravana with you to Kashyyyk. Buried in the Shadowlands is an ancient amulet, guarded by a terentatek. Bring both the artefact and the Sithspawn's hide back here. I advise you to be cautious. The beast is not to be trifled with."

"Ravana, here are a few pieces of information before we depart for Kashyyyk: the Shadowlands are so densely wooded that I can't fly aircraft down there, so while I pilot down to the surface, I can only go so close to it before we have to tramp down by other means. I'll be looking for where the dark side is the strongest: the amulet is probably where it is. The terentatek itself is resistant to the Force and has poisonous claws/tusks. Plus there is not enough space space in a starfighter's cargo hold for a terentatek hide, so I'm flying the Neimoidian Yacht typically used for medvac - it's big enough for two people on a hospital bed if so we need in the end and still have enough room to fit a terentatek hide in there. As a measure of precaution, we have a medical droid on standby with a hoversled"

Once Yula was done dealing with some rogue imperial pirates plaguing Vjun, she was to form up with one [member="Darth Exode"], alias Ravana. Likewise, her very own Darth title hasn't been decided yet, but maybe at the end of it she will reach a decision. However, it has to evoke spaceflight or airborne transportation/combat one way or another, given her claim to fame in the Sith world. I am a starfighter pilot, not a SpecOps kind of person, she thought upon reviewing the mission parameters. From what little she heard about terentateks, they were rancor-sized beasts that were nearly immune to the Force. They've got three weeks to run the mission, but she might have to deploy the 7th Division during those three weeks. Going on Kashyyyk with Ravana won't be pleasant and I might even have to force the Division to be under someone else's command in the meantime; I'd rather get it over with ASAP and not let the Dominion down because of my absence on the front lines! I'm a divisional starfighter commander for a reason, she thought, with some frustration, while also preparing her standard issue thermal detonators and wearing the black robes that she would never wear on-duty.

"Shall we get started? I do not wish to hurt the Dominion by my absence from the front lines for too long: hopefully we can make it back to Krayiss II alive"

 

[Darth Exode]

"Very well, my dear..." her countenance was full of flirtatious desire, and charming smiles. It wasn't like she was putting it on, however. She was just one of those women who where naturally sexy. "And I know of Tarentatek, my dear. Sith Alchemy, the practice that was used to create such beasts, was part of my training, but only the rudimentary basics, so much about them has been described to me." She muttered to herself about how Indulgence would be needed. She strutted up the ramp, her hips waving entrancingly, drawing a few looks from those nearby. "I am looking to improve my said knowledge, but it is proving to be a task that is easier said than done."

 

[Klesta]

"You might be lucking out on me, but there's one more thing you should learn while we are underway that would fit your style as a Sith"

I got to grant her that much: seduction can be useful to a Sith. Perhaps she thinks I'm the same as all other Hapan Sith: very attractive, for one. Even though I am unsure as to what ethical standards she have, I believe that one can purposefully use the seductees, she thought, while [member="Darth Exode"] was getting seated in the ship's waiting room. Meanwhile, Yula initiates the takeoff sequence; she takes off and uses the Force to get her way to Kashyyyk, and thus wastes no time getting into orbit and, from there, make the jump to hyperspace. One of the things Yula might have in mind for a Sith that relies on seduction is Drain Knowledge: perhaps a little stereotypical, but she discovered herself as a dark-sider because she used Drain Knowledge to cheat in a high school test back on Nubia, before she dropped out. It would be a good few hours before the ship would arrive over Kashyyyk, so she would take the time to teach Ravana that very technique and, possibly, recover the energy spent.

"I do realize that there might be something of use to you: Drain Knowledge. You may want to try to access my brain as you would a computer in the Force. Depending on the mental defenses of the target, it might be a little hard; also, if you're careless, you may accidentally remove knowledge from the user but removing knowledge from the user, as opposed to simply downloading information from someone else through the Force, depends on how good the target's memory is: if the target has a good memory, it may be difficult to remove information from its memory but it is easier to download more information from the target"

 

[Darth Exode]

Ravana's Yellow eyes lit up like Topaz, sparkling in the Midday Sun. "Tell me More, my Dear. You had my interest... but now, darling... you have my curiosity." She crossed her legs as she slid into a chair, idly humming a catchy tune, her top leg swinging idly.

She seemed to be paying rapt attention to the woman, holding her in her naturally flirtatious and intense sight. Something to select the natural powers she had, that the Force had given her? Yes please.

 

[Klesta]

"The hard part of Drain Knowledge is more about combing for the desired information in the target person's mind: the faster your mind is, the more efficient you can be when using it. It's not always easy, but in a Drain Knowledge context, it's much like slicing into a computer but applied to a person: the person's mental defenses are like firewalls, encryption systems, while you attempt to enter the person's memory. The main reason why it is a dark-sided ability is because you intrude on someone's mind in an attempt to force access to information inside that person"

She never actually tried Drain Knowledge on that Jedi Master everyone around her that served in the Chiloon Rift campaign called Jessica; however, if the rumors are accurate (Sith Inquisitor, among others), anyone that can make proper use of Drain Knowledge can obtain much more knowledge out of her than usually is the case at their level of skill. Oh, she could tell that Ravana liked Yula's mental speed and perhaps agility (even though her mental speed may not be as high as Jessica's) so she was flattered deep inside herself, and also Yula could feel that Ravana had sufficient mental speed to determine what attributes to exploit in someone in order to seduce that person pretty much in a pinch. However, [member="Darth Exode"] may or may not realize that Drain Knowledge is cognition-intensive. The effectiveness of Drain Knowledge depended on the cognitive parameters of the target and those of the user, albeit different ones: on the user's end, the fluid characteristics, on the target's end, its memory. Even though she wasn't that great at using Drain Knowledge, Yula was good enough to attempt teaching it, and she is even willing to have Ravana try it on her, perhaps because Ravana's seduction worked on some level.

"It might be useful if you want crucial information out of the seductee. Try using Drain Knowledge on me, will you? Just to make sure you understand how it works. You may wish to access information regarding a Force-power you don't already know"

 

[Darth Exode]

'Seductee?' Ravana thought to herself, a slight frown on her face. 'How did she know that I seduce people? Has she been already taking my knowledge? No matter.'

"I think I understand the idea behind this. Perhaps not the practice, but I definitely get the idea behind it, my dear. The question is.... what should we want to see if each other? Our past? A certain technique? What would you like to see? What would you like to take?" Ravana purred, with a raised brow, and a slight smirk, not her usual Smirk, but a more subdued one.

 

[Klesta]

"I believe that our respective past is perhaps a little out of bounds because we know so little of each other. So I believe it's about learing some techniques from each other"

She provides me with pleasure of a different variety from what I've experienced my whole life, then again, I've never gotten the chance to experience such things. I'm being seduced and not just because I let myself be seduced by her, she thought to herself, while she gets a more in-depth feel for [member="Darth Exode"] in the Force. For what lies inside that body. Ravana was just as gorgeous as Yula herself was, just that she might appeal to different people compared to Yula. But because they were on the topic of Drain Knowledge, Yula paid particular attention to Ravana's mental attributes. She's got intellect, that's for sure, and her memory seems good enough for me to safely use Drain Knowledge on her. Perhaps she uses it for different things compared to me, of course, but her brain is fast enough to get the basics of any one Force-power I know. I can feel her brain warming up... so tempting! Better use Drain Knowledge when the target's mind is very active: the flow of knowledge becomes that much easier, especially when my own mental activity increases as I attempt to copy that delicious knowledge from her brain! Yula thought, while her Force-gaze is fixated on what is, in her current pheromone-induced mood, Ravana's big, sexy, well-trained brain, or so she would be led to believe...

"Since you mentioned Sith alchemy earlier, that is what I would like out of you. You realize by now that Drain Knowledge will allow you to learn stuff a lot faster than by conventional methods"

Now that she was combing Ravana's brain for what she knew about Sith alchemy, Yula feels better and better as she attempts to obtain the knowledge she claims to desire in the target, as if, in the attempt itself, some sort of sadistic pleasure was to be had regardless of whether the attempt succeeds or not. But would the desired knowledge actually get to her? Even though Drain Knowledge was... practical, in circumstances like these, her Force-batteries are draining, so she knew those feelings will end at some point.

 

[Darth Exode]

Images would flash through Yula's mind, of her training with a Human Woman, with a Golden Mask on her face, the picture of purity, while the Grey of the woman's skin, and the Black-blue Veins visibly sticking out of her arms, told another story. There, she would carve runes into metals, pouring the Dark Side into the metals, and even the Corruption of a Monkey-Lizard, turning the squealing little thing, into a corrupted monstrosity, full or spikes and plate, and beady little red eyes. The majority of her knowledge of Sith Alchemy seems to be Pouring the Dark Side of the Force into things Forcefully, often with the aid of blood ritual.

"Well... that was a bit of a trip... is it my turn to do this to you?" She said with a little bit of innuendo in her voice.

 

[Klesta]

"Oh, if only I had the power to keep going all night" Yula moaned when she was deep inside the process of using the Force to download knowledge from Ravana, draining her Force-batteries. "Your brain has so much delicious knowledge... look at just how much pleasure your big, sexy, well-trained brain gives me!" Yula continues, with no doubt in her mind that, as the process ends, she still feels great about it.

Yula could feel that [member="Darth Exode"]'s brain was also pretty agile, and she found the pleasure of the process enrapturing, almost overwhelming even, because of the rapid flow of information from Ravana's brain to Yula's. But she realizes that it might just be Yula being enthralled by Ravana for whatever reason, pheromone-induced or not. Perhaps my mind is victim of a Force-induced illusion, perhaps the pleasure I got from her was illusory, she thought to herself after the process was over. Then again, the dark side requires one to channel one's emotions, or those of the target(s) and actually use them. Like how Force-fear requires one to scrounge the target's mind for fears and to make them surface. Or how Force-cloak seems to work well in dark-siders when exploiting the user's anxiety, insecurities or own fears. Also, given the amount of information she got from Ravana's brain, she might have made it easier for other people to use Drain Knowledge on her for a while. The Force gives and takes, she thought, but it was hard to tell how the whole process feels to Ravana.

"Yes, it's your turn to do this to me. You will probably get a similar level of pleasure from my brain: that is, if you can make it work. If you can't, just use your frustration to try harder on the second pass"

 

[Darth Exode]

Ravana watched the display in front of her with no small measure of amusement, as if disbelieving that her brain, and her knowledge could be this enchanting to the female in front of her. But it was, if the way she was groaning was anything to go on. Ravana herself was a connoisseur of pleasure, and of pain, so she had no problem in feeling the pleasure she was promised. She somehow doubted that her reaction would be like that, due to the fact that she was a little numb to pleasure and pain.

"And..." Ravana questioned, as she positioned both hands on either side of [member="Yula Knezevic"]'s face, "what will I see what I look into your mind, my dear? I wonder... oh well, no time like the present to find out, is there?" And with a Kiss on the forehead, Ravana entered Yula's mind, images flashing through her vision.

 

[Klesta]

"How to use the Force to frighten other people, or even non-sentients: that's what you will see when you look into my mind"

Yula was a little amused to see Ravana somehow doubting that her own mental attributes could give that much pleasure to someone using Drain Knowledge on her while in use, but now Yula had an idea of what to expect if she used Drain Knowledge on someone with similar intellectual attributes to Ravana's. Of that she could be sure that there was someone else at a similar intellectual level elsewhere, and then some sometimes (cf. Jessica). If I was to use Drain Knowledge while at least infatuated by somebody, perhaps someone else at Ravana's level should be able to provide similar amounts of pleasure to me, but her brain would never be able to provide that much pleasure to me if I was in a different state of mind, she thought, while pondering the implications of the user's state of mind in how Drain Knowledge feels to the user. And then it was Yula's turn to be on the receiving end of Drain Knowledge: [member="Darth Exode"] will realize fast enough that the sheer amount of pleasure her brain gave Yula made Yula's mental defenses a little weak for a while, and Ravana began exploiting that weakness from the moment she kissed Yula's forehead. Under the form of visions that Yula had, at the same time as they flashed in Ravana's mind (which is the sign that the knowledge contained in the vision is being downloaded into the user's mind), Ravana would see the images of Yula focusing the dark side of the Force on picking the Force-locks of the areas in a creature's mind containing their worst fears, of what happened to the target creature once the process ended, the targeted person was frightened, horrified even. And also, in the following set of visions, different ways to use Force-fear that can be used even for just maintaining law and order: to disperse irritating creatures, as a defensive means to protect high-value assets. But, at Ravana's skill level, or power level, there would be little risk of rendering someone catatonic.

"You have realized by now that we are both quite different from the run-of-the-mill Sith: what makes that possible is because we are much more willing to use our respective brains, because we have good mental conditioning, because our respective brains are the gift of the Force to us. Yes, your sexy, well-trained brain, and how you use it, how you use all that delicious knowledge, is a big part of what makes you a different Sith from the norm. Then again, that holds for me, too"

 

[Darth Exode]

Ravana smirked at this. Her Master, Darth Trahison, had made a similar comment. But it was about her overall biology, not just her brain. The Dark Side inclined body, and mind of a Sith Pureblood, along with the Pheromones and the pleasure-aligned thought process of a Zeltron. It made for a very interesting combination. An instinctual flirt, with an inclination towards corruption, seduction, and the Dark Side of the Force. Trahison had always praised herself for "picking up such a promising Apprentice at a young age"

"Thank you, my dear, for saying such kind things about me and my mind... and the pleasurable experience of entering your mind. Or should I say the pleasurable experience of entering you?" she said with her signature smirk and smoulder on her face. "So, once we reach Kashyyyk, what shall we do? Get ourselves a Wookiee Skin Rug? A new shiny Necklace for our necks?"

[member="Yula Knezevic"]

 

[Klesta]

Yula would probably want to repeat the experience with [member="Darth Exode"] after the whole deal in the Shadowlands is over, provided she would still be under a similar state of mind on the way back. That is, if she returned to a similar amount of pheromones or if the infatuation remained even in the absence of pheromones, knowing the intensity of what pleasure she can have from the brain of someone else at her intellectual level when Drain Knowledge is in use. For the time being, she would be led to think that the required cognitive function strength would also require a pretty well-trained brain which, in that context, makes somebody's brain, well, a lot sexier. But that would be more about finding out about Ravana's past than any real technique, and the same in reverse, too. And also, Yula would realize that, outside of pretty specific contexts, her brain can only provide that amount of pleasure to someone else if that someone uses Drain Knowledge on her, now noticing that Ravana was enjoying it in a very similar sadistic way, too. And it was over when Ravana asked about what happened when they reached Kashyyyk, which was to be pretty soon:

"The main objective is to get a shiny necklace but the necklace is guarded by a terentatek. It's getting to the terentatek, that is, to where the dark side presence is strongest, and kill it, that will require some hired help. I would prefer Wookiee orphans or other outcasts, like beggars, to act as the hired help. We'll pretend that we are to give a new start in life to those we hire. Maybe, by sheer bad luck, they will die doing what we hired them for. Oh and don't forget to alchemize the wookiee skin rugs in the end"

 

[Darth Exode]

Silently nodding as she stared out into the Vastness of Hyperspace, shaking of the last vestiges of the Pain rocking her skull. Though she had allowed the woman next to her, into her head, but the process she had used to extract the information had been quite the painful experience for her, as Pleasurable as it obviously was for her. But, pain in of itself could be its own pleasure, if one knew how to use it as such. And Ravana definitely knew.

"Well..." Ravana said charmingly, "As soon as we reach our destination, we'll figure out what we are supposed to do, won't we? The Force will guide us."

 

[Klesta]

More like figuring out what to use the hired help for, she thought, while imagining where the alchemize wookiee skin rug would be in her Ziost office, now the capital of one of the factions she hated to the point of betraying its predecessor on Yutan. She knew that a few sadistic Sith took pleasure in absorbing pain, while obviously realizing that [member="Darth Exode"] was one of them: Yula just searched for painkillers before the ship they use reverts back to realspace: she wants to keep the pain under control for the approach towards the planet, foreseeing that the occasions for pain would be numerous, down in the Shadowlands. She readily acknowledged that she'd rather ler her own Force-batteries recharge, but it was best to keep her pain levels manageable for it to recharge effectively.

 

[Darth Exode]

Meditating lightly now, Ravana could feel the Darkness of the Shadowlands, and the Animalistic Neutralness of the Wookiee. She anticipated that the travel below would be fun, both sarcastically and literally, and the Ravana would have more than a chance to show her skills down below.

Her Saffron eyes opened and glowered maliciously towards the planet, a conniving smirk etched into her face. This planet would be very fun for her. And she ended up with some Wookiee pelts, or better yet, a Wookiee for her own... she would call him George. And Hug him, and pet him, and hold him...

 

[Klesta]

Now that the ship reverted over realspace, she sensed that the Wookiee cities tended to be either high on the tree canopies or lake/riverside cities. From what she knew about Kashyyyk, Kachirho was today's capital, but the capital region was not shady enough for a terentatek to thrive; then the best bet to land the ship would be in one of those treetop cities. So, still under some level of pain, she tried the hardest to locate where the dark side was the strongest on the planet, making use of what knowledge of terentateks she managed to get from [member="Darth Exode"]'s brain earlier to locate Force-signatures of terentateks. She does realize that the planet's population of terentateks was numbering in the low thousands but there was one spot that stuck out like a sore thumb, and the closest settlement to that particular spot was a treetop city called Northaykk. Now that the atmospheric friction shields are raised, Yula can safely initiate the landing sequence and sweep the place for beggars and other dregs of Wookiee society.

"We have arrived on the planet, dearie" she told Ravana in a tone that was Yula's best attempt at mimicking Ravana's, prior to deboarding the ship.

 

[Darth Exode]

Hearing the tone of voice that [member="Yula Knezevic"] was attempting to take with her, Ravana smirked. Oh, now the girl had made it a challenge. This would be fun. As she walked out, she trailed a finger under Yula's Jawline, down to here Chin, and held it there for a second. "Now, my dear" she purred, "are you sure you want to try and play this game with me? I don't think you could Keep Up with me..." She smirked for a second, before allowing her finger to drop away from Yula's chin, her hips swaying sexily as she walked away.

As Ravana saw all of the Wookiees surrounding her, she smirked, and pumped up her aura. Wookiees, and other animal-like species were especially susceptible to her Aura, because it was made up of Pheromones as much as it was made up of the Force and just an innate gift the Force had seen to bestow up her. It made the nearby Wookiees either a bit angrier than usual, or a bit more docile and loving than usual, especially towards her. Tula would feel like a cloying Mist emanated from the woman, that swirled and curled around everyone nearby her. If she tried to see it through the Force, she would see an actual Purple Mist in the Force, ensnaring minds and Feelings alike in its somehow slightly sentient and slightly aggressive grasp.

 

[Klesta]

OOC: Shyriwook speech is <within brackets> and normal Basic speech is bracket-less.

IC: "No, just that I feel a little strange" she told [member="Darth Exode"] while the pheromone mist was spreading around the slums, with her voice back to normal, before turning to the neighborhood armory.

That ought to take care of the hired help: Ravana managed to attract enough Wookiee beggars to get us one Wookiee skin rug each, and for Ravana to have one to pet, provided at least two beggars died and one survived, she thought, while realizing that the vast amount of pleasure she got from Ravana's brain was having its side effects. Now she realizes that Ravana's biology was quite different, and the ability to project clouds of pheromones was a big advantage in the seduction game and all Yula had to charm other people was her own brain, the dark side and her pheromone-less body. And she might need some equipment to make sure that the Wookiees will be able to serve their intended roles as hired help: their bowcasters had no power left, and for a Wookiee beggar, selling a bowcaster away is considered blasphemy. Visibly angry at Yula because he feels that he is responsible for the pheromones, purple mist, the male clerk of the neighborhood armory wanted to jump at her, and not simply because he was suspicious of the "purple mist". But Yula had a better idea, while being mere centimeters from the angry Wookiee's face:

"You will cease jumping at me"

"<I will cease jumping at you>" the Wookiee armorer screamed, under the effects of a mind trick.

"You will sell me a crate of thermal detonators and a bag of bowcaster power cells"

"<I will sell you a crate of thermal detonators and a bag of bowcaster power cells>" the Wookiee armorer growled, having calmed down in the meantime. "<That will be 15,000 credits>" he told Yula in growls, which was paid using her debit card.

 

[Darth Exode]

Ravana walked through the Town, most of the Wookiees not knowing what to do in her presence. The "Purple Mist" which was only able to be seen by Force Users using Force Sight, was a mixture of her Pheromones, and Her Force Abilities, which worked in Tangent with her natural Beauty, Grace, and Her natural talents of Flirtation and Seduction. She pawed down the street, looking at the Bowcasters with a little disdain. She was a light, lithe woman, who used weapons of Finesse, The Force, and Sound. Bowcasters had little value to her, as the didn't fit the way she fought, or her strength capacity. Looking around, she attempted to to see if there was a Wook nearby that could guide them into the Shadowlands.