You Can't Tell Me What To Do (Udrusa)

[Darth Ophidia]

They say, the greatest weapon is the mind. This statement was especially true to those who practised the art of Mentalism; the art of Mind Control. While the Jedi had their little tricks of persuasion, the Sith could enforce total control upon the weak of mind. It was a matter of beauty, to turn the deadliest weapon upon its wielder.

Darth Ophidia occupied a dim room, deep in the bowels of the Coruscant Sith Temple. No natural light reached there, but the room was partially lit by a mass of candles, flickering against the oppressing darkness and throwing shifting shadows upon every surface. The walls were decorated in copies of ancient murals, depicting the nature of the Dark Side of the Force. Right above the candles ran a single line of text in the language of the Ancient Sith. The text in question was a transcription of the ancient code of the Sith, one any Acolyte had well take to mind.

The Rattataki sat, still as death, in a lotus position. Her left hand cupped her right, and the thumbs touched just barely. Her eyes were not closed, nor fully opened, but gazed upon the floor. Her presence was naught, as if she was not really there if you took your eyes off of her, as if she was simply part of the room.

In a corner of the room sat two figures, clinging tightly to one another and letting out the odd whimper. One male Miralan, one female Amaran. The two of them had metal collars around their necks and a desperate look in their eyes. Both were slaves by the look of it.

[member="Udrusa"], one of many potential Sith Acolytes within the grasp of the Empire of the One Sith, had been given specific instructions to enter this room. The why had not been told her. There was only a single clear order of when and where.

 

[Udrusa Chagteath]

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

She had only been an Acolyte for a few weeks, but now she was already being requested for private matters. Was it because she killed someone? Perhaps it was that man who attempted to rape her... Bah, they wouldn't care about it, more than likely. But, either way, the anticipation of what may happen has her slightly on edge.

When she enters the room, she gives the two slaves barely a glance. What was important was the hooded Rattataki in further inside the chamber. The candles give off an eerie glow to the whole place, and the Dark Side that was cascading from the woman made it worse. And Force, did Udrusa love it. She drank in the Dark Side, took it into her very being and allowed it to strengthen herself, even as she kneeled before who she presumed was a Sith Lord from merely her presence in the Force.

"What is thy bidding, my lord?"

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Footsteps, and a presence approaching. Even while deep in her meditation she could feel the clumsy approach of a neophyte. Then again, being one of the most successful assassins on the Empire did require a certain level of skill in detecting presences. As the red-skinned woman entered and knelt, Ophidia's eyes blinked before they came into focus. Even in the dim light of the room, they glowed like embers on ash as she set a piercing gaze into the Acolyte before her. For a few seconds, she simply observed in silence, judging the meat before her.

"Acolyte... Udrusa, I presume? Sit down."

Her voice had a rasp to it, like a serrated blade rending through the air as her oppressive nature gathered and focused upon the person before her. The Rattataki's hands parted and found more comfortable positions on her knees as her rather rigid position loosened. Yet, her predatory gaze did not relent.

"Tell me, what is the greatest weapon?"

[member="Udrusa"]

 

[Udrusa Chagteath]

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

She shifts her form, sitting down in the same spot she was kneeling at in a cross-legged position. The Sith Lord's gaze and voice sent an involuntary shiver down her spine, one she was quickly able to suppress before she could be seen as weak. If she is to be any more than a mere Acolyte, she must be strong, she must evolve.

When the question on the greatest weapon is imposed on her, she immediately answers her superior.

"One's mind, my lord."

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Slowly, the Sith Lord's hooded head nodded in agreement. In the nod, the hem of her hood never fully covered her eyes, giving the Acolyte no escape from her stare. She did not seem to need to blink, but fixated upon the form before her like a serpent waiting for the moment to strike.

"Indeed. Without a mind, any power or weapon is useless, but with a mind alone one can destroy empires.. As such, the power to control the minds of others is a powerful tool for any who would aspire to be Sith."

Her choice of words was quite deliberate. Ophidia was testing Udrusa by alluding that she was not yet Sith, despite her genetic construction. The tradition of Sith had been long since been wrested from the monopoly of her kind by far more superior practitioners.

The whimpering of the two slaves ended abruptly as Ophidia's left fingers twitched. Her mind stretched into tendrils and invaded upon the two figures. Both of whom became unnaturally stiff before they arose in complete silence and approached upon the right side of the room, their backs to the candles and their heads bowed in reverence to their superiors.

"I can teach you such an ability, if you think you are up for the task."

[member="Udrusa"]

 

[Udrusa Chagteath]

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

Even under lady Ophidia's unwavering stare, Udrusa knew she was right, and that she was destined to be Sith. Looking over her shoulder to the two thralls, she grows a wicked smile at seeing their wills being dominated by the Sith Lord. They were weak, and it was a good thing to see they know their place. Looking back over to Lady Ophidia, her determined stare equally unwavering, she gives her another bow from the head as her answer.

"I know I am up for it. There's no questioning it, my lord."

 

[Darth Ophidia]

The ends of Ophidia's mouth curled into a shadow of a smile as she found herself entertained by the confidence of the Acolyte before her. She had two tests in mind, and it was time for the first: To seize control.

"In that case, please stand by the Amaran and place your hand on her head."

The Sith Lord rose to her feet in a single fluent motion, almost as if she grew out of the bunched fabrics draped around her sitting form. Her hands folded behind her back as she waited for Udrusa to complete her task. Ophidia kept control of the Amaran for now, keeping her still as a furry little statue.

"Then feel the mind beneath your fingertips. Envelop it in your influence, seize control. You will feel resistance, almost like a shell. Pierce through the shell, but do not break it. Breaking the shell will leave you with a catatonic servant. Hardly useful."

This was not an easy task. Some imagined physically gripping the mind and enforcing control like a puppeteer. Others preferred to plant voices and enforce obedience through words. There was a way for every practitioner, but all came to the same conclusion and all had equal chance of breaking the mind beneath their pressure.

"When you feel you have control, tell me, and I will release my influence upon the slave."

[member="Udrusa"]

 

[Udrusa Chagteath]

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

Bowing her head slightly to her master, the crimson woman slowly stands to her normally unintimidating height, glowering at the two as she reaches out her hand at the two beings. Reaching out through the Force, she imagines dark tendrils coming from her mind and reaching outward to the two aliens' minds, probing them for cracks in their mental shielding, which wasn't very hard; After all, they ARE slaves, and it WAS easy to find them. Getting through them without leaving the being comatose, however, was a different story.

Over the next twenty minutes in the real world, she spends a moment in her perception of time weakening their minds further for her... admittedly weaker probing abilities, so she can effectively take control of them. She was not aware of, however, their twitching or the female's slight nosebleed. Soon, she finally breaks their defenses, wrapping her dark 'tendrils' around their minds and tightens the 'noose,' assuming control of them and forcing them to get down onto their hands and knees and worship her (like Muslims to Mecca, just remaining bowed at all times).

 

[Darth Ophidia]

To most, the process would be exceedingly dull to watch as the Acolyte uncovered the process of probing into the slaves' minds. The further along Udrusa came, the more Ophidia withdrew her influence on the two weakened individuals. It was indeed a relatively simple test, and the moment Ophidia released, they would certainly put up more of a fight, because it was not a simple task to control a mind for the first time. Though, as she released, the Acolyte did indeed eventually gain control and forced the two to bow and grovel in the dust at her feet.

"Servitude is in their nature, but is murder?"

The Rattataki shifted as she strayed to the side, ever watching the progress of Udrusa and her subjects. The two slaves were familiar with each other, they cared for each other. It would not be a simple task to turn them against one-another. Especially for a beginner.

"Make them fight. Only one shall live."

[member="Udrusa"]

 

[Udrusa Chagteath]

She nods, turning to them and enforcing her will upon them. Immediately, they look to each other in horror. One's eyes glaze over for a moment as he gets up to attack her, before he shakes his head and cries out in shock, cursing the Sith woman in her own tongue who, in her anger, enforces more of her will unto the two.

Eventually, the female's nosebleed returns, before she begins to violently convulse. The Amaron's eyes roll to the back of her head while she accidentally bites off the tip of her tongue, blood pouring from her tongue as the apparent dying thrashes of the alien woman become more apparent. Soon, with one final blood-filled cough, she collapses to the ground.

All the while, Udrusa's face had quickly become contorted with rage and her breathing had grown heavy in her anger at the slavewoman's death. Without a moment's hesitation, she clenches her fist in his direction, lifting him off the ground and beginning to choke the life out of him. Were she more powerful, she would have twisted the top part of his body around 180 degrees with a mere gesture, just to take out her anger on something.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

She was fortunate to experience them in such a simulated environment, as opposed to the real test of the battlefield. There was much training to be done yet, but the affinity was there. Darth Ophidia watched as Udrusa choked the life out of the Miralan slave. There was such delicious fury in the red-skinned woman, a promise of potential if only she could conquer and harness that anger to its full potential.

Her burning eyes strayed from the spectacle as the Rattataki reached out her right hand and gripped the mind of a prisoner she had requested as a surprise treat. The prisoner in question was a soldier of the Republic, far stronger in will than the two slaves, but softened up with a fair amount of torture.

As the female soldier strode in, shackles dangling fro her hands and a film covering her blue eyes. Ophidia whispered a single word into the soldier's mind: Kill her. The soldier's eyes focused on Udrusa as she clenched her fist around a dagger, and Ophidia faded into the background of the room, merging into the shadows and watching in silence. Now, the Acolyte would get a taste of true combat and a chance to use her new-found ability as the soldier brought the dagger into a quick thrust at Udrusa's side.

[member="Udrusa"]

 

[Udrusa Chagteath]

She would have sensed it much sooner, had she not been distracted in her killing of the slave. With a flick of her wrist, the slave's head twists around to face the opposite way, freeing Udrusa of burden just in time. Even though she was able to dash to the side, the scum still managed to catch her side!

With an animalistic growl, she pushes the soldier away through telekinesis, drawing her sword and throwing it at the soldier's knife arm, removing her hand in the process. When it sticks in the wall behind the shoulder with a metallic stabbing sound and a low ringing, she stalks forward to the Republic filth, using the pain, suffering, and fear of the lesser being to empower her while her mind surges forward to that of the soldiers.

This time, it proves a lot more challenging for her. She is better than a slave, far more so, but she is weakened, in pain, distracted, and only one woman. Grabbing the woman by her head, she stares into her terror-filled eyes and forces her will upon the woman, finding her weakest points, her fears, what makes her crack underneath pressure. When she begins to fail, and the soldiers eyes roll to the back of her head, she uses the Force to rejuvinate the woman's health, before proceeding to attack her mind once more.

Eventually, she is able to reclaim control of the woman, if only just so, and she is covered in a sheen of sweat and breathing rather heavily from the exertion. Looking down to her still-bleeding wound, she hovers a hand over it and sets her mind to healing the wound, only managing to form a large scab while she is controlling the other woman.

"Who sent you, soldier? Was it Darth Ophidia?"

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Thrown back and hand removed, the woman struggled against the mental assault. Her hand and stump flailed as if to swat away the thoughts that invaded her mind. she needed to kill the Sith, she hated the Sith, she wanted the Sith to burn like they had burned Contruum. There was no longer any pretence of a political agenda or desire to protect the galaxy. Now, there was just a burning, searing hatred. This hatred allowed her to push off the Sith Acolyte for some time, but inevitably she cracked under the pressure.

She could feel her mind grappled in the tendrils of the red-skinned woman's influence. Unable to move, unable to look away, and struggling to draw breath, she had no choice but to answer the question truthfully from her perspective.

"Who? I came of my own will, I came for my vengeance."

Darth Ophidia observed from the shadows of the room, a wry smile on her lips. With experience, she had come to mimic the thoughts of a victim, making them think they performed actions of their own volition.

[member="Udrusa"]

 

[Udrusa Chagteath]

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

Narrowing her eyes, she begins to fish around for what may be a sign of a foreign presence in the woman's mind. Sifting through unneeded memories (Wait what are they... Oh... Oh, Force, that's just disgusting... Moving along) and other things in the trooper's mind, she cannot find any abnormalities. If Lady Ophidia was in control of this soldier, which Udrusa suspected she was, then she had no concrete evidence. Holding her hand to her vibro shortsword, she telekinetically retrieves it and wipes the blood onto the woman below her.

Sheathing the weapon, she then reachs to her belt to retrieve her personal lightsaber, Dark Wrath ( http://store.vadersvault.com/dark-wrath/), and thumb the activation switch, holding the crimson blade to the woman's throat in a close-enough proximity to scald her flesh and cause blisters to form.

"Tell me, wench, why I shouldn't kill you now?"

 

[Darth Ophidia]

With the question spoken, the soldier showed no fear. Her mind was too full of hatred to allow fear emerging from the depths of her subconscious.Rather, she harked up a glob of slimy snot and spat it at Udrusa. Whether or not it hit was of no consequence, the message of defiance was clear. She raised her chin, showing the skin crawling and blistering in the proximity of the plasmic blade of the acolyte's Dark Wrath.

Ophidia leaned forward in interest as she observed, indeed death would be a relief compared to the things the Empire had done to the wretch in order to extract information. Then again, while there was fight in the woman, there were little news to be pried out. The body that struggled against Udrusa's hold belonged to a person who was ready to die the day the Sith invaded Contruum. Death was no threat to her any-more.

This time, the Sith Lord tried to whisper into the mind of the Acolyte. She did not force any action, but attempted to urge her bloodlust just enough to go for the kill. In part, Ophidia was interested in seeing how well the red-skinned woman would put up against influence through mentalism, but equally she wished to see her potential ruthlessness. No matter where this went, she was intrigued.

[member="Udrusa"]

 

[Udrusa Chagteath]

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

The whispers, dark and sweet things, urged her blade forward. To her, they fault as natural as the Dark Side, and she generally listened to the Dark. The crimson beam of energy slowly sliced into the neck of the soldier, inducing her into nearly ear-shattering screeches of pain. The natural gold of Udrusa's eyes quickly changed to a deep, sickly yellow, a cruel smile showing unabashed on her face as she continues to cut into the flesh, stopping only when the soldier's trachea had been severed, just short of instantly killing her.

Releasing the woman from her grasp, Udrusa sheathes her lightsaber, watching in a twisted fascination as the Republic scum slowly chokes to death, screaming dying down to choked death rattles as she claws at her throat futilely. Walking away from the choking woman, she casts out her senses to find where Lady Ophidia was, sure that she would not find her, but trying nontheless.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As Udrusa begun to search for Darth Ophidia, she would find the Sith Lord stepping forward as if materialising out of the shadows. Her gloved fingers rested on her midsection, fingers intertwined; her footsteps fell light as midwinter snow, wrapped in fabrics of soft darkness. The Rattataki did not fully smile, but the corners of her mouth was curled into a hint of one. Under the hood, her burning eyes watched the Acolyte, unblinking.

"You have succeeded, but you need much practice still."

Her pace shifted, and she glided to the left of Udrusa.

"You may practice on your own. If you neglect to do so, the knowledge will fade and the ability will escape you."

She curved her path to circle the acolyte.

"With practice, you will grow powerful. Now, I suggest you meditate upon what you have learned and what you have done."

A single, sickening crack escaped the choking captive as the Sith Lord clenched her fist and broke the neck through use of telekinesis. A prolonged death was a waste of time for someone so broken and unimportant. Even so, she took note of the Acolyte's cruelty as a sign of potential.

[member="Udrusa"]

 

[Udrusa Chagteath]

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

She straightens up at the sight of the Sith Lord, mostly out of respect and partially out of fear. When she had snapped the woman's neck, she almost frowned at not being able to see her slowly die, but since hew new master seemed to approve... She almost smiled. Of course, she kept her face neutral, and her emotions under control.

After Ophidia was done relaying her orders, as a Sith Lord never makes 'suggestions,' the crimson acolyte bows to her master. And, normally, she would not have bothered listening. But this time around, she would actually listen to the superior woman. SOmething told her she should... With that, she turns about, walking out of the room in a casual manner, as if no extreme murdering had just occurred.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Having come full circle around the Acolyte, Ophidia watched her turn and leave. The Rattataki's eyes turned down to the dead republic soldier where it lay on the floor, eyes rolled back and tongue lolling out from choking. The fingers twisted into the shape of claws, stained in blood from scratching for air.

Her eyes then ventured to the two slaves they had practised on initially. The woman had some issues with controlling her anger, that was certain. Yet, there was considerable power and potential in her. She sat down and closed her eyes, reviewing what she had seen.

Strong, certainly. Lacking in finesse; adept in cruelty. She had always held that the Ancient Sith went extinct for a reason, and she was not convinced of their supposed superiority. Even so, she would train this red skinned woman to be a Sith worthy of the Dark Lord's service.

[member="Udrusa"]