You'll Need A Doctor

[Vrak Nashar]

Outer Rim World
[member="Irajah Ven"]

The Outer Rim was by anyone's definition, a cesspit. There wasn't much of anything that someone would want on most worlds, the people were uneducated, and most of the time they hardly ever left the village they were born in, much less the planet. That all meant that Outer Rim was usually undeveloped, without proper resources, and severely lacking in medical aid. Of course this was a golden opportunity for Public Relation stunts, such as sending medical aid to worlds that didn't even have doctors.

Charities, Corporations, and course Governments took opportunity in this constantly, sending medical supplies and aid workers to worlds that usually did not have such benefits.

They set up medical camps, rows of tents that were lightly guarded and staffed with mostly doctors, nurses, and medical droids. They did good work, necessary work, but they were also vulnerable.

Vrak stared down at one of these camps, his eyes slowly passing over the outside of it's perimeter as his lips thinned. He watched as one of the guards at the edge of the camp smoked a cigarette, taking a deep drag before throwing the butt on the ground and burying it with his heel. The Purebloods lips thinned for a few moments, eyes following the man as he wandered away back towards the camp. He frowned for a moment, and then made a snapping motion with his hand.

Three silhouettes moved behind him, hulking forms with crimson skin.

They dashed to either side of Vrak moving over the cliffs and heading around the sides of the camp.

Vrak himself slowly stood, settling the mask upon his face and drawing the saber-staff from his belt. His fingers latched around the hilt for a moment as he watched half a dozen of the crimson skinned beasts quickly descend around the camp, climbing down the darkened cliffs just as raindrops began to fall.

It was going to be a good night.

 

[Kuzo]

Sometimes, getting away from the normal aspects of what life normally brought was important. Stepping outside of the hospital or the lab and keeping her feet in the field. She had so many things that almost anyone could argue was more important than an aid mission to a backwater planet.

But they were wrong.

It kept her grounded, being here. Doing work that had nothing to do with who could pay, or what knowledge she could draw from a sample. In some ways, it was selfish- it wasn't purely for the good works, for who she could help- mostly, if she were being utterly honest with her own soul- it was how it made her feel. The satisfaction of the good works as much as the works themselves.

Irajah looked up at the curve of the tent. Plip. Plip. The sound of the first raindrops brought a small smile to her face. Leaning over, she turned down the lamp. The starlight from outside was just enough to offer the barest glow in the darkness within the tent, and she slipped into the sleeping bag. It would be hours still, until she slept. But the sound of the rain was a friendly comfort-

She had to pee.

Rolling her eyes, she made a face. It was warm in here. Grabbing a hooded jacket, she pulled it on before crawling out of the tent.

The rain was far less idyllic out here, and she shot a slightly sour look at the rapidly clouding sky. Pulling the hood up against the cold droplets, she stuck her hands deep into her pockets and started trudging across the camp. The hood obscured part of her peripheral vision, but she barely noticed.

Just as she didn't notice the creeping, crimson shadows.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Vrak dropped down from the cliffs directly to the side of the camp, landing on the ground with a muted thud of his boots. Slowly he rose from the ground, eyes darting towards the center of the camp. The one guard that he had spotted earlier was wandering back through the tents, likely going somewhere warm. The Pureblood frowned for a moment, stepping forward and quietly following after the man.

Stealth had never truly been Vrak's skill, mostly because he was far too ostentatious for the practice, but he didn't need stealth here.

As he followed only a few steps behind the guard, a roar sounded on the other end of a camp. It was a deep guttural cry that reached into the air only a second before the scream of a woman. The two cries echoed only seconds after one another, forming an odd, but terrifying orchestra. The Guard immediately whirled around towards the sound, his feet betraying him as his boots found no purchase on the newly wet ground. The Guard fell, Vrak's lightsaber igniting with a loud snap-hiss.

The crimson blade stabbed through the mans stomach, etching through his body and slicing him in two.

Another roar sounded in the distance as the dissected man fell into the mud beneath his step.

Screeches began to sound out throughout the camp, men, women, and very likely children running away in fear as the Massassi began to slaughter those within the camp. Vrak paid them no mind, the creatures would do their job without direction.

He knew why he was here.

 

[Kuzo]

On her way back to her tent, one of the porters called out her name, and she turned, waving slightly.

"Hey Doc Ven! Quick question for you."

Really, Irajah wanted nothing more than to not talk to this man. There was nothing wrong with him. Just that the rain was picking up, and it was cold, and the mud was starting to seep through her shoes....

"Sure, whatcha need?" was what she said, when what she was really thinking was more along the lines of I'd rather be eaten by ravenous beasts than stand out here in the rain one second longer than necessary.

One day, she'd learn, to stop thinking things like that.

The scream from across the camp brought both of their heads around. He started to jog toward her, concern etched clearly on his face even in the dark-

The crimson blur tackled the man to the mud. A gurgling cry, almost immediately silenced by the tearing sound of flesh, cut through the rain. Irajah's eyes widened, her own voice silenced, taking in the hulking form, the too wet blackness covering it's claws against the deathly white of shredded throat.

Raja almost slipped in the mud herself as she pivoted, but she got her feet under her again in a heartbeat.

She ran.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Vrak stepped into the center of the camp, his eyes quickly darting from left to right.

There were dozens of people already rushing around the camp, patients, doctors, nurses, even a droid or two that fled from the raging Massassi. Behind his mask Vrak scrutinized each and every one of them, his gaze quickly flicking from person to person.

He had done his research before coming here, he always did. There was a specific woman, someone that had an expertise in the field he required. A loud chomp sounded out beneath him as one of the Massassi quite literally bit a chunk out of one of the patients, Vrak half turning to observe the creature churn it's jaw. He gave the beast a distasteful frown for a moment, then quickly turned. His eyes passed over the crowd, spotting one a woman rushing down the middle of the camp.

The Pureblood frowned, the masks sensors switching as he clicked his teeth.

Infrared sight broke through the rain drops, highlighting the woman as she rushed away.

Was that her? There was no way to tell within the darkness, but there could be no escape. The Pureblood stepped forward, raindrops hissing against the blades of his lightsaber. His free hand shot up, fingers curling as the force flew from him. Unseen chains would wrap around the fleeing woman, seeking to tear her off the feet and send her flying back towards him.

 

[Kuzo]

Her feet slipped in the mud. With the icy rain drops, the screaming, the smell of blood and worse filling the damp air-

She was dreaming. This was a nightmare. So often in her dreams she had to fight against the mud, the whisperings of the dead. She must have fallen asleep in her tent. She never got up. Never went out into the rain. Surely this was.....

But she couldn't remember ever becoming aware of a nightmare before waking.

Something tightened around her torso- as if she'd run across an invisible chain in the middle of path. It knocked the air out of her, her feet jerking out from beneath her as she went tumbling backwards. The hood of her jacket tore off, the increasing rain swiftly plastering dark curls to pale cheeks.

A nightmare. It had to be a nightmare.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

The woman went falling to the ground with a splash of mud.

One of the Massassi immediately rushed forward, it's great maw opening as it prepared to bite the womans throat. Vrak let out a sigh at the creature, knowing the rage that dug deep into its skull. Before the great hulk could reach the woman however Vrak dashed forward. His lightsaber went flicking forward, the crimson blade touching crimson skin for just half a heartbeat. The Beast roared, screeching at Vrak and moving to swipe at him before it came to a sudden stop.

It lurched within the mud for just a moment, stalling, peering at Vrak. The Pureblood stood his ground, lightsaber blazing and hissing in the rain.

The Massassi let out a loud snarl, and then slowly turned around, seeking other prey.

For a moment Vrak simply watched the creature lumber away, his eyes following the silhouette through the dark rain before slowly he turned his attention to the figure upon the ground. His lips thinned for a moment, masks face turned towards the Doctor. A small smile pulled at his lips, recognizing the woman even through matted and muddied hair spread all over her face. The Pureblood smiled a small, east smile, and then spoke two simple words. "Hello Doctor."

A second later his fist flew towards the woman's face.

 

[Kuzo]

Heart in her throat, Irajah went scuttling backward, hands sinking into the mud as the feral beast turned its attention to her. Hands slipping out from under her, movements arrested by the thick, clinging mud, something stirred. Like so many times before, when she had been in real danger-

But the danger never came.

She blinked through the rain, the red of the lightsaber stark and raw in the darkness. She watched, wordlessly as she beast slunk back, turning her eyes to the figure. She didn't move, staring up at him as she sorted out the events of the last few moments. As he turned, she frowned in confusion. His greeting, the mask.

"Do I know you-"

Stars exploded in her vision and then everything went dark.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

The doctor faded from consciousness as a crack of thunder roared above them, the clouds still pouring with rain. Around them screams still erupted, the Massassi tearing their way through the rest of the camp. The ground ran red with blood as the creatures worked their way through the campaign, their frenzy eventually reduced to a dull throb as they found their way back to where Vrak was waiting. The largest of them approached Vrak, a piece of cloth hanging from his maw.

"Take her." He motioned to the beast. "Kill the rest."

There was no need to leave anyone alive, that would just leave more evidence. The Massassi growled, his expression turning to a pleased snarl.

The Outer Rim was a cesspit, but it was a handy cesspit.

The same thing that made planets here so horrible, the same reason that Irajah had traveled so far, was the same reason that Vrak had come here. The worlds were isolated, not just from the greater galaxy, but from each other. He and his Massassi had traveled for a little under a day through hyperspace, leaving the sector they had been in and moving to a different slice of the Outer Rim where a facility awaited them. It was here that Irajah would awaken.

She would find herself within a bed, comfortable enough, though not luxurious by any means.

As she awoke she would see her surroundings were perhaps familiar, a laboratory of sorts. There were dozens of machines, lab tables, test tubes, everything that one might find in a state of the art research facility, save for one great difference. Directly in front of her, across the room upon a table sat a small pyramid. It flowed with a soft red purple hue, pulsing with an odd heartbeat that she would sense through the force, resonating over and over again with a steady thrum.

A collar sat around Irajah's neck, made of cold steel, though attached to nothing.

Apart from that she was untouched, save for the welt upon her face.

 

[Kuzo]

Consciousness stole across her like a slow moving fog, rather than with the sharp retort of being shaken from a nightmare. She was aware of being dry and if not warm, at least not cold, first. The curling of Gideon through her system, quieted with a subconscious touch, gave her some idea of how long she'd been asleep. Too long. At least a day. She never slept that long, what had-

Why does my face hurt?

She sat up slowly, fingers gingerly probing her cheek and nose. The storm. Crimson Shadows. Hello Doctor. Wincing slightly, she concluded that at least nothing was broken.

One insult out of the way, she frowned, tugging at the thing around her neck. The kark is this? Her fingers moved around the entire circumference, but couldn't find a way to remove it. It wasn't particularly heavy or uncomfortable, but that wasn't exactly the point.

Carefully, she stood up, allowing her focus to go to the room around her for the first time. Perfectly familiar backdrop in a perfectly unfamiliar configuration. Her frown deepened (which she immediately regretted and eased the expression). Head canting to the side she padded cautiously toward the oddly illuminated pyramid.

She was certain at least now that she wasn't dreaming. Her nightmares didn't run to situations like this. Although, in fairness, the pyramid was *almost* unreal enough to qualify.

Irajah moved around the room slowly, deliberately leaving the clearest oddity for last. There was a grate, near the ceiling, but she didn't think she'd fit through it, even if she could get to it. A single, metal door at the top of a staircase- locked of course (she tried it more than once). No windows. No other doors. Completing her circuit, she paused in front of the pulsing pyramid.

Keeping her hands to herself (she was curious, not stupid), she leaned over, peering more closely at it.

"And what, my friend, are you?"

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

"Fascinating." A voice rang from a stairwell in the corner of the room. "Isn't it?"

The sound of boots clattering against the metal staircase rang out and Vrak slowly made his way down into the small room. He was dressed in the same robe that he had worn on the assault on the camp, though his mask was gone. He smiled at her as he stepped into the room, his canines flashing for half a second as he drew back into that smug, typical Pureblood expression. The bone protrusions on his face seemed to twitch slightly as he observed her for half a second.

"The ancients left behind many gifts." His ancestors, their legacy was contained in devices just like the one Irajah was inspecting.

"I don't think they particularly cared what we'd do with them." Vrak said as he began to wander towards the Holocron. "I think it was a thing of ego. Each one wanted their legacy preserved. Their power recorded. They wanted everyone to know how strong they were, just how much they had to offer."

He stepped past the Doctor, reaching out and touching the tip of the pyramid.

It seemed to give off a soft pulse, interrupting the steady beating heart. For a second nothing more happened, and then slowly the four sides of the pyramid began to fold open to reveal the central crystal matrix within.

"Pathetic in a way." He said with a smile.

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah stood up swiftly as his voice rang through the room.

Hello Doctor.

She watched him warily as he moved, stepping back and keeping her distance when he'd come near. Of course, his attention was also for the pyramid, and she arched an eyebrow as it bloomed beneath his fingers. Normally, she'd be peering at the central crystal, studying, intent. But her natural curiosity was tempered by the situation she found herself in.

Folding her arms across her chest, she glared at him.

"Oh, like how punching a doctor in the face and locking her in a room is pathetic?"

Some things, were not tempered however.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

He made a tsk'ing noise with his tongue.

"Manners, Doctor." Vrak said as she slowly retracted his hand away from the holocron. The structure stayed open for a few seconds, lingering with it's crystal matrix exposed before slowly it shut again, the darkside of the force retreating once more as Vrak backed away just slightly.

"I'll let that one slide." The Pureblood told her. "Though I would be careful as we move on ahead."

It was the only warning that she would receive.

"You are here to do a job, Doctor. Do that job and we won't have any problem. Try to escape, try to fight me, try to do anything but what I say and I'll have no qualms in doing what must be done to make you comply." Vrak wasn't one to fall to torture and sadism, not usually. Those activities didn't interest him like they did others, but he was more than willing to stoop to such levels if he had to. Pragmatism was the name of the game.

There was a job to be done after all.

 

[Kuzo]

"You see, I am.... if you can believe it..... oddly disinclined to work with you. I can't quite put my finger on why- oh, maybe it was abducting me in the middle of the night and punching me in the nose. There are better ways to engage my services."

Irajah frowned at him, arms still crossed and chin high.

"And don't get too comfortable here- my presence will be missed. And there are people who will be thoroughly displeased simply by what's already occurred. If you had simply come to me with this on Panatha, we could have come to some kind of arrangement. Bring me home, and I'll consider this some sort of horrendous misunderstanding."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

Before Irajah even finished speaking she would find the back of his hand strike across her face.

The hit wasn't too harsh, though hard enough to draw blood if it struck the correct place. "I don't care."

The Pureblood stated flatly.

"I don't care what friends you have." His voice was teeming with disdain. "I don't care what petty Sithlings will miss you, I don't care if you think they offer you some sort of protection. There is no arrangement to be had here."

His voice dropped, his lips thinning. Time was of the essence here. Vrak didn't particularly care if someone came looking for her, the camp she had been taken from had been eradicated, they had come here in a stealtship, and the facility itself buried beneath a mile of ice and rock. It would take months to track her, though of course she didn't have that time. His stay in prison had placed his plans back several years, and he needed this in order to move them back up.

"You will do as I say." His fingers curled at his side.

The Pureblood had little patience for humans who thought themselves above their place.

 

[Kuzo]

Slowly, she turned her head back to [member="Vrak Nashar"], tasting the tang of copper in her mouth.

Doctor Ven paid no attention to politics. It didn't interest her, didn't impact her whatsoever. But then, she'd never before been involved in Sith politics. Until this moment, every Sith she had met were either allies of the lords of the Reach, or respected them on some level. Surely, this was some simple misunderstanding. She was still ignorant of just how thoroughly screwed she was.

"I doubt that [member="Darth Prazutis"] and [member="Darth Carnifex"] would be considered 'sithlings'," she spat out. She rarely used their titles, but here it seemed appropriate. "Nor Darth Yaomo."

If she had paused to think about it, for even a moment, she might have realized how incredibly foolish her words were. But she was angry. She was insulted. For her own sake and on the behalf of those she called friends (though, less so Kaine, if she were being honest, but that was different).

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

This time the strike didn't come from his hand, instead a small remote was pulled from his belt.

The button was pressed almost in an instant, Vrak's face impassive, though if her prowess in the force would allow she would sense a growing ball of rage within his chest. He clearly did not care for her words, nor did he seem to heed them in the least. His eyes grew dark as the collar suddenly switched on. It whirred for half a second, as if charging, and then unleashed a powerful shock that would run through the entire length of her body, a second later she collapsed to the floor, the muscles in her legs giving out.

"What do you think I am?" He asked her, slowly squatting down so that he could look her in the eye, his thumb finally leaving the button on the remote.

"Do you think I fear those mongrels?" Vrak made a look of disgust. "Children pretending to follow the ways of my people?"

He practically spat the words, his hand reaching out to curl in her hair. Slowly he dragged her up, forcing her to look at them. "They are nothing, you are even less."

His lips thinned. Vrak hardly had a care for those who called themselves Sith. They were either craven pretenders grasping at straws or foolish children rushing about playing with things they didn't, couldn't comprehend. The Pureblood saw them as little more.

"Perhaps you do not fully grasp your situation." He let her drop to the floor once again, pressing the button on the remote one more time.

 

[Kuzo]

She hadn't even noticed when her legs buckled beneath her. The cold sensation of a hundred needles sheering through her body was enough to make the mild discomfort of her knees slamming into the floor not even slightly noteworthy.

This time, when his hand reached out to her, she flinched. Her own hands went up a moment later however, trying to grab his wrist, to stop the agony where he pulled her up by her hair. But the fine muscles still twitched slightly, despite the collar's quiet, and the gesture was merely ridiculous.

Even with the pain, she could see his face clearly as he spoke. Disgust. Though anger didn't flash across his features, she could feel it, roiling between them. This wasn't personal- she was literally less than nothing in his eyes.

Falling back to the floor, she barely got her arms under herself in time to keep her face from slamming into the floor. She drew in deep, shuddering breaths, no more smart words or attitude in that moment.

And then he repeated the lesson.

This time.... this time she screamed.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Irajah Ven"]

"Understand me." His voice dripped with loathing. "I find no pleasure in this."

His finger released from the button once more as he began to speak. Vrak wanted her to hear him clearly. She would still be in pain, lingering jolts of hurt and agony. He had experienced a collar that was similar to this one some months back.

"You have been brought here to do a job." One that he couldn't do himself. As intelligent as he was, as much as he had learned over this five decades of life, Vrak was no scientist. Nor had he grasped the particulars of Sith Alchemy or half of what else he needed. That was why he had found Irajah, that was why he had taken her. She could do what he could not. Vrak was not above admitting when he needed help, though his method of asking for it...left much to be desired.

He shifted slightly, slowly standing up.

"Complete that job and you can go home." It was as easy as that. "I'll even drop you off for your little Sith lovers."

It wasn't a taunt, just an assumption, though the words had a bit of snark to them.

 

[Kuzo]

The way the disdain and loathing practically dripped from him, it was clear to her in that moment that, if she didn't do what he wanted, that he would simply crush her like an insect beneath his heel. And feel approximately as much remorse. It was hard to think, to plan, but deep within her was a well of steel.

"What do I need to do?"

Her voice wasn't humbled. Wasn't contrite. It was tight, spoken through clenched teeth. It would be easy to assume it was because of the pain, perhaps... and yet....

She had every intention of sabatoging whatever it was he wished to accomplish. To do, just enough, to earn her freedom. But in a way that would hopefully mean that as soon as she was back in the Reach that his liitle project would collapse beneath it's own weight.

Irajah didn't try to get up. In truth, she couldn't have even if she had wanted to in that moment. But there was a fire flashing in her eyes as she lifted her head to look at him.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]