Post by Darth Exolus on Jul 30, 2019 21:52:32 GMT
Three weeks. It had been three weeks since her capture. Pressed against the cold wall of a cramped cell, destitute and alone sat the huddled form of a young, pale-skinned woman. Pawing at something resembling bread, excess spilled from her face, onto decorated robes. Cell 22-5 had been home such as it was to Arluna Ren, once a proud and mighty Knight of Ren, now reduced to a gaunt prisoner of war aboard some Sith's war cruiser. Broken from her ennui by a rap at her cell door, the female peered up expectantly, hoping for some news, any news of her fate. Better to die a martyr for the Supreme Leader than to fester in prison with these scum. In stepped a duo of Stormtroopers, followed by a pair of thick-robed, armored individuals. Without a word, she was bidden to her feet, marched out of her cell, and swiftly blindfolded. Half-shoved the length of several corridors, and a few short turbolift journeys, Arluna discovered by simple logic that she had been escorted to a hangar bay, if the ambient noise were any indicator. Before she could give it a second thought, the Knight of Ren boarded a shuttlecraft, where after several tense moments she began a second trip into a much different vessel. It smelled different. It felt different, reeking of residual emotion - emotion that unsettled the young woman.
"Ah, the new acquisition. How thrilling, how thrilling!" started a voice, revealing itself to belong to a Chagrian male, who neatly plucked the blindfold from Ren, to let her behold his smugly-grinning face, "my Lady of Ren. I bid you the warmest of welcomes, I am High Pontiff Euclis, and I will be your escort in place of the Master's Zealots."
She did not respond.
"A woman of few words I see. Good, good. You and the Zealots shall get along marvellously. Come, come. If you please, we have prepared a room for you. We do not treat our captives as you might expect madam. I assure you, I mean no harm to you," continued the blue-skinned alien, urging the woman on with a faint push to her shoulder, "you may rest easy. Your... Questionable allegiances aside, there are some questions we would have you answer; one in particular."
"And if I refuse? You'll kill me I suppose, like any Sith," hissed Arluna, breaking her silence, scowling at the alien - though her malnourished form and dark-bagged eyes made her look more exhausted than intimidating, a fact not lost on Euclis, who broke into a minute fit of laughter, his belly swelling with delight.
"You wound me young lady. I am no a Sith. Verily I serve them, or more accurately, I serve the Master, in all of his wisdom. I do not understand the Force in the way you Knights of Ren do," a proud Euclis explained, though his tone seemed to indicate he had intentionally left out an addendum. Arluna suspected it was something pointed, witty and derogatory. A fool with a quick tongue indeed. Were the two saber-wielding warriors not watching her every move, she may very well have tested the quickness of his gait before she gouged his stomach with a swift kick. Such thoughts bled away, for Arluna's head began to tingle. Cursing a headache of all things to further lower her mood, she was pressed onward, through the chilly halls of this curious starship. Given the internal layout, Arluna surmised the ship to be taller than it was long. Indeed, the layout lended itself more to a place of worship than a star cruiser in stark contrast to the warship she had been housed in.
"What is this place?" she queried, not entirely certain why such a question came to the forefront.
"A matter of perspective Lady Ren. To us? This is a place of learning. Of knowledge. Where servants of the Master gather to disseminate the Master's will, his words and his works. To you? Perhaps it reminds you of a temple or a monastery. Not unlike your Supreme Leader's infamous and elusive boudoir no?" Euclis responded, gesturing to the walls around him. To the few robed figures passing by. Arluna had studied her enemy, she knew this place was vastly different to any Sith temple. If this truly was a place of learning, it was like none she'd ever known before. The abundance of red however, did remind her of the Supreme Leader's audience chamber - though not nearly quite so cavernous. After a slow, plodding half hour of silence, the occasional bow from the High Pontiff, they arrived in a rather sparse section of the vessels' upper decks. It had been some minutes since she had seen anyone other than her present company. Before them, a set of double blast doors that opened out into a faintly-lit room that resembled a medical chamber. Euclis gestured inside, quietly bidding the woman enter, and enter she did.
Though faintly-lit, Arluna stepped into what appeared to be similar to a modular medical section. She stopped for a moment, eyes adjusting to the low light. She could make out objects, and people. Faint noise. Littering the walls were numerous pieces of Sith paraphernalia. Holocrons, amulets and other curious devices. At the foot of them, hooded figures held up a horrifying assortment of viscera and organs, chanting ominously at the devices - some of which sang quietly back. In that moment, a flash of uncertainty struck Arluna. Her previous impressions had led her to believe she would be interrogated and held as a comfortable hostage. Yet now she feared for her life, that perhaps she may have her entrails pulled out and used in some sacrilegious Sith ritual. Soon, she noticed other concerning things. The lighting tubes, dim and crimson held within them bodies. Lining the walls were, now quite-clearly cloning tanks, filled with duplicates of faces unfamiliar, yet some looked as if she had seen them before. It was a confusing, abstract wash of terror and suffering, radiating in waves from some of the tanks.
"Which do you find more exhilarating my dear?" came sudden a grim voice from behind her that made her jump, "the pain? Or the fear?" Out of the gloam and dim lights stepped the masked face of Darth Exolus, expressionless, and cold. He leaned in, close to Arluna's ear, pleather and fabric squeaking together, "personally, I prefer fear."
Backed against the wall, Arluna saw the foul, metal visage of a Sith Lord, draped in black, almost gliding in his step. Looking around, Arluna noticed that some of the tanks held faces of soldiers under her command, each lost in the battle that resulted in her capture. Frighteningly, some still were those of other Knights of Ren, seemingly lifeless and unmoving, yet howling in hushed horror and agony. The two robed figures that had escorted her had appeared again, shedding their cloaks to reveal foul, feature-obscuring armor, with a helmet that revealed only a mouth tugged open, baring a foul smile. Then at last, Arluna's heart skipped a beat. She saw in one of the closer tanks her own face, gazing back at her, still as a fresh corpse. Drawing a panicked gaze at the Sith Lord, she swore the man was smiling beneath his mask, as his distorted voice rumbled out with menacing glee at her.
"We have such sights to show you..."
"Ah, the new acquisition. How thrilling, how thrilling!" started a voice, revealing itself to belong to a Chagrian male, who neatly plucked the blindfold from Ren, to let her behold his smugly-grinning face, "my Lady of Ren. I bid you the warmest of welcomes, I am High Pontiff Euclis, and I will be your escort in place of the Master's Zealots."
She did not respond.
"A woman of few words I see. Good, good. You and the Zealots shall get along marvellously. Come, come. If you please, we have prepared a room for you. We do not treat our captives as you might expect madam. I assure you, I mean no harm to you," continued the blue-skinned alien, urging the woman on with a faint push to her shoulder, "you may rest easy. Your... Questionable allegiances aside, there are some questions we would have you answer; one in particular."
"And if I refuse? You'll kill me I suppose, like any Sith," hissed Arluna, breaking her silence, scowling at the alien - though her malnourished form and dark-bagged eyes made her look more exhausted than intimidating, a fact not lost on Euclis, who broke into a minute fit of laughter, his belly swelling with delight.
"You wound me young lady. I am no a Sith. Verily I serve them, or more accurately, I serve the Master, in all of his wisdom. I do not understand the Force in the way you Knights of Ren do," a proud Euclis explained, though his tone seemed to indicate he had intentionally left out an addendum. Arluna suspected it was something pointed, witty and derogatory. A fool with a quick tongue indeed. Were the two saber-wielding warriors not watching her every move, she may very well have tested the quickness of his gait before she gouged his stomach with a swift kick. Such thoughts bled away, for Arluna's head began to tingle. Cursing a headache of all things to further lower her mood, she was pressed onward, through the chilly halls of this curious starship. Given the internal layout, Arluna surmised the ship to be taller than it was long. Indeed, the layout lended itself more to a place of worship than a star cruiser in stark contrast to the warship she had been housed in.
"What is this place?" she queried, not entirely certain why such a question came to the forefront.
"A matter of perspective Lady Ren. To us? This is a place of learning. Of knowledge. Where servants of the Master gather to disseminate the Master's will, his words and his works. To you? Perhaps it reminds you of a temple or a monastery. Not unlike your Supreme Leader's infamous and elusive boudoir no?" Euclis responded, gesturing to the walls around him. To the few robed figures passing by. Arluna had studied her enemy, she knew this place was vastly different to any Sith temple. If this truly was a place of learning, it was like none she'd ever known before. The abundance of red however, did remind her of the Supreme Leader's audience chamber - though not nearly quite so cavernous. After a slow, plodding half hour of silence, the occasional bow from the High Pontiff, they arrived in a rather sparse section of the vessels' upper decks. It had been some minutes since she had seen anyone other than her present company. Before them, a set of double blast doors that opened out into a faintly-lit room that resembled a medical chamber. Euclis gestured inside, quietly bidding the woman enter, and enter she did.
Though faintly-lit, Arluna stepped into what appeared to be similar to a modular medical section. She stopped for a moment, eyes adjusting to the low light. She could make out objects, and people. Faint noise. Littering the walls were numerous pieces of Sith paraphernalia. Holocrons, amulets and other curious devices. At the foot of them, hooded figures held up a horrifying assortment of viscera and organs, chanting ominously at the devices - some of which sang quietly back. In that moment, a flash of uncertainty struck Arluna. Her previous impressions had led her to believe she would be interrogated and held as a comfortable hostage. Yet now she feared for her life, that perhaps she may have her entrails pulled out and used in some sacrilegious Sith ritual. Soon, she noticed other concerning things. The lighting tubes, dim and crimson held within them bodies. Lining the walls were, now quite-clearly cloning tanks, filled with duplicates of faces unfamiliar, yet some looked as if she had seen them before. It was a confusing, abstract wash of terror and suffering, radiating in waves from some of the tanks.
"Which do you find more exhilarating my dear?" came sudden a grim voice from behind her that made her jump, "the pain? Or the fear?" Out of the gloam and dim lights stepped the masked face of Darth Exolus, expressionless, and cold. He leaned in, close to Arluna's ear, pleather and fabric squeaking together, "personally, I prefer fear."
Backed against the wall, Arluna saw the foul, metal visage of a Sith Lord, draped in black, almost gliding in his step. Looking around, Arluna noticed that some of the tanks held faces of soldiers under her command, each lost in the battle that resulted in her capture. Frighteningly, some still were those of other Knights of Ren, seemingly lifeless and unmoving, yet howling in hushed horror and agony. The two robed figures that had escorted her had appeared again, shedding their cloaks to reveal foul, feature-obscuring armor, with a helmet that revealed only a mouth tugged open, baring a foul smile. Then at last, Arluna's heart skipped a beat. She saw in one of the closer tanks her own face, gazing back at her, still as a fresh corpse. Drawing a panicked gaze at the Sith Lord, she swore the man was smiling beneath his mask, as his distorted voice rumbled out with menacing glee at her.
"We have such sights to show you..."