A Gift For The Dark Lady

[darkrei9n]

"Today we have a true treat! A young Jedi Knight, captured during the Battle of Coruscant for sale."

Myri nearly tripped as she was pushed onto the stage of the slave auction. The auctioners had taken her robes for this, leaving her in a dress that showed more than it covered. Her hair that would have once gone down to her waist if she hadn't braided it had been cut. Three years of imprisonment had left it tangled, matted and otherwise unable to be salvaged. She had managed to save her Padawan braid fortunately. A slave collar surrounded her neck, an explosive charge in addition to the normal shock option added. A handler guided her to the spotlight, while the announcer continued his pitch. She forced herself to smile, the handlers had made it clear what would happen if she didn't.

"This is Myri Vandreen. Imagine having your own Jedi to tend to your every whim, every fleeting fancy, every random desire. Just look at this young brunette. Who knew the Jedi had vanity in them. For everyone worrying about controlling this young Jedi no worries. In addition to the normal shock option, we have added an explosive charge. Just in case she tries to tamper with it or the shock isn't enough to control her. But no worries we have spent the past year teaching this young Knight obedience. Do a twirl for us Myri. We even include her lightsaber free of charge to whoever buys her."

A wave of laughter went through the audience at the auctioneer's vanity joke. Myri forced herself to keep the smile up as she twirled as rehearsed. The auctioneer raised the blade into the air and Myri activated the viridian blade with the force. The auctioneer pointed the blade at the crowd and yelled.

"Lets start the bidding at 100 credits. Do I hear 200? 500!?"

Myri looked shocked as her price was rapidly rising. 500 credits, 1000 credits, 4000 credits. The price finally slowing down before hitting 50,000 credits.

"Going once! Going twice! Sold! To my young lord in the back."

Myri found herself marched off stage quickly, as the auctioneer moved onto the next slave. She was brought into the payment center where her new master paid for her and rushed her to meet his master. The young Sith rapidly went over the rules with Myri. He grabbed her hair and forced her to face him. 

"You are about to meet Darth Keres. You will bow in her presence. You will not make eye contact with her. You will not speak to her and you will let me do the talking. You are a gift for her. I will tell her I captured you while on the mission she assigned me. You will tell her that I captured you however your Padawan escaped with the artifact I was tasked with grabbing. You will tell her this lie or I. Will. Make. You. Regret. It."

With the threat firmly implanted in Myri he brought her to his master's office. A young Sith sitting at the desk outside smiled at the acolyte as he informed her he was here to tell Darth Keres the result of his mission, and present his gift of a young Jedi Knight.

"You're in luck. She has informed me to send you in immediately. She is very interested in to how you failed such a simple job. I hope you have a good excuse as to why, and to how you acquired a... Jedi Knight."

Myri walked into Darth Keres's office behind the acolyte. Her head down to avoid making eye contact. The acolyte went to one knee while Myri gave a traditional Jedi Bow to the Dark Lady. As Myri reached the bottom of her bow she collapsed to the ground as the acolyte pulled her by her hair to the ground.

"I am sorry Darth Keres for this Jedi's disrespect. I have not had long enough to break her for you. May I present Jedi Knight Myri Vandreen. I captured her on my mission. Her padawan managed to secure the artifact and escape before I could kill him. I gift her to you, in hopes you will forgive my failure."

As he finished his sentence the acolyte presented in front of him Myri's lightsaber and the remote for her slave collar. Myri retained her collapsed form on the ground, afraid to draw anymore ire from the unhinged apprentice.

[Harukei]

A pain gnawed at her temples as her eyes gazed upon the stained glass mosaic of her window. Through it she knew what the vistas from her estate was, she had seen the deep jungles of Dromund Kaas and traversed the trails through bush and dangerous wild life in her pilgrimage across the capital of the Empire, but that was only but a memory, the sight and shaped blurred by the coloring of the glass and the constant thunder strikes of the world. But that was not the cause of her migraines. Stress was behind, anger made the stabbing pain of her temples and eyes further enough to make her wince slightly. But she remained composed, her mind slowly going about to call to the darkside to slowly made the ache leave. Her concentration was snapped briefly and the pain returned, the hushed tones of robes scrubbing against skin, other fabrics and soil told her what she need to know. She heard the soft click of a man bending and the silent breathing through the filter before his voice escaped through the grill of the featureless silver mask akin to a droid. 

"Milady, acolyte Erghast is here."

She stood silently, arms behind her back and eyes closed as she digested the news. Even from here, she could detect the stench of Erghast fear through the Force. But there was something else. Something even more afraid and disgusted, and the taint of the Lightside of the Force within it. The Acolyte had failed, the reports one of most senior Knight of Mysteries had given her confirmed that. But she had honestly expected for Erghast to disappear as he had. She would have called it bravery, but there was nothing brave in trying to make an amend via bravery. 

"Should I send him away?"

Keres thought for a second and the sighed. 

"Send him in."

The Dark Lady said, before she turned and placed the silver helm to cover her features. With a hiss of mechanical pressurization the light armor she wore sealed and she awaited until the erstwhile acolyte came and with it, a young woman in tow. Keres remained immobile, as a statue. Listening to the explanation that Erghast had come of it, laughable but well thought. It might had fooled other knights or even a Prophet of Mysteries. But not her. 

It took her less than a minute to look for the thread that undid the web of deception that the acolyte had put together in a hasty fashion. The woman was too young to be a Knight, exceptions of course were made, but she could not be older than twenty one standard years. Here she wore not the robes of a Jedi but the sort of skimpy dresses that would have excited a bloated Hutt, she was easy to look at, but where the Force had sustained her to keep her living, she looked gaunt and spent. But all of that could've been overlooked, all ignored if her mood had been better, had she not seen the Jedi braid nestled above her shoulder. With a slow and deliberate gait she advanced forward, a casual flick of her finger brought the Jedi's lightsaber to her hand as she inspected the weapon and the controlled for the shock collar to the other, even through the gloves the shape feeling strange to her grasp, it was of good craftsmanship, attuned to the force and to its user. 

"Oh, Erghast."

Keres finally spoke, and as she did, she pocketed the control. With deliverance behind her actions, the Dark Lady began to walk in circles around the kneeling acolyte and the padawan. She kept the inactive weapon in grasp, reaching out through the Darkside to explore its hidden mechanisms, forcibly going through the microcabling as she ignited the blade with a snap-hiss, a viridian shine emitting from the blade. She continued her pace in a circle around them and as she did, the fingers of her free hand began to crackle, sparks coming the very tips of her gloves before she turned towards the acolyte and unleashed a torrent of purple-blue lightning the seared the air. A storm was brought within the office as the scent of ozone, cooking flesh and searing fabric mingled with the sound of electrical discharge and the screams of a man. The lightning stopped and she stood over the quivering shape 

"You offer so little. You lie to me."

She said, as she knelt next the man, lightsaber still activated in her hand. Her free hand moved to the mask, releasing the clamps that kept it in place with the rest of his suit. A hiss of warmth air followed and the waft of sweat and cooked flesh continued, revealing the anguished look of a burned man. 

"...P...Please... milady... I... I didn't..."

She rose to her feet. Staring blankly at the man. 

"It is too late for requests and pardons. You have failed me for the last time Erghast."

The Dark Lady of the Sith spoke, as she brought down the lightsaber still feeling strange in her hands and stabbed the man through his chest, his words becoming an echo of pain before his body tensed and relaxed. His eyes turning expressionless as life was driven away from him as she felt nothing but contempt for the man and relief that his ineptitude had been severed from her Cult. Slowly Darth Keres rose and switched her eyes to the Padawan in her presence, the Lightside of the Force radiating through her, a small candle persisting in the encroaching darkness. Her mind moved to consider what to do with her, she could not remain and for the moment she had no use to her. 

"Jedi."

She called to bring her attention to her. The sole word being spoken with venom as it left her lips. She moved closer to inspect her further, in the same fashion of how a scientist inspected a rat before accepting it as a viable test subject. 

"You have a name Jedi or did he lie about that too? A purpose along with that? Why must I allow you to taint my home with your presence?"

[darkrei9n]

Myri lay absolutely still as Darth Keres circled her. She been avoiding reaching through the force since she had been captured. The darkness in the force was absolutely stifling. Pain, anguish, fear seemingly radiating from everywhere on this world. It frightened her deeply. This place was very different from the Jedi Temple. Here empathy was weakness, power was law, and the weak wouldn't last. At first Myri thought just bowing to the demands of her captors would save her from any undue torment. Now she was questioning that idea. She had thought that the Sith who defeated her had a strong presence in the force, kneeling next to Darth Keres was like standing next to a black hole in the force. Whatever little light radiated was forcibly snuffed out.

The snap-hiss of her own lightsaber activating shocked Myri out of her thoughts. Then she felt pure hatred through the force from Darth Keres. The force warned her what was going to happen before it actually happened and she scrambled away to get away from Erghast. She couldn't see the lightning enveloping the acolyte but its presence in the force for her was like the sun. Unbearable to even sense, she shut herself off from her sense. The crackling of lightning deafened her, the smell of burning flesh made her gag. She gasped, her breathing speeding up rapidly, her every sense telling her that this lady would kill her if she didn't please the Dark Lady.

She could hear the acolyte begging for his life. Even she knew what the Dark Lady's response would be. There was little room for mercy here. She could hear the lightsaber moving and a life snuffed out. The Dark Lady's response was tuned out, the casual disrespect for life distracting Myri temporarily.

Now Myri could feel the eyes of Darth Keres on her. It felt as if the force itself was attempting to remove her from itself. As if she didn't just not belong here but belong anywhere. The pure oppressiveness of the Dark Lady's sight was threatening to overwhelm her. "You have a name Jedi? A purpose along with that? Why must I allow you to taint my home with your presence?" The question posed to her reminded her of her purpose. Silently she recited to herself the Jedi Code.

There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force

Her heart rate slowed as she realized what she had to do. Her hand reached out as she called the acolyte's own lightsaber to her. She trusted in the force to guide her correctly in activating it. She heard a unfamiliar snap-hiss of the lightsaber she was holding. She could feel the emotions imprinted on it from its former owner. She apologized to it mentally and used the force to bring her back to her feet, and made her presence as large as she could, trying to illuminate the darkness with her presence.

"I am Padawan Myri Vandreen. I am a defender of peace and justice for the Republic, beacon in the light. I have no quarrel with you and do not wish to hurt you. Let me go. Please."

[Harukei]

Every word the girl spoke sickened her. And behind her mask, her usually stoic features retracted in contempt. She made her hands into a fist, the hand that held the foreign lightsaber shaking slightly, the fingers pressing against the casing as if she were to break unto the metallic covering and crush the force embedded mechanisms until everything and the crystal within the hilt were nothing but dust. Her short outburst of anger turned into energy and her fingers crackled once more. She raised her hand, fist surrounded by energy as the air around them felt ionized. Her fingers extended and from them more of the purple-blue lightning emerged, searing through the air and landing on the skin of the Jedi. 

The blast hurled Myri back, crashing her against the wall, as the burst continued. Keres advanced forth, slowly increasing the lethality of her blasts before suddenly stop the lightning. Where there was only the sound of crackling energy, there would only be the pained moans and sobs of a slave. Her boots clicked in the silence as the eyes of the few followers inside her office observed her, awaiting for what action their Dark Lady would take. She stood before the broken girl, radiating a cold fury with the hum of the strange weapon meant for the light. It sickened her too and she wished she could destroy it. But if the girl didn't have a purpose here, then she would find it. Slowly, she knelt next to Myri before seizing her from the collar of the skimpy outfit she dared to call clothing, pulling her so she would see her own reflection on the featureless silver mask. Words came, not hinting anger or fury, but giving a cold and quiet reality. 

"You speak to me as if you had any power here Jedi. Speak out of turn again and you will find how merciful I'm in comparison to the beasts that roam outside the walls of my state."

With contempt she released her hold allowing her to fall against the cold floor, before she turned to her servants. 

"Her rankness burns through my nostrils. Remove those rags and bathe her. Bring her to when she's presentable and unspoiled." 

Keres said in a commanding tone and all her servants and acolytes shivered in fear and respect. The Dark Lady turned as she began to make her way back to her desk but suddenly she stopped and turned back to glare at the young woman. The Sith rose the foreign blade over Myri's shoulder, allowing the energy to hover over the exposed flesh. It took her a flick from her wrist before the usual sound of the blade cutting through some material came and died, and the scent of burnt hair would emerge from wispy tendrils of smoke. A braid hit the floor before the Padawan and Keres hissed once more. 

"I will not suffer your Jedi insolence in my presence any longer. You are what I tell you to be, and you're not a Jedi any longer."

The blade was extinguished and as it did, two acolytes came forward, their hands reaching for Myri's arms, fingers digging unto flesh as they began to drag her away from the sanctum of their Master. As they had been ordered the two took her into shower rooms used by the non-Force sensitive guards of the estate, its spartan nature barely accommodating for its singular purpose. One remained standing guard, allowing for the young Jedi to wash herself, as another brought a dry set of clothing. Dark robes akin more to a Sith Acolyte than to a Jedi.  Once she had dressed, the two acolytes would direct her to what seemed to be a sparring arena out in one of the many courtyards of the expansive manse belonging to Darth Keres and in the middle of the arena the Dark Lady knelt in deep contemplation, drawing from the dark power that radiated from the planet, from the beating core to the thunderous skies.

"At last, you have arrived."

Keres said quietly. 

[darkrei9n]

Almost as soon as Myri said her words she regretted them. The emotions entering the force from the Dark Lady increased drastically, the Force itself provided a short warning before once again the room was filled with the destructive powers of the dark side. Myri raised the borrowed lightsaber into a defensive position and reached into the force to protect herself. Her quick barrier lasted her for less than a second before she found herself thrown back into the wall, any semblance of resistance destroyed. She could feel herself losing control of herself as the barrage continued. It felt like an eternity before she finally fell. Her borrowed lightsaber fell to the ground and deactivated. Myri herself took a deep breathe, realizing she hadn't been able to breath the entire time.

Before she could recover she could feel her being dragged up to "look" into the Dark Lady's mask. "You speak to me as if you had any power here Jedi. Speak out of turn again and you will find how merciful I'm in comparison to the beasts that roam outside the walls of my state." It wasn't a threat. Just a simple matter of reality for Myri. Reminding her where she was and who she now belonged to. Myri trembled. The way this woman was acting, Myri was beginning to doubt she would live through the day, let alone see the Jedi temple again.

Myri felt herself being pulled to her feet by two acolytes. She gratefully accepted their help as they began to take her away. They stopped for a short second and Myri smelt burnt hair as the Dark Lady removed her Padawan braid. A small surge of anger rose in Myri, she had had that braid since she had become Master Silene's padawan, it had been with her for nearly half of her life. How dare this woman take it from her. She quickly crushed the display of emotion, repeating "There is no Emotion" over and over throughout her head.

The acolytes escorted her to the shower rooms, giving her a rather forceful shove into the room. She quickly went through the motions of washing herself before putting on the set of robes left for her. She then followed them out into the arena where Darth Keres knelt. Myri felt around in the force, recognizing the Dark Lady's rather significant presence, she could also feel the Dark Lady drawing upon the power that the planet itself was steeped in. Myri bowed deeply before the Sith Lord, a traditional Jedi bow instead of kneeling. At last the Dark Lady acknowledged Myri's presence. "At last, you have arrived."

"I have arrived Master Keres. As you have requested."

[Harukei]

"My Lady."

Keres said, correcting the slave as she rose to her height, a tinge of anger in words as she reached through the force and formed a grip out of her hand, smashing through whatever pitiful defenses the padawan had, before she forced her to fully kneel before the presence of the Dark Lady. She began to advance at the young woman, her hand tightening against an invisible force and at the same time the invisible force pressing unto Myri with each passing second. 

"You will address as my Lady or Master. You've not earned the right to utter my name."

Slowly she would allow the invisible restraints to fade away until they were fully gone. Fading as thunder flashed over the perennial stormy skies of Dromund Kaas. She observed the Jedi before her, how pitiful it was. But a detail came to light, one that she had not noticed in her fury. The Padawan was blind. And what had been a nuisance to find a purpose for this wretched being had now begun to pique her interest somewhat. This one could be an asset if turned.

"Rise."

The Dark Lady commanded as she stepped away, to create a distance between the two of them before she nodded her own bodyguards away. The hissing sound of doors closing at the distance and thunders filled the void of the silence. Rising her hands over her head, she slowly removed the silver helm with hiss, and her features would now be revealed for those who could see with eyes. A part of her wondered if the Jedi could gain a glimpse of how she looked by just seeing through the Force. Red fiery eyes remained trained on the young woman before Keres spoke once more. 

"You won't need those anymore."

With a simple gesture, the bindings around the slave were undone and felt with a thud on the sands of the arena. The Sith Lady held the foreign lightsaber and tossed with a casual flick towards her and awaited for Myri to retrieve her weapon as she began to prove at the emotions of the Jedi. There was conviction, there was fear and even a tinge of anger from the single beacon of light in the planet. Nothing noteworthy, but from these emotions she could harvest a great boon. 

"I offer you a proposition, Jedi."

Keres said quietly as her hand reached for the familiar hooked shape of the lightsaber. A snap-hiss revealed a sanguine blade as she assumed the classical Makashi stance. 

"Defeat me, slay me, make me yield and you're free to leave. You can use my ship and make your way to your precious republic." 

She spoke truthfully and honestly and hoped the Jedi would have enough sense to see it. But she also didn't state the repercussions of defeat, but there were a tacit agreement. She would not leave if she was defeated. She would make sure she didn't. 

"Come Jedi. Strike me down! Return hailed as a hero!"

Keres spoke, goading the girl to attack. 

[darkrei9n]

Myri's hand reached out as the Dark Lady tossed Myri's lightsaber, calling it toward her hand. The oppressive force holding her down was gone so she got to her feet. She eyed the Sith in front of her, pondering the deal. Her hand tightened around her lightsaber before she eventually loosened it. Fighting the Dark Lady would be pointless for her, she would be outmatched against most other padawans let alone this Sith. Regardless of whether she fought or not she would likely be killed or tortured. So she went with plan B.

"I apologize My Lady, for not addressing you properly. I will point out, I would not be a hero if I struck you down, I will have failed you, for no matter how far into darkness you walk, you can always return to the light. I will not fight you."

Myri tossed her lightsaber back at the Dark Lady hoping to distract her even slightly and turned to run. Master Serseth would have chastised her for the deception, but she needed every advantage she could to make as much ground as possible. Myri pumped her arms as hard as she could, widening her gait as wide as she could despite her short legs. Unfortunately for Myri the door remained shut as she slammed into it, hard. She struggled for the control trying to get the door open, shrill beeps signifying her failure.

Slowly, Myri turned to face Darth Keres, standing as tall as she could. She stretched her arms out giving the Sith an opening to kill her without resistance. She could feel her own fear, it was taking all she had to not tremble before the Dark Lady. Myri spoke, goading the Sith into action.

"Kill me if you want My Lady. I will not do your bidding."