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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Star Wars The Holo Star's Tale: A Dark Reach Story

Discussion in 'Role Playing Forum' started by darthbernael , Oct 3, 2020.

  1. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    Primea

    The planet looked , to the unaided eye, from space to be the usual bustling hub of commerce that it had been for many years. The failed Nikardun invasion of years past had left their scars, but over time those scars had healed. The people had remembered but the world healed.

    Flying closer one would begin to notice oddities, that there seemed to be an overabundance of ships that seemed similar, even given their size. And then one would notice the emerald, ruby, and yellow flashes of turbolaser fire. It would then become evident that the past was being relived. The Nikardun had come again, to make good on their failure before. And this time the Chiss had not come to defeat them.

    As the viewpoint swept into the capital the destruction and debris began to become more and more apparent. At the main spaceport, several Nikardun cruisers had landed, cuffed and chained together citizens were being herded on board.

    A scuffle in the line and severa Nikardun guards took the opportunity to be more physical in their efforts to move the beings onto the ships. Where they were using the butts of their blasters to ‘encourage’ the beings, an interesting sight. The observer would be shocked at the sight that greeted their eyes, a holo star, one known and loved in many regions of Known Space, cuffed alongside others of her retinue.

    If one were to back up in time they would see her ship land, on this world worlds away from Known Space, apparently because her films were quite popular here. She was on a tour promoting her new movie and profit was profit so tours went where profit was to be found. Unfortunately for her and her retinue, they arrived only a day before the Nikardun began their assault.

    The Captain of their ship had attempted to raise the tour’s producer and beg them to return for long hours, even though his efforts were greeted with static. His efforts to beg the Nikardun to allow them to depart were met with laughter. And then the destruction had started. She and her retinue had huddled in the hotel’s bunker for hours as the Nikardun ships had pounded the planet until no responses to their fire occurred.

    And then they huddled longer, as the tramp of legion upon legion of the foe had pounded through the city. As feed after external feed died, they witnessed as the injured were either killed outright or chained and led away. Each moment the troops came closer to their hideout. And they held their breaths, hoping that the foe would not notice or pass by their bunker.

    The explosion as the door to the bunker blew inward deafened most of the occupants that the explosion had not. It was obvious the troops believed that important or high ranking prisoners were in this bunker as the next thing through the shattered remnants of the door were not troops but hissing cylinders of gas.

    When she awoke from unconsciousness she found a metal collar around her neck, connected to the being sitting next to her, her secretary, and beyond every other being in the bunker was similarly chained. Their hands were cuffed before them and their ankles were cuffed with just enough chain between them to allow them to shuffle forward.

    An evil eyed Nikardun with tabs on his uniform that indicated he was an officer had come in and spoken with the troops there. The blaster butts were used here as well, to get the beings on their feet and headed out of the hotel. In the open air the destruction around them was evident. In the skies fighters still screamed, troops were guarding every intersection and other long files of prisoners were being herded, all in one direction, toward the spaceport.

    As they reached the cruisers, after several hours of long walking with no food or drink, clothes getting streaked with dust, blood, and other things, they made their way up the ramp into the cruiser. In the belly of the ship were row upon row of cages. As each person was stopped before a cage, blasters were leveled at them and the metal collar was removed. A new band was placed around their neck one Nikardun, in halting Basic would explain that the collar was explosive and that any attempt to escape would be met by detonation of the charge.

    Finally it was her turn, the holo star. The explosive collar around her neck, she was treated just as every other being had been before and locked in the cage. The question would now be, what will happen to her, what is to come?

    ----------

    IC General Yiv III
    Several hours later


    The report of the attack on Primea was on his desk but the General did not need to read it. He had been upon the lead ship of the attack and the report was dry, factual and not the visceral feelings one had in combat. The door chimed and he pressed a stud on his desk, his aide stepping in. Coming to a halt before the desk the aide saluted. “Sir, final reports on prisoners taken during the assault.” There was a pause, “Besides regionally important nobles there is one that may have even more value. Prisoner #68457.”

    Yiv tapped a stud again as the new report loaded to his terminal. Calling up the file on the prisoner that had been mentioned a dark smile crossed his face. “Let us go meet our VIP then.” he said, standing and moving around the desk.

    ------

    The lights came on in the hold the cells were in and the wailing that began was quickly silenced with judicial application of blaster butts, in some cases knocking the prisoners out. The aide and the General walked down the rows of cells, the aide consulting a datapad as they walked. Slowing, he stopped before her cell. “Sir, this is the one, Prisoner #68457.”

    The General stepped closer, looking her over. A smile came to his face again, “You will bring a handsome ransom for your release, if we choose to let you go.”

    TAGS: @Ava G. (for response), @Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125
     
  2. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    IC Lavinia Vargas

    The old faces and names were gone. Many of the buildings had been destroyed or torn down, replaced with the modern. Primea had gone through war. But romantic pieces of history survived on holofilm.

    The publicity tour was a major success to that point. She visited restaurants and dance halls, met and spoke with people of many different kinds. Lavinia signed autographs, posed with fans for photos, and answered questions.

    A press agent arranged a showing of Oceans of Time. A beautiful but troubled woman meets a captain cursed to pilot his frigate until he finds true love. Viewing it after all these years left her feeling haunted. Outside the cinema, a reporter spoke to a floating cam. "Has the actress truly returned and found eternal youth, or is this an elaborate hoax?"

    A miserable girl's desperate bid for attention? Her inner critic loved chatting.

    And then life changed forever. Alarms sounded, and a voice promised that this was real, not a drill. Regularly scheduled programming suspended until further notice. The invaders had returned after twenty-six years.

    Lavinia witnessed the birth of the invasion from a restaurant patio. Enemy transports flew for the edges of the city. People raced to find safety. And native troops fell into formation on the streets.

    Guards, hired by the Cinnagar studio, made certain that she was escorted safely to a bunker. Once there, the civilians were shown an instructional vid.

    A cartoon man strolled down a sidewalk, beaming. He waved at other happy citizens. Someone watered their flowers. Another repaired a speeder bike.

    Then a Star Destroyer appeared in the sky.

    "You know the drill. Gear up and bunker down!" The narrator said.

    People put on padded armor and helmets and walked down steps and into vaults.

    The vid demonstrated proper use of a med kit. And finished by explaining how to obtain suicide pills for yourself and your loved ones. "It's far more merciful than what the Nikardun will do if they capture you! May the Force be with you and your family!" The cartoon man swelled with patriotic pride as he planted a flag. The vid ended.

    Underground life took getting used to. The place was stocked with rations, but privacy and fuses were in shorter supply. Every day, bunker residents huddled at the comm and listened to the news.

    Two weeks later, for reasons unknown, the portal opened and enemies entered the hideout. They demanded the civilians surrender to be taken into custody. Regular people pulled blasters. A struggle resulted.

    The public knew Lavinia Vargas as an actress. Secretly, she was a user of the dark side of the Force. Apprentice to a Sith assassin.

    She went stealthy and neutralized several Nikardun during the blaster skirmish.

    But in a second of distraction, an enemy stunned her.

    -----

    “You will bring a handsome ransom for your release, if we choose to let you go.”

    The lady wore a white, strapless jumpsuit. Bare arms, shoulders, and upper back. Sweetheart bodice.

    She was collared and her wrists bound. Hair shoulder-length retro. She strummed her stilleto nails, and studied General Yiv's face and uniform.

    "You'll have to take better care of me than this."

    TAGS: @darthbernael (for response), @Sinrebirth, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2020
  3. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC General Yiv III
    Before the cell


    Yiv stood there, observing the prisoner. A smile touched the corner of one side of his lips at the comment. He couldn’t deny that the prisoner was attractive, for a human, although he would not tell her that he and the others knew exactly who she was. As he was about to speak again the aide coughed politely.

    “One moment, prisoner.”

    He took the aide about halfway down the row of cells.

    In a low voice the aide updated him, “The final consignment of prisoners is loaded aboard the transports and they will be taken and sold to the Hutts. Otherwise the planet is pacified and rebuilding, occupation can commence.”

    Yiv nodded, pacing a few steps at a time, considering the options. “The Chiss still have not come to defend the planet so report to the bridge and have the settlement fleet jump insystem. We will maintain a military presence but grandfather’s failure has been avenged. The remainder of the fleet, including the flagship here, will proceed to the next planet on the list of conquest.”

    The aide saluted, spun in place and departed, to report to the bridge and send the messages.

    Yiv, hands behind his back still, returned to the prisoner’s cell. “I have to take better care of you? You are my prisoner, and one that, like a fraction of the others on this ship, of high enough value to bring the best price. All I must do is keep you alive long enough to get you to the buyers.”

    The sound of the engines rose in pitch and, as they did, forcefields sprung up just outside the bars of every cell, on each side, including the top. “For your protection and mine. I have not yet had the chance for the medical team to process every one of you so there is no way to know if any of you are Force Sensitive. With some testing, I’ve found forcefield frequencies that tend to mute the use of Force powers.”

    Retrieving a datapad from his belt he pressed a spot on the screen when it came on and then nodded to the movement he saw at the ends of the row of cells. In moments screams and wails began, including the flashes and smell of explosives, and the scent of ozone that spoke of blasters, that told of violent death. “And if the forcefield is not enough, I’ve found the raw emotions of torture, even of others, is most effective to keep Force users from using their abilities.”

    Lifting the datapad, so she could see a spot on the pad that looked like a red circle, “And, the last option is just liquidating the stock.”

    Placing the pad back on his belt he paced for a moment, letting the troops get out some of the aggression chemicals in their systems before turning to face the cell directly, “You’ll have to do better than telling me I have to treat you better to convince me I have to do so.”

    Moving to a more relaxed posture, “So, what does Prisoner #68457 have to offer that would cause such a change in your circumstances?”

    TAGS: @Ava G. (for response, combo), @Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2020
  4. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    Ava G. / Lavinia

    Prisoners would be sold to Hutts. The General also intended to conquer more planets.

    He returned and explained to Lavinia that he had ranked her health as low priority. Then he used her single comment as a point of mockery for some on-the-spot rhetoric.

    The engines hummed high, and transparent energy closed the gaps of her cell. Apparently these forcefields were 'Force shields'.

    The next demonstration tested both her empathy, and the shields. People were executed for the sake of his boyish gloating.

    That disgusted her. Hints of sadness and hatred flickered across her face as she stared him down. Her eyes stung.

    It didn't take much telepathy to sense paranoia in the man. And where there was paranoia, there was often disregulated anger. In victory, he threw a tantrum better suited for defeat.

    "You and your men successfully conquered a world. Yet you plan to bargain individual slaves... for a few piddling credits. That is ridiculous."

    "You're gonna try bringing more worlds under your control? And keep them under your control? Then you're gonna need a propaganda department. And you're standing here talking to a classic pin-up gal."

    Raising her voice, "Never mind simply keeping me fed. Let me out and give me reasons to SMILE!"

    There. Rhetoric of her own.

    -----

    @darthbernael / General Yiv

    Yiv chuckled, she saw his fleet as merely slavers and destroyers of worlds. Which worked to his advantage. “No bargaining, rates have already been set. A little more income to the fleet is never a bad thing and it takes excess mouths off our hands.”

    He looked over the prisoner, as she made her plea. Those who attempted to bargain or plea were often the most amusing. They thought they had power, whether they truly did or not.

    Leaning back against the durasteel backing the cells behind him, he crossed his arms. “Why do I need propaganda? The Nikardun Destiny, and before you snort and make some sort of quip that is our government, knows the other polities out here in the Unknown Regions. Most are more powerful than ours so expanding our borders before they rally their fleets is more important than spouting about it to the entire galaxy.”

    The small smile returned to his face, “You seem to believe you are someone who can be such a face, as it were, so why do you believe that?”

    -----

    Ava G. / Lavinia

    "You know what? I'm not that face. And I'd never agree to be the bombshell mascot of your pirate group under duress, much less willingly."

    Lavinia leaned back and exhaled deeply. Still recovering from that disturbance in the Force.

    Her energy was better conserved than trying to reason with the General here. Perhaps he would tire himself out by talking and move on to someone else.

    -----

    darthbernael / General Yiv

    A guard approached Yiv, “Sir, continue the executions?”

    He nodded, “Keep the air full of suffering and misery, one every ten minutes should do, we have plenty to spare.”

    The guard saluted, then departed once more, to pass the General’s orders to the other guards.

    Looking back at the woman, “I already said I do not need you as that face so we agree.” A chuckle, “Pirates, no not pirates, just ensuring our Destiny is secure and no one threatens us. To do so, we do what we must. And conquest is our way.”

    “So you will remain where you are until your fate is determined.” He turned to depart the hold.

    -----

    Ava G. / Lavinia

    The woman couldn't detect any opening, be it social or a weakness in her cell. She was binded and collared, in a Force-shield, prisoner of a warmonger who lacked interest in her well-being, or communicating with her.

    To sit and wait seemed her only option, and so that's what she did. Her emotions smoothed to cold anger, as the prisoners were beaten or executed. Suffering and misery clouded the hold like a black fog.

    TAGS @Sinrebirth @Lady Belligerent
     
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  5. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC Maes Bryus
    Nikardun Flagship, Hold


    Officer Maes entered the hold, motioning to the nearest guard. “General’s orders, time to test the captives for Force sensitivity. Continue killing one every ten minutes, but once a row is cleared, use that row for the next series of executions. Tagged Force sensitives to be left alive, every second prisoner, otherwise, is to be executed.”

    Slowly the orders filtered through the hold and the guards shifted their focuses. The sense of misery, despair, and death, the iron stench of blood and other fluids hung in the air of the hold, disrupting the abilities of those he sought to hide their power.

    Time passed as Maes moved from cell to cell, drawing blood, testing it, and administering other tests to the captives to determine any Force sensitivity. Those who showed even the slightest glimmer of such were moved, separating them from others that evidenced such. The tests did not instruct the Nikardun as to the depth of Force ability, just whether the prisoner evinced any or not.

    A number of hours had passed, exhausting ones for Maes, and he finally approached her cell, “Prisoner #68457.”

    He sighed, so many here and so few that tested positive, the long day was beginning to show on his face. Wiping his face in a slow gesture, he spoke, “Well, prisoner, let us get this over with. I am the medic and I am here to test you to see whether you have any Force sensitivity or not.”

    He produced a medical device, primitive looking, deactivated the field between he and she, and reached into the cell, pulling one of her arms toward him without care for how it dragged her across the cell. Not an ounce of hesitation in his movement, he tied off a ribbon around her arm, and then pressed the device to the inside of her elbow.

    It beeped and a needle shot out, puncturing her skin, and into the vein beneath. It chirped as it drew several cc’s of blood before the needle retracted. He let go of her arm, not even bothering to place a bacta patch on it.

    Reading the data, he nodded, then grunted. Lifting a device from his belt he settled it over his brow. A small armature descended from it, over one eye. His eye on that side seemed to focus on the device as he asked a series of questions, seemingly random in nature. “Where were you born?”...”What was your happiest childhood memory?”....”What has been the most traumatic thing to happen to you?”...”How do you feel about your fellow prisoners being slaughtered?”

    The questions seemed random but each was designed to touch, to test different emotional responses in the subject. So he probed further and further. With each question his eye flicked over the display in front of it. Every so often he would nod or annotate the datapad he had before him.

    When the questions were done he wearily looked at her, “The test is concluded.” Removing the device on his head he replaced it on his belt, blinking as he did. Pressing a stud on the datapad he waited for the guard to arrive, his various tests had shown, to his surprise, that the human woman seemed to have at least a small talent with the Force.

    As he waited, he wearily leaned back against the cell behind him, closing his eyes, knowing his shift was over shortly. With the weariness washing over him it could almost be forgiven that he'd not noticed certain things.....

    TAGS: @Ava G. (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2020
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  6. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    IC
    Lavinia

    She could have disassociated, or slipped into a meditative state and shielded her sanity. But she used the pain to stay angry, focused, alert. This was the Sith way.

    Some prisoners were escorted by guards to a different area.

    Hours later, a Nikardun officer appeared and said that he was here to test her for Force sensitivity. He opened her cell, pulled her forward by the arm, and took a blood sample.

    ”How do you feel about your fellow prisoners being slaughtered?" He asked.

    A long pause. "I feel as though my stomach has soured and twisted. My heart pumps cold blood. A smoldering thick anger oozes over the fresh wounds of my trauma."

    Soon, the woman found her opening. She sprang from the cage, gripped Maes by the throat, and took him to the deck.

    Breaking his neck, she kept low and slipped away to find an escape route.

    -----

    OOC

    @darthbernael gave me permission to auto the friendly medic.

    @Sinrebirth
     
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  7. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC Captain Rickdun Vin
    Nikardun flagship


    Captain Vin glanced from the empty cell to the body sprawled before it. He sneered at the form laying there with its neck broken. He turned to the guards who had found him, after a search, when the medic had not checked in at the end of his shift. “Lock down every level, access points guarded by Marines. Same with every hangar bay, escape pod bay, engineering space, and communication system. I’m sure the General will agree with this so move!”

    The guards hurried off and Vin studied the cell once more. There was something in the air, some feeling that made the hackles of his neck stand on end, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. The retrieval team arrived, followed by a pair of Marines. “Take that to the morgue, see if there is evidence of anything other than the broken neck.” he told the retrieval team.

    Turning to the Marines, “Stun setting is authorized, but if you must use more, no killing, no disintegrations.”

    He stalked through the ship, in part dreading the news he was about to pass on, but at each floor he double checked the guard stations, ensuring they were doing their duty, full genetic scans at each lift, at each secure area. By the time he reached the cabin he sought, he had an arm full of bacta patches from the snips that had been taken to verify his genes.

    He paused, straightening his uniform, then rapped on the cabin door. From inside, a stern “Come!” sounded.

    Opening the door, he stepped through, letting it close behind him. “General, I have a report.”

    General Yiv looked up from the datapads he’d been perusing, preparing for the next invasion. Waving a hand he directed the Captain to approach the desk. “Report then, Captain Vin” He sat back, his gaze intent upon the man as he stepped forward, saluting. Another wave of his hand and the Captain braced.

    “Sir, We have a security issue. One of the prisoners has escaped.” An eyebrow rose on the General’s face at that but he let the Captain continue.

    Prisoner #68457, the starlet.” The Captain passed across the datapad in his hands.

    Yiv pressed a button and a holo popped into view, a view from a security camera, in the near distance it could be seen as the prisoner had surged from her cell, one left unsecured by the exhausted medic. The entire attack took seconds and then she disappeared from view.

    “The explosive collar?” He asked, offhand.

    “Sir, she must still be wearing it but none of the signals sent to the collar show that it has detonated, nor has a headless body been found. So she must be able to affect the mechanism somehow.” The Captain admitted.

    “Security protocols in place?”

    “Yes sir, full lockdown, comms locked from all but verified essential personnel.” Vin was sweating slightly because the General was being quite calm about a high value prisoner having escaped and wandering the ship.

    “Ensure she is found. Once recaptured, chain her more thoroughly and bring her to me.”

    “Yes Sir, immediately.”

    Yiv chuckled, “Don’t promise results until you are sure that you can deliver, Captain.”

    Vin gulped, “Yes, Sir”

    “Dismissed”

    ------------------------------------------------------------

    An hour later
    Hangar deck


    The guards at the entrance to Hangar 3 heard a scuffling sound. Their orders however had been clear, to not move from the checkpoint. Instead a call was made to the nearest roving patrol. The four man squad showed up in five minutes and the guards directed the squad down the corridor the sound had come from.

    They proceeded, until they came to the cross corridor, seeing the many branchings the corridor took, between the hangar bays, the squad leader commed for a second to join and once the double squad was present they began their search, two man teams covering each other as they made their way down the corridor, securing and sealing every space as it was searched.

    Further scuffling was heard in the distance and the squad leader smiled under his helmet, this corridor was a dead end.

    TAGS: @Ava G.(combo) (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
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  8. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    @darthbernael

    Every area was locked down, patrolled and monitored.

    Here at the hangar bay, two teams of four guards split into pairs and walked the corridors. More men stationed at Hangar 3.

    Lavinia had gotten to this level before any of the emergency measures. Now if she could only break through these blast doors to the bay.

    At the same time the squad leader closed on her spot, her Force cloak was about to fall.

    The reinforced squad moved deeper down the corridor. Hand and arm signals were used s as not to alert their prey as to how close they were. Each sealed door was met with a closed fist, when the space behind was checked.

    Ahead, the sounds of movement continued. The point , with the squad leader behind, were beginning to feel the movement, see flashes of something ahead. The snout of the point’s blaster quivered with each movement, waiting for it to resolve so he could tell if it was their target or something else. He’d however, failed to notice he’d not set it to stun.

    The squad leader however, had and she’d said nothing. The orders were no death, no disintegration but the medic had been a friend so a little blood and screams were fine by her. She had seen the same quivering as the point. With a few gestures she had two other two man teams close on their location, forming a semi circle around the area the flickering was coming from.

    Fingers reaching down to the pad on her wrist she tapped out a short message. Possible target acquired, will report if it is the escaped prisoner.

    She tapped into the local speakers, so as to not give away her locale. Reaching up to the throat mic she subvocalized, letting it be broadcast from the speakers closest to the disturbance. “Drop whatever you are using to hide. Surrender and you will only be cuffed.”

    One guard approached directly, and the squad leader followed. Four more appeared, marching briskly, and flanked.

    The lead via wall comm said to surrender. Lavinia had a feeling there would never be an escape from whatever new confines awaited. More dignified to die here and now.

    And the Sith woman intended to live.

    As her Force cloak flickered out, she slapped a floor panel. A fan-shaped shockwave rushed fast as sound for the enemy formation. Perhaps strong enough to stagger them.

    She raced at the point, intending to jump and kick off his chest...

    The point staggered as the energy hit him, making him fall to one knee. The crouching descent was what saved him from being toppled over backward as she flew overhead. The squad leader smiled, broadly, as the shimmer had resolved into a woman, their target. And then had to shift to keep her balance as the target made the floor shake, somehow.

    The squad leader began to regain her balance as she saw the woman flying over her point man. The smile returned and she snapped off a shot, as the barrel aligned with the woman’s foot. “Engage!” she instructed the other four, as she sidestepped, getting out of the direct line of the woman’s charge.

    The point man was clipped by the bent leg of the woman as she flew overhead, knocking him backward and ricocheting his helmet off of the floor, bringing stars to his eyes for a second. Trying to turn he heard the shot and lifted his blaster again.

    The other four targeted the woman in a crossfire, aiming for extremities. They knew the squad leaders feelings and, in this case, agreed with her so a little wounding would still fall within parameters.

    Lavinia spun in the air, avoiding a flurry of shots, and landed on her shoulder and front-rolled for the intersection.

    When around the corner, she became aware of pain in her knee. Checking, she saw her jumpsuit leg had a burn hole. And feeling under that... she exhaled sharply.

    She'd feel like hell later.

    Enemies were down both corridors and just around this corner she'd turned.

    The squad leader smiled as she saw their quarry duck around the corner. A quick hand gesture and the squad fanned out. She tapped out a message to the pair at the hangar to keep their eyes open, and drop their flash goggles into place, and had teams further down that hall begin bounding this way.

    She took a flashbang grenade and rolled it around the corner after arming it. Seconds later it went off and the five troopers with her arced around the corner, blasters seeking their prey.

    The guards snapped their goggles on right as she broke from cover behind a beam.

    She rushed one, trying to jump onto him and put his neck in an elbow lock.

    The flash bang went off...

    As the light and sound filled the hall the first guard felt a weight hit his back and an arm go around his throat. Ducking his head to buy time, he started swinging back and forth, attempting to both shake the assailant from his back and turn whoever it was toward his partner or others approaching.

    His partner caught the flash of motion and saw a female human leap upon his partner. Reaching down to his side he pulled a knife from its sheath. Checking and seeing that troopers were hurrying in their direction from both sides, he stepped toward the pair, waiting.

    When her back was turned toward him, he stabbed forward, into her lower back, avoiding organs, but aiming for the nerve root for her legs on that side. A satisfied grunt met his thrust as he felt the knife slide home into flesh, stabbing deeper with each moment.

    Ringing. The volume of movements and voices lowered to a near mute, overcome by the damn ringing.

    Her eyes were flooded with blinding white light. She could usually function blind, with the Force, but not so much in this craziness.

    She wrestled with and tried locking the guard, but he was even stronger than she would have guessed. And she was running out of stamina.

    A foreign object plunged into her lower back. It didn't hurt, yet, but she could feel that it would be severe.

    She lost consciousness.
     
  9. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    Outside Hangar 3

    The squad leader arrived as the prisoner slipped to the ground, her head making a solid thump as it hit the deck. The remainder of the squad arrived and a small debate broke out between the troops as she sent a message on the pad. Prisoner retrieved, moving her to medbay.

    The troops debate finished and the most senior approached her, “Sergeant, the consensus is that we leave the blade in her but considering Officer Byrus was your friend, and friends with most of us, we’d prefer just dragging the body to the medbay. If the knife shifts while we do so then it does.”

    She smiled, for once their idea of a democratic decision was one that she agreed with. “Agreed.”

    Her datapad chimed and a message appeared. Lockdown will clear once Prisoner is secured in the Medbay.

    She gave the instructions to the pair at the hangar door and let them know that the knife would be returned at a later time. Gesturing to two of the troopers they moved and each took an ankle, turning and dragging the body behind them. She grinned again as she could see the head bouncing around as the troops walked.

    The trip to the medbay took about twenty minutes, time within she let the troops take their time as they passed through sliding door, ‘accidentally’ letting them close on the upper body or head of the prisoner before they moved on.

    Once they reached the medbay she detailed four to guard the exit, two inside and two outside as the two dragging the body swung it onto an examination table. She turned to the medics present, “Prisoner #68457 retrieved and delivered as ordered.”

    The lead medic’s smile almost matched hers, “Thank you Sergeant, have your troops guard the bay and we may need you later, but we shall handle it from here.” As he spoke he pressed a spot on his pad and restraints wrapped around the table and the form upon it.

    -------------

    A few hours later
    A Darkened, Cold, and Enclosed space


    Lavinia would wake in what almost felt like a refrigerator, on a metal tray, in a prisoner jumpsuit, barefoot. Her body ached in multiple places and certainly, when she got to examine herself she would find herself bruised all over. But there were other, more specific pains. When those would be examined in the light she would find what could only be deep injection spots, one on each arm, one on each leg, one between the ribs of her left side, one where the knife had stabbed her, and one at her right temple. She wouldn’t know why, nor be able to force out whatever liquid or solid they’d injected her with.

    When her eyes opened a screen only a couple centimeters from her face would light up at the movement. The face of the squad leader that had pursued her appeared on the screen and began to speak.

    “The General seemed to have particular interest in you but….you killed Byrus. So we found a prisoner that looked very much like you. Currently they are being held in the Medbay, as bruised and injured as you. And if you woe you only have a few minutes time so we all hope you suffer in the terror of the morgue before you are placed in the crematorium.”

    The screen cut out and left Lavinia in complete darkness.

    TAGS: @Ava G. (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
  10. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    IC
    Lavinia


    Cold air. Pain. The fallen star opened her eyes, licked her lips to find them cracked. A voice message played, with a blinding glow. And then... afterimage fading to darkness.

    Her teeth chattered. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her stomach, her breaths ragged. When she shifted to the side, aching discomfort wracked her body. Her back was stiff. Her toes might snap off if she tried much harder to wiggle them.

    The act of merely sitting up was agony. A growl turned into a dry sob. With drained hands she pulled up the sleeves and legs of the uniform. Bruises stained much of her surface. She found a spot on each limb, where she had clearly been punctured. Her right temple throbbed to the touch.

    She felt a wound on her lower back. A knife? Pieces of the scene returned.

    The focused anger had long fled, and left her a husk. Ghosts of misery and grief crept back across the graveyard of her heart. Despair had yet to strangle. There was an ember in the ash, a will to try once more.

    Must find a way out. A morgue, did the message say? Of course. She had the sense of being a reanimated corpse.

    The woman forced her legs over the edge of the tray and sank her feet to the floor.

    @darthbernael
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2020
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  11. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    OOC: A quick mini update to set the scene for the morgue now that she is awake.

    Morgue

    As the woman began to move lights flickered on, dim and only giving enough light to see the size of the room. The scent of death, preservatives to keep bodies stable, the distant smell of cooked meat and ash, and various other vile scents stirred the air.

    On two other slabs lay bodies under sheets. The sheets were stained from the blood and viscera that had leaked from the bodies as they lay waiting. The air vents causing the sheets to flutter, almost giving the semblance that the bodies were moving under them.

    There was the sound of footsteps, seconds later a pair of droids entered the space. They were not battle droids but morgue droids. Still, they were large and bulky to be able to handle any size body of creature.

    No words were exchanged but each turned and activated one other droid, four now spreading out around the room. An autopsy table stood on the left side of the room, solid and unmovable. The utensils of a morgue attendant stood upon a movable table next to the autopsy table. Drainage and hoses hung from the ceiling of the table and an autopsy droid sat at the side of the table, opposite side from her.

    In the wall opposite her was the door out of the morgue and to her right, the door the two droids had emerged from. One now stood before each door and one to either side of her. The ones to each side were slowly making their way toward her as though unsure how to handle a live being in their demesne. The autopsy droid whirred to life, its red eyes turning toward her. “Bring the body to the table and hold it down, this one has not been autopsied before cremation. Any useful organs will be harvested.”

    TAGS: @Ava G. (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
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  12. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    IC Lavinia
    Morgue

    Morbidly curious, she reached for the corner of a filthy sheet. But instead covered her mouth at a wave of nausea. The smells and visuals went badly with her weakened condition.

    A sleeping droid sat at a table of tools and stared. Its face resembled a skull in the dim light.

    Was there a switch for those doors?

    Footsteps approached. She stood her ground as two droids entered the room. Come to greet their rare living guest, no doubt. They looked designed for moving heavy objects.

    These droids activated two more of their kind. One guarded each portal, and two came to subdue her.

    If there was some clever way to defeat her enemies or escape . . . it wasn't coming to her. She would wait until the last second to act. Their move.

    TAGS: @darthbernael (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2020
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  13. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    Elsewhere

    The sergeant of the guard, her squad, and the medics were watching the feed from the Morgue in a morbid fascination, laughing and pointing out how the prisoner had gotten herself surrounded by the morgue droids. They were placing bets on how injured she would get in the process of her final dispatch. There was some trepidation as they had heard that the General was not someone to mess with and they’d been responsible for having sent him the fake body but that was for the future.

    Morgue

    The droids slowly closed in around the woman. Their arms were outstretched, blocking her way from ducking around them. The two front and back were closing faster than the two from the sides, as though to give her a way out, but that was a deception as the two on the sides were faster and stronger than the first pair.

    Tools extended from wrists, grapples and whirring blades. One or the other could assist in her capture or the beginning of her being carved up prior to the coming cremation but they had their orders, get her to the autopsy table. The droid there had reached into a nearby cabinet and tossed even more tools to the droids, that were now held in their grasps, bonesaws and scalpels. Their red, glowing eyes focused on the woman and the first reached out, a slash aiming for the shoulder of her right arm. The shriek as the scalpel met flesh was received with a cheer by those who were observing.

    TAGS: @Ava G. (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
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  14. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    IC
    LAVINIA
    INT. - MORGUE - NIGHT


    The four droids extended their arms and trapped her within a shrinking space. Those hands activated sharp weapons. Hooks and spinning blades.

    The other droid tossed them extra tools of dismemberment. "A circus act. How thoughtful."

    A sound effect sample must have played, because Lavinia hadn't shrieked. Her hand went to her injured shoulder. Scowling, she raised her blood-stained fingers and focused the Force on the droid in front of her.

    If she could rip it apart... and use those pieces to defend against the others' weapons...

    TAGS: @darthbernael (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
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  15. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    Morgue

    The droids moved in even as Lavinia gathered herself in the Force. The whining vibroblade of the scalpel came down again toward her arm, intent on removing it from her shoulder. Suddenly the four droids slumped and then straightened, slipping back away from her. In the sudden silence a cough was heard. As she looked up she’d see that the entire morgue was crowded with Nikardun troops. Several had their blasters leveled at her.

    One spoke from the back of the crowd, “General Yiv is disappointed at the antics of his troops. This ends now.” But Lavinia barely heard, her vision was fading because as he began to speak the troops had opened fire, precise blasts, making her drop to the floor of the morgue.

    Elsewhere

    Just as the droids dropped offline the squad and medics began to panic. Racing to the door, they flung it open, but the first was blasted back into the room, a neat hole drilled through his chest. Troopers entered the small space, a dark visaged Security Lieutenant in the rear. He shook his head as he entered. “The General expects creativity among his troops, just not to the degree you lot have shown. You almost cost him a valuable prisoner. And now he demands answers.”

    The troopers before him took careful aim at the gathered squad and medics; a nod and all dropped to the deck, in a similar fashion to Lavinia. The Lieutenant shook his head, “Good squad but it’s up to the General’s justice now.”

    Morgue

    Once the prisoner had dropped to the deck the one who had spoken, another Security Lieutenant, unclipped his comm from his belt, “Sir, prisoner has been secured.” He listened for a moment, nodded at the unseen speaker, “Yes Sir, immediately.”

    He turned to the gathered troops, “Secure the prisoner, the other team has secured the traitorous squad and medics. We are to bring both sets to the conference room next to the General’s office.”

    Conference Room
    A short time later


    As Lavinia awoke, she would find her feet shackled so tightly that she couldn’t put one foot before the other. A revamped collar was around her neck and Force dampening cuffs shackled her arms from the elbow to the wrist behind her back, pulling her arms back tightly. But it mattered little as she was on her knees, before the table the General sat behind.

    His focus was not on her at the moment and out of the corner of her eye she would see the squad that had apprehended her lined up, on their knees, as well as several dressed as Medics. The General spoke, a quiet, disappointed tone to his voice, “You did your jobs well, but then you decided to take matters into your own hands with the prisoner.” He gestured one hand in her direction at the words, “Which is where you made your misstep. My decision is final.”

    He lifted the blaster from the table before him. Moments later, the squad leader and the chief medic both fell backward, neat holes drilled through the bridges of their noses, dead. He gestured with the blaster, “Space the rest.”

    Turning back to Lavinia, blaster still in hand, “What shall I do with you? Your actions resulted in the deaths of most of a Medbay of Medics and the loss of one of my best squads, not to mention the time and energy wasted hunting you, then discovering their treachery and dealing with it.”

    The blaster twitched, “They did make some improvements, at least. I had my personal medic check what they’d had inserted into you, ingenious actually. All are boobytrapped capsules, some that would release a very potent poison directly into your bloodstream and some miniaturized high explosives, any of which would explode if anyone attempted to remove them. I had my techs upgrade the security on them too, so if you attempt to leave this ship without me deactivating them they will automatically detonate.”

    He gazed at her, a small smile on his face, “So, yes, what to do with you? What do you think I should do?” He asked as he tapped the barrel of the blaster against the surface of the conference table, still pointed directly at her.

    TAGS: @Ava G. (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
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  16. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    IC
    LAVINIA
    INT. - CONF. ROOM


    The droids ceased their assault and withdrew. Troops marched into the morgue and trained weapons on her.

    Someone said that General Yiv was disappointed by his troops. As if there was something respectable to the General's brand of sadism over this.

    Blasters fired and she fell again.

    When Lavinia woke, she tried moving her limbs, but found them constrained. The forearm cuffs pulled and locked her arms hard behind. Her shoulders ached. Every muscle hurt.

    She saw the General behind his desk. Fresh anger shot through her veins, and she struggled against the cuffs, and called on the dark side.

    But it was for not.

    The burst of hot anger proved impotent. Every fighting chance had turned out to be a cruel joke.

    Yiv ordered the execution of those responsible for trapping Lavinia in the morgue. It was a hollow justice that little improved her plight.

    He explained the poison capsules and tiny bombs embedded inside her body. And asked what fate she would choose.

    The woman gathered what mucus she could from deep in her throat, and spat at his face. "I don't know, what do you feel like doing with me now, you little @$#%!"

    TAGS: @darthbernael (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2020
  17. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    General Yiv
    Conference Room


    Yiv smiled sharply as he wiped the spit from his face. He did so enjoy when the prisoners were lively. His eyes lifted to the guards behind her that had moved closer to discipline her and they stopped. A finger flicked in her direction and the guards instead, when they moved again, too her under the small area at the top of her arms and began dragging her backward. Another pair wheeled in a tall, narrow, armored glass cubicle.

    The guards lifted her to her feet and slammed her back into the cell, knocking the breath from her before the door was sealed, leaving her in a space where she could only stand, not move or sit. The cell was then placed in the corner of Yiv’s office as he followed behind. The only adornment to the cell were the lines to provide a minimal supply of breathable air and a speaker, as the glass was thick enough he couldn’t even hear her cursing as she got her breath back.

    The cell placed, he moved behind his desk, taking a seat. Touching a stud, the speaker hissed and he spoke, “You now have plenty of time to consider your actions and whether you’ll attempt to escape again. When you’re ready simply beat on the glass.” The speaker went silent and he turned to the reports scattered across his desk, otherwise ignoring the woman in the cell before him.

    TAGS: @Ava G. (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
  18. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    OOC

    There's literally nothing I can do.

    Sad and disappointing, but that's where you led us. I tried.

    @darthbernael
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2020
  19. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    IC
    Lavinia
    Yiv's Office


    The General reminded Lavinia of another man whom she had known, long ago and far away. The two men shared a superior demeanor, and played many of the same games intended to erode her self-esteem. Trapped within the cell, powerless, she closed her eyes and entered the cinema of her memory.

    Adem Drew lived an active life: band leader, political activist, philosopher, husband, and . . . tomb raider. Lavinia always stayed behind on Cinnagar when he left for an adventure. One day, he returned from an expedition and updated his archaeological collection, on the top floor of the tower where they lived.

    Lavinia felt captivated by a certain crystal necklace floating in a glass case. Adem said the necklace was the crowning piece of his latest journey.

    When they had prestiguous guests for dinner, Adem would give them a tour of the artifacts he had gathered from ancient and exotic places spanning dozens of planets. There were paintings, pottery, jewelry, strange contraptions, weapons and armor, and arcane texts. And Adem could lecture on the history of most every item.

    "Ask the question, dear." Adem and a few of his elite friends stood with her at the necklace case. It had a red crystal, with a golden bale and chain. "Ask for your heart's desire."

    Lavinia clasped her hands as she admired the necklace. "May I wear this later?"

    "For dinner?"

    "Sure, honey. I have an outfit to go with it."

    Adem cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back, and walked a slow circle around his wife, friends, and the case. "Are you nobility, dear Lavinia?"

    She sighed, recognizing the tone. "No."

    He stopped behind her shoulder. "What are you, then? Or rather, where on the social ladder of Empress Teta do you land?"

    "I'm married to you," she said defensively. Adem adopted a face of mock confusion. "Doesn't that raise my status, being married to a big band leader?"

    "Normally. But you are, how should we say, exceptional. You were raised on a farm. Your education is pedestrian at best. You've barely read a book in your life, and I very much doubt you could name a single composition by Castaneda."

    The other men seemed uncomfortable as they listened, pretending to be distracted or lost in thought. Except for one, who was drunk and chuckled with Adem's words.

    Lavinia said that she was learning. Adem, after all, had assigned his wife a private teacher. "I'm even learning how to play chess."

    "Learning, but so far presentable only as an attractive ornament at my arm." Adem strode for the case and gestured at the hypnotic, floating jewelry. "I braved deadly traps and risked my very soul to save this ancient sparkle of splendor and greatness. Worn by a long line of feminine angels, it deserves somewhat better than a made-up barn girl, wouldn't you say?"

    He stared his wife down, daring her to show anger.

    Less than a year later, he would gift the necklace to his next wife.

    In the present, Lavinia remained quiet and still and focused inward, forgetting the claustrophobic space for the time being.

    TAGS: @darthbernael (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
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  20. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC General Yiv
    General’s Office


    Several hours had passed as General Yiv had worked through the paperwork that was necessary for one in his position. In that time he’d heard the labored breathing of the prisoner but had otherwise ignored her. Aides and officers had come and gone, as needed, and he finally sat back, a short break to his work. Glancing out at the passing starscape he considered what he knew.

    The prisoner was a holostar, yes, but it seemed a good bit more. She had Force abilities and he wondered if she’d been sent by the Sith Lord whose territory his fleet was beginning to infringe upon. But then he discounted it as the Chiss was subtle but would have, more likely, turned one of his own staff or fleet officers rather than sending an unknown actress to spy for him. So she was here on her own and no one was going to miss such, although it did mean he could get a higher price if he sold her, if the Hutts weren’t put off by her attitude

    With a sigh, he stood, walking over to the cell. He looked at the woman crouched in it, even though she did not immediately seem aware of his presence. Rapping on the armored glass, until he had her attention, “Have you done as I said? Have you considered how you have acted here and realized cooperation would gain you more than being locked in such a confined space? No….?”

    A fractional slime touched his lips, “Then consider further. When you are prepared to discuss things and act civilized then simply tap on the glass and I will speak to you. Until then, I would breathe more shallowly.” At the last, he touched the controls on the cell and the flow of breathable air diminished to half of its previously low level. Turning away, he returned to his desk and the remaining documentation that needed his attention.

    TAGS: @Ava G. (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
  21. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    OOC
    I based Adem Drew on Artie Shaw.

    IC
    Transparent Case


    Lavinia relived scenes of her first life. Those linked with her introduction to the Force and the dark side, her journey of self-discovery, and her time training with the Sith.

    Official reports said she had died in bed fighting an illness. But there was far more to the story. A missing chapter. And it felt incomplete, cut short. She had never realized her full potential in the dark side.

    The crystal thrummed, and pulsated like a glowing heart. A heart for her second life.

    She opened her eyes and rapped on the glass.

    @darthbernael
     
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  22. darthbernael

    darthbernael EU Community Mod, Fuego, Pyrofuego! star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 15, 2019
    IC General Yiv
    General’s Ready Room


    Hours had passed and Yiv had continued working, relaxing, carrying on with the business of the fleet. At the moment the rap at the glass came, he was discussing the training schedule with his aide. The man stood before his desk as Yiv was speaking but his eyes widened at the noise. When a natural pause came, “Sir, there was a noise from the cell.”

    Yiv stood, leaning to the side for a moment. He could see the prisoner’s eyes open and her hand still knocking at the glass. Turning to the aide, “Have a squad brought, in case she has come to her senses, to escort her where needed.”

    Coming out from behind the desk, he turned to the aide once more, “Dismissed, carry out your orders.”

    The aide stiffened, saluted, then exited the ready room, heading to the security section.

    Yiv turned toward the transparent cell, tucking his hands behind his back, as he stepped closer. He could see thighs in her eyes, possibly yet defiance, but she had done as he said and knocked on the glass when she was ready to talk.

    Pressing the stud that caused the speaker in the cell to activate, he spoke, “Have you finally done as I said you must, before you get my attention? If you have not, I will turn and be done with it, and you.”

    TAGS: @Ava G. {Combo} (@Sinrebirth, @Darth_wanderguard, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7, @HanSolo29, @greyjedi125 Interested observers)
     
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  23. Ava G.

    Ava G. Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2016
    {Combo}

    "I have considered what I've done and decided that I wish to cooperate." What cooperation meant here was yet to be seen. And where would a squad escort her if she had truly 'come to her senses'? Hopefully somewhere cheerier than the prisoner area or morgue.

    Yiv gazed intently at the prisoner, considering the options. The devices implanted in her would react instantly if she were to go back on what she was saying now so he had little fear that she would do so. Even still, she’d proven to be a Force user so he felt she could possibly still find a way to react and create issues before the devices did what they were intended to do.

    Looking into her eyes to see her true intentions, to judge her by what he saw there, “Have you truly decided that? Or have you decided that telling me so is the best way to gain your freedom from this box, only to turn and betray your word as soon as you are able?” he asked, his fingers near the cutoff for the breathable air.

    The woman stared back at him. Her lips were cracked, and there must be dark circles under her eyes. No doubt she appeared a bit unhinged at the moment. "If I betray my word, you can dispose of me quickly enough. Remember the cuffs, the collar, all the crap you injected me with?" She sighed. "You did a fine job rendering me harmless." The last part was edged with bitterness.

    Yiv chuckled, “One cannot take too many chances with someone that has Force abilities. At least the damnable Chiss fight ship to ship. You lot do not give fighting men a chance so disabling you fully is the best option.”

    He touched the pad by the door to the cell and it swung open as the squad of guards and his aide returned. Two of the troops reached into the cell and pulled the prisoner out, hard to do as she’d been stuck in that standing position for many hours and her knees would be weak.

    Yiv motioned to his aide and stepped off to the side for a moment. In a low tone, “Take her to see the Chief Medic, have her examined, rehydrated, and placed in a cabin with only the bed and the fresher available to her. Remove the interior doorpad and lock it from the outside. Post a revolving guard on the door, ones who have shown resistance to mental manipulation.”

    He returned to the prisoner, pointing out his aide, “He will ensure you are back in a healthy state and placed in a secured cabin. Remember, one wrong step and you will be ended.”

    Two troops took her arms and pulled her from the cell. Damn, she felt so stiff and sore. Her knees popped as she took slow steps onto the floor.

    Yiv said she would be returned to health and placed in a secured cabin. A larger cell, basically. His words came with a dire warning. Her escorts took her away for the med bay. The walk restored blood flow in her legs, though her cuffed hands and arms throbbed.

    Oh, to be free. And she didn't even have anyone to suffer with. She was all alone.

    When the squad and the prisoner arrived at the Medbay, the Doctor looked her over quickly, but professionally, clucking at various wounds and her overall condition. Turning to his assistants, “Thirty minutes in the bacta tank should clear most of this up and take care of the dehydration.”

    He turned back and could see the worry in her eyes, both from previous experience with medics and from what he knew of her most recent with the General. “The General instructed that you be brought back to complete health, minus those items that were inserted previously, but yes, the shackles remain on, I too do not trust Force users.

    True to his word, the time in the tank passed quickly and without issue. When the half hour was done, she was removed and he finished his exam. “You are clear to be taken wherever the squad has been instructed to take you. But do you have any questions before you go?”

    "No. Thank you." Too early to inquire about suicide pills, she supposed. The doctor would just say her death was the General's decision, not his.

    There were pills like that in the bunker where she had stayed during the Nikardun assault. Those at least had the effect of euphoria. She doubted those injectable poison capsules made you high and happy before death.

    The bacta bath felt relaxing. Therapeutic, even. She imagined taking a proper suicide pill and being put in a bacta tank. What a peaceful way to say goodbye.

    Lavinia sat in her cell and stared at the opposite wall. Somehow she gained the ability to watch her day dreams with her physical eyes. Vividly. And she could hear music. And voices.

    The guards stood outside the door to the cabin that the prisoner had been placed in, from time to time, as the shifts relieved each other there was mention of visions that seemed to press against their minds. But they had been trained to resist mental intrusions so simply recorded them in the logs, to be passed up the chain.

    Soon...soon would come a time that the prisoner could possibly prove useful, could be used against their foes. Until then she would stew in her empty room, waiting, alone.

    Mention of visions.

    Lavinia rubbed her eyes and face, and willed her mind to anchor with reality.

    Visions... as she currently experienced. Hallucinations, more like. Did that mean some part of her mind influenced the external world, divorced of her physical actions?

    She rose to her feet, turned, reached out a hand, and tried levitating her mattress. Was there at least tug?

    @darthbernael @Sinrebirth
     
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