Unspoiled I: The Fear (Ezra Na'chtion)

[Lady Frygt]

Usually on a long journey, she was motivated to delve deeper into the Darkside and explore it's areas previously unknown to her. Usually, she had caused half the items in the ship to explode from Force Lightning. It was always her favorite technique, something about making one's hate for something else operate like the protons and electrons intrigued her. Even more intriguing was how she could find it in herself to hate inanimate objects, if only for the sake of practice, and then use her connection to the Darkside to defy conventional physics and cause a glass bottle to explode in a hot white flash. Hating a person was always easier than the bottles, but getting a person to act as a willing target was often difficult, though her apprentice, Alazne Gni, had done it just once for her willingly, and a few times unwillingly. While she cared about the young woman, it did delight her to watch her apprentice writhe on the ground in pain. She couldn't escape the fact that she was afraid of Alazne Gni and then Fear, anger and hatred and all that, it came as no shock that Alazne found herself on the receiving end of Rikke's lightning when she really deserved praise.

Alazne Gni could be the end for me. She thought to herself.

Though if Alazne Gni failed this mission, it would be Rikke's chance to ensure that she could not rise through the ranks she could dismiss Alazne Gni, just as she had dismissed Luna. If Alazne Gni never reached her full power, she'd never be able to kill Rikke and take her place. And almost certainly, Alazne Gni would fail today, perhaps even die. She'd become a martyr for the Sith a high example to the apprentices of loyalty and also a silent reminder that crossing Lady Frygt could result in death.

From Ezra and some old documents from the Old Order Rikke had learned something about this Hara Kiri woman. She had joined the old Order as a late teenager, she had a strong connection to the Darkside and could maintain a force rage for an unnaturally long time. Had she stayed with the Sith Order she might have been a combat expert learning from Jorshal Vuntana, Rikke's father. Despite all her strengths, Hara was an exceptionally difficult and contrary person. She'd do the opposite of what you wanted, even if it went against her own best interests. She had a tendency towards playful amusement in others and saw little outside of that goal. She also had a strong tendency towards hating her body and delighting in the pain she inflicted on it herself. So persuading her physically was unlikely to happen. But Alazne Gni's strength was mental persuasion she was capable of forcing Hara Kiri to participate in the escape.

All this assumed Alazne Gni and Razadi Syfas didn't kill each other first. Under Rikke's command, Razadi had exterminated the entirety of Alazne Gni's family and community. Alazne Gni belonged to an underground society descended from pre-purge Jedi. Somehow they had stayed hidden from Palpatine and Vader and avoided the Inquisition in modern times. Which was surprising as they were mostly children and young adults, Alazne Gni was the best of them and Rikke stole her away to further her training and then sent Razadi Syfas in to kill each child in the community. Rikke offered a bounty for each of their lightsabers that Razadi brought her and when the task seemed complete, Rikke had adorned all the walls of a small room with the children's weapons, a secret that she kept from Alazne Gni until the timing was right.

Which may be today, Alazne could probabvly weasel her way into Razadi's thick skull and learn what happened. But when it comes to a fight, Razadi is the sure winner. Let's just hope they retrieve Hara Kiri first.

Rikke then stood up, her six foot body made the cabin an oppressive space. She decided to go antagonize Ezra to take her mind off waiting for the mission on Valc VII to begin. She found her peer in the hold of the ship busying himself with more alchemical biology. As far as she could tell the monsters required for the mission were all but ready. It seemed to her that now and in the past, Ezra had the tendency to flee from reality and hide away in his work. She could feel very clearly that he was afraid of the mission and might even hate her a bit for forcing him to go on it. But always when he had these feelings he retreated, insteadof following them to their natural outcome.

Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to power. She reminded herself.

She wondered how far Ezra advanced within the old Order without learning at least some offensive capabilities. He was certainly a killer, but he depended on concealed and unseen means to murder, whereas Rikke always felt more comfortable doing it openly and with as much confrontation as possible. But as unglorious as Ezra's methods were he was effective in his own way. Which was why she still kept him on. Well, that and all the information he had about the old Order. But obtaining Hara Kiri might change that in the future, or it might not.

"I trust you're not working on anything for the mission as you told me everything was ready." She said casually, looking at the monsters.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

"Everything is ready. However, everything can always be improved." came Ezra's reply. He did not turn from his work, look up, or even physically acknowledge Frygt. Instead he continued to leaf through a datapad in his hands; using a finger to slide items from one list to another, highlight some, and delete others. Genetic codes and ideas swirled across the screen. His monsters were ready for what he designed them for, but there was always a way to improve them. They would never be perfect in his eyes. There had to be something he could do. Some part he could add, remove, or swap for another that could increase their combat efficiency. The idea of creating a whole new batch of the beasts was exhausting. It had been a labor just to produce the brood needed for this mission. The amount of research and refinement before even beginning production, for lack of a better word. He had a breeding female now, and she would continuously produce rapidly maturing young until she's keeled over and died, and a new female would take it's place. A new strain of the creatures would have to wait for another day, but that did not stop him from developing them in the present.

"They merely wait to be released." He finally raised his head from the datapad. His hand was waved out before him, toward the many containers within the hold. Reinforced, heavy containers that taxed the very weight limit of the vessel they resided within. They had to be strong. The many creatures contained within each one was strong enough to smash through most containers, let alone a host of them. The sithspawn were quiet, for now, lying low in their containers, waiting to be released. Their creator was nearby, they could smell him, hear him. His words could render them into docile sheep or bloodthirsty ravagers.

"The skinmasks are ready, as well." A foot tapped one of the cases at his feet. Inside the clear glass one could see two fleshly appendages swimming in a clear liquid. They were very much alive and moving subtly. The masks were woven from human and ysalamir flesh and were created for the sole purpose of wearing over one's own face. Not only could the mask block out one's signature in the force, but it had other helpful properties integrated as well. A long appendage would snake down the wearer's throat and allow them to breath through the mask, which could filter toxins and other hazardous materials from the air. The sensory nodes along the outer surface gave the wearer sight that was better than what their usual human eyes could grant. A wider scale of vision and clarity. They could almost sense things happening before they did.

The cost for wearing the mask was great indeed. In order to mask them from the force it also hampered their ability to use them. The close proximity to the brain damaged one's ability to control telepathic and telekinetic abilities. It was the cost of anonymity. The head of the prestigious Tanaab Force Academy could hardly risk being implicated in the jail break on an Imperial world. The mask was, also, fragile. It needed to be moisturized and fed daily or it would die. It was, also, incredibly painful to put on. The mouth appendage was awkward and forceful, as well as the various spikes and needles that jabbed into the face to make it work in the first place and hold on tight enough to not fall off in a fight. It was far from perfect, but it would suffice for what they needed it for.

"I am ready."

[Lady Frygt]

Ready? Was he really? Rikke wondered if she herself was ready. It was an unusual sense of anticipation and fear, certainly not a sense of ready. But the mission had to be completed, so regardless of readiness, she had to go. Earlier when the fear was more crippling, she tried to force herself to imagine the rewards of success. This was fruitless, She need more than success for the Academy, she needed a personal growth experience. Ultimately she realized all she would personally gain from success or even mild failure.

It was of course the pain she adored. Since she'd discovered her connection to the Darkside, she transitioned rapidly from fear of pain to love of it. The burning of the flesh in her finger tips from lightning, combat injuries, psychological trauma and stresses, she loved it all. Running the academy had distracted her for a long time, she'd forgotten this side of her.

I've forgotten myself She thought.

But now she was remembering, rediscovering the monster inside herself. Eventually she came to see the mission for what it was and how she would thrive and love it for its horror. Alazne Gni and Razadi was a separate problem that plagued her, but she'd deal with that when it happened. For now, she would embrace the fear and it's inevitable spiral into the Darkside.

She tapped the durasteel container wall with her keratin claw, the Sithspawn were going to be their most effective weapon on Valc VII. "I am ready, as well."

Conveniently she thought Because we should be approaching the Valc system soon before she'd entered the hold, she confirmed that they were already in the Perinn sector.

As anticipated, the alarm sounded throughout the ship confirming they'd jumped out of hyperspace into the Valc system, now only a short trip remained until they arrived at Valc VII.

"My mask please." She said and walked closer to Ezra. The autopilot would bring them in and then they'd begin the assault.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

"Have no fear. Should you be horribly injured I can suture you back together. Perhaps even improve you." Ezra said nonchalantly as he stowed the datapad away in his pocket and reached down for one of the tanks. Reaching in his gently took hold of the mask, cooing and offering quiet encouraging words as if coaxing a child out. The masks were semi-sentient and very much alive. They did not have much in the way of a brain, just enough manage a few systems. He still wondered if they retained anything from their previous lives; if they remembered swinging in the trees of Myrkyr or being children lost in the bowels of Coruscant. Oh yes, the force sensitive tribe of children had proven a great asset in his experiments. Razadi's act of kindness and deception had proven an asset in the long run.

Lifting the mask out of the jar he handed it off to Frygt, and then pulled out his own from it's respective tank. "Remember. Don't fight it. You have to give yourself to the mask. If you resist it will try harder to connect, and the nerve damage could be severe. It will be painful. It will be uncomfortable." Flipping the mask over he pressed the soft, curved surface up against his face. Blind from the world. It did not react until it was properly in place, and then the sides closed on muscled hinges and the small spikes drove into his skin to hold it in place. That was mildly unpleasant. There was more to come. Next the tubular appendage pushed out of it's internal pocket and jammed it's way forcibly down his esophagus. Ezra coughed. Gagged. Choked. The feeling passed and he was capable of breathing again; the gill like sides of the mask heaving with every breath. Tensing he prepared for the final component as the hypodermic needle-like appendages drove into the surface of his face, penetrating into the nerves necessary to give the extra-sensory sight.

He screamed loudly, trying his hardest not to wriggle in agony. He let the pain fuel him, the way Sin had showed him all those years ago. He didn't shy from it, he embraced it, pulling it into himself, turning it into power. The darkside was his ally, and through emotion, passion, and pain he could control it. The pain passed, replaced by a sudden calm as if no horrible pain had been inflicted at all. His sight returned, and so much more. It was always so strange, the way the mask allowed them to see. The sensory nodes gave them so much more information than their humans eyes could ever perceive. Sometimes he wore the mask back on Tanaab just to see the world through this new filter. He quite preferred it.

Ezra made a mental note to research permanent sight upgrade modification to human eyes.

[Lady Frygt]

She stared at the writhing snake-like appendage sticking out of the inside of the mask. She felt a moment of revulsion in knowing that it would go in her mouth and down her throat. She could also see tips of the spikes that would thrust into her face to secure the mask.

A lesser woman would be afraid... She thought and then plunged her face into the fleshy creature. It felt cold and she gagged as the appendage slid down her throat. Then, it began to latch into her skin, a million needles of hot pain. Finally as the spikes secured themselves and the hinged muscles latched on her instinct ordered her to scream.

The Darkside always had a way of transforming the present from within her. Her scream turned to rage and then to calculated wickedness, She found herself craving continued pain, as her body adjusted to the mask and accepted it as self.

Then, in a voice not her own, she said, "It's almost too pleasant."

Torture always brought out the best in her and she'd become accustomed to extended sessions of humiliating pain. The experience of quick pain and then nothing was entirely foreign to her. Since she'd been working with Ezra on Taanab, she'd been enduring what she called "focusing sessions" She'd been working with a personal hybrid droid to cause her as much bodily and mental pain as she could handle and then more. The droid was a human brain and droid body working as one efficient machine. In her ascent to the Darkside, she infuriated the brain behind the machine who once belonged to a Sith Lord, When he tortured her it was marvelous, she could taste the hatred emanating from his brain as the metal tools sliced and pulled at her flesh. She'd worked with pure mechanical droids before for torture but it was never enough. If she couldn't feel hatred directed at her, it wasn't worth it. The power of hate was everything to her, it fueled her body and dictated her actions. And all hate began with pain. So when the mask's tendrils writhed into her skin pores and synced with her nerve endings with fire, she felt a peace of rage filled action.

I might have to keep this thing. She thought.

"I expect we're near orbit of Valc VII, which means our friend should be arriving soon." She said in the voice alien to her. If you wish to see the event, You can join me in the cabin."

She doubted he'd follow, Ezra had little taste for anything that other than his marvelous creatures. But she wanted to see. Once their ship was near orbit of Valc VII, a second ship, the one left on Taanab by that Verkasa Vel Aath woman, would exit hyperspace extremely near to Valc VII causing a gravity well within the planet's gravitational field and ultimately collide with the planet's surface, hopefully near the citadel where the major networks converged on the prison planet, if not, it was no matter, Ezra, his monsters, and she would have plenty of time to wreck havoc in the citadel until whatever Imperial Knights could get there.

She stared out the window through the living mask into empty space, waiting for their second ship to arrive and collide.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

Ezra resumed his seat without a second thought, rocking back and forth in it as he looked over his datapad. A thought occurred to him which had not permeated his mind until just this moment. Sitting up and looking toward the front cabin, he wondered if this was a test; if Lady Frygt was inviting him to the front despite knowing that he would not in order to test his resolve. He knew that she knew that he would much rather spent his time back here, behind the lines, building monsters and working in his meat shop back on Tanaab. She knew full well that he had no taste for combat, and that his joy was derived from the things he could create with his hands and mind.

Yes, a test. He would prove her assumption wrong.

Getting up he walked the path, the extra-sensory nodes of his flesh mask made the trip a new experience. He had never worn them outside the lab. Everything was new and different. Even the most mundane objects took a new light when viewed through the sensory nodes and eyes of the mask. It was amazing. Truly the experience must be extended to other senses. He could only wonder what such extra-sensory would feel like when spread to the entire body.

"Please tell me we will begin soon. I hate to wait." He spoke as he entered the cabin, stepping up beside Frygt at the viewport.

My, my. The galaxy was an entirely different beast when viewed this way.

[Lady Frygt]

As Ezra strode in in the cocky manner she'd become accustomed to interpreting him in she thought, [i]Yes, yes, you're smarter than me and hate how I waste your time with missions like this, I know all about it."

"Assuming our companion ship endured it's hyperspace voyage uninterrupted, it should start any second now. No, don't look at the planet, look back here," she pointed to a spot in the distant emptiness. "The ship will exit hyperspace right there, and between there and the planet, It'll continue it's momentum and finally end on the planet's surface."

Sure enough, the ship exited hyperspace with no fanfare and continued, Veskasa Vel Aath's ship was indeed fast, it was a shame to lose it. But She knew that there was good chance the ship had at least once nasty surprise for the Sith Order if they left it around the grounds on Taanab. Which was why it now filled in as their imitation interplanetary missile.

"We don't have a lot of time, so we'll be descending to the surface when the ship actually hits, so brace yourself." She said while analyzing his masked face. It was especially difficult to read him with the Force dampeners in the mask, but doubly difficult without even having facial cues to go off of.

As the ship descended, the blast from the crashing ship rocked their vessel. But before Rikke could do anything about it, the ship was already hovering over the ground.

"Let's go. We're jumping.

----

They were within the complex now. There were rows and rows of prison cells on both sides. As she walked her lightsaber melted through the locks and the prisoners pushed the doors open to escape.

Finally one prisoner came to her and said, "You're not the real Empress, who should we say freed us?"

She smiled, "Tell them it was The Sith Order."

The prisoner nodded, "Ah yes, the Blue haired girl used to insist you would come for her. Not anymore though. She'll be quite surprised you all came after all. She's not in this block, if that's who you're looking for."

Rikke nodded. "I know. I'm here for the Imperial Knights, releasing you is just to get their attention."

The prisoner nodded and said, "Of course, thank you my lady." and he left.

She looked over towards Ezra, the mask had finally learned to mimic his face when when he entered a brooding state. He knew what was coming. It wouldn't be long before one of the so-called Imperial Knights was on top of them and the combat would begin. She wondered if the masks, with their Force dampening abilities would also shut out her ability to go into a Darkside rage. If it did, then the battle was going to be lost, but all that mattered was they distract the Knights long enough for Razadi and Alazne Gni to find Hara Kiri. Again, she looked towards Ezra and hoped that he wouldn't disappoint her.

OOC: I'm really sorry about my absence. My housemate decided it was a good time to get back on meth and begin a relationship with a minor... it was ridiculous, there were lawyers and all that.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

Penetrating the initial defenses proved simple and with low casualties. His children acted as they were designed. No sooner had they been released from their containers than they formed into packs at his commmand. His commands were simple, like a boy commanding his puppy. Stop. Go. Kill. The guards never saw it coming, and had hardly the chance to put up a defense before the low bodied hunters were upon them, using their powerful legs to rush and jump, closing the distance before weapons could be drawn, safeties removed, and triggers pulled. Pitiful, Ezra thought as he stepped over another dead Imperial. These were hardly the field test he wanted. Not yet. Eventually the Stormtroopers, the military elite, would come, and they his pets would have to deal with superior training, armor, and firepower.

They pushed fast and hard, cutting as deep into the facility as they could before their forces could respond. They reached the prison cells, leaving a wake of dead guards and workers along the way. Their remains laid ripped apart and strewn throughout the halls. The hunters were vicious. They did not kill as much as destroy. They paid no heed to their brothers that fell to blaster fire. There was always more to take the place of the fallen. Frygt lead the charge. Ezra kept back, running with his pack. His own lightsabre sat in his palm, not yet activated. It was unnecessary. His greatest weapon was his mind, which created these magnificent beasts. A lightsabre was a last ditch defense. He was no swordsman.

Frygt busied herself with cutting free the prisoners. His hunters let them pass, but they watched, hungry. Ezra could feel their bloodlust. They wanted to kill everything. Even Frygt. Ezra commanded them otherwise, and they obeyed. There was always the risk of rampancy, of losing control and his precious creations lashing out at anything with a pulse. It was a necessary danger, and one that he neglected to inform Frygt of. The risk only made for a more exciting field test. The beasts flowed around them, moving ahead of Frygt, to the side, and behind them to watch doorways and sniff out corners and crevices for cowards.

The Prison Cells captured, Ezra stepped up behind Frygt. "Do we plan to wait here for the Knights to show?"

[Lady Frygt]

She watched the prisoners flee, and knew it was pointless, the complex was massive, there was nowhere to go but elsewhere in the prison. Did they realize this? Ideally they'd riot and that would serve as distraction enough to draw the Knights to their location.

Why hope for a riot, when you can make one? The voices. She'd discovered that in high stress situations, voices would give suggestions to her. She knew they were in her head, but that did not necessarily imply they were native to her mind. A Powerful Force user could transcend death and speak via the Force to living Force users.

"Not a bad idea." She murmured, wondering if Ezra would notice her talking to herself. She reached out and touched the mind of a random fleeing prisoner still in the hall, heading for an exit. She found his anger and rage at being prisoner for so long and amplified it with her own innate fury. The man was oblivious to her influence as he retrieved a thermal detonator from a fallen guard. Soon, the hunters combined with a riot would draw the Imperial Knights to their position.

"Do we plan to wait here for the Knights to show?" Ezra asked.

"Impatient for a fight?" She asked. "We'll go to the next block, and as the prisoners are released, plant a seed of riot in their heads as we go. Eventually the Knights will come to us and this place will be chaos. Jedi don't operate well in chaotic situations, Sith do. Make sure your hunters are ready, we don't know how many of them there are."

She cut the lock to the door into the next block and stepped through as the door fell over into a new collection of prisoners waiting to be be released.