Ask Overdue Meetings

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc said nothing as she rushed past him to put herself between him and the beast. In truth, he already knew she was no match for it, but he wasn’t going to mention that aloud. Instead, he stayed back, calmly watching the abomination as it reeled back and prepared to attack. It had no visible eyes like most abominations, and it mainly sensed through the Force. Emryc knew his cover would be blown the longer the beast had the opportunity to gravitate towards the powerful Force user. However, he would have to wait for an opportune moment before acting.

The Sithspawn paused for a moment, sensing a powerful and oppressive presence in the Force. It had been created to obey and serve, but it didn’t have a master for a very long time. It had burrowed and slept in these caverns for centuries and now the Dark Side pulsed so deliciously through these tunnels. Emryc didn’t react and pretended to be a useless civilian with no real strength. He kept his gaze on the creature as he kept his distance, marveling at it from afar. He knew this beast could come in handy, but he had to ensure it wasn’t killed first.

Regardless of whatever attack Celeste launched at it, the Sithspawn suddenly drilled into the ground beneath it. For a moment, there was nothing but silence and Emryc said nothing. Abruptly, the Sithspawn broke through the ground again right below where Celeste was standing. As a result, she would be physically thrown and slammed towards the ceiling of the tunnel. At the same time, the beast began to invade her mind, jarring her thoughts to break her focus to make it difficult to use the Force as effectively. Sithspawn like these were extremely powerful in mental tactics, and this creature was ancient.

Emryc shuffled a few more steps back as any civilian would and masked himself in the Force, calmly wondering if he would be witness to Celeste’s death before his eyes. He discreetly channeled the Force to apply at an opportune moment whenever it would present itself. The Senator was outmatched here and there was no stopping the beast without him getting involved. It would quickly come down to whether he was willing to watch her die or risk blowing his cover.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste's heart was heavily pounding in her chest, but she desperately forced herself to stay calm. She couldn't afford losing her focus because then she would be rendered useless and if they wanted to survive that, she needed all of her powers. She approached the creature slowly, somehow hoping that maybe staying calm would soothe it, but it seemed like the ancient Sith spawn was definitely not here to play or reason with them...and it had already noticed them.

As soon as the creature decided to dive underground, she automatically moved backwards. "We need to run!" she yelled into his direction, immediately spinning around and starting to run herself. She had seen Sith spawn before, one time back then with her uncle, but it had been much smaller a d weaker and this thing was definitely something so huge and powerful that she was doubting this would end well already.

With the Force fortifying her movements, she was almost back at him when she could sense that impenetrable darkness from down below. It was not hard to follow its movement anyway, because its presence within the Force was utterly unmissable, but the closer it got the more frightened she became. She realized that there was no escape soon enough, however still managed to shout "RUN!" before it shot from the surface.

Of course it was targeting her...it was undoubtedly sensing her presence, but this meant that the President would make have a chance to get out of here alive, if she would at least find a way to keep it busy. The stench within the cave was still unbearable, but it was not like she had time to vomit as this dreadful abomination was already hurtling her though the air. She did somehow managed to coil the Force around her, but with the immense velocity and ferocity behind the spawn's attack she only partly managed to soften the impact.

She spun mid-air, her whole backside - back of the head included - still colliding with the ceiling, but even if a wave of pain shot through her body, the adrenaline was allowing her to stay awake. She came crashing down, the Force again only mildly cushioning her rapid descend as this abomination was already starting to mess with her mind. It was not even the crash that made her head hurt so vehemently, but it was the creature's attack that was aiming at completely incapacitating her.

She wasn't even sure whether that thing would try to kill them or eat them, but as she found herself on the ground there was just a high pitched ringing noise as her body went numb. Her thoughts were racing as this thing kept jarring. It had found its way back under the ground, but it was not letting go of her mind as she motionlessly laid next to that huge whole. That beast was not just drilling through stone, but literally through her thoughts. She somehow managed to raise her head, watching the President in horror while she pressed a tormented "RUN" forward again.

She assumed that if the Sith spawn decided to play around with her for a bit longer, maybe his strict fitness routine would enable him to escape through the exit behind its lair. He didn't look particularly frightened, but he had definitely moved further backwards and she was just desperately hoping he wouldn't be stupid enough to stay. The pain immediately intensified as she tried to fight against this unrelentless mind invasion. Her nails dug into the ground while she closed her eyes, a tortured, pain-stricken cry escaping her while she desperately tried to fight back. She knew she was outmatched, but as stubborn as ever, she wouldn't just give up without a fight. She knew what she had to do and she knew it would get ugly, but maybe it would buy him at least some time and so she just had to try.

She hadn't called on the darkness within for quite some time, because ever since she had officially left the Empire, she had even had less reasons to make use of her teachings. Sith spawns were abominations created from the dark side and from ancient, alchemistic rituals, so she had assumed there might have been a way to keep it interested for at least some time. Drawing from the pain, the frustration and the anger, she concentrated on the pulse of the dark energy within this creature, somehow looking for a way to reach it on a different level. As powerful as this thing was, she knew she was no match, however as she was specialized in mind tricks herself, she was at least hoping she would somehow influence that creature, even if it was just a mild distraction.

Once again, a hint of gold mingled with the usual lightblueness of the ocean of her eyes as she tried to call on her last resources. She ws not paying attention to President Thorne because her complete attention was focusing on the terrible abomination that was just lurking underneath the surface, plotting his next move. She was somehow trying to establish a connection to just pull this thing out of his own concentration, but it was constantly winning and making herself just lose the much needed focus as it kept pulling her thoughts in different direction. Her cry kept echoing through the stone cave, her body shuddering in pain and strain. She had faced death before and even if it seemed imminent and unavoidable in those terrible moments, her fierce determination was not leaving her, regardless of the fact that pain radiated from different areas in her body. It was likely she wouldn't make it, but maybe for him there was still hope.


@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc really did find the self-sacrificing types nauseating. It was what led Jedi to their deaths and usually for no real reason. He ignored her requests to run and remembered to look slightly panicked so she didn’t get suspicious. Not that it mattered, she was likely going to die right here. However, the tabloids would no doubt begin to sniff around and it’d come back to how Celeste went hiking with the ISC President and wound up dead. That was bad PR for him and he wouldn’t let that happen.

For now he played the civilian, the sithspawn focusing on Celeste as she was tossed around like a rag doll. The beast focused on her even more as she retaliated with mental attacks. Though she wasn’t powerful enough for it, her efforts worked to infuriate the creature and double down on its attacks. It attempted to destroy her mind by delving down even deeper into her thoughts. It would begin to learn about her condition and begin to twist and torment her mentally.

Emryc’s sensitive ears twitched as Celeste’s screams echoed throughout the chamber. That was when he decided he had enough. As the beast was already in her mind, Celeste wouldn’t be able to tell when he wove himself in as well. With almost surgical precision, he would cut into her mind, but not to torment. Instead, she would suddenly feel her consciousness drifting from her and a sense of drain working on her entire body. Within moments, she would be knocked out and asleep. Emryc used the Force to move her to a higher ledge as he slowly stepped forward.

Without having to hide himself, he could command his full strength without worry. The half Sephi stepped out in front of the sithspawn that paused what it was doing, suddenly turning its attention on him. With each step forward, Emryc felt the Force beginning to channel through him and pulse as if it were alive. His silvery gaze began to slowly shift into something lighter as Raze began to weave into his presence.

“Obey,” Emryc said flatly to the beast. The creature opened its jaws and roared in defiance, slamming its tail down and moving in to bite the half Sephi. However, it suddenly froze in suspended animation moments before it could attack him. The beast had attempted to pierce his mind and the defense measures Emryc had abruptly exploded back at it. The beast was frozen in place as the Dark Lord of the Sith tore and ravaged through its mind.

There were memories from the time the creature was made, faces of Sith Lords past, whispers from the times of Palpatine, Vader and even before. He rifled through those memories as if tearing out pages of a book. He was merciless as he slashed and tore apart the beast’s mind, ripping it into shards as he forced himself into its psyche.

Obey. The beast would hear his voice echoing within its mind. It was a deadly and oppressive presence that pierced into its mind and began to break it.

Externally the beast would writhe and twist, roaring in all its might, but nothing would help it. Nothing would ease the attack and Emryc calmly stood before it as he lay siege and destruction to its thoughts. The beast began to slam its own head repeatedly against the walls and ceilings in an effort to make it stop but the Dark Lord only pressed on.

Obey. He commanded again.

This time, the beast gave an anguished wail before it collapsed at his feet. Emryc didn’t release his hold just yet, keeping a choking, vice grip on the beast as it weakly cried out on the floor. The half Sephi knew it was under his command, and he would keep the creature to do his bidding. He would transport it back to Sith space, but for now he commanded it to burrow deep into the caverns and sleep until he said otherwise.

—​

By the time Celeste came back to consciousness, she would see sunlight. She was laying on soft grass outside and would see Emryc pacing back and forth and faintly hear what he was saying.

“-Need an evac immediately,” He could be heard a short distance away, “There’s bleeding and urgent medical attention is needed,” Emryc briefly glanced her way and she would catch those familiar piercing silver eyes, no trace left of what he had transformed into inside the cave.

He walked back over to her and crouched down next to her. For some reason, he looked especially uncomfortable, which was rare for the stoic half Sephi. Emryc kept his gaze on her eyes, “Don’t try to move,” He said firmly, “We will get you to a medical bay at once. Just relax,” He said as he rose to stand again and resumed speaking on his comlink, “Yes, I’ve sent you the coordinates.”

Celeste would feel her head and entire body throbbing. She would drift in and out of consciousness without much control. If she faded again, she would next wake up in a medical bay.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

She was already screaming in pain as that abomination kept attacking her, trying to dive deeper and even deeper into her mind while she continued trying to resist and to even force those attacks back at the dreadful causer. Her strength was fading as she was hurled into the air again, her body roughly slamming into the ground yet another time, sending another wave of pain through her body. The thing kept her so busy that she was not even considering what other consequences might follow, however she literally felt that not only her skin was deeply bruised and scratched, but her insides were starting to take damage too.

Once on the ground again, her whole body was throbbing with pain while she was starting to drift off. The pain slowly became unbearable, steadily forcing her to succumb to it. She already felt herself fading as she realized that she wouldn't stand this much longer. The darkness she could feel was utterly oppressive and completely frightening, unrelentlessly threatening to swallow her, just as the realization that she might not make it hit her. Had it been reckless to enter an ancient cave system? They had just wanted to explore...Celeste had always been the daring, adventurous kind, but even if it had gotten her into a couple of precarious situations, she had always thrived in it. However right here, right now she regretted everything as another realization hit her: She had not risked her own life, but also a second one, and as the President had still not actually moved, even a third life would probably come to an end.

Her screams slowly faded as she couldn't take it any longer. She held on until the very last second, trying to challenge that creature mentally in a way that Emryc would still have the chance to run if he finally managed to break out of his stasis, but as the creature slammed her down yet another time, she was swallowed by a sudden numbness. Her eyes were still open for a moment, but she neither saw nor felt anything. Something cut right into her mind, finalizing what the Sith spawn had started, but it felt slightly different than before. She was unconscious within a few seconds, literally believing that this must have been what dying felt like. She assumed the dark abomination had chosen a last final, different wave of mental attacks, but she couldn't place that terrible feeling anyway before her whole world went black. She lost consciousness with the uncertainty whether she would ever see the light again, and the fate of the President was also left unknown.

--------

For a whole time there was just darkness. Nothing but a thick, impenetrable darkness. Gradually, her hearing ability came fading back in and she started picking up a familiar, firm voice. The voice was first, but it was soon followed by the rustling of some leaves in the distance, some birds' twittering and some other sounds she couldn't yet place. She tried to move her muscles, but not even her fingertips listening to her right now and so she just laid their for a while before she could finally open her eyes.

She laid flat on her back, her whole body and especially the abdominal and head area throbbin in pain. Her gaze immediately met Emryc's silver orbs, his facial expressions somehow...changed. apart from a slight smirk she had not seen the stoic man move a single facial muscles, but right now there was a definite amount of concern in his gaze. Was she just imagining his face and the sunlight in the background? Was she actually dead or maybe caught in a state inbrtween life and death? It didn't make sense that they were still alive...right? Following thoughts was unbelievably painful and so the immense pain forced her into submission once again. She had not quite understood what he had said, but the last thing she saw were that his lips were moving.

The last sensation she had felt that her clothes were soaked in several areas, but the stickiness revealed that this was no water...or dew. She drifted off again and was instantaneously absorbed from the all-embracing darkness while the pain kept tormenting her for quite a while. When she woke up again, she was immediately blinded by a bright light that immediately forced her to close them shut again. She was still in immense pain, but it felt like she had recovered the ability to control her body at least to some extent, as she managed to contract her fingers. She blinked a few times, trying to make a meaning out of her location, but it didn't exactly calm her as she realized she was in a medical bay of some sort. A painful groan escape her while she tried to move, but it felt like she was still way to dazed to actually do so. By the numbness she could tell that she was either temporarily paralyzed by what had happened, or they had drugged her with enough painkillers. Through her foggy mind she couldn't quite remember what had happened, but there were a thousand questions on her mind.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Because Celeste was a Senator and would have media surrounding her like vultures, Emryc had arranged for her to be taken to a far more discreet location. It was one of his personal medical bay quarters and it was almost entirely manned by droids. The lack of people meant there was no gossip or media leakages. However, it also meant that bedside manners weren’t exactly a thing. As a result, the half Sephi was put in an awkward position. He was on his comlink almost the entire time canceling his other meetings and shuffling things around. In truth he didn’t want to deal with this, but he couldn’t exactly toss her out to the wolves either. His fiancee (@Altaris) was far better at handling emotional situations than he was and he actually called the man on advice on what to say.

He was notified when she returned to consciousness. She would feel alone and out of place, surrounded by a few nurse droids that shuffled in and out. After a while, Emryc entered as he finished off the conversation he was having on his comlink. He eyed Celeste for a moment before striding closer to her while she remained on the bed. She would notice that her bed was exceptionally large and all the doorways were extremely tall - a clear sign that this facility was built with him in mind.

Emryc said nothing for a moment. He wasn’t good at this. He also didn’t care about this sort of thing. However, this hit slightly closer to home as he was reminded of Malicia and when she had been pregnant with his twins. And he remembered all too clearly his former lover killing Malicia and the babies before they were ever born. It was a memory that would haunt him for life even though both Malicia and his lover had been dead for years now.

The half Sephi shook himself out of his thoughts as he met Celeste’s gaze, “How are you feeling?” He asked calmly, thinking back to whatever Jaikus suggested. He had said to look at least remotely sympathetic with his face. What the fuck did that mean? He knew the droids would do an awful job of it, but he was hardly any better.

“Celeste,” He began quietly after a moment, “There’s something you need to know,” Emryc thought about all the ways he had studied human emotions and empathy. In truth, he didn’t care about this and he had to actively find some sort of empathy. He decided to think about his own experience to draw from so his face wouldn’t look so stony, “The medical droids…they mentioned that you experienced a loss,” He shifted a bit where he stood, “I was unaware of your condition. I wouldn’t have suggested the hike, nor did I anticipate the..monster that was in there,” The last bit was true - he couldn’t have predicted that there would be a sithspawn in the cave, “I’m… sorry for your loss,” Emryc said after a moment of silence, his gaze flicking towards her stomach and then back to her eyes. He hoped there wouldn’t be too much of a fuss. He resisted the urge to check his chrono and get back on the phone to attend his other meetings. Emryc wasn’t good at any of this stuff and he was the last person to have around to deliver bad news.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

She had drifted in and out a couple of times, still not knowing whether the meds were to blame or the concussion. She assumed that she was indeed suffering from another heavy concussion as the repercussions of the last one after Ruusan had barely fully passed and this dazed, numb feeling felt uncannily familiar. Once this fuzzy state of semi-consciousness was gradually fading, it was soon replaced by a slightly more stable kind of actual consciousness, allowing her eyes to slowly adjust to the bright light from above.

The longer she kept her eyes open, the faster her nausea deteriorated. It felt similar to the aftermath of Ruusan and an immediate wave of guilt swept over her. Had she not learnt from the so called 'peace summit' that had led to the galactical catastrophe of the Killik's emergence? How could their hike have escalated like this? Slowly but steadily the memories came flooding back in, the gut-wrenching feeling spread further. The immense pain she was in quickly mingled with regret and yes, a devastating panic followed.

She wasn't alone in this room - in fact a few medical droids hurried in and out, checked on her vital parameters and state of consciousness - but even if she could have probably answered, she chose to remain silent. Despite their presence, she had never felt so alone. There was not a single fleshed face and a thousand questions on her mind and she dreaded each and every single answer. She had no idea where exactly she was, how they had managed to even make it out alive, but she did not dare to raise any questions right now. She had not even raised her head until then, nor moved a single muscle, not just because of the pain, but because she was unbelievably frightened about how her body would react and what it would tell her about her state.

She knew this was bad. Fatal even. Yet she remain silent. Her head hurt and the racing mind didn't make it any better...she was fearing the worst and her heart betrayed her by its unrelentless acceleration while she desperately tried to remain calm. How fatal was her condition? Had Emryc even made it out vastly unscathed? How could this...terrible abomination let them go? Or was she not even conscious, let alone alive? Perhaps it was just a dream...clinging to that thought made it easier not to freak out at least. Perhaps she was just dreaming, stuck in a terrible nightmare that was hard to escape, but she already knew that this idea was wishful thinking and nothing more...

She tried to stay rational. The implications could have been fatal, but maybe all she needed was a bit of hope and faith. She had survived Ruusan and she was alive now. This thing had attacked her mind...right? It had drilled into her thoughts and yes, it had tossed her around like a toy it no longer wanted, but its focus had laid on her mind. Right? Without being able to control it, the first tears came running down. There was nothing she could do to stop it and even without knowing how bad she had actually gotten affected by the Sithspawn's attacks, it was as if she already knew that this time, there had been no miracle that had helped her survived without any fatal repercussions.

Emryc had not known about her condition, but she was afraid he had found out by now as she was probably owing him her life. She was certain he had brought her here and if se remembered correctly, she had caught a glimpse of the tall president while she had laid on the grass. Had this really happened? Or had a distress call found its way outside? Maybe ISC soldiers had extracted them before anything worse had happened...but then again she remembered that what happened in the cave (or the parts she did faintly managed to recall) had already been bad enough.

Why was she crying? She had no certainty...and yes she was terribly afraid of the information. The medical droids kept shuffling around but she avoided looking at them. Instead, she stared up towards the ceiling, trying to block out the pain until she saw Emryc's tall frame in the corner of her wet eyes. She slowly turned her head which send another wave of pain through her body, but a tiny of relief swept over her as she realized that he was indeed not only alive, but he also looked okay. Again, he looked slightly unsettled which strongly unsettled her, but she tried hard not to jump to any conclusions even if the pit of her stomach already told her that something was definitely wrong.

It wasn't necessarily his presence, but as he began to talk, she was engulfed by an icy cold that started to spread from the inside, making her limbs feel completely numb again. Was she afraid of the conversation ahead? Oh most definitely. She was not prepared for any conversation, hence she just stared at him with big, still, watery eyes that reflected her inner terror. He asked her how she felt, but it was pretty obvious that he didn't require any answers from her. His calm tone was not soothing - quite the contrary, it made it even worst as his usual, cold and often so intimidating demeanor had changed and this couldn't have been a good sign.

She swallowed the lump in her throat as he went on, her whole body already shuddering. Of course he hadn't known about her...condition. The visual signs hadn't been obvious yet, but as the word 'loss' had left his lips it was as if he had punched her right in the face. There was not just a cold. There was an immediate emptiness that spread inside her, as if a black hole had been opened, the impenetrable darkness threatening to swallow her. Could that...truly be? After Ruusan...hadn't she learnt? It was not just the guilt that set in. There was also anger. She was weakened, yet the fright was soon replaced with fury as she realized that this all was self-inflicted. She swallowed again. Her gaze had not left his silver eyes while she just stared at him in silence. On her inside, there was a battle between heated, raging emotions and nothing at all. There was also an impulse that simply said 'No', but actual disbelief was not winning that inner battle. The dark, cold emptiness swallowed that part and drew from it in return, adding just more fuel to that conflict. He said he was sorry, his stoic face displaying at least the slightest hint of sympathy, but at the same time she saw that he had no actual idea of what to say next.

Neither did she, if she was being honest. When she had found her way back to consciousness, she had already feared that while her life had been saved, another one was lost. The tears continued to run down, yet her facial expressions were rather cold. She had seen her parents dead in front of her very eyes, yet this was even worse. She had always been rather emotional, yet right now there was just too many emotions that in the end, she felt nothing for a few moments. There was just this cold, empty darkness while she stared at him. She opened her mouth, yet closed it again, averting her gaze for a moment. She stared right past him against the wall, her body still shaking.

It hadn't been that Sithspawn that had caused that loss. It had been her. She alone was to blame for the death of her unborn child and the guilt already began to eat her from the inside due to that devastating realization. She had entered that cave with the president of the ISC and she had actively chosen to meet him despite her pregnancy in the first place because she had actively tried to be proactive about working towards galactic peace....It felt as though someone was starting to strangle her as it suddenly became hard to breathe. Her windpipe felt compressed and her lungs as if some heavy weight was placed on them while someone had simultaneously plunged a lightsaber right through her heart. There was a bitter irony in this story: He of all people had to deliver those news after they had discussed possibilities to end the ongoing war on their hike. Right now a new war had started right inside her and diplomatic negotiations wouldn't end this on peaceful terms...

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

In truth, there were no right words to say during a moment like this. Emryc allowed her a moment of silence to collect herself. However massive his frame, there was an odd sense of calm in his presence that in turn allowed Celeste to grieve in peace. He didn’t have an overbearing or intrusive demeanor then and he quietly stood for a while. His mind ventured back into his own past to places he hadn’t thought of in a long time. He hadn’t thought of Malicia or the twins in years, and suddenly those memories were all too vivid.

The half Sephi spoke after a long moment as he looked at her again, “This facility is discreet. Nothing will go out to media or outside of here without your consent,” Emryc reassured her. Politicians were always at risk of having all their personal matters splattered across holonet immediately, “Is there…anyone you’d like me to call or have brought here? Perhaps…the father?” He asked after a pause. He didn’t know anything about her personal life, nor was it his business. And he certainly wasn’t going to assume or buy into tabloids suggesting her so-called affair with the Senator of Kashyyyk.

Emryc moved closer to her to hand her some tissues to wipe her tears away. While this wasn’t exactly his realm of expertise, he wasn’t going to be totally inhuman either, “The medical droids recommend that you stay here for a few days to recover. However, if you’d prefer to be moved elsewhere, that can be arranged,” While Emryc personally never cared what medical facility he was in, he knew a lot of people needed others around them for emotional support. It was a concept he would never grasp, but he was aware of it.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

The way he just stood there, his -for him- still slightly softened facial expressions radiated calmness, but it was not enough to actually soothe her. With her body still shuddering she blinked away the tears and after a few moments of her just staring at the wall, they suddenly stopped rolling. That was when that inner void took over and started to follow her. On the one hand, it felt like that inner black hole was pulling her inside, on the other hand it felt like their had just been a veil of icy darkness that dewed her just like that. It was an odd sensation, but that inner pain stopped as an emotional numbness took over. She directed her still watery eyes back up to the President, taking the tissue with a hint of gratitude while she pondered on his words. It still felt like someone had kicked her right in the face and well, to be honest, apart from her fatal loss, the skin she could see was still a testament from what happened.

She would not dare to get up and look in the mirror even if she would somehow manage to leave the bed later on. She just sat there in silence for a little while longer before she cleared her throat. The shock ran deep and she hadn't even fully processed the information and it was absolutely painful to force herself to speak, yet he had a point. Sooner or later she had to react...she had to tell those few who were already involved and she dreaded each and every conversation. Especially the one with Lukas..."I..." she truly didn't know what to say as she was still utterly speechless, "guess I'll stay" she still managed to say, her voice faint and pain-stricken. "No...not yet" she added in regards to his question whether anyone should be brought here...before she would face any of the unbelievably painful conversations ahead, she had to process the information herself for a while. She swallowed that upcoming lump in her throat again, her lungs still feeling as though something compressed them.

As she still sit there her nails dug into the soft mattress of the oversized bed underneath, the white of her knuckles clearly visible while she just tried to cope somehow. It felt as though constant shivers ran down her spine as this emptiness spread. If there hadn't been just mainly droids in this hospital in the middle of some place she probably didn't know, bystanders would have maybe sensed that a darkness that had long been suppressed was starting to re-emerge. She tried to push it down, put since she had a thousand other things on her mind she couldn't just block it out. Behind all that deep pain there was also this massive frustration and even anger. She was furious about herself and there was no way she could just swallow that too...how stupid had it been? How stupid had it been to head off to diplomatic endeavors after Ruusan and how stupid had it been to enter that cave. She swallowed again, the internal rage that was directed at herself bringing more tears back to her eyes but then didn't run out yet. She hadn't even realized that she her gaze had wandered off against the wall, but now that she did notice, she looked back at him again. "Thank you, President Thorne...". She was not just thanking him for letting her stay here and the treatment, but much more for his patience and to some extent also for his understanding and of course somehow also for at least her life. She didn't quite know how, but some of his men had apparently saved them and brought them here, but how exactly they had even manage to survive was yet another brilliant question.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was silent as she spoke, the same stony expression on his face that almost always graced it. It wasn’t easy to get any emotions out of him both because he was part Sephi but also from how he had been conditioned as a Sith. He sensed the darkness whirling within her. It was always different when it was a Sith. The half Sephi’s ears twitched just a little bit, his jaw tightening. The dark side in its most visceral form, like what Celeste experienced then, was intoxicating to him. It was the scent of blood to a hungry hound in the form of Raze. The beast roiled and writhed, rattling against its cage to emerge. It wanted to corrupt her, subdue her, make her contort and dive right into that exquisite and dark chaos that was the dark side. It wanted to claw out and force her to submit just as he had done with the sithspawn.

He exhaled slightly, pointedly looking away as little glints of yellow began to threaten his eyes. His fingers curled slightly, but otherwise he appeared relatively calm. He didn’t often come across other Sith while he was posing as the President absent the Force. This development threw him for a loop and he had to fight to maintain control. As someone completely drenched in the Dark Side, Emryc was always drawn to it.

For Celeste, she would feel the dark thoughts beginning to churn and whirl within her mind. It was that much easier to give into temptations that she had kept at bay in order to leave the Sith behind. While Emryc didn’t do anything overtly, there was something dark and alluring about his presence in the dark side that would draw anyone vulnerable to it.

“I will leave you to your thoughts,” Emryc stated curtly after a moment, deciding he didn’t want to jeopardize the situation. He rose to stand, keeping his gaze elsewhere as he prepared to leave the room.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

While she started spiraling, he was still that solid rock in the middle of the surge. Well, he hadn't been the one that had just received horrible news, but then again, he had been the one who delivered the message. Of course, the President was still composed as ever now, especially he had no idea about the battle that had just begun inside her.

She closed her eyes for a moment, forcing herself to breathe in and out a couple of times, but each and every breath seemed to make it worse. The invisible weight on her chest compressed her lungs further, slowly obstructing the hair flow while her breath grew faster. Do not hyperventilate, she cautioned herself, but while that stubborn, inner voice was usually immensely strong, it had nothing to say now. She really wanted to avoid pulling him into this mess, but this pain and emptiness transformed into anger and soon into rage, making it almost impossible for her to stop right here.

As strong-willed as she was, she did, however, somehow manage to keep it together for a few more moments in which she forced the tear filled eyes open and glared up at him again. She tried hard not to focus on this expanding black hole that wanted to swallow her as she nodded, but once he had turned her emotions started to run wild.

He hadn't even left the room and it already felt like the hole had turned into a heavy thunderstorm. It rocked her from the inside, but it was not at all frightening. That pure, empty coldness was replaced by so much more and this new, much more powerful kind of the darkness was starting to promise her something. How would she ever be able to deal with those emotions? Well, technically she knew a few ways. She couldn't even grasp why, but while all emotions ran wild, the darkness seemed to creep upwards and right into her mind.

All those years, she had fought against it. She had tried to repress all of those sinister remains deep inside her, and now it seemed like the struggles had been in vain. Why did this all come up so fast right now? It was not that she hadn't even fully processed his words, but they had apparently triggered something. This loss was connected to so much more...Lukas had been mad after what had happened Ruusan, even though this hadn't been expected at all. What would he say now that she had not only agreed to accompany Emryc on a hike, but that she had entered an ancient cave system? And there it was again: This immense rage directed against herself intensified.

All of a sudden, the darkness grew and grew and now it did not just seem to want to take over control in her mind, but she was even tempted just to accept defeat. Celeste had never been someone to give up...like at all, but right now it seemed to be the much easier choice. By giving in she would be able to focus those wild emotions and to redirect then into something meaningful for now...lashing out was bad, especially if she would lose control or anything, but this inner battle grew more and more intense. The darkness had ever been alluring and seductive, yet she had been strong enough to resist from tapping into deeper. Right now though, this anger blinded her and she was definitely not in her right mind.

She moved her head around, trying to focus on anything else but her thoughts in the middle of this breakdown, but the only thing she spotted apart from a leaving Emryc was the glass of water on the bedside table was a glass of water. Light blue eyes flicked over, her gaze much more intense than intended and without a warning the glass shattered into pieces. "Fuck..." so much for composure.

This was...not just embarrassing but getting out of hand. To say that she hadn't lost it like that before was a lie, and now that it did happen, she also started to panic as she felt powerless and powerful at the same time. On the one hand, this raging war inside her seemed unstoppable and she feared the consequences, but on the other hand, this storm of emotions was oddly helpful as it was distracting her from the actual terrible thoughts. The President had definitely been close enough to hear the glass shatter as his tall frame was still in the room, but she was afraid of even becoming a danger in this state. This was all just way too much and she hadn't felt this unrelenting pull towards the dark in ages...but it made sense. Had she ever been this vulnerable.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What the hell would he even think of her? He surely had security droids just outside, but then another thought severely distracted her. As her gaze flicked back onto him, she felt this hurricane of emotions focus for the briefest second. Was this just his stoic, icy, unshaken presence? Was this a display of her subconscious intimidation? She gasped, utterly confused. Her hands had been clenched to fists, but now the reopened as they started digging into the soft mattress underneath again. She wanted to scream, but knew to well that no sounds would leave her lips. Make it stop, she internally pleaded as this was obviously tearing her apart.

How could this have escalated so quickly? All this self control, all those years, seemingly shattered in this vulnerable moment where she truly questioned everything. Her thoughts were too convoluted and that inner pain too immense to even focus, but what she did know was that the dark side was tempting her to accept an easier way of coping. This was no decision to just make from one second onto the next, but perhaps those were the repercussions of that Sithspawn. Had it infested deep inside her mind? Would it try to draw her into the darkness like a moth to a flame? And who was there to help her, when she didn't even want to talk to anyone?"Help" she whispered faintly, even more to herself.

She tried to search for any thoughts that might ground her, because grounding had helped her the last time this had almost happened. However, there was no holding onto to good thoughts right now. It didn't even work to recall those that had helped her in stabilizing, as literally all she saw was darkness right now. It felt like the room temperature had dropped several degrees and her spinning thoughts descended further while she even imagined her vision to grow darker. Were the lights suddenly flickering as the dark energy spread? No...this was probably just her imagination playing tricks on her.

And yet a few actual, real thoughts came up. Memories. Memories from the Academy, from what her uncle had preached in all those years and memories like on Rattatak were a purely dark sided power like Force Horror had saved their asses...maybe power was the way. Of course it had felt great to feel so powerful....same as when she had forced one warlord after the next into submission. Was she the one submitting now? "NO!" it suddenly and determinantly escaped her loudly as she stared at Emryc in blank terror. Well...what now? Instead of endangering his wellbeing again, maybe leaving was indeed the better choice...but then again, where to? In her desperation she swung her legs from the bed in an attempt to get up, but as soon as her feet touched her the ground and her upper body rose, pain shot through her as she collapses to the ground, leaving her feeling utterly defeated in this very moment, her body shuddering.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was about to exit the room when he heard the glass shatter behind him. He had felt the churn within her for a while, but while posing as a civilian he couldn’t react to any of it externally. He had to fight Raze to keep the beast down and chained. The glass, however, was audible enough for his sensitive ears to pick up and he turned to watch her. He eyed her with silent curiosity, knowing she was too inside her head to properly note what he was doing. She would miss the way he studied her, the cold stare analyzing and calculating. She would miss how a smile almost tugged at his lips because watching someone spiral down into darkness was one of the most beautiful things to behold. She would also miss the way his eyes had a glint of yellow before disappearing.

The half Sephi stood at the doorway as Celeste gasped for help, but he didn’t step into the room. There was no fear in his eyes, nothing beyond morbid curiosity. It was as if he was watching an animal in a cage that was pacing back and forth, an animal that belonged in the wild. He studied the way it struggled against the bars and clawed to get out. It was both fascinating and horrid to watch, but he did it anyway.

He was powerful enough in the Force to be able to subtly weave into her mind. Raze wanted to play and Emryc couldn’t deny him when a toy presented itself so willingly and invitingly right before him. The monster began to channel through her mind, slicing in with the precision of a surgeon making the first cut. She would be too lost in her sea of thoughts to understand what was happening. He was making little alterations, little images, little manipulations all while she would believe they were her own thoughts.

Celeste would be subjected to repeated instances of Lukas being angry with her for Ruusan. She would be forced to endure a potential scenario explaining what happened here and him turning from her. She would see flashes of him speaking to the Jedi, telling them how he had succeeded in luring her away from the Sith. How that had been the plan all along. How it was just one more win for the Jedi. How it was great to have a Sith turn on her allegiance and how she was committed to Lukas and nothing else. She was a dog Lukas put the muzzle on her.

She would see glimpses of her life in that cabin and she would get faint glimpses of an alternate reality of one day becoming far more powerful. She would see herself becoming a queen where she was the ultimate authority. 'I should be callin' you Sultana instead of Senator!' Altair Din's voice would echo within her mind from a shared memory.

She would feel power rippling through her far beyond anything she ever imagined, a sense of liberation where she could soar as high as she pleased and could bring all her enemies to heel. She would see a lifetime of servitude in the path she was on now, where she constantly had to play nice, constantly had to hold back, constantly had to appease. In contrast she would also see herself as the final say, where she could force change without placating anyone, where she could accept all parts of herself instead of subduing the darkness that was in her all along. That was natural and a core part of her. But one she tried so hard to hide away.

In those thoughts, she would see the faint profile of a tall figure, a Sith Lord. It was a recognizable helmet, the telltale red visor that a large part of the galaxy feared. The Dark Lord appeared in her thoughts, gazing directly at her as if directing her to him. However, no words were whispered, nothing more given. The image faded, but she knew exactly what it meant and who it was.

“Are you all right?” Emryc’s baritone voice echoed. She would find herself back to reality with the half Sephi staring directly at her. His piercing gaze was cutting through her and he was in the process of helping her up to her feet, “Perhaps you should attempt sleeping,” Emryc said quietly, giving no indication that he had any clue what just raged within her mind.

Internally Raze was pleased. The monster drank his fill from the dark energy that surrounded Celeste’s mind and it relished every second of it. The seeds were planted. It remained to be seen if the flowers would bloom.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

And just like that she crumbled. She was caught in this dark vortex and not just that: She wasn't even alone. While she started to descend further and further into the darkness, she paid no attention to her environment and even though she knew Emryc couldn't have gone far, her most vulnerable position invited someone else, and while the President had no idea what was going on in the Senator's mind, the intruder did.

Vulnerable as she was after she had received the fatal news she had apparently lured someone towards her. Ever since she had officially left the Empire, she had never wasted any second to think about him, as she had just dearly hoped she would never cross paths with him again, but somehow he had been attracted like a moth to a lamp. How had he located her though? Or had he like...never truly left?

She noticed his presence and it was undeniably strong, however there were other images and impressions popping up in her mind that slowly forced themselves into the foreground while they were absolutely impossible to ignore. She saw visions of the past where she had Lukas had fought about what happened on Ruusan, and a bad feeling immediately set in. He had been anrgy at her and she had gotten furious at his accusations because no one could have assumed that the Killik tragedy had started right then and also, no one could have guessed that Null -having seen the emergency broadcast- would bury her under debris in an attempt to save her life. Lukas' rage had been misplaced and even after things had calmed down a little, and indescribable tension had remained between the two of them.

She hadn't even told him that she had scheduled a meeting with President Throne for the exact same reasons and so she had already dreaded the upcoming conversations, but now the darkness allowed her to catch a glimpse of a possible future that seemed way too real. He would definitely freak out, especially after hearing about the Sithspawn and Celeste slowly realized, that whatever was about to happen, wouldn't be pleasant. This thought already made her unbelievably angry because while it had been a rather naive decision to enter an ancient cave system, the way he would put it, would only display that he tried to control her...like figuratively speaking locking her into a cage and controlling her moves because he considered everything a threat.

However, it was not just that prospect that functioned like fuel to that inner fire, but it was also the next vision of her being stuck in his cabin in the middle of Endor, hidden away from civilization and everyone else. He wanted her to stay home because he saw danger everywhere. He would force her into staying on Endor, but no, she would never let that happen. Now, it didn't even matter anyway, but what the hell had she missed? How could she have been so blinded by love that she hadn't even realized that she would have never managed to do what he wanted her to do? He had definitely asked too much of her and because of that she had repeatedly ended up in fights with him, but after today, it didn't even matter. It had never been his decision anyway, but she also realized that he had wanted her to change and she had been in that position way too often. How could she have not noticed all that? He had not actively tried to manipulate her career, but honestly, he had wanted her to stop pursuing each and every ambition she had ever had once he had asked her to stay and keep herself 'safe' and leave everything else behind. She had given up much for him, but no....she couldn't give up her life.

And then it got even worse. She saw a vision of him running to the Jedi, reporting that he had been successful, and as she saw herself watching that vision in her own mind, that imagined shell of her lashed out. Normally, she wouldn't have believed such a thing, but now she was not only vulnerable, but he was the one making her believe those things. After all, it did make sense. Because of Lukas, she had officially left the Empire, because it would have gotten her into trouble, but even if she had had a couple of reasons, he had finalized that decision that she now even regretted. The pain inside her joined that pile of rage and she kept spiraling further into the deepest corners of her mind.

Wait...where did the regret come from? It briefly washed over her before the rage took over again. She furiously screamed in her own mind, wanting to yell that this couldn't be true, but deep inside her there was a strong part that just agreed. Maybe she had been wrong about him, about this all all along...maybe she had been wrong about finally having found her own path after all...

She couldn't shake those feelings as more and more conflicting visions found their way into her consciousness. There was now also Altair who had mentioned something that hadn't left her mind since. When she had conquered Rattatak by forcing each and every warlord into submission or having been forced to even take their lives, she had often been referred to as a warlord too. Taking their lives had felt like satisfaction and she didn't quite know whether that was because she had always been prone to the dark, or whether being powerful enough to crush those terrible people with a simply flicked up her wrist was an oddly beautiful thing after all...She was also still known as the dark sorceress for a reason, even though she had convinced the civilians that she was not there to continue the tyranny, but that she had been there to help. Her people were what mattered most and she had even abolished slavery, because it was simply wrong. She had tried to help each and every one of them and had taken all of their concerns seriously and it hadn't even taken long until she had gained their trust. In the end, she had even given them the chance to vote for a senator, and instead of choosing one of their former tribal leaders, the majority had voted for her and since then she had invested an incredible amount of time, and of course also a huge pile of credits into building a better infrastructure, a true educational system and rebuilding all the weapon and ship manufacturers...

Sure, this had only been the beginning since she had just been there for a few years, but progress was finally visible and it didn't only feel good to help, but she couldn't fully deny that it also felt great to see Rattatak's and her own influence grow. And then there was Altair's voice. Sultana. A completely different position she could technically gain. Maybe not just there on Rattatak, but after the FWA Emergency Meeting she had even played with another interesting idea in her head: What, of the Executive Council was just the beginning and there was a chance they would centralize their powers? What, if she could even gain more influence with that? She surely had countless ideas on how to set the course within the FWA, but she was also reminded of how different things had been while she had still been with the Empire...Sure, it had felt great as they had taken over the Arda system...and she also remembered how exhilarated she had felt as she had restored that Nexus on Thule and Rishi...Had she lied to herself and was he just making her believe that now...or had she never allowed herself all of those thoughts? As her thoughts were racing past different events on Rattatak she was also reminded of how powerful she had felt as she had sent the assailants at the spaceport into the realm of terror with the sheer power of her mind...or how she had repeatedly stirred up fright and terror in her enemy's mind in order to weaken them...this had always been way too tempting and even if she had committed herself to neutral powers only for quite some time, she had always missed her true powers...Only if she let go and allowed herself to revel in the dark, she had managed to unleash her true powers.

Celeste had never seemed like someone that craved ultimate power, but in the end, this had been the case because she had suffocated those longings before they had even started to come into existence, because she had constantly told herself that it was a wring thing to think, even though her whole upbringing had repeatedly taught her otherwise. While Celeste had suppressed so many things for years, there had always been that dark, corrupted part inside her though, and now her vulnerability had even started to make her lose control. Those racing thoughts made it impossible for her to concentrate at just one thing at a time, but what she did clearly sense was his presence.

Raze. The dark lord himself. She had last seen him on the ball of Serenno and while she had usually avoided unnecessary interactions, she had rarely ever seen him around anyway. His dreadful, appallingly dark aura had usually made most Sith keep their distance, especially because he was known for his unbreakable ruthlessness...

She couldn't help but to wonder whether he had lingered in her mind before...whether he was this unrelentless predator that had just waited for his chance to strike. How could he have been so close by? How could he immediately made that precise cut to find his way inside her troubled mind? Or worse...what if he had not found her, but she had even called him?!

Why did it feel like her past was catching up all of a sudden? It felt as though the dark seeds that were hidden deeply inside her saw the light again for the very first time after years, while he was even offering her the water and the soil and everything they had craved for so long. While she had normally dreaded the Dark Lord and his presence, she now was oddly calm. As his tall figure emerged in front of her very eyes, she just stood there silently, as if contemplating whether she should take a step forwards, but this decision was even taken away from her as her body just started to move while her torn mind had not even agreed.

There was not intimidation dominating her this time. It was admiration instead. She couldn't fully grasp why, but his presence was - for the very first time- not frightening at all, but alluring instead. A wave of thrill that washed over her as she considered that idea. What if she stepped even closer, this time on purpose even? Of course she was well aware of the fact that he was obviously tempting her, trying to seduce her into letting go and succumbing to the dark side, but this internal fire that usually fought against those instincts was utterly extinct after she had been consumed by those terrible, raging emotions. This promise seen in this alternate universe allured her and pulled her closer and closer. She was too weak to fight it right now, and the more she allowed it to happen, the easier and better it felt. She stood at the entrance of a pitch black hole that called to her in many different ways, yet this inner reluctance to resist faded away. She reached out with one hand and suddenly it felt like invisible tendrils wrapped around her very arm and pulled her into a tight embrace, but that was when she heard yet another voice.

“Are you all right?” She was back in the here and now and her heart was racing while her breath was still heavy, flecks of molten gold swirling in the ocean of her eyes. Slowly, this feeling of getting suffocated faded away while she did not only perceive Emryc's firm voice, but also felt his strong grip helping her up again. She softly landed back on the bed, her thoughts still spinning, but she had at least found her way back to the reality somehow. Whether she wanted to be confronted with the reality right now was a different story though, especially because it felt like she had just been presented the chance of a very interesting conversation. Her muscles tensed as she forced herself to glance up, her gaze still a little bewildered as she tried to bring her thoughts back into order. She swallowed hard and forced herself to take a deep breath before she opened her mouth.

"I'm...fine" she lied, her voice airy and somehow distant. She cleared her throat. No, this wasn't even a lie. That storm had momentarily calmed down and she had regained control over herself...for now. The pain and the numbness had even faded away and it felt like she knew what she had to do for now. She had to figure things out...things that suddenly seemed to make much more sense. The darkness had reached out to her and it had offered her a way to cope for now. Perhaps she shouldn't have been afraid to let it in...perhaps she should even embrace it. Why? Because at the most vulnerable position she had ever found herself in, the dark lord had managed to leave his mark deep inside her mind. Perhaps it was time for a conversation indeed, but this was no conversation to be held over a comlink.

"Sleep sounds good" she added, eerily calm for her own standards, especially when considering her circumstances. Her breathing was slowly back to normal and she forced herself to a fake, but convincly reassuring smile. The shuddering had stopped and so had that pain and she was indeed even grateful for that. Decisions had been taken away from her, but the next one was rather conscious. She would stay in this hospital indeed, not just to let her body heal, but to sort out the rest of her thoughts. She did not intent to do this completely on her own though...she had a few questions to ask, but they were not directed at anyone close to her. Raze was offering her liberation and indeed limitless powers...she was thrilled by that idea of expanding her skills, especially when it came to the manipulation of the mind and she knew that the dark lord had mastered that skill and perhaps he would even help her cut out a particular part.

Perhaps she wouldn't even have to remember all of this here...perhaps it was time to take fate into her own hands again after she had had been stuck in place for a long time. No matter how frightening his usual effects, she was even grateful that he had shown her something important: Apparently, her path needed correction and she felt almost compelled to try that out, even if that was even more than playing with fire. It was literally playing with her life, but in this very moment she wasn't even dearly holding onto to that. She had partly lost her footing in this galaxy because her curiosity and ambitions had taken her too far this time and because of her, a innocent life had been lost. Perhaps this was even a way to punish herself for it and to deal with the wrath that was solely directed at herself...but no. Not even that was the case. She was furious with so much more...and there was no one to pull her out of that abyss.

Her plan was to lie down and close her eyes in an attempt to center herself somehow. If he would decide to show up again, she wasn't afraid. Perhaps she was even awaiting him. Her mind was not capable of focusing on anyone else right now as he had skillfully taken away her pain by his precise invasion. Not just the physical, but most importantly that mental pain and it seemed like he could even help her more. The Force shall set me free...Her mind spiraled back to the code she had internalized so long ago. Perhaps it would indeed set her free, if she would no longer suppress the majority of it...

@Sreeya