[center][b]Xid~I~Zanna: Fallenreaper and Rtron[/b][/center]

Once Xid had gotten the strength to rise and head to his cell. Inside, his mind felt it was time again to take stock of himself. He wished he had the focus to stop it or the sense, but he was still adjusting to the world around him. Every single one of his senses screamed at him like being tossed into the chamber was his brilliant idea and now he needed to fix it. The only bad thing was there wasn’t anything to fix. There wasn’t any damage, just lack of use and now his eyes, ears, and more were once more growing accustomed to something other than utter darkness. Something much more than silence again. A fact his pain made very, [i]very[/i] clear. It stung to keep his eyes open while he stumbled through blurry vision and ache, bones slightly popped against stiff tendons and muscles.

Finally at his cell, the Padawan collapsed into a ball. His head held and shielded by his arms, his eyes blocked from the lights overhead. Even his own stench was enough to make him want to hurl, reminding him of how long it’s been since he washed up. Time passed but he didn’t care until it seemed the senses had started to meld themselves at long last. He squinted at his surroundings, finally realizing with a slight dread where he was, then began to stir to life.

Xid rose unsteadily to his feet. His body had the agility a newborn, feeble and weak, while he made his way towards the sink where he ended up finally washing up. The water made his skin shiver under the chill, but he bared through it and used his sleeve to wipe the grime away. By the time he was done, his flesh was slightly redden, not able to feel he was rubbing too hard until he saw the result. Once he had cleaned up the best he could, Xid started back to his cot where he jerked the thin sheet up and eased himself into a corner for whatever would come next. 

In the aftermath of the Padawan’s ‘meeting’ with Sish and his then confinement to the Sensory Deprivement Chamber, Zanna thought she saw the perfect opportunity to work on Xid. That, and the Jedi was the only one who could tell any Sith who harmed Strago. And that would get Thallia killed, which couldn’t happen. Not that Zanna cared for the human, but she didn’t want to lose her pawn so soon after gaining it. There had to be some way to ensure a Jedi’s silence. If her session with Viera was anything to go by, however, she’d have to take a more subtle approach. Like the one she was taking with Lea. Thus, setting aside and locking up her research for the moment, the Sith Pureblood walked through the ship into the Jedi Cell area. Opening the door to Xid’s Cell block, she paused for a moment, looking for him. When she spotted him, she quickly strode over, trying to control her impatience. While she wanted to get back to her research as soon as possible, she couldn’t just begin ignoring the Jedi completely. That was a quick way to give the Moff an easy reason to have her killed. 

Standing above him, she said, “You need to come with me. We’re going to have a chat.” Waiting, she shoved her impatience down. He was still understandably weak from the Chamber.

Xid’s head lifted upright, his eyes hurted to focus yet he forced past the sting just to see the voice’s owner. A female Sith, pureblood by the looks of it, was standing within his cellblock. Personally he thought about refusing and instead resisting. However, he had feeling he knew how that would’ve ended as likely the Sith would’ve ordered troopers to push him, a hassle that didn’t make his weakness any better. His shoulders slacked in the moment’s defeat then he started to stir upright. His foot edged gingerly off the bedside and planted itself upon the floor, his hand braced against the wall to aid him against tipping over. 

He wasn’t sure how managed it but he stayed upright, albeit a little wobbly. In the back of his head, he didn’t have any better option other than hope it was quick. “Very well...lead the way then Sith.”

Zanna restrained herself from tapping her foot or otherwise displaying her impatience while she waited for the Padawan to stand up. Effective as the chamber might have been, it certainly didn’t help for the sessions with the Jedi afterwards. At this rate, a year might pass before they get to the torture chamber. Still, she didn’t rush him, walking forwards and checking back frequently to make sure he was still following and hadn’t collapsed or slowly slipped away. Weakened or not, she wasn’t simply going to give him the opportunity to try and escape. Even if he was caught quickly, if Nyiss found out about that, she would be punished. The best way to avoid that was to not let it happen. So, after an unknown(certainly long) amount of time, Zanna finally opened the door to the torture chamber and ushered Xid inside. 

Rather than restraining him, however, she said, “Take a seat. Get as comfortable as you can in this place. We might be here for a while.”

Xid’s eyebrow raised in question, his sight still fought past the pain and see the Sith clearly. His stomach seemed filled with butterflies when she hadn’t restrained him and seemed overly calm throughout the trip. Even when he mainly focused on not stumbling along the way as he had caught glimpse of her looking back, each time his mind tried to brace himself for what might come. Personally he was expecting pain but instead she merely told him to take a seat. After Lord Namore’s and Sish’s, he had come to realize each Sith had their own twisted way to hurt Jedi, to him his had to be a trick or some ploy to confuse him. 

“I think I rather stay standing.” Xid said, calmly. He swallowed to clear his dry throat while he faced the Sith and forced himself to remain upright. 

Zanna shrugged. “Suit yourself. But you don’t look like you’ll remain standing for long.” She studied him for a moment, before speaking. “I know you’ve had the...pleasure of meeting Lord Sish at least once. You have my sympathies. Brutish, is the kindest way I can describe him. I also know that you’ve met Lord Jewel, and that experience didn’t go well.” Zanna had learned all sorts of things now that she had the one who controlled the cameras under her thumb. Thallia was a rather useful pawn, even if she was an impure bitch. “I imagine that your general thoughts of the Sith are unflattering, both by propaganda of the Republic and your fellow Jedi, and from your experiences with those two. You should, however, know that not all of us are like them.” Which was true. There had been a few Sith who weren’t as ambitious as Jewel or vicious as Sish. Who were actually nice people. Zanna refrained from mentioning that those Sith had died within weeks of her meeting them.

“Some of us want to help the Galaxy, rather than destroy it. We want to convince you to join us, rather than forcing you to.” Zanna gave a sigh. Completely fake of course, but she thought it was rather convincing. “Sadly, we’re in the minority of what you’re told, and who we send to represent us on the battlefield.” A small shrug. “After all, you don’t send the household pet to battle and leave the war beast home. For what it’s worth, I apologize for the acts of those two and any others in the future.”

To be honest, this wasn’t what Xid had expected. Not in the least. His legs started to tingle from the exertion he forced on them, the muscles twitched and seemed to feel like something invisible was dancing on them. He sadly couldn’t put his hands into his sleeves anymore as they were currently ripped off after tending to Allanar so his age old habit was nulled. For once, Xid wished he could reach into Zanna’s mind then decide the truth for himself. Mainly if she was sincere or not, but after the last encounter with a Sith his hopeful feelings had faultured. 

“Yes, they were not very pleasant but I didn’t expect them to be since I am a prisoner. Torture, pain, suffering are what most Sith are very good at. It’s easier as well as wrong. As for helping the Galaxy, selfish acts never helped anyone other than the one they originated from. I can’t see how hurting others or flat out killing would the Galaxy any good. “Xid made his point and in the back of his mind, expected the worse, as his hand reached out to press against the wall. His eyes never moved from the Sith before him. 

“And how many Sith have you met, aside from the beasts we let out to wage war? Two of our worst? And all you have to judge those you haven’t met is what our [i]enemies[/i] say about us? Truly, that is enough to judge an entire race. Well, philosophy, since the humans have been inducted.” Zanna countered, watching with concern(faked) on her face as Xid reached a hand out to lean against the wall. “Are you sure you don’t want to sit? That long in the chamber followed by this much movement can’t be good for you.” It was true. The human looked ready to fall over at any second. 

“And we do want to help the Galaxy despite what you may think. Look at the Republic and all of it’s worlds. You’ll see crime festering, the poor starving, filth and despair while the politicians bicker and quibble for more power. Nothing gets done while the politicians play their games. In the Empire, we don’t have that problem. We have a ruling system, and what the higher up says must be done gets done. Crime is almost non-existent, poverty is low, and everything is like a well oiled machine. But of course, people fight change. Especially those who serve to benefit the least from it. They paint it as evil, cruel. There is always hurt and death when change must happen. It is a regrettable fact of life.”

She shrugged once more. “But we persevere. For the good of the Galaxy.”

Xid just remained standing there for a moment longer, his strength and endurance already strained, before he twisted about to prop his back against the wall. It helped a little. He knew it was only a short time before he lowered himself and would be in a sitting position, but he wanted to try to last as long as he could. His ears heard Zanna counter easily at his attempt to reason Sith’s actions did nothing more than harm, never once had he ever heard of a Sith’s greed or lust for power doing any good outside themselves. 

“I’m alright.” Xid insisted, against his better judgement than added. “More lives are lost to Sith’s greed and ambition, even their own from what I’ve heard, than the Republic’s careless hands or do you deny this? Politics aren’t clean but it is not my duty to change that, even if I could. My only concern is to help others where I can. As for well oiled machines...life sadly can’t be that easy. I’ve seen some of the frontline to know that.” 

Slowly he found himself lowered to a sitting position. His hand rubbed his leg, a faint hope to get feeling once again within it, his eyes taken off the Sith for a moment. His words however didn’t stop. “If you want to help the Galaxy why become a Sith?” 

“That’s politics in general, not Sith alone. Your Republic’s careless hands are often guided by the same greed and ambition they condemn in us. The only difference, our greedy and ambitious are completely honest. Yours hide behind lies of how they are doing everything for the people. You can never fully get rid of the evils of Politics. But you can limit them. That’s what we’ve done, and it’s worked better than your Republic’s system. As for the frontlines...that is war. Nothing goes smoothly in war. Everything goes badly and bloodily.” Or so she imagined, from the fights and the gruesome ends she had been in and seen. She smiled slightly, seeing him slide to the ground. It was amusing, given all the protesting he had done. Her smile dropped when he asked his final question. For a moment, she pondered her response. She couldn’t give him an immediate lie. Not to a question like this. Tilting her head, she crouched down to his eye level. 

“For the same reason you became a Jedi, I’d imagine. I was never given a choice. I was born in Empire space, and the only option for me was to become a Sith. We are never given a choice. It’s decided before us at birth. So, I work with what I’ve been given, in the confines that has been set for me. Same as you. Yet now you do have a choice. You can do actual good in the Galaxy. You can help thousands, if not millions. You can save them as only a Sith of the Empire can.”

Xid just remained on the ground. His legs had curled underneath each other while his eyes shifted to the ground, his mind absorbed the words the Sith spoken. In the back of his head, the Padawan was still waiting on the torture yet all this seemed to be was just conservation. She wasn’t gaining anything from it and so would she bother with it? He wondered, his leg finally started to feel something again. Her words sounded like another’s he knew all too well, a lack of choice and forced into a life unwanted. Xid wanted to ignore the empathy which had sprung into his heart and tried to swallow it down. 

“If you’re trying to make me see the Empire in a better light, it’s not working. I don’t serve the Republic but more the Jedi as I’ve seen what good they can do. There’s no record or knowledge of a Sith ever benefitting the Galaxy though their corruption and suffering they leave behind.” His mind wandered back to Ithor, unwillingly causing a small hurt to emerge within him. “I don’t have as much as a choice as you think.”

His mind then turned to learn about the truth reason behind this little meeting. “You couldn’t just have led me here to talk so why bring me here?” 

“It’s hard to see something in a better light when all you’ve been shown is it in an evil light. The Republic is tightly tied with the Jedi. Everything they do is to better the Republic, because they can’t help in the Empire. Like it or not, you serve the Republic. You are the peacekeepers of it. You are the ones the people go to when they can’t decide for themselves.” She chuckled. “You know, I haven’t found any record or knowledge of the Republic benefitting the Galaxy in my records either. You don’t think it’s because they’re enemies and you don’t paint your enemies in a good light to your people, do you?” She raised an eyebrow. “You can never truly know what your enemies have done for or against the Galaxy until you’ve seen what they’ve done through their eyes. After all, all the things I’ve heard of the Jedi and the Republic can’t be true, right? You don’t actually enslave your dumbest people, or leave those who are crippled to fend for themselves in filth and poverty, do you?” She pointedly raised both eyebrows in question. 

“Oh, I doubt that. After the choices forced upon us at birth, we always have options. As for talking, actually, I have. I detest torture,” Physical, at least. When it served no scientific purpose. “and much prefer peaceably convincing you to join us.” She shrugged. “Not the type of Sith you’ve met or heard of, I know. Sorry to disappoint.”

“Right and wrong aren’t that hard to see. Suffering, even not seen outwardly, doesn’t mean it’s not there.” Xid answered bluntly, his eyes now raised to meet Zanna’s while he noted her sarcasm. That didn’t help him much in seeing her point of view or the fact she seemed to have a counter for most of what he said. He didn’t see how a Sith’s pain or suffering aided in doing any good, namely since it was done purely for selfness.

“Do you honestly think being a prisoner really offers that much options? I only have at least two, either turn or stay a prisoner. At least as a prisoner I won’t be forced into hurting innocent lives so you might as well as return me to the cell.” 

“And yet, all you’ve had to see is the Republic and Jedi’s versions of right and wrong. They’re opinions. That’s all they are. A man stealing to feed his family has a different view of right and wrong than the guardsmen trying to arrest him for stealing. All you’ve seen is the Sith being firmly on the wrong side of things. I’m trying to show you that we’re not all animals that take pleasure from pain. I’m trying to show you that we can help. And you always have options. They just may not be what you want. I’m sorry I can’t change them for you, but I’m only an Apprentice. My power is limited.”

She stood, shrugging. “I’m not trying to force you to hurt innocents. But, I can see I’m running repeatedly into a wall. Returning back to your cell it is.” She offered a hand to help him to his feet.

He noticed her stand now, her body once more rise above him and then shrug off his resistance. Like with Namore, he half expected something to sudden shift and a monster to be revealed. However that didn’t happen much to his visual surprise when she held out her hand and seemed to offer him a hand up. Xid couldn’t help the slight smile which etched across his face for a moment then it vanished once he took the aid up. Once he was upright, his knees tried to give out after being in a sitting position but his hand jerked against the wall bracing himself against crumbling. 

“Thank you…” He told her then added a question. “What is your name or merely I just keep calling you Sith?” 

Zanna saw his brief smile, and smiled in response. Though for an entirely different reason. Headway. However small, however tiny, she was making headway. [i]The subtle touch is the best.[/i] She thought, starting to go to his aid only to stop when he braced himself. “Your welcome. As for my name, Zanna. Pleasure to meet you, though I wish it could have been in...kinder circumstances.” She guided him back towards the cells, keeping careful pace with him. Both to make it look like she actually cared about his health, and to make sure he didn’t try to make his escape. Though, at this point, she seriously doubted he could run, much less escape the ship.

“Xid, and I wished so too.” He said, keeping in mind his manners and rather relieved this experience with a Sith didn’t end up being one of pain and misery. Xid wasn’t sure how much longer he would’ve lasted, namely with both Lord Namore and Sish to top off what other experiences he had witnessed. It was all too much to take in that times it felt like he would just wither away. She followed beside him as they moved towards the Cells, her eyes seemed to study him and his movements. Finally, after he had to stop a few times, they reached the Cell Block where they parted ways.