~| Day 1, 12:42 GST |~
~|Lord Jewel Namore and Padawan Som Lorso|~
~| Landing Pad, Jedi Temple |~
It was an interesting experience for Som, being escorted down the hallways he’d considered his home for so long in the company of strangers. Hostile strangers at that, their sabers unlit but held ready in their hands as if expecting the Mirialan to make a move at any moment. He knew better than that though, outnumbered three-to-one, with his hands bound on front of him and lightsaber smashed on the floor of the meditation chamber there was no way he’d win in a conflict, and his death would serve no purpose in the greater battle. Instead he allowed himself to be prodded and shoved as the Sith made their way down to the ground floor of the Temple.
Jewel was still waiting on the landing pad, still distinctly unsatisfied with the lack of brave, stupid Jedi charging in to battle her. Several unconscious ones had been brought in, yes, but they were of no real note to her, not right now. She was almost ready to start pacing impatiently when a group of lesser Sith walked a conscious Jedi through the door. He wasn’t even bound. She knew Jedi were self destructive… But this, to actually
surrender to a hated enemy, it took it to a whole new level. For a moment she just stared dumbfounded. None of the Jedi she had ever fought had
surrendered. When she regained her wits, she couldn’t help but start laughing, a melodious, spiteful and evil sound. She waved the Sith away when they brought the Jedi before her. She wouldn’t need their assistance with this weakling.
As the guards moved aside Som nodded his head to them respectfully, thanking them for their patience with him in their long march down. He was sure he heard a snarl from one of the men as they stepped away, but it was no matter. He had after all done as was only proper, even if they did not recognise the gesture as it had been intended. Turning to face the new stranger he noted her uniform was more decorative than the others and guessed that she was most likely a superior to the guards who’d captured him. Clearing his throat Som bowed his head to her as he spoke,
“Am I to take it you are the one who is to be imprisoning me? Or at least transporting me to a place of imprisonment?”Jewel looked down at the slightly shorter Jedi. He was
awfully polite. “Why yes, I am.” She said, still not quite believing it. It must be some sort of trick, his surrender. Yes. That was it. This was some kind of deception, to rescue the ones already captured. Though he wouldn’t get very far, with no lightsaber. “It would have been far more pleasant for you to have died resisting of course. The destruction of your temple and the crushing of the Republics beating heart is only the beginning. You’re
valiant-” She spat the word, making it clear that she thought it was anything but. “-Actions in giving yourself up peacefully are wasted.” This Jedi was altogether far too collected for Jewel’s liking. He should be a broken wreck at this point. After all, his world was literally coming crashing down around him. If that wouldn’t do it, then she would just have to help the terror along.
Glancing around him passively Som took in the scorch marks and damaged panels dotted along the passageway, in the same way one would consider an insect bespoiling a beautiful flower.
“My death here would serve no purpose,” He explained clearly and levelly, his voice never wavering,
“If I were to allow myself to die pointlessly that would devalue my worth, both in my own eyes and in the eyes of others.” Turning his attention back to the Sith standing before him Som allowed himself a moment to study her scowling face, seeing past the hate and revulsion to the beauty which lay hidden beneath,
“By allowing myself to be taken, I open myself up to the opportunity to later find some value in my actions, that my sacrifice may be of benefit to others.”“Typical Jedi.” Jewel scowled. “Lacking the backbone to take an action in benefit of yourself. You will come to regret that.” She smiled knowingly, for she knew exactly what was yet to come for the prisoners that Darth Nyiss was taking. The smile quickly dropped from her face then, replaced with barely controlled anger. She raised her hand, fingers pinched together, reaching out with the Force to grasp the Jedi by his throat and raise him off the ground. She would not choke hard enough to do anything permanent, but she wanted him awake too. “So tell me then, Jedi, why it is you assumed a fickle darksider such as myself would not simply kill you for sport once you were captured. At least if you died with a lightsaber in hand, you might’ve taken a Sith with you, and spared the galaxy our ‘evil.’” She held him there for a few more moments after she finished speaking, before letting him drop back to the ground.
Som made no move to get back up onto his feet, knowing the Sith would see that as a challenge he wasn’t in need of making. As soon as he’d felt the invisible fingers clutching at his throat Som had breathed deeply, channeling his training as he took control of his breath and endured the Sith’s torment. The woman obviously had great anger inside her and if he allowed her to soothe some of it against him then it would no doubt save others from similar treatment, others who may not be as readily able to endure her wrath.
Finally he lifted his head with a serene smile, his eyes seeking out for his captor’s.
“There are many ways to defeat evil, and often the most direct ones are not the best. In time I hope you will come to understand this as I do. Or perhaps not.” His voice thickened with pity as he muttered the last words, and Som let his head fall down, his gaze drifting to the floor.
The Jedi’s refusal to fight back frustrated Jewel immensely. She had struggle to resist the urge to ignite her lightsaber and strike this fool down in one motion. She bottled the rage up for another time. “Then it is a good thing I only care about power. Perhaps one day
you will understand just how much of a waste selflessness and peace are.” With that, she dragged him to his feet by his collar, and with a hand physically around his throat threw him the short distance into the metal side of the shuttle, augmenting her strength with the Force to do so. She could’ve just drugged him, but that was decidedly less satisfying. She stepped to where he had come to rest on the sloped side of the shuttle, put a hand on his throat again. Bringing her face close to his, she stared into his eyes and wordlessly focused the full rage fueled power of Force fear on his mind.
Allowing his body to go limp Som hung from the Sith’s grasp as he felt his mind being invaded. As he’d flown through the air Som had summoned the Force around himself, cushioning his impact against the wall and allowing himself to fall safely to the floor, only to then let himself collapse into a hemp. It would be best to let the Sith believe she was causing more damage than she actually was, in some sick, perverted way this seemed to please her, and if she was pleased then she wouldn’t try to escalate things too quickly.
As the rage buffeted around inside his head Som pulled back within himself, letting the waves of hate crash against his mental defenses while remaining calm and composed beneath the assault. His mind took him back to his childhood and the training his grandfather had taught him and Som could feel his own darkness buried deep inside stirring but tamed within his control. He had never failed to live up to the example set by both his grandfather and his father and he would not fail now. With a deep breath Som focused himself once more, pursing his lips together for a moment before channelling the Force up through his constrained throat. With a precise tone the Mirialan whistled softly, letting the tone wash over Jewel as Som tried to break her concentration with as little resistance as he could.
For a long moment Jewel thought the Jedi was finally going to break, but then he started whistling. The sound tore at the edge of her mind, not much, but just enough to disrupt the focus of her rage to fuel her Force abilities. “So you do have some fight in you.” She said just loud enough for him to hear, through gritted teeth. Then she drew back, keeping her hand on his throat. With her other hand, she swung a punch at the green skinned Jedi’s jaw.
As the Sith’s gauntlet smacked into his face Som could feel the bones grinding, close to breaking point. The pain sparked inside his head and he took it and forged it into his own, drawing power from it to help keep his mind focussed. Smiling gently at Jewel, Som looked her in the eye as she pinned him against the side of the shuttle.
“Your rage will be your downfall, if you don’t learn to master it.” He mumbled as his lip began to swell, feeling his mind becoming blurred from the physical shock which still echoed around inside his skull.
“Rage is power.” Jewel said simply and unemotionally, before raising her fist. Once again her armored gauntlet came down on the Jedi’s head and she felt as much as saw the consciousness leaving him. Dragging Som’s limp body over towards the hatchway Jewel reached inside, taking one of the thick syringes stored there. She unceremoniously injected the green Jedi with the cocktail of potent drugs, enough to kill most sentients, but necessary to keep a Force user sedated for the journey. That task complete, she left him where he lay and strolled casually back into the middle of the landing pad. The guards would do the rest.
