Chapter 1 – Sibling Rivalry
AN: WARNING, this chapter has language and gore in it.After thinking about it I have tamed the gore down and left it in the chapter, as it is very important.However some reactions I have gotten from various advisers suggested it was a lot for a first chapter.Not all chapters will contain gore or language.This is a special chapter.
Please Enjoy :) and I hope to see your views in a review or private message.
These characters are my RP characters in SWTOR, On the Begeran Colony.The names are Ebil, Seven-Rtwo for the Empire side and Seven-R for the Republic.
Small and frail. Alone in the galaxy. Ebony Ilaas was fleeing her power, trying to protect her chance at love. It was something she could not live without. She needed to have something to hope for, something to dream about. It was her dreams that had freed her from the abuse of her father, giving her a haven to store her mind. Her body obeyed, and she could play the part well and yet she still held onto a slither of her own identity. Now he had died, as had her mother. All she had left was her sister, the sister she had to protect. The only way to protect her sister from the blowback was to run while she was young. She had to sacrifice her place in the world, and embrace her dreams. She could only hope her sister would be treated better, that she would no longer have to fight alone. She had noticed an improvement in Sevannah's mood since the older girl had joined the Republic Military. Together they had begun to design ways to counter the force, to give Sev the power of her blood. It was those times that Ebony was positive she would miss most, playing with her sister's designs and creating ways to make everyone equal.
"Ebony.Help me" The voice was in her mind again. Ebony had learned how to hear her sister without actually hearing her. They had learned how to communicate, send each other short messages in silence. She was positive her father had known about it, yet he had never commented on it. Ebony could only assume he had seen benefit in their communication. Of course, both daughters had grown up more like soldiers, servants even, than children but Ebony had been favoured from the moment she was born. Their mother had favoured neither children, treating them as kindly as she could while remaining disconnected. The woman had been totally dependent on their father, who in turn was abusive and disloyal. Ebony had been groomed to be a noble woman, to be the heir to their wealth. She had also been groomed to continue the Ilaas name in the ranks of the sith. At 12 years old however she had not broken, if anything her determination to be kind had grown.
"I'm coming, sister, hold on" Ebony thought back desperately, her heart pounding faster at the thought of her sister coming to harm. Her body was trembling as she ran into the warehouse, shivering at the cold against her bare arms. She looked like a street rat, in a simple tank top that soldiers typically wore under their uniforms and scruffy pants she had found in the trash. They looked like something a worker would wear, minus the holes everywhere. Her boots were the royal leather, with the steel along her toes and upper foot. It was the closest thing to armor she had, and now more than ever she knew she needed it.
"My squad turned on me since you fled.I am being held inside the warehouse, a raised bunker I think" Sevannah's voice was weak in Ebony's head, yet she heard the voice and could understand it well enough. The young force user's skin crawled as she thought about the prospect of someone harming her sister, the prospect that someone would kill her. It only inspired her to hurry, to sneak and potentially to use the combat skills she already had. She rushed through the warehouse, her skin crawling and her gut becoming a knot. It was abandoned, not so much as a droid stirring within. The only sound she could hear were the machines running. As far as she could tell, they were a production line for droids, which only made the lack of droids seem more wrong.
"What's going on?Where are the droids?Why do I feel so… scared?"She questioned herself silently, hearing her own voice in her mind. She often could hear her own voice when she wanted to, even control unique aspects of herself to have a conversation. She was not insane, not yet anyway, but she could often connect with the force or other people to hear voices that others could not. It was something her father had taken great pride in. Something he had tried to nurture.
"He never nurtured anything, not even his own daughters" She thought bitterly at her memories, distracted from her sister for a few moments. She may have only been young but the resentment she held towards her past made her seem older. If not for an almost adorable appearance that was slowly becoming attractive, she could have easily been mistaken for a woman twice her age. She continued to creep through the shadows, the occasional beam of light shining across her snowflake coloured skin. She crouched lower as she saw a soldier, dressed in white armor with orange highlights. It was the typical Republic armor for any Republic soldier. The armor petrified her however, whereas before it had been reassuring. No longer did she feel safe as she gazed at the troopers. They no longer cared for her and her sister; the Republic was no longer the safe haven she had been told it was. The thoughts of what she had lost made her move faster, creeping up to the man until she could grab his ankle. She summoned the force, using every ounce of her power to pull the man down to the ground. He didn't even have time to scream for help before the little twelve year old ripped his helmet off and grabbed his cheek with her small hand. She dug her nails into his flesh as she pushed downwards several times, smacking his head into the ground until his eyes rolled back in his head.
"Target EBIL is in the building, permission to use lethal force?" A male voice asked. Ebony's head snapped up, gazing up the stairs to the room. A soft light shone through the open entrance, illuminating the surrounding area in gentle golden light. Ebony's heart beat faster and faster as she snuck up the ramp, almost losing her self-control. It took everything she had to crouch at the door, with her back against the wall as she waited to hear her sister's voice, or hear of her fate.
"That's a negative, LT. She may be young but she could defeat any of those unskilled soldiers, likely kill them in her desperation to reach her target. Assisting squads are ordered to maintain the perimeter, no contact with the target. Let her through, Dead Silent will deal with her when she arrives… and then deal with her sister" A female voice replied. Ebony didn't waste a moment; she leapt around the corner and let out a mindless, savage scream. It was a war cry that she hoped would somehow pierce the heart of her enemies, a scream she hoped would shatter their minds due to the uncontrolled bloodlust contained within. She expected a lot of things to happen. She expected everyone to aim their weapons at her, or be terrified of her scream for long enough that she could free her sister. Indeed weapons pointed at her, yet they did not point at her from the direction she thought they would. She heard the sound of men behind her, their weapons focused on her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, as if she was a wild, untamed animal prepared to strike at them. She expected it to be over in a flash, before she had time to react yet the commander raised a hand, holding it up for a few moments before gathering their fist. Again, Ebony expected to be shot, but instead nothing happened.
"I had hoped it would not come to this, but you have left the Republic no choice, Ebony Ilaas" The voice was painfully familiar, and yet it was the voice of a stranger. Ebony inspected the back of the woman who spoke, obviously the commander of the unit. Her boots were white, with an orange line up from her Achilles tendon to the back of her knee. There was a circle around the top of her knee, before white continued up her board back. The brown leather strap that crossed her back held a shoulder pauldron over her left shoulder; it also held a sniper rifle. She let her gaze wonder to the woman's exposed head, a weakness she hoped she could exploit. The woman had honey coloured hair, tied back and wrapped into a tight bun. Ebony's heart suddenly pounded against her chest, trying to burst free as if it were a prisoner in her body that had been caged long enough.
"Who are you?" She demanded, although she already knew the answer. The woman turned to her with a grim expression, tears shining in sharp, bright green eyes that so often contained fire. The familiar fleet brow was lowered, burdened by sadness. Smooth cheeks and a small, noble nose only revealed more sadness in their blankness. It was the full, pouty lips however, that bore the most signs of the owner's emotion. They were turned downwards, squeezed together as the woman set her determined jaw.
"Soldier number 7R291. Acting commanding officer of Sith Elimination Squad, codenamed Dead Silent. Name Ilaas, Sevannah. Age 18. Known kin, sister, younger, Ebony Ilaas. Aka, Target EBIL. Elimination order, confirmed." The commando spoke in her strong, steady voice. There was a natural husky sound to her voice, yet the way she spoke the words made her sound very official. It was not hard to see why others looked up to the strong woman who had yet to lose her heart in the line of duty. Even though Sev still had her heart and she still felt strongly about things that sometimes opposed her military life Ebony knew that the soldier wouldn't back down.
"Why?" was the only word to escape the young child.
"Why did you choose this life over a life in the Empire?Why didn't you just let me go, let someone else try to find me?Why did fate have to bring us here?"
"I'm sorry, Ebbie. This is for the good of the Republic" Sevannah answered, her voice shaking with emotion. The soldier did not turn away from her responsibility however; she ignored herself and focused on the mission just as she always did… Which Ebony viewed as simply selfish. Why couldn't Sev see that SHE was the woman's responsibility, her blood, not the Republic? They were born Imperial. The Republic had taken them in but had demanded so much from them. They had demanded that Ebony be sent to the Jedi, firmly requested that Sevannah serve in the military. They had offered freedom, yet the freedom they had offered was tainted and cruel.
"I am your family, Sevannah! How can you choose the Republic over me? How can you be so selfish?" Ebony screamed, feeling the anger and pain inside of her burst through her self-control. Every ounce of her control shattered, as if she had fallen through the window of a Nar Shadaa casino and was plummeting towards the unseen depths. Hot tears stung at her eyes, making her sight blurry. Her body trembled, as if at any minute her legs would give out. She wanted nothing more than to fall onto her knees and cry, yet she knew her survival required she remain strong.
"Selfish? Ebony, EVERYTHING I have done my entire life has been for you! I suffered our father! I buried our mother! I got us to the Republic, got a job while doing school! This is the only thing I wanted for myself, to be a soldier to repay the Republic for saving us. Everything was perfect until YOU left the Jedi, you just HAD to run away and be a selfish brat! Do you think I want to do this? You're my baby sister for fucks sake!" Sevannah yelled back, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had never had the control Ebony did, and the young girl knew it. Often the younger sister had tried to teach her older sibling how to control herself, yet Sev had always operated to a different code. A different way of life. Two sisters, forced on opposite paths and yet still trying to reach out and hold the others hand before the tides of their separate lives swept them away from one another forever.
"How can she not understand?" Ebony silently questioned herself. Part of her wanted to explain why she had left, how she had thought the Jedi would leave her alone and let her sister live in peace. She wanted so badly for everything to go back to the way it was, but as she stared down her sister with guns pointed at her she knew nothing would ever be the same. She had to embrace her emotions, no longer fight against the waves she felt threating to flood her mind and tear her to pieces. She felt the swell of her emotions throw her self-control against the rocks of her rage, giving way to the Sith within her. Control was no longer a leash, but a weapon. A weapon that Ebony was deadly with. She looked down to her boots, letting her emotions build. The storm clouds were gathering, and soon she knew the lightning would crack. All it would need was another push.
One. Final. Push.
"I know you will kill me… Allow me to correct myself. I know that you will try" Ebony spoke in a soft, almost haunting voice. She could sense the anticipation building in the soldiers, as if they were beginning to grow restless with the conversation. Sevannah was also anxious, although she was clearly more contained than her men were. Ebony kept her body perfectly relaxed, lifting her head just enough to once again look at her sister. Her head was still bowed, yet her eyes locked with her sister's, and aside from the icy rage contained within their golden depths, Ebony had no trace of emotion. Sevannah's eyes went wide with surprise as she locked eyes with her little sister, watching the humanity drain away.
"Don't do this Ebbie" she whispered as she shook her head subtly. She was begging, pleading with her little sister. The suggestion made Ebony want to laugh, and it was not a positive laughter she wanted to let free.
"Don't do this?You would have me kneel and whisper a prayer before you pull the trigger?You are no better than she was…"Ebony's thoughts were filled with venom and hatred as she projected them at her sister. The older woman flinched, clearly taken aback by the anger in her little sister. She shook her head again, mouth open as if she were going to speak, before she could however one of her soldiers did.
"Sir, let's just kill this sith so we can go home" he grunted, stepping forwards and putting the barrel of his rifle against Ebony's neck, right on the hairline.
The Sith let the corner of her mouth flicker into a smile for a second before she closed her fist, focusing all her rage directly on the man's neck. The gun instantly fell away, landing on the ground with a loud clang as the sounds of choking filled the air. Ebony saw the horror in her sisters eyes as she turned, bending and picking up the rifle. She had never bothered with such a weapon before, and she had no clue how to use it yet she knew that if she pointed it at someone and pulled the trigger it could do a lot of damage. She did exactly that, pointed it at the second man and pulled the trigger. She staggered backwards, arms and the gun flying backwards and up from the recoil of the weapon. The soldier screamed loudly as a huge hole was burned through his shoulder. He lifted his hand to hold his shoulder, dropping his weapon and staggering backwards until he hit the railing. Ebony quickly took the chance to drop the insignificant weapon she had no knowledge of and throw her hand out, doing something she knew how to do. Push. The second soldier fell over the railing with a scream, straight down into the running assembly line. His screams died out quickly, as did the sounds of the man choking.
"You're going to hell sith!" The soldier in the room cried, running straight at Ebony.
"Trevor no!" Sevannah cried out, her voice filled with anguish and fear. The sound was sweet to Ebony, sweeter than honey. This man, this insignificant soldier, this… Trevor. He meant something to her sister, more than the two men she had just killed meant.
She wasted no time in closing her fist, again focusing the force. This time however she focused it lower, beneath the man's codpiece. The soldier howled in agony, falling forwards and bouncing his head off the wall. Ebony took the time to throw her hand out and push Sevannah into the wall, knocking the woman out cold. Trevor got to his feet during this time, drawing his vibroblade and swinging with a massive overhead blow at the young Sith. Ebony rolled forwards out of the way of the man's strike, turning to see his blade bend as it struck the thick wall. Trevor ignored the bent weapon however and turned towards Ebony, who was trapped in between the building and the railing. Trevor struck again, which left Ebony barely a second to grab the rail and lean backwards out over the assembly line. The pole beside her shattered, as did the man's weapon. Thoughtlessly she dove forwards into a spear tackle, landing over the man's chest as they both collapsed. His helmet went rolling away, revealing handsome features and stunning blue eyes. His good looks did not sway the young woman however as she grabbed the first thing within reach, brought her hands up over her head then brought them down, plunging the long shard of metal through the man's throat. Blood erupted everywhere, coating the young Sith. At first she was afraid, her body trembled and tensed. She couldn't move. She had just taken a life. The other lives had been different, she had not seen their faces nor had she had time to think. This man's death was more personal.
"No!" Sevannah's voice was filled with such pain that Ebony soon forgot her fear. Her body continued to tremble, but it was no longer out of shock. No, instead, adrenaline flooded her veins, made her heart beat faster and her body feel stronger. The pain radiating from her sister was no longer something she regretted, rather something she enjoyed. Wanted. This woman had sought to kill her, had lied to her and lured her into a trap. This woman had accused her of being selfish, had claimed she had done everything for her. This woman had believed that imprisoning her in a life without love was worthwhile, yet here she was in love with the man Ebony had just killed. Suddenly the blood covering the Sith's body felt… good.
"Ebony… what have you done?" Sevannah whispered, gazing at her sister as if she were a stranger. Ebony got to her feet, tensing her body and preparing for the attack she knew would come after her words.
"What I had to" The Sith replied, turning away from her sister. She began to walk, her strides long yet not rushed.
"Don't you walk away from me!" Sevannah screamed furiously, the pain in her voice striking Ebony like a whip across her back. The Sith cringed, pausing and standing in the doorway. The tension in her body softened, although it did not evaporate. Instead of attacking she simply turned her head sideways, giving her older sister a view of the side of her face. She forced her expression to be blank, yet she knew her eyes betrayed sadness… which was exactly what she wanted her sister to see. She wanted the woman to see the pain she had caused, to see the unshed tears shining in her eyes.
"Let me leave, Sev. Bury your boyfriend, make your report. Live the life you want. If not, you will join your boyfriend in the afterlife" Ebony kept her voice the perfect mix between cold, and sympathetic. She wanted to scream, to howl her rage at her sister and yet she knew she had to act older than she was. Ebony knew that she had to be the stronger sibling, and she knew she had just taken everything from Sevannah, just as her sister had tried to take everything from her.
"Everything but her life, which is more than she was willing to allow me" The Sith reminded herself, listening to the short breaths of her sister. She could feel a blistering heat at her back, a bundle of energy growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. She could hear her sister containing her sobs as her world fell apart around her, Ebony could sense the endless waves of pain coming from the soldier. She knew that it should tear at her heartstrings, that she should have been devastated for her sister. All she could feel however was her own hatred, her own pain and suffering. She hated her sister. She hated the woman as much as she hated her mother for committing suicide. As much as she hated her father for abusing her. The one living being who had been her hero was suddenly her enemy, her worst enemy. She was facing the person who had protected her for her entire life, fighting for her life. She felt so confused, yet she felt so clear and sure about what she had to do. That clarity gave her power. The power she felt from her powerful emotions was nothing short of orgasmic.
"I'm going to fucking kill you, Bitch! You took my squad from me! You took Trevor from me! Worst of all, you just took my sister from me… and I am going to fucking kill you" Sevannah's voice was slow, every word enunciated perfectly.
Ebony barely had a moment to turn around before Sevannah leapt at her, her knee colliding with Ebony's shoulder. The Sith screamed in alarm as she was sent flying backwards, with Sevannah coming down on top of her like a crazed beast. The floor seemed to rush up to meet her, and she felt the pain shoot through her entire back as she hit the metal floor with a crash. The steel of her sister's armor rung as the Soldier's knees hit the ground, yet the armor protected the soldier from some of the pain. She grabbed Ebony around the throat, squeezing with her right hand as she drove her left fist into the woman's cheek. Ebony couldn't understand the woman's logic. The nose was the weak point, yet Sev went after the right side of her face with a left fist. Sevannah was neither left nor right handed, something that had served as an advantage to her over Ebony. The small sith thoughtlessly lifted her arm to block the blows her sister laid on her, while she grabbed with one hand at the woman's wrist. The armor made her near indestructible compared to the unarmed Ebony. The Sith desperately pulled at the woman's wrist, trying to deflect the blows at the same time. Tears stung her eyes, and her chest began to burn with the lack of air. Sev tightened her grip as Ebony tried to breathe, which only made the young girl even more desperate. Eventually desperation took over and she drove the palm of her hand up at Sev's face.
"Ah Shit!" Sevannah screamed, staggering backwards and getting to her feet. Ebony coughed loudly and crawled away, the tears in her eyes blinding her for several moments until she blinked them away. She grabbed the rail, pulling herself weakly to her knees before she stared down into the machines bellow. She could only see a red haze, caused by the flames and heat further down the line. There was a beat to the sounds of metal grinding against metal, the thuds as the large hammers came down and flattened sheets of metal. Further into the factory she could see lines and lines of droids, all hanging and deactivated.
"Bitch!" Sev snarled, leaping up behind her sister and placed her knee into the girl's back. Sev's hands closed around the rail as she leaned her weight downwards, choking Ebony against the rails. The Sith was desperate, unable to defend against such a well-trained soldier. In a final struggle Ebony threw her hand forwards, force pushing the floor. The floor had no give, so it was Ebony's body which moved, that shot back so violently the Soldier assaulting her couldn't hold the railing. The pain she felt was unbelievable as both she and Sev were thrown backwards, landing apart with a loud clang against the metal floor. Sev got to her hands and knees quicker, and she furiously began to crawl towards her sister. Ebony reached out desperately, reaching for anything that could save her as she lay on her stomach. Her fingers brushed against the cold, sticky metal and as she felt a hand grab the back of her shirt, she grabbed it and spun. Sev's scream filled the factory as Ebony used the metal shard to slice her face open. Seeing an opportunity Ebony threw herself over her sister, driving the metal shard directly under the skin of her face. Ebony was incensed, furious. The screams of her sister did nothing to sway her as she used the shard to cut the woman's skin, then used her hands and the force to rip the skin away.
She could see muscle and bone as she pealed skin away, revelling in the suffering she inflicted upon her sister. Everything was drowned in blood, drowned the colour red. There were so many layers of red. Darker red around the brow, veins of darkness working under the eye socket, a paler scarlet mixed with white over the cheekbone. Ebony could barely catch a glimpse of the multiple layers of scarlets, crimsons and pinkish reds before a universal colour flooded over the top, a slightly paler shade of crimson that soon drowned everything. The crimson flowed down over uncut skin, mixing with the honey blond hair and turning it dark. It was delightful to see the world flooded out with the colour of rage, the colour of life. Ebony could feel the heat on her hands, on her face and down her body. She was bathed in blood, so much so that her clothes stuck to her body. The blood was hot and sticky, yet it was inconsequential compared to the trembling of the body beneath her.
The Soldier suddenly snarled and grabbed Ebony, rising to her knees. Ebony had no chance to resist as the Soldier rose to her feet and in a display of great power, threw the young girl over the edge… straight into the machines bellow.
Everything was slowed down for Ebony, as she fell backwards, seeing her sister fall on the rail with the metal shard still buried in her cheek. Sevannah held on weakly for a few moments, unable to do anything but slump over the railing. Ebony did not scream as she fell, seeing her sister collapse backwards and give in to weakness. The sounds of men rushing up the stairs greeted Ebony's ears as she fell closer and closer to her doom, remembering everything about her life. The hatred she felt, the envy, the pain and torment she had endured all made her strong, and she cloaked herself in the Dark side of the force. She embraced her fate, realising that she had died fighting for her freedom. She would die Sith. It was an honor as much as a curse. She accepted the fact she would die, just as she accepted the fact she would feel unimaginable pain before her end. The world vanished to her almost instantly, covered in a red haze that was like mist over her eyes. By the time she hit the assembly line her mind was elsewhere, and although her screams filled the air and her body felt every horrifying detail she could not register it in her mind. Her mind and body were no longer one. Instead, she wondered the Galaxy. Searching, hunting for that one being who would truly love her. Truly make her powerful.