No sight could ever hold a candle to the sunsets on Dathomir.
Ther rust colored planet was a desolate landscape, vegetation and wildlife aggressive and uninviting. There was something about the two moons rising and the colors cascading through the sky that filled your heart with warmth. The glow of dusk highlighted everything, even painting your pale alabaster skin into shades of gold.As the sun sank behind the skyline, you climbed your way back up the towering rocky fortress you called home. Your long and lithe limbs easily found holds, ascending the stone cliff face at a steady pace.
Though your magick was strong, it was dangerous to be out alone after dark . You weren't weak by any means, but you could safely say that taking on anything bigger than a herd of bane-back spiders alone would be difficult. While the spiders came at you angry yet manageable, the other creatures that came out after dark were ruthless and menacing.
Hundreds of feet in the air, you'd finally come to your destination, slightly winded and covered in a sheen of sweat from the exertion. You summoned one of the nightbrothers who served you to prepare a bath. While waiting, you searched for your mother who, at this time of night, would be situated in her quarters eating her evening meal before bed.
You gently tapped your knuckles against her door, not wanting to disturb her routine.
"Come in, sister", you heard your mother call from inside. She had only referred to you by that title since you had come of age.Seated in front of a mound of texts in your native tongue, she waived you over after moving her dinner from her lap. The bowl of stewed burra fish was untouched.
She looked at you sternly, and you could feel the gravity of conflict weighing on her mind. You sat, apprehensive, and waited for your mother to speak further.
"Sister," she started with a sigh," You've trained hard and practiced well, but there is much more you have left to learn. You show such promise, such strength, certainly more than we've seen since…" - she paused for a moment -" well, too long. And I feel it's time to further your potential."
A moment passed, and you felt her gathering her thoughts. Your magick had always run strong, the ability to sense and influence the emotions of those around you came easiest, but something was different. A slight sense of unease fluttered around your mother. She had always been so strong and assured, so her uncertainty was unsettling. You always knew the day would come when she taught you more of the secrets left in the dark, but the brief swirl of emotions in her mind brought a sense of worry to you. Yet you waited patiently.
After what felt like eons, she finally spoke.
"While you are especially gifted, there are many things I haven't told you. You have absorbed and mastered what's been given to you so far, but it's time for you to learn more aggressive tactics to defend yourself. I feel the Twins have been trying to send me a sign, and my rituals and readings brought unnerving results. I think our secluded time here as we know it is soon ending."
Still seated on the ground in front of her, you looked up. The concentration and determination of her gaze caused a knot of tension to settle in your chest. You had also felt the ominous atmosphere. You thought nothing of it, nothing had happened on your planet for years to bring such a sensation. Yet you didn't interrupt with any intrusive questions, just simply waited for her to continue.
"At first light tomorrow, I will show you how to truly harness your ichor. To make your magick tangible, touchable, a true force to behold."
Only the strongest of sisters could manifest weapons and throw physical ichor. While you had wanted to branch out, you never expected this. Your mother's confidence in your strength and abilities brought a swell of emotions, but you didn't speak on it.
"There are many secrets you need to learn, and some may take years before you're ready for the knowledge… but I have something that could help prepare you in the meantime."She broke her eyes away from your own, stepped lightly from her seat and over to her altar of the Twin Deities. Picking up a leather wrapped parcel, she cleared it of dust, returned to the table and handed it to you. Cautious, you removed the covering and the book exposed brought your racing heart to a complete stop..
"Mother, this can't be…. It couldn't… how in the gods?..."
You looked up at her, warmth in her eyes you didn't get to see often. While she always made sure you were cared for, the softer side of motherhood wasn't a common occurrence. Always quiet and reserved, the training and discipline of your power had always been first and foremost. Your mother watched you closely, as you slowly perused the delicate pages of the dathomiri writing. It went back to the time of mother Allya, the exiled jedi who had taught your force sensitive people how to powerfully wield their magick. You stared in awe, having thought all the original material had been lost over time.
"Tonight, I want you to read it, study the writings. Tomorrow, the real training begins. In the meantime, I have to prepare for the work we have ahead of us."
She dismissed you with a gentle bow of the head, which you returned. Your mother then went to her alchemy station, where she carefully inspected and chose ingredients for whatever potion or salve she was concocting this time.
Worry gnawed at your mind with your mother's alarming words, the lessons you were about to begin, as stress entwined itself your stomach. Mother was right, and you realized something had been pricking at your mind all day. You left her living space after carefully rewrapping the knowledge she had given you.
Walking through the stone complex that was your home, your mind raced.
Were you ready to learn such power? Were you worthy?
You knew some intermediate magick, but it had been generations since any of the few remaining sisters could use such power as the one written on the delicate pages in your grasp.
After storming thoughts of deliberation, you came to your own chambers. Inside, you inhaled the aroma of the herbal bath that had been prepared for you, muscles and nerves craving the relief. The brothers ensured everything was to your liking before leaving you to your thoughts.
A fresh nightdress lay on your bed and the bath was still steaming. You sank your body into the scalding tub, heat turning your skin an angry pink but relaxing your muscles. You exhaled deeply, releasing a breath you didn't realize you'd been holding. Something still didn't feel right.
You tried to wash away the worry, scrubbing off accumulated sweat and grime of the day. You followed after with your hair, taking out your traditional braids, silver hair falling in waves to your waist.l You combed it, slowly and deliberately, ensuring every knot was removed.
Once you were satisfied and refreshed, you pulled yourself from the bath and grabbed a towel. Dried off and redressed, you threw your hair back in a lazy braid, and summoned a few nightbrothers to remove the tub of spent and dirtied water from your quarters.
Sitting up in bed, you warily opened the book. Pouring diligently over every word, you attempted to memorize every secret, every spell. The power contained in this book had been lost for generations, and you were now its entrusted keeper. You knew you couldn't let your mother down, for the sake of your clan.
The nightsisters.
For the sake of those who'd fallen.
After hours of study, you finally felt too weary to continue. The candle that had been burning so brightly was now melted down, and you forced yourself to pull away. You tried committing the pages to memory, eyes strained and mind exhausted in the effort, you hid the book at the bottom of the trunk at the end of your bed.
Tomorrow is a new day.
You dreamt that night, what you hoped to be dreams of strength and power quickly turned to nightmares fueled with dread. You could smell blood and feel darkness, and a burning heat unlike anything before. Tossing and turning, your slumber plagued with the feelings that shadowed your thoughts earlier that night...
"Mistress please" -a desperate voice rasped-" Mistress wake up, we have to go! Hurry!"
Startled awake, your eyes adjusted to the darkness and scanned for the source that woke you. Your most trusted brother Rajhar was crouched next to your bed, while 2 others were collecting some belongings into a bag and pulling out burgundy robes for you to dress yourself.
Irritation bubbling, you rubbed the sleep from your eyes and threw your legs off the bed, about to demand the reason for this intrusion when it hit you.
Fear. Panic. Horror. Terror.
The sensation was so strong it knocked the air from your lungs and the strength from your limbs. You fell to the ground clutching your chest, desperately trying to suck air into your lungs. Rajhar gently gathered you into his arms, setting you on the bed. He removed your nightdress, not waiting for the strength to return to your arms and legs.
You would never let them undress you, especially the way some of their eyes had lingered on your figure since you had bloomed into womanhood, but you didn't fight him as he guided you into your robes.
Taking a last look out of your room, the strength finally returned to your legs. You rushed back to the trunk in search of the book of Allya. Turning to leave, the hairs on your neck stood up and your mother's voice came to your mind.
Run child, they found us. Take the book and run.
Through her eyes, you saw nightbrothers being annihilated by blaster fire, the white armor of storm troopers stained red from the dust of dathomir and blood of the men in your servitude.
Explosions went off somewhere in the midst of the chaos, ripping you away from the sight in your mother's mind and bringing yourself back to your own.You ran, guided by the brothers through the maze of your home. Panic began to grip you, the words from your mother's past coming to mind.
She had always told you of the genocide that brought your people to near extinction, but it had been since before your lifetime that any hostile conquerors had set foot on your planet. Turning down a hallway you froze, a squadron of stormtroopers heading right for you.
"Mistress go! We'll hold them off, you have to get out of here!"
You hesitated for a moment, sorrow piercing your heart as you knew what would happen. Their purpose was to serve and protect you, laying down their life for yours would be done if needed, but you had grown up around these men. They had been around day after day, caring for you and your mother. But now was not the time for sentiment.
"You'll survive. You'll find my mother and bring her to me. Please, Rajhar-" the oldest turned at your pleading tone "-please. Don't let them take her."
With only a grunt of response, you turned and ran. You stretched out the fingers of your mind, trying to feel for a safe route but none could be found. Troopers were gradually filling the compound, cornering you like a predator waiting to strike.
A cry of pain came from behind you and shattered your concentration. When you looked over your shoulder, you saw Rajhar. Crawling, bleeding, broken, but still swinging his spear while maneuvering over the bodies of his slain brothers.
Your eyes met for the briefest moment, and you felt the pain as he took more blaster fire than his body could handle, and felt his life slip away.
Run, Mistress please…..
Then darkness.
Adrenaline flowing through your veins and with little options left, you found the closest window and launched yourself from it. You could hear the clamor of troops, yelling to capture you at all costs. You briefly remembered a section of the spell book, focusing your energy into your hands. You sent out a concentrated blast of your magick at them as you fell from the window. The shockwave sent them flying, and you heard the sickening sound of armour being splintered against rock.
Wind whipped past as you fell through the dark of night, the green sparks of your magick tore open a gateway and dropped you just above the ground. Sprinting as fast as you could, you ripped open portal after portal, creating as much distance between you and everything you knew as possible. You stopped to breathe and looked back behind you.
Everything was in flames. You could feel the shrieks and pain of those left behind, the brothers trapped by fire or maimed in the attempt to protect your home. A tower of the compound fell from a cliff and shook the earth as it fell below. Turning to keep running, knowing that stopping now meant almost certain death, you felt a ripple in the force, your heart breaking before even hearing her words.
I'm so sorry -your mother's voice whispered into your mind- my daughter forgive me, I couldn't stop them. I couldn't stop….
You knew what just happened but would not allow yourself time to process. There was no time. You would not be able to mourn the death of your mother yet, you had to insure that your people survived, that YOU survived. She gave her life to save yours, and you owed your mother that much.
Still sprinting and tearing through space, you were jerked to a halt. A pain unlike anything you had ever felt before raided your mind, crushing your skull and bringing you panting to the ground. You were absolutely crippled, a screeching mess of a woman writhing from the agony in your mind.
And barely, just barely, you could see it. A lithe, dark ship, racing in your direction, lights sweeping in search of you. Gritting your teeth and fighting through the pain, you managed to raise yourself off the ground and stagger a few steps before another wall of excruciation threatened to tear you in two.
Tears streamed down your face, the noises you made sounded like a gutted animal, and the ship's lights finally locked on you.
Mother I couldn't do it, I couldn't make it, I failed, were the thoughts that raced through your mind as you thought the ship would fire upon you, ending your existence and the legacy of the nightsisters. But to your surprise it did not. Instead, the ship landed, lights never leaving your body, and a ramp was lowered.
Terror gripped your belly, almost forcing whatever contents up and out of your stomach but you were frozen in place, unmoving. That's when you saw them, six dark figures making their way towards you, their presence awful yet powerful. A seventh and even more menacing man stayed standing on the ramp of the ship. You clawed at the dirt, trying to create as much distance between yourself and them as possible, but your efforts were short lived.
You were being pulled up and off the ground, not by hands, but by the force.
Father, son, daughter, please help me, you prayed to your gods as you blew through the air, the distance closing between you and the vile creatures hunting you down.
They pulled you to them, faces hidden behind masks, exuding such power it made whatever words you were going to spit at them freeze in your throat. They held you suspended there, examining you and analyzing what action to take next. No not analyzing, waiting, but for what you couldn't be sure.
With a nod from the man on the ramp to the rest, the only sign of communication between them, you were forced into a kneeling stance in the dust. One of them strode up to you, lowering a war club to your face and forcing up your chin. He stared at you, no indication of his thoughts from behind his helmet. In a last ditch attempt before what would be certain death, you threw all of your will at him, attempting to command and influence his mind with more strength than you ever had to use with the nightbrothers.
The only indication that he felt your efforts was just a slight inclination of his helmet. You heard an ominous chuckle, a low and echoing rumble through his helmet.
"Foolish girl, there's no need to fight. The First Order always gets what he wants, we ensure it." Twisting a dial on the pommel of his club, he swung towards you and let off a concussion impulse near your face, everything fading to black with a high pitched whine.
Brought back to consciousness by a surge of frigid water, your mind took a moment to process your situation. You were in a dark room guarded by storm troopers, hands restrained by chained cuffs from the ceiling. Next to you some kind of metal table, with matching restraints at the top and bottom corners.
It can't end like this, Deities, I'm begging you…..
You thrashed and fought against them for a while, attempting to either rip your hands from the cuffs or the chains from the ceiling. Even trying to unlock them with your mind won't work, you realize. There was some kind of bioprint scanner, but that still didn't stop you from putting all your strength into the attempt.
You only stopped when you realized the cuffs were digging into your hands, not yet bleeding but enough to lose feeling in your fingers. When the adrenaline had worn off, you blacked out from the exhaustion and the stress of the past few hours.
And that cycle continued for three days.
No food, no water, no sleep. Buckets of cold water thrown at you as soon as you slipped into slumber, too bright lights shined right in your eyes. You were drenched and freezing, still wearing the same robes from when you were taken from your home. They'd grown so heavy from water and you'd grown so exhausted, it was a struggle just to stay on your feet. A single tear fell from your face, thinking of what your mother would say. You know she would be disappointed, brought to such a low point by lesser men, when a key part of your training had been making those around bend to you and your own will.
Deciding one final attempt, you put what little focus you could muster and aim it at the trooper guarding your cell.
You called to him, his first response just an irritated sigh. Your voice was barely over a whisper, having had no water for almost 4 days, projecting all your will just to be audible. You were about to give up after two minutes, your throat turned to coarse sand with effort, when the door finally opened. The trooper stormed in, his irritation so thick it fogged the air. Standing inches from you, you tried to brush his mind.
"Uncuff me and let me go,right now."
The trooper seemed taken back by your demand, and you weren't sure if it had worked or not. For a split moment he was apprehensive, but then you felt a flare of anger. He struck a blow to your stomach so hard it swung you on your chains. The strain had become too much for your wrists, the metal breaking skin and dark green beads of blood trailed down your forearms. Stomach empty, every dry heave brought a fresh wave of pain.
You took one more struggled breath, glared into his and shouted, " Get me the hell out of here, you brainless bucket-head of a man!"
An armored hand reached around and grabbed your braid, yanking you towards him and putting more pressure on the cuts in your wrists. Blood fell freely now, ribbons racing down your skin to your shoulders.
" You can't just talk to me like that you filthy fucking witch. I serve the First Order, and you're going to respect that. Or else-" he raised his blaster, bringing it to your lips and trying to force it past your teeth. He released your braid and brought up his hand to grab your jaw and pulled it open, cold metal covering your tongue as he shoved the barrel into your mouth,he sighed "- I will shoot you just like I helped with the rest of your friends."
You tried to see his mind, and what he said was true. Bodies of the brothers and flames ripping through your home, your life as you knew it completely destroyed. You wanted to yell but he shoved the blaster almost down your throat, oxygen struggling to make it to your lungs. Tears sprang from your eyes, the cold metal blocking you from any air.
In a last ditch effort, you jerked your knee into his groin as hard you could, knew it hurt even through the codpiece. The blaster was yanked from your mouth and you drank in the air, treasured it as it filled your lungs. But your victory was short lived. Pain tore through your cheek, the muscle split open from the impact of his blaster striking your face.
"Waste of life, disgusting fucking bitch!"
Your skull rang with how hard the metal connected with your head, and you tried to hang on to consciousness, but began to slip into the black. You called out with your mind in desperation and panic, begging whoever could hear for help.
You were starved, dehydrated, sleep deprived and nearly suffocated, but the blood loss seemed like it had been the last push to throw you over the edge. Your body went limp, freezing from being soaked for days and losing too much blood, and your vision slowly faded. As your weight sagged on the chains, you heard the cell door open, what sounded like pleading followed by the crunch of bones. A soft click sounded above you and you fell hard to the floor, the last thing in your vision a pair of black boots coming to a stop in front of you.
You came to, still restrained but now laying on some kind of cot. A steady beep had woken you, and you searched for the source. Vision swimming, there was some kind of screen you couldn't quite focus on, connected to you by wires. Looking down, you realized you were in some kind of gown and the wires had been taped to your chest.
There were muffled voices in the distance, what sounded like arguing but you weren't sure. Medication muffled your mind, struggling to absorb the surroundings. Your heart began to race and you were gripped by panic, the speed of the beeping on the monitor increased. A woman dressed in black with a white coat appeared at your side with a syringe, injected some substance into your arm, and drifted back into oblivion.
You woke with a start and realized you were no longer in the med bay. Back in your original cell, you realized you weren't hung from the ceiling but strapped to the durasteel table that had been next to you. Cold seeped through your skin, goosebumps creeping along your flesh. You were in nothing but a thin medbay gown, the back lay open and your skin touched the bare medal. Shivers wracked through your body, and you mustered all the strength left in your drained body.
After some straining and fidgeting, you realized that the restraints were just loose enough to possibly finagle your way out. You focused on pulling and twisting your wrists, a slight throbbing ache emanated from the treated wounds of your previous restraints. You would not be pinned down to be used as someone's plaything. Especially not a man's. You had spent your entire lifetime learning your magic, your culture, and one of your roles was disciplining a brother when they dared disobey a nightsister. There was a power in making one kneel with your mind and planting their face into the dirt, coughing up begged apologies and dust. You didn't even have to lay a finger on a man to make him fall apart.
Taking a deep breath and renewing your concentration, you built up the walls in your head and felt yourself drift. Building pressure against the restraints, you used your movements and your mind to slowly inch your hands through the cuffs. Your cuts ached with the squeeze of the clamp, but you were so close. Once one hand was freed, the rest would be no issue, and you could work on your escape of this…. place.
Just as you thought you could slip your wrist through, you felt a presence coming towards you. The contact of heavy boots hitting the ground sent vibrations through the air, the source sent vibrations through the air. The presence stopped in front of your prison, and you heard the cell door unlock with a creak.
The figure in the doorway blocked the entire entry, and had to duck down in order to enter the room. Cloaked in black robes and a matching mask, he came to a stand between your feet with his hands clasped behind his back. His helmet slowly moved up and down, inspecting your body sprawled on the table through the paper thin gown. A hiss forced its way through your teeth at the stranger.
" If you know what's good for you witch, you'll stay silent," came a deep and modulated voice. " You wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for me."
Your only reply was another low hiss, throat still raw from lack of water. The only thing keeping you going at this point was adrenaline.
The figure stepped closer and grabbed your face, leather covered fingers squeezing your chin hard enough to leave imprints.
" You will listen or you will die. I've spared your life, so do what you're told. If you're a good girl, I'll even let you go."
Good girl? What the fuck?
You still tried to pull away from his hand, but his grip only tightened on your chin. You could feel his budding annoyance as he secured your face, fixing his masked gaze on you. Recognition sparked in your mind.
Is he the one who stopped the trooper?
The black pair of boots came to mind again, the aura radiating from them and this man felt the same. But it couldn't be, the person who kidnapped you couldn't be the one who saved you…
"Of course I can. But don't think I won't hesitate to kill you because of that."
You froze, just then registering he could read your thoughts. You tried to barricade your mind, but you were too weak from what had passed. His dark presence seemed to slip in the seams, just barely prying open the gate of our mentality. You weakly thrashed against the table, trying to shake him from your head and throw him out. This didn't stop him, but he didn't push as hard as you felt he could. A kind of sick mercy.
You squirmed weakly on the table, even though it was useless. How did this happen? How could you allow yourself be at the hands of this person? This creature?
An invisible grip tightened on your neck, and thats when you made the connection.
This was the man who had freed you from your chains. And he was a Sith. That explained the looming darkness you could feel inside and around him, the signature mask of the masters who followed the darkside. You remembered reading about them in your mother's books, men forever entwined in a war with a people called the Jedi, with the light.
You're smart for a savage; his words cut through your mind; but you'd be stupid not to control your thoughts. I'll rip you limb from limb.
You made a sad attempt to spit on the ground at his feet, simply too dehydrated to conjure the moisture needed.
The pressure on your throat tightened, but at this point you didn't fight it. Life on Dathomir had been hard, but your body had never taken a beating like this. As much as you wanted to fight, you could feel the last of your strength draining from your limbs with the lack of oxygen. You closed your eyes and let your head fall back as a cold sensation crept over you.
Mother, I'm coming home...