Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, I had a bunch of last minute Christmas stuff to get done and then last night was Spiderman: No Way Home! Absolutely astounding movie, cannot recommend it enough if you're at all a Marvel or Spidey fan! There were actually a bunch of parts that gave me vivid Star Wars vibes. Plot-wise and music-wise. Anyway's! Please enjoy Chapter 8!

Trigger Warning: Needles, suspicious drugs, use of a whip on a person. And this is also where the mental manipulation starts.


Chapter VIII

Oh, how wrong she had been. Nothing can be worse than last night. Her thoughts were full of contempt for herself. You tempted fate, Ahsoka! What did you expect?

The Recuperation Chamber turned out to not be nearly so aptly named as Despair.

It was similar to her cell, in that it had clearly been hewn from the rock, but there was no grate letting in the light of the sky. Pretty much every inch of space on two out of four walls had been fitted with brackets. And what was hanging or resting on every single one? A different torture device, that's what. Ahsoka couldn't even identify half of them, and the ones she could… she had hoped never to come across.

Swathes of knives like you've never seen. All different sizes, all different shapes. Some with little vials hanging from them that she suspected were full of different poison. You know, depending on what the torturer was in the mood for.

There were whips too, all kinds. Vibro, leather, fibrous, and more.

And that was the extent of what she recognized.

The third wall had been turned into some kind of laboratory, with miniature refrigeration centers covering it. And each cooler held a different vial. Some were large, some were smaller, some green, some red. Every colour Ahsoka had ever seen, just about, was in one of those vials.

She was doomed.

They'd started by strapping her into a sophisticated-looking chair, one which seemed to have far too many thin metal arms sticking out of it, all with different attachments. Ahsoka couldn't be sure though. Her vision was only partial at best, due to her body's natural response to try and allocate its resources where they were most needed. And right then, with the crystal in her collar, she was stuck experiencing an intense level of pain. With her being already in such a weakened state, she knew she was already close to passing out. But of course, her captors wouldn't let it get that far.

It was so hard to describe. It wasn't a physical sensation, except for the torturous headaches. It was a pain that seared into her soul, flaying her alive. Deep in the core of her being.

The last buckle was done up on the chairs' restraints and a hand that was definitely not mechanical held her arm fast before sticking two pointy things into her veins. Needles, they're called needles, Ahsoka, not pointy things, she scolded herself, as the crystal's power suddenly waned and she was actually able to think again.

Still completely exhausted though, she simply let her head loll to the side, the IV bag the green man had hooked her up to coming into view. Idly she wondered, What sort of drugs could they be giving me now? Oh, no, that bag says "Nutrition"! Oh, she blinked. So I can't even eat my own food now it seems. She frowned, her thoughts feeling dim, and sluggish. Like she was intellectually five years old again. Count Dooku is doing this to me. That makes me angry. She tilted her head, pondering. Yes, I am angry at Count Dooku.

No. She flinched violently as a voice she'd never heard before sounded in her head. The only other person in the room though - the green man in the white coat - was on the other side, nowhere near Ahsoka. She squinted at him. Rodian, the Rodian in the white coat. That man made holes in my skin, he makes me angry too.

No, came the voice again. This time she managed to control her startled reaction better. No, anger is for Jediiii, the voice hissed, clearly rather angry itself. You suffer because of the Jediii. It is because of them you're in this mess.

Where in the Four Suns was this voice coming from? Wait. What in the heck is it talking about?

Your Masters abandoned you in that castle.

What? That wasn't true.

Your master went on ahead, far ahead. So far that he couldn't even see you. He knew the back is always the most dangerous, for it is the wise that attack from behind, catching their enemies unawares.

Okay, that last bit was slightly true, she'd give it that, but only in certain situations.

Count Dooku is wise. Wise enough to know that you were only going to suffer with the Jedi, that they wouldn't take care of you, or train you as you should be.

Okay, now they were back to very, very not true.

My Master cares for me, she spoke in her head, addressing the voice directly for the first time. Obi-wan cares for-

She didn't even finish her sentence before the voice exploded in rage.

YOUR MASTER ABANDONED YOU! HE LEFT YOU ALONE OUT OF SIGHT, KNOWING THAT HIS ENEMY WAS IN THE BUILDING! AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED. You were taken off his hands just like he'd hoped.

That is ridiculous! She mind-yelled back. Even if that was true, Obi-wan-

OBI-WAN HAS FOUGHT LORD DOOKU BEFORE, HE WOULD'VE KNOWN BETTER THAN ANYONE THE DANGER YOU FACED. Faccce it. He wanted you gone more than your Master did. Now it will be like the good old days again, when it was just him and Anakin. Now, the voice lowered its pitch to something between a hiss and purr. Now, he has his brother back.

Ahsoka's pounding head was now reeling with confusion and indignation. She couldn't believe the things this voice was trying to convince her of.

But as Ahsoka's mind grew weaker, her body was gaining strength from whatever was in the IV. That meant her vision had mostly returned, and she had noticed that every time the voice would speak, the red glow from the Sith crystal would wax and wane… in tune with the voice's words.

Oh, this is great. Now I have Sith lies to deal with outside and inside.

And that's what the Count's comments about "where your anger truly belongs" and "a different perspective" clicked in her head.

Oh, she thought, not as horrified as perhaps she should be. She was just too mentally overloaded to care. He's trying to break my mind. Make me turn on my friends. She twinged at a particularly painful pulse from the crystal. It doesn't matter what he tries. I will never- She broke off with a strangled gasp as something entirely different hit her veins.

Swinging her head around, she saw that the Rodian ahd switched out the bag in her IV. It was a word she didn't recognize, and the colour was bright green. Decidedly not "Nutrition" anymore.

Her body started to tremble. It felt like her nerves were on fire. She could feel the metal of the chair, but not just the cool sensation you normally feel when bare skin touches metal. No, she could feel every micro-groove from the dozens of beings to thrash in it, felt every rough spot where the metal hadn't been forged quite right. She could feel the same with the leather that bound each of her arms to the chair, every smooth patch, every rough patch. And it was the same with her clothes. The fibers that once felt smooth and comfortable now felt like sanding paper.

She arched her back, twisting in the chair as the sensory overload kept growing. She could feel the crystal pulsing quicker at the back of her neck, seeming to enjoy her discomfort as much as the real Dooku would.

Suddenly there was a snick as the needles were pulled out of her arm, and the Rodian nodded across the room at… Ahsoka turned to look, hating how the headrest grated on her lekku. Not that it had been a problem before.

It was an Aqualish. A very rough-looking Aqualish. The man wore no shirt, and his chest and arms were covered in scars that could only have gotten there one way. This man knew torture.

The Aqualish spoke in his own grunting language. Ahsoka had never learned their language, but the meaning became clear when two droids - a type she didn't recognize, but guessed had been specially designed for this chamber - started to undo her cuffs.

With food of a sort now in her body, she could've walked on her own, but the droids didn't even give her a chance. They started dragging her to the other side of the room, Ahsoka stumbling to keep up.

She did not like it when the red glow flared behind her, and she felt a definite sense of hungry anticipation.

They reached their destination and Ahsoka's hands were yanked high overhead, the droids clipping her into a pair of shackles hanging from the ceiling.

Ahsoka's back gave an uncomfortable twinge as it was yanked straight. After being crunched in a too-small cage all night, this new position was quite painful. Her back made it clear it did not like the harsh treatment it had been receiving.

Ahsoka didn't like the harsh treatment she'd been receiving.

The droid's cold hands disappeared and suddenly there was a loud clanking noise. Her hands were pulled even further above her head, until she could just stand on the tips of her toes. She gritted her teeth. This was not the morning stretch I was hoping for.

Count Dooku stepped out from the shadow of the doorway. Her fidgeting - to find a more comfortable position on her toes - and laboured breathing must've given her away, because his rich tones called from the darkness. "Oh, my dear Padawan. We've barely even begun." Somehow he made it sound like a promise rather than a threat.

"You do have a choice, though." He pitched his voice low, speaking almost soothingly. He stepped closer to her. "You don't have to endure any more pain, or hunger, or…" He paused delicately. "Voices."

Ahsoka felt her nostrils flare at his words. He knew. Of course he knew, you dummy! Did you think he stuck that rock to your neck for fun?

She flinched as he put a hand on her shoulder, the chains rattling as she swayed. The rough callouses from the handling of a lightsaber were clear as day to her inflamed nerves. "I only want to help you, Ahsoka. I want to take care of you. Just tell me; how many lights did you see?" Click went a button, and the gag pulled back from her mouth.

It was a mark of just how scrambled her brain was currently that she was actually tempted by that. But as her head listed to one side, her Padawan beads brushed the back of her neck. Resolve stiffened her spine.

Well, not literally. Her spine was already as stiff as it could get.

Ahsoka pulled her head around to look the Count dead in the eyes - and then spit in his face.

It wasn't much. After all, her water hadn't been replaced, only her food. But it was enough for one little fleck to roll down his cheek.

Ahsoka smiled. Now that was worth a few days of torture.

Count Dooku's face went red, Ahsoka's head snapping to the side as he backhanded her across the face.

He stepped back, nodding at someone behind her as she shook her head to clear the touch of his hand from her face.

She sensed someone behind her. Heard a crackling hum begin. A line of sweat broke out on her brow.

"Fifteen lashes to start with, I think, Mr. Theeto." The Count settled back into the shadows.

Suddenly it came to her why she'd been given something that made her nerves uncomfortably sensitive, made every sensation feel ten times as strong. She twisted in her chains, now desperate to get a look at what was behind.

It was the purple glow that told her what she was dealing with. And with this concoction in her blood, every swing was going to feel like agony.

The Aqualish - Mr. Theeto - swung his arm, and the vibrowhip came down hard across her back.

Ahsoka bit her lip so hard she tasted blood almost instantly. She refused to allow Dooku the pleasure of seeing her cry out. But Force around her, that burned.

On the second swing, she couldn't keep from gasping aloud.

The third she almost choked on her own tongue, biting back the scream that threatened to rip from her throat.

The fourth was a choked moan.

She made it all the way to the fifth lash before she forgot Dooku was even there. The burning torment made her forget everything.

Everything but her own screams.


Author's Note: Thanks for reading, guys! Don't forget to check my profile bio for updates on my wips and when Next Chapter's will be posted!