Return to Sender

[Gamov]

The tortured screams of his victim echoed off of the cold metallic walls of the room. His pleas for mercy going unanswered, met instead with another lance of searing pain in his ribs accompanied by the melodic recitation of words and phrases that he couldn't even begin to comprehend.

The pain coursed through his body, stinging nerves and causing his blood to boil in his veins. His wrists and ankles chaffed against the metal shackles binding him, his skin torn and rubbed away from his repeated attempts at escape.

He could feel blood seeping through his pores, trickling from the corners of his eyes as he grit his teeth and tensed up beneath another agonizing wave of dark side energy.

Though his muscles were weak, his body malnourished and his strength all but bled away, still he fought against the will of his captor, at times finding the strength to speak through the pain to utter various curses and insults. Other times, the sensations were simply overwhelming, eliciting little more than involuntary convulsions that forced his body to twist and contort in ways that were unnatural to the human eye.

Still, his tormentor disregarded his suffering, taking a measure of sadistic satisfaction in his gruesome work as he continued to poke and prod at his helpless victim with the Force.

Commanding the powers of the dark side at his fingertips, the Sith conjured an illusion on the man, chanting an ancient ritual as he directed the Force to consume his victim's mind. The effects took a moment to coalesce, but soon they became evident as the man's tormented screams rose up even higher now, his voice growing hoarse.

Though his body had been subjected to relentless abuse over the past few hours, much of him growing numb, unable to differentiate one pain from another, this new sensation was nearly impossible to bear. His skin swelled up in places, leaving painful red blisters scattered across him as the feeling of a slowly rising heat began to build inside him. His blood seemed to run hot and his lungs felt as if they were filled with smoldering ashes, choking him of breath.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a hot dry air was all he could manage as his tongue swelled and his throat dried out. Tears may have been present on his cheeks, but he could no longer tell if his body was incapable of producing them, of if the sorcerer had made it impossible for him to do so.

As more welts sporadically found their way to his body, he made one last attempt to deny the Sith his victory. He moved feebly beneath the weight of his restraints, which seemed to be as heavy as starships to him by this point, but he could accomplish little and gradually surrendered himself to his fate.

Slumping forward, he let the chains bear the weight of his decrepit body as the Sith's words grew ever more feint in his mind. Slowly he let his eyes close, plunging him into a world of darkness, his pain and the Sith's melodic incantations his only companions as he allowed himself to drift away slowly.... Into nothing.

Finally sating his rituals and breaking from his meditation, Sidonus regarded the withered husk of his victim with contempt. He had not lasted as long as his last prisoner had. How disappointing.

Still, even this experiment had yielded some useful results. Indeed the power of illusion was a remarkable tool to have at his disposal. It had taken years to perfect the art, and even longer still to invent creative avenues for his application, but the results had been satisfactory.

"Nalina! NALINA!"

A young Mirialan girl quickly dashed into the room, giving her master a curt bow before speaking. "Yes, my Lord?" She spoke through shaky breaths, knowing all too well the price she could expect to pay for displeasing her master.

"Dispose of this filth and disinfect my instruments." Sidonus said, waving the girl's attention towards the corpse as he turned his attention onto a computer terminal to record his days work for later review.

Nalina bowed again, "yes, master."

Approaching the man's body, Nalina recoiled at the horrendous odor emanating from him. In addition to having not been bathed in days, the endless tortures that Sidonus had subjected him to left an ungodly mixture of crusted bodily fluids on his tattered clothes. The whole experience mingled into a foul smell that Nalina was certain could choke a Rancor.

Never the less, the Mirialan fought back her gag reflexes, instinctively clasping a hand over her nose and mouth as her eyes drifted briefly to Sidionus, his back turned on her as he immersed himself in his notes. How her master could tolerate the stench, she never knew.

With her face twisted into a disgusted grimace, Nalina began the delicate task of removing her master's latest subject.

"Now, let's see, that proved quite effective last time. I might just try it again, only this time with... oh yes." A wicked smirk played on Sidonus' features as he tapped away at the computer console, muttering to himself as he did to help himself memorize his research notes.

As he logged the days activities into the archives though, a sudden clatter broke his concentration and the Sith whirled around and locked eyes with his assistant, who was clumsily trying to lift the corpse from the floor.

"You useless little girl!" Sidonus shouted, anger flashing in his eyes as he briskly crossed the room.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I-i-it won't happen again..." Nalina tried to appeal to any shred of mercy her master might have had as she shrank beneath his looming shadow. But she knew it was all in vain. There was only one way her master repaid failure.

A moment later, Sidonus raked her left cheek with the back of his hand, snapping her head to the side as her face stung and turned a bright red from where the Sith had struck her. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, but Nalina had learned that such displays only exacerbated her master's anger and she held them back as her eyes reluctantly turned upwards to meet his.

"How many times do I have to teach this lesson before you get it right?" Sidonus barked, leaning in close to her. "WELL?!"

"I'm..."

"You're what? Sorry?" Sidonus cut her off, punctuating his words with another slap to Nalina's face, "stop being sorry and start being smart!"

Nalina gently rubbed her cheek, feeling the sting even worse now. Her eyes turned to the floor, staring absently at her feet. "Yes, sir."

"What was that?" Sidonus grabbed the girl's chin, forcing her attention upwards again. "I didn't hear you."

"I'm sorry, sir. I will do better." Nalina said meekly.

Sidonus scoffed dejectedly at her "promise" as he released her. "Hmph, we'll see. Now get that rotting corpse out of my sight before you manage to upset me again."

Nalina hurried off as quickly as she could, hefting the corpse into her arms and dragging it out of the lab, her master's scolding voice filling her ears as she pulled the body out into the hallway.

Shaking his head in disappointment, Sidonus let out a deep sigh as he turned back to his work, mouthing a handful of curses towards his assistant under his breath. No sooner had he turned back to his notes than a sudden rapping came to the door of his lab.

"For the love of..." Sidonus growled angrily, slapping his hands on the desk in front of him, "NALINA!" Again the girl came running to his voice like a trained pet to a dinner bell.

"Yes, my Lord?"

The knock at the door repeated itself and Sidonus made an agitated gestured towards it. "Door."

----

Nisha raised her hand for a third time to knock on the thick durasteel door, when it suddenly hissed open and she was greeted by the sight of a young Mirialan girl staring back at her. A vexed look came over her expression as Nisha eyed the girl.

She couldn't have been much older than 17 or 18, with olive colored skin and stark black hair pulled back into a tight braid. Her facial tattoos outlined the gentle angles of her features and highlighted the girl's vibrant purple eyes.

"Can I... help you?" Nalina asked nervously, staring back at Nisha with a somewhat quizzical look. She glanced only briefly at the thick burlap cloak draped over a vaguely human-like figure lying on the ground at the Sith Lady's feet.

"I..." Nisha's words seemed lost. She knew she had the right location. She knew who she was looking for. It just wasn't who she had found. There was an awkward silence between the two before Nisha spoke again. "Who are you?"

Nalina blinked, confused. "Me?"

Nisha rolled her eyes in irritation. "No, the person standing next to you." She quipped sarcastically. "Yes you, you stupid girl! Who are you?"

The Mirialan frowned at the rude comments, eyes forming into a narrow glare. "My name is Nalina." She said deliberately, "and I'd thank you to address me as such."

"Well, 'Nalina'," Nisha said, blatantly mocking the girl, "I need to find someone. Do you think you're competent enough to help me do that?"

Nalina crossed her arms, giving Nisha a derisive huff in the process. "I don't know. Maybe if you ask nicely."

Normally Nalina had about the sweetest attitude you could find in a person. But years of serving with Sidonus as his indentured servant had started to erode that. Now, any opportunity she had to repay the abuse her master had inflicted on her was an opportunity that the Mirialan rarely squandered.

Nisha clenched her hand into a tight fist, ire rising at the girl's insolence. But before she could respond, a voice spoke up from inside the room, walking at what seemed like a brisk pace towards the front door.

"Nalina! What is taking so long? Just get rid of whoever is..." Sidonus walked up behind her, prepared to scold her again when his eyes met an unexpected sight. His last words remained unspoken as he set his eyes upon the last person he thought he would ever see. "You?"

Nisha flashed the Sith a knowing glance. "Hello, Sidonus. It's been a while."

At that moment, Nalina's face went blank when she realized she had been insulting one of her master's acquaintances. She blanched as she turned to Sidonus, a hit of apology in her body language. "I-I... Sir, I didn't know."

"Hmmm?" Sidonus was lost in thought, his mind barely registering Nalina's panicked apology. Glancing to her, he saw the vaguely pleading look in her eyes and shooed her away, "go finish cleaning the lab." He said, waving her off.

Nalina considered her master's reaction a godsend and quickly made herself scarce.

"You..." Sidonus said, pointing a finger at Nisha, "are the last person I thought I'd see. How did? ... I thought..."

"Thought I was dead did you?" Nisha asked, a smug sense of self-satisfaction seeping into her words. "Well, as you can tell, I'm very much the opposite."

Sidonus eyed her with a somewhat lecherous gaze. "Hmph, indeed." He had always considered Nisha to be the most attractive of the late Emperor's disciples. It was just too bad she had an attitude as acidic as the stomach of a Krayt Dragon.

Nisha's expression hardened into a disapproving stare that quickly diffused Sidonus' perverted imagination. "Ahem... I didn't come here to fulfill your own sick desires. Well... maybe one. But anything else is off the table."

Sidonus gave the comments a subdued chuckle. "I see. Well, what has brought you to the doorstep of my humble abode then?"

"This" Nisha kicked the unconscious Decon, directing Sidonus' attention towards him. "I need you to work your Sith magic on it."

Sidonus crouched down, "let's just see what we've got here." He said, a hint of anticipation in his voice as he lifted the edge of the cloak. "Hmmm... A Jedi. And a Lorrdian too. Rare specimens indeed. You don't find many of them outside the redoubt." He mused aloud, "and just what is it you expect me to do?"

"Not here." Nisha said, "let's get him inside and then we'll discuss my terms."

"Very well." Sidonus stood, wiping his hands off on his pants. "Nalina!" Once more she responded and followed the silent directions given to her as he pointed to the body on the ground.

Stooping down and grabbing the motionless Jedi under the arms, Nalina dragged him inside the building behind Nisha and Sidonus as her master set his pace ahead of them to prep his examination room.

[Roku]

Some of the Sith Doctor's instruments had gone missing on a number of occasions in the past little while. The thief had been quite coy to avoid the sith, and she didn't really care if the servant girl saw her since Nalina probably hated Sidonus anyway - and he didn't value her input. Still, it had been troublesome for Sidonus. A couple of his chairs and stingers and scanners required high grade power cells that could provide oodles more energy than was provided by the crappy electrical work this building was afforded. The cells weren't worth more than several thousand each monetarily, but it was difficult to find them in the sizes the doctor needed. And the little thief had managed to get away with four out of six of them on a couple different heists. In addition to large sellers such as the power cells, she'd also managed to get away with his favorite dagger, other expensive tools, and tens of thousands of credits.

Why did she target the sith doctor? Well no one else in the area was even a fraction as rich as he, and as smart as he might be, he wasn't terribly observant. It was a gravy train, and as long as she didn't get caught she could continue to ransack his stuff whenever he was asleep or away. It was the only way to survive. She didn't know it, but she was force sensitive, which was why evading and detecting people was so easy for her. She just kind of knew what to do at all times to remain unseen.

Unfortunately for her, her gig was coming to a quick close. The doctor's primary headhunter had her trail, and had been observing her for some time. She was a pretty little thing. Mirialan, teenaged, ripe but not rotten if you know what I mean. But even her charms couldn't couldn't get her out of this one as she was tracked by a stronger faster merc with telekinetic powers. The chase went through a filthy abandoned warehouse near the bandit's hideout, and it would not progress any firther than this. She was struck from the side, with a flying crate that weighed just a bit more than she did. And then, her limber little body was harvested for the good doctor.

On his way back, LT noticed a familiar woman that he recognised from his time training under Radik and Malum. He'd only seen her in passing, but since she seemed more the favorite, her name came up on more than one occasion. This was becoming rather interesting indeed. He'd grown annoyed with his current employer, and he was just about ready to call it off. Perhaps a new employment opportunity would present itself, and he could end the crazy bastard's life once and for all.

The door to the lab was kicked open moments after Nisha came inside, and a tall powerful man clad in a black leather trenchcoat and dark sunglasses stood before them. He held a gleaming katana on his shoulder with one hand, and a girl over his shoulder with the other. It was indeed the thief. Nalina's compatriot, and about her age as well. That probably aided in her keeping quiet about it too. The thief girl was still hitting the lieutenant on the back and kicking wildly and screaming.

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to eviscerate you." Winters told her.

"The doctor will do that himself!" The thief snarled, in an imperial accent. "You do realize what he does to his marks, right?" She asked him. But after that she stopped screaming and crying, and instead just whimpered quietly.

"I don't care, thief, as long as he pays me..." the soldier responded coldly.

"Sidonus!" he growled angerly. "I found her. I know where the loot is as well, but I'm not giving you her or the location of your stuff unless you pay me triple right now! And I don't mean just triple for this job, you mad man... I want triple for the other two marks you've failed to pay me for as well."

[Gamov]

Everyone paused in the middle of the hallway and spun to face the mercenary who had just burst through the front door. On instinct alone, Nisha's hand had found its way to the lightsaber on her hip, unfastening it and palming the hilt as her senses were set on edge by the intruder. Before she could react though, a hand on her shoulder gave her pause.

"It's alright, he's with me." Sidonus assured her as he stepped around Nisha and approached Winters. "You'll get your payment." He said absent-mindedly, moving around to the man's back to examine his captive.

The girl tried to avert her gaze from the Sith as a twisted grin spread across Sidonus' face. Lifting the girl's attention to him, he stared into her trembling eyes with his own piercing gaze.

"You have a lot to answer for, little girl." He said, the sadistic undertone in his voice giving the thief but a vague hint at the fate he had in store for her. "But, that will all come in due time. Put her in the holding cell and keep an eye on her." He told Winters, nonchalantly waving the mercenary off to his task.

Nisha's attention lingered on Winters for a moment longer, trying to size him up. She could sense the latent powers of the Force coursing through him, making him a potentially dangerous enemy if it had to come to that. But her apprehension quickly gave way to confidence as she figured that she could easily outmaneuver him in a face to face confrontation.

Gently placing her saber back on her hip, she turned and followed Sidonus into the examination room where Nalina had already managed to prepare Decon for the Sith Lord.

A quick appraisal of the lab gave Nisha a strangely calm feeling. The room was immaculate, despite the settings surrounding it on the outside. Sidonus had always kept a clean work space. A place for everything and everything in its place.

"I see you haven't lost your touch." Nisha said, wandering over to a nearby medical cabinet with glass doors, half admiring the nearly neurotic level of organization that Sidonus put into maintaining his equipment.

Unless you knew otherwise, you would have never guessed that the man liked to spend his idle free time torturing people.

Sidonus cracked a satisfied smile at the compliment. "My art may be messy, but there is no need for me to endure a messy canvas."

"Art, right..." Nisha thought to herself. She wasn't above using torture as a method of interrogation, but she never saw the need to take it so seriously. It seemed almost delusional to do so.

"Alright, let's see what we have here." Sidonus said to himself as he leaned over Decon's unconscious form and began conducting a pre-op analysis of the "patient". As his eyes roamed over the Jedi, he made mental and physical notes of any irregularities... the most obvious of which was his severed left arm.

Scoffing at the arm, Sidonus cut a disapproving glance towards Nisha. "Was this really necessary? This was such a nice specimen before you went and did that."

"It was him or me." She said somewhat indignantly as she answered the Sith Lord's disapproval with a stern frown.

"I see..." Sidonus went back to examining Decon, "well, if I may be frank, I'm glad it was him."

He peered out of the corner of his eye to gauge her reaction to the comment. When his eyes met with hers, he could tell that the Sith Lady wasn't amused in the slightest. Feeling almost half wounded by the icy reception his words had been met with, Sidonus returned to his work in silence, taking more notes on the Jedi's condition.

[Roku]

LT growled at being brushed off once again. For such an organized man, he sure was bad at keeping up with his debts. The Lieutenant sent a surge of lightning through the thief in his frustration, and her shrieks could be heard as he carried her off to the holding cell, which was pretty bare bones and clearly not designed for comfort. "If I hear one sound out of you, then you will not be eating supper tonight. I will make sure he doesn't feed you for at least three days... Do you understand?" he asked her. "Y-yes sir..." She told him with a meek nod. But she didn't even get to finish nodding before a firm back hand jerked her face to the side, and caused her neck to make a grotesque cracking sound.

"Apparently you don't... I told you to be fucking silent. That's your last warning, thief... he's not as forgiving as I am..." He explained very calmly. "Do you understand?" he asked her again. This time she just nodded quietly, and he closed the iron doors to her cell.

As he walked back, he saw Nalina and handed her a note. He then headed back to the other two.

"So, I don't want to keep you and your friend waiting professor... so I'll just be taking my payment and going. Please..." he said, although his polite word was spoken more like an order.

[Gamov]

Nalina had been standing well clear of her master, so as not to unintentionally impede his work, when Winters entered the room again. He stopped in front of her for a moment, slipping a small scrap of paper into her hand before stepping away to address Sidonus. Her eyes tracked the mercenary over to the examination table before she looked back to the paper, a puzzled look on her face.

The Mirialan barely had a chance to peel back the top fold to read the note before her master's stern voice barked at her from across the room. Nalina's heart skipped a beat and she quickly crumpled the paper up in the palm of her hand as she hid her hands behind her back, hoping he hadn't seen it.

"Yes, master?" She asked, doing her best to keep an even tone.

"Give the mercenary his payment would you?"

Nalina turned to the desk at her right and began sifting through its contents in search of the credit chits Sidonus had set aside for Winters. As she did though, a sens of anxiety welled up in her as the chits were nowhere to be found. Nervously biting her bottom lip, she shuffled through stacks of papers and folders in search of something that, in all reality, wasn't even there to begin with.

"Today, Nalina." Sidonus chided, that familiar twinge of irritation creeping in his words again.

She turned a confused, pleading gaze on her master. "I... can't find it, sir. It's not here."

Sidonus ground his teeth in frustration as he slapped his datapad on the examination table next to Decon and stepped over to the desk. "Must I do everything?" He asked, his voice grating in his servant's ear as he yanked her away from the desk by the braid of hair on the back of her head.

Nalina stumbled backwards with a sharp grunt, a hand on the back of her head. She locked eyes with Nisha for a moment, who seemed fairly indifferent to the treatment she had received. In fact, if she didn't know any better, she would have guessed that there was a hint of judgement in the Sith Lady's expression. As if her klutzy behavior was keeping her from more important things. Not that the Mirialan expected much else from her.

She was a Sith just like her master. The bitch probably didn't even have a heart to begin with.

Averting her attention from Nisha, Nalina skulked to the opposite side of the room, finding a modicum of comfort in being slightly closer to Winters than anyone else at the moment.

Rifling through the desk for himself, Sidonus muttered a number of curses and derisive comments about Nalina under his breath. If it weren't for the sad truth that good help was hard to find these days, he would have just hauled the girl off for experimentation like he did with so many others.

"Now where is that thing?" He asked himself, his mind lost in thought between finding Winters his chits and the work he had yet to do on his Jedi patient.

Truth be told though, Sidonus was always more focused on his work than anything else. So it was easy for small things to get lost in the background of his thoughts. Things, apparently, like the payment he had set aside for his mercenary contractor. After a moment though, a spark of realization came to the Sith Lord. He remembered what he had done with the funds...

He had spent them replacing the materials that little thief had taken from his lab. A realization that both infuriated and confounded him.

Turning back to Winters, Sidonus shrugged off the missing chits as if they meant nothing. And to him, they were just that. Meaningless. Credits held little interest for a man with his particular... tastes.

"I'm afraid your funds aren't here." He said casually, walking back to the examination table and snapping up his datapad again. "But you can take the cache of supplies you lifted from that little rat and re-sell them. Their street value should be roughly comparable to what I was going to give you anyway."

The Sith Lord left it at that as he turned his full attention back to his work, going over his notes one last time before making the final preparations for his operation.

[Roku]

"Fine, just give me the servant girl and we'll call it square..." He told him. "I've spent enough time running your errands and getting nothing in return. A girl for a girl, and I'll keep the stuff she stole minus the power cells that you need and I have no use for."

The LT clearly had a soft spot for Nalina, and hated hearing the way Sidonus talked to her.

[Gamov]

Sidonus glanced up from his datapad to Winters. Trade him Nalina as payment? Was the man seriously suggesting that? The Sith scoffed at the idea at first. Winters was mad if he thought he was going to simply walk out of here with the girl. A girl who had intimate knowledge of his operations, and no reason not to give him up to Republic authorities once she left.

The whole suggestion was insulting. Sidonus would have none of it. Unless...

His mind began working in that twisted, demented way that it did, putting the pieces of the puzzle together before rearranging them into something that was more suited to his devious order of thought. A sadistic smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he hid his emotions well.

"Alright, consider it done. On one condition..." He placed the datapad back on the examination table and sidled over to Nalina, his pale yellow eyes leering down on her, "I get to wipe her mind before she goes."

Nalina's eyes went wide with terror at the words. Didn't she get a say in this? Certainly Sidonus was a heartless bastard, but living with him beat the hell out of wandering around like a mindless husk without the slightest clue as to who she was. She shook her head furiously in protest.

"No! Don't send me with him! Please!"

"A deal is a deal, my dear girl." Sidonus said, "and your head is full of all sorts of secrets the Republic would just love to get their hands on. And I can't have that." He ran a hand through Nalina's hair, savoring the tormented emotions that were practically seeping through the girl's pores.

A deep sob slipped from Nalina's chest as she felt the warmth of tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Please..."

But Sidonus blatantly ignored her, taking a sick kind of satisfaction away from the Mirialan's reaction. How he had missed that feeling of watching another being's mind break beneath the weight of despair. He would enjoy watching the thief suffer the same fate.

"She's yours as soon as my business is concluded." The Sith Lord said, looking back to Winters before returning to the examination table again.

[Roku]

LT was getting angry now, and his crimson blade hissed before coming to a low hum. "I can't allow you to do that." he told the man, before calling Decon's body over to him and holding the blade up to his throat.

"I'll ruin your experiment, professor... and I know how much you hate it when things get messy in your home... Let her go, no strings attached, now!" he growled. He grinned over at Nisha, knowing the witch would get involved now. Nisha would be his leverage to get Nalina out the door unscathed.

[Gamov]

The second the sound of a lightsaber activating pierced the room, Nisha's reflexes kicked in, her own saber igniting with a sharp snap-hiss as Decon's limp body sailed across the room and into Winters' grasp. A surge of energy raced through her body and she felt the hairs stand on the back of her neck as she instantly shifted into a defensive stance.

Sidonus whirled around in surprise as the Jedi's body flew from the table and into the mercenary's waiting arms. Winters threatened to end Decon's life, driving his point home with the crimson blade of his saber as he moved it close to the Lorrdian's neck.

"You arrogant..." Sidonus managed as his initial surprise wore off. His fingertips snapped with arcs of lightning as he narrowed his vision on Winters.

"Sidonus!"

Nisha's harsh tone snapped at him from the side of the room, giving the Sith Lord pause. Shifting his eyes onto her, Sidonus was a little more than surprised when he was confronted with the business end of the Sith Lady's lightsaber. His expression hardened into an incredulous stare.

"You would choose the life of a Jedi over my own?"

Nisha stalked closer to Sidonus, the sincerity of her intentions made clear with the point of her saber as she inched it closer to his chest. "Right now, he is more important to me than you are."

Sidonus' eyes shifted from Nisha, back to Winters, then over to Nalina, who had taken to cowering in the nearest corner. His attention came to rest once more on Nisha before he grudgingly caved.

"Fine." He growled in frustration, relaxing his posture as the lightning dissipated into harmless wisps of energy at his fingertips.

Nisha's saber deactivated with a gentle hiss as she released the tension in her muscles. Sidonus was clearly upset as his eyes remained locked on her for a moment more, hatred and anger swimming behind the Sith Lord's sickly yellow pupils. But she couldn't care less. At the moment, Decon's life was more valuable to her than anyone else in the room.

Slowly allowing his attention to leave Nisha, Sidonus turned back to Winters. "You can take the worthless little cur. No strings attached." He glared at Nalina, the urge to choke the life out of her nearly insatiable. "Now, may I have my Jedi back?"

[Roku]

"I'll leave him outside for you after the girl is out of here. Follow her, and you die. Your power cells are in the old abandoned power plant. An ironic location, I know... This will conclude our business." He told him, as he held Decon firmly.

He turned to the Sith lady. "As for you... Nisha... if you're in need of an extra pair of hands, then a fellow agent of Malum's empire is at your disposal. For a fee..." He told her. "Come or don't... I'll be in and around docking bay 83G for the next couple of days." he told her. "If you don't, I'll assume you aren't interested and find a different employer."

He dragged the Jedi outside, careful to keep him in the line of any lightning or saber attacks, and he waited down the road in plain view for Nalina to be released. He kept a force tab to see if Sidonus decided to incur any final abuse on her despite her being the LT's property now. If he did, he would later pay for it.

[Gamov]

Sidonus glared at Winters as he dragged the unconscious Jedi out of the lab and back into the streets. His parting words though gave both himself and Nisha a moment of pause.

Malum.

The pair exchanged puzzled glances. Surely the mercenary spoke in the past tense. Malum had been dead for ten years now, killed during the Republic attack on Dromund Kaas. It was impossible to think that he was still alive.

As the door to the lab slid closed again, an uneasy silence hung in the room before Sidonus spoke first. "You don't think..."

Nisha cut him off abruptly. "Of course not."

"There's always the possibility. Nothing is impossible with the Dark Side." Sidonus rebuked Nisha's skepticism as his mind wandered off.

"It's irrelevant." She said, waving off Winters' words as mere delusion. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get my prisoner back."

Brushing past Sidonus, Nisha wrapped her hand around Nalina's wrist, pulling the girl from her hiding spot and forcing her to her feet. The Mirialan struggled against her though, trying to pull away but only succeeding in rubbing the skin on her wrist raw as Nisha kept a firm grasp on her.

"Stop struggling you little brat!" Nisha twisted her arm this way and that as the girl continued to flail and scream in protest.

"Let me go!" Nalina shrieked, throwing a lazy punch at her captor. When her hand met flesh though, she heard the Sith Lady grunt and felt her grip loosen.

Sensing her opportunity, Nalina slipped free of Nisha's grasp and bolted for the front door of the lab. Her flight to freedom was short lived though as an invisible force wrapped itself around her body, crushing her tightly and squeezing the air out of her lungs. Struggling against the immense weight encircling her, Nalina made one last feeble grab for the door handle before she was hurled backward towards the opposite wall of the room.

Her head slammed against the steel plating with a sickening pop before she slumped to the floor, moaning uncomfortably.

"Did you really think you were going to get away that easily?"

Nalina looked up, the familiar form of her master towering over her.

"Sidonus!" Nisha hissed, palming her lightsaber hilt as she moved behind him. "I will not have my plans jeopardized by your arrogance!"

"No, Nisha!" He barked, spinning around to face her, "I will not be insulted for another second by that mercenary scum! He wants his prize, then he shall have it." He craned his neck to glare at Nalina over his shoulder.

"You know his terms." Nisha reminded him with a grim tone, wrapping her fingers ever tighter around her saber. "I will not risk my plans just so you can save face."

An unsettling calm settled into Sidonus' words as he spoke, eyeing the Mirialan girl with nefarious intent. "Have some faith, Milady. I have not made it this far without learning a few tricks." He smiled wickedly at Nalina, "make sure she doesn't move."

Nisha watched Sidonus slip into the adjacent room before turning her attention back on Nalina. The side of her face stung slightly where she had been struck. Apparently the Mirialan was stronger than she looked. Nisha almost half admired her for her spirit though. She had a certain fire about her that made the Sith Lady half pity the girl for having been found by Sidonus first. To any other Sith, she may have well made a strong warrior.

"Here we are." Sidonus said, re-entering the room, a small glass vial clutched carefully in his fingers.

Nisha glanced to the vial, noticing that it was filed with what looked to be ordinary water. "Water?" She asked, raising an eyebrow towards Sidonus.

"Oh yes," He said, uncapping the vial as he approached Nalina.

She backed away, her back pressed into the wall as she tried to slip away from his grasp. She didn't know what was in that vial, but knowing her master, it was anything but good.

As Nalina ran out of space to run, backing herself into a corner, Sidonus threw a gloved hand forward and seized her by the jaw, pressing uncomfortably on it to force her mouth open. She struggled of course, but soon gave up and her lips parted just enough for him to pour the contents of the vial down her throat.

Nalina gagged on the water, trying to spit it back out but to no avail as her master clasped a hand over her face until she had no other recourse but to swallow.

"There, that wasn't so hard now was it?"

Nalina coughed and tried to spit the foul taste out of her mouth.

"What was that all about?" Nisha chided in irritation.

With a sigh of satisfaction, Sidonus smirked at the question. "A true artist never reveals his techniques. She's free to go now." He said casually before walking off into the back room again.

Nisha glanced back to Nalina, who was still recovering from her ordeal. She hadn't the slightest clue was Sidonus was playing at with his little stunt, but she assumed that it could only end poorly for the poor girl.

"Come on." She said, reaching a hand towards her, which was angrily swatted away.

"Keep your hands off me." Nalina snarled, glaring at Nisha before she slipped past her and out the front door of the lab.

Nisha wasn't far behind her, following into the streets just behind the girl. Together they made the short trip down the street to where Winters had been waiting for them.

"Here." Nisha said, giving Nalina a slight push towards the mercenary. "Now give me the Jedi." Her tone sharpened dramatically as she made her demand.

[Roku]

Despite his gruff exterior, he caught Nalina softly in his hands to prevent her from tripping and falling, and then turned her around to face Nisha, with his hands on both of her shoulders. Winters was quite a bit taller than the teenager, and this was amplified by his spiky hair and his thick boots which gave him an added inch or so.

His voice came into Nalina's mind. -I'll get you to a hospital as soon as I can. Whatever he did to you, I'll make him hurt for it later, I promise...-

He lifted up his sunglasses on to his forehead so that Nisha could see his green eyes, and he gave her a look of disapproval.



"I saw what he did." The lieutenant told her flatly. "He's damaged my servant, and given her some unknown solution to swallow. For all I know, the girl is going to die in a few hours... Or go mad. You tell that slimy son of a bitch that he'll be getting his. As for the Jedi, I have no quarrel with him or with you. So take him... I'll see you later." he told the woman, before tapping Nalina on the shoulder and gesturing for her to step back so that Nisha could claim her prize.

He figured that the teenager probably wasn't even from this world, that she had been stripped from her life. He wasn't really worried about her running away. He probably wouldn't stop her if she did. But he did want to build some trust with her.

After walking around the corner with her, he came to his speeder that he'd parked here when getting the mark for the thief from Sidonus. "Listen. I don't expect you to do my laundry or polish my boots or any of that shit. I pulled you out of there for one reason. Listening to him talk to you like that was giving me a headache. I couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like for you. I'm going to get you to some medical authorities in the richer sector of this planet, and then tonight I'm going to come back and rescue the thief. You can leave any time you want... but, since I feel obligated to be your guardian, I'm willing to make you an offer. You're a tough girl and good at taking direction. I'll make you my apprentice merc. It pays well as long as you don't deal with douche bags like Sidonus, and you'll be able to defend yourself so that you never have to end up a servant girl again."

[Gamov]

Nalina stumbled forward as she was prodded from behind by the Sith Lady, only to find herself in the gentle embrace of Winters' arms. She stared up at him for a second, feeling an odd sense of comfort with him before she was turned to face Nisha, the mercenary's hands resting on her shoulders.

"I'll get you to a hospital as soon as I can. Whatever he did to you, I'll make him hurt for it later, I promise.."

When his voice spoke into her head, Nalina felt a tingle race down her spine. She wasn't force sensitive herself, but Sidonus had played mind games with her so often than she had become attuned to receiving such telepathic messages. But that didn't mean she had grown accustomed to it. She hated it, in fact. The feeling of someone putting thoughts into her mind just felt unnatural in so many ways.

Shaking off Winters' telepathic message with a brief shutter, Nalina's attention drifted back to Nisha and the icy stare she was giving the mercenary.

"I saw what he did. He's damaged my servant, and given her some unknown solution to swallow. For all I know, the girl is going to die in a few hours... Or go mad. You tell that slimy son of a bitch that he'll be getting his. As for the Jedi, I have no quarrel with him or with you. So take him... I'll see you later."

Nisha had grown just a little more than irritated at this whole situation. She didn't care what Sidonus had done to the girl, or what Winters thought about it. That was a problem for the three of them to work out. She just wanted to conduct her business here and be on her way again.

When Winters stepped back away from Decon, motioning Nalina along with him, Nisha kept a keen eye on the pair as they slipped around the corner of the building and out of sight.

With a heavy sigh, she crouched down next to the Lorrdian and put a finger to his neck, feeling for a pulse. Luckily he was still alive... if only just. Nisha could feel his energy ebbing erratically. A realization that was not at all surprising to her. She had sensed Decon's strength waning on Ilum, and it had only grown weaker in the hours since.

That was part of the reason she had sought out Sidonus. If anyone knew how to keep a person alive beyond the threshold of death, it was him.

Hefting the Jedi onto her shoulder, Nisha hauled him back to the lab where she could, hopefully, avoid any further interruptions.

---

When Winters laid his offer out for Nalina, she wasn't sure what to make of it. He was right in assuming that life with Sidonus was anything but pleasant. The man really had no idea, to be perfectly honest. Every day was a struggle just to keep from being abused. And those were the good days. And the bad days... the bad days still gave her nightmares and made her cringe.

But life as a mercenary? That hardly seemed like an improvement. She would still face all of the same dangers living with Sidonus had presented. Maybe more. As bad as her master had been, there always seemed to be something worse out there.

And the thought of falling into the hands of those kinds of characters... It was enough to make Nalina tremble.

Still, what choice did she have? She had no family, no home, no relatives. She had nothing. As much as the notion set her ill at ease, Winters seemed like her best bet. Probably because he was her only bet at the moment.

With a grudging nod, Nalina agreed to Winters' offer. "Alright, I'll do it. It's not like I have a lot of options anyway."

Staring at the mercenary, Nalina felt that comforting sensation again. Maybe it wouldn't be all bad. He had gone out of his way to get her away from Sidonus, so how bad a guy was he really? Besides, it could never hurt to learn a few basic self defense techniques so she could fend for herself. Something that she had only just now realized she had never learned to do...

[Roku]

"Not yet anyway." he told her. "But I'll make sure to toughen you up and keep you alive long enough that you can make your own damn decisions. The better you are at your job, the more profitable it will be for both of us. And who knows, you may come to like this line of work. Surely to god it's better than serving that mad man." he added.

He pulled out a blaster pistol off of his hip and handed it to her. "If anyone fucks with you, a good blast to the knee cap or groin should dispel their rage pretty fast. It has a stun setting if permanent damage is too hard core for you. Here's the switch..." he told her, and he showed her where the safety and stuff was too. He took the holster off of himself and handed that to her as well.

"Get used to your weapon. It will be your best friend if you're in a jam. Take care of it, clean it when it needs it."

He brought them to one of the hospitals in the rich sector, and lead her up to the front counter. "My Mirialan friend here has swallowed a lot of an unknown substance. I would like poison control to have a look at her." He told the woman at the counter. He deposited more credits than were needed. "I would prefer fast service. I dunno what was in that shit."

[Gamov]

When Winters handed her the blaster and showed her how to work it, Nalina had to admit that the notion made her feel a little uncomfortable. She had never fired a blaster before in her life, much less held one. Nervously turning the pistol over in her hands, she made sure to keep the safety in the "on" position, just in case, before slipping it into the holster and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Get used to your weapon. It will be your best friend if you're in a jam. Take care of it, clean it when it needs it."

"I'll try." Nalina said with a curt nod, still unsure of her own competence and skill with the weapon. At the very least, it might deter a would be attacker by mere sight alone.

---

The doors to the lab sealed shut behind Nisha with a gentle hiss as she carried Decon back into the examination room and gently laid him out on the operating table. She shot a quick glance to Sidonus, who had his back to her as he went about preparing his instruments on the nearby counter, humming a pleasant tune to himself.

It was always easy to tell when he was taking pride in his work.

Turning her attention back on the Jedi, Nisha placed a hand on his forehead, feeling his cool, clammy skin for a second as she used the Force to get a read on the Lorrdian's strength. He had been fading in and out for the past few hours. Time was of the essence now.

"What are the odds he'll survive the procedure?" She asked, her eyes roaming across Decon's expressionless face. She couldn't afford to lose him. Not yet at least.

"Oh, his prognosis is quite good." Sidonus said, pride apparent in his voice. "Now, what was it you had in mind, Milady?" He added, spinning to face her as he rubbed his hands together in eager anticipation.

Nisha pried her attention away from the Jedi and turned it to the Sith Lord. "I need a way to keep him both alive, and under my control."

"Ahh... looking for a new servant are we?" Sidonus mused with a twisted grin.

"Not exactly." Nisha corrected him, "I need him to retrieve something from the Jedi for me. Something they stole."

Sidonus raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Really? Well now, isn't that interesting." He turned back to his tools, finishing disinfecting them as he spoke over his shoulder to her, "what is it they stole from you? ...Aside from your pride, I mean."

Sidonus allowed himself an amused chuckle at the last part. He knew pride meant everything to a creature as vain as Nisha. Without her pride and skills as a warrior she was just a glamour model with a lightsaber. A comparison that he had made to her on several occasions in person before hand... each with fascinating reactions.

Nisha rolled her eyes and replied with a derisive huff. "Not this tired argument again, Sidonus. I escaped captivity in the middle of a Jedi temple, I'd say they were a long way from stealing my pride."

Of course she was leaving out the pertinent details behind her escape, but he didn't need to know that. It would just give him more ground to mock her with.

"I see." Sidonus activated a nearby faucet with a wave of his hand before rolling up his sleeves and beginning to scrub down for the operation. "Well, it must be something of particular value to you to have come all this way just to save the life of one insignificant Jedi."

Nisha avoided the subject in her mind, finding that it only brought a mix of unfamiliar emotions. Regret, above all else, had been nagging at her since events on Ilum. And the past few hours had not made dealing with it any easier. She tried to dispel it with meditation, but that only seemed to make it worse. The more space she was given with her thoughts, the stronger the feelings grew.

It was infuriating to her to think that such a weak emotion could find a place within her. And yet it had. Like some disgusting little parasite, it had latched onto her and wouldn't let go.

Just as Nisha's mind began wandering back into that unfamiliar territory, the loud snap of latex brought her right back to reality. Her eyes shifted towards Sidonus, who had donned a pair of white latex gloves and a surgical mask, a scalpel held between his thumb and forefinger.

The Sith Lord paused for a second, taking note of the subtle expression on Lady Nisha's face. Her thoughts had been elsewhere. Truly whatever it was that she had lost to the Jedi was bothering her a great deal. He could scarcely remember a time where he had seen her more unfocused.

"Is... everything alright?" Sidonus asked, a puzzled look etched into his features.

Nisha's brow pinched into a stern frown. "I'm fine." She said, her tone falling just short of snapping at him and revealing her true feelings. "Just get on with it."

Sidonus nodded, brushing aside the awkward moment as he moved towards the operating table. "Now, for the procedure, I plan on..."

Nisha cut him off abruptly with a quick wave of her hand. "Please, don't bore me with your technical jargon. I could never understand the half of it to begin with. Just do what you need to do."

Sidonus shrugged, smiling to himself beneath his mask. "As you wish. You are free to stay and observe the procedure, or wait out in the next room. Your choice."

Nisha felt more than confident in Sidonus' skills and chose to take her leave and wait in the next room. Besides, sticking around may only serve to distract him from his delicate task. And that was a risk she wasn't willing to take.

---

Walking into the front office of the hospital, Nalina cringed somewhat at how familiar it felt to Sidonus' lab. Sterile white walls, polished metal surfaces and the mingled scent of disinfectant and formaldehyde hanging in the air. It was like she was right back there.

The whole sensation nearly gave her a panic attack before she was ushered forward by Winters to the front desk where a cheery face nurse greeted them from behind the reception desk.

"My Mirialan friend here has swallowed a lot of an unknown substance. I would like poison control to have a look at her."

The nurse turned an uneasy glance between Winters and Nalina as a pile of credits was placed on the desk in front of her. Something about this didn't seem at all right. But, so as not to give away that she was set ill at ease by Winters, the nurse flashed them a brimming smile and directed them towards the waiting room.

"You can have a seat in the waiting room and a doctor will be right with you." The nurse swiveled around in her chair and walked off to find a doctor. And security if it turned out that they needed it.