The Dark Academy on Korriban

"I have spoken of Ser Thalalas, Remmington, to you before, yes?" It was rhetorical and she continued on. "House Balmung has long been devoted to House Farro, und Rem haz been a close companion of mine for a decade. I laid vith him in zhe tomb of Nudas Min, upon zhe sacrifical altar vhich transmuted zhe Woid Engine."

"Ve performed zhe rites of zhe Farro, und cleansed ourzelves in preparation before finally conceiving zhe life vhich now grows vithin me. A child vith zhe ancient majik of zhe old Empire flowing zhrough it ewen now. In repayment for his years of dewotion to me, und his dedication to mein House, vhich has accepted him like a prodigal son, I'm giwing him a child to zee House Balmung return, or zee zhe rise of House Remmington."

"Too long zhe old lines have vithered, und Rem iz from a line almost as old as zhe Farro."

Darth Traya hisses to Jun-Tsu, "Bloodlines mean nothing on the path to power; it is not bound by such superstition."

Jun-Tsu jerked slightly at the intrusion, but said nothing in reply.

Yes, master.

Zeno sat there and stared, his face a blank slate. A million thoughts flying through his mind. His breathing starts getting heavier. His nostrils flare. If she were to reach out and touch his mind at this moment she would see the things that resemble a sentient being slipping away, replaced with instinct and violence, of fearsome hatred and unchecked rancor. His eyes slowly become bloodshot and the colors of his irises visibly start shifting as he allows the dark to flow into his heart. The breaths come louder and quicker. Veins can be seen rising from his flesh. Unseen scars beneath his armor open and crack. The man was being discarded in favor of the conflict that he had long represented. He wanted death. Not for himself, but for every living being in the area, on the planet, in the system, even the galaxy might not be enough.

He stands slowly, an unnatural growl emanating from deep inside his diaphram through barely parted lips. He approaches her, each step echoing and sounding like a predator coming in for the kill on cornered prey. He gets within an inch of her face, the heat of his breath and the raging, radiating warmth from his skin clearly felt. He inhales deeply his eyes going wide and he raises the two lightsabers that had found their way to his hands high over head, the red with dazzling dark green electric veins appearing with the sound of plasma given birth in an instant, rain sizzling and turning to steam on them.

A tremor forms in his muscles as he releases it all. An animal about to go in for the kill, to end the life of prey or threat. There is nothing human left in Zeno if he could even be called that in this moment. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...."

He moves with lightning speed, turning to slice into a nearby tree time and again until it started to creak. He moved to the next... and the next... and the next... each taking it's turn to fall. Moment by moment, second by second, turning into minutes and there were no living trees remaining standing within 30 yards of the originally felled tree. There were dozens of small animals laying scorched in the cacophonic disaster. There were only short breaths between the primal, feral scream that echoed who knows how far.

And then he stalked back, to the center of the clearing and kneeled, black rings having formed around his eyes by this point as he allowed the rage and the dark side to consume him. The light from his sabers disappeared as he placed his knuckles on the ground holding the blades. But they were his pravá ruka and ľavá ruka and in this moment he was more zviera than muž.

In this moment his mind was shattered.

To her credit she didn't flinch at his threatening approach, though a fear welled in her breast. Indeed, for a second, she thought she might well have to try and truly kill him if he had grown more threatening, but when he flew off and began to attack the wood, she watched with a bemused shock, and then a look of pity.

She followed him through his destruction, listening to the cacophony of felled trees and disturbed birds. Her body blazed with the death that surrounded her, as she drained the life from the wildlife and held it within her, nurturing the child with its energy.

"Zeno.....if you cannot accept zhis, zhen you are not ready to be Farro. Love me, dewote yourzelf to me, be mein svord, but I vill newer be just yours. Zhat iz zhe vay of zhe Farro."

He continues staring at the ground, quivering with rage, his voice at a deeper pitch, there was blood running down his hands from inside his armor where his skin had cracked.

"With such a weak fool... you were in such a rush, that you poisoned your womb with that weakness? Out of pity for his house full of loyal servants?"

"I THOUGHT YOU SOUGHT POWER! INSTEAD YOU SEEK INSTANT GRATIFICATION! YOU COULD NOT WAIT A BIT LONGER FOR SOMEONE MORE WORTHY?!"

He looks up at her and practically spat, "Pathetic. You are not the woman you claimed to be. Patience my ass."

Finally he stood. "I'll still be seeking to join your house. But unless you remove that weakness from your womb you can forget anything personal you may have felt between us."

She practically sneered at his derision. With a sauntering gait she walked away back towards their glade. "How pitiful of you to judge me. I who know the needs and vays of mein House better zhan you."

There was irritation in her voice, and a definite lack of desire to explain herself to a man. But she stopped and looked up at the cloudy, rainy sky. A silence followed for a moment as she reigned in her temper, her voice becoming cold. "I zeek powver in all zhat I do, ser Desvright. It vas Rem who garnered admittance to zhe tomb of Nudas Min, it vas he who garnered zhe boon of zhe Sith King, und it vas he who zhought to channel zhe ancient majik ztrong enough to create a dark wergence in zhe Force. A wergence zhat now grows inzide of me. V'one vhich I vill be imbuing vith zhe full powvers of zhe Woid Engine by taking itz powver und nesting it in my, as you call it, poisoned vomb."

She narrowed her eyes as she looked back at him, "Newer question mein methods. I know vhat I am doing, und zo does Rem."

Zeno stands and approaches her fiercely, closely. "He is weak. His seed is weak. The only reason that the child is of any value is because of your plan and magic," he replies.

"But it could have been made stronger if you had let me in. That is all I've ever wanted for us and you shut me out, fed me misdirection and kept me away from this. Since we have known each other when have I ever wanted anything but power... for you and for me. You know my zviera and my passion and chose not to trust me. I would cut down a thousand enemies, carve a thousand unborn children from wombs, and die a thousand deaths, if it would grant us an ounce of power. You should know this by now, you have felt it."

Her mood was still cool, practically chilling the air around her. "I am not beholden to you. I zeek powver vith und vithout you, just as you must do. You have your master und I have mein. I have my plots, und you have yours. Ve have centuries of plans und plots to have together. Ve have many children to have together, if zhat iz your vish."

She continued to walk, "But at times zhere vill be other men, other children, other plans. Und until you are truly Farro, I must keep you at arms length. I am zorry for zuch distance, but caution has been v'one of our greatest allies. Ewen with my burning passion for you, I cannot allow my baser emotions to svay mein reason. I trust you, but I am loyal to zhe vays of mein family above all things, und zhese are our vays."

Her chill is equally matched by the heat of his rage. He move to sit on the trunk once more, the rain steaming off of what flesh is exposed. "Feed it," he states with defiance. "You'll at least allow me that much will you not? Feed it as you have fed from me."

Jun-Tsu looked down at him with an imperious gaze, weighing the situation. She supposed she could take his offer at the very least. With a slow, methodical gait she stepped over to where he sit. Drawing a hand up she brushed it through is wet hair, fanning it back and then to the side. Her finger traced the edge of his face and under his chin.

Then, with that same hard look, she hooked her other hand, into its talon-like shape and ripped the life out of Zeno. Deep cuts opened over his skin, and blood quickly welled up there as the spectral energies poured out of him and into her hand. They disappeared as they traveled up her arm, but she knew that they pulled into her child. If nothing else, it would form a potent cocoon about the zygote growing within her. With the power she would be channeling this evening it was a wise precaution.

During the entire process he just stared into her eyes. He didn't shift, didn't complain, didn't show his usual ecstasy... he just was. When she finished he reached into his bag and pulled out a second ration for himself and began eating it. She was free to sit next to him and eat if she wished.

"These taste like shit."

He pulled out his water bottle and took a drink before holding it out for her.

There was a moments hesitation before she accepted and took a long draft off of it and returned it. Then, with her demeanor slightly more pleasant, she took a seat. Her body felt heavy and her muscles ached from a tension she hadn't realized was there. As she opened the ration and began to eat she closed her eyes and calmed her nerves.

She supposed he could have just killed her. She'd seen it happen in the Void Engine in a dozen different futures. But, here she was. She supposed she should be thankful for the protection of the Dark Side, once again.

"I prefer nutrient paste."

He looks around the newly made tree graveyard as he chews. "Hundreds of years surviving and thriving. Dead in minutes. Guess they're having a worse day than us."

"Zuch iz zhe vay of zhings. Vere it not you it vould have been a hurricane or a blaze. All zhat grows, no matter how old, ewentually dies."

He takes the final bite of his rations and tosses the wrapper. Then just waits for Jun-Tsu to finish.

She is slower going as her mood had turned contemplative. Eating in silence for several minutes she finished and stashed the wrapper in her satchel. Rising she took a few steps towards the devastation Zeno had wrought.

"It's not fading," he says. "It might not ever."

He pauses and closes his eyes. "The rage. It may have scoured my being. I've never felt the dark like this. I've done this to myself because of you. Because I love you."

"Had I know how great your rage vas, I vould have told you zooner," she took a few more steps towards one of the cut down arbors, running a hand over the charred gouges in its surface.

"Not becauze you deserwe to know, nor becauze you have any zay in vhat I chooze to do, but because it haz cleanzed you. Drawn you clozer to zhe Dark Side." Greasy ash tainted her fingers as she rubbed her fingertips together. This could make good fodder for a potion, she considered to herself.

"Let zhe hate und rage flow zhrough you. Do not try to stop it. Sawor zhe passion," she turned back, "but master it. Refine it into powver und strength. Let it vash avay your veakness."

"You unlocked it," he says, violence in his voice. "But now I cant see myself through it. And your presence does nothing to help. Go. I can't do this with you here."

She smirked and made a final glance back as the rain washed her hand clean. With her slow, sauntering gait she left the glade, disappearing into the spraying mist as it created a curtain between them.

/exit

Zeno does not watch her go, instead turning to his pack and helmet. With what remains of his mind at the moment he finds the will to call his friend. With that he tosses the helmet aside and just stairs up into the rain, his mind roiling with thoughts of destruction and rage.

/scene