Before I Leave this World

[Marf]

THEME​

N A B O O

◊​

The rich sound of a bell echoed from the city across the hills. Morning dew clung to the blades of grass in the field on the outskirts of the city of Theed. The sun rose over Naboo and still the battle raged on. Yet in this serene little patch of green dotted with trees, the air was remarkably peaceful despite the carnage which occurred not so far away. It was a suitable spot Lord Kadmus had picked, to speak without fear of interruption, at least for a while. Satsuki Tora knew that as long as she were in pursuit, there would be no rest.

Two Jedi Knights had successfully held Satoryu back for the time being and the fighting in city streets would provide further obstacles and allow more time for Satsuki and Kadmus to talk. However, Satsu was not the impulsive youth she had been once and she had not proceeded without calling for backup. Old friends had come to join her in her direst hour. Factional differences had been disregarded. There were no accusations of treachery or political allegiance, only a group of people who wanted to help a friend. In this time and era, the galaxy did not need factional barriers. It needed hope.

Lord Kadmus was perched on a tree stump in the middle of the field having a cigarette, presumably to relieve any stress he was harbouring beneath his blasé demeanour. The hems of his layers of violet robes and juban were damp from the grass. His posture was immaculate, legs crossed, pedestal slippers adorning his feet. The sight of him irritated Satsuki and almost aroused envy within her. The world around him had gone mad, Sith pillaged and raped the city of Theed just over the hills, and here he was looking positively contained, but Satsuki's attention was drawn to somebody else.

The Sith Warrior turned Rebel soldier stood a few metres away from the former Sith Lord, she wore her signature yukitora armour and was turned to face the trees. Ivaris Kyuul, her old friend from her days in Sith emerged, she would soon be followed by Sin'ryk Naleesh. Mila Fay would also be coming, a Sith whom Satsuki had personally recruited when she had been an Acolyte. She had requested the aid of the Acolyte, the Crusader and the Master individually. Whether they had come together or made their own separate ways Satsuki did not know, but she was eternally thankful for their presence.

"Sin'ryk... Thankyou."

Excessive exposure to the arcane arts had taken it's toll on Sin'ryk, he was no longer the lovely bishōnen he once was.

"It would be great to chat and all, but I don't know how much time we have. This gentlemen here is Sigmund Kadmus, former Arcanist of the Sith Order. He knew my sister when she was a kid."

Kadmus remained on his stump and smoked the remainder of his cigarette.

"If leeches ate peaches instead of my blood, then I would be free to drink tea in the mud."

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

His arrival imminent, Sin'ryk made his way through the field; in the distance, the sounds of battle could be heard. An eye of the storm thought the Red Sith dully; he could feel the tranquillity within this place, but he knew that it wouldn't be long before the fires of war consumed this place. His prior duties finished, he made his way towards the place of meeting; he had another duty to maintain. His Force Presence concealed by his spells, Sin'ryk knew this meeting had to be carried out discretely; the better to avoid interruptions of their meeting of course. After all, fraternising with rebels is something that is very frowned on within the Imperium; of course, if it is done out of necessity, then it would help safeguard the Sith Order. A smile then manifested upon the Arcanist's face, knowing full well that this would also involve meeting a face he had not seen in a while. Satsuki had called him here, along with other individuals; a pivotal revelation was afoot, and she had the knowledge that would bring such things to light. Given the things he knew thus far, Sin'ryk knew it only could be about one individual; Satoryu. The Red Sith had watched as the youngest of the two sister fell ever deeper into becoming a monster; one that would be sure to turn on its fellows if it so pleased. Within due time, the Arcanist would find himself in Satsuki's presence; eliciting a smile on his face. Acknowledging the prior arrivals, he then listened to Yu Human speak.

"Guys... Thankyou."

He could feel her gaze upon him; it became clear to him that he had changed so much ever since she had left the Sith. The Red Sith's appearance had changed radically; seeming more demonic in the presence. Such attentions brought a memory to fore of his mind; the touch of her lips and the embrace of red and pale flesh in one union. He removed himself from this stream of recollection as Satsuki spoke.

"It would be great to chat and all, but I don't know how much time we have. This gentlemen here is Sigmund Kadmus, former Arcanist of the Sith Order. He knew my sister when she was a kid."

The Red Sith looked upon the man before; his presence in the Force so heavily manifested within reality. He couldn't say he could approve of the Human's habit of smoking, but now was not the time. Kadmus in turn began to speak.

"If leeches ate peaches instead of my blood, then I would be free to drink tea in the mud."

This elicited a response from the Arcanist.

"Riddle me this, if you let a pinch of poison flow within your blood; then wouldn't the leeches find their graves in the mud?" After that was said, he then returned his attentions to Satsuki. "We mustn't tarry then, every moment we spend here is pivotal in our dealings."

 

[Ivaris]

It had been so long since Ivaris had heard from Satsuki, let alone see her in person. Ten months? A year ? Perhaps longer. After a few months, she'd pushed it to the back of her mind and tried not to think about her absence. Pretending like she didn't care for traitors, that there was only room for the Imperium in her heart. At first it was difficult, then pretending became easy. Eventually it wasn't really acting anymore, just a detachment and facade of apathy. Yet there was that small part of her that still couldn't believe her friend would just up and leave before asking for help, like she didn't trust her friend enough.

This was the side that came out today, finally asserting its rightful dominance.

After pulling off her helmet, Ivaris would rush up and try to embrace her friend in a rib-crunching hug. Letting go and taking a step back, she quickly raised her hand and delivered a harsh slap! aimed at Satsuki's cheek. ”You kriffing idiot! Why didn't you trust me? You knew I would have dropped everything to help you,” Her eyes flashed red for a moment before she sighed, looking genuinely hurt. “I would have given up everything. As I have now.”

She turned away before Satsuki could reply directly, standing several paces to the right of the Sith Pureblood, Sin'ryk. Clad in her heavy Verpine mesh and armed to the teeth, even her short stature did not take away from her, grim, businesslike manner. Her force aura was subdued some, but still crackled and burned like holy fire, hot with righteous anger. Looking to Lord Kadmus and then to Sin'ryk, she nodded respectfully.

 

[Marf]

"Sin'ryk, Ivaris, Satsuki. Listen carefully now, I shall tell you everything..."

......​

Two girls, once firm friends then torn apart by the cruel hand of war, now embraced. Warmth, love, joy, all displayed garishly before her eyes like some sick slide show. She felt bile in her throat and fever gathering beneath her skin. The man in violet spoke. His lament was detailed, but unfeelingly condensed. With each dot pointed blatantly listed like ink stains on the air, her memories began to collect themselves. She remembered her mother, jealous and cruel and her father, deceptive, manipulative, exploitative. Both driven to madness by the harsh, stifling sands. There had been a third piece to the puzzle, another figure to shape the girl that was Satoryu. Formless and vague, a spectre haunting the depths of her memory. Had there really been a ghost? Had she truly been possessed? Kadmus had cured Satoryu of her illness, broken the ties to her past and freed her of weakness.

The same foul sickness which had degraded the minds of her parents, for Satoryu had been mad just like them.

There had been no trace of life or sound to alert her arrival. No shadow had moved, nor was there any sign of just how long she been standing there. Satoryu had arrived as she existed, by the shadows and the floating darkness. Traceless and without influence. Appearing only fleetingly, holding authority over nobody's actions but her own. Kadmus finished his story, Satoryu's lips deathly parted in a feminine gasp as she leant backwards against the tree which concealed her. They knew everything, and so too did Satoryu. The pitiful and tragic explanation of where she had come from was now on display to the galaxy. The Assassin's forbidden world, now unveiled from beneath the silk veil, the reality from behind the illusion. There were no illusions, there were no ghosts. Not anymore.

Theme​

At a speed so fast her appearance would be totally undetectable, Satoryu emerged from out of her Force blanketed cloak. The ignited blade of her saberstaff impaled Lord Kadmus directly through his back. Freezing momentarily before releasing a final breath, the former Sith lord who had taken the Acolyte Satoryu under his wing so many years ago, fell lifeless on to the grass of the Naboo plains. Pulling her backwards and regaining her posture, Satoryu spun the long hilt between her fingers with her extended arm in an impressive mirage of glowing red, and readied her stance once more. Paying no heed to Sin'ryk or Ivaris, Satoryu fixated her steely gaze on to her older sister and held her weapon still, in preparation for another stab. The Rebel soldier in armour resembling a tiger of the snow, froze before Satoryu and released a desperate gasp.

"Sato!"

Tears appeared to fill the eyes of the former Sith Warrior. The edges of her opened mouth trembled, her eyes wide. In habitual caution, Satoryu halted as well. Her weapon poised and ready, her eyes focused solely on her target, she waited to hear what Satsuki had to say.

"I'm sorry!"

"What?"

Satoryu's steely expression turned to one of blatant confusion. She legitimately could not recall the last time a person had genuinely apologized to her.

"For everything our parents did to you! You never deserved that sadness, I wish I could have done something! I'm so sorry."

After all she had done, after the countless innocents she had taken the lives of, Satoryu could not fathom why any sane minded person would utter these words to her. It bewildered and enraged her, that her sister could possibly have the audacity to challenge Satoryu with, of all things, love. In her pleading words, in the tears now staining her face, it was evident by all accounts that Satsuki loved her sister. Once Satoryu had frightened her, but it would seem to the Sith Mistress now that Satsuki knew the truth, she had been convinced that even in somebody like Satoryu could feel so lonely, their mind would create the presence of a spectre to provide them with at least some kind of company. Anything to give them kindness when they were surrounded by nothing but cruelty. Satoryu's lips parted in a gasp. She lowered her weapon and turned her head away from her sister.

"Satsu..."

Collecting her focus, Satoryu turned around again and spoke. Not with a whisper like her previous word, but with a harsh, venomous tone. Satsuki would give her life to uncover the dark secrets of her strange little sister, but she had forgotten about her own mysterious origins. Satoryu would have her revenge. She would tell Satsuki why her parents had been exiled to Korriban in the first place. She could flee, she could defect, she could do whatever she wished. The crouching tiger had been bred from darkness, and the Dark Side did not breed new life, it only distorted it.

"Yumiko Onida was your mother."

Satoryu wasted no time to watch her step-sister's reaction, and impaled her with the end of her double-bladed lightsaber. Satsuki Onida fell to her knees and met the wet grass of Naboo's surface. Her brown eyes, glazed with tears, fell still, and she died.

@Darth Maleficar
@Ivaris