[CLOSED] Holding Cell Blues

[MolotovCocktailParty]

It was still strange for Sorn to think that he had captured a Sith singlehandedly (even if that particular Sith hadn't done a whole lot of fighting, though his companion made up for it), that he had been involved in a deadly battle for his life against two arguably stronger foes and managed to walk out alive. He was still walking off the side effects, but the trick he had pulled under duress, giving over to his emotions, treading the Dark line in service of the light, was pretty awesome, he had to admit. He might even name it, if he could perfect it. But that wasn't what truly occupied Sorn's thoughts. He had been in fights before; he was somewhat used to the adrenaline rush that came with the territory. No, Sorn was fascinated by his prisoner.

His name was apparently Anima, which sounded false or perhaps a taken name (which the Sith were oddly fond of), but Sorn didn't really know. What he did know was that Anima was an extremely atypical specimen. Most Sith looked out only for themselves; the Dark Side glorified the strength of the individual, which was usually demonstrated by defeating other individuals in some way. He was told that the "power" in the Sith Code had many different forms, depending on how the Sith in question thought. It could refer to raw strength, knowledge, finesse, even tactical intelligence - anything that allowed the Sith to gain an advantage. The Code was viewed with a near-religious attention to detail, much as the Jedi Code was, though admittedly the Sith Code left a lot more to individual interpretation; further examples, Sorn supposed, of Dark Side philosophies at work.

But Anima had repeatedly saved his companion, whose name he had not revealed, from injury and certain capture (and in one case, instant death) and also allowed himself to be captured so that the other Sith could flee - an act of sacrifice, no matter how it was looked at. This was strange, and Sorn wanted to know why. So, in his usual direct manner, he had decided to ask Anima himself.

Sorn made his way through the halls of the great Temple on Coruscant, nodding to fellow Jedi who said hello and waving off friends and acquaintances, indicating that he was in a hurry. His path eventually took him to the massive library which had on the other side a makeshift detention center, very rarely used but still there, just in case. Sorn had even heard that there had been some issues getting the force cages to run, since it had been so long since they had been powered on and evidently they were not regularly inspected. It was here that Anima was being held, and it was here that Sorn intended to get answers.

 

[Insanity]

The detention center, to an experienced eye such as Anima's, was a poor example of a prison, even if only temporary until the Jedi decided on what to do with him. Force cages... They were horribly outdated and as liable to kill a prisoner as to keep them in captivity. Plus, these lacked the common torture settings and additions he'd seen before. Which was good, but it made the cages seem dull and uninteresting in comparison. It had been only a few hours, and then the next day, and he was dulled by the captivity. His one concession had been to ask a Jedi who had been guarding him for the datapad he'd brought with him, receiving a strange look in return, something that might have been reproach. They might've been expecting him to think of his life and end up begging for redemption or something, by the way the looks started spreading amongst those who would guard him.

Mostly it was the non-Force sensitives the Jedi employed that guarded him, but even they gave him weird looks. He was a Sith, and he wasn't what they expected when they heard the word. No, they thought some bald, tattooed sentient with a lack of proper clothes and an emotional fury. Too bad for them, because they'd have more exciting guard duty if that had been the case. He was sure quite a few Jedi wished he would try to escape, if only to remove one more Sith from the universe, or 'Dark Jedi' as most mgiht think of him. No one stopped him from using the Force - why bother, when even if he did free himself, where would he go? his only source of occupation now was whirling a broken gear from another of the cages around, so to keep his mind occupied. The guards quickly got bored of watching him, as well as berating him and giving threats.

But for now, he felt a semi-familiar presence approaching. The Jedi who'd captured him, it seemed. He let the gear fall and waited.

((OOC: Sleeping in is so awesome~))

 

[MolotovCocktailParty]

Sorn stepped into the small room, the door hissing open and shut pneumatically as he passed. Anima was standing in his force cage, lacking a whole lot else to do, and was looking as impassive as ever. Did he not have emotions? Did he just not show them? Did he overdose on stims [str]or Botox[/str]? It was a little disconcerting, how utterly composed he was. But that wasn't really the issue.

Sorn walked up to the force cage, nodding to the guards and motioning for them to leave the room. They were somewhat surprised, but they complied. After all, if Sorn won once, it stood to reason he could handle the same person again. Sorn himself wasn't so sure about that, but hey, had to project confidence, right?

He turned to Anima as the guards exited and the door hissed closed once again. "So, Anima, or whatever your real name is, enjoying the stay? You look a little cramped. I apologize for the accommodations; they were prepared on rather short notice." Sorn smirked and leaned against the wall, finding amusement (or at least appearing to) in his own wit. He sobered as he moved on to the real reason he was there.

"So," he said. "You're not exactly a textbook Sith. I thought you guys were all about the power of the individual, and not sharing strength, punishing weakness, that kind of thing. But if that's true, then why did you save your friend over and over? I had him a couple of times; I know it, you know it, hell, even he knows it. So why did you help? He was weak, right? Why not let me weed out the weak one among you and then face me as an equal, or better yet, after I was tired and weakened myself? Had that been the case, you probably would have won."

Sorn stood up straight again, spreading his hands to show his incredulity and his desire to understand. This man challenged all of Sorn's beliefs about the Dark Side, and he wanted to know why.

"So? What gives?"

 

[Insanity]

As the Jedi entered and dismissed the guards, Anima idly lifted the gear again and sent it whizzing out of the room, colliding with one of the guards and illicting a yelp as the door shut again. His attention no longer divided, he watched Sorn and listened to the first way he was addressed, as if the Jedi were trying to bait him. He found that attribute... mundane. Still watching Sorn, he placed a hand against the side of the force cage, feeling the familiar tingling sensation followed by small shocks. He kept his hand against it until the shocks started to burn his already scarred hand, withdrawing it. "Why, you ask? That's paramount to asking 'Why do you do anything?'."

"You're right, I'm not a... 'textbook' Sith, to use your term. I'm abnormal and quite aware of it. But not all Sith are as simple as you seem to think. Yes, the weak are punished and weeded out. Yes, we tend to covet power and not share it. But that's some of us, not all. Not every single one of us is short-sighted as you'd believe. Sometimes, there are times where sacrificing one's self for a short time is needed to become stronger. What do you think my ally will do, according to his mentality and personal honor? He'll come, and he'll try to save me. Because I saved him and he knows that he has a debt to repay. Because I've followed him and he knows me as much as I know him."

Anima waited a moment, considering his words. He always considered them, before he spoke, but these words needed to be more precise. He settled on them. "I saved him because he will repay his debt, for his honor dictates such. His honor gives him strength. For me, my studies are my motivation. Understanding, my goal. Power... That's simply a symptom of my studies. So you ask why I saved him when I could have let him fall, then defeat you. And my answer is that I will become stronger, knowledgeable, and will learn much more by doing as I have."

 

[MolotovCocktailParty]

Sorn smiled. The Sith actually made sense, in a way. There were multiple ways to view any philosophy; the constant debate surrounding the Jedi Code was a perfect example. And if the fundamental tenet of Sith philosophy was "power," well, there were different ways to perceive, view, and use power. Subtle manipulation, playing upon others' feelings: that could also be considered power of a sort, just as much as the ability to run into a crowd of enemies and emerge victorious. They were just different kinds of the same thing.

"Well, if what you're saying is correct, we can expect a rescue attempt. It will be interesting to see how a rematch fares, but surely you must realize that if I would have defeated this other Acolyte (what was his name, again?) had you not interfered, then I will certainly defeat him in combat if you are not there to help him. That makes your plan a little invalid if I've already proven that I can beat the person you're relying on. And it's foolhardy to think that any one Sith can assault the Temple here on Coruscant and survive. He'd need an army. And I don't think they'd raise an army to go rescue one Acolyte, no offense." Here Sorn arched an eyebrow, indicating curiosity. "Or am I wrong? Is there something about this other Sith that makes him special that you're counting on?" He paused. "Or maybe there's something about you, something that makes you special and worth raising an army over?"

 

[Insanity]

Anima started to smile, an empty expression with no emotion behind it as Sorn finished speaking. Something special about? Something special about Sogar? "Nothing special, no... But consider - when was the last time a Jedi led a rescue for another, to Korriban or any world where we Sith train and live? Centuries, is how long. And any who try now are, of course, captured and converted, or simply killed. Sobering, isn't it, to realize amidst the pain that there's no rescue coming anymore. That only by saving one's self, is to use the Force in darkness." He stopped speaking again, this time placing the tips of both hands against the edge of his cage, the Force gathering at them as energy was displaced, forced out. It took only a moment before the field couldn't hold any longer and shut itself down, leaving nothing between Anima and Sorn. Yet he just stood here, his face sliding back to impassivity.

"I suspect that the one you fought will come, soon. And I doubt that any number of Jedi will stand before him and his allies for long. I'll be here, of course, waiting. Learning."