[Flashback] Magnets and Electricity

[TweedPawn]

Reichtum was positively purring right now. He sat in a comfortable leather seat as he sipped on a glass of chilled water. Things couldn't be going better. He managed to invest in one of Lord Geist Weiss's projects, his group had discovered a new planet that was certain to be a boon for new resources, and they collected a sample group of the native younglings. A tiny handful of them had some sensitivity with the Force.

What more could be asked from an investment into an expedition? Reichtum knew a potential income when he sensed it; it was his more prized talent. Certainly, the Sith valued power, but a pair of muscles were nothing against a well-funded military. It was good to see cunning backed with finances were proven to be just as valuable as some brute that could spark electricity.

His master Eber, however, wasn't so pleased. The Crusader never enjoyed being saddled with a runt like Reich, especially a runt that always knew something he didn't. Eber was never prized for his cunning, but who needed brains when a well-muscled fist could break a skull wide open?

Still, he could not deny that there was potential in his acolyte's love of money. Eber was a lot more comfortable these days. He ate better, he enjoyed better accommodations when he went out on excursions. He never admitted to enjoying his new found ease of life, even if his Acolyte was the type to waste time and annoy him.

"Ah, I do believe Master Weiss should be done with his data for the evening." Reichtum chirped. Eber rolled his eyes. Why should he care what Geist Weiss did with his time? His acolyte seemed quite excited, however. Possibly because the damn fool had sunk quite a bit of money into the trip.

He was getting impatient. When he got impatient, he started tapping the hilt of his lightsaber. It made a hollow clanging sound that echoed through the ship. It often annoyed others, but he rarely cared. When you were a big kid on the playground, others often kept their mouths shut.

Reichtum wasn't going to verbally protest anyhow. He gritted his teeth and stood up to walk out of the room. He looked for an opportunity to warm up to Geist and his promotions. He approached the Sith's room and proudly walked in.

"Need assistance? I was thinking it was time to separate the subjects into groups. Have you found any with affinity for the force?"

-----

It was a dimly lit room, square and uninviting. A small cluster huddled as tight as it could in near silence. Their eyes always on alert for any sort of change. They communicated through breath and through expression, their last method of understanding what was going on as speaking was frowned on by The Other.

After some time, the huddled mass seemed to loosen.

<I think they're done for now.> a boy whispered. A collection of sighs in agreement followed. The mass broke up and five children, ages thirteen to seventeen broke apart to stretch out bruised arms and tired legs.

One of the children, Della Frey, brought out a few scraps from a meal she had won and divided it up with the four other children. They quietly took the scraps, careful not to make a fuss as they gobbled their food down. Della had been very lucky to be an athlete, the bizarre games the children had to play were always testing their psychical abilities.

Della was a gifted sprinter, but even she found the games to be difficult. Food, they were competing over food. There was something wrong about it. It contradicted the very idea of survival. Her muscles ached constantly, but never allowed the others to know. Some of the younger ones still alive started looking to her as the leader now.

Still, tensions were high. Rumors were spreading in the tiny group that remained out of the twelve that was originally taken. Odd rumors. Della didn't quite believe them, herself. Rumors of wizardry and terrible things had been seen by the others. With the overwhelming technology that was around, Della could see why there might be some confusion.

<I saw one move a box, like without touching it.> said a boy. Della paid him very little mind, she was trying to rub the soreness from her overworked legs.

<Probably magnets, don't be stupid.> replied another. That was a popular word in the group these days. Magnets seemed to be some sort of miracle stone that could move any object, make electricity, and cause doors to open. Something didn't seem right about the logic behind it, but Della didn't care. She was never a strong student in academics.

<Don't call me stupid.> replied the boy. He and the other child began to start bickering. They fought often now. Tiny things caused them to bicker in ways that facing a predator never could. Della knew what happened when a fight broke out. One of the Other, especially the Red Skinned One, always came to deal out some sort of punishment.

Worry came to Della, and then a plan.

 

[Dmitri]

Sacul was a planet found by chance, and he was not about to let it go easily. It was a virgin planet, free from galactic interference. It allowed for evolution, which many species had lagged in recent millennia due to the luxuries of technology. This planet was a treasure trove of information and culture. He had immediately organized a project to study Sacul, though used mostly his own resources and used very little employment, as to keep the people involved few. All were under strict orders not to speak much of the project. In fact, Geist had brainwashed half the people who had been with him when he had first discovered Sacul. Its coordinates were deleted from databases, left only in Geist's mind. He was the key to its location.

Reichtum helped hide some of the project financially, by providing his investment to the project, rather than relying on Geist's fully. It allowed him to have some Sith involvement, and gain another project employee: Reichtum's master, the Crusader Eber. Both had their strengths and weaknesses. Geist had mixed reviews on the men. Eber was more bronze than brains. As for Reichtum, he was a brown-noser, hoping to get prestige, maybe even a promotion, out of this endeavor.

As if on cue, Reichtum arrived at Geist's office. Geist was finishing up his recent analyses on the sample of Sacul populace. He still wasn't sure about the species' name. After all, he was still sorting out the language. Drain Knowledge allowed him the language, but it was still taking a while to sort about, being swamped with other work.

Geist placed down a folder. "The results look promising. Tomorrow, I'd advise we give them a break. While I'm interested in their endurance, we cannot have them breaking on us. We've only been here for two weeks. We cannot afford to obtain more samples until we've situated ourselves better. I'm also interested in studying their interactions with each other. We've done some monitoring, but mainly under duress. I agree with your proposal, though, Reichtum. After tomorrow, we should commence smaller group testing." Geist turned his chair so that he was now facing Reichtum. "I'm interested in your thoughts. Who should be placed into what groups?"

 

[TweedPawn]

Reich was like a cat rubbing against its master's leg. Excellent, a chance to prove himself to someone who understood intelligence and the value of a credit.

"I do find the attempt to study culture a tad questionable. After all, they're younglings. The oldest one we have is The Runner and she's a teenager. They haven't the time to really absorb anything meaningful from their people." Reich coughed before continuing on.

"As for the groups, pair them up according to temperament. We already can tell the high strung from the docile. Ideally, they'll balance each other out. The docile preventing the high-strung from attempting any trouble, and the high-strung motivating the docile from...that odd thing they do." Reich frowned. He was referring to the way some of the younglings would suddenly freeze, stark still. They looked like someone had suddenly turned off the switch on a droid. It was most likely a stress response, a method of coping with trauma.

"Of course, if any of them have talent, we'll rearrange the pairings and discard the rest. Unless, you have a further use for them?" Reich said. There was an alert on his comlink. His frown turned into a subtle sneer.

"We have...some commotion."

-------------------

The bickering was starting to escalate. Now the taunts were verbal assaults. Della had never seen the others argue like this before. The other children seemed horrified as two of the boys started snort aggressively towards one another.

"<You calling me a bad liar? I SAW one of them use magic!>" the boy was ten. He was bicker with a pre-teen named Arn.

"<Oh no, I'm not saying you're a bad liar. That would suggest you have intelligence. I'm saying that you're as dumb as the rest of these red-neck hicks that believe in lightning flying out of some wizard's finger tips.>" Arn glared at the boy. His condemnation radiation from his face like a scowling professor. Della never liked him. He was the most abrasive person she had ever met.

Arn was a cousin to Claude, who was lucky enough to escape being corralled with them when these strange men came. Arn had fought with his cousin over the subject of the terrible visions Claude was receiving about invaders and horrible men. Claude had even pointed out three figures in the distance and starting going into fits that the three strangers were Death coming to steal them all. Arn had denounced Claude's hysteria as madness. To prove his cousin wrong, Arn marched right to the strangers. That was when the blue lights flashed and a cry was heard. Chaos occurred directly after that, resulting in the snaring of Della and eleven others.

"< Big talk for someone who walked right INTO these haraka eaters!>" the boy snapped.

"< Even bigger talk for the superstitious idiot that went tharn and couldn't even run!." Arn quipped. Even now, he was prideful.

"<Take it back!>"

Now Della was getting worried. REally worried. Her idea wouldn't possibly work if this got out of hand.

 

[Dmitri]

Reich was a brown-noser, but Geist didn't put it against the man. He hoped for prestige out of this operation. Geist wouldn't hinder that ambition. However, he had a little differing opinion than Reich. "I disagree, to a point. Culture is sprouting its infancy in these children. By studying culture in its infant form can we better understand culture. However, such things I do agree can be studied later. I leave you to sort them as you see fit. However, don't discard the rejects. I have other projects they'd be useful in."

The dialogue between colleagues was interrupted by a notice of a commotion. Geist was slightly vexed that the children were acting up again. However, as they were of a different culture, he dissuaded himself from that mentality as not to be ethnocentric.

"Let us see what the problem is," said Geist.

Geist exited his office, allowing Reich to follow. They were accompanied by Eber in the hall, who informed them of the situation. The children were getting into an argument. Geist paused as he examined the video screen displaying the situation. "They say passion is the way of the Dark Side. Let them continue, unless it gets out of hand. I want to see if they'll end up invoking Bogan." He faced Reich and Eber. "Tell me, which of these children, if any, do you believe will show signs of the Force first in this quarrel?"

 

[TweedPawn]

Reichtum honestly didn't hold out much hope for any of the younglings. They seemed petty and insignificant. Still, first impressions could be misleading. He would indulge Geist, for now. Reichtum already was dreaming of other sources of revenue from the planet, something a tad more reliable than sith cannon fodder. There was one boy that peaked his personal interest. The preteen, the first one they caught, was constantly observing the Sith as much as they were observing him. Reich could sense the boy studying them. That one proved promising, but Reich was not going to willingly surrender what could be the most intelligent of the herd. Regrettably, the boy was the one instigating the fight.

Eber was the only one who seemed unfazed by the fighting. He was not looking for any more runts to babysit, even if they were showing an affinity for the Force. Still, he leaned back against the wall, waiting for his next order. It was often his job to deal out discipline. His looks frightened the sheltered younglings, occasionally causing them to freeze still. It was almost fun, watching to see how long it would take for them to move again.

Reich watched the screen closely. The fight was now escalating into fists.

"They all seem average. We assume they'll even use the Force in a quarrel. They may not even believe themselves to be capable of using anything like it." he responded.

------
"No" Arn growled.

" I said, take it back!" the other boy shouted.

"NO! Arn snapped. Suddenly, the other boy was on top of him with fists flying. The other children gasped, Della included.

"Have you two finally lost it? You'll bring them in here!" another child screamed.

"I don't care anymore! I just want this scud-eating snot digger to shut up!" the boy snapped. The group of children descended on Arn and the boy to break up the fight, or attempt to.

"Seriously! Knock it off!" Della cried. The two boys were separated.

"Who made you in charge? You don't even have the brains to fill out an equation, that's why you couldn't even finish your math homework!" Arn snapped at Della. Della felt a moment of pain at the boy's remark, it was true that Della was not a good student. She had struggled with keeping herself interested in her studies and her grades often reflected that. Della was willing to forgive the remark, but the other boy wasn't.

"You're a piece of haraka, Arn! You're such a piss-ant that you bully everyone else into thinking you're smarter than them! I'll shut you up for good!" the boy threw another punch at Arn, this time he was aiming to break some bones. Arn yelped under the intense fury of bloody fists.

----
"Eber! Get in there before they kill each other!" Reich barked. Eber scowled.

"I won't keep reminding you of your rank, student. Or perhaps you would feel better assigned for a different project? How about the chew toy of a nexu?" Eber flashed his teeth at Reich, warning the acolyte. Reich narrowed his eyes at the crusader. He called on one of his better Force abilities and was able to influence Eber to mentally ease.

"But of course, my Master. After all, it should be you who decides to break up the fight." Reich said firmly, the Force pushing into the simple-minded Crusader's head. Eber flashed his teeth again, but said nothing as he turned to leave the room.

Reich did not gloat about his trick. He only used it around those he felt would eventually reward him for its use. That was his real reason for choosing Eber. He was mentally weak, but able-bodied. It was useful.

"He'll take care of the situation before it gets out of hand. If these runts bust eachother up too much, they won't be able to rest for the next set of exercises."

 

[Dmitri]

Eber held seniority over Reichtum, but Geist doubted that would last forever. Reich showed potential to outmaneuver his master. Soon the totem pole would shift. However, Reich would eventually learn that Geist was not as gullible as his master. Geist let things slide not because he was manipulated, but his tolerance.

Eber stormed into the room. For the children inside, it was likely startling. Not only was his entrance sudden, but the man was scary and imposing as it was. He immediately arrived at the bickering pair and forcefully pushed them a part. He grabbed the female by the arm, shouting, "Enough of this crap! Stop fighting!" He felt as though that was effective, forgetting the children did not understand Basic.

His grip was tight and Geist could feel the pain the girl felt through the Force. He did not need someone injured. It would skew his data. The alchemist brisked inside, using the Force to unclamp Eber's hand. "Enough, Eber. We don't need anyone injured. They cannot perform tasks well if they're limited in mobility or distracted by pain. These are not Sith acolytes. We cannot treat them as such... for now."

 

[TweedPawn]

There was a new commotion of confusion as the large, red skinned man suddenly stormed in.

"I told you!" a child snapped. The children scattered, as they tended to do during danger, but there was no where to run or hide. The confusion only caused further stress.

Della, however, was grabbed before she could dart. Della yelped as she felt her arm start to bruise. She instinctively tried to pull away, digging her feet into the solid ground and stiffening her legs like a horse refusing to go into a stall. The faceless one came inside and the grip loosened, causing Della to drop to her knees. The two men turned to eachother, as if to have a conversation, and Della felt desperation grow within her. She was going to get out. She had to. She refused to stay in this place.

The Divine Luck seemed to strengthen her legs. She bunched herself and like a spring that was compressed and finally released, she slammed herself right into the hip of the red-skinned man. He stumbled forward and yelped as the direct hit bruised his muscles. Della used the momentum to her advantage. They had left the door open.

She was quick and nimble, even with both men in the room, she found herself able to avoid being grabbed. She heard them cry out. She didn't care. She focused on what little she understood of this strange traveling machine she was in. Corridors were windowless, until Della suddenly saw out of one and could only see a starry abyss. It was nighttime? Where was the ground? Where were they?

She suddenly howled and screamed. Flashes of lightning entered her vision and she fell to the ground. She felt incredible pain unlike anything she ever known in her life. Her entire body felt covered in needles and set on fire. She kept screaming.

I am going to die....

The thought terrified her more than anything else in creation. It felt paralyzing. Fear took over her. She didn't want this. She never asked for anything nor wished anything bad to happened to another. The Divine Luck had blessed her, but she was going to be killed anyway. The electricity suddenly stopped and Della was left panting.

She felt a boot press heavily on her chest.

"You can not outrun us forever." Eber growled. Hate burned in his eyes and he placed more pressure on the girl's diagram, hoping that the restricted breathing would emphasize his point. He didn't care if she couldn't understand him. He would see to it that she never caused trouble again.

The restricted airflow caused Della to further panic. She couldn't stand to be here. They were going to kill her. She felt a wave of energy in her hands that screamed to be released. It was the same burning sensation as the lightning that electrified her. She suddenly jabbed her finger's into the knee of the villain and forced her crippling fear right into the red-skinned man.

Pain and electricity erupted from her fingertips. This time both the man and Della screamed. After her burst of electricity, Della looked at her blood soaked fingertips and suddenly felt numb.

Magic was real. She had just done it. These men really were sorcerers. How could that be? She laid on the ground, frozen stiff from fear. The thoughts of her revelation cycling through her mind like a record player looping. She was going tharn. She was unresponsive until another pain shot through her, this time in her leg.

"You damned bitch! I'll see to it you never run again!" Eber roared, his fury escalating. He grabbed the girl by the leg and started to attempt to dislocate it from her hip. The girl screamed and tried to writhe away from him like he was an animal that snared prey. The girl slapped him across the face, her nails digging into his face like a wild animal. Streaks of blood from her burnt fingertips and the scratches on Eber's face mixed together as some form of nightmare that Della would remember for years.

"He'll kill her!" Reich cried. He had been stunned by the girl's suddenly display of raw power, but there would be time for celebrating later. Eber was going to rip apart their first success, setting them back only god knows. He knew he didn't have enough power to best Eber in a brawl, or to pull him off without incurring his wrath.

 

[Dmitri]

Eber had ignored Geist's warning and had infuriated the subject even further. The girl, scared, had unleashed an electrical burst, shocking both Eber and herself. Eber's rage was fueled further by this anomaly, one Geist had no intention of letting Geist ruin. Reichtum was also worried, though possibly for other reasons. He didn't pay as close of attention towards him. Instead he focused on Eber's display of fury.

Geist entered the room himself. With a snap of his fingers, done for aesthetic reasons, the Force grabbed Eber and pinned him to the wall, away from the girl. "Behave yourself, Eber," commanded Geist. Rare was his voice hinting of anger. Yet it was also full of a commanding presence. "I shall not have you waste good potential. Do what you will to vent your vexation, but not on our test subjects, nor on our staff. We have an operation here and I will not tolerate you messing things up."

Geist was concerned for the girl's safety. Eber, even with his warning, would likely seek vengeance against her. And he couldn't protect her constantly, not here. No, likely he would need to arrange transport for her to be taken to Lacrima or Sanctuary. He would decide later, when he had the leisure to do so. For now he had to focus on his immediate problem.

 

[TweedPawn]

How the man was thrown off of her, Della didn't understand. She only knew the shock she was in and did not notice Eber stare Geist down. The red-skinned man eventually huffed and walked away. Not wanting to incur the wrath of those ranked higher than he was.

Della scuttled to the wall and crouched to the ground, recoiling from the two remaining men. Her breath was quick and irregular. She was pale. Reich tried get her attention by clapping or snapping his fingers. Della was non-responsive.

"Damn it , she's going into shock!" Reich forced the girl to give eye contact by moving her to face him. He used the eye contact to make her calm down and compliant.

"You will follow. You will calm down." He said sternly. Della did not understand his words, but she felt calmer, barely. Following, however, would not come next. She remained where she was, confused. This time Reich grabbed Della by the arm and forced her to stand.

"We can't have her with the other children now." Reich said, his eyes glaring at Geist, demanding a solution from the alchemist. The girl still resisted Reich, trying to keep herself as far from him as she could manage, until eventually reducing herself to biting him on the arm like a wild animal. She was desperate.

Reich grunted, the bite didn't even break the skin, but it forced him to push the girl to the wall and hold her by her neck.

"ideas?" he said.

 

[Dmitri]

Eber executed a tactical retreat. A stupid man wisely choosing to not stay around to vex his superior any further. Geist turned his attention to Reichtum and the Runner. Reich was assessing her condition, revealing she was going into shock. Through the Force, Geist touched the Runner's mind. It was calming. Further, tendrils of the Force invisibly sought to improve her condition. She would have bruises, but permanent damage would not form... hopefully. Physically, anyway, he grimly added mentally. Eber's outrage would likely scare her. Such phenomena was given to some subjects, but not this particular group. As to avoid retribution from Eber towards the girl, he couldn't leave her here. He needed to take her away. Reich was seeking an answer that Geist was still trying to formulate.

Geist snapped his fingers aesthetically again. This time for the children watching. He did this when he used the Force that was noticeable. It was meant to deceive the children, a false sense of security, as if the magic powers could only be done by a catalyst such as snapping fingers. This time, rather than pinning down a large man, he used it to conquer the girl's mind to make her fall asleep. But before she could fall to the ground, she was lifted into the air. Geist guided her out of the room and after Reichtum followed out the door, the door shut.

"I'll take her to another facility," decided Geist. "Isa Zle'tey reports pirate activity near Lacrima, so I may take her to the Centrality." Geist didn't elaborate. While the acolyte would know of Lacrima, Geist having a facility in the Centrality was probably a surprise. After all, not many knew of Sanctuary. "Keep an eye on Eber. Reports anything out of line. If he finds out you're reporting to me, inform him that I ordered you to do so and that I will treat your death as murder orchestrated by him. That should prevent him from doing anything to you. And remind him of who his superior is if he starts harassing the subjects again. I will not tolerate contamination by him for much longer."