Philosophies Of A Puppet Master

[Sreeya]

Andraste was no stranger to the Imperial Palace. She almost knew it as well as the back of her hand. Though she was no Sith Lord, she spent just as much time here, if not more, than the other Darths. Her primary reason for venturing the halls were to meet with Exodeus, though it was mostly under the guise of training. She had grown used to all the guards and they all noted her arrival whenever she came. Today, she did not come to find the Dark Lord. She even doubted he was here.

She hummed to herself, her eyes wandering everywhere, taking in sight of the massive columns and support beams that gave the palace such a grandiose appearance. Andraste ignored the nods of greeting from those she passed, almost lead by muscle memory. She was clad in a black dress, as if she were going to a party. There was no real reason to her dressing up, and she had simply developed a habit of it. She did not have her saber with her. With how little she used it, she often left it behind.

Andraste stepped into a large chamber that thrived with dark energy. It was a place to meditate and connect to the Force, a perfect place to channel emotions and let it fill the mind and soul. It made the Force cling to her, as if she were a magnet. Andraste ducked behind the columns, emerging again before disappearing. She called the Force to herself, wrapping it expertly around her delicate fingers. Andraste had disappeared again, into the shadows of the chamber. She was within her own thoughts, drinking from the energy all around her.

 

[Rev]

The mention of time had been the last subject to run through the Sith Lords mind in what felt like years. Since putting the ruse on the Jedi and going through the rather unique celebration in her honor she needed a moment to relax; settle her mind. The candle of thought would light her path through the cataclysm of pillars and winding passageways. It was almost surreal walking through the fortress' walls within Bastion. Stepping through the doorway she had expected for what felt like minutes before she was met with darkness.

The chilling sensation that was Darkside energy began to course into her body before she would even think of opening herself to the torment. The surge of power was almost enough to raise a creatures morale or ego; but with Aÿisha it was a different feeling.. That of a burden or weight, but it made you crave more.

As her eyes went about the room she'd stop at one section of the darkness. The mask that had been put on was a strong one, almost enough to trick one as powerful in the Force as Illusia. A smile would curl on her lips at the thought of it possibly being an assassin; who it truly was she'd never expect.

"Don't think me a fool."

The armor which donned her feet, shins, and knees would produce noise for the first time as she took her paces back and forth; the Force for the first time giving them freedom. The metallic 'shake' the plated mail would give off was a haunting one, almost sounding as if chain was dragging against duracrete.

"..Now, show yourself."

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste allowed herself a smile at Ayisha's words. The same assertive traits shined through now as they did the first time she had met her. For a moment, Andraste did nothing, remaining within the shadows. Her Force energy was fleeting, teasingly drawing out to Ayisha before withdrawing back into her. It was almost playful, though the energy was dark. After a while, only a mere voice rang out from the shadows.

"You would be dead like the other Jedi on Tanaab if you were a fool.."

At last, Andraste stepped out from within the shadows. She knew what Ayisha was capable of, the woman having far exceeded her expectations. For a moment, Andraste simply gazed upon her, drinking in her sight and feeling the dark energy that emanated from her. It was not the same Ayisha she had met on Tanaab. The new Ayisha showed no doubt or fear, but stood proud, as a true Sith. Andraste grinned and finished the rest of her sentence, standing across from Ayisha.

"...and not standing before me today as a Darth."

 

[Rev]

At the hearing of Andraste's voice a unique smile would curl onto the new found Sith Lord's lips. It was the sound of the woman who had shown her the way; the true light. The playful familiarity of her dark energy teased the menacing Darksider, yet her feelings would remain closed. She knew it to be wise not to let yourself become too close to any of the Sith within these walls, yet with Andraste there was an almost trust.

"You would be the fool to come here.."

She approached Andraste with open arms, breaking her rather bleak nature to embrace the woman with warmth. It was in that very embrace that she would be reminded of her coming to the location; mediation.

"..if you were anyone else you'd probably be dead."

She would break their hug before looking the woman in the eye for a short moment.

"I am surprised you do not yet stand beside me as a Darth."

Looking back to the entrance her hand would cut the air in one swift motion putting the door into motion; sealing behind them. As the room fell into a blackened darkness her hand would reach out and a small beacon of light would lift from her hand. The orb would illuminate the room better than a torch but far worse than the room required. Relaxing on her knees at the center of the room she still wished to continue her plans of meditation, that was unless Andraste decided otherwise.

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste smiled as Ayisha approached her, welcoming the hug. It was an odd gesture between Sith, but Andraste was no stranger to it. As they embraced, she suddenly sensed all the death and despair Ayisha had seen. She saw the explosion of the Jedi temple, the sapping of the life energies of the councilors. It all emanated from her and Andraste drew it in like a delicious scent, the feelings encompassing her mind, traveling deep within her. It was perfect for the beast within her, the perfect nectar to draw upon. Andraste did not vocalize these thoughts, letting Ayisha pull away. The words that fell from her lips caused yet another smile to play upon Andraste's lips.

"I do not doubt that.."

She quietly observed Ayisha, watching the door shut and her preparing to meditate. Andraste's presence was mellow, almost relaxing. She looked away, humming to herself for a moment, her aloof personality shining through. Andraste tilted her head, pondering Ayisha's second question carefully.

"I am not one for titles."

She circled around Ayisha for a moment before sitting down across from her. This was done casually, clearly conveying how relaxed she was around the other woman. Andraste spoke mostly to herself, letting Ayisha relax into her meditation.

"You have served the Dark Side of the Force better than I. It is drawn to you, and you are becoming its master. I can feel it in the air. I can feel it clinging to you, pulled out of every last corner and crevice. I had seen potential in you that day, but you have truly impressed me."

Andraste looked down at the floor for a moment, looking up only when Ayisha wasn't immersed in meditation. She reached forth and grasped her hand, placing it on her abdomen. Andraste closed her eyes and let the Force surge through the physical connection. Entwined with her energy was the presence of another, the life that existed within her. Through the simple gesture, Ayisha would feel an overwhelming amount of strength emanating from her. Andraste opened her eyes afterwards, gazing upon Ayisha.

"I cannot stay in Imperial space much longer. The Dark Side of the Force is...a curse and a blessing all at once. You must sense it too now that you are a part of it."

 

[Rev]

As the Sith Lord relaxed into position her body fell into a light meditation. The embodiment that was the Force would begin to flow through the room; the darkness swelling from her very center. Each breath was like inhaling a heavier air, one would follow another only to be shorter than the last. It was as Andraste began to speak about Illusia reaching her own potential that the woman would break her focus.

As Aÿisha stared across at the woman her hand would be graced by the warmth of Andraste's own before being guided to her stomach. Upon touching her belly the scent of life would fill her senses. The growth within her was radiating with life and would soon be more than just cells. The child's presence would soon be evident through the Force in ways that the Sith could not control; the life force within her would become a beacon; a weakness.

"Yes.. a powerful ally it is; but a taxing one."

She would reach from Andraste's stomach to bring a bare hand to her friends cheek. Stroking her cold skin was a reminder of what had once been there within herself; a Jedi. The thoughts that had filled Andraste's mind would again fill the Sith Lords forcing the painful thoughts within her mind to burn with an almost agony. A smile would turn to a frown as her hand would leave the woman's face; her own looking to floor.

"..It was unwise of you to do this to yourself.. There may be,-"

She paused for a long moment to allow her word choice to sink in.

"..repercussions."

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste couldn't help but smile.

"I assure you, I did not do this to myself. It took two of us."

Despite the gravity of the situation, she couldn't help but make a light joke. However, her smile never reached her eyes. Ayisha's words were true. Although Andraste had lured the older woman to the dark side, she still felt as a child next to her. Andraste looked down at her abdomen, where it wasn't noticeable yet. It would only be a matter of weeks before it was obvious. Exodeus would be able to pick up the Force energy as a hound does the scent of blood.

"What would you have done, Ayisha?"

She slowly gazed into her eyes, her emotions difficult to read.

"Ayisha the Jedi..not Darth Illusia...what would Ayisha have done?"

 

[Rev]

Despite Andraste's own lightness of the situation, Illusia found a way to counter-balance it with a seriousness of her own.

"That is not always the case.. The needing of another to produce life."

She would curl her lips into a smile. Andraste was a beautiful creature, and the fear that swelled in the back of her mind only added to that succulence. As the woman gazed into her eyes, Aÿisha would return the favor. The once green eyes had changed to a dark shade of brown accented in golden yellow. They were piercing, but welcoming all at the same instant.

"She.. would have went away. I remember a place on Stewjon as a child.. It was outside of our village."

She would break her gaze from Andraste's to allow the thoughts to fill her mind even more than they already had.

"I would go there, maybe raise the child as it should be. Not in these times of war, forever manipulated by the decisions of others."

She would look back to Andraste to allow a real smile to reveal itself.

"..but are you so sure that running is the only option?"

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste was silent as Ayisha mentioned another was not needed to create life. For a moment she wondered what secrets Ayisha herself had. Andraste had shared her secret with the other woman, but Ayisha herself had endless layers of secrets that Andraste wondered if she'd ever graze the surface of. She listened as Ayisha referred to a place in her past. Andraste recalled her own past, the last images of her dead parents. The faces were blurred as she began to forget. The Sith had become her life, and she knew it was too late to go back.

"I-I can't raise this child.."

Andraste blurted the words out before she could stop herself. She looked up, traces of fear in her eyes.

"I am immersed into the Dark Side. It pumps through my veins, and already I can sense it poisoning my child. When a child is born, he or she does not have a specific allegiance to the Force. The energy is neutral. Yet I feel my child may be born with a touch of darkness. I cannot raise this baby as it will only.."

Andraste sighed, looking away.

"I want to protect it from becoming me. From becoming us. From becoming Sith. We embrace emotions, yet there are certain..attachments that deviate away from the path of a Sith. I do not want my child to follow that path. The amount of chaos that will reside within the child from me as its mother and..."

She paused for a long moment, as if reality beginning to sink in at last.

"...and its father...it will curse the child into insanity. Once it is born, I will give it away and return here."

Andraste grasped Ayisha's hands then, clasping them between hers.

"I ask you to keep this to yourself. I spoke to you because you have command of the Dark Side, and not the other way around. You have that fire within you that existed since I first met you. The fire that is you, that is Ayisha, not Jedi nor Sith. It is your individuality that suggests you are truly alive and not a puppet of the Dark Side."

 

[Rev]

The Sith Lord listened to the woman with an almost pity. The pain that radiated from her core was sentimental, truth at its finest. It was in that moment Aýisha wondered why Andraste chose her to tell this to. They had known each other but for minutes, could call themselves barely acquaintances. Yet there bond had been stronger than any Illusia could recall, going back to even her own Master.

"What of its Father? Should he not know of its existence?"

Her voice was cold now, question Andraste's own morals now at her mentioning such a thing. It was their decision to commit such an act, now it was in hers to react to it in the proper way. She did understand however that the Darkside was no place for a child to be raised. Lightening her voice as best she could she extended an offer.

"The place.. The village I spoke of, it does exist."

She would pause for but a moment it was the one instant she would bring up her earliest of pasts to the Sith Master.

"I can find your child safe passage. When the time comes, that is."

She looked at the entrance to the meditation chamber, reassuring herself it was still sealed and their words were to themselves.

"..it is a known Jedi world.. The bond with the Force it shares may put them in the their hands.. though there is no guarantee."

She thought about Stewjon for a long moment, it was a beautiful world. Though whether or not the life of a Force User was the one Andraste wanted for her child still lay in question. As they sat in silence she would assure the promise.

"It will not leave this chamber."

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste pondered over the words for a long moment. Jedi...it was an internal debate within her mind. She knew that Jedi followed a strict code and a specific path, and taking her child to them would only mean another restricted lifestyle. However, she knew that the baby would be born tainted by darkness, and perhaps being with Jedi would offset that and push the child towards a more gray area. Andraste was withdrawn into her thoughts for a moment, Ayisha's words drowned out by her own ideas encompassing her mind. It was a difficult choice to make, but one that she would have to make quickly. She managed a smile, highly appreciative of Ayisha's help. She had truly felt alone since discovering her pregnancy.

"You may be under suspicion since the Jedi temple incident. It is not wise for you to travel outside of Imperial borders now. I will..manage.."

She sighed, thinking over her options on making her way into Galactic Alliance space. That was when she recalled Ayisha's initial question about the father knowing of its existence. Andraste rose to her feet and took a few steps away from Ayisha. She gazed out a window, at the silvery moon that hung in the sky. Her sigh fogged the window, and she looked down. Her voice was barely audible.

"...the father is the Dark Lord himself.."

She slowly turned to face Ayisha, dread clear on her features.

"He would destroy this child the moment I gave birth."

 

[Rev]

"One does not stay in power by hiding in shadow forever, Andraste. I trust you understand this.."

She paused for only a moment, breaking a secret she had kept for herself.

"I am changing that possibility.. Of being noticed that is."

Her lips would curl into a mischievous smile, one that said things will only get better from here. As Andraste's words echoed out against the chambers walls she couldn't help but feel their burn, feel the pain that was carried behind each syllable. Taking a step closer to Andraste, Aýisha's hand would extend, gently caressing the woman's face.

"You are a fool.."

Her words held pain, but they held honesty. It was a mistake to allow such a thing happen to herself, not to mention with the man she allowed it to happen with. The Sith Lord would lower her head in some shame, both for the Dark Lord himself, and for the woman before him. They were jeopardizing the Sith with such actions. Looking up she'd allow a smile to grace her face, even if she was pretending it looked more than genuine.

"..you can still be this child's mother, Andraste."

Illusia's own hand would at long last leave the warmth of the woman's face to tuck away at her own side.

"We simply must find a planet to hide it... and someone to take care of it when the time comes."