Whispers of the Tomb

[Vorn]

Vorn looked down at the little girl. It took him a few moments to understand who he was talking to. He rubbed his forehead, as though in pain.

"What happened? The last thing I remember was Visaji touching my head and then... How did we get here? This planet... I don't think it even has a name. We can't be here."

Vorn slumped down and hugged his own knees. The presence of Isabel helped, but the situation seemed no less hopeless or surreal.

[Isabel Lydeck]

Little Isabel laughed. "You're so funny. And big. This is Nogatan. My daddy's in charge here." Sometime between Vorn closing his eyes and opening them again, the surroundings had ceased to be a desert. The giant cat was gone, though his roaring had become the omnipresent hum of an HVAC system.



Now they were just in a long hallway. By the number of doors, it could have been an inn or dormitory. The odd moving box left outside suggested the latter. Every now and then the overhead lights flickered, all at once, as though intending to leave them to the darkness any moment. Faulty wiring, perhaps, but the LEDs on the locks never wavered. The girl held her finger up to her lips. "We have to be really quiet, though. Ssssssh! Are you an acolyte? I won't tell on you if you don't tell on me."

[Vorn]

Vorn looked around in surprise. His head was throbbing with a sense of displacement as his senses struggled to cope with the altered dimensions of this new location.
He had no idea what was going on. First the unnamed planet, now Nogatan? He was thoroughly confused.

So, Vorn did what he always did when he was in doubt. He followed his Captain's lead.

"No, I'm not an... uh, acolyte. What exactly is this place?"

[Isabel Lydeck]

The young girl seemed puzzled by the question, but answered nonetheless. "This is where the acolytes all sleep." Her voice was still a harsh whisper. "They come here to study the Dark Side so they can use it to do mean things to people. It gives them more power. Then when they get more power they go hurt more people. That's what the Sith are. Well, except my dad I guess. But all the ones here are bad."

She tiptoed over to a door numbered "413: Naxiet" and leaned up against the wall next to it. "One of them has a girl all tied up with chains in here. I've been training with Master Trase so I could save her."

[Vorn]

Vorn, despite his headache, started to notice how familiar this sounded. Nogatan, young isabel, some Dark Side user who had a poor girl tied up in a room, and here young Isabel talking about saving her. It was like the story Belhom told him... But like it hadn't happened yet.

"If this really is such a bad place," Vorn whispered back, "We should probably sneak out while we still can. One day you'll be big and strong. Then you can come back and save her."

[Isabel Lydeck]

The girl gave him a look so incredulous that her shock was apparent beneath the helmet. "Sneak out? But then who will save her?" She shook her head. "Don't be silly. I've been training and I'm already strong. Just stay quiet. Oh! You can be the lookout." She started typing a code into the door. "Tell me if you see anyone coming."

[Vorn]

Vorn looked around nervously. If there were really that many Dark Siders here, he didn't really want to stick around. However, even now, he found he couldn't refuse Isabel.

"Fine, I'll stay on watch. Call out if anything goes wrong, okay?"

[Isabel Lydeck]

Isabel finished typing the keycode on the door. Despite her prior confidence, she hesitated at the sound of the lock unlatching and just looked at the door's LED, once red, now green.

"Wait, before I go..." she suddenly ran in front of Vorn and looked up into his face with her big, red eyes. "What's your name, mister? You never told me. Are you lost?"

[Vorn]

Vorn looked down at her innocent curiosity and smiled. He didn't feel as uncomfortable talking about that with her as he would with Sephlyl or Xanatos or anyone else.

"My name is Vorn. I was lost, once, fairly recently in fact, until I found someone very dear to me who helped me find my way. Go ahead and do what you need to do. I'm keeping watch."

[Isabel Lydeck]

The little girl smiled. "A friend? Wow." Her voice was still a whisper, but it was loud with fresh incredulity. "I wish I had somebody like that. All I've got is my brother, but he can't come out here. Umm... I guess I have you here now. That's... that's great!" She suddenly hugged the soldier around the leg. "Thanks."

Thus emboldened, Isabel opened the door. In her memories there was an eyeless woman in that room who wore her chains like crown jewels, proud of the slave she was and longing only for darker depths of self-debasement. It was a shock the heiress had yet to recover from.

In the dream, however, she saw a different time and place behind that door. Vorn, hanging from the ceiling and hogtied with spare cables. The same type he'd so dutifully kept the ship repaired with. It was that time outside Akvia. Back then it had just been the two of them. Her self from then walked casually into the pitch-black storage area and sat down, looking over the man. He was hovering a few inches above the floor, his limbs behind his back in a manner that would've become painful over the hours, possibly days that had passed. His hair drooped over his face, and she couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not. So she pushed him, let him swing back to her like a pendulum. Then pushed a little harder, trying to see if the pain would draw a conscious response.

[Vorn]

Vorn grunted in mild discomfort as his limbs were being stretched. He remembered this. It wasn't the worst thing he'd ever gone through, to be honest. It kind of hurt, the way the artificial gravity pulled on you when all that was keeping you up were cables. The sense of helplessness was kind of scary.

But he trusted the Captain, and was happy to oblige her.

[Isabel Lydeck]

Isabel stopped pushing as hard when she heard the grunt, but still kept the rhythm. She felt completely at a loss for words. She didn't talk about what happened behind that acolyte's door to anyone, and yet it formed the backbone of every prejudice she possessed. How could she explain to her subordinate that she couldn't see his altruism as benign service? It was irrevocably tainted by that chained woman. By that awful slave that refused freedom. She hung him by the limbs so she wouldn't hang him by the neck.

"I might eat you, you know," she finally said. "You should've run away."

[Vorn]

"Well, it'd be hard to run away with my legs tied up like this," Vorn quipped. "But I trust you, Captain. And even if I didn't, my service to you wouldn't mean much if I didn't follow your command."

He made no moves to break free or struggle from the cables.

[Isabel Lydeck]

"But why, Vorn?" she said, ignoring the mildly sarcastic remark. They were both hungry thanks to their last adventure. "Why follow my commands? In all that time you probably could've tied me up instead. You're probably stronger than me. You could've done whatever you wanted."

She suddenly stopped pushing and moved slightly to avoid the backswing. "Or is this what you wanted?" She sighed. "Do you just want me to kill you? Is that what this is all about?" The frustration grew in her voice and she stood up. "Because I did it. I killed someone who..."

The words choked her and she never quite finished the sentence. She just stood there a few moments, unsure of what to do with him. Eventually she tugged one piece of the cable and the entire assemblage came loose, dropping him unceremoniously on the floor.

[Vorn]

Vorn didn't respond, initially. Again he was confronted with that question. Why follow her?

Now, in this place where it was just him and her, he could think about it. Did he do it just for a chance at a romp with the Captain? It was an... Appealing thought, but if he wanted that she was right, he could've just taken what he wanted by now.

He fell to the floor. With his limbs bound he had no way to cushion the blow. "Jeez, Captain, warn a guy next time. I don't want to break my teeth on the floor."

He rolled over and looked up as Isabel. She looked nice from this angle. "I follow you, Captain... Because I believe in you. In your decisions and your morals. And if I can't honor my commitment to you... Well... Then I'd truly have nothing left. As for the past... We've all made mistakes. Doesn't mean we have to be punished forever."

It felt comforting to say that.

[Isabel Lydeck]

And the frustration in Isabel only grew at his answer. He spoke of her beliefs, her morals, and yet he showed such a deep misunderstanding of them. Of course we have to be punished forever, she thought. People didn't change. Mistakes of that tier came from innate evil deep within the core of someone's being. You can't just forgive that.

But he wouldn't understand. She turned back towards the door. "High words for a male with an erection."

She marched off to her sauna room.

[Vorn]

Vorn shot her an odd look. He didn't figure she would've noticed, not beneath his combat fatigues... But she knew now. No point trying to cover it up.

"Yeah, well, it's not my fault I have an attractive Captain," he retorted, though admittedly he felt he might've been too honest there, and could've probably come up with a better comeback if he really tried.

Suddenly, some strong force grabbed Vorn by the neck and forced him to his feet.

"Pathetic," Visaji growled. She had appeared from the ether right next to Vorn and was holding him up. He was still tied up, but the sheer titanic strength those fingers possessed left him little doubt it wouldn't have mattered if he had been free. "You rejected all that wealth, all that power, for this? She has no respect for you!" Visaji yelled in anger. "She doesn't appreciate your talent! And yet still you'd reject her for me?"

Visaji pulled Vorn in close. She grinned wickedly, without humor. "Then let's ask someone whose opinion you do care about."

She pointed one of her fingers, tipped with a long nail like a claw, towards the corridor opposite of Isabel. That corridor changed halfway through, becoming more metal, more polished, like the inside of a starship. At its very end was a strange light that obscured the rest of the corridor from sight, and from that light stepped a man. His combat boots stomped on the armor plating beneath his feet. His pristine cloak swayed behind him.

Vorn's expression could hardly show greater shock.



It was a tall man, dressed in the same fatigues as Vorn, but in perfect condition. The man himself however had a bloody bandage wrapped around his head. There was a clearly visible hole in the bandage, the edges scorched. A direct blaster hit.

"Nice to see you again, Private 5537," the man said to Vorn. He waited a moment for Vorn's response, but there was none. Vorn could do nothing but stare, mouth agape, at his former Sergeant.

"What, no salute? Still taking your duties as lightly as ever. You see this hole in my skull?" He pointed at it for emphasis. "Sniper, hiding down a dark corridor on the asteroid we were sent to. First deployment. That shot was meant for you, Private."

He grabbed Vorn by his shoulders, looked at him up and down, then let him go. "It was meant for you."

Vorn hadn't noticed the other three men coming in. They all wore nearly identical uniforms. The Sergeant went to the first man, on the left, in a heavy suit of armor with an ammo bag tied to his bag. There were burnt blasterholes all over his torso. "Private 5539, what was the nature of your injuries?"

The soldier responded in a gruff voice. "Ambush, Sir. Our transport broke down and crashlanded. Enemy caught up to us and laid down fire as we tried to make repairs. Got caught in the crossfire covering for my squad, Sir."

"And why did it take you so long to make repairs, Private 5539?" the Sergeant asked.

The soldier nodded towards Vorn. "He was our engineer. We had no other tech specialists in the squad. That's why, Sir," he replied accusingly.

[b]"Stop... Please,"[/b] Vorn said. His breathing was fast, and his voice pained. He looked about ready to break."

The Sergeant, ignoring Vorn, stepped to the next man. This man was skinnier than the rest and was using a rifle for support. His right leg was missing below the knee, still dripping blood. "What about yours, Private 5541?"

"We were spread out too thinly across our perimeter. We were down a man, so, I had no one to provide covering fire for me. A tank came towards my position, but as I tried to get my rocket launcher ready to fire, alone, it fired at me, blew my leg clean off. I bled to death, cause no one was there to cover me."

"Please, I beg you," Vorn said, tears streaking down his face. This was his limit. To have the men he abandoned here, confirming all his worst fears. That, in a way, was worse than his worst nightmare.

The Sergeant stepped to the last man. "Private 5699?"

"I was the last man standing, sir," said the trooper whose gear looked most like Vorn's. The left side of his body was just a hole. It was a miracle he was still in one piece. "As the enemy wiped out the rest of the squad, I was the last soldier in my squad still able to fire. I was protecting a handful of wounded in our infirmary till the enemy decided to just blast their way in. Killed every man inside. Could've made an exit with the wounded if I had someone there to help me load the wounded into our transport."

The Sergeant turned back to Vorn. "Now, normally, we'd be obligated to help any of our comrades in arms, no matter the circumstances, ain't the right soldiers?"

The three responded with a clear "Sir yes sir!"

"Unfortunately," the Sergeant continued, "That courtesy isn't extended to deserters." The three men turned on their heels and walked back into the light.

"Good luck, Private," the Sergeant said to Vorn. "Where you're going, that's all you'll get to pray for."

Vorn was weeping openly as the Sergeant left the room. He was but dead weight in Visaji's grip now, entirely broken.

[Isabel Lydeck]

In the dream, the captain sat behind Visaji and Vorn atop the great gray beast from before, still wrapped in her chains and burning. Much like the woman sitting atop of him, the beast simply watched out of its smoldering eyes, its aggression from before suspended. The smoke from its mouth and eyes rolled across the ceiling until it touched the light.

But Isabel said nothing.

[Vorn]

"He's a deserter," Visaji said as she pushed Vorn and let him fall to the cold floor. He didn't attempt to move, or flee.

"He abandoned his duties once. He'll do it again. All because he's afraid. That fear and that guilt are consuming him," she said as she jumped up and landed on the beast's back, facing Isabel. "If you don't care that he will one day betray you, perhaps you care for his well-being? I can save him from his guilt and self-pitying. In my care, he will grow strong, and will forget about his past mistakes."

She leaned forward, grabbing Isabel by the chin and forcing eye-contact. "But it has to be you to cut his chains. I've seen his wants. He'd never do so willingly. You have to be the one to let him go, so I can free him. Don't you want him to be free from his torment? Look at him." She gestured down at Vorn, who was still weeping. "He is a broken man. Let him go."

[Isabel Lydeck]

Isabel looked into the Sith lord's eyes with cold hatred. Under any other circumstances she would've simply attacked her again, but that inner fire had been externalized here, formed below them into the great, smoldering feline. The thoughts of her other self, her mind separate from all those urges, were surprisingly clear.

She slid off of the monster and knelt next to Vorn. "Sssh, her lies aren't important." She pulled his head onto his lap and stroked his hair. In the background were roars. The second Isabel had left the cat-thing's back, it had turned on Visaji and sought her with his burning claws. "And neither are the lies of those men. They don't matter. They died because they were slaves. They had a choice, Vorn, like you had." She turned him to face her, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "They could have run away. They could have chosen life, no matter the cost. But no. Did you hear them?" She smiled, but her mouth wavered. "They hated freedom so much that they endured all that misery and death, and could only be mad you didn't die too. Don't you see that?" She leaned down and hugged him. "They were stupid. Just like that woman chained up in that room. I don't want you to be like them, and I... I don't want to be like the people who exploited them."

She remained in the embrace for a long time, but it still felt too short when she released him and began undoing the rest of his bonds. "That's why I kept trying to drive you away. If you wish to serve me, I don't want to be your master. If you wish to... pursue me as a woman, I don't wish to burn you. I have been at a loss for some time now, but I was wrong to come here in anger." The last tie came free and she knelt, cables across her lap. "Do as you wish."

[Vorn]

Vorn wrapped his arms tightly around Isabel as she hugged him. Her words and her embrace were the best things he'd ever felt. All the sorrows and regrets of the past began to wash away. There'd always be there, but for the first time in a long time, Vorn felt like everything might turn out okay in the end.

And he had Isabel to thank for it.

"Thank you, Isabel," he whispered as he wiped his face with his sleeve.

Visaji meanwhile was struggling with the giant cat. The metal around her buckled as she spend an enormous amount of energy Force-pushing the cat away into the wall, but the individual chains still reached out and struck her. She struggled to hold them off until she mentally grabbed the metal plating of the wall around the cat and wrapped it around it. The metal soon glew red-hot, but for now the beast was contained.

She turned to Vorn and Isabel, her hair messed up and panting with exertion. Vorn had stood up and put himself between Isabel and her.

"You foolish girl!" she called out. "I gave you a chance to walk away! But I see now that was a mistake. He will never be complaint as long as you exist."

"No," Vorn said calmly but sternly. "This has gone on long enough. I'm not interested in having anything to do with you. I'm happy where I am, at my Captain's side." He smiled down at Isabel. "We're leaving."

"Do you really think it'll be that easy?!" Visaji yelled back. "This is my world, and here, I hold all the power! I could crush you both like-"

Vorn raised his hand, aimed it at Visaji, and allowed that familiar feeling to course through his body as he called upon the Force. Visaji clutched at her head as though in great pain. Vorn's mental fingers reached out and touched lightly Visaji's mind, specifically searching for those hidden fears she tried to keep locked away.

The whole world changed around the three. From the steel corridors from before, they changed into an empty void. They seemed to be standing on nothing, surrounded in all directions by distant stars and the blackness of space.

Visaji curled up into a ball, shivering.

"So this is what you fear," Vorn said coldly. "To be alone. Forgotten. An insignificant speck in space. That's why you sought me out. Because you had been alone and forgotten for so long, you wanted nothing more than to leave your mark on the galaxy one more time."

Vorn lowered his hand, and stared coldly at the prone Visaji. "I pity you."

Suddenly, everyone woke back up. The obsidian throne was still there, but beyond that, the entire room had changed. Once marble columns had turns into rusting steel pillars holding up a barely-intact ceiling. Their clothes were covered in rust particles, as nearly everything seemed to be in a state of decay. Pistons and crackling electricity could be heard in the distance. Here and there were holes in the hull of the ship, covered by emergency forcefields to protect the inside of the ship from hard vacuum.

Visaji was there too. She... Or perhaps it, was slowly morphing its own flesh. Her female form was melting away, replaced instead by something formless. Something angry that was building itself up to lash out.



"You did this to me!"

[Isabel Lydeck]

Isabel stood to her feet in the illusion before it was all over and they woke to mundane reality. Rather, a reality worse than mundane. The Sith finally revealed its true form, not as some waifish, yet supple siren, but an awful, anarchic jumble of eyes, skin, and invertabrate limbs amidst a crumbling half-wreck. The scars of the hybrid's heat were practically an improvement over the gaping, rusty holes that otherwise adorned the decaying surrounds.

The heiress's mind, split in the illusion, became one again with her waking. She had learned much about herself, but there was no time to reflect on it. They had to get out of here as quickly as possible.

"Vorn!" she shouted, looking around and finding him freshly awoken as she'd been. "Quick, to the..."

She looked at the shuttle and suddenly wondered how they'd made it up here at all. It made the Barghest look downright spaceworthy. Where the ship was only a bit scorched, the smaller vessel smoked theatrically, the door half-ajar from melted insulation and plastisteel between the frame and the rusted heat shielding. Like the larger vessel, it had relied on its shield to maintain atmosphere, but the electronics had been injured by all the fire. Its lights buzzed and flickered. A window frame fell down with a theatric "thunk," bounced once, and shattered.

"...well, not to there."

[Vorn]

The formless mass of flesh, mouths and eyes suddenly formed a vague hand-shape with extended out from it unnaturally far, grasping at Vorn and Isabel. Vorn took out his pistol and rapidly fired several shots into the limb, which caused it to collapse to the floor, its musculature severed. He then aimed at the creature and fired several times. He left several burning holes in the creature's body, but these closed up quickly until all trace of them was gone. It screamed in a wordless rage as its flesh attempted to reshape itself into something more structurally sound.

"Good call, Captain. Let's go."

Vorn started running, but held Isabel's hand with his one free one. He was not going to risk losing her here. They were both getting out, he was going to make sure of that.

However, from the corridors around them, soldiers began pouring in. Their armor looked vaguely like the ones from the illusion, but only if one added at least a thousand years of rust and neglect. Behind their visors green corpse-light burned. They fired haphazardly at the duo, but luckily their aim was off. Most shots went horribly astray, as though the soldiers were near-blind, or lacked the focus needed to aim properly.

"Don't stop moving! We're getting on that damn shuttle!" Vorn called out as he fired shots at the soldiers. The shots burned clean through the soldiers he hit, but it barely slowed them down. He knew the shuttle was probably not space-worthy, but at least they'd have some cover in there.