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The Man in the Box


iamthehoyden

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This came out of a what if session after I hit the end of Felix Iresso's companion quests on my sage. Purely speculative, of course, and likely to be overturned by whatever the writers have in store for the game story, but ah well. This story is predicated on Iresso's companion quests, so will have obvious and explicit spoilers for those. Where there are spoilers for the rest of the JC storyline, I will mark them.

Hope you enjoy!

 

Edit: Summary of Iresso's companion quests for those who haven't done them/need a refresher:

 

The backstory from the game is that Felix had been captured by Imperials before you meet him and, although he's missing the memory of it, apparently an Imperial doctor somehow (they never really say how) transcribed a Sith holocron into his head at the direction of a Darth Ouzel who was an expert in holocrons. (They also put one in his buddy's head, which made the poor sucker crazy.)

 

Edit edit: Oh, and also, they described the holocron as a "glowing box" unlike the typical pyramidal Sith holocrons.

 

The holocron in question had been lent to Ouzel by the Dark Council for translation, but Ouzel decided to keep a copy for himself (probably secretly, but they don't actually say that to my knowledge). Then Iresso escaped (they don't say how) without any knowledge of what they had done to him. They had Jedi healers take a look at him, but at the time could find nothing wrong. During his questline, he finds his old buddy who had gone crazy, tracks down the doctor, and she tells him what happened.

 

So it got me thinking... :)

 

Edited by iamthehoyden
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"I was thinking," Felix said as he shifted the crates in the supply room while his fiance searched for the ancient lightsaber she'd reconstructed on Tython.

 

"About what?" Jese asked absently, digging through another crate.

 

"After we drop off Nadia on Tython, we should take a vacation. Just the two of us."

 

She looked over at him with a smile, "That would be nice, where were you thinking?"

 

Iresso grinned, walking over to pull her slight frame to him. "Anywhere I can get you to myself."

 

Jese giggled at the twinkle in his dark brown eyes and reached up on tiptoes to kiss him. He gathered her up tightly, kissing her till she was breathless.

 

"Then what?" she grinned.

 

"You know me, I always have a plan." He winked at her as he stepped away. She laughed and went back to her crate.

 

A sharp pinch to her bottom made her shriek and whirl, frowning. That had hurt. Felix's eyes were gleaming, but not in good humor. There was a cruel look to his face: a slight curl to his lips, a dark cast to his eyes. Then he shook his head and looked at her questioningly, the odd look in his eyes gone. "What?"

 

"What was that about?" she demanded.

 

He shrugged, "Didn't mean to upset you. Are you okay?"

 

"Yeah," she said, frowning as she looked at him, "are you?"

 

"Sure," he said, lifting another crate, "let's get this done. I'm starving."

 

Jese watched him for another moment in concern before returning to her search, but her mind was not on the beautiful blade she was looking for.

 

***

 

She woke to the familiar feel of a warm hand on her stomach. The dark brown of Felix's skin contrasted beautifully against the rich green of her own. Jese sleepily rolled over to face him and then pulled back quickly. The cruel look was back in his eyes as he looked over her: a dark lust instead of the good-natured satisfaction he generally wore.

 

"Hello, little Jedi," he said, but it was not Felix's voice, not quite. The intonation was wrong, the accent...Imperial. Jese leapt from the bed, grabbing a robe.

 

"Felix?" she asked in horror.

 

He tilted his head to the side, devouring her with his eyes as she struggled into the robe. "My name is Tothav."

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For a brief moment, Jese felt her mind run rampant, all the training she'd done for so long washed away in disbelief as this dark creature looked out of the eyes of the man she loved. Then she took a breath and felt her heart settle, her breathing even, her thoughts focus. The bright Light side of the Force rose inside her, its constant flow calming her, giving her thoughts clarity.

 

"What have you done with Felix?"

 

"Felix..." he rolled the word around in his mouth, testing it, "ah yes, the pathetic creature this body once belonged to."

 

Jese's soft purple eyes crystallized. "What are you?"

 

"I am Darth Tothav, destroyer of worlds, knower of secrets," he hissed, standing up, "and you shall bow to me!" He lifted his hands as if to shoot lightning at her. Jese formed a shield as quick as thought between them, but the lightning never came. Tothav snarled and reached out again without result. Jese lifted a hand and pinned the body of her fiance to the bed.

 

"This cannot be," he howled, struggling in vain.

 

"Let me ask you again," Jese said in a cold, clear voice, "what are you?"

 

The hatred in Felix's brown eyes was hard to see, but she focused on what was needed. The dark creature in her beloved raged, but she held firm. "I am Sith," he spat, "and I swear you will regret this!"

 

She concentrated on the ebb and flow of the Force. It was the same as always. No Dark side blot marking the presence of a Sith. "Your lack of Force sensitivity indicates not."

 

He glared at her.

 

"Is it the holocron? Is that where you came from?" she demanded.

 

For a moment he looked confused. "I...of course not! I speak out of a man's mouth with a man's body at my command. I am no pitiful holocron-stored shadow!"

 

Jese thought quickly. The holocrons often had a personality, an interface to converse with. Sometimes they'd even been created for the express purpose of recording the teachings of one specific person. But they were not alive, no matter their imitation of life. Of course, they were not downloaded into a person's mind either.

 

"I know Felix is in there," she said calmly to Tothav, "I want him back. Felix, if you can hear me, you need to fight. He isn't a spirit; he's nothing but a recording. Just data, nothing but data and a bad attitude."

 

"You can't have him," the creature snarled, "I will live, I will rule, I...arrrgh!"

 

Jese reached out with the Force, searching for the familiar spirit of her lover. "Felix, you stubborn man, you can do this," she whispered.

 

The man on the bed heaved and panted and finally looked up at her with a clear expression. She lifted her power, allowing him to move, and ran to him. "Are you okay?" she asked, holding him.

 

Felix gathered her up in his arms, his chest still heaving. "What was that?"

 

"I think we just met what that Darth put in your head."

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"The holocron?" Felix said, putting a hand to his head, "Man, I thought it was bad when it was just a library. You're telling me there's a Sith Lord in my head?"

 

Jese sat next to him, holding one of his much larger hands with both of hers, rubbing her thumb back and forth across his skin. "I don't know for sure," she said, "I've never seen anything like that." She peered up at him. "I'd like to try to see what's going on in your head, but I'm worried that I'll damage you or let him back out. Can you...can you feel him?"

 

Felix was silent for a moment. "You know that feeling when there's a thought that you can almost grasp, but stays right out of your reach? That's what my head feels like. It's really annoying." He frowned and then looked at her. "Do it. Check out what's going on. I don't want some Sith controlling my mind. He could hurt you. I won't have it."

 

"Felix, I could hurt you."

 

"Jese..." he said warningly.

 

She sighed at his mulish expression. Stars help them all when the man set his will at something. Mountains were easier to move.

 

Jese closed her eyes, drawing on the deep well of Force that dwelled inside her. She reached out towards Felix, carefully examining his body for injuries and disease, then his mind. He was healthy, as far as her medical and Jedi training could tell. His mind was healthy, but it was not normal. It teemed with activity. She poked and prodded at the Force, but it remained the same as it always had been. Felix was still very much a Force-blind. No sign of another spirit, extra power, or anything else, just a mind that was lit up like Coruscant at night.

 

"I think it's just the holocron, just the data," she finally said, retreating from her exploration.

 

"Just?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

 

"Well the other option was that a Sith lord had transfered his essence to you, but if that was the case there would be some sign of it in the Force, I think. Plus, you know, he'd have been shooting lightning out of your fingers."

 

He sighed. "This just keeps getting better and better. How did this happen?"

 

She shook her head, "I don't know. Your mind is very active, much more than a normal person."

 

"That's just me making plans," he joked with a strained smile.

 

She smiled a tight little smile back at him. "No one had ever transcribed a holocron into a person's mind before Ouzel, that I know of," she said, "We did all that searching after we found out what that doctor had done to you, but there was nothing. There's no telling what it did. Perhaps the knowledge grew more deeply into your brain, allowed this...Tothav personality to take over."

 

"Makes sense to me, but you're the researcher. So, not a real Sith, just an AI who thinks it's a Sith and can take control of my body. Greeeat."

 

She stood and walked to the statue in their room, looking up at the serene features. "I just don't get why he'd activate now," she muttered, mulling over what had happened.

 

"I am not just data," a Imperial voice whispered behind her. She whirled around. The Sith was back; she could see it in the intense anger that twisted his face. "I am NOT!"

 

Jese pulled her petite frame up straight. "Yes. You are."

 

Tothav stalked up to her, crowding her into the statue. Jese held her ground, ready to freeze him if necessary. "I am Darth Tothav. It was I who razed the cities of Whi-an and Ghrath'h, who slaughtered the armies of Ulba, who found the forge where J'shodth the Firebringer was made! I remember!" His voice faltered slightly. "I remember all of it, the cries of the men crushed under Xaroc's stone, the taste of blood sprayed into the air, the intoxicating scent of fear. I am Sith!" he roared at her in desperate denial.

 

"Then where is your lightning?" Jese shot back at him, "You can't feel the Force, can't use it. You are not Sith."

 

He screamed in rage and struck her faster than she had anticipated. And then Jese's world went black.

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"Well that wasn't well done of me," Jese groaned as she slowly got up, rubbing her head. She could hear sounds in the next room: muttering and swearing and occasionally the sound of something breaking.

 

"Everything okay?" Zenith asked, leaning out from the conference room across the hall as she emerged from her room.

 

"Not really," she said with a tight smile.

 

"Need help?"

 

"No, I can handle him."

 

"Your call," he said with a raised eyebrow, "never seen the lieutenant go off like that."

 

"It's been a rough day," she said. Zenith shrugged and went back to his correspondence.

 

Jese peeked into the holotransmiter room.

 

"Can't be," Tothav whispered, his tone near panic as he flipped through the screens of one of the consoles. He turned around and reached a hand toward one of the statues on the side table and strained, but nothing moved. "It's gone!" He slammed Felix's powerful hands down on the surface. "No!"

 

Jese lifted him with the Force, taking no chances this time.

 

"Let me go, Jedi! You who have never known the rush of true power! I am ruined!" He raged and spat and swore.

 

"Let Felix through," she said calmly although her heart raced.

 

"Or what?" he laughed, his anger making a mockery of the sound, "Perhaps I should just remain in charge. You would like that, wouldn't you, little Jedi?" His eyes crawled over her body, his gaze like a weapon.

 

"You can't," she said simply.

 

"Don't insult me," he growled.

 

"You can't," she continued, "because Felix's mind is what gives structure to that space you two share. You may be able to take over from time to time, but he will always be stronger. Always. Besides, he's more stubborn than anyone I have ever met."

 

"A pathetic Force-blind? Stronger than me? I am Darth Tothav. I have destroyed worlds!"

 

She smiled a mean little smile. "Not any longer. Now you're just a recording that was left behind and downloaded into my fiance's mind. You have no connection to the Force, no powers, and no future unless..."

 

The sour look did not look good on Felix's features. "Unless what?" he spat out.

 

"We call a truce. You agree to allow Felix through, and we find some way to sort this out."

 

"Hah! You mean to destroy me, to obliterate me from existence!"

 

She examined the man hanging in midair. She wanted Felix back. This echo of ancient Sith was just wrong.

 

"If you don't agree, we will certainly find a way. Sure destruction or the possibility of existence."

 

The disgust on his face twisted his face into the antithesis of good cheer and determination that was Felix.

 

"Fine," he spat. His face froze for a second and then the muscles relaxed, adjusted, becoming familiar. Jese let out a huge breath and lowered Felix to the ground.

 

The soldier shook his head, as if to clear it. "Well that was different."

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Hm, curious :) I'm liking this, even if I have never met the characters involved.

 

 

 

I did find that Sith holocrons have a tendency to corrupt the user, if programmed correctly, when I was looking at holocrons recently. I did not consider they could corrupt people so... literally :p

 

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Hm, curious :) I'm liking this, even if I have never met the characters involved.

 

 

 

I did find that Sith holocrons have a tendency to corrupt the user, if programmed correctly, when I was looking at holocrons recently. I did not consider they could corrupt people so... literally :p

Iresso's companion questline is, to be frank, weird.

 

The backstory from the game (which I should probably put in the opening post now that I think about it, lol) is that Felix had been captured by Imperials before you meet him and, although he's missing the memory of it, apparently an Imperial doctor somehow (they never really say how) transcribed a Sith holocron into his head at the direction of a Darth Ouzel who was an expert in holocrons. (They also put one in his buddy's head, which made the poor sucker crazy.)

 

The holocron in question had been lent to Ouzel by the Dark Council for translation, but Ouzel decided to keep a copy for himself (probably secretly, but they don't actually say that to my knowledge). Then Iresso escaped (they don't say how) without any knowledge of what they had done to him. They had Jedi healers take a look at him, but at the time could find nothing wrong. During his questline, he finds his old buddy who had gone crazy, tracks down the doctor, and she tells him what happened.

 

So it got me thinking... :)

 

This gave me a happy.

Excellent :D

 

Thanks for reading, peoples! Hope you are enjoying!

Edited by iamthehoyden
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Jese peered into the archive room, shadowed but for the faintly glowing holocrons that lined the shelves. A tall dark figure was slowly flipping through an ancient printed book. Tothav. She was getting better at telling who was in control.

 

These last few days had been tense. Felix insisted on sleeping apart from her on the rest of the trip to Tython, and Qyzen, once he was told what was going on, insisted on standing guard over Felix, sharing the duty with Zenith. Tharan and Holiday were, luckily, off at a conference, but Nadia...well, it was a good thing they were leaving her on Tython for a few months of study. She was developing an unhealthy fascination with Tothav. The remnant of Sith Lord had been surprisingly quiet - brooding certainly - but quiet through the trip and then the various tests the Jedi researchers on Tython tried. Jese had spent as much time as possible here in the archives, looking through the ancient texts.

 

"I can't find you," she said in the echoing room.

 

He looked up at her, startled. His jaw clenched.

 

"I'm sorry," she said, walking slowly towards him, "I didn't mean to surprise you."

 

He looked back down at the text. "My reflexes are slower," he finally said.

 

"You don't have the Force, of course they would be slower," she said.

 

"What do you want?" he demanded, turning another page, "I've already been interviewed by every Jedi in this forsaken place, as has your soldier. They've poked and prodded and found nothing."

 

"Not entirely true. Your data..." Tothav winced, a slight tightening of the muscles, a minor clench of the fist. "...appears to be nearly impossible to remove."

 

"Isn't that a pity?" he said, turning his head to smile a cruel smile at her.

 

She pursed her lips, examining his sneer with narrowed eyes. "But Felix is still the dominant personality."

 

"For now," he challenged, standing up straight.

 

Jese felt anger rise up in her, and she took a deep breath, letting the Force resettle her nerves. "What I actually came here to tell you was that I can't find record of you...of Darth Tothav."

 

He shrugged and closed the text, picking it up and placing it in the stasis chamber it was stored in. "Hardly surprising. I was a scholar and an explorer, not a poltician."

 

"So what was that 'destroyer of worlds' crap?"

 

He grinned slightly and shrugged again. "Just a couple worlds, here and there. Not anything to build a monument to."

 

"So you explored. Is that why the Dark Council wanted your knowledge?"

 

He leaned back on the matching table, the two of them mirrors, arms crossed, eyes watchful. "It seems likely."

 

"What type of exploring did you do?" she asked curiously.

 

He sighed in impatience, "I hunted down relics, found ancient burial chambers, uncovered weapons of immense power. The usual. If you're quite done?"

 

She glared at him. "I'd like to speak to Felix. Please."

 

"But of course, my dear. By the way, I quite enjoy the memory of you naked in my arms. Gets me through these moments." His grin was positively lecherous for a moment before his face went blank and then slid back into familiar lines.

 

The two of them looked at each other for a moment. The days had been quiet between them, for all of the flurry of activity on Tython.

 

"What do you see? When you're...away?" she asked with drawn brows, "Does it...hurt?"

 

Felix's face was grim as he pulled her tight to him and held her for long minutes. She relaxed into his embrace, content for a moment inside those strong arms of his.

 

"It doesn't hurt," he said quietly, into her hair. "It's like I'm dreaming. I see memories and have thoughts and make plans, but it's all jumbled together behind this kind of...wall. Every once in awhile I'll catch a glimpse of the world through his eyes...my eyes. But it's fuzzy, clouded, and then gone again." He leaned back and grinned at her. "Usually I see you. Remind me not to get you mad. You're kinda scary when you're mad."

 

"Jedi don't get mad," she grinned up at him.

 

"Uh huh, tell yourself that the next time you're staring down the Sith sitting in my head." He kissed her forehead.

 

She snuggled up against his chest, listened to his heart beat, breathed in his scent. "If we can't find a way to get rid of him, are you going to be okay?"

 

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you."

 

She looked up at him. "I'm with you to the end. I love you."

 

"Then I'm more than fine."

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Jese made a couple more notes on her datapad and then shut it off, rubbing her eyes. She settled into a meditative stance, allowing the cool, bright energy of the Light side to wash through her, refresh her. She was having to do that more often lately. The long hours of researching were wearing her down as they made their way to the capitol, but answers had to be out there - if not here then perhaps in Coruscant's ruined archives. She stood and stretched, stepping out of her space and heading towards the conference room.

 

Zenith leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, his sniper rifle across his back, watching the man sitting by himself at the dejarik table.

 

"What's he doing?" Jese asked, coming up behind him.

 

"Playing a game," Zenith said as though the concept were foreign to him.

 

"They aren't..." she frowned and stepped into the room. Felix looked up at her with a smile. "Hey, honey," she said, sliding onto the bench seat beside him and kissing his cheek.

 

He slid an arm around her. "Find anything?" he asked, settling her in tight against his side.

 

"I found a reference to 'transfering the soul,' but I think they're talking about transferring essences, not...this. I have a pile of theoretical works on AI to go through, and Tharan and Holiday are, naturally, rather curious about this phenomenon. They're doing some looking. What are you doing?" She examined the table where a game was obviously in play.

 

"Winning," he grinned.

 

"Against Tothav?" she asked, blinking a little.

 

"Yeah," he said, looking over the game board.

 

"So you two really can't read each other's minds," she said, watching as he shifted a piece.

 

"Nope," he said, looking over the new configuration, "Some feelings leak through, a few glimpses of what's going on, but no concrete thoughts. And I'm getting better at taking control back." He grinned. "Just takes some effort."

 

Jese smiled tightly.

 

"Don't worry," he said, tipping her chin up.

 

She nodded, her eyes a little watery. She shifted her gaze to the board, swallowing. Felix didn't deserve this. He was a good man.

 

His arm tightened around her, running his hand soothingly up and down her thigh. She sighed and snuggled in, trying to block out everything but being with the man she loved, if only for a moment. His fingers ventured farther than they should have with Zenith looking on, and she looked up in alarm. Tothav's evil twinkle looked back down at her. She jumped back, away from the table.

 

"Everything okay?" Zenith asked from the door, his rifle in hand.

 

She glanced over and nodded quickly.

 

"Hello, little Jedi, it's so nice to see you," Tothav said. His eyes slid from her eyes down her slight form and then over to the board. "Curse him!" he snarled, his attention grabbed by the position of the pieces.

 

Jese glared at him, opened her mouth to blister his ears but a sharp shudder to the ship interrupted her. Alarm sirens went off all over the place, warning lights flashing.

 

"Blasted Imperials," Zenith growled, sprinting for the bridge. Qyzen charged up from the lower level.

 

"Ah I see my friends have arrived," Tothav drawled as the ship rocked under the assault.

 

"You called them?" Jese asked in horror, "How? When?"

 

"Come now, my sweet," he said in amused disdain, "surely you didn't think I'd be content to wait till your pet scientist or archivists found a way to...argh!" His face twisted as he strained and then it was Felix who was looking down at her.

 

His eyes widened as he took in the situation. "I knew there was something wrong," he swore, "he was way too smug. It was leaking all over the place."

 

He grabbed her arm and the two of them headed for the bridge. A boarding pod blasted through the side of the ship, knocking them all off their feet. Jese threw out a wave of Force energy from where she lay, slamming the emerging soldiers into the wall.

 

"*Scorekeeper watches,*" Qyzen growled, charging into the mass of bodies, his techblade spinning.

 

"Quickly, to the bridge," Felix ordered, "defend from there."

 

Jese threw out shields on them as they fought their way to the bridge, Felix repelling the invaders so she could keep them all up. Zenith stood in the door, picking off soldiers, but more kept streaming in. Qyzen held them at the breach, a lone tall alien in a sea of Imperial armor, but then he faltered in the mass of invaders and went down.

 

"No!" Jese screamed, feeling his lifeforce falter. She blasted a gap in the melee and caught sight of the Trandoshan. He was bleeding heavily, the ground around him slick and red, but he stabbed upward with his blade, adding yet another body to the piles that were stacked around him. She reached out with the Force, but it was too late. He was gone.

 

"No," she sobbed, allowing Felix to pull her the rest of the way to the bridge.

 

Zenith's grim intensity never faltered. He and Felix stood shoulder to shoulder in the door, blasting the Imperials down as they came. Jese gathered her wits and began the work on shields and healing she was best at. It was a losing battle, though. They were soon overwhelmed.

 

Tears streamed down Jese's face as she lay on the ground, bound in Force restraints, next to Zenith and Felix. She could see Qyzen's body, surrounded by the corpses of his enemies. He would take many points with him to the Scorekeeper this day. He would have wanted it that way. The thought was little comfort.

 

The crowd of Imperial troops parted, making way for a tall, thin robed figure with pale wrinkled skin and glowing orange eyes. He smirked at the bound figures lying on the ground.

 

"I'm here to collect my holocron."

 

 

Author's Note:

:( I hadn't planned on Qyzen dying. I really hadn't. And then I was in the middle of the fight and I realized it was capture or death, and he'd worked too hard to rebuild his points. May Scorekeeper smile on you, dear friend :(

 

Edited by iamthehoyden
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Ugh. Qyzen. He was my loyal sidekick on my Sage until I got Zenith. Scorekeeper favor him, reading that hurt.

 

I got Iresso from 0 to 10k affection within an hour of leaving Hoth, so I blasted through his story. Since I had no intention of romancing him, I didn't pay much attention. I remember it being weird and not really answering any questions that it raised. Then I promptly forgot about it.

 

This is awesome. Can't wait for more.

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Ugh. Qyzen. He was my loyal sidekick on my Sage until I got Zenith. Scorekeeper favor him, reading that hurt.

 

I got Iresso from 0 to 10k affection within an hour of leaving Hoth, so I blasted through his story. Since I had no intention of romancing him, I didn't pay much attention. I remember it being weird and not really answering any questions that it raised. Then I promptly forgot about it.

 

This is awesome. Can't wait for more.

Qyzen :( But yay, awesome! :)

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Her head hurt; her body hurt. Such a pale word for the burning pain in her chest, the stabbing pain in her head. Jese opened her eyes slowly, trying to think around the pain. Felix and Tothav. Qyzen. Dead. Zenith captured. A Sith with orange eyes and purple lighting in his hands. She lifted her head, her eyesight fuzzy. The space around her was black and gray with small glowing red lights. The fuzziness receded. She lay on a tilted table, restrained. Jese took a breath, old training kicked in, and she reached for the well of Light side Force that lived inside her. And found nothing.

 

"No..." she whispered on half a sob. She tried to calm her mind, move past the pain, to reconnect. There was a gaping void where she knew there had once been light and connection and peace. "It's gone." Tears dripped down her cheeks.

 

"Like a hole you'll never fill." Tothav walked across the hard gleaming black floor. He had changed clothing, out of Felix's armor. Now he wore a simple black suit, almost a uniform, but without emblem. "Hurts, does it not?"

 

Jese watched him as he came across the space, more tears spilling down her cheeks. Everything was colorless without the Force. The web of living creatures that she had lived in her whole life, vanished.

 

"Force-dampening restraints," he said with deep satisfaction. "Life without the Force, for one who has known that power...well, it's hardly worth living now, isn't it?"

 

"Felix..." she said, hoping he would break through.

 

Tothav sighed. "He won't be coming back. Not as long as we have you and your Twi'lek," he smiled. "One little jolt to your lovely body and away he went." He looked over her. "You are quite beautiful, my dear. I can quite see why he wouldn't want you damaged."

 

Jese looked away, unable to look at Felix under the control of this evil creature any longer. Tothav reached out and wiped away the tears that stained her cheek. His touch was almost gentle, almost familiar. He leaned in to speak into her ear.

 

"The ache in your gut, the loss? Now you have a taste of what has been my world without the Force. I will have it back," he vowed.

 

She turned her head, glaring at him through her tears. "You fool. You think they will give you power? Even if it were possible, they will keep you as their slave. How can you be so blind?"

 

"I will take that chance," he said. He tapped her bottom lip with one finger, chuckling when she jerked her head away. "Once I am restored, I will have power beyond what you can imagine, Jedi. Perhaps I will take you as my consort."

 

"You are nothing but information. The Force shall never be yours again and neither will I," she vowed.

 

He laughed. "Till later, little Jedi," he said, leaving the room.

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Jese heard the sharp click of boots on the shining black floor before she saw them return with Zenith. She held her breath, looking for some sign of life in him as the soldiers half carried, half dragged him to the other tilted table. He pulled his head up, his bruised eyes exhausted but angry and determined. He looked her over as if to assure himself that she was okay and then glared at the soldiers as they strapped him down and exited the room. Dried blood caked the fingers on one of his hands, and Jese could see where Force lightning had scorched his clothes. He was not broken though. She breathed a sigh of relief. Zenith would never break.

 

"Insufferable slaves," Ouzel muttered as he stalked through the door, followed quietly by Tothav, "He insults me by his definace!" He stalked towards Zenith, sending a jolt of lightning at the Twi'lek. Zenith's back arched, but when the lightning ended he sneered at the Sith, air pumping through his lungs, shirt smoking.

 

Tothav wandered over towards Jese's table. "His willpower is really quite remarkable," he said as he ran the back of a finger down Jese's arm. He grinned at her scowl.

 

"Remarkable? It is a disgrace! I should kill him now," Ouzel snarled, "In fact, I will!" He raised his arms to deliver a lethal dose of lightning.

 

Tothav swiveled away from Jese in alarm. "We need them," he snapped, "how else are we to control this soldier? Think, fool, you already destroyed one bargaining chip!"

 

Ouzel twisted his head towards him, anger gleaming in his eyes. He threw purple lightning at Tothav, sending him to his knees gasping. "Do not dare call me fool, worm! You are nothing! A servant to do my bidding, do you understand?"

 

Tothav's jaw clenched hard as he got to his feet, his dark brown eyes glittered with hatred. "Of course...my lord," he said with a bow, "my apologies."

 

Ouzel sneered at him and then turned to look from Zenith to Jese. "Perhaps I was hasty in my desire to rid myself of this bit of insolence. We only need one of them, and the Jedi would look marvelous in my bed. She won't last long though," his evil smirk practically oozed, "they never do." Jese recoiled from his foul gaze. She could see Zenith jerk at his restraint, his eyes hard in his bruised face.

 

Tothav glanced back at Jese, his eyebrows drawn tight. His jaw clenched, and he looked back at Ouzel. He took a step forward. "My lord, I was wondering if I might speak to you regarding your efforts to restore my Force sensitivity."

 

Ouzel tore his gaze from Jese and frowned at Tothav. "What nonsense are you on about now?"

 

Tothav clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing. "I have been studying in your extensive archives, but have not been able to find a technique that would restore my Force sensitivity. I would like to go to Dromund Kaas and explore the archives in the Citadel."

 

Ouzel scoffed. "Dromund Kaas? The Dark Council already watches me like a hawk, and you wish me to take my prize into their very lair in some wild goose chase? Force sensitivity cannot just be turned on. Any child knows that. Besides, what I need from you is the knowledge you carry, nothing more. The Dark Council thinks they will find Dullwre's Crystal first, but they are idiots! My knowledge of the ancient texts is far superior! Call me weak will they? Hah! I'll..."

 

"My lord," Tothav interrupted darkly, "you promised to see that I was restored to my former self when I contacted you."

 

Ouzel casually shocked him and then rolled his eyes. "As if a promise to a holocron meant anything. Now..." he turned to look back at Jese, "yes, I think she will do nicely."

 

"You Sith are all alike," Zenith growled at him, catching his attention, "cowards who hide behind others. Pathetic!" He spat to the side.

 

"Zenith, no!" Jese burst out, realizing what he was doing. Tothav looked back over at her and then at Zenith, his quick mind visibly at work.

 

"Watch yourself, slave, or I'll decide your death would be worth forgoing the pleasure of the Jedi," Ouzel seethed, shocking Zenith briefly. Tothav took a slow step towards Zenith's table.

 

"As if you had the balls," Zenith hurled at Ouzel.

 

A bellow of incoherent rage accompanied a vicious stream of lightning.

 

"All you Imperials are weak," Zenith wheezed, his voice faint but dripping with disdain.

 

Ouzel stalked towards the Twi'lek, practically frothing at the mouth. "You will not speak to me like that!" he screamed, launching himself at the restrained prisoner.

 

Tothav made his move swiftly. Jese caught a flash of silvered metal and then Ouzel's body crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut. Zenith sucked in air, staring at the former Sith who stood over the body, bloody knife still dripping. Tothav moved quickly to Jese's table, reaching for the restraints.

 

Jese gaped at him. "Felix?" she asked, peering into his dark brown eyes.

 

Tothav rolled his eyes, disgust on his face, "Come now, my dear, give me credit. The man was a bore."

 

He unlocked the restraints and then the Force-dampening cuffs. She sighed involuntarily as color seeped back into her world, the Light side refilling the well inside her, pulling her into the glorious web of connection the galaxy offerred. Tothav didn't move as he watched the Force return to her, the pain in his eyes calling to her.

 

She reached out a hand, touching his briefly. "I'm sorry. For your loss," she said sincerely.

 

"Do not pity me," he said gruffly, helping her stand. She settled into a deep meditative trance to restore her energy enough to heal Zenith. The sharp sound of flesh on flesh broke her trance. Zenith was standing above Tothav's crumpled body, flexing his hand, still breathing heavily. She gaped at him. Zenith looked over at her and shrugged. The body at his feet moved, and Jese rushed over to his side.

 

Felix's clear, honest face looked up at her...with a quickly bruising jaw. He glanced over at Zenith as he got to his feet. "Thanks, been wanting to punch that guy since he showed up."

 

Jese looked from one to the other and shook her head in disbelief. "Men are insane," she muttered to herself as she began the long process of healing their wounds.

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Men are pretty insane. XD

That they are, lol.

 

If it worked for Black Widow and Hawkeye, it's good enough for me :p

Hehe, well I'll be explaining a bit more about what happened with that punch in the next one, but suffice it to say that Tothav had a way out of "holy crap my jaw hurts" and he took it.

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