Qaela

Qaela's face was mostly unreadable as Ca'Aran spoke, though her jaw was clenched tightly. She said nothing for several long moments as she contemplated what he had said. There were emotions within her tugging her various ways, but she buried them as deeply as possible using all of her skills to prevent the others from sensing them. When she spoke, her voice was calm and quiet. "It was not my intent to harm you, Ca'Aran. You should have run or at the least, defended yourself. You have seen me in such a rage before, it could not be controlled. I never stopped loving you and would have sought you out immediately had I known you were alive or had a ship to do so." She doubted that would mean much. She had done what she did and there was nothing she could do to take it back. Her weakness in that moment had cost her much. "You are right: I did hate the Sith and I still do. They have caused me much harm, but they have also taught me strength. Not all Sith are the same, not all are hopelessly treacherous. "When your forces abandoned Dathomir, I was left with my own kind. A Sith came to visit us, to seek out an alliance. I rebuffed him at first, but he was not like the others. He was in control of his emotions and wanted more than just blind slaughter and treachery. I accepted an offer of an alliance between our two peoples and he has kept his end of the deal without fail." She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. Exasperation entered her voice as she continued. "I tried to push him to make him kill me, I truly did. I thought you were dead or at the least, hated me and didn't care about my life. I did things to intentionally push this Sith into killing me. I was insolent, I was arrogant, I pushed his buttons and tried his patience. I even killed one of his Sith--something he expressly forbade any Sith to do. Through it all, he never acted against me. He kept his word and spared me when no other Sith I have ever met would have. They would have killed me without a second thought, but this Sith didn't. "This Sith has a purpose, has a goal, and forbids Sith killing each other. No Sith dares challenge him because of the power this purpose gives him and he rules with an absolute fist, yet he shows me mercy and forbearance that no other Sith did. "This Sith's name is Darth Furion, Dark Lord of the Sith. It is through his request--not order--that I am here. This man desires an alliance with you and Black Sun, an alliance to throw off the weakness and chaos that the Jedi and their Galactic Alliance pawns are spreading throughout the Galaxy. He isn't seeking random violence and slaughter like other Sith have--like you committed. He has a purpose, a vision, and the drive to carry it out." She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. "Think, my love, about what you are now doing with this Jedi. How are you going to survive in this new, Jedi lead path you are seeking? All of your power and authority as Vigo comes from a corrupt, violent, mercilessly evil criminal organization that relishes slaughter and carnage. There is no way that Smash will let you turn his people and property over to the Jedi or to be 'good.' Those men under you are part of that 'evil.' Even if many join you, there are many who won't reform and then there is Smash who will destroy you. A civil war will erupt and many innocents will die should you attempt to keep your power here. Are you willing to give that up and start a massive bloodbath all for this new found piety?"

As the firepower and manpower arrayed against them grew, Qaela remained standing with a look of bemusement on her face. She was not really surprised to see Ca'Aran taking such precautions against her, but she was surprised to see a Jedi with him. She had some sort of vague memory of such furry creatures, but couldn't think of the name. There was no need to know the name to sense the purification of light side that poured from the creature as it drew power to itself. She was moderately confident that if Ca'Aran had wanted her dead, he would have already done it, so she wasn't truly afraid of his forces. The Jedi, on the other hand, was an unknown factor that needed to be watched. As they approached, she whispered quietly to Lucifer, "Mind the Jedi, but do not initiate a confrontation with it." So far, he seemed to be behaving himself and that was promising. When he finally got within earshot, Qaela smiled sadly at her former love. Her voice was filled with sadness as she spoke to him. "So many weapons, Ca'Aran, all of them unnecessary. The ship we brought is unarmed and we are here purely to negotiate. I am here on behalf of the Dark Lord of the Sith and the last thing he would want is to cause grief to the Sith's old allies. You fought with them once before, I know because I was with you. Would you hear my words for the sake of that bond, a bond bought through the shared spilling of blood?"

"They have given us permission to land on Platform AA24, mum," the acolyte said. Qaela nodded, but she was still deep in thought. She couldn't get a read on any of Ca'Aran's emotions, not at this distance. The thought of meeting him was both thrilling and terrifying at once. She wondered if Furion had made a mistake in sending her because this could turn out rather well or horribly wrong. She whirled around and exited the small cockpit to find Lucifer. "It is as I feared," she said without preamble. "Vigo Ca'Aran is in the city. You will need a short history lesson before we land and meet him. He was one of those who participated in the sacking and destruction of the old Cloud City. After its destruction, he directed his Black Sun minions to rebuild the place as his own personal domain. While that was happening, he remained with a group of Sith and Black Sun agents who pillaged their way through the Galaxy accumulating in the deaths of the Jedi Grandmaster and Dark Lord Haphaestus. "I was among them for some of the later actions during which we grew somewhat close. Whether it be wisdom or folly, we remained in contact and perhaps even fell into that abominable emotion of love. He looked after me while I was with child and cared for my children after they were born, but things did not turn out well. We were on Dathomir attempting to claim control of the Clan when I went into a terrible rage. He tried to stop me, though I didn't recognize him and slew him without mercy. I had wondered if he was truly dead, but since coming here, I know that he is not. I do not know if he will desire vengeance or reconciliation, but I think that Furion had some idea that he was here and sent me because of it." She paused and considered her next words. "In this situation, I must be careful how I act or risk our destruction. Ca'Aran has an entire legion at his disposal here, if we try to fight our way out or even intimidate him, it will only ruin us. No matter what I do or how I act, you are not to interfere, even if he chooses to strike me down. Sometimes, survival requires us to do things that we would not otherwise do, no matter how humiliating or out of character. "If I am killed, you will not avenge me, but will do as he says. He may be satisfied in killing me and will be more open to negotiations after I am dead. However, you are not to negotiate. There is a reason why Furion told you to mind your tongue. If he spares your life, you are to return to the Sith with whatever message he gives you so that a proper negotiator can be sent. Furion may have sent me solely as a sacrifice, a sign of goodwill, and as a gift before the true negotiations could begin. If that is the case, your interference will only doom you." There was a brief shudder in the ship as it touched down on the platform. The acolyte lowered the ramp for them to come down. Qaela motioned for Lucifer to follow her and walked to the bottom of the ramp and remained there. Numerous guards and weapons were aimed at them, but she didn't care about that. They would do only as their master ordered and there would be no escape should he wish them dead. She stood there silently to wait for Ca'Aran or his chosen representative to arrive.

The Sith shuttle reverted from hyperspace in orbit over Bespin and began to descend toward Cloud City. Qaela stood next to the acolyte in the cockpit with closed eyes. She had her senses extended and made no attempt to conceal her presence even as the Sith sent a request to meet with whomever was in charge. Though it was distant, Qaela could detect the bittersweet presence of Ca'Aran. She had suspected that he would be here based on what Furion said, but she had not been sure. A part of her had not wanted it to be true so she wouldn't have to face him. The other part was secretly hoping that he had been able to clone himself and transfer his essence. That he had and yet, made no effort to contact her left her with questions both answered and not. She waited silently as the acolyte pilot came in closer to the city. He wouldn't attempt to land without permission and had identified the ship as carrying official ambassadors from the Dark Lord of the Sith. Qaela didn't know if Ca'Aran would allow them to land or simply try to blow them out of the sky.

Qaela nodded when Lucifer described using the Force to drain the life force from others. "I know of what you are talking about. How do you think I saved you when you were so near death back on Coruscant at our first meeting? I used a spell that drained energy from me and gave it to you. It was the reverse of what you just described, though I can take from others if I wanted. That is a large part of how I heal and why it is so draining for me to do it. It isn't the only way I heal, but using my own energy as a base point is what allows me to heal others without it taking days. If I am using that method, I can heal a wound in another within an hour, but the same wound would take me many hours to heal in myself because I have nowhere to attain energy. "That being said, I had not considered the Sith's application of it. I would be eager in learning your methods to see if I could synthesize them with my own and improve them. I would very much like to be more efficient in what I do and to be able to do it quickly. My healing is by no means a combat ability, but I can imagine that yours has some limited applications in battle." Instead of being angry at his initial evaluation of her, she smiled and chuckled. "Don't fool yourself. I am quite the spoiled brat and am not afraid to admit it. I believe that fully understanding oneself and and accepting all of one's flaws and weaknesses is key to overcoming them. I will be the first to admit that I have at times acted spoiled and arrogantly and in doing so, pushed the buttons of those around me to see how they would react. I did it quite a bit with Furion and am surprised at how much he was willing to give. For that, he earned a good deal of respect from me. In my culture, women are what you would consider extremely arrogant. We rule over men who are our slaves. It is an attitude that I have learned to somewhat control as it has gotten me in trouble before. Just as you need to learn to control your tongue, I had to learn how to control my arrogance and pride." She was not surprised at Lucifer's confession. She would have been disappointed had Furion not ordered Lucifer to try to kill her if she failed, and she wasn't afraid to say so. "If Furion had not ordered you to try to kill me, then I would have worried about his future as leader of the Sith. A Sith must be brutal to survive and I expect no less from him or you. He did not need to tell me to kill you should you fail because that is implied." She raised a single finger and said, "The question is, as you have deduced, is whether or not you will place loyalty to clan over his orders. I choose to be bound by certain things, among them loyalty to those I deem as in my clan. That is why I killed Tobias and that is why I am willing to work with you instead of simply waiting for you to mess up so I can justify myself in killing you too. My loyalty does have limits though, especially to someone whom I do not hold close. If you disobey my orders and as result, this mission fails, then I will kill you. If you follow my orders but for some reason the mission fails, then I have no reason to kill you because it would not be your fault. It is as simple as that for me. "You must decide whether you will remain loyal to one who has been loyal to you or if you will stay loyal to your Dark Lord. I do not envy your position, what with having divided loyalties as they are. Just know that I while I demand loyalty from you and will severely punish disloyalty, I do not expect it. I fully expect you to betray me at some point or another. You wouldn't be Sith if you didn't as betrayal is the way of the Sith. The difference is that I accept that risk and am willing to work with it."

Qaela smiled at Lucifer's question. The Sith were so quick to look down at her primitive and "weak" culture, but many seemed quite envious of her ability to heal, even if it was limited compared to the Witches or Jedi. For Tobias, that had been the lure that she had used to lead him to his death. Perhaps for Lucifer, it would serve a different purpose: motivation. "Before I answer that question," she said, "I think you need to know a few more things. This will be a good time to begin a lesson." She made herself more comfortable in the chair and began. "As you might have heard from the gossip, I am not a Sith. I am a Nightsister of Dathomir. Centuries of isolation has allowed us to develop an unique society as well as a different way to view the Force. My mother, also a Nightsister, desired to attain some of the Sith's abilities and secrets, among other things. She trained me from birth to go out into the Galaxy and discover this information and learn as much as I could about the Sith. I have succeeded beyond her wildest imaginings and am now well versed in how the Sith do things. That is part of why Master Ar-Pharazon named me a Sith Lord. I learned under Haphaestus and some under Ar-Pharazon, but much of my learning was done by studying in the Sith Library. "Haphaestus, for all of his flaws, was wise enough to theorize that the core difference between Nightsisters and Sith was not in what skills they used, but rather how they used the Force. As you know, Sith rely on their emotions to access the Force, particularly the strong ones of hate, anger, and pain. Those emotions give them quick and often devastating power, but it also limits them and cuts them off of many uses of the Force. Most of those uses are what you call the 'light side' because they require either tranquility or compassion and love to work. The Sith favor destruction and chaos while the Jedi favor creation and order. "The Nightsisters care for none of that. We have learned to access the Force through ritual and route practice. We have trained our mind that when we do certain things, it subconsciously accesses the Force and produces the desired result. We call those rituals 'spells.' Some chant and make motions that they have memorized, others can wield spells without words, but through saying the spell in their minds. Only the greatest of us can use a spell with a simple thought in the way that the Sith and Jedi do. "We view the Force as just another part of our body, though it is most similar to muscles. Have you ever trained a particular lightsaber move so much that you can do it without thought? Do you have to think to tie your shoes or walk down a flight of stairs? Of course not. Why? Because you have trained your muscles to repeat the same move so much that your mind can do it without conscious thought. That is how the Nightsisters have learned to use the Force, though they just don't know it. "They rely on the physical actions and words they speak to trigger their minds to use the Force. It usually takes more time and is rarely as powerful as what a Sith or Jedi can do, but it has its advantages. The first, I believe, is that it doesn't leave us as drained as when a Sith uses the Force. A Sith must always tap into their hatred and rage and pain or they will quickly burn out and tire. A Nightsister can merely start certain spells and then, when they are complete, their mind will still be tapping into the Force to continue that spell. Not all spells work that way, but there are many that do such as concealment, control over animals, and even stormcasting. There are, of course, limits to this depending on the type of spell and how powerful, experienced, and disciplined the caster is, but from what I have seen, a Nightsister can cast a great deal more spells without recharging or burning out than a Sith. "The second advantage is that, since we are relying on route mental memory and training, most of our spells don't require us to fuel them with emotion. Spells to us are typically in and of themselves neutral. They don't require anger or love or any emotion to unleash. Yes, being angry helps and in battle, we are frequently while furious at our enemies, but we don't rely on that fury to fuel our use of the Force like Sith do. That doesn't mean we can use all aspects of the Force, but it does mean that we can use more of what you consider 'light side' abilities than the average Sith because we aren't weakened when we have anything less than pure hatred and fury in our minds. "This allows us to have a particular set of skills and abilities that the Sith don't possess, or at the least, cannot accomplish to the same proficiency. Yes, as I have said, Sith are going to be stronger when it comes to brute force and they can frequently summon the Force much quicker than a Nightsister, but that doesn't mean they are superior. There are many ways to use the Force and to fight that don't require brute force or being nice and straightforward. You fought Tobias twice and failed both times, yet I killed him in a single move without breaking a sweat. I have not survived because of my great strength nor because I know more of the Force than my enemies. I survived because I used what I had wisely and played to my strengths. "So, to answer your question, yes, if you remain loyal and subservient to me, I will teach you how to heal. It comes at a cost because, no matter how we may dress it up, we use the darkness and that inherently weakens our connection to life. When I heal, it takes far longer than what even a Witch can do and I am left weakened for a greater amount of time as result. The problem with you is that were you to attempt to heal as you are and with the way you think, I believe it will severely weaken your ability to use your other abilities. Just as a Sith who dabbles too much in the light side grows weak because he is losing his fury and hatred and reliance on pain, so you too would grow weak from attempting to heal. Before you can heal, you must learn how to use the Force in the way that Nightsisters use it. "There will be limitations to what you can do. Even though I have studied how the Sith use the Force, I am too reliant upon my own upbringing to fully embrace the Sith way. There are some things Sith do that I will never be able to do as powerfully or as quickly, just as there will be Nightsister abilities you could never do as powerfully or proficiently as I can. To allow you to become completely fluent in my native ways would require you to completely abandon all you have learned as a Sith and relearn them through Nightsister ways. I do not wish to do that and I don't think you would either. Despite that, I do believe that, with some time and practice, you could eventually access some limited forms of healing yourself, if not others."

On their trip from the Spite Station to Bespin, Qaela decided that it would be a good time to start working with Lucifer. The shuttle wasn't really large enough to undergo some of the more active forms of training, but she could still talk to him and show him a few things. She had a moderately decent idea of what skills he possessed due to her experience with Sith, but she doubted he had much of a clue as to what she could do. Though there were some similarities in skillsets between Dathomiri and Force users elsewhere, there were some key differences, such as the one that allowed her limited healing capabilities--something the Sith seemed to almost completely lack. "If you are to learn from me, you must learn some of my rules," she said. It might be harsh or cold, but he was not her superior nor was he her lover. She had never dared to enforce any of the customs of her people around the more powerful Sith and did not feel the need to around Ca'Aran. For Lucifer, she felt he needed to unlearn some of his old habits so that he could learn new ones. She had experienced a far more brutal set of rules and expectations from her thrice damned mother, but Lucifer wasn't an ignorant girl, either. He was a blooded warrior even in defeat. "You will address me as 'Mistress Qaela' or simply 'Mistress' from now on, just as you would address your Sith masters as 'master.' Sith are treacherous beings, so I will not tolerate you actively concealing something from me. That doesn't mean you can't have some privacy because I understand that you may have made some oaths or bonds to your Sith brethren, but you will not hide that fact from me. If necessary, tell me that you are bound not to speak of something and I may not pursue further knowledge of it. If I ever find you concealing anything, even thoughts from me, I will consider it a prelude to treachery and one of us will die. "You will follow my commands as they are given, even if you do not understand them. My ways will seem strange to you because they are not always like the Sith you know. That does not mean they are any less valuable or important, but you will need to comply in order to benefit from them. "You may not be a weak apprentice, but you are not as strong as you hope to be, especially in the eyes of others. I may appear weak because I am a female, but that is only because the males of the Galaxy's cultures have made women believe that. I do not come from the Galactic culture. Where I am from, women are the strong ones and men are their slaves. Challenge me if you desire, but you will only be given one chance to test my strength with only minor repercussions. Do it a second time and I will kill you. "Furion said that your mouth has gotten you in trouble in the past, so in public, if you speak without my permission, I will make you will wish you hadn't. Prove to me that you can learn wisdom and I will lift this ban, but until then, consider it a practice in restraint and take the time you would have spent talking and instead invest it in observing. "I do not punish healthy curiosity, but when the answer is 'no' you would be wise to leave it at that. I am not Sith and do not kill those bound to me for having questions. Take care that you never question me in front of others because that undermines us both by making us look divided. You may ask questions when we are alone without fear of reprisals unless you repeatedly ask the same question that I have chosen not to answer in the past. "Do not ever attempt to read my mind without my explicit permission. If I catch you so much as trying to get a feel of my emotions, I will punish you severely. I will not unnecessarily intrude upon your mind so I expect you not to do the same to me." She paused for a bit, before adding one last thing with fire in her eyes. "One more thing, I have been violated by your kind before. If I so much as even suspect that you are contemplating taking advantage of me in that manner, I will remove certain parts of your anatomy and feed them to you." The anger faded and she smiled sweetly at him. "Any questions?"

Qaela motioned for Lucifer to follow her onto the ship where the acolyte Furion had promised was waiting. The man seemed to be like so many of the others the Sith employed: subservient and mortally afraid of failing their betters. Qaela wouldn't hesitate to kill the man should he prove treacherous, but she was not a Sith and wouldn't throw away resources simply because things didn't turn out as desired. As long as he did his job, he would have little to fear from her. They settled down into the moderately sized shuttle while the acolyte competently took it through the maze that was the Maw. As soon as they were free, a course was plotted to Bespin that included no fewer than five different course corrections that would add another day to their journey but would prevent anyone from tracking them back to the Sith's last stand. When it was all ready, they jumped into hyperspace and Qaela was able to begin her work with her new dejarik piece. The only question she had was exactly what type of piece and how valuable his contribution he would be.

Qaela snorted in derision. "I don't need a slave, I could get any number of those walking the streets of Coruscant, so do not fear that. I would not call upon you to do anything more than your Sith masters would, except you won't be ascending by killing me." She considered his offer of knowledge. It was of interest to her, but it wasn't something she direly needed. She had been around Sith Masters and three of their Dark Lords, studied within their Temple, and scoured their libraries. She had even taken one of them a mate. Nonetheless, if he knew something valuable, she would glean it from him. "We will see what you know and what you don't. I give when it is appropriate and I will take when I deem it right. We will see how this mission goes. First and foremost, you must follow my commands and do as I say, even if it makes no sense. I know things that you don't know about this situation and I likely know the individuals involved personally. It could turn into a firefight, but I hope that it won't come to that. Your master has likely sent us both to our deaths as punishment for our failures and transgressions, but I will not go out meekly like a pathetic slave to the slaughter. She took his offered hand and ignored the blood seeping from the cut she made on it earlier. "We should get going, then. I do not know this acolyte, but if he interferes, there are ways to deal with him."

Qaela rolled her eyes. At least he was cautious. "Right now, Lucifer, you have nothing to fear from me. You are more valuable to me alive than dead, otherwise I would have made an alliance with Tobias. As for killing you right now, I have seen the results of your fights and am not fearful. Besides, if I wanted you dead, I wouldn't need this sort of spell to do so, I would have killed you while you were in the bacta tank or I would have waited until you were asleep during the journey. This is only so that I can track you and sense you wherever you go in case you try to pull something. This is you showing how smart you are in submitting to those who have power over you today so that you may one day grow wiser and reclaim your position among the Sith. I have no designs for power within the Sith Order, so therefore I am probably the only Force wielding individual on this station who is not a rival. What I seek is security, allies, and safety. At this moment, I believe you may be able to help me in attaining those things. "This mission would increase both of our standings with your master and would provide us both with things we desire. Remain subservient to me as a smart male in your situation would and I will find use for you. I like my allies strong, so I would help you learn how to use subtly in the Force and perhaps a few tricks none of your rival Sith know. I have survived attacks from at least three Sith Masters and seen two of them slain. I have brought about the death of the Jedi's Grandmaster and helped overthrow a Dark Lord of the Sith. My body is laced with scars from where I not just survived, but triumphed. How did I do this? By a mixture of cunning, treachery towards my enemies, and loyalty to my allies. I gathered allies who were sometimes stronger than me, sometimes weaker. By not being alone, I have survived much and escaped death. You would be wise to learn this and build allies of your own instead of turning everyone against you through arrogance, threats, and foolhardy attacks." She glared at him with eyes that had now turned back to their natural brown after the violet dye had been metabolized. "You, Lucifer, are a broken and beaten man who, at this moment, has no place among the Sith. Those who were your superiors look at you with disdain and dismissal. Those who were your equals are now your superiors and no longer fear you. Those who were your inferiors are now your equals and they smell blood in the water. You need allies to watch your back and no Sith will be foolish enough to offer you help until you can gain some respect. Fortunately for you, I am not a Sith and do not care much what they think of me. Submit to me, become my servant and do my bidding. Follow my instructions for a time so that, perhaps, you will one day no longer need me and can return to the Sith with your head held high and a reputation to cow give your foes pause. "If you prefer, call yourself my apprentice, I care not. All I care about is that you submit to my commands and remain loyal. I am not a Sith, I do not reward or respect treachery against allies or clan. If I so much as suspect you might be planning to betray me, I will kill you without hesitation. However, remain loyal to me and you will not need to fear my betraying you for that is not how my people live. I have already risked my life in adhering to that bond once before, so if you were wise, you would know that I speak the truth. I knew that your master should have killed me for what I did to Tobias, but I did it anyway because you were one of mine. "The choice is yours: submit to me and have a chance to grow or, when this mission is complete, be returned to those who despise you and no longer fear you. Choose now."

Qaela didn't let the satisfaction she felt be shown on her face, but she was glad for Lucifer's response. Despite having been defeated twice by the same man, demoted for his failure, and forced to work under a non-Sith female he barely knew, he still had spirit. She was not afraid of him in an open battle, but as she had just proven with Tobias, anyone could be ambushed and caught off guard. "That is good," she replied. "Keep your spirits high. After such humiliation, a weakling would have been far more passive. You may prove of some value to me yet. One last thing before we leave." She took out her knife and whispered a small spell. When she was done, she made a cut in her right palm that was deep enough to bleed but not deep enough to cut into muscle or tendon. "Shake my hand and place the blood on the skin of your forehead. Just a dot will do. The spell I just performed allows me to sense my blood on whatever it may be on. By having even a drop on your body, I will be able to sense and track you from anywhere in the Galaxy. I have done this to you before, when I gave you some of my energy after Tobias defeated you the first time on Coruscant, but it has long since worn off. Take it now, or stay behind and face your master's wrath."

When she saw the Sith enter the hangar bay, Qaela frowned. She had been wondering if Lucifer was going to show up at all, but he had. She had taken a risk in binding herself to him and was wondering if it was going to cost more than it was worth. He was a Sith and had a good deal of potential, but only if his rashness and tongue could be tamed and his mind tempered in the forge of pain and discipline. She had some ideas on what she would like to do with him to make him more useful, but that would depend on him. She didn't know the man very well, but perhaps his recent defeat would leave him in a more malleable temperament than most Sith. "I had nearly left without you," she said aggressively. Though he appeared older than her and towered above her, she didn't allow that to intimidate her. Weakness was a sure path to death among those who walked the dark. There was something that they needed to get out of the way right from the start or risk further problems."For reasons of his own, your master has given me this task directly, so therefore I am taking command. You do as I tell you to and only what I command, nothing more. If you fail me or disrupt our mission, I will kill you just as I did Tobias Vos. Do you have a problem with that?" Just in case he did, she didn't try to conceal that her hand was resting on the pommel of her lightsaber.

Qaela remained within the room absorbing what had happened. She watched with detached interest as Tobias' body was cleared out. The blood would not be nearly as easy to remove, but that was not her concern. This was not her home nor her domain, she was not responsible for its upkeep. For the briefest moments, she thought back to her ship, the one place that she had ever truly tried to make her own. The last she had seen of it, it was on Dubrillion and not likely to ever be returned to her. Without that ship, she was left with nothing but what she had here. There may be a few credits left over from the excessively generous sum Ca'Aran bestowed upon her, but she didn't dare see if it was still there. Likely, he or his servants had gone through and reclaimed what was left after she killed him. There was a great deal of things for her to contemplate, not the least of which was this new task. The only person she really knew among the Black Sun was Ca'Aran. She might recognize some of his lieutenants, but she wasn't sure who of them survived the battle on Dathomir. She doubted that any of his surviving lieutenants would be too thrilled to see her, and that brought back a few new revelations. For a moment there, she had almost thought that Furion was merciful. Now, she knew better. In sparing her now, he was not being kind, but rather being prudent. Fighting her would present a risk to himself, even if it was a small one. Killing her would gain him little, but sending her off to Black Sun could potentially gain him a lot. It was, in all likelihood, a suicide mission. If Ca'Aran or any of his lieutenants killed her, he would be able to score twice without any risk. Among his Sith, he would be able to point to her death as punishment for killing Tobias. His sending her to Black Sun to be killed would likely be viewed as a favor to them as a special gift. Having Lucifer on hand could be a way to have an official Sith presence to her death and, if he was also killed, he would be an acceptable loss. Then he could send in a real negotiator, one who could make use of the goodwill gained by her death. If she succeeded, by some small miracle, in gaining a favorable agreement with Black Sun, he would still win. He could point to her success as an example of how to repay misbehavior and violations of his rules. Any Sith who found themselves in his ill grace could quickly get back into it and earn forgiveness by success. And, if she succeeded and was able to reclaim her children, he would be able to fulfill a pledge he had made to her regarding them and put her in his debt. Either way, he won, and there was no mercy involved, just sheer cunning. She liked that. Even if it meant she was likely going to her doom, she liked that he was able to see ahead enough to make some use of someone that had angered him. She would accept this mission of his, even if it was near suicide. She might also be able to make some use out of Lucifer in the process on the off chance that they would survive. The other Sith might look down upon him, but he still had his uses. With her decision made up, she gathered her few possessions and threw them into her rancor hide pack. She sought Lucifer out and found him in the medical bay. At least he was smart enough to heal before fighting again, not all Sith were that wise. She ordered the medical staff to pull him out of his bacta treatment and waited impatiently until he was dried off and coherent before saying brusquely, "Your Dark Lord has a task for us. You have half an hour to be in bay six with all that you need to travel with. I do not believe you wish to be late."

Qaela had not expected words, but that was irrelevant. If this Sith wished to talk, then she would talk. Still keeping alert for his inevitable attack, she responded in the same language he had used. There was no apology in her voice or mind and no regret whatsoever. "Your rules obviously mean little to nothing here, Furion. I have been attacked once already and this one attacked yet another, one who owed me his life and was bound in a way to me. He struck first and failed to finish off his opponent—for the second time. This one was weak, too trusting of a pretty face and appealing words, and ultimately unworthy. While it is not my responsibility to cull the ranks of a Sith, this one struck one who was allied to me, part of my own, and thus was a threat to me. Even had he killed Lucifer, I would have struck at him out of simple self preservation because a wise being would not stop at an individual, but destroy all of their allies as well." She lifted her chin slightly in defiance and said with as much venom as the Dark Lord has used, "I did what I did and make no apology for it. I honor my loyalties and protect my own. If you want to kill me, so be it, let us get this over with." The fairly small living quarters were not an ideal place to fight, but that was where they were. She took a few steps back and allowed her hand to free her lightsaber. She didn't ignite it just yet, but her finger was over the button.

Blood sprayed up from Tobias as Qaela's knife penetrated the thin layer of bone that separated his eyes from his brain. She could feel his mind even as he died and was intrigued to note that he did not fight it. She didn't know what dreams or demons he was afflicted with and at this point, she didn't care. When it came time for the kill, that was all that mattered. He had attacked one of hers and therefore needed to be dealt with. Had he left Lucifer a corpse, perhaps things would have been different, but he had not. Tobias' death was quick and almost completely painless. It took just a few seconds and he was a cooling body on the couch. His animal had vanished, but she did not bother with that. As long as it hadn't attacked her, she didn't care about its fate. If she saw it again, she might attempt to take control of it as she had done with rancors and other beasts, but she would not seek it out. She had other things to deal with. The first thing she did was to pull her knife out of Tobias' skull and clean it on his shirt before putting it back in its hilt. She went into her room and pulled out one of her many vials to collect some of his blood. Once it was returned to her kit, she cleaned the blood off of her face and hands. All that was left to do then was to wait. She didn't expect much more time would pass before the master of this station would unleash his wrath upon her. She didn't think he would miss the death of one of his own and knew of his rules and requirements. She had violated his terms and knew it. She had her reasons, but doubted that the Sith would care. He was, after all, Sith, and had no concept of loyalty to Clan or allies. Let him come, she thought as she prepared herself for his onslaught.

Qaela stood over Tobias as he relaxed and prepared her spell with by whispering the incantations and allowing the Force to build up within her. She could have used the Sith method of drawing upon her emotions, but she needed her mind to be as clear and neutral as possible. With her passive senses, she could feel that the Sith was relaxing, preparing himself to receive the wisdom she was about to impart to him. That was good, it would make this all easier. She began probing his body to gain a feel of what was wounded and nodded slightly when it was as she suspected. His wounds were not too severe and would be easy to fix. She spread her senses out to include more of his body including his nervous system just to be sure. He was human enough that his body was familiar to her from all of her work both on herself and others. When her spell was finished, she knew it was time. Without a second thought, without hesitation, she sprang into action. Her first move was to set loose the Force spell onto Tobias' nervous system to sever his spinal cord at the base of his neck in an attempt to incapacitate him. As she did that, her hand pulled the knife from her belt and in a well practiced move, she thrust it straight at his right eye. Then there was the canine to deal with. For that, she drew upon her Sith teachings and reached out with her free hand to grab the beast in a telekinetic grip that would leave it hanging a half meter or so in the air and unable to do any more than flail. Killshot request on Tobias Vos

Qaela was glad to get out of the hangar, it was too crowded for what they were going to do and she didn't want to leave herself vulnerable to an attack. She led Tobias and his canine familiar back to the quarters she shared with Raia. A quick check confirmed that the other girl wasn't here. "The Sith like to think that they are the best at everything," she said. "It is true that they possess the most brute strength when it comes to the Force, but there are a lot of things that they are not so good at. They rely on their emotions all too often. That gives them a quick burst of power much like an adrenaline rush, but it means few can withstand the pressures and strains of prolonged use of the Force. My kind uses a more ritualistic approach to using the Force. It means that our overall output is weaker and it takes more time to access the Force, but it allows us to maintain its use with far less energy outputs and for longer periods of time. Because of that, we are far more efficient when it comes to longer term spells as well as complex rituals. "We also don't need to use our emotions and thus are not weakened by touching abilities that are traditionally thought only to work with the light side. To us, using the Force is like singing a song or writing a letter. We learn how to use a particular ability and we are then free to use it as we will. It is no different to us than swinging a lightsaber. Both Jedi and Sith use the same weapon but to different ends. What is the Force but a weapon?" She pointed to the couch in the common room and said, "Lie down and relax. If you can, open your mind to me because that will allow me to bond more fully with you and speed up the process. If you can't, it is still possible but will take more time. You never did say whether you want me to leave scars or not."

Qaela was not pleased when she sensed Lucifer enter the hangar. He should have known better than to show himself here in the presence of the other Sith and especially in front of the one who defeated him. She didn't need the Force to see how jumpy and cautious Tobias was, not that she didn't approve of his caution. Defeated enemies had a way of coming back to haunt you if they weren't killed. "A smart Sith," she said with only a minimal trace of mockery. "I had not thought to come across one of your kind who was rational enough to realize that they weren't invincible, not unless they had already fallen and been defeated. She spared a glance at the rest of the Sith and lowered her voice. "Healing takes energy and, unfortunately, leaves one vulnerable and weak. There are some things that even the darkness cannot overcome and the fact is that those who are slaves to the light shall always have it easier when healing. Your injuries are not severe, but they will still tax me. It is never wise to be vulnerable in front of Sith, especially not one who might be eager to get revenge." Her voice turned a bit sultry, "We could go to your quarters, or mine. If you don't feel comfortable there, we could go to a training room."

Though the smile was still on her lips, the rest of Qaela's face hardened slightly. Her tone dropped a little as she replied, "Good, you are not so much a fool as to blindly accept gifts from strangers. Of course I will want something in return. This is a cruel Galaxy and the way of darkness is even more brutal. Sith aren't known for their friendships nor their loyalty. Fortunately for you, I am not Sith and do not share their penchant for betrayal. I can be loyal to those who exhibit strength and who prove themselves worthy of it." She left out that she had inadvertently betrayed and killed her love, but she was not in her right mind at the time and had vowed to never lose control of herself like that again. With that exception, her words were true. The Nightsisters were treacherous, but they knew well enough to stick with the Clan when outsiders threatened and there were enemies to be fought. "I have found that in this Galaxy, a lone individual is vulnerable and quick to be attacked. I have survived more than my share of assassins and betrayers, but I have done so because I had allies to fight beside me. You proved yourself capable of defeating Lucifer so I know you can fight. He owed me a debt for saving his life, but has proven himself inferior and is unable to make good on that debt. Therefore, it is only proper to seek an alliance with the one who defeated him in hopes of strengthening myself." She allowed her features to soften and her smile grow. "You are young, mostly intact, and far more pleasant to the eye than he was. I do not ask for one sided loyalty, either. I am loyal to those who are loyal to me and will fight for them should the need arise. I have other allies as well, and skills that the Sith do not. There are also other. . . benefits to an alliance with me," she added as she pointedly ran her eyes up and down Tobias' body. "It is your choice, of course, to take some or all of what I offer. Just remember: there will come a time in everyone's life when they need someone to offer help or to watch their back. A lone warrior is a vulnerable warrior."

Qaela took in this information with a nod. She didn't recognize him as one of the masters, but that didn't mean too much. As far as she could tell, he had been wise enough not to attempt to enter her mind as other Sith had. If he had done so, she would have left immediately. People who were insecure enough in their own position to attempt to read another's mind were not worth her attention. Now that she was able to look at him better, she saw that his wounds weren't life threatening, but they would leave him maimed unless he got treated. She smiled at him as a new thought went through her head. "Wounds gotten in battle and in training are good, especially if they scar and show that you have survived," she said quietly. "However, facial wounds can lend you to being recognized, and sometimes it is good to be able to blend in and strike unawares." She was silent for a few seconds. "I am Qaela, not of the Sith, but equally devoted to darkness and united with the Sith in hatred of the Jedi and their pawns. Since I am not one of the Sith, I find that it is necessary to find my own allies. You defeated a Sith and that, in my own personal experience, is not an easy thing to do. I can respect strength in others and am not shy of saying so. For such a feat, I am willing to give you a gift, should you desire it. My kind, dark though they may be, have ways to heal wounds. I can do so in a manner that they simply do not bleed and need no further attention, but will leave their scars. I can also do so in a manner that will leave no scars and, if you are willing to devote the time, also regrow most if not all of your ear. As I said, both options have their merits, but it is up to you to choose if you even wish to accept my gift."

Qaela's search eventually took her to some sort of hanger where many other Sith were. Though, "many" was a relative word. Back at the Sith Temple on Coruscant, there had been hundreds of Sith all over the place. Now, there were just a handful of dozens left. She didn't know whether she should be pleased or dismayed at that. Having hordes of Sith was always a risk due to their violent and self destructive nature, but she also didn't want to live in a Galaxy dominated by the Jedi because that would make things that much more unsafe for her and her kind. She hesitated just a moment before entering the hangar. Being dressed in a simple black combat bodysuit didn't draw as much attention as her traditional attire from Dathomir would have, so she wasn't too out of place. She had been around the Sith enough to know how to fit in to all except those focusing on her, so she didn't get too many stares. She had initially worried that it would be hard to figure out who was the one who defeated Lucifer among such a crowd, but it turned out she didn't need to use the Force to narrow it down because her eyes were more than enough. A bloodied man was sitting away from the others with some sort of being stalking nearby. For a second, she wondered if it was some sort of sentient species she hadn't yet encountered, but a quick probing in the Force disproved that notion. That was curious because she hadn't seen any animals on the station and didn't know Sith to keep pets or familiars. It was a very Dathomiri trait. She approached him openly and gave him a quick appraisal. "You are wounded," she stated neutrally. The wounds didn't seem to be life threatening, but they were enough to serve as a distraction and potentially weaken him should one of his Sith brothers attack. She knew from personal experience that showing weakness to any Sith was very dangerous and had the scars to prove it. She was no Sith. Among the Nightsisters, it was understood that sometimes, it was better to strengthen a temporarily weak clan member so that all could be strengthened. While they could be brutal when needed, they also understood clan loyalty and that eliminating those who were only momentarily in help only caused a permanent weakness. It was better to offer help when one could so that the other would help them when they needed it. Allies were always valuable, that was why she had chosen to bond with Lucifer. It had been her hope that should she ever be in a weak situation, he would be there to help her as she had him. This man seemed to have beaten him and proved himself stronger. Stronger men made better allies. She softened her voice and said, "This was no training accident, I can almost smell the scent of battle on you. How did you come to be wounded in such a manner?" she asked.

Qaela remained in her own mind, dealing with her demons and faults. Why did people live in this galaxy? What was the point but eternal suffering and pain? She had never thought that she would have anything but that and was content. Then she had met Ca'Aran and dared to dream for more. That dream had been shattered because of her own weakness and rage. Now, she was left with the question: why continue on? What in this Galaxy was worth living for? She didn't know how much time passed, but at some point, she felt a stirring. Somewhere, deep within her, she felt something diminish. It took a few minutes to remember the Sith Lord she had saved at Haphaestus' orders back in the Sith Temple. He had been fighting someone and suddenly faded, not dead, but close. While she was not surprised, it was something to break up her monotony. Death and strife were everywhere here, no matter what Furion said. She bestirred herself, got cleaned up, and outfitted herself in her weapons and robes. She had no armor, but she had been raised with nothing but light leather armor designed mostly to protect her from sharp rocks while climbing and tumbling. Only a fool would walk the halls of a Sith facility without weapons, so she brought her lightsaber and her Force empowered wooden knife, but nothing else. When she was ready, she stepped out of the quarters she had been staying in and into the station. She could sense the one that defeated Lucifer, but just barely. Combat always left a mark no matter how hardened someone was and she would find it out of curiosity if nothing else. Defeating any Sith took strength and she could appreciate strength, but she was even more curious as to why this person had defeated Lucifer. Why did this person seek out another to destroy him? Was Lucifer a threat? Did he seek to try to claim what was this person's? She didn't know but she wanted to, so she sought them out and didn't bother hiding that she was doing so.

Eventually, Qaela grew bored of the Sith drilling himself through exhaustion and pain and left. She withdrew to her quarters and remained there until Raia came back or someone else decided to barge in.This time, they wouldn't need to break down the door because it had already been demolished. At least their individual bedrooms had their doors intact, so Qaela was able to get at least a tiny amount of privacy if such a thing could be found on a station full of Force users. She fell back into her bed and remained there curled up with her legs tucked in against her chest. As she lay there, alone, her memories began to haunt her. Maybe it was the inherent darkness that permeated this place, but she couldn't help but relive her mistakes. She had been given an opportunity to find happiness, peace, and even love. Then she had gone and thrown it all away in a moment of foolish, uncontrolled rage. There wasn't much left here to live for. A life of loneliness and solitude frightened her more than facing any number of Sith. If it weren't for the knowledge that her children were still out there, she didn't know if she could have gone on. She might put on a good enough show to fool casual observers, but every day, it grew harder to pretend. Worse, every day that passed without feeling the crushing pain of her children's death meant that it was more and more likely that Ca'Aran had decided not to kill her children, but was fulfilling his pledge to protect them forever. If that was the case, especially with her life as it was now, it would be wrong to take them from the protection Black Sun offered and into her chaotic life of treachery and danger. She couldn't bring them into this life around all these Sith and rival Nightsisters, not if she cared for them at all. She hated being here, among all these treacherous Sith who thought they were better than everyone else. Even Furion had his own pride and arrogance that reeked of Sithliness, no matter how much he might deny it. She didn't fault him for that, all powerful beings had pride, Nightsisters included. At least he had the ability to control himself, even when goaded. Throughout their conversation, she had expected him to strike out at her, to kill her, but he didn't. To his credit, he controlled his pride and offered only a few verbal quips. Other Sith would have and even did beat her senselessly in an effort to prove their superiority over her. A good part of her had wished that Furion had done just that. At least then, she would be feeling something. Perhaps the Sith were onto something when they glorified pain and suffering. Maybe, after all that they had done, that was the only way for them to actually feel, to connect with humanity or whatever their species called it. After causing so much death and pain, maybe that was the answer: to feel it themselves. Right now, as she reflected on what she had done, what she had given up, she couldn't help but feel that she deserved the pain and suffering. No matter how much she tried to fill her life with lofty ideas of alliances and revenge and power, they just seemed empty. She needed to find something to hold on to, something to give her life meaning and to give her the motivation to continue on. Otherwise, she had best just find some horribly violent way to get herself killed and get it all over with.

After leaving Furion's library, Qaela found her way back to the medical bay where she had left her other six Sisters. They had started treatment on their physical injuries, but there was not much that could be done other than to wait for their bruises to heal and to counter their malnutrition with nutrients and better food. She tried talking to them, but found they were all more or less crazy and not very coherent. It was a disappointment to be sure, but at least they were out of the hands of the Sith, more or less. She didn't know if they would ever become productive members of the Clan again, but if they couldn't, then at least they could be given the opportunity to die in combat against their foes. With little else to do, she began to cautiously wander the halls. As she had done during her time in the Sith Temple, she tended to avoid the brighter spots in the Force that she knew to be masters. It was never good to cross paths with someone as potentially volatile as one of them. She did find herself among an area that seemed temporarily abandoned. Most of the Sith seemed to either be remaining at the banquet, pondering what happened, or plotting their next moves in this new regime. Only one appeared to be interested in training at a time like this. She saw one particular man [[Tobias Vos]] who seemed wrapped in his own hatred and frustration, pushing himself to exhaustion. It was intriguing to see him pour out his energy into what he was doing. It had been some time since she had seen a Sith truly training because their regimens were far more violent and, in her opinion, regimented and theoretical. Nightsisters and even Witches tended to be more practical in their training and endeavored to teach survival skills instead of repetition and drills. It wasn't that she objected to the drills for she knew their value, but learning of how Sith trained was one of the more important and valuable bits of information she gleaned during her time with them. She watched the man in silence, neither interfering with his workout nor hiding her presence.

"I would be. . . pleased to travel with the Dark Lord of the Sith," she responded almost casually. "I understand you will have business here and will spend my time tending to my six Sisters. Whenever you are ready to leave, we could join you, along with whatever escort of your Sith you think necessary. Assuming they are in any sort of rational state, it might be a good opportunity for you to show the other six that the Sith can possibly be trusted and worked with. That would, in turn, go a long way toward gaining the trust of the rest of the Clan." She headed toward the door and tossed out over her shoulder, "Though, I would hope we would be in a ship larger than the one we arrived on. While I might not mind being snuggled that close with you, I don't think you want to be crammed in with six others, they would just spoil the mood."