Chapter 10: The Demon in Chains

There was nothing here. Just black. Adarasina was nearly immune to the sensation but if she wanted to she could feel the weightlessness that the prison granted. She had her thoughts and imagination. She could feel her body but she could not move to touch it. So whether that was just her deepmind creating an illusion to sooth her or whether it was actually there with her was a topic she had fought through countless times already.

There was no hunger here, no thirst. No sound, no light. Pain was only mental. Happiness was only in memory. Time was something she could not perceive, not anymore. How long had it been really? She could not hope to guess. There were only milestones, moments when she made connections to others. The earliest was Jall'rannama, one of her old master's lowly guards who stayed loyal. He was the one who made the second layer to her prison. The one who hid her away deep in the cold deserts of Korriban, in an old tomb of some forgotten lord.

Adarasina had lost all sense of time there, the longest silence where she had nothing but her mind. The Rending she now called it.
When all hope had faded, when all forms of madness had disintegrated all that she was. Forgotten the sound of grass, the taste of water, the smell of her own body. Her own memories felt like deceiving lies. She had become nothing.

A feeling, after so much nothing there was something. A small itch that couldn't be scratched. Gar Farian, an archeologist, a mind so weak she killed him before she knew what she was doing. It was then that made Adarasina realize she could get out of this prison. Images from Gar's mind filled her head, Korriban, she was on Korriban. In a tomb, it was cold and he was afraid. Fear. It was the first feeling she felt. It was euphoric. After so. Much. Nothing. It was fear she felt. Soon after the archeologist a powerful being made a connection with her. Someone so Dark she could do nothing to even touch his surface. It was like trying to scratch a piece of a durasteel wall. They gave her something willingly. Just two words. Not even in their own voice. Just a thought was all she was given. Darth Sidious.

Then. Again, nothing. Adarasina had hope now, maybe this Darth Sidious would return, or just someone else. Anybody. She could be found. She will be found. She will get out.

Her patience was finally rewarded. Roland Ward was what she had waited all this time for. A man whose mind was strong willed with powerful desire, a human with a connection to the Force strong enough where she could link her's with his. He returned to her, he wanted to, she wanted him and he wanted her.

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Adarasina felt Roland's mind approaching. He was excited, a feeling she had not felt from him in a long while. He was seeking her so she began reaching out to him. Did he crave her again already? She hoped so but it was for something else, he was going somewhere and he was going to take her with him.

He was taking her down the cold passageways through the station, down lifts and through crowds. He had his mind open so she reached in to find out where. To his starfighter a powerful tool and an impressive weapon, something he has been wanting to wield for a long time. There was a trade deal to take place on another world, he would meet with an Ithorian. Roland was escorting someone else too. She could sense that he didn't fully trust the alien that called itself Ragnar. There was a deep hatred for Ragnar in his mind. Something embedded through his molding as an Imperial and his own history. Ragnar wasn't human so that was enough to hate him.

Roland gave a quick farewell to his friend and the droid, promising to return soon. A part of him pondering if that was true. Adarasina felt his heart begin to race as he climbed the steps towards his starfighter. Roland placed her behind his head in a storage compartment. The cramped cockpit of the craft would only let her hold his mind longer. She could feel the pleasure grow inside him as he powered up his starfighter, it wasn't to the degree he got when he touched her but it was respectable. Like a warrior with any favored weapon, she also used to have such feelings towards her own.

The TIE Defender burst out of the hanger with Ragnar's freighter behind it. The both of them jumping into hyperspace only moments later.

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The destination was reached. It was at a secretive location deep in the jungles of the planet Ithor. Adarasina had never been here before. She felt for Roland as he climbed out of his starfighter. He was on edge but calm, she reached into his mind to see and listen through him.

"Here they are Grud! Freshly disassembled and ready for you." Ragnar exclaimed as the Ithorian approached, flanked by a pair of rather pristine B1 battledroids. Roland was wise to have his blaster rifle held.

The ithorian spoke in its deep disgusting tones. Roland didn't know what it was saying but Adarasina did.

"He says he will pay us seventy-thousand for the whole lot." Ragnar said as he turned toward Roland.

"That is less than half of what they're worth! Tell him we want one-hundred and fifty-thousand, minimal." Ragnar was taken back by Roland's harsh tone. The Imperial pilot helmet only made Roland's voice more intimidating. Ragnar looked nervous. The ithorian took an angry tone itself and began gesturing towards Roland. A proud Imperial was making the junk dealer uncomfortable.

"Gurd says he won't go a credit over ninety-thousand!" Adarasina would grin now if she could, she could feel Roland's revulsion towards the creature becoming stronger. She reached out with her own hate to join with his.

"I disagree." Roland shouldered his E-11 and tactically dispatched both droids with a single red bolt each. Gurd kneeled down and tried to cover as much of his face as possible whilst still babbling madly as his mechanical bodyguards collapsed into the dirt around him. "These are my terms."

"He says he can pay that!" Ragnar looked ready to tackle Roland to the ground, almost fuming. Gurd shakily rose to his feet and was offering a handful of credit chips. "That's the ninety-thousand, he needs to go back to his strong box for the rest."

"Affirmative, let's move." Roland gestured towards the structure with his rifle, keeping it trained on Gurd. They approached the decaying warehouse, much of the surrounding jungle had been growing through it for years. Another pair of battledroids watched from the entryway with their own blasters pointed toward Roland and Ragnar, the movement of the droid's heads expressing urgency or confusion as their master shooed them away from what their programming clearly perceived as intruders with hostile intent. The interior was dirty and the miscellaneous components and crates were separated into rather disorganized heaps and piles across the floor.

"Roland, you said nothing about ripping Gurd off. This is going way to far already." Ragnar mumbled as the ithorian fumbled under the desk in the center of the warehouse.

"Going to far was me thinking I trust one of his kind to give me a fair deal." Roland was getting tense, he was sweating underneath his flight suit. Adarasina revelled in his emotions.

"You mean give us a fair deal, right?" Ragnar stammered. "You gonna leave me high and dry too?" Gurd made his way back towards them, hands full of more credit chips. Ragnar clumsily regained his composure and gave Gurd a smile and offered his hand to receive the stack of credits.

"You know nothing of my pain." Roland muttered more to himself.

"Your pain? What about him?" Ragnar was beginning to stand straighter. Gurd ignores Ragnar's opened hands and offers the credits to Roland. Adarasina sent a simple command into Roland's mind with her voice.

"Kill them."

Roland didn't hesitate. "Yes, Master." Ragnar was confused.

"What? Master who?"

Roland took a quick aim at Ragnar and squeezed his trigger twice causing him to collapse onto his back. Roland then twisted back and launched another bolt at the ithorian, killing him.

Roland walked towards the creature who was called Gurd. He kneeled down and gathered up the credits from the cracked cement floor. Ragnar leaned up, two blaster wounds in his torso. "You Imps are all the same."

Roland stands back up and turns towards the creature talking to him. "You thought this was for us?" He pointed his blaster at Ragnar's face. "Through passion I gain strength."

"If this is what you call strength then no wonder you're side lost." Ragnar coughed. "Passion for yourself is all you have."

"For the Empire." Roland squeezed his trigger again sending a final bolt onto Ragnar's face. He began walking back towards the entrance, keeping his weapon leveled for the pair of old battledroids still outside. As he drew closer the door split open and one of the droids walked inside.

"Master? We detected blaster fire." Roland had the droid in his sights and let lose another bolt sending the droid into a twirl as it fell. The second one a heartbeat later then leaned in from the left side of the doorway and let lose a short burst of fire towards Roland's position.

He dived to his left, away from the doorway to get the greater angle to force the droid to come to him. He began to climb to his knees but tripped on a small but heavy ship component, slamming his left shoulder into the floor. He then focused on bringing his rifle back to bear on the doorway.

The battledroid had already gotten through and sent another short burst of red bolts toward Roland. One struck him below his right knee.

He winced in pain and hammered out rapid shots, luck was still on his side. Two bolts scored the droid and it collapsed with a wailing tone. Roland, now breathing heavily, pulled himself up and began making his way back to his TIE Defender outside.

His heart was still racing as he dropped himself back into his cockpit and closed the hatch above him. It sealed shut with a quick hiss and he toggled on the ship's systems. He addressed his wound, slandered blaster burns, it was mostly seared but some blood was still shallow pooling. He reached under his chair for the field kit. A small quick shot of bacta injected just above the wound. A thin layer of medi-gel applied over it and then closed with an airtight bandage. Then finally another airtight layer of fabric around the leg of his suit and toggled the sealer switch on his life support system over his chest.

Roland leaned back into his command chair and breathed. Adarasina reached out with the force and kissed his lips and ran her hands down his face. His heart skipped a beat.

"We have work to do."

"Yes, my master."