The Codes: Evolving

[SveinEternity]

Hey everyone! I know I started a story a couple weeks ago (I think) and I decided to take a break from it just because I think I rushed into it too quick if you know what I mean. But, I have given this one ALOT of thought and planning. It has basicly "Evolved" (clever I know:cool:) into a pretty big story that is really becoming something big. Anyways the first couple of stories I beleive are going to be from the Short Fic Challenge Thread, but the rest will kick off from there. Enjoy!

[SveinEternity]

Chapter 1: Changing Masters

Dromund Kass, Darth Baras' Chambers

1 BTC

 

 

Darth Baras’ chambers never seemed so cold or dark than the moment Verana had been told that she would be sold.

 

Verana stood defiantly in front of Darth Expirey who examined her body in an almost invasive manner. Expirey walked around Verana expecting her muscle tone and other details that would be important to the back breaking work of a slave.

 

After making a full circle around Verana, Expirey stopped in front of her so that they both looked eye to eye. “Smile”, he ordered sharply.

 

Verana shook her head and made a zipper motion with her hand.

 

Expirey smiled slightly as she asked Baras jokingly,” Does she give you this hard of a time Baras?”

 

“Just get on with the inspection”, sighed Baras who obviously wanted to get on with other things.

 

“I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of a smile”, said Verana defiance thick in her voice.

 

Expirey grabbed Verana by the neck of her tunic,” Smile slave.”

 

“Why don’t you go fall in a sarlacc pit”, replied Verana her voice firey.

 

A wide smile formed on the Sith Lord’s face, and suddenly Verana felt a painful sensation course through her body. Violet lightning shot from his fingertips and Verana convulsed in pain on the floor.

 

“Smile”, yelled the Sith Lord as he edged closer to Verana.

 

“I’d rather die”, shrieked Verana as she shook violently on the floor.

 

Then the lightning stopped and Verana laid on the floor staring angrily up at Expirey. It took all of her concentration to resist the urge to cry. It would show her weakness and she was not weak.

 

“I like her”, said the Sith Lord approvingly,” Send her to my mansion.”

 

Expirey walked towards the exit but stopped for a moment and said,” Be careful with her. I have more entertaining uses for her.”

 

Verana gasped in horror and put her hands over her face in disgust. She heard about how Expirey treated his slaves. Some of them committed suicide or ran away though they were often caught. She would have to do his dirty work. She would be giving birth to his children.

 

Verana was alone and there was no escape.

 

“Slave”, said Baras sharply,” Get up, I will have an escort for you shortly.”

 

Verana glared at Baras hatefully,” I am going to kill you for this.”

 

“Obey like you have for me slave”, answered Baras,” Perhaps then you will find your freedom.”

 

Baras exited the room and Verana was left alone, her bones still aching from the lightning earlier.

 

“I will find a way”, whispered Verana,” He can’t keep me.”

 

Edited September 10, 2012 by SveinEternity

[bright_ephemera]

Ee, looking forward to seeing Verana and Svein's backstory filled in!

[SveinEternity]

Chapter 2: Another Drive

1BTC Dromund Kass, The Expirey Estate

 

 

Verana stood in front of Darth Expirey’s mansion, which casted a giant shadow across the jungle clearing when lightning cracked in the sky above. Verana examined her surroundings carefully and created a vague map of the trail back to Kass City. She was well aware of the Sith Lord’s defenses as well as the fact that he was arrogant enough to leave her alone. However, Verana knew that in the grand scheme of things it would be how she escaped Dromund Kass would determine her fate.

 

Verana was nudged by her trooper escort and the three of them began to enter through the enormous and overbearing gate that lied in front of them. Once Verana entered she saw about a dozen slaves tending to flower gardens on either side of her. They were unusual plants that glowed a magenta color as well as an array of purples and pinks. Statues of Expirey were scattered around the gardens, all of them looking as if they were watching her every move.

 

Suddenly, the escorts stood solidly at attention and Verana turned from the landscape to find Darth Expirey standing in the doorway of the mansion, his yellow eyes beaming.

 

“How do you like the place”, asked the Sith almost welcomingly.

 

“Drab,” replied Verana flatly,” You certainly have an inflated view of yourself.”

 

Expirey shrugged,” I suppose slaves don’t have a good taste in décor.”

 

“Just lead me to my room,” snapped Verana as she brushed past him.

 

Expirey dismissed the escort and followed Verana inside. The walls of the entry chamber were as expected; grey cold walls and black marble flooring lied in a tile fashion. There were also multiple pictures and holo images that lined the walls, evenly spaced so that they would not appear clumped together. One picture particularly caught Verana’s eye, particularly its vivid coloring.

 

The picture depicted a beautiful young woman who had twinkling cyan eyes and golden blonde hair. She was twirling around in the sunset of a vibrant green valley and a waterfall raged to her right. It was an odd picture to place in such a dark atmosphere. In fact the woman didn’t look like an Imperial at all, she looked foreign.

 

“Who’s that,” asked Verana curiously, stopping to admire the image.

 

Expirey’s welcoming tone disappeared, instead replaced by a growl, “None of your business, slave.”

 

“Why are you being so secretive”, replied Verana suspiciously.

 

“A slave doesn’t deserve to know”, snapped Expirey,” Now come along.”

 

Verana began to walk behind Expirey, but her mind was still focused on the identity of the woman in the picture. Why was Expirey hiding the woman’s identity from her? Was she Imperial?

 

Verana dismissed the thought, but she knew that there was more to it than a simple picture.

 

The Sith Lord led Verana down the halls of the mansion, the attendants and apprentices watching her in utter disgust as she walked.

 

They think I’m sickening, thought Verana as she examined their corrupt features.

 

Verana and Expirey finally made it to the slave pens, which was basically a cell block though it lacked droid guardians which Verana thought was especially arrogant even for Expirey.

 

“This will be your new home”, said Expirey who reached in his black robe for a shock collar.

 

“Home”, scoffed Verana who examined the purple shielding that blocked the slaves inside from escaping,” More like a prison.”

 

Expirey shrugged and put an arm around Verana,” I’ll be back for you in a couple of hours.”

 

He can’t hold me, thought Verana hatefully as she glared at Expirey.

 

Expirey put the shock collar on Verana’s neck, a needle *****ed her neck sharply as it locked into place.

 

Expirey grabbed Verana by the hand and brought her over to a large cell in which slaves stared at her in awe. Expirey smiled cruelly,” Have fun.”

 

Suddenly, the shield dropped and Verana was thrown into the cell. She tumbled through a crowd of slaves and landed on the floor with a thud. She looked up from the hard ground to find Expirey gone and slaves staring down at their latest addition curiously.

 

Verana looked up at one of the slaves who offered a hand to her. He was tall with short brown hair and beady brown eyes to match. His face was round and kind as he extended his hand to Verana. She accepted and pulled herself up.

 

Suddenly, the cell was very quiet and the mass of slaves stared at her in curiosity.

 

“Hi”, said Verana with an awkward tone.

 

“Your Sith”, said the man who had helped her up.

 

“I am”, confirmed Verana as she looked to face him.

 

An old man walked through the crowd and exclaimed waving a cane,” You should be with the rest of your kind.”

 

Verana replied quite furious by the insensitive comment,” I am not one of them.”

 

“Then why are you here”, asked the dark haired man.

 

“I am not force sensitive”, said Verana flatly as her eyes narrowed towards him.

 

The crowd of slaves began to whisper and mingles among themselves. It was rare to find a Pureblood who did not have Force Sensitivity, but the slaves acted as if it were something entirely new. Suddenly, a voice yelled from beyond the edge of the crowd.

 

The slaves, including Verana, turned to face a withered old man who was hunched against one of the cell walls. He was bony and years of hard work were etched on his face. The man also had a long grey beard which extended to his belly and was extremely ragged.

 

The man spoke hoarsely,” You lie Sith.”

 

“What”, replied Verana, confused.

 

“It is a whisper in a sea of darkness”, said the man trying to get up,” But, it is there.”

 

“Liar”, snapped Verana walking towards the purple shield to look at her reflection.

 

“She is a spy”, yelled a slave,” I say we kill her.”

 

The slaves agreed with a defiant battle cry. Verana turned around to some of them charging at her, fists clenched. Verana dodged an incoming fist which collided with the purple shield behind her. The man yelped in pain as he grasped his hand, but Verana didn’t stop to help him. Instead she kicked an incoming slave in the chest with a sharp crack. Baras’ apprentices had taught her much during her time under Darth Baras. However, she had never expected to use such skills on other slaves.

 

Before Verana could strike another slave she was suddenly slammed against the wall by an invisible force. She looked up to see the old man who had lied against the wall a moment ago raising a hand to stop the slaves from charging Verana.

 

“Enough”, shouted the man as he made a stopping signal with his hand,” She is one of us.”

 

“She is Sith”, yelled a slave from the crowd.

 

“She is a slave”, shot the old man.

 

Verana got up from the floor and walked hesitantly away from the man. He looked almost weaker than he had moments before. It appeared that he needed every ounce of energy to simply stand now.

 

“I have seen a vision”, said the man weakly now,” She is your savior and you must listen to her.”

 

“Your,” said Verana oddly.

 

“There was once a moment when I stood defiant against the darkness. I failed and now I cannot continue,” said the old man faintly. He kneeled down at Verana’s feet,” You must do what I could not. Carry on the legacy of a dying Sith.”

 

The old man fell at Verana’s feet and he let lose a final gasping breath,” One act can set off a catalyst of events.”

 

Verana knelt down to check the man’s pulse. He was dead.

 

The slave who had helped Verana earlier extended another hand down to her. “Teron.”

 

“Verana”, she replied shaking his hand.

 

“What are we going to do?”

 

“Fight”, replied Verana.

 

 

Edited September 14, 2012 by SveinEternity

[bright_ephemera]

Chapter 2: Another Drive

1BTC Dromund Kass, The Expirey Estate

 

 

Yum. I love that slave-cage sequence.

 

May I point out a couple of tricky verb forms from the passage? A couple of the verbs used have weird past tenses, like so:

The past tense of "cast" is just "cast", and in fact the past participle is, too. The mansion casts a shadow today, it cast a shadow yesterday, it had cast a shadow last week.

 

"Lie" is a word from hell. When I told a falsehood yesterday, I lied. When I rested in position yesterday, I lay. So, the gate lay in front of them. Why? Because the English language hates us.

 

 

 

Love it Looking forward to more!

Edited September 16, 2012 by bright_ephemera

[SveinEternity]

Yum. I love that slave-cage sequence.

 

May I point out a couple of tricky verb forms from the passage? A couple of the verbs used have weird past tenses, like so:

The past tense of "cast" is just "cast", and in fact the past participle is, too. The mansion casts a shadow today, it cast a shadow yesterday, it cast a shadow last week.

 

"Lie" is a word from hell. When I told a falsehood yesterday, I lied. When I rested in position yesterday, I lay. So, the gate lay in front of them. Why? Because the English language hates us.

 

 

 

Love it Looking forward to more!

 

The English language is a mystery of life. Lay hurts my ears when I say it in a sentence like that now:D I appreciate the advice and I am glad you are looking forward for more.

[SveinEternity]

Sorry for the shortness of this one. I like where it is going from this one though and a bit of "something" that you can catch from the agent.....

 

Chapter 4: Battle Cry

1BTC Dromund Kass, Expirey Estate

 

 

The slaves gathered in front of Verana, their eyes beaming with hope as they looked up at their savior. They had come up with a plan. It was a desperate and near impossible plan, but it was a risk that Verana and the slaves were willing to take.

 

The plan involved Verana going with Expirey and escaping his grasp, which was difficult enough on its own. If she escaped Expirey, then Verana would shut off the central power grid and the slaves would revolt using weapons from the armories that were scattered around Expirey’s compound. After that the slaves would regroup in the jungle. Even if the plan was farfetched, Verana was determined to escape her fate as Expirey’s slave.

 

Now Verana stood in front of her new allies, giving them the small hope that she could before their desperate attempt at freedom began.

 

Verana looked into crowd of slaves that surrounded her. They looked noble and determined. Terron, especially had a look of courage on his face.

 

Verana began to speak, her voice strong,” For thousands of years the Empire has ridiculed us, aliens and Force-Blinds alike.” Verana began to pace slowly,” Those who have stood for us have been silenced and fear struck the people of the Empire. But, now we are entering a new age, one where the Empire must be stronger and who must rise to defend it.”

 

“We do”, shouted the slaves defiantly.

 

“Exactly”, exclaimed Verana,” We must rise when history demands it, when Sith like Expirey taint the heart of the Empire! We must fan the flames of hate; shape the destruction into a message. That is how we prevail!”

 

“We will”, shouted the slaves with a courageous roar.

 

Verana smiled as the slave’s confidence soared. Then Verana heard the sound of more cheering in the other cells around them. It was music to her ears, a battle cry for the fight to come.

 

Suddenly, Expirey entered the cell block and the slaves became silent once more as if nothing had occurred in the previous hours.

 

“Come”, said Expirey sharply as he let Verana out of the cell,” I will lead you to more “accommodating quarters.”

 

Verana exited the cell, knowing that she would be out of Expirey’s grasp soon.

 

It’s only a matter of time, thought Verana as she walked with Expirey out of the cell block.

 

 

Edited September 15, 2012 by SveinEternity

[SveinEternity]

I am so glad to finally get this one out. I do feel a little iffy on this one though because I really feel like I didn't describe things well for some reason. But, maybe that's just my inner editor talking.

 

Chapter 5: Discovery

Dromund Kass, Expirey Estate

1BTC

 

 

Verana stared down at the gold and silver slave outfit that dangled from the bedpost of Expirey’s bed. It was vulgar and revealing, much like those seen on dancers in Hutt palaces. It was hideous in Verana’s mind.

 

“Get it on”, said Expirey roughly as he pointed to the outfit.

 

Verana looked down at her black and grey tunic. “Even this trash is better than that.”

 

“Have you not learned your lesson slave”, said Expirey waving a shock collar controller in his hand.

 

Expirey pressed the red button on the controller and Verana clutched her neck in pain.

 

“I’m slow”, replied Verana spitting on Expirey.

 

Expirey shook his head, his yellow eyes turning threatening. “I’m surprised that your affinity for the Force doesn’t give you an ounce of sense in your head.”

 

Verana’s eyes widened and she looked away. Then a question popped from Verana’s mouth that she didn’t process right away,” Why am I a slave?”

 

Expirey chuckled and he walked to face Verana. His pale and corrupt features made him seem like a monster in the darkness that engulfed the room.

 

“Because you choose to be a slave,” whispered Expirey creepily.

 

Verana looked out Expirey’s picture window, her face studying the lightning as it streaked across the sky. What did he mean she chose to be a slave? Did she make the choice to live a life of servitude?

 

“What do you mean,” asked Verana.

 

“If you knew then my efforts to buy you would have been for naught.”

 

Expirey moved closer to Verana, his eyes dancing as the lightning flashed. Verana backed away, clenching her hands into fists.

 

Expirey noticed her aggression and said,” You cannot escape.”

 

“I choose a different fate.”

 

“What is that?”

 

“Freedom”, replied Verana her red eyes narrowing at Expirey.

 

Suddenly, Verana shot a volley of lightning at Expirey. The lightning rippled through the air and Expirey was forced into a wall, tumbling into furniture as he was thrown through the air.

 

Verana looked down at her fists which were now trembling hands.

 

How did I do that, thought Verana.

 

Verana shook the thought away and ran for her shock collar controller. Expirey’s eyes widened as he saw Verana activate the release on her collar. The collar dropped to the floor next to the bed with a thud and Verana darted towards the exit.

 

“No”, yelled Expirey as he extended a hand towards Verana.

 

Suddenly, Verana was lifted off her feet and pulled towards the Sith lord who was now standing. She was put into a headlock, her face filled with fury as she struggled to free herself.

 

“You are mine”, said Expirey sternly as he moved her towards the bed.

 

“No”, screamed Verana who clawed at Expirey’s face.

 

Then Verana noticed Expirey’s utility belt which carried his lightsaber. She reached for it, hoping another miracle would take place.

 

Her luck couldn’t have been timed better.

 

The lightsaber lifted from Expirey’s belt and floated into her hand. Appalled, she slammed the spiked hilt into Expirey’s face as lay her forcefully on the bed. He threw Verana towards the door as she clutched his bleeding face. Verana scrambled for the double doors, terrified by her newly discovered powers.

 

Verana kicked the doors open and ignited the blade with a push of a button. The blade hummed as she raced down the corridor and into the turbolift. She punched in buttons at random, not caring about her destination.

 

The lift doors shut with a whoosh, and Verana slumped against the wall astounded by what had occurred. She was Force Sensitive. But, now a mysterious and confusing question remained.

 

Why was she a slave?