Star Wars: Slave Of Darkness

Step. Step. Step. Pause. Turn.

Step. Step. Step. Pause. Turn.

"Pacing a hole in the floor isn't going to do you any good, sister. The only thing that will change will be that you're tired. And you're making concentrating a bit difficult."

Ianna's eyes shifted from her feet to her brother. The larger Zabrak sat cross-legged on his bunk, his eyes closed and his right hand grasping his knee. On a workboard balanced on his lap, his artificial arm had been detached from its reception port and partially disassembled.

A used cleaning rag laid off to the side next to a small tool kit. A miniature asteroid belt of nuts, bolts, panels, and servos orbited the meditating man as each piece was reattached, one at a time.

She watched a bit a wiring snake down into the skeletal limb that had replaced her brother's arm, followed by the tool that secured it back in place. A shiver went down her spine.

The woman let out an explosive sigh and roughly sat down in the nearby chair, "I know. I know. But I can't sit and do nothing. It feels…wrong."

Terrak smirked, "Do you think I do nothing when I sit like this?"

"No," Ianna shook her head as she pulled her knees up to her chest.

When she didn't say anything more, one of her brother's eyes opened and looked at her. For a moment, she lost herself in the yellow iris. Back home, it had never scared her. His eyes had always been that color. But now that she was here…

"There's no point in being silent, Ianna. Neither of us can hide much from the other and it's easier to talk."

That was one downside to the training, she thought. As they grew stronger, so too did the bond between them. Most of the time, it was only impressions and emotions that were passed back and forth. But in moments of duress or perfect clarity, they could trade coherent thoughts and images. Lately, her brother's end had become more ordered. Clearer.

Her's must have looked like a mess.

Ianna decided to evade the particular thought that Terrak had picked up on, in favor of another, "I'm afraid, Terrak."

"Of?"

She snorted, "If I went down the whole list, we'd be here all day," She paused as she tried to organize her thoughts into something intelligible, "This place. The Overseer. The others. Everybody above our heads…And…"

"And Mom?" Terrak finished.

"Yeah. I guess," Ianna shrugged, "Without us around, she has triple the workload."

"Our master was from an old Sith family, so she probably got compensation when we were taken," Her brother tried to assuage her, "She might have bought two more slaves. Mom is one of her favorites, after all."

"Was, Terrak. Was," Ianna corrected, "She wasn't happy that Mom hid us for so long," She glanced up from her knees, "Do you think she hurt Mom after we left?"

"And lose more than she already had?" Terrak pointed out, "She was angry, not stupid. Harming Mom would hurt her more in the long run than she would gain from any measure of temporary satisfaction."

Ianna stared at her brother, not comprehending what he was saying.

He grinned widely, both eyes now open, "If she hurt a horn on Mom's head, she'd have two Sith gunning for her. Along with any weapon and friend that we could get a hold of."

Ianna rolled her eyes, a small smile of her own on her face. However, it quickly disappeared, "That's if we survive the Academy. Or even care when we do."

Terrak blinked, his smile fading, "What do you mean?"

"I've heard people talking. Seen them," She shook her head, closing her eyes as a shiver crawled across her skin, "The older acolytes…the ones that have been here longer…I've heard them talk about their families like they're nothing. Some boasted about severing their attachment to "weaknesses." Others didn't speak a word. I'm not sure which is worse."

The last panel on his cyber-arm clicked into place. With a frown, Terrak positioned it back over the reception port and latched it into place. Taking a breath in, he activated the arm. As it powered on, the Zabrak took a sharp inhale before letting it out slowly. Ianna briefly felt pain flare across their bond, but only for a moment.

It was one thing she hated about that machine.

"So that's what you're really afraid of, isn't it?" Terrak asked as he started repacking his tools, "Not Mom, not the academy, not even the others. You're afraid that being Sith will twist you. Make you forget."

Ianna nodded slowly, bunching up into a tighter ball, "If I stop caring about Mom, how soon will it be until you stop mattering?"

For the first time in a while, her brother's calm exterior cracked, if only slightly, "I want to say it won't, can't, happen. But with what we've seen here in this place, I cannot deny it's a possibility. Back home too. Some of the worst live on Dromund Kaas, too."

Green eyes glared at yellow, "I was hoping that you would reassure me. Not…that. You're terrible at this."

"Maybe, but it needed to be said," He agreed with a shrug. Gesturing with his organic arm, he continued, "Come. Sit with me. Like we used to."

Without hesitation, Ianna unfolded her legs, though she winced at the sudden stiffness as she tried to stand. Hobbling over to the bed, she sat down next to her brother, huddling under his arm. Though she didn't say it aloud, she was glad it wasn't the fake. She hated even looking at it, much less touching it.

The warmth made her relax slightly, but still her nerves were frayed.

"How do you stay so calm?" She asked, "After everything that's happened. The trials, your arm…Why aren't you as scared as I am?"

"What makes you think I'm not?" He turned the question around on her. He laughed as he got an elbow to the ribs, "Alright, alright! I kid."

As she resettled, he continued, "I do a few things. The first is that I simply don't dwell on my fear." He chuckled as his sister turned a disbelieving stare towards him, "We cannot go back and the only way is forward. One step at a time, but we cannot be afraid to take the first step or we will never start. But once that step is taken, the rest get easier. Our obstacles are great, but we can be greater with time. Especially together, like we always have been."

"…And the other thing?"

"Do you know what I do when I sit here? Alone and still?" At the shake of Ianna's head, he smiled, "I listen to the rain."

The incredulous stare returned, "What rain? We're on Korriban."

"Not here. On Dromund Kaas," Terrak replied cryptically. As Ianna prepared another elbowing, he stopped her, "Remember when we were kids. About an hour after lunch, there was always this break in the clouds, just big enough to let some sunlight get through."

"And I used to stare out the side window at it. I was practically entranced by it," Ianna muttered as the image formed in her mind.

"And I did your work for you while you did that," Terrak replied with a cheeky grin. He grunted as her elbow dug especially sharply into his ribcage, "But I listened to the rain too, pattering against the window and roof."

"So "listen to the rain," huh?" Ianna asked dubiously.

"Yep."

They stared at each other for a moment before both fell into helpless laughter against each other.

"You know," Ianna started as she regained control of her voice, glancing at the door, "If someone saw us right now, they'd assume you were the older sibling instead of me."

"Keep telling yourself that. Little Sis-Ouch! Stop that, you're going to break a rib!"

Huddled up against her brother's side, Ianna sobered, "If I start to slip, pull me back, won't you?"

"Yeah," Terrak promised, squeezing her lightly with his organic arm, "Just don't forget to do the same for me."

In the room, where all the Academy's violence and cruelty was gone for a moment and it was just the two of them, Ianna closed her eyes...and listened for the rain.

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The first book has been completed on Patreon, alongside the second book. You can visit Patreon if you want to read in Advance.

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