Aftermath

Aftermath

Devani Maharet, 5552


The Sith lay dying, her own heart slowly beating her life away with each shuddering breath. She was one of the lucky ones, for it was only by luck that she wasn’t being tortured with the pain the Vong so loved to inflict on the “Infidels”. Death however was inevitable; it came too soon and yet not soon enough. A part of her clung hopefully to what life she still had, while another whispered that there was no chance. Thousands of souls, thousands of lives, thousands of her people screamed in panic within her, for she was the last of her kind; the last of her family…her clan… her people.


“No!!!” she rasped, refusing to believe it was all at an end. She was a SITH, a Dark Jedi, a Warrior. She could not let this be her fate, to die unknown, young, and…alone. It felt like a dream, and clung desperately to that hope, but the pain wracking her body told her it was indeed reality. “I will NOT let this be the end!” She had to think of something, anything, there had to be some way to survive. ‘The body is weak’ she thought, ‘but my mind is strong and the force powerful beyond imagining’.


It was then that an idea struck her, even as the cold grip of death tightened around her, the blackness closing in. She had one idea and with nothing to lose, she grabbed at it hungrily. Her mind reached out, even as her body was failing her, seeking a young mind. She found a girl whose mind was weak; maybe just maybe it would be possible. She seemed close, most likely on the same ship.


Taking firm control of her mind, the woman bundled up everything that was her into this tight ball. All her emotions, memories, all of her “soul” and detangled what was her from the collective of her people. She didn’t have much time; this all took place in milliseconds. Was it even technically possible? She didn’t waste time thinking about it, just DID.


Tighter and tighter she wrapped it and then flung herself through the Force, following that tenuous connection to the girl. Pain…that wasn’t really pain without the proper nerves, wracked her. She felt as if she was being torn apart. Bits of her personality, her humanity, herself were torn away to be lost forever. It seemed to take forever, this transition, and she lost so much, memories…but the true sense of herself remained, what little bit it was.


It was the strangest feeling, to be dying, to feel one’s own life slip away. And then to suddenly be vibrantly alive, the warmth and strength of a body, missing for that fraction of a second, suddenly pop on the consciousness. The feeling of blood coursing through one’s veins, the heart pumping, clothing rubbing against skin and the dryness of a mouth, it was amazing. That moment of limbo had felt like an eternity, the cold grip of mortality nearly crushed the Sith but she overcame it. She survived. She…LIVED.


The woman basked in that moment, her plan worked! Everything seemed to be working perfectly…except…what? Confusion reigned as she tried to blink her eyes. A simple enough thing to do, a reflex and yet…it suddenly dawned upon her. She had no eyes to blink! No eyelids, no eyelashes, nothing. Realization burst upon her, while she could see well, even better than she could in her old body, it was not through eyes but through the Force. Miraluka! She had heard of the species before, may have even met one, but hadn’t given their condition much thought before now. The body didn’t feel quite right, the fit seemed off somehow. The way they saw was almost unnatural, but it was something she was going to have to become accustomed to and learn to use. She would force this flesh to fit her.


Suddenly eager, she tested the rest of her body. Stretching out her fingers, she moved them through a range of motion, feeling the muscles tense and release. She laughed, listening for the first time to the sound of her new voice, though it felt a bit stiff. Humming along she decided she quite liked it. Leaping forward, she put the body through a series of exercises, throwing out punches and kicks.


Something nagged at the back of her consciousness; her…new brain seemed to be almost…fighting her. Annoyed, she ignored it eagerly reaching out with the Force, feeling it flow through her like a sweet elixir. With a dreamy smile she stretched and suddenly realized she felt weary, both emotionally and physically. “I should probably rest…” her new voice murmured. It was pleasant, a little earthier in tones than what she was used to however. She would explore more about what had happened after she slept some. She looked around and found a bed, slipping into it comfortably. As she drifted off, her last thought was of Clan Naga Sadow.


............................................................................................................................................................


Kiriana woke suddenly, the terror of whatever had transpired the night before at the forefront of her brain. She was a Dark Jedi, of Clan Naga Sadow; she did not normally feel fear. But with the Vong War, she had been particularly susceptible to the emotion as of late. And last night…something had violently attacked her mind, and the fear overwhelmed her. She remembered trying to wrench control back of her own body, unable to move a single finger or toe. “It was only a dream...” she whispered to herself. Firmly taking control of her fear, she forced it deep down, melding it with the anger and confusion she also felt so she was again calm.


Sliding from the bed, the Miralukan hurriedly twisted her long red hair into braids. Splashing cold water over her face, she tried to shake the uneasiness from her mind. As much as she would love to believe it had only been a horrible nightmare, it had seemed too real. She performed her daily meditation, deciding to ignore it till the morning ritual was done. With that, she felt more relaxed and peaceful, eating a few bites of food to energize her for the morning. Who could she talk to about this rather unique experience? Who would know or could guess what had happened? Gnawing at her lower lip, she was contemplating who to turn to when her body felt violently seized; the terror rearing up again as she was once more unable to move, the same as the night before.


‘No!!!!!’ Her mind raged, ‘Who or what are you?! What are you doing?! I demand an answer! Or am I just losing my mind…’ Over and over she ranted and raved, while her body moved without her direction. She watched as she rummaged through her personal belongings, and muttered under her own breath. With a great burst of mental strength, she once again tried to wrench control of her own body. She felt her body tense and suddenly her voice spoke.


“I am…” whoever it was paused as if they themselves didn’t know, “I am Devani Maharet, Clanswoman of Naga Sadow, Sith Warrior. Yes…” her voice trailed off.


Silence. It was almost too hard to believe. Of course she had heard of the woman, but she was missing in action, presumed dead. One of the thousands destroyed by the Vong. There had been some stories of her though, something about souls, death, the mind...vague rumors never confirmed.


“Who are you?”


‘I am Kiriana of Naga Sadow…an Obelisk… what have you done?!’ She couldn’t help it, the rage and the fear vibrated with every word punctuated in thought.


“I was dying…the last of my people. I am Sith, I am Sadowian, I would not die!!! I desperately sought the only way I could think of staying alive. Your mind was weak,” the woman shrugged her shoulders, “I took control, and saved myself. Whatever I am anyway...”


They both digested the news, the reality of their situation, as impossible as it seemed. Her mind was weak? Anger boiled again, though she understood why Devani had done it, and if it had been possible, realized she might have done the same thing. But it was her body, her life! She would fight back for it with all she had, and maybe someday she would be able to stop this woman from taking control. But the Sith was right, she was too weak to accomplish that now.


‘A truce?’ She found herself saying. ‘I will never stop trying to take back control but we will both go mad if the other stays in control completely.’


The woman thought for a long moment before replying, “Agreed. But how? A schedule? Certain events?” She was uneasy, Kiriana, could tell, but hopefully the trick would work. It made just enough sense…


‘And even more than that, who will know? Should anyone? Someone will notice the change in my behavior, though it may be attributed to the recent attacks. You’ll need to learn to act like me, to respond to my name...’


“NO! My name is who I am, I am not going to try and become you. If I do that...I lose myself. Some may call it madness, some may guess, I don’t care.”


A long silence enveloped them, and yet it wasn’t really silent, neither could truly stop their thoughts. They jumbled over each other like a seething mass; they both could feel the beginnings of a headache setting in. Kiriana wrestled control back, relief spreading through her but for a moment.


“I CAN’T THINK!!!!” she screamed.


‘Neither can I.’


“We can’t live like this. I…I…I refuse to live like this, with some twisted woman in my head!”


‘You don’t know the half of it sweet cheeks. But you’re right, we can’t live like this.’


Suddenly Kiriana felt as if she was being torn away from her body. She could no longer feel her legs, or the beating of her heart. She struggled but was no match for the stronger woman, darkness spread across her consciousness. ‘Am I dying?’ She thought desperately to herself.


“No, you are being locked away.” Devani replied, an almost sadistic smile lighting up her new face. “Finally…silence, and my own thoughts.”