Chapter 17: Purple Rain of Pain

Since classes started, it's gone well. They are on a weird 5 day week here in the Galaxy far, far away. Primeday, Centaxday, Taungsday, Zhellday, Benduday. Primeday, Taungsday, Benduday we'd spend in class doing lectures. Centaxday and Zhellday were for sparring and training. As of yet no one wanted to spar with me so lately I've just been swinging my training Saber in the air for a few hours and then trying to make friends.

My classmates looked at me with contempt, and Jaella, ranked 25, dead last in our top-tier Sith class, wouldn't even come near me since she found out my little secret.

Today was Zhellday and not looking great so far. Everyone was just training when suddenly a tall purple Twi'lek walked in. She stood with Professor Elama and talked.

'The dommy mommy vibes are strong with this one.'

The Twi'lek walked up to me as I was practicing my lightsaber forms alone.

"Would you like a partner?"

She asked in her melodic voice. I was taken aback, not recognizing this tall, elegant Twi'lek who had suddenly approached me. The other students continued training around us, ignoring my existence as usual.

"Um, sure, that would be great, actually,"

I replied, trying to contain my excitement at having someone to train with for once. The rest of the class seemed still wary of me after killing that teacher. The Twi'lek reached her hand to me.

"Ya-ta"

I grabbed her cold hand and shook it. Very soft, with no calluses, unlike Zennas.

"Let's use real sabers?" Ya-ta suggested.

"Are you sure?" I smiled smugly at her. "I'm absolutely cracked at saber combat."

Ya-ta laughed awkwardly, clearly not understanding my joke. She reached for the saber on her belt and ignited it. It was a purple color that matched her skin perfectly. My face twisted in revulsion.

'Disgusting'

"Purple? An interesting choice for a Sith?" I try to keep my tepid feelings to myself.

"You look positively smitten by it." Her face contorted into a confident laugh.

'What is her deal? She seems way too confident?'

We took our positions as I ignited my saber. Ya-ta moved with grace and precision, easily blocking my attacks. I was barely even cracking into Sith Warrior mode, not wanting to kill someone by mistake again.

'Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice? You can't be fooled again!'

I was enthralled by her purple Lekku as they danced around following her movements. She was a very sexy Twi'Lek. Her Saber skills weren't bad but were far below Zenna's.

"Your Juyo? Is it quite perfect? You make even your sister's form look sloppy."

She mused as we clashed sabers together. Honestly, it was fun just to have someone to mess around with. I've been so lonely during these training classes.

"Thanks."

I mutter not really wanting to address why my form is so good. Suddenly our blades were together and her face drew close to mine. Her smug smile gone, replaced in an instant with an intense anger. A light amount of fear pricks into my head. She looked into my eyes, beaming at me full of hatred.

"Are you him?"

She calmly asked. Her words caused a pit in my stomach. Our lightsaber clash held strong as I slowly began to shake in fear.

"Did you kill Baron Dragir's son?" She asked another question.

"What are you talking about?" I quickly retorted. Suddenly I felt a pressure from above me as the fear set in.

Ya-ta's eyes flashed a menacing red as she summoned the power of the dark side. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over me, threatening to crush my spirit. It was as if invisible hands were slowly squeezing the life from my body. I gasped for air, my knees buckling under the immense pressure bearing down on me. I fell to the ground with fear and confusion.

"I can sense your deception, worm," Ya-ta hissed through bared teeth. "You reek of the same arrogance and false bravado as that cur mother of yours."

She used the Force to paralyze me and hold me tight to the ground. I cried out in pain as Ya-ta increased her Force grip, waves of agony wracking my body. Through the haze of fear she inflicted, I only got worse and worse.

"Even if it wasn't, you let this be a lesson to your family."

She took her heels and repeatedly started kicking me. First, my chest and then just straight up, bringing her heel down on my face. I was literally so afraid I couldn't think.

'I can't fucking process what to do even though I know there must be a way out!.'

I don't understand how I failed this bad? I felt like every neuron on my brain was standing on edge, Like i fell into a black hole of fear. Every swipe of her heel hurts more and more.

"…..ning!" I hear something from beyond. "Use Li...."

I groaned in agony, my vision red with blood. My eyes are terrified. My head throbbed with pain. I saw her raise her lightsaber, the purple blade poised to deliver the killing blow.

"'Lightning…."

I gurgled a bloody laugh as the fear overtook me. I remembered I was merely a vessel of power.

'Silly me, how could I forget that in my fear.'

My arm reached up as she kicked the downed dog that I was and channeled as much lightning as I could at that moment. My brain was barely going. I shot a short, meager bolt, but it was enough to get her in surprise. She let up on her force hold. With my leftover strength, I force-pushed her across the room. And then I fell unconscious as the pain rushed all over my battered body.

*****

I sat traumatized in the infirmary mere hours after my brutal assault. Completely healed after an instant bath in a Bacta tank. I'm shaking with fading fear as Sola rubs my back with a guilty face.

Zenna paced anxiously inside the infirmary, her frustration and worry mounting with each passing minute. Upon receiving word of my bloodied state, she quickly made her way to the infirmary. She found me battered and bleeding in the bacta tank. As soon as the medical droids had stabilized me, she demanded answers, but I was still in a state of total shock and fear.

'How could I have possibly lost that badly? She attacked me with fear.'

"When I find out who did this, I will crush them," Zenna seethed, her fury palpable in the cramped infirmary.

Sola placed a gentle hand on her arm in an attempt to calm her. "Patience, my friend. Vex needs you right now more than thoughts of revenge."

Zenna sighed, knowing Sola spoke the truth but still struggling to contain the dark storm within her.

"Vex..." she murmured, enveloping me in a fierce but tender embrace. I winced slightly but welcomed the contact.

"I don't understand, Zenna. She attacked me with fear. How do I defend against that?"

"Who was it, Vex!" Zenna screeched.

"Someone named Ya-ta."

"The Duke Kesyk's daughter?" Sola went pale.

"She did this to you?" Zenna Seethed.

"How can I defend against her in the future?" 

I pleaded desperate for an answer, I don't remember how the Sith of the past did it.

Sola looked at me again with a guilty stare.

"You need to create a force barrier." She spoke softly, rubbing my back.

"oh my fucking god," I held the bridge of my nose in complete disgust at myself.

"Didn't your mother teach you that?" Sola asked

"I hardly paid attention to her lessons. Do you know how to inflict fear, Sola?"

Sola nodded hesitantly. I searched my other souls for answers and was immediately rewarded.

'Force barrier. It seems between all my classes, I can just cast this forever.'

I sigh loudly as I build a forcer barrier around myself.

'I am so fucking stupid; I mean, I read all about this shit forever ago.'

"Sola, can you try to use the force to make me afraid?"

Before my question finished, she stared at me with an incredibly confused face.

"What did you do, Vex?" Sola spoke coldly.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't even penetrate your barrier a little bit. It's like you reinforced it with Beskar?" Sola spoke in a voice laced with panic.

I put my face in my hands, the weight of my failure pressing down on me. How could I have been so foolish to let my guard down during training? Sola's concerned gaze only deepened my shame.

"SO WE'RE JUST GOING TO LET YA-TA GET AWAY WITH THIS BECAUSE YOU LEARNED SOMETHING NEW?" Zenna Screamed for the whole infirmary to hear. Twas quite an awkward sight.

I looked at her with an annoyed face, my ears ringing.

"Calm down Zenna, this is a net gain," I spoke coldly. "Her trick won't work a second time."

"I know you're strong, Vex, but..."

As she was about to ramble on, I used the Force to cloud her mind. Calming her down.

"Sister, do not worry."

I followed up with another force technique called confound. She just seemed calm and confused.

"Ahh yeah, totally. What was I mad about?"

"You were excited to keep looking for Darth Relic, remember?" Sola interjected.

"THAT'S RIGHT." Zenna stood up with enthusiasm.

Zenna began pacing the room again, her eyes lit with determination.

"We must find Darth Relic. I will not rest until I have him in my grasp." She clenched her fist as if squeezing the phantom Sith Lord.

"Just imagine it. His strong arms wrapped around me, his dark power mine to command. I will show him what it means to be loved by a woman of the Sith." Her words grew heated, almost feverish. Her face crimson red.

'Jesus Christ, sis, you really had to fall in love with my alter ego. Way to go, sis. Really, congratulations.'

Sola and I exchanged a glance. My sister's obsession with the mysterious Sith was concerning, bordering on madness. Still, I dared not speak against her.

"Yes, sister. We will find him," I spoke in a defeated voice.

I said carefully. Zenna whirled to face me, eyes flashing.

"You doubt me, little brother?"

I shook my head. "No, of course not. It's just...he has evaded all who have sought him thus far. It will not be easy."

Zenna smiled slowly. "But think of my satisfaction when I finally claim him. When I take what is mine by right." She leaned in close, her voice dripping with desire. "When I extract his seed and forge a new legacy."

I suppressed a shudder at her intense gaze. There were depths to my sister's desires I did not fully understand.

"Okay.." I said awkwardly

'What do I even fucking do in this situation? Do I just let it go? Do I tell her? She's fucking manic. If I tell her would she rape me for my "seed"?'

I recoil at the thought of being raped by my sister. But then another thought takes hold as I drink in Sola's sight.

'Now there's a woman I'd love to take me by force.'

Sola smiled as I stared at her. She placed a gentle hand on Zenna's arm, her eyes filled with concern.

"My friend, I understand your fascination with Relic. But have you considered if it is truly meant to be?"

Zenna's eyes narrowed, but Sola pressed on bravely.

"So much mystery surrounds him. It may not be possible to ever fully know him or for him to return your affections." She chose her words carefully. "I only wish to spare you potential heartbreak. This path of love you follow...it is a tricky one after all.

I stepped forward, emboldened by Sola's courage.

"She's right, Zenna. I know how deeply you feel, how much you want this. But Relic keeps his distance for a reason. You may never be able to close that gap, no matter how hard you try." I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please, for your own sake...be careful."

Zenna was silent, her expression unreadable. For a moment, I thought she might lash out at us for daring to question her desires. But then her features softened slightly.

"Your concern is noted," she said quietly. "I do not expect either of you to fully understand." Her eyes took on a faraway look. "But I am bound to him in ways you cannot comprehend. Our fates are intertwined."

She turned away, effectively ending the conversation. Sola and I exchanged worried glances. We had tried our best to make her see reason, but Zenna was lost in her obsessive visions. I only hoped she would not travel too far down this path.

'I would just really hate to get raped by my sister, it'd be so awkward. Her clown-girl potential is just not there anymore... Unless?….. No, no, no, Vex, this isn't some weird incest web novel I gooned to in the past.

I sigh

'I gotta bust a nut before I start having depraved thoughts again.'

*****

I sit at my desk in my room, absolutely seething about today's events.

"Ya-Ta, you bitch. I am going to destroy everything you love."

'I am going to disassemble everything Duke Kesyk has, and then only then will I finally kill you.'

"I think it's time Darth Relic took an apprentice."

*****

Sola's POV

In an exceedingly common site these days, I scream and cry into my pillow in my lavish dorm room.

"YOU SCOUNDREL! You've hidden your mind from me, making it nearly impossible for me to read. I can hardly even read your emotions like I can with everyone else at a mere glance. I used to marvel at the beauty of your mind, how it was my constant source of entertainment and love. But now, it's been ripped from me, leaving a void that I don't know how to fill. I miss you, but I also resent you for leaving me behind. How could you do this to us? My heart is torn between love and anger towards you!"

I dramatically wailed into my pillow.

"I need to find a way to make him rely on me." I decided to be a woman of action.

"I'll tell him I know who he is!" I speak with fear into my pillow. "And if he won't make me someone special in his life, I'll threaten to tell his sister his secret!"

'Surely he doesn't want that insane beast to find out, right?'

My thoughts were weighted with fear.

'If he rejects me, I might just take my life.'

Truly a high-risk high-reward situation.