AU: Not Milliways continuity: The Foundry -Reprise

[last_kallig]

Ibani is at a corner booth in Milliways, examining a tactical map of the Kurost sector of the Mid-Rim, specifically the Nanth'ri system.

She's half in, half out of armor, a look worn by many commanders in many worlds and many times. A look that suggests that the Commander was either interrupted en route to sleep or has given up on it entirely.

She has a small stack of holopads set out on the table, listing various groups and their locations, most of them are crossed out. The two on top are for a Major Bessiker and the Sith Hiran Bessiker, his son.

She'd hoped she would never need to enter the Foundry again, but events have conspired against her.

Her stomach sinks as she recalls what she's fairly sure will be Major Bessiker's last message to her or to anyone, that a group of fanatical Jedi had taken the Foundry. She's checked again and again, and there is no one she can send, no one she can spare.

If she can't find an answer here, she'll be going alone into what the data tells her MUST be a trap.

(OOC: dialogue in italics is taken from/adapted from Ibani's canon.)

Comments

[last_kallig]

The technique requires the Dark side, as it involves Force lightning on the most microscopic of scales, the tiniest of threads weaving into Darth Acina's body, wrapping themselves around her skeletal muscles and her heart. Ibani has a healer's knowledge, the experience of someone who has put their own body back together with the Force times beyond counting, and she is exploiting that to make this terrifying effect.

Acina's power thrashes, struggles, against Ibani's technique, tearing her own tissue.

"Shhh, don't struggle," Ibani says, as she cups Acina's cheek with one hand. "You'll tear your own heart out and that would be terribly messy, don't you think?" Her tone is conversational still, a jarring contrast to what her power is doing.

"A little ambition is a fine thing, Acina, but you endangered ALL the Sith, ALL the Empire with your little stunt here. And THAT, that I will not tolerate." Ibani's tone turns dark, serious.

[acertainpov]

The pain is intense, a roar in the Force, which Ben lets flow over him, resisting the temptation to eas it even a little. It's years of practice just at being inactive, at listening without reacting, at accepting without endorsing.

He knows what it must take for Ibani to show this side of herself to him, and while he knows that much of it is an act for Acina's sake, he can also sense the part that isn't, the part he doesn't expect she'd ever choose for him to see.

He wishes he could remove himself from her thoughts as easily as from her senses.

[last_kallig]

Ibani is thinking about Ben, even now. That he will know her for the monster she is when this is over, see what Korriban made of her.

She doesn't know if her heart can take losing his friendship and there is fear and sorrow in her at that that Acina won't feel, but Ben might.

"What are you going to do, kill me? Acina snarls, angry, defiant and terrified.

"Kill you? Certainly not." Ibani chuckles, as if amused. "No child of Korriban is afraid of death, as we both know."

The Dark side swells around Ibani, becoming physically tangible like the hot breath of a hungry beast on a chain on the skin even at Ben's distance from Ibani. "No, my dear. Endanger the Empire with your ambitions again and I will cage you in your own flesh, unable to act in any way but horribly, terribly AWARE."

"How long do you think it would take for your mind to turn on itself like a serpent devouring its tail, Acina? How long would it take before you'd BEG me to allow you to die, after that, hm?"

[acertainpov]

A few years ago, General Obi-Wan would step in by now, would try to prevent his friend from going down this path, to protect her from the Dark Side or even to save the Empress from some of the pain.

He breathes, slowly and deeply, and rides the fear, the sorrow, the attachment to his esteem. Some of this, at least, he take in, sit with, let flow out again slightly less than it was. Not enough that Ibani would notice, but he doubts either of them are paying attention to anything but their own confrontation right at this moment.

He knows what she is, has always known. He's prepared to see it, and refuses to deny his reaction. He'll just have to actually feel it later.

[last_kallig]

"Do we understand each other?" Ibani asks Acina.

"Perfectly," Acina snarls back.

The Dark vanishes, as if it was never there, and Ibani lets go of the power holding Acina.

"Capital, I'm so glad we could resolve this little misunderstanding, aren't you?"

"Many things have been made clear, yes," Acina replies. The fear is there still, and the hatred, but Acina has damped it down, is regaining control of herself. "Since the situation seems to have been resolved, I shall leave matters in your capable hands."

Ibani bows slightly. "As you wish, Empress Acina." She does not take her eyes off of Acina until the Empress' shuttle is gone.

Then, she lets the illusion covering her armor go, takes off her helmet. She can just be Ibani now, for whatever that's worth.

She can't quite conceal her heartache from Ben she speaks. "I am sorry you had to see the monster Korriban made of me, Ben. For several reasons."

[acertainpov]

From behind, Ben places a hand on her shoulder - he's taken his glove off, in fact and it's his bare hand that rests on her tattered armor.

He says nothing about her regret, nothing about her actions, nothing about her threats or willingness to follow through on them. But nor does he offer compassion, reassurance, or love through the Force. It's just him, and he's there, in the physical sense.

"Is there anything still to do?"

[last_kallig]

She aches for Ben's force presence, wishes she could know how he feels after, well, everything.

She's not sure how to read his touch, his bare hand on her armor. She yanks the gauntlet off her right hand, reaches up to gently touch his face.

"No, we're done here. Hopefully for good this time." She smiles at him, but it's a sad smile. "Thank you, Ben, for everything, for what it's worth."

The sorrow in her heart is a great and terrible thing. She doesn't MEAN for him to see it, but she doesn't expect he'll ever want to see her again, after this.

[acertainpov]

He leans his cheek into her palm, lets his beard come to the heel of her hand, and closes his eyes just for a second.

He doesn't know how to tell her what he feels - wouldn't be able to tell her even if he wasn't hiding, because even then, for twenty or so years as a Jedi, he was so used to lying through the Force about what he was or wasn't feeling, he'd never be able to give her what she craves.

And now he's done with the lies, but his need to hide overrides everything else.

No one touches him like this anymore. No one touches him physically at all, really. Haven't for a long time.

His lips part as he breathes through his mouth, and he wonders how he's going to get through this without hurting her.

[last_kallig]

She should let go, should take her hand away from his cheek, but she can't.

For Ibani, romantic love and sexual desire are both flowers that have only ever bloomed a handful of times in her life. Always together and always with friends she's had for years. The feelings have never been mutual, so she never said anything to them, what would have been the point?

But Ben is hard to read, always has been. And, well, she needs to know if he's even a FRIEND anymore.

"You're a hard man to read, Ben," she says quietly. "You could hate me, and I'm not sure you'd ever let it show."

[acertainpov]

His eyes open, his mouth quirks into a quick, Kenobi-like smile.

The word Jedi is meaningless right here and now, and not as applicable as he'd like it to be, but nevertheless.

"You should know by now that I would never hate you," he says warmly despite the smirk.

He could mean her specifically, but he's he's never found it difficult to let go of hate, in any direction.

[last_kallig]

Ibani is surprised at that, and it shows in the Force, but the sorrow eases a little.

"I suppose in some respects I'm a slow learner," she replies with self-deprecating humor. "I haven't had all that many friends, and none of them have ever seen that side of me, before."

"Korriban makes monsters, or corpses." And that might prompt Ben to remember what the Force showed him, on Manaan. "That side of me is the price I paid for my survival. I justified my continued existence with the possibility of becoming powerful enough to make things better than they were."

[acertainpov]

"And did no one ever tell you what a miracle it was that after all that you still burn with the Light?"

He covers her hand with his, lowers it slowly. "Come, let's get out of this place."

[last_kallig]

Ibani is surprised enough at his statement that it shows in her face as well as the Force. No, no one has ever told her that before.

She flushes slightly, but keeps a hold of his hand. "Yes, let's get out here."