Her jaw hurt, but that was only to be expected when one was muzzled like an animal.  Mirrisen had lost track of the time since her arrival, and the abortive escape attempt that had led to her current predicament.  A day, perhaps two, and this was the first time she had been removed from the ray-shielded cell.  As far as changes of scenery went, she thought dryly, they definitely could have done better.
Again she glanced around the room, turning her head as much as her restraints would allow.  Again, she saw almost nothing of interest.  The walls were plastcrete, bare except for a painted orange stripe with the aurebesh numerals '03' and the CorSec emblem.  In front of her was a dented durasteel desk, bolted to the floor, with a pair of chairs sitting behind it.  They were simple - a metal frame with synthtex seats, but still looked far more comfortable than her own.
Granted, most of her discomfort was due to the restraints.  After the events of her arrival, it was clear her Republic captors were not keen on giving her another chance.  She was straitjacketed with her arms pulled tight across her chest, and fastened in place with thick durasteel cuffs.  More shackles were fastened around her upper arms, coupled to each other, and the rest of the jacket, by a series of straps.  Auto-tightening, it seemed, and giving her absolutely no freedom of movement in her arms.  Every time she tried, she only got a few inches before the straps would pull infuriatingly taught.

More straps ran through rings attached to the sleeves, sides, and shoulders of the jacket, as well as on the sides of her pants at upper thigh, looping around and holding her fast to a bare durasteel chair, bolted to the floor.  Her ankles were likewise cuffed, the flexible metal cable attaching them together clipped to the floor under the chair.
Of course they had replaced that damnable collar.  Made of durasteel, though at least padded on the inside, and thick enough to be a tire for a small vehicle.  A red light on the side blinked at an interval just long enough for her to forget to anticipate it, making her tense and irritated every time she caught the light in her peripheral vision.
The worst part, though, was the muzzle.  A mask of synthtex and plasteel had been fastened to the lower half of her face.  A web of straps circled her head, pulling the entire arrangement tight enough for her cheeks to bulge around the top.  It would have been bad - and humiliating - enough, but the indignity didn't stop there.  A plastic bit protruded from the inside of the muzzle, going between her teeth, forcing her tongue against the bottom of her mouth, and wedging her jaw into an open position.  After a few minutes, her jaw had begun to ache.  Now, it was screaming at her.  At least the bit was hollow, which combined with the holes in the front of the muzzle still allowed her to breathe somewhat comfortably, though as far as concessions went, it was certainly not much.
The wait was maddening.  Mirrisen had been here for maybe twenty minutes - though it felt like hours - staring at the bare plastcrete walls and waiting for...Something.  She suspected an interrogation of sorts: perhaps SIS, perhaps that damnable Kel Dor and his pupil.  A flash of hot rage and raw hatred flooded through her at the memory of how the Shadow had ended her bid for freedom.  Cursed, sanctimonious, bastard!  Her eyes narrowed and a muted growl escaped from the muzzle.  There was the clink of metal as she tensed involuntarily, the motion pulling at the straps binding her.  The haze was coming again.  Already her ears twitched, picking up the phantom sounds of a susurrus of whispers.  Move.  Escape.  Run.  Hunt.  Cut the Threads.  Find the Way.  Find the Way.  Find the...
Someone shuffled behind her, maybe alarmed at her reactions.  She wasn't alone in the room.  Although she couldn't turn her head to see them, there were a trio of guards stationed in there with her, one or more probably holding the remote for her collar.  She forced herself to calm, pushing the whispers back with an effort of will.  Not now.  Now, she needed to wait.
_________________________________________________

Despite herself, Cai'leah couldn't help but feel a stab of pity at the Sith's predicament.  She and her Master observed the prisoner through a holopanel set into the wall: a more security-conscious replacement for the more typical one-way mirror.  She frowned as she looked over the Cathar bound to the chair.  She glanced to Master Azzak and spoke quietly, "Is all that truly necessary?  It's rather excessive, don't you think?"
The Kel Dor continued to observe the room for a few seconds before responding. "No.  I think it is entirely necessary.  The Sith will take every opportunity to attempt to escape, and more lives will be lost if she does so." He turned his masked face to regard his pupil. "The only reason she is alive is due to the information she holds.  Otherwise, I would not have chosen to risk more lives by holding her."

Cai'leah took in a breath, her head snapping around to glower at Azzak.  "You would kill an unarmed prisoner, Master?" She asked, her tone reproachful. "This..." She sighed and looked back at the holoscreen. "This is not what I was taught...Everyone deserves a chance at redemption."

Azzak turned to regard his pupil. "Your empathy does you credit, young one.  And you are right.  Redemption should be open to all who would take it. The woman in there, however, is not one of the Acolytes you've encountered previously.  That is a Sith Lord."

The Mirialan looked back at him blankly. "So she holds a higher rank.  She's a more capable fighter."
The elder Shadow shook his head. "That isn't all.  To earn that rank she has immersed herself in the Dark Side.  Only the ruthless advance in the ranks of the Sith.  To have been named a Lord means she managed to impress one of higher rank enough to grant her that title.  You can imagine what that probably involved."  Cai'leah nodded, listening.  "What's more, as you have obviously noticed, she is Cathar."

His apprentice looked at him curiously. "I was told the Sith detested aliens.  Most of their ranks are Human or Sith hybrids...Most of them.  Apparently they have a Cathar too."
Azzak nodded. "They have been known to make exceptions, be it to grant the master more power, or in the case of a particularly promising alien subject.  Rarely do those non-humans trained as Sith reach any real rank, however.  That this one has reached the rank of Lord...I see two possibilities." Cai'leah bade him continue. "Either the Sith are changing, in which case what we think we have learned of them in the past twenty years is inaccurate, or they have not changed.  In the latter case..."

Cai'leah nodded, curtly. "In which case she impressed someone despite being an alien."

The Kel Dor inclined his head, lacing his hands behind his back. "And if true, to attain her rank and survive any backlash from her more 'traditional' brothers and sisters..."
She kept her annoyance in check.  Though she'd never admit it to his face, she secretly detested the way he would have her finish his sentences as a manner of teaching. "Respectfully, Master, I am well aware of the Sith's capabilities." An understatement.  She was still limping a little from their previous encounter. "I simply..." The Mirialan trailed off, chewing on her lip. "I fail to see why you seem so certain she is a lost cause."
He shook his head. "There is always the chance for redemption.  However, we are Shadows.  While we will not compromise our code, our purpose must always come first."

Cai'leah frowned, looking back at the screen, then nodded slowly, acquiescing.
"Regardless," said Azzak "I think it is about time we heard what this Lord of ours has to say."
_________________________________________________
Despite herself, Mirrisen started a little as she heard the ray shield disengage, then a whispered conversation and acknowledgement from behind her.  The Kel Dor came into view first, standing behind one of the chairs at the desk, with his arms folded.  She felt her temper rise at the sight of him, but managed to choke it down, for now.  She expected him to take a seat but, oddly enough, it seemed he was letting his Padawan take the lead.  It was the same Mirialan she had faced previously: thin, with red-brown hair in a bob that contrasted with her bright green skin, and violet eyes that regarded the Cathar blankly as she took a seat in the other chair. For his part, her master began to pace, studying the Lord from behind his student.  Was that disapproval in the Mirialan's gaze?  Perhaps, but not directed at Mirrisen.  More her circumstances?  The Cathar thought it odd.  After all, on their last meeting, she had almost killed the Padawan, and probably would have, had not the soldiers she was with intervened.

The Mirialan's lips curled into a slight frown, and she glanced off to the side of Mirrisen's chair, speaking in a soft, but firm voice. "Please, she will need to speak."

***
Admittedly, the Sith didn't look like much up close.  In fact, she cut a rather sorry figure, for the moment.  Locks and strands of her black hair were plastered over her face around the straps of the muzzle, giving her a rather disheveled and crazed appearance.  Her head was downcast, but her eyes were narrowed at the two Jedi until one of the guards stepped forwards to undo the straps securing the muzzle to her face.  The Cathar winced slightly as it was removed, working the tightness out of her jaw, before speaking softly and hesitantly in a hoarse voice. "Our...Thanks.  For what it is worth."
Cai'leah couldn't help but be somewhat surprised at the Sith's voice.  Certainly it should not have been that shocking, but hearing a highborn Imperial accent come from the throat of a Cathar was still rather jarring.  The Padawan offered a small nod and a smile.  "You're welcome.  If only things were different, it would not be needed."
The efforts at politeness, though, were somewhat ruined, when Azzak moved his hand, gesturing to the remote for the control collar resting from his belt, and stared wordlessly at the Sith.  The message was clear: Behave.  Cai'leah turned her head, giving him enough of a look to register her distaste, before turning to regard Mirrisen again, who was staring at the Kel Dor with narrowed eyes and a snarl on her lips. "Until then..." The Padawan interjected, trying to guide the 'interview' back on topic. "Anyway, let us start.  If you would please give me your name?"
"Certainly it is on file somewhere?" The Cathar's eyes flicked to the right, her ears swiveling.  Then she laughed, her tone turning light and amused, as if sharing a joke to close friends, though she did not seem to be addressing the Jedi. "Do you think they have a dossier on us?  T'would be interesting to see it..." She turned back grinning broadly, exposing sharp teeth.  Cai'leah just stared with a bemused expression, glancing to her Master.  She couldn't help but notice the nearby guard flinch at the showing of teeth.  The Sith suddenly seemed to jolt in her chair, as if waking from a dream.

***
"You may call me Mirrisen. Lord Duskrunner if you feel the need for formality."  She had lost focus again, damn it all.  Obvious from the way the Mirialan was gaping.  The Padawan cleared her throat and replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Duskrunner.  I am Cai'leah, and this is Master Azzak." It was a decent recovery, Mirrisen had to admit.  The Kel Dor simply nodded as he was named - More for your Padawan's sake than mine, she thought.  Her own response to the greeting was a shrug, as much of one could be done in her restraints of course.
"If only I could say the pleasure was mine." She flicked her gaze between the two Jedi. "I was told the two of you were ambassadors.  Ambassadors to whom, I wonder.  And why speak with me?" She raised an eyebrow, remarking candidly. "I was expecting military.  Maybe SIS.  A Jedi interrogation, though...That surprises us.
Cai'leah fidgeted, glancing towards her Master before turning back to Mirrisen with a smile.  "We're diplomats, that is true.  We were here to talk with the Green Jedi when your Empire...Arrived." Mirrisen's ear twitched again as she heard a familiar laugh. None of the others seemed to notice. The Padawan continued talking. "We're here due to the shortage of manpower, though reinforcements have been landing recently." The laugh came again, along with the faint scent of blood and ionized air. With passing interest, she recognized the laughter as her own. "The military is needed elsewhere, as is the SIS.  So...You have us."

Mirrisen pushed the sensations out of her mind, giving a smile to the Jedi.  Genuine, not malicious or mocking in the least.  She had done a fine job at the temple, after all.  "I am afraid you are somewhat late if you wished to speak to the Green Jedi.  They have all gone away." A perfectly polite response, and delicately handled, she thought.  Definitely not worth the vaguely queasy look Cai'leah was giving her. "And so you have us...What did you wish to speak about?"
***
Cai'leah opened her mouth in a false start before speaking.  Lord Duskrunner was not at all what she had expected.  Anger, insults, sullen silence, from her few previous encounters with Sith those she could have presumed and easily dealt with.  Not...Whatever this was.  "You've personally led several attacks that were...More than effective against the Corellian and Republic forces.  We need to recover, and the best way to do that is knowledge.  You have vital intelligence on Imperial movement and plans.  It's in the best interests for both the Republic and Empire that this conflict end quickly."
She saw Master Azzak turn to regard her out of the corner of her eye.  Perhaps he was surprised by her straightforwardness, or the rather idealistic way in which she couched her request.  Mirrisen, however, didn't take her eyes off the Jedi, though her expression hardened.
"Pleasant conversation or not, do you honestly expect me to just tell you?" What is in the best interests of the Empire is that it destroys its enemies and achieves victory, and I am helping with that." She frowned, and looked down at the straitjacket and myriad straps holding her down, before adding somewhat sardonically. "I was helping with that..."
Azzak interjected sharply, "The Empire is losing each minute.  Already, infighting is taking hold.  You Sith have already started killing one another."

Cai'leah nodded. "He is right.  The Empire will lose.  Is it not in the best interests of the Empire that you save as many soldiers and lives as you can, instead of wasting them needlessly?" It was worth a shot.  Empathy for what the Sith saw as 'her' people, perhaps.  Instead a chill ran down her spine as the amber gaze of the Cathar fixed her, and the Sith said bluntly,
"They live for the Sith, they die for the Sith.  The difference is trivial." She obviously meant her words, but the mindset was alien to Cai'leah.  Could a being really care that little for those under her?  Was something else at work?
She tried again, "And when the Sith are dead or captured?"  She let her eyes linger meaningfully on the restraints, drawing a scowl from the Sith Lord.
"A foolish question.  You have tried to stamp us out before, and you have failed.  Why should our current conflict be any different?" She looked ready to say more, but her eyes flicked over to the side again, and her head dropped.  She looked from her Master back to the Sith as, once more, the Cathar began to speak to herself. "That would be bad.  Truly.  Robbed of purpose." Mirrisen's lip curled, words coming out in a rush, to the apparent discomfort of the guard next to her. "Of course we have not forgotten it.  Setbacks.  Find the path.  Show the way.  Cut the thread.  Find the path.  Show the way.  Cut the thread."
Cai'leah was silent for a few long seconds, watching the Sith mutter under her breath.  No, this was not going how she had expected at all.  She closed her eyes, rested her arms on the desk, and attempted to focus herself before saying softly, gently, "The Empire can survive without the Sith.  It has purpose beyond you.  It has a chance to be something more, something better."  She focused on the Cathar before her, preparing herself in mind. "The Sith have that chance too."

Mirrisen's head snapped up to look at the Padawan, her expression intense.  There was an audible clink as the straps holding her down suddenly pulled taut with the movement.  Master Azzak stiffened his hand reflexively going to his belt, and Cai'leah only just managed to keep herself from jumping at the sudden movement.  Either annoyed at being interrupted, or simply intensely curious.  It was hard to tell.  "Explain." She asked in a low voice.

"Lord Praven.  He saw the failure you build yourselves upon.  He left the Sith, the Empire.  He took the better path." Cai'leah said, the words coming out a bit too rapidly.
Azzak, his voice still calm and level, added, "Your Emperor's Wrath failed to defeat him as well."

***
Mirrisen couldn't help herself.  She started to laugh.  Her head dropped and her shoulders shook before she finally threw her head back and cackled. "Oh, perfect!  You are perfect!  You are everything I wanted to see!" The Padawan stared at her blankly, mouth open.  The reason for her captive's mirth apparently lost on her.  Mirrisen's laughter subsided, but she still grinned widely. "'Failure.' The 'better path.' You see...You see, yet you do not understand.  Cannot or will not, I know not which."  The sheer black and white nature of the Jedi's comments were laughable.  Oh, if only she had the opportunity to blur those lines for them.  It reminded her of happier times. "Oh, this may be the best opportunity since Taive!"

The Padawan wasn't as capable of hiding her discomfort as her Master.  She shifted and fidgeted in her seat as she looked to Azzak for guidance.  She received a simple nod in response, then swallowed as the silence following the Sith's commentary lingered.  In over your head, Padawan? Mirrisen thought.  More is the pity.
When Cai'leah spoke it was with noticeably less confidence in her voice. "Uh...So who has been leading the Imperial forces?  Who planned those attacks?"
A topic change.  No philosophical debate after all.  Mirrisen pouted. "Well fine..." She shifted in her seat in an attempt to get comfortable, though 'comfort' was a relative term at the moment. "If you mean our own activities, we simply followed the path as it was lain out.  We have earned a fair degree of autonomy, given our rank.  And our Master trusts us to ensure the threads for his tapestry are woven into place."
Cai'leah blinked.  Mirrisen felt a stab of annoyance and confusion.  It was clearly stated.  How couldn't they understand it?  The Padawan asked, "Are you saying you made those attacks because...You were guided to do them?" Something seemed rather disturbing to her for some reason. Mirrisen couldn't figure what. "Who is your Master?  Is he the Darth leading the attack itself?"

"And which attack would that be?" The Sith asked. "If you mean on the planet itself, you obviously already know of Darth Decimus.  His proclamations were not exactly private."

The Padawan shook her head. "Of Corellia we've been told.  I was referring to the ones you lead.  You killed the CorSec Captain leading resistance efforts before our landing.  You broke the Republic's line around the wreck of the Corvette in the Blastfields.  You always know where and when to hit us." She raised an eyebrow. "This isn't coincidence."
The Cathar tilted her head.  "I found the Path."
"You've said that twice.  How exactly did you find this...Path?" Cai'leah pressed the question, her lilac eyes glued to the Sith in front of her.
Poor child.  She cannot even understand simple concepts.  Mirrisen smiled. "I opened my eyes and I saw them.  All the branching paths.  Find the path.  Not every target leads to the same event.  Follow the path to the where and when.  Show the way.  Ensure the tapestry is completed.  Cut the thread."
***
Cai'leah just stared blankly at the Sith as she 'explained.'  She threw her master an uncomfortable look.  It sounded, albeit filtered through a lens of madness, that Lord Duskrunner was trying to imply that the Force was guiding her somehow.  She had heard of such things happening to Jedi, but a Sith?  The Sith didn't feel the Force as the Jedi did.  They used it as a tool and a weapon.  Lord Duskrunner was obviously deeply in tune with the Dark Side, and undeniably a faithful student of the Sith teachings...Could she also have those abilities?  It didn't seem possible.
She fidgeted in the chair before trying to use what she had been told. "So, you saw the CorSec captain and knew to kill him?"
"He was obviously important, was he not?" The Sith smirked. "The fact that I am still alive and answering your questions is proof of that, no?"

"And the crashed Thranta.  You saw through this path, exactly where to hit to make the line break?"
Mirrisen nodded, apparently pleased with herself.  "The officer coordinating the soldiers in the district.  He dies, communications are broken, the line breaks, and you are pushed out."  She leaned back as far as she could, sniffing.  Her ear was twitching again. "Worried us for a moment.  We have been wrong before.  Misinterprated.  I thought maybe he was the wrong thread."  She looked back up, shaking her head and smiling with a sigh as if recalling a fond memory.  "No.  He snapped beautifully."
"You misinterpreted the path?" Cai'leah asked, throwing her Master a worried look.  She couldn't help but notice that Azzak had stopped his pacing, and was now staring at the Sith, listening just as intently as his trainee. "This path.  Did it not show you us?  Your capture?  This moment?"

Mirrisen scowled. "Never exact.  And always sporadic.  I cannot see every outcome.  Even then, one always has to interpret.  I thought I was following something.  Instead I found you."

The Padawan blinked, frowning. "You mean we found you." She corrected, rubbing her face before continuing, shifting her questions back to more pressing matters. "Do you know where your Master is?  What are the Imperial plans for this district?  We faced hovertanks.  Those require fuel and munitions."

The Sith shook her head, rolling her eyes and responding in a sing-song voice. "If on Corellia he is, I know not where.  Perhaps with Decimus on his flagship, perhaps sifting through the ashes in what is left of the Green Jedi's temple."  She giggled, "Or perhaps he is declaring himself the new Emperor?  Perhaps he is slumming on Nar Shaddaa.  I know not.  And if I did..." She narrows her eyes, her good humor gone. "Why would I tell you.  You remain an enemy.  Ask your questions and I will not answer.  I have nothing if not time and patience."
Azzak stepped forwards, staring at Mirrisen from behind his mask. "Time and patience work for us as much as you.  If he isn't here, he won't know that you have been captured.  If he is, maybe he'll assume you failed and get himself another minion." His hand moved to his chin, thoughtfully. "You will not be leaving here, that is certain.  CorSec has been dutiful in supplying us with the means necessary to hold you." Cai'leah frowned, her memories of her prior conversation coming back, but continued to listen to her master. "Perhaps several cycles in a cell will clear your mind of the notion you will escape?"
When the change came, it was almost imperceptible, physically.  A twitch of the Cathar's eyelids, a tightness in her muscles, almost hidden by her clothing.  Azzak's words, however, seemed to have elicited a reaction from Mirrisen all out of proportion to her movements.  A crawling sensation went up Cai'leah's spine, and she saw her breath frost.  The shadows around the Cathar seemed to deepen and lengthen.  The sith snarled, almost spitting out the words. "I.  Will not.  Be caged.  Not forever."
She sagged back, her head dropping and her mouth moving rapidly in a whispered conversation with no one.  To Cai'leah she looked and sounded...Defeated, maybe?  Lost?  Frightened?  She was about to address the Sith again, when Mirrisen suddenly sat bolt upright, surging forwards as far as her restraints would allow.  Her teeth were bared, and amber eyes burned, the pupils dilated to slits. She shrieked out at the Jedi, thrashing against her bonds. "One mistake! ONE MISTAKE, Jedi!  That is all it takes!  Yours was keeping us alive! Your planet will burn, and the last thing you will feel is MY TEETH ON YOUR THROAT!" She trailed off into a wordless scream of rage.  One of the holopanels on the desk abruptly cracked.
Cai'leah just stared wide eyed.  There was power there - a lot of it - but not the tranquility and inexorable force of the Jedi.  Mirrisen was a hurricane.  A wildfire.  And she was burning out of control.  Her Master, however, was much more calm and collected.  He held up the remote from his belt. "Lord Duskrunner, if you wish to lay in your cell drooling on the floor as the sedatives  work their magic, I am more than obliged to help you do that.  Another attempt and a cage will be the least of your worries."

The Sith answered with a feral hiss, lunging forwards against her restraints again.  She was beyond hearing him.  Or she just didn't care.  Cai'leah reached out through the Force, trying to calm the raging Cathar, but it was futile.  For all her rage and madness, there was still a strong core of willpower.  Not to mention touching Mirrisen's mind was decidedly unpleasant.  There was Darkness there, certainly, but also a profound sense of something wrong, or missing.  A familiar song with a wrong note.  A knife down a pane of glass.  The feeling of stepping on a stair and only meeting air.

She kept pushing for a few heartbeats before she recoiled, grabbing her head with a grunt.  Azzak nodded his head to the guard with the Muzzle.  "Enough for now." He said aloud to the group before triggering the injector in the control collar to more forcefully calm Mirrisen down.
The Sith winced at the pinch of the injector, continuing to snarl and struggle for a handful of seconds before her movements began to slow.  Her eyes unfocused, the fury draining from her features.  "Dah...Damn you...Je..." She tried to curse her captors, but her mouth felt as if it were filled with cotton.  With a final sigh, her head fell forwards, lolling.  Not unconscious, but certainly out.  She didn't even put up a token effort to resist as the guards advanced.

Cai'leah watched in distaste as the guards moved to re-muzzle the Cathar and remove her from the chair.  She gave her master a look, but he ignored it, simply stating. "The prisoner is to be returned to her cell for now."  He strode from the room without a backward glance.  After a long few heartbeats, his Padawan turned to follow.