Vyllic: Half-Remembered History

[confusedhunger]

Unlike her predecessors, the young doctor didn’t try to rouse Lord Vyllic as she entered his private chambers. She’d been briefed on their condition by her Watcher before she left Sith Intelligence headquarters. Though Lord Vyllic didn’t kill them, it was unlikely they’d ever truly be healed. None of them could ever be trusted to be left alone in a room, much less be allowed to go back to work. She kept a respectful distance and bowed her head, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

A shudder ran through Lord Vyllic. He was seated cross-legged on the floor with his back to her, the hood of his robes thrown back so that she could see his long, black hair. He turned his head, his one good eye still closed, and she could see his neatly trimmed beard. He gave a heavy sigh and pushed himself to his feet, and she could see that his black robes had been laundered and pressed recently. He reached up to pull his hood over his head, then pulled a skull-faced mask over his head. When he turned to face her, she could no longer even tell that he was human.

She bowed lower. “My lord, I apologize for intruding. Your droid showed me in. He seemed to think I was expected.”

“Did he? I will discuss that with him later. What may I do for you, doctor?” The mask distorted his voice. Not much, but enough to make his voice sound eerie and hollow. The doctor couldn’t place his accent. It sounded vaguely Imperial, but with enough of a Republic sound that she knew he couldn’t have come from any Imperial world.

“I was sent to see how you were doing, my lord. It’s been six months since your last medical exam.” She took his question as permission to enter and straightened, then moved briskly to an empty table, setting her bag down and pulling a device out of it. “Have your symptoms gotten any better?”

Vyllic tilted his head at her. “If you mean my dreams, no. But the medication that your predecessor gave me has been keeping them somewhat at bay.” He moved slowly to the table and sat at one of the chairs, then indicated the other chair for her.

She gave him a weak smile and sat down. Closer to him, she could just barely feel…something wrong. As if her insides had turned into dozens of frantic spiders. She cleared her throat. “I…consulted with Doctor Evereck. What I could get out of him…he seems to think that perhaps your dreams were dismissed too readily. There may be some significance in them that the Sith we consulted are missing.”

“I’m dreaming of places that no longer exist, doctor. I hardly think there’s much to investigate.” She could feel his attention slipping away, and as he became bored, the feeling in her stomach started to increase, buzzing like a hive of bees.

She bit her lip and took a deep breath. “Tell me.”

That got his attention. He looked back at her sharply, and the room seemed to grow just a fraction colder, but it calmed the writhing in her gut. “You? Okay.” Lord Vyllic stared past her as he said softly, “I dream of a planet of ruins the most. Ruins, and some of them holding darkness. But the sky is…so blue. The grass is green. I feel…calm in some of the dreams. In others, I’ve been arguing with someone. Several someones. I’m angry. Furious. And I’m…concerned? There’s a danger coming and…someone doesn’t want to interfere.” He shook his head. “The dreams always end with me boarding a ship with several others in robes. And…I know I’ll never see the planet again.”

The doctor nodded. She wasn’t taking notes, but she had carefully activated an unobtrusive implant, in order to record his dreams for her superiors. When it seemed he wouldn’t continue, she prompted softly, “Is that all you dream about?”

Vyllic shook his head. “That’s merely the most pleasant of the dreams. I dream of battles. Many of them, all of them against differing opponents. Planets I’ve never seen. A dead planet screaming at me through the Force…shattering my calm with the death throes of everyone and everything near to it.” He stood and began to pace. “There was a dream of me wielding a crimson blade.” He drew his lightsaber and stared accusingly at the yellow-orange blade that hummed quietly. “And another where I’m fighting someone. Someone I used to respect, but…” He shook his head. “Doctor, these are just fevered dreams. My mind hasn’t been right since I was awakened.”

She nodded. “I understand, my lord. But that is why I’m here. In order to help you.”

“You have your work cut out for you, doctor.” The words hissed around the room, and she shivered involuntarily. “Why don’t we move on? I believe you need my scans.”

She nodded gratefully. “Yes, my lord.”