Griztumas Tave Sith

[Kuran]

((OOC: The title comes from a Sith->Basic translator that I googled. It means "Joining the Sith." Creative, I know. I'm also going off a few assumptions that I couldn't find elsewhere, such as that Dreshade is still where it was and is still...as it was. If i'm wrong, then I apologise.))

Sinya Kairn strode up to the bar and took a seat, making sure to position himself so that his back was facing a wall and not the entrance. He had been here in Dreshade for twenty minutes and was already more paranoid than usual.

The red twi'lek had been somewhat surprised to discover that the lightsaber hanging at his belt had earned him no more than passing glances from the majority of people he passed on his way from the docking bay. Having dumped the stolen ship he had used to get here, Sinya had paid the docking fee and never looked back.

Eventually the bartender, a Twi'lek like himself, made his way through the customers to him. Sliding a low-denomination credit chip across the bar, Sinya ordered a Flameout, a drink he had grown fond of during his time on Nar Shadda.

As the vivid orange drink was set in front of him, Sinya looked up at the barkeep. "Who," he asked, voice silky smooth and just a bit cold, "Would I talk to about gaining entry into the Academy?"

In his experience, bartenders always knew what was going on in their area, and even if this one didn't, he would probably be able to direct him to someone who did.

He had come to Korriban, remembering from his time at the Archives on Tython that this site housed a Sith Academy. Such a place seemed a natural place for him to come given his goals.

As he sipped at his drink, Sinya opened his mind and searched the inhabitants of the cantina, looking for the strong aura that betrayed the presence of Force users. Among the freighter pilots and miners, there had to be at least one Sith in this cantina...

[Rugs]

Nieraan sat at a table in the bar in Dreshdae. It was in a corner, near the bar itself, and he sat alone. His yellow-eyed gaze had been more than enough to dissuade any visitors that thought they might try to engage in casual conversation with him. If it hadn't, one glance at the trio of lightsabers that hung from his side did the trick.

The Firrerreo's trips to Dreshdae were rare. It wasn't that he didn't like the town--he didn't have any strong opinions on it one or the other--he just usually had better things to do. However, he'd received a message earlier in the day. It was a call from one of the contacts he still kept on Metellos. They'd talked, and the news he'd been given had been shocking, to say the very least.

"She's alive, kid. Swear to ya. Why would I lie t' you, of all people?"

She can't be. I killed her.

Needless to say, Nieraan had needed some place to think. The Temple wouldn't do, not with all its distractions and all the strutting fools. So here he was, in Dreshdae, pondering what to do with the news that his mother--supposedly--yet lived.

But even in Dreshdae, he was never really far from the Sith, he noted as the Twi'lek came in. Nieraan didn't recognize him. Maybe he was Initiate who'd come to Dreshdae looking for a good time. Or maybe he was a newcomer. Whoever or whatever he was, Nieraan could feel the Force in him.

How could she still be alive? How did she survive after I ran her through?

His dark brow furrowed in annoyance. He scowled silently, showing the tips of his fang-like canines.

"Who," he heard that same Twi'lek start to say, "would I talk to about gaining entry into the Academy?"

Nieraan glanced up. The fellow was talking to the barkeeper. Obviously he was a newcomer.

"Not hard to find a Sith here," he muttered dryly, looking ahead as if he weren't talking to the Twi'lek, "if you just look around."

[Kuran]

Sinya set his drink down on the bar before turning in his stool to face the one who had spoken to him. He appeared to be humanoid, though Sinya couldn't tell much more than that.

The man simply stared straight ahead, and Sinya looked around for a few seconds, trying to be sure that he was the one the man had been talking to.

Feeling reasonably confident that he was the target of the man's speech, Sinya took a moment to analyse the man himself. He was a Sith, that much was quite obvious. The trio...Three lightsabers? That must be some skill.... of blades at his side and the piercing yellow eyes that made him want to look away. All of it created a picture that his senses confirmed: This was a dangerous person, not to be crossed.

"Apparently not. So, at the risk of sounding like some sad hopeful, how do I go about gaining entry then?"

As he said this, he stood, bringing his drink with him, and walked over to the table that this man was sitting at, making sure that the lightsaber at his side was visible.

"May I join you?"

[Rugs]

The Twi'lek turned around, interest apparently lost in the barkeeper. He turned on his stool, his gaze going to Nieraan. Nieraan paid him little mind, instead drinking calmly from his cup as his mind turned over what to make of the news of his mother's reappearance.

A part of his awareness stayed on the Twi'lek, listening to the currents of the Force that flowed around his feelings and emotions. There was a hint of quiet thought, a spike of realization as he noticed the weapons at Nieraan's side. Yes, he knew what he was looking for, and Nieraan looked just like it.

"Apparently not. So, at the risk of sounding like some sad hopeful, how do I go about gaining entry then?"

Nieraan drank from his cup again, still acting as if he were ignoring the Twi'lek, who was young, going by the sound of his voice.

Does she know where I am? Is it possible that she's been searching for me?

"May I join you?"

Now Nieraan looked up, setting his cup down with a gentle tap. He looked over the Twi'lek with a steady, weighing and measuring him as if he were a prized horse being readied for a race. With his sense, he reached through the Force, tapping to feel the presence of the boy.

It was something he could do very quickly, if he so desired. Presently, however, Nieraan didn't find himself quite in the mood for it, nor did he really care to make things more comfortable for the newcomer. So he just sat there, staring for a few long, drawn out moments without uttering a word. Given the youthfulness of his own face, he idly wondered how looked to the Twi'lek, though he quickly realized he didn't care.

Finally, when he was satisfied, he leaned back slightly in his chair and shrugged. "If you want," he muttered, pushing the thoughts of his mother out of his mind for the time being.

"If you want to join," he went on boredly, running a lazy hand through his shaggy blue-streaked-black hair, "then you should first be sure the person you're speaking to is actually a Sith, hm?" His head tilted slightly to the side, a dark brow arched questioningly. He'd never spoken a word about being a Sith himself, after all.

"But I'll humor you. Impress me."

[Kuran]

Sinya smiled slightly, seeing a chance to demonstrate his skills and confirm that the man was, in fact, a Sith.

Setting his half-empty Flameout on the table and settling into a seat opposite the man, gathering his cloak about himself.

Mentally cracking his knuckles, he smiled once more, and looked straight into the yellow eyes opposite his. He had to admit,it was difficult.

"I deduced that you were a Sith for two reasons. One, we are sitting a stone's throw away from the Sith Academy, so unless you happen to be a very brave or very foolish Jedi then you must be either a Sith, or someone like myself, hoping to join."

He paused for a moment before continuing, half fearing that he was inadvertently insulting some great master and half hoping that this man would be impressed by his analytical skills. Surely the Sith had need of people with such skills?

"And two, unless my eyes device me, you are carrying three lightsabers. Granted i've not had so many years as to see all of the light and...ahem...grey force users in the galaxy, but i've never heard of anyone crafting three sabers. So presumably you either killed someone and took it from them, or stole it."

He flashed a cold smile, lekku twitching slightly over his shoulders. "And Jedi don't take trophies. So, my logical conclusion is that you are a Sith."

"So how do you wish to be...impressed?"

On the contrary, Sinya felt that his little speech had been quite impressive on it's own, but he figured that gaining the approval of a Sith would take more than a quick tounge and sharp mind.

[Rugs]

Nieraan snorted as the newcomer explained his reasoning. He's one of [/b]those[/b][/i], he thought, toying lazily with his cup as he listened through one ear. An Initiate wannabe that thought himself clever, and was too clever by half for his own good. That was something that'd be sorted out eventually, Nieraan figured, or some other Initiate would punch the kid in the face and then things would just get all kinds of unpleasant for everyone involved.

He'd probably watch.

For now, he just sat and listened as the Twi'lek spoke, giving the deductions that'd lead to him making the decision that Nieraan was a Sith. They weren't bad, truthfully. But he assumed things. Assumption could get you killed, among the Sith. Assumption had made a certain visit with Renata very unpleasant for Nieraan.

He could feel the little bit of pride coming up in the Twi'lek sitting across from him. Were he more in the mood for it, Nieraan might have laughed at it.

Instead, the corner of his mouth turned up slightly, showing again the tip of one of his fangs, and he shook his head slightly.

"You assume a lot to speak so surely of yourself, kid. Who's to say my third lightsaber couldn't be from a fallen master, or friend, or brother or sister?" He made a sound then, something that was somewhere between a snort and chuckle. "Besides, I don't have to be a Sith to be here. Maybe I'm just another fallen man like yourself, watching and waiting to see what this order decides to make of itself. What better place than just a stone's throw away?"

Nieraan lifted his cup and drank the last of the contents. It would have to do for now; he wasn't much of a drinker. One of Jack's Bloodstripes would really hit the spot, though. I've been around Makura too much, he griped silently.

"But you assumed correctly," he said as he set the cup down. "This time. As for impressing me?" Now he smirked openly, shrugging with bored, contemptuous amusement. "Where's that drive? Sith without any ambition's worthless."

Nieraan tilted his head slightly, and as it moved, his eyes briefly caught some of the light coming down from overhead. The yellow glinted in the dim light of the cantina, gone as soon as it appeared. He had that measuring look again, once again weighing the Twi'lek with his gaze.

"What do you think might impress me, hm? Starting with a name might help."

[Kuran]

Sinya nodded thoughtfully as the man cut through his assumptions. Taking an easy sip from his drink, which was starting to get low, he waved to get the bartender's attention and motioned for another round for both of them. It was only common courtesy, after all.

"Fair enough. Perhaps my assumptions were too broad."

He hesitated for a moment, wondering about the wisdom of offering his hand to the man. Deciding that perhaps it would not be the best of ideas, he settled with a more verbal introduction.

"My name is Sinya," He remarked, managing not to cringe. He always used to cringe when he heard his name. "As for drive? Well, are you expecting to hear something about me wanting to be the most powerful person in the galaxy? One of the people I passed on my way to the cantina said that. Said that they'd become Sith, and rule the galaxy."

He snorted in amusement. "Well I don't. I have no grand designs to overthrow everyone else, nor do I particularly care to control the fates of faceless people that i'll never meet. My ambitions are far simpler really."

As the next round of drinks arrived for both of them, Sinya handed the bartender another credit chip and took a sip from his refreshed Flameout. "I prefer the lure of darkness. The satisfaction of stabbing my opponent in the back when they least expect it. Manipulating things on a smaller scale for a large effect over time. That's me, and to be honest, I think the Sith can certainly use people like myself. I think you have a name for them....Assassins?"

Sitting back in his chair, Sinya wondered what this strange man would say to his small revelation.

[Rugs]

{In between classes. Short post}

Nieraan snorted a quiet laugh at the Sinya's response. "All the better for you," he said, tapping his fingers casually on the table. "But drive and stupidity are two different things." He chuckled again, shaking his head slightly. "If you'd told me that for an answer, I would've told you to turn around and go back home."

Or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he'd point the kid on toward the Temple and watch where his goals got him. If nothing else, the Temple could always use more entertaining figures, though Wroth had been bearing that load masterfully as of late.

"You can call me Nieraan, by the way."

He pondered for a moment more, thinking about taking a sip from his refilled drink. Sinya's little introduction wasn't so different than the way many other Sith thought about themselves. Few could live up to their lofty claims, but that was another issue entirely.

"There's always need for an assassin, I imagine," Nieraan said, looking at Sinya levelly. "But are you worth it? An assassin without the skill to do his job's pretty damn worthless."

He decided then that he wanted a drink, and took one while he felt around the edges of Sinya's presence again. Sinya didn't feel so different in the Force than many of the other Initiates; there was potential, but he was raw and unrefined.

Least he can think. Sort of. The cup tapped against the table once more, and Nieraan looked at the Twi'lek sitting across from him. Might as well see what he can do if he's gonna be coming in.

"So tell me, assassin," Nieraan began, his voice mildly amused, "what kind of skills do you have?"

[Kuran]

Sinya considered his next move for a moment. Reaching for the travel pack he was carrying, he fished around inside for a moment before bringing out a datapad.

Tapping a few times on it's surface, Sinya showed the 'pad over to Nieraan, wondering what the humanoid would say.

The article on the datapad read:

MURDER!

Keshua the Hutt, crime lord of seven systems, was found dead in his palace on Nar Shadda this morning. The great and glorious Hutt was discovered having been pierced between the eyes with an unidentified weapon. Beshana the Hutt, Overlord of Nar Shadda, released a statement this morning that the one responsible for this act of murder would be found and dealt with most severely.

Sinya chimed in quickly. "Before that, forty-seven assorted contract killings ordered by the great and glorious Keshua the Hutt, including a very angry Wookiee and a Bothan that tried to ambush me down a dark alley."

He didn't really expect that to be enough to gain entry, but it was a start, he figured.

[Rugs]

Nieraan glanced at the datapad that Sinya produced in answer to his question. The display showed a short excerpt from an article, going on about some Hutt who'd been killed. The implication in Sinya showing such a thing was intriguing, but not yet enough to impress him.

"I see," he said once Sinya had had his say, eyeing the datapd for a moment longer before he passed it back across the table to the Twi'lek. "So you're one of those types, eh?"

The Firrerreo neglected to mention that he was also one of 'those' types. Sinya couldn't have known it, but he'd just shown Nieraan they had a shared similarity in their pasts. Of course, Nieraan had grown up on Metellos instead of Nar Shadaa, and never worked with a Hutt.

But he had run with gangs for the better part of fifteen years, and in the same way Sinya killed what he presumed was his Hutt employer, Nieraan had killed his gang's leader. Perhaps the circumstances had been different; Nieraan didn't know Sinya's reasons for killing the Hutt, but he'd killed Dergo because he'd grown annoyed with and tired of him. Coincidentally, he still held good favor with a number members in that particular gang. Especially the woman who'd come up to replace Dergo.

He chuckled to himself. The memory of the look on the Lannik's face when the door closed behind him still amused him, all these years later.

"The number of jobs might impress me, but I've seen better." A smug, knowing little smirk touched his face. "Done better, even. But you have my interest. How'd you come to work for this Hutt?"

Now the questions became questions of his own interest rather than gauging the kid to see whether or not he was truly worthy of the Sith. But as long as he was the one the Sinya had to go through, it was a luxury that he had to use as he pleased.

[Kuran]

Sinya shrugged, replacing the datapad in his pack and took a long drink from the rapidly cooling Flameout. He stared into the drink's depths for a moment before speaking.

"Not much to tell I guess. I was born a Hutt slave, Keshua's slave in fact. Got picked up by a jedi who was visiting, taken to the temple on Tython, trained up..." He signed and took another drink. He hated telling people his story. "I was assigned to a master, who was promptly killed...No, not by me...taken back to the temple, where I was left alone for the most part. I studied in the archives, saw that the Jedi clearly had severe weaknesses and that it wouldn't be in my best interest's to stay. So, I stole a ship and went to Nar Shaddaa, where I gained employment with none other than Keshua."

Draining his drink, he finished the story bluntly. "Once I had enough money to get here myself, I killed the old slug and jumped on a freighter."

[Rugs]

Nieraan nodded as Sinya finished speaking. Another former Jedi. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsuprisingly, they were fairly common among the Sith's ranks. Nieraan had never been one himself, nor had he ever set foot in one of their Temples or Enclaves. His parents had. Both of them, but that was about as close as he'd been to that life.

"I see," he said thoughtfully, eyeing his drink. The glass was still half-filled. It'd probably stay that way. "I used to be a gang rat." Nieraan snorted softly, thinking back to those days. "Still was, when I was as young as you are."

That was all he was going to say on that, though; Nieraan didn't freely give details of his past to strangers, especially not when those strangers were Sith.

Now the question of what to do with the kid arose. Beyond some of the gallivanting around with Jack that he'd done, Nieraan rarely cared for or paid attention to recruiting. He couldn't think of any reason Sinya shouldn't be shown to the Temple; they'd taken hopefuls that were worse.

Nieraan still wanted to see more, though. Perhaps a walk into the town would provide some more insight. Maybe he'd administer a test of his own.

His eyes flicked away from his drink locked onto Sinya's. "Are you done?" Without really leaving room for an answer, Nieraan stood to his feet and stretched, rolling his neck to pop it. "Let's take a walk."

[Kuran]

((I've got writers block....umm....))

Sinya found this man quite interesting. He seemed to be a Sith, or something similar at least, and now he revealed that he was a former gang rat? Well, Sinya thought, this was sure to be interesting.

Draining the last of his drink, he stood up and nodded,"Sure, let's go."

As he made to follow Nierran, he made sure to pick up his bag and sling it over his shoulder.

[Rugs]

Nieraan nodded to Sinya and started for the door. "Follow me."

Once outside, he paused briefly, waiting for the young Twi'lek to catch up before he started to move again. It was mid-afternoon, hot and dusty as always on Korriban. Nieraan looked one way down the street, and then the other. There wasn't much to Dreshdae; a few bars, shops, the little spaceport. It was a fittingly barren settlement for Korriban.

Nieraan figured there were two things he could do with Sinya. He could waste more time here in the town, even though he didn't have anything to do, or he could begin leading him toward the Temple. Either way, he'd have more time to see what there was to see about the kid.

A few moments of consideration passed, and Nieraan made his choice. He started off down the street, motion for Sinya to keep pace with him. His lightsabers chimed softly against each other as he walked.

"So, a former Jedi and a gang rat that wants to be an assassin, eh?" He glanced at Sinya from the corner of a yellow eye as they walked down the dusty street. "Before we get to where we're going, how much skill d'you have with the Force and that weapon you've got hanging on your hip?"

[Kuran]

Sinya followed Nieraan, his long strides keeping pace with the tall humanoid's own. As he was asked about his skills, he took a long moment to consider the question.

I might as well be honest, He thought. They would know his skills soon enough anyway, assuming he was accepted. "Well, I'm reasonably proficient with shii-cho, though i'd like to learn more of...other skills. I never received a tremendous amount of training in my time with the Jedi. That said, I like to think that i've got a decent grasp of the Force, and as far as I can tell, i'm right about where I should be, education wise, for my age."

He thought for a moment before continuing. "Though I guess I wouldn't really know if I was ahead or behind either way, being out of contact for so long.

[Rugs]

Nieraan nodded as they walked, Sinya keeping pace with him. Sinya gave a reasonable assessment of his abilities, and one that was along the lines of what Nieraan was expecting for someone of his age. Good that he told me, he mused. He knew he would've found out anyway, with his position as a training instructor, but it was good to gauge some things beforehand.

"Only Shii-Cho?" He asked after a few moments. They reached the end of the long street and Nieraan turned to the right, heading for the gate that led out of the city and into the wilds. "Most students have usually started picking up on another form by the time they're your age.

"Guess that's expected, given your... circumstances."

As they continued on through Dreshdae's streets, the city gate came into view. Beyond it the desert stretched on and on forever. Hidden away out there, in the ancient valley, was the Temple. Nieraan didn't say anything about it, but he wondered if Sinya was picking up on where he was being taken. He hoped so; he was taking a bit of an interest in the kid, but stupidity wouldn't do.

"You say you want to learn other skills." Nieraan glanced at out of the corner of his eye. "What might those skills be, hm? There are a lot of... skills to be learned hidden on this world."

[Kuran]

As the gates of the city loomed ahead, Sinya lost focus for for a moment on the man beside him. This wasn't the entrance to the city that he had used...

"Hmm? Oh,well, I was beginning to learn the basic forms of back-hand Shien before I left the Order, but I don't have enough training in it to be proficient, or even of any use in combat with it.

Drawing his gaze away from the gates and back to his questioner, he considered the next question for a moment.

"Well...as I said, my natural talents, i'd like to think, are suited towards more...quiet...pursuits, and I'd like to be able to hone those skills, perhaps...broaden my horizons where they are concerned. Things of that nature, that no doubt can be of use to the Sith."

[Rugs]

"Shien, huh?" Nieraan thought for a moment, then shrugged. It wasn't a form he used, but he was familiar with it. He was familiar with all the forms; his mother had made sure of that. Though he only knew a few, he knew what made the other forms tick, and he knew how to uses his own strengths and knowledge against them. "Not a bad form, I guess. Has its merits. Could be worse."

They reached the city gates. Some people were stopped by the few guards that were around. One of them moved as if he was going to stop Nieraan, but a look at Nieraan's yellow eyes and the lightsabers at his waist quickly turned him to someone else.

It was amazing how useful just having a presence could be. When he wanted it to be.

Coincidentally, the guards left Sinya alone. The kid was obviously in the company of Nieraan, so why bother messing with him? Surely they were a party of Sith passing through, or something like that. Long as they were on their way out and didn't cause any trouble before they were gone, the guards didn't see a need to care.

Nieraan closed the transparent nictitating membranes of his eyes as they stepped out of Dreshdae and into the desert. It was windy out, and occasionally gusted enough to kick up a fair amount of dust. Best to keep it out of his eyes.

He stuffed his hands casually into his jacket pockets ad he led Sinya along out into the wilderness. "I assume by now you realize where I'm taking you." Nieraan looked over his shoulder to the red Twi'lek for a moment. "You still have things to prove, but..." He huffed a chuckle under his breath and turned back to the fore. "I suppose you'll do."

[Kuran]

Sinya was distracted by the guards more than their direction for a moment, more out of habit than anything else. Almost a year of getting into places where he wasn't supposed to be had given him an eye for guards, and he was able to judge their worth almost without the force. These ones seemed quite alert, though they didn't challenge Sinya or the man walking beside him as they passed.

Which was only natural, he thought. Given what most people thought they knew of Sith, it wasn't particularly surprising that local law enforcement would be eager to give any actual Sith a wide berth. For a moment he wondered what the guards would do if he were to cut one of the passerby down in front of them, but pushed the thought aside as they walked out into the sunlight. Such thoughts served no purpose.

Raising a hand against the glare of the sun, he followed Nieraan as they made their way out of the gates and into the open area beyond. He smiled slightly at the humanoid's assessment of him. "I certainly hope i'll impress you beyond simply "doing"...

[Rugs]

Nieraan snorted a laugh at Sinya's comment. "Yeah well, that's entirely up to you, kid. But I have higher standards than some. You may have some hope, though." Maybe. Nieraan tended to be hard on the younger members of the order. It was likely part of the reason why Renata had promoted him to the position he was in. A hard taskmaster forced improvement or culled the weak from the flock.

"I'll give you this much though; you seem like you can think." He once again looked at the red Twi'lek from the corner of his eye. "Even if the assumptions you make can be broad at times. But you might have a leg up on some of the other Initiates." Nieraan shrugged noncommittally and returned his attention to the desert. "Or you might not. We'll see."

Leg up or not, Sinya had caught Nieraan's attention to a degree. Perhaps it was the common thread that ran through their pasts with involvement in the criminal underworld. Perhaps it wasn't. Such things were hardly uncommon among the Sith; Jack's past was similar in some ways, and so was Zarene's. Perhaps it was something else completely. Nieraan didn't know, and wasn't fussed over trying to immediately decipher it.

He decided to continue along with his evaluation of the experiences Sinya had been through as they walked. The ground before them began to dip down, and the ground to either side of it rose gently. They were near a way into the Valley.

"Obviously you've been through fights to have the sort of past you did. But have you ever faced another Force user? In true combat." He snorted softly through his lungs and glanced at their surroundings. They were making decent pace from the city. The walk back to the Temple likely wouldn't take long at all. "Training against one on the sparring ground is one thing. But I'm sure you already realize it's something completely else when life and death are on the line, hm?"

It would be fortunate for Sinya if he had had that experience already. But then again, if he was another kid, like some of the others, then he'd have to find out eventually. With his new position, Nieraan would probably be the one to put it through it. Sooner or later.

Sooner or later...