The Strength of the Dark Side (Mara, Cirith)

[Cavalry King]

Julius Magnus-Solo III, Prime Minister, Philanthropist, Business man, Upright citizen, traitor, crime lord, deceiver, and Sith Lord. Nearly his entire life he has been living a double life, a deception. He has masterfully, at least thus far, concealed this fact from nearly everyone. He learned this ability and more from his father. For his entire life he had been the alone in his efforts. He now, especially as a Sith Lord, felt it time to rectify this. Not that he had any particularly strong loyalties or feelings of duty, but he felt he owed it to his father and to himself to not see these skills die. Additionally, he felt having apprentices well trained in the dark side would make his life tremendously easier as he could dispatch them to do his bidding at will as part of their training.

He sat in the lavish chambers provided for him in the temple. The room had an understated beauty to it, almost a primitive look. The dark stone walls and high vaulted, domed ceiling gave the impression one was entering a cave, isolated and separate from the entire world. Red lights built into the walls illuminated the room. Central to the room was a large meditation chamber sunken into the floor. Large curved pillars surrounded the circle, almost like claws, and emitted a pulsating red light. Various tomes and trophies lined the walls. The furniture was exquisite, brought in from across the galaxy. Behind the meditation chamber was a grand stone desk in front of a tall, sleek black chair.

Julius sat at his desk with his elbows resting on the desk and his fingers intertwined. He sat up straight and waited. Today was an important day. He would receive his apprentices. Now they would begin their journey together. They had better be as promising as Shard said they were, otherwise they would not long survive under Julius' tutelage. He summoned the two to stand before him today. He would test their strength immediately.

(FYI, Julius never removes his mask here so as to conceal his true identity, also since his Sith name is in limbo right now feel free to refer to him simply as Master. I am discussing it with Meira right now, I believe it will be either Callidus or Calumnor but i'm not sure.)

[Cirith An'Gol]

Xerron walked from his usual spot outside the temple where he trained with Zaaltar, his Wookiee companion. He'd been training the Wookiee on the use of a lightsaber and in turn, Zaaltarr had been training him in close quarters combat...needless to say, it wasn't Xerron's strong suit. Especially against his Wookiee friend. He'd gotten tossed around alot. An Acolyte came to him a little while ago, apparently one of the Sith Masters wanted to see him.

He was practicing the punches and kicks his Wookiee friend had taught him at the time, before disappearing into the temple to do whatever it was he did. Xerron dismissed the Acolyte with a wave of his hand after telling him that he'd be on his way shortly. Xerron did a few excercises with the Force, including practicing with his Force Shock ability before leaving the area after taking a look out to the Valley of the Dark Lords, silently reminding himself as to why he was still here. To grow in power.

His boots made barely a sound as he walked through the twisting hallways of the Sith Temple to this mysterious Sith Master's quarters. Xerron stretched out his senses, trying to get a read on the person opposite the door. All he really got was that he was...confident. In the past, Xerron would've cloaked himself in the Force before doing so visually, intending to study his fellow Sith and test them at the same time but, ever since he'd gotten back from the Battle of Rhen Varr he'd changed. He was quieter now than he'd ever been, more discerning and cautious. The care-free youth he had been was gone, replaced by a killer.

He'd been studying Zaaltarr's holocron as much as possible, trying to learn the path to learning Ray, or lightning. It was difficult to say the least. Holding back and focusing on maintaining a Force Shield on such a small area was extremely difficult. He failed alot of the time, much to his own embarrassment and dismay.

Actually, he'd never been able to create a Force Shield that small.

It was frustrating failing so much in what seemed like such a simple act. When he finally got so frustrated from his failures, he let loose with a stream of lightning bolts on the rocks around him, using his anger to his advantage and pouring his energy into making his Force Shock ability more powerful. That had always made him feel better, listening to the sound of electricity cracking through the air and shattering the red rock around him.

He tried to practice his lightsaber skills against fellow Sith students, Acolytes and Knights like himself but, his unorthodox style intimidated people and made finding opponents difficult.

Xerron stepped up to the door and rapped on it twice with his knuckles. He only hoped this Master had something worth-while to say to him, or better yet, to give him something to do.

[Cavalry King]

(Sorry Cirith I was waiting for Mara, but I might just deal with her in another thread)

Lord Callidus, The Deceiver, his moniker, sat patiently at his desk awaiting his prospective future students. He would be lying if he said he was not a little curious and excited to see what the potential was in the Sith Acolytes. Thus far he had simply ignored them as wastes of his time. Now that he was investing in some, his curiosity was piqued, not only for himself but also for the fate of the Sith. If the Acolytes proved worthless then the Sith cause might be doomed. He did not allow his mind to wander too far though. Such thoughts were highly drastic for this point in time. Although Callidus was still hedging his bets a little, he had confidence in the Sith, but if things did go badly he had an escape route, but that was only known to him. He achieved his moniker through these types of actions, it was a rather simple name but suited him well. He was always visible, yet hiding at the same time. He allowed no one to see his face, none to know him as anything other than Lord Callidus. One of the tenets he believed most strongly in - deception. In battle, the key to victory was deception, in Dejarik, which Callidus was a notable master at, deception was the key to victory. Everything was a deception for Callidus, even down to the design of his quarters. Secret compartments and optical illusions were employed throughout the room. If his students learned one thing from Callidus, it would be the art of Deception.

Callidus sensed the approach of his potential new student and opened the door with a push of a button at his desk. The door slid upwards with a hiss to allow entrance to the room. Callidus watched the student. From the very moment he would enter the room, he would be judged. Through his metallic mask that hid his face and altered his voice he beckoned the student to enter, "Come in Xerron, come in. I have been expecting you. I trust you know why you are here?". Callidus used an unusually friendly tone with Xerron as if he was immediately attempting to connect with him on a personal level. Callidus was quite personable for a Sith lord, but his charm and kindness hid a cruel, vicious soul. It was one of the fronts he put up, but not only that, it was one of his tools. He made friends easily and what are friends but assets to be used or exploited? People instinctively liked him, he was affable and easy going. While extroverted, he never appeared to be trying too hard or unnatural in his charm, people honestly felt he cared about them because of his ability to connect on a personal level.

His charm here was again another tactic of his deception. His goal was to make Xerron drop his guard around him, which would leave Xerron vulnerable to all sorts of attacks, mentally and physically. Callidus immediately began to lightly probe Xerron's mind through the force. Callidus was by far, one of the greatest, if not the greatest, master of Telepathic force abilities. He also possessed the rare Drain Knowledge ability. His mental capabilities were what made him great. Knowing the thoughts, plans, and intent of those around him allowed him to more easily manipulate them. He did this not only to read the most basic of thoughts and emotions Xerron had but also to test him to see if he was on his toes.

[Cirith An'Gol]

The door hissed upwards almost immediately after Xerron rapped on it. It surprised him a little bit, he had been expecting to be kept waiting. Xerron casually stepped inside and looked to owner of the room, the man inside wore a mechanical mask that hid half of his face and used a friendly tone when beckoning him inside. Almost immediately Xerron's Danger Sense instincts warned him of trouble, it was the tone of the man that had set him off, no Sith had ever spoken to him like he was friend, not even Zaaltarr who he knew better than anyone. Not even fellow team mates during a mission. Sure there was a few jokes tossed around from the more lively ones but, even then, their tones revealed their true intentions. To kill everything and anyone that stood in their way in the goal of attaining more power.

Xerron's defenses rose a half second later, using his anger as a shield of sorts for his mind, in case any figurative fingers tried to stray in that direction. Defending the mind wasn't his area of expertise but, he was confident that he'd put up more of a fight than expected thanks to the Force Link he had with his Wookiee friend. He'd learned how to block Zaaltarr's thoughts from his own if he didn't want them a long time ago, though he doubted he would have been able to fight off an attack of that nature for long, especially from his muscled furry friend. Where as Zaaltarr could attack the mind more powerfully and used his telekinetic abilities more, Xerron mainly focused on the physical aspects of the Force. Though, that didn't mean that the hooded Sith didn't have surprises of his own, though he wasn't as powerful as his Wookiee companion, he too could use the Force effectively with telekinetic, telepathic and destruction attacks.

"The Acolyte you sent to fetch me failed to mention the purpose but, I assume that I can be of some use to you in some way, otherwise, you wouldn't have bothered calling me" Xerron said from beneath his own cloth half mask and crossing his muscled arms, while keeping his defenses in place. A second later he felt the tell tale prickle of someone searching his mind. His anger doubled into a wall of flames, and his Force presence rose in intensity, intending to buffet the Master's attempt at reading his mind. Normally he kept his presence low so that most individuals would ignore him but, every so often when it would prove to his advantage to let it up, he did so. Just like now.

"I'd keep your telepathic fingers to yourself unless you want your physical ones cut off. Now, what do you want?" Xerron said almost casually, though the warning was still there hidden in the undercurrents of his voice.

[Cavalry King]

Julius nodded, interesting, he thought to himself. This one might have promise.... Julius was impressed that the student did not let his guard down. It was wise, you couldn't trust anyone who respectably called themselves a Sith. It was their greatest weakness and their greatest strength. It was a good first sign but Julius would continue his testing. Had he wanted to he more than likely could have sneaked into the Knight's mind and probed it of its secrets but that was not his goal. He was testing the man.

Julius chuckled a little at Xerron's threat. If Julius was committed to training Xerron, he might have taken that as a teaching moment. Too many Sith misunderstood the Sith mentality and code. Having no fear did not mean being reckless, threatening a master in his domain was reckless. A Sith had to survive, grow stronger, wait and strike once the opponent was vulnerable. Julius tallied this brazeness in the "against" column he had in his mind about training this man. It was not a big thing, something that could potentially be trained out of him.

After laughing Julius said, "Bold aren't we? Very well, I will keep to myself." he chuckled a little again. This was all part of his game. Many Sith misunderstood him, underestimated him, thought he was weak because of his seeming friendliness. Many questioned how he was even a Sith Lord. They often disregarded him and were friendly with him because they didn't feel threatened by him. Exactly the way Julius wanted it. He had no enemies in the Sith camp, no rivals trying to undermine him. It allowed him total freedom. Those who knew him though, those who elevated him to his current status, they knew what he was really like. They knew his power and the extent of his cruelty. Some had even challenged him for his title as Sith lord and were given a rude awakening when they realized the extent of Julius' abilities.

He was of course offended by the insult in his own quarters but he would make no indication of it. "Why so testy young man? I have graciously invited you to my quarters. I simply want to talk. I have heard you are a bright student with much potential. The acolytes fear you!" Flattery, one of the easiest strategies to lower the guard of a Sith. Many love to hear of their own reputation and that others fear them. Hubris, often the bane of many a Sith too enthralled in their own glory, giving themselves the illusion of power and invincibility.

[color=red"So, what drives a powerful young man such as yourself, hmmm? Why are you Sith?"[/color] He asked it casually as if trying to learn from Xerron. Julius even leaned forward in his seat to a more attentive posture. Everything with Julius was a performance, an illusion and with this current conversation - a test. His true motives were always hidden and his actions or words were almost always used to throw people off. He was quite good at it actually. He'd manage to convince the entire Republic he was a philanthropic, good heart-ed, honest business man. Here with the Sith he'd manage to maintain the illusion that he was just kind of a Shadow - no past, no ties, no relations.

[Cirith An'Gol]

He was pleased that the Sith Master took his threat in stride, it meant only one thing to Xerron. Lord Callidus was testing him. Which was fine by him, because Xerron was testing him as well, he'd have been a fool not to. He was a little surprised that he agreed so readily to keep to himself but, he kept this hidden from the man before him and kept his emotional wall up.

The masked man asked why he was so testy when he'd been invited into his quarters and that he simply wanted to talk. He then proceeded to try and flatter him, which he had to admit felt good to hear that his name was getting around and that he had the fear of some people in the Temple. It wasn't enough to make Xerron warm up completely to the man before him though.

If it was Xerron's loyalty he was after, he'd have to do much more than that to earn it. "I appreciate the praise but, I'm not much for talk, and my origins are my own" Xerron said with a sweep of his hand "the only thing I am interested in is power and being a blade for the Sith, for now. As for my reason for staying, it's simple, survival. I could live very well I'm sure out in the galaxy, with my abilities right now but, I am not satisfied with such simple things. Money is easily gained, power to keep it is not." Xerron uncrossed his arms and rested them on his hips, in what might have been a subliminal expression of openness, or atleast that's what he hoped the Sith Master read into it.

"So, let's get to the point of this meeting, enough of this verbal dancing, what does a Sith Master such as yourself want with Acolytes and Knights?" Xerron said respectfully, though his curiosity obvious.

"From what the rumors say, it's been years since you've teamed up with anyone of lesser status. Why now?" Xerron asked keeping his tone casual, despite his annoyance at him not getting to the point. That's what Xerron liked, action. He didn't particularly have anymore use for words. Without knowing why he'd been summoned or a little more about this Sith Master, he wasn't going to let his guard down around him, and even then, he still might not.

[Cavalry King]

Julius nodded. Good, good, these are the answers of a Sith. A man not satisfied with his current status and a hunger for more, more power, more money (which is not a common goal but a most powerful motivator. A man out for himself but still has some degree of loyalty to the Sith. Julius's usual tactics were not working as quickly as usual but the young man seemed to be warming up. He was very impatient however, impatience and hubris, possibly the two biggest flaws in a practitioner of the Dark Side of the Force. Julius was not surprised however, this man had clearly not received the proper training. Too often Dark Siders would train only their mechanical skills and use of the force but not their minds. It is what kept so many from ever becoming truly great. Along this train of thought Julius grew excited. If the rumors were true then this Knight was skilled with the lightsaber but his force abilities were raw, much like his mentality. If Julius could train him properly, he could create one of the greatest fighters the dark side had ever seen. Such an ally, if any Sith could be called that, would be great indeed. If money motivated Xerron even in the slightest, Julius could more easily control him and potentially, groom him to be a powerful force in the galaxy's criminal underworld where the possibilities for profit were only as limited as your ruthlessness to take it.

Julius shook his head and in his most refined, politician-nobility voice said, "What a shame manners and culture are not tenets of the Sith..." he laughed at his own joke. Who cared? Most Sith were not patient enough for manners, and this gave Julius an edge over them. He did not need instant gratification and so, did not act impulsively.

Julius now moved to his second question, a touchy one for Sith. Julius was trying to understand Xerron's mind, any halfwit could get up to Sith Knight with simple brawn. The Sith loved such men because they were easily manipulated and of little threat to anyone but themselves. If Xerron was one of these, Julius would simply dismiss him. "Ah, ah, aah" Julius said to Xerron to tell him no, the conversation would not go as he wished. "You are in my quarters and here we will play by my rules, hmm? I assure you, we will get to your concerns momentarily."

To keep Xerron from walking out while he questioned him, Julius would employ another of his tactics - appeal to the dreams of others. Xerron wanted money, and Julius would show him a bit of his wealth to ensnare Xerron. Julius would subtly plant the idea to Xerron that "hey, stick around, this guy has what I want". To do this, Julius would put on a display of wealth. He pressed a button and ordered in his protocol droid. "C-3O4, I am feeling a bit parched, could you please bring us some of the good Corellian Wine? I am feeling vintage 3998 at the moment. Two glasses of course, I insist our guest has some." A single bottle of this wine would easily go for 90,000 credits. Julius would of course, not make it known that it was his family that had produced this wine. The glasses they were served in were of the finest of Muun metals, tastefully decorated with gems and engravings. He did this as if it were totally casual and normal, to open absurdly expensive bottles of wine for a casual conversation with an underling. Julius wanted Xerron to understand just what he had to offer.

Julius turned his attention to Xerron again, "I do hope you will drink. Hopefully it will do away with these unpleasantries. But! Back to business I suppose, I don't suppose your the kind to have a thrilling conversation on the qualities of fine wines, a pity really...", Julius said almost disappointed. "Do you consider yourself or the Sith inherently evil, bad, or malicious? What do you feel of your own intentions and those of the Sith" Julius again, asked this casually, as if trying to strike up conversation. He took a sip of the wine, it was worth every credit, simply divine. His business life, both legitimate and criminal,and vast family fortune had made him somewhat accustomed to such luxuries but he still appreciated quality.

[Cirith An'Gol]

Xerron mentally sighed as the man simply ignored his question, this conversation was getting him no-where. Lord Callidus then told some kind of joke but, Xerron missed the punchline, so Callidus ended up laughing at his joke alone, as Xerron merely quirked an eyebrow in response.

The hooded Sith swordsman could feel his frustration building with this man as he told him that he was asking the questions and that he would get to Xerron's concerns in due time. Apparently though, Xerron's references to money only moments earlier gave the Sith Lord an idea, as he suddenly called for a Protocol Droid to bring them some wine.

Xerron had to keep from rolling his eyes, either the man was showing off now, or he was trying to poison him in another test. Well, Xerron had another trick up his sleeve were that the case, healing abilities, though like any Sith, his skill level in them wasn't the greatest but, it would do.

When the droid came back with a tray, a bottle and two glasses Xerron took his offered one graciously, and raised the glass to Lord Callidus in a simple wordless "thank you" gesture, before sniffing at the contents first then lowering his mask to take a sip. It was better than he expected but, it was still just a drink to him. Xerron wasn't connoisseur of fine wines.

He thought about the Sith Lord's next question, it was obvious now that he was searching for something in Xerron. "No but, does anyone in a religion think that their side is evil? We have our beliefs just as the Jedi have theirs. As for how I feel about my intentions and those of the Sith" He thought for a moment on how best to answer the second question, Callidus was searching for something, some type of response perhaps that would revel his general attitude toward either the Sith, or his life.

"I feel they are polar opposites, the Sith have always sought galactic domination through one means or another. I don't want to rule the galaxy, for now, I just want to survive in it by increasing my power and my skills so that one day I might be able to rid the galaxy of the stiff necked Jedi and their pompous ways" Xerron answered finally his tone had a sharper edge to it then, after reflecting on his long deceased Uncle's situation. Xerron had grown so focused on increasing in his skills that he'd almost forgotten why he was still there, what it was all for. "The only thing I have in common with other Sith in my eyes is my desire to forge my own destiny. I want to be one of the great Sith Masters like Darth Revan, Marka Ragnos, Adjunta Pall, Tulak Hord, Freedan Nadd, and Naga Sadow. To be remembered like they are now" Xerron said, his passion growing in his tone.

Xerron took another drink of the wine that Callidus had given him "I don't want to be just another soldier. I want to be a legend" he said simply.

[Cavalry King]

Julius nodded contemplating the responses he had just been given. They were not exactly what he wanted to hear but in them he found something else - logic. The an gave well reasoned and explained responses. This was no simple minded pawn of the Sith. A logician was something Julius could work with, nay, needed. This was not a fool who thought of himself as evil and was thrilled by fighting for the bad guys. Far too many immature fools came to the Sith for this reason. The Jedi propaganda against the Sith was strong and widespread indeed. Strange how peace-loving, bastions of tolerance could so misunderstand and misrepresent the Sith. Julius hardly ever even referred to the "Dark Side" of the Force as such. It was not Dark - that word had too many false connotations. The part of the Force Julius called upon was just different, more powerful, and more free. He called it Bogan, the ancient word for it. He found it more fitting.

Money, power, and fame. These would do nicely. It meant that Xerron was hungry and willing to do whatever it takes to get his desires. The wine did not do what Julius had desired but that was fine. Influence with a person was a fine and tricky art. Somethings worked, others were not as effective. After listening to Xerron speak of his desire to become a legened however, Julius saw his true potential. As he passionately described his dream, the force within him grew very strong. This is what truly drove Xerron, this is what he drew upon to be a practitioner of Bogan. It was powerful and deep rooted. Julius smiled under his mask. He had similar motivations and saw in Xerron a kind of kindred spirit. Yes, he would train him. Xerron would be a powerful asset to Julius' criminal empire.

"Very well then. It seems you have passed my little test..." Julius said rater cheerfully. His next response however became very grave, serious, and authoritative. "To answer your question, I have summoned you here to train you. I will show you what you need to know to become a legend. As of now you are little more than a lightsaber jockey - impatient, reckless, cocky. These are things that will mire you in obscurity and most likely end in an early death, I have seen your type a thousand times before and I know this to be true. You have something however that sets you apart and that gives you potential to rise above the rest. True strength lies not in that weapon attached to your belt. If that were true every Sith would be an Emperor and the Jedi would have stopped every disaster that has befallen the Republic. No my young friend, true strength lies in your mind and in the Force."

Julius stopped and allowed his words to resonate with Xerron. He rose from his seat and detached his lightsaber from his belt and threw it across the room. Julius' own voice and passion began to flare and it rose in volume, "Do you think I am weak now, vulnerable? That little toy means nothing to me for my ally is the force! I would have no problem finishing you here and now even without that little thing. I will show you how to have this power, how to truly be powerful. 'Through power, I gain victory!' and I assure you with victory comes legends. Those you quoted were remembered because they were powerful, had victories to be remembered."

Julius stopped and stared directly at Xerron. "I offer this to you once. Follow me as my apprentice. I shall show you what you need to know. I expect full, unquestioned loyalty. You will follow my commands and you will serve me. This is the way of things and in time, perhaps you too shall be powerful enough to demand this of some young upstart. The choice is yours but understand what you are agreeing to. I am a powerful man and I will have no hesitation to finish you if you get out of line. You will be my sword across the galaxy." Julius' tone was almost threatening. He had dismissed his charm mantle and had put on his Sith Lord one. Again all was an act but this was the correct one to employ here.

Julius finally straightened his posture, stood calmly and said softly, "So do you accept?"

[Cirith An'Gol]

Xerron listened as Lord Callidus spoke again after declaring that he had passed his tests. The words he spoke next resonated within his skull. He could barely suppress a smile as Lord Callidus spoke them.

"I have summoned you hear to train you."

There would be a cost ofcourse for such training but, it was nothing that the young Sith had not expected already. Loyalty. Unquestioned loyalty. That would be difficult for Xerron because he was so used to being alone in his training, his own individual, completely free of authority besides those rare occasions, like on Muunilinst and Rhen Varr, where his services were needed.

Callidus told him things about himself that he already knew, and that anyone that had been around him for five minutes might be able to discern, like he was impatient, reckless and cocky. He also said though that he noticed in Xerron traits that set him apart from the typical lightsaber jockeys. Like intelligence and logic. He would do his best though and learn everything he could from this man until he felt that he was of no more use to him. When Lord Callidus was through with his speech, which was very moving to Delzaren actually, though he'd never admit it, there was a almost cold grin.

He'd finally found someone willing to train him, he didn't plan of refusing such an opportunity but, he had a few more questions to ask. He crossed his arms as he respectfully said "Your offer is incredibly tempting, I'll admit. I have a couple questions to ask before I make my decision, however."

He paused a moment here, just long enough to see what Callidus reaction would be before continuing on with his questions "If I accept you as my Master, what will you teach me? What can I look forward to starting with? Force techniques? What separates you from the other Sith Masters?"

[Cavalry King]

Julius stood and listened to his potential apprentice's reply. He smiled under his mask. The man was wise. He was correct to ask what he would actually do before accepted the offer. Julius almost chuckled at the last question, what set him apart from the other Sith Masters. Julius jokingly replied in his well refined nobility voice, "Well, I am no simple Sith Master, I am a Sith Lord of course."

Julius raised his finger to his head and pointed at his skull. "You have the raw talent and potential to be great at the moment, but raw talent and potential is like a brick of unused clay - not really worth much in its present state. I shall be your potter. I will train you mentally, what it truly means to have a Sith mentality. I shall teach you the greatest of all Sith skills - deception. This is what separates me from the others. They train technique and passion - these are vital to growing in your abilities but they do not make you a complete package. Your mentality, your approach to anything and everything, and you ability to use deception to your advantage at all times, these make you truly great and it is these things which I am best at."

He sighed and thought, This is likely not what this man wants to hear right now. He is likely stuck in the traditional thinking. I will give him what he wants now but in time I shall teach him otherwise. begrudgingly Julius said, "I am undoubtedly one of, if not the greatest practitioner of telepathic force abilities, these I can show you. I am also a master of destruction force techniques, I can teach you all of these things. In addition to Makashi if you so desire."

He hoped deception would be the real draw to Xerron but if he did not appreciate it now he would in time.

[Cirith An'Gol]

Xerron smiled, strengthening his weaknesses was one of his goals, though he wasn't too thrilled about learning to improve his Telepathic skills, even though what Lord Callidus said was true. He was raw in his abilities, he knew this to be true and so had tried, successfully he had thought, to mask this with his talent at Lightsaber combat, and stealth.

It wasn't so much the courses that the Sith Lord brought out that excited him but, the fact that he now had someone willing to train him, and in so doing could strengthen his weaknesses, thus becoming that much more deadly. That much more powerful. Xerron already knew the answer he was going to give, he couldn't let an opportunity like this get away from him. He'd be a fool to do that.

Xerron took his hood off, revealing his features to his new master as he respectfully took a knee. His brown hair was kept short in a long buzz cut, he had a strong jaw and piercing blue eyes, handsome by most species standards. His body was young and athletically muscled, like an Olympic athletes.

"Very well, your terms are acceptible. I, Xerron Delzaren, will be your apprentice Lord Callidus" Xerron said finally "my blades and my obedience are yours to command."

[Mara]

(((Sorry for getting to this late... but hopefully I'll be able to post here fairly often, depending on if any of my other threads pick up...
Anyway, enter Looma...)))




[...from x]

The Twi’lek Looma Isana walked through the halls of the Temple on Korriban, her mind confused. It wasn’t a new sensation for her, but yet it was one she hadn’t felt in quite some time. Lately her emotions had been suffused with anger and rage, sadness and depression. She had never been unsure about why she had been feeling that way. The recent past was all too clear on that. And one didn’t need to be powerfully strong in the Force to feel those roiling emotions in her Force presence whenever she moved past. Looma sometimes thought of herself as a walking advertisement, portraying her abandonment by Shard and her subsequent troubled feelings in neon lights.

One in the medical profession might think another reason for her withdrawal into herself, her strong anger, would be her earlier wound on one of her lekku, a small brain injury for a Twi’lek, but Looma always shrugged those thoughts off. Her current state was purely her old master’s fault. After said injury, Shard had abandoned her, only to return weeks later for a marathon training session. A session after which he left again, this time for good. Looma had spiraled out of control. Of course, she had kept it together briefly, for just enough time to carry out Shard’s last orders. But when she had returned to Korriban, everything fell apart. Without Caleb there to talk to, she had grown quiet and bitter. Most of the Sith at the Temple avoided her; the rumor of Shard, Lord Memnon’s, departure had reached the Sith planet.

But here she was, headed towards a meeting with one of the lords, Callidus she thought it was, and Looma had no idea why. No duracrete idea, that is. The yellow-skinned Twi’lek could perhaps come up with a few possibilities of why she would necessitate an audience with one of the lords. One that tickled the forefront of her mind was that it had to be Zarene’s doing. After that mess a few days prior with that other Twi’lek, the pale Var, the other Sith had shown up. Looma, since returning from Bastion, had heard that Zarene had the ear of the Darths, perhaps was apprenticed to one. She felt it likely that the female Sith had reported the scene, and then consequently it was trickled down to this Callidus to take care of matters, to set Looma back in line.

She grit her teeth as she walked, her fingers subconsciously forming fists. Whatever punishment or pain was about to be enacted on her, it wouldn’t even compare to the heartbreak she was already feeling. If that was indeed the reason she had been summoned to this area of the Temple. Even if the incident with Var was not the reason, Looma was sure there was a few other reasons related to herself that could be the reason. Little skirmishes here and there, blowups of anger at other Sith who had gotten too close, asked too many questions. But by far the most violent had been her attack on the pale Twi’lek, at least since her return to Korriban. It was the most logical possibility her mind could come up with.

Reaching the indicated chambers for this Lord Callidus, Looma paused. Normally a quick decision-maker, she was unsure whether to just walk right in or wait to be announced or called inside. Obviously the lord would sense her presence. Someone in his position would be ten times more powerful in the Force, or more, than she had. Stepping closer to the entry door, she probed lightly with the Force, like tendrils seeking a water source. Right away she felt the presence of the man she had come to meet with; it was hard to miss. But there was also another one, less powerful, but still strong in the Force.

Thinking that perhaps she had gotten the time wrong and was early or maybe the previous meeting was running late, Looma stepped back a few paces to wait. She ran her yellow hands along her robes, smoothing them out. Not really a vain being, unusual for a Twi’lek, Looma still wanted to make a good impression on this Sith. She didn’t think her appearance would change any reprimand aimed at her, but she wanted to take it as professionally as she could. The lightsabers clipped to her belt clinked slightly as she adjusted her cloak. Looma pulled down her hood, revealing her yellow features, and settled the golden ruby pendant across her chest. A deep breath and she was ready for whatever was to come of this meeting. She hoped.

[Cavalry King]

Lord Callidus, the Deciever, the mysterious lord who never showed his face, was now a master of an apprentice. Here began his quest to bring true strength to the Sith order by teaching them the importance and necessity of deception. He now had a weapon to employ across the galaxy to do his bidding. As Xerron took his knee and swore his oath Julius could not help but grin under his mask. He saw great potential in this man, a man he might be able to use to help himself grow in power. This man was raw, but in time if he suceeded it would boost Julius' standing in the order. It was truly a win-win situation.

Looking to his new apprentice Julius commanded solemnly, "rise my apprentice. you have begun your journey to power. We shall soon see if you are readyfor it. Know the road will be paved with trials but if you do as I say, you will succeed."

Julius then sensed a presence he had felt before on bastion. It was Shard's former apprentice Looma. She was filled with sorrow, anguish, and pain. She was thus prime for receiving instruction in the dark side as long as her emotions did not consume her. Julius knew he would prey on these emotions to bring out strength in her. Julius smiled again and
said casually "Ah, it seems our other guest has arrived."

Julius opened the door with a press of a button and the door hissed upwards. He looked to Looma, she seemed sad and Julius sensed she felt something bad was about to happen. It was curious. What was his reputation? He said to her politely, "Do come in. Xerron, meet Looma former apprentice of Lord Memnon."

He would immediately begin to test her. He said in a caring voice "I apologize about your master abandoning you like that. It is truly a shame." Julius sounded sincerely concerned, he had a talent for that sort of thing. Despite his tone and body language, he cared little at this moment. He was watching and sensing for her reaction.

(sorry for delay. My computer is broke. And I had to finally use my iPhone to post lol)

[Cirith An'Gol]

"Rise my apprentice. you have begun your journey to power. We shall soon see if you are ready for it. Know the road will be paved with trials but if you do as I say, you will succeed."

He heard Lord Callidus say a moment later. Xerron could feel the grin that split his new Master's face, and half grinned himself, he knew that the future ahead of him lay with trials, traps and deceit. Lord Callidus needn't have wasted his breath on that point, Xerron expected deceit among his fellow Sith everyday, it was one of the foremost reasons he was so cautious.

He wanted to celebrate this new turn in his life, now finally, after waiting patiently for a year, and doing what he could in the meantime, he had a Master. Now, he could finally do something to aid the Sith and make it stronger, and in doing so, make himself stronger. Now, he could begin to think on what he wanted out of life, his goals beyond training to make himself stronger. His status in the Sith would eventually rise as well, which also brought new possibilities to his mind.

Xerron felt another presence approach the Sith Lord's room and rose as instructed, replacing his hood and mask, covering his features once again. He stretched out with the Force almost by instinct, drawing in the feelings of pain, sorrow, anguish and anger that the person was emitting. He turned toward the door as Lord Callidus opened it, admitting their guest. It was a female Twi'lek, Looma, he recognized her even before Lord Callidus gave her name. She'd been Lord Memnon's, or Shard's, apprentice before he'd disappeared and abandoned her. He wasn't surprised at the internal conflict within her now. Lord Callidus introduced Looma to him, after expressing his sympathies.

Xerron nodded to her "nice to see you again Looma" he said casually, though he really could have cared less. His only interest now was what Lord Callidus' interests in her were. Would he take another apprentice? Train the both of them? Or set them against one another to see who the better, worthier apprentice was? Xerron's eyes turned upon Lord Callidus then as he thought what's he planning?

[Mara]

(((It’s a little rough and disjointed (at least to me)… but hopefully it works…)))


Looma had drifted back into her thoughts again, wondering if she should start looking for a place to sit down and wait, when the movement of the door at the edge of her vision caught her attention. Thinking the current attendee was now leaving, she stepped a few paces to the side to let the being exit the chambers. And she began to use the Force to steel herself for whatever was to come to her. The Twi’lek was prepared to defend any of her previous actions that may have led to her being called to this audience with Lord Callidus.

When after a couple moments of standing there no one came out, she turned her gaze back to the open entranceway; simultaneously a voice spoke to her, asking her to come in and introducing his companion to her. The briefest of surprise and then anger at the mention of Shard flickered across her features before her face returned to its neutral façade. This was curious. Apparently she was to attend the meeting that had already started with this Xerron and Callidus. Perhaps the lord could not exude any punishment himself, and this other Sith was his puppet. Or maybe he was here to learn a lesson while the lord taught Looma a lesson. There could be any host of meanings behind addressing her as Shard’s former student, not just as herself. Whatever the reasons for this threesome, though, Looma knew she couldn’t disobey, and so she entered.

Once inside, her violet eyes ran over the two men, at least as far as she could tell. They both wore masks, covering their faces. But they had the similar Force presences as other humans she had met. Like Caleb, only stronger and less familiar. The one mask, though, the one she assumed to be Callidus, was one she had seen before. Briefly upon arrival to Subterrel, before the Dominion had split off, that man had been there. Looma thought he had identified himself as Deceptus, but she couldn’t remember for sure. So this man already knew her, had been at least on friendly terms with the Dominion for a time. Was this the reason she had been sent to him and not one of the other lords? And when did his name change?

The other man, though, Looma didn’t recognize. He spoke to her, as if they had met before, but she couldn’t remember ever seeing him before. Either he was playing mind games, or it was just a slip of her mind attributed to her injury. The name of Xerron triggered a bit of memory, but she attributed it to just hearing it from other conversations as she moved about the Temple. Odd that he wore a mask, too. But then again, if Callidus was using Xerron as his fist of justice or some such, it only made sense that he would hide his face in these situations. She stepped a few more steps forward and lowered her arms at her side, not hiding herself in the Force. Looma was prepared for whatever was to come. And she would take it without complaint.

Prepared for everything except what Callidus said after the casual introductions. She started, her purple eyes widening, unable to contain her surprise this time. What kind of meeting was this? Why was she here? Instead of explaining any reasoning for her presence here, all he was doing was continuing to speak about her former master. The mention of him yet again narrowed her eyes, and her hands clenched into firsts briefly. She took hold again of the Force, and once again had control of her emotions. She felt conflicting things coming from Callidus. Was he just playing her, or did he truly feel bad?

Without bothering any contact with her brain, she just spoke, reacting to the words. A short, hard laugh escaped her lips. “It’s not your fault, but suit yourself, if makes you feel better. It wasn’t the first time, nor will it be the last.” For the Twi’lek, at only a young 18, being abandoned was starting to become a theme for Looma’s life. She raised her arms and folded them across her chest, making sure the ruby hanging there wasn’t covered. “Now can we get to the point? I have things to do.” She didn’t have plans, hadn’t since returning to Korriban, but Looma wanted to get this over with. Stepping around the bantha in the room was starting to grate on her nerves.

[Cavalry King]

Callidus watched the girl as she reacted, watched her demeanor. He would gauge her reaction with a fine comb, every movement taken into consideration as part of his test. She almost succumbed to her emotions but she quickly took hold of them. She also threw up a defensive wall of rudeness to help conceal her feelings. Interesting, I wonder if I push her more if she will crack..., he thought. If she allowed her emotions to consume her completely, she would fail his test and he would give no mention as to the true meaning of her visit. Callidus looked o his droid and said rather politely "Some wine for the lady, please."

The droid poured some and offered it to Looma. Callidus continued with his test. He simply ignored her plea for brevity, just as he did to Xerron. "Such a truly terrible thing to say for one so young and with so much potential.... What Lord Memnon and those others did to you is shameful indeed..." Callidus used his best abilities to pour true sympathy into his words. It seemed as if his heart was stretching out to her. Now that he had tried to instill more self pity into her as bait to weaken her emotionally, he threw out the true part of his test. As she considers the injustice of her position and potentially wallowing in self pity, he would try to break her will by instilling self-doubt and depreciation. "It is truly a puzzle though, why so many would all come to abandon you time and time again. Once is understandable but more makes one wonder as to the cause..." The goal was to make her consider that she was the cause because of some flaw or weakness in herself. Harboring this thought would be crushing on a person and that was Callidus' goal. He was a cruel heartless man and he cared little if his words ruined her.

Even if she passed this test today, he would continue to bombard her with thoughts of self-doubt and make her focus on her abandonment. Not only would it test her, but it should heighten her darkside abilities greatly as they are powerful emotions. Despite their potential for power, they would be very difficult to control.

He again began to scrutinize her every movement and felt out in the force to feel her emotions and thoughts on the inside. He was curious to see what would result of all of this.

[Mara]

(((I’m just assuming he would use something like a goblet and not a ‘traditional’ wineglass. Let me know if this is not the case, and I can edit.)))


Instead of getting to the point, as she had asked, Callidus asked his droid to get her a goblet of wine. This man seemed more interested in pleasantries and small talk than the true purpose for her being in his presence. Keeping her face as neutral as possible, she inwardly seethed, not caring how much leaked into the Force. This meeting was turning into a joke, as far as she was concerned. He had seemingly forgotten the other Sith in the room for the moment, and Looma was fine with that. This Sith was treating it as if it were just a chat between two friends, two high society friends, and not an important conversation between a Sith lord and a lowly initiate. Well, she was not posh and had never been, having been raised almost as poor as they came. And Looma certainly did not think of herself as a lady.

She wanted to do a whole host of things in response but had to contain herself for the moment as Callidus continued on in response to her own remark. Looma begrudgingly unfolded an arm and grasped the cup from the droid, glaring at it as she did so. Tucking her arm back in, she held the wine against her upper arm, not prepared to take even the littlest sip of it. And not just because she felt Callidus was putting on some sort of charade or show for her. She had little experience with wine and didn’t want it addling her faculties at all. The Twi’lek felt she would need to be as aware as possible for whatever came.

He spoke sadly, mentioning again how horrible it had been for her master to leave her and all the others who had done so, too. How he knew about the others in her past, Looma wasn’t sure. It wasn’t as if she went around advertising it. But perhaps he had just gleaned it from her statement, about what Shard had done not being the first, nor the last. Yes… that had to be it. It would be almost impossible for this Callidus to know anything more than that about it. At least, to the best of her own knowledge. This man was powerful, but didn’t seem the type to go searching through old data lurking around the Holonet about her. It had to be an inference. She thought.

Looma’s eyes narrowed as he continued. She knew what he was trying to do. Shard had tried similar tactics, wanting to build on her anger to strengthen her in the Force. Callidus kept speaking of how her master and the others abandoned her, feigning confusion as to why. He was insinuating that it all had been her fault. Even a child could see through his words to his real purpose. But the idea was not a new one for her. Looma had considered it throughout her life; it kept coming back up again each time someone left her. And yes, at times she had felt it was her fault, that she had done something wrong. It was impossible not to think about the possibility.

In the end, though, she had come to another conclusion, though the feeling that she had been the cause, at least partly, would never completely go away. They all had been scared of her, didn’t know how to control her powers. It hadn’t been her fault that her parents had sent her off to the Jedi. They were relieved of the pressure of another mouth to feed. A pressure that wouldn’t have been there if they hadn’t had a fourth child. It hadn’t been her fault that the Jedi had given up on her. They had run out of ideas of how to train her, get her to listen to her instructions. The glorious Jedi had come to the end of their patience with her. It hadn’t been her fault that Shard left her, though she had beat herself up about it as per her usual. He obviously had other things on his mind, when now she looked back on that early morning. Looma knew he would have left anyway, even if she hadn’t been in the picture. No… she was not flawed or weak. Everyone else was.

The Twi’lek smiled without a hint of anything good. Callidus was failing. Perhaps if he had come to her earlier, she still would have been blaming herself. Whatever he said to her now was not new, and nothing could make her feel worse than she already did. She was barely keeping herself from drowning in her own depression. Of course, just because she didn’t believe it her fault did not mean that she would not feel anger against Shard and the others. They still were the ones who had abandoned her. But it was on them, not her. No matter her reasoning or dealing of the faults, the anger, sadness, and despair would always be there. And she felt it would be there for a good long while.

It was time for her to try to break up Callidus’s little production here. She was bound and determined to get this man, no matter the consequences, to speak his mind to her. Feeling that she was already in trouble for something, adding to it wouldn’t change anything. Looma knew some lords wouldn’t appreciate being talked back to, though others glorified in it. She didn’t much care which kind this one was. The yellow Twi’lek wanted to stop Callidus from dancing around the point. “Save your platitudes for someone who cares. I don’t think you called me here to display your sympathies to me.”

Raising the hand that held the goblet of wine, Looma reached out into the Force. Callidus would probably have some idea of what was to come; she wasn’t hiding herself in the Force, hadn’t since she had entered his chambers. But she could care less; she was beyond being concerned with this man’s intentions other than his true purpose. The vessel lifted in the air above her yellow palm, and a few seconds later it was hurtling towards the nearest wall. If allowed to follow through, it would hit with a loud clang! She did all this without removing her gaze from the masked face in front of her. Looma folded her arms against her chest again. “And I am not a lady, sir.” She spit out the last word, hoping Callidus got the point that she wasn’t calling him by a more appropriate title.

[Cavalry King]

Callidus watched her closely between his own sips. His test took an interesting turn which piqued his interest. While she did not collapse into herself when reminded of her abandonment in her life, she instead entrenched her self and became stronger, more willful in her resolve. He noted it in her head and he would have said she passed his test until the oldest flaw in the Sith Order reared its annoyingly common head - impetuousness. Xerron had displayed it and now so too had Looma. Callidus smiled outwardly, showing her little display did not faze him at all, inwardly he sighed. She still failed, but not as badly as she could have. She allowed herself to become rash, impetuous and uncaring for the results of her actions. She was not thinking ten steps into the future and showed utter disregard for her own safety, well being, and status. Callidus was within his right to harshly punish such impudence but he was more reserved than that.

Despite her rashness, she did not buckle into self-loathing, and became stronger. He could feel her passion flaming up in the force like a flame being fed with alcohol. That was brilliant. She could turn her biggest potential problem into a source of power. He knew she was different. He could work with this. He felt he could instill the values of deception and patience into her just as he would Xerron.

He chuckled as she threw his gift to the floor. Being witty he replied, "Well then if your not a lady you must be a man then?" He figured his continued nonchalant manner would continue to enrage her. He would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying it.

Just as he had dropped his casual manner wit Xerron when Callidus felt Xerron could be trained, he did the same with Looma. He breathed heavily and said sternly, "Initiate" he said with derision, "I am a Sith Lord. I invite you to my quarters in good faith and you have acted exceedingly rash. Are you aware of the potential consequences?"

He stared at her firmly, "Have you such little care for yourself that you would put yourself at risk so? And for what? You accomplish NOTHING! Absolutely NOTHING with your behavior. Your hotheadedness will be the death of you yet unless you can change immediately. You will be just another forgotten lowly Sith who never made it anywhere because they were already infatuated with the idea of their own power or invincibility."

He paused, he was in full lecture mode and would allow her time to process his words before he continued but he had no intention of letting her interrupt. "Why are you Sith? What do you crave? Why do you live? These are the guiding questions for every Sith and if the answers to these questions are every forgotten or not considered before you act you will bring about your own failure. If you cannot see past the moment you will likely not live long beyond it in our order. Every action has consequences and meaning. These consequences must always, always be considered and be related to those three questions. If your actions are contrary to your answers you should never undertake them."

He stopped and allowed her to think on what he had said. "I have invited you here to train you. I knew you to be a student with great potential, and you have demonstrated that here, but you are raw. Very raw. Your foolhardiness could crush all of your potential. I however can mold you, I can teach you the value of deception, patience, and planning. I only offer once and you, despite your little outburst, have shown me something great within you."

[Cirith An'Gol]

Xerron sniffed in derision as Lord Callidus started the monologue he'd been given, to Looma as well. It was almost word for word, except there was more sympathy in his tone with the Twi'lek. He talked about how her previous Masters had abandoned her, and kept pressing that point, insinuating that in some way, it was really her fault for being abandoned so many times. He delved into the Force and stretched out towards Looma, probing her surface thoughts and emotions, trying to read her reactions that lied beneath the surface. He found what he'd expected. Anger, rage, depression and some small amount of guilt.

He could barely read the guilt that lay beneath, much of the rage mixed with depression made a good cover but, he was still able to read it before she put her emotional and mental walls up, blocking him completely. He smiled good call he thought. He almost laughed as she declared that she was not a lady. It was harder still when Lord Callidus reflected his sentiments verbally. As she grew more serious with him, telling him to stuff his platitudes, her hand that held the goblet of wine that she'd been given, rose into the air a few inches above her open palm.

Xerron's hands went towards his lightsabers and he brought his Force Shield to bear, forming it around himself, expecting violence of some kind or another from her, or his current Master. She sent the goblet soaring towards the nearest wall, almost directly at him. He held up one of his hands silently, and the goblet halted in mid air, though it's contents didn't. The wine sloshed against his invisible barrier and slid down to the floor where it pooled, looking for all intents and purposes as if it had hit a round plexiglass window.

He calmly set the goblet down on Callidus' desk and dissipated the barrier. All this went unnoticed though as much as he could tell, as Lord Callidus threw himself into the lecturing phase of his test. Xerron just rolled his eyes at it all, and pretended that there was something interesting on the ceiling, though he kept his eyes on the two of them as a precaution. It looked like she was going to be his second apprentice from the way he was carrying on. He didn't care really if she was going to be or not. The more the better to his mind, as it would only teach him more about them and how they fought, thought, their personalities, weaknesses to be exploited, and most importantly, their skills in wielding the Force.

Returning his gaze to the two of them, he unhooked one of his lightsabers and began to deftly move it from finger to finger, like he was practicing with a baton for an act, even using the Force at one point to make it orbit his hand slowly. Despite his growing boredom, Xerron kept quiet, waiting to see how everything turned out. He wanted to get on with his training already, or go on a mission. Do something besides listen to Callidus test his new toy. Finally, Callidus' rhetoric ended and Xerron's gaze slipped to Looma, his lightsaber stopping in midair and floating back to the empty hook on his belt, sensing these 'pleasantries' were soon to come to an end, he found himself interested in seeing how she would respond to everything that had just been said.