Silence-A Disturbing Noise (OPEN)

[Foxfire]

The only noise on the trip was the sound of the engines firing up it's thrusters to slow the re-entry from a deep hyperspace jump. The ship cold with it's travel through space was as lifeless as any robotic ship that the Sith Order had to date. As it burned it's way through the high atmo to take a lower orbit for a single pass before lowering to the Sith order landing pads a Force user could scan the ship to find nothing. No living creature of the force could or would be ever felt on this ghost ship. Even parts of the ship seemed out of place as if it was in a force void bubble.

Empty silence was what filled with the ship. A short burst of droid speech to the control tower letting them land was the only noise the whole approach. The engines roared and the thrusters fumed as the ship settled on the landing pad. A silence soon over took the landing pad as the cooling systems kicked in and the landing struts eased the ship to a welcomed landing. A whiring of servos and hydraulics broke the silence and echoed off the structures around the pad.

No droid left the ship, but what did seemed more like a ghost as it walked down the ramp. The figure was one that hadn't been seen in a very long while. Cho Wroth noghri and sith force user has returned. Eerily and quietly he made his way down the ramp not making one sound. Even when the wind picked up his stary black robe made no noise. Coming from underneath the transport ship he lifted his head and sniffed the air. To his eyes not much had changed but the beings that the wind drove their scent to him.

Lowering his head he moved to the temple. Getting to the steps he rested the heat of Korriban was needing to get use to again. He could feel the force around him pressing down on him even with him in his hidden presence. His skill to hide with in the force was second nature to him and he stayed in that shadow that he made most of the time since he left Korriban. If a force user was to happen across him they would not feel nor sense him till they were bumping or tripping over him. He didn't care if anyone could feel him or not he was not there to shout or scream his head off to get attention. Attention would be finding him soon enough if he stayed long enough in one place like the temple steps. Here he waited for the beings to find him.

[Foxfire]

With crossed legs Cho had laid his saber before himself and closed his eyes to the bright light of the day. Breathing in and out he took in all the sounds and smells of the temple. Hidden with in the force Cho sat there as if he was another rock or statue made for the temple. He let the need to use the force stay buried and hidden within his own soul. The darkness yet whispered to him calling for blood, revenge and death.

Snorting it off and calming his mind to keep his focus on staying within the force that was hiding him. Opening his eyes he reached out and with a snap hiss ignited his saber and let it pulse in his down turned hand holding it out in front of him. It thrummed and crackled as wind and dust particles passed by the ignited blade. For three minutes Cho listened and felt the vibration within the handle of the saber. He had gotten use to the feeling and knew when it needed to be tuned and it was a very slight bit out of tune.

Shutting down the saber he searched out the force he was using reaching out to any familiar signatures. Though many signatures were out there he only felt a few that he wanted to know that he was there by the means of the force. All the other ones even the high and mighty lords and ladies were not ones on his list. Whom he chose was important to him. Darth Iniquitous was the obvious first choice, but those others that were close to him once were the only one that he would let his signature be seen by.

Yet still as he sat there upon the front steps of the temple Cho started to wonder if things had truly changed as he felt within the force. Very few beings were moving about this time of day. He knew not what time it was here for he never carried a chronograph time piece. Still the heat of the day would put it nearing the late noon hours. Wroth remembered that often ones would train inside of the temple deep with in the cooler floors hidden deep within the temple. He would go there next but he wanted to spend a few more moments in the warmth of the Korriban sun.

[lion]

The change in routine from independent learning to tutelage under the Sith had been perhaps even more vivid a change than that from night to day, the differences were beyond jarring. It had been a surprise, even in the brief span of time that he had been among them, to see the changes that had taken place; both internally among himself and externally, the perception of others. The Dark Side of the Force had its power, Sarkh had come to find in short order, beyond anything he could have ever imagined the Jedi to have held and certainly not among those he had faced, but like a demanding symphony for a musician, its power required extreme dedication to master; beyond what a simple self-taught man could have achieved.

It had taken effort to achieve what he had in his own time, the Trandoshan knew, but to have the chance to truly master his craft among the Sith Order was the true test of one's willingness to work. The hours of meditation, the sharpening of emotion in order to weaponise it and deeper connect one's self to the Force were difficult concepts to contemplate; decades of Trandoshani upbringing had worked to precisely ferret out emotional outbursts and remain methodically cold, leaving the reptilian figures somewhat numb to the notion of expression even when it was required.

But then, seeing the sheer results that such outbursts brought, was indescribable. Lifting boulders with the Force that would crush a man, throwing them about like mere playthings, simply at the focusing of one's aggression and hatred. To impose will in such a powerful fashion was hard to argue with, and in the brief time that the Trandoshan had spent among the Sith, the lesson had not gone unnoticed.

The morning's training had gone well thus far; outdoor practice had assisted in better acclimatising to Korriban's desert-esque heat, and to further his near-complete shedding. The new, green scales shone in the mid-noon sun, beneath the humble grey cloth shirt-and-trousers training attire the tall male had opted to wear; leaving much of his new scales along his arms and head  bare to their task absorbing much of the sun's heat to keep his metabolism active. 

Confidence, however, bred curiosity, and upon his approach to the steps of the Sith Temple, the Trandoshan Initiate found his eyes gravitate to a figure that, whilst he had no knowledge of, seemed to stand out. A noghri; uncommon race in these parts of the galaxy and famed hunters in their own right, it was hard to put a bead on the man, both mentally and through the Force. Most were predictable, especially the habit-driven humans, but this one seemed out of place, and with his sullen posture seemed almost reflective rather than simply going about one's routine.

And sat before him, a most curious lightsaber; lengthily handled in a manner that the Trandoshan had yet to see before. Unfettered by restraint, it took little to reach out and grasp the weapon as he closed in, feeling the tendrils of the Force grip and pull the lightsaber across the few steps distance between it and the advancing reptile. A gentle slap of steel to the smooth-scaled palm rang out as Sarkh caught the weapon, pausing in his stride as he examined it; scaled brow quirking curiously as if trying to decipher a long-dead language.

"You, Noghri. Explain this weapon; I've yet to see its like."

[Foxfire]

The silence of the day was broken by the sound of foot falls. From the sound of them they were heavy and close together as for as he knew these were male foot falls. He didn't open his eyes even when the creature came close enough for him to get his scent and to be able to read his blood line.

A moment of a twitch happened when his saber flew from before him to the waiting hand of the being before him. Slowly he opened his eyes to see a creature like his first master. This one was obviously new to the Order. This was shown when he was asked about his saber and to explain what it was. For Cho this was an easy request to accomplish.

He stretched out his right hand and pointed his finger to the saber. A very small amount of force energy he triggered the hidden switch on one end. It leaped hungrily to life with a snap hiss. The blade growled as if it knew that the being holding it was not his master and maker. A second flick of his out-stretched finger he activated the second blade. It too leaped to life with a snap hiss. This one crackled and snapped as if it was a viper trying to bite it's holder.

Pushing back his hood a bit he looked at the being before him. With a cold emotionless reaction he spoke upon the uses of his saber.

This is a dual saber. It is used for those who are trained in Ataru. You would do well to learn how to use a single blade first before adjusting to the double blades. If you are not careful you would gut yourself.

Stretching out his finger again he deactivated one end of the saber.

I wonder how much your master has shown you or taught you about sabers and why not to handle other's sabers till they are dead.

Reaching out in the force he snatched his saber back. It flew to him to stop just feet in front of him and deactivate then gently settle to the ground before himself just where it was. He then had to adjust his hold upon the force hiding his signature as it shifted.

May I know who you are who's student you are?

[lion]

If nothing else, the Trandoshan's reflexes were on point as the lightsaber blade flashed into existence; no sooner had the raspy hiss of ignition rang out, the reptilian man's eyes and fingers were in motion to properly grip the weapon and watch the blade flare to life. There was surprise for a brief moment across his scaled face, that much showed by the slight quirking of brow and widening of eyes, but to the reptile's credit he seemed to adjust quickly to the display.  The thought had briefly occurred of possibly asking why such a long and garish hilt was required for a lightsaber, but the answer was not far from coming, as with another snap-hiss a second blade flared to life on the opposite end.

Two blades?

The weapon almost instantly felt alien in his hands as the twin blades vibrated against the air, humming their violent intent as if just waiting for a chance to shear through flesh and bone, and in the Trandoshan's fingers it seemed almost unwelcome. The balance was all off; it felt difficult to properly keep in line and seemed to want to move of its own volition as the two beams reverberated back down the handle. To his credit, however, the trandoshan wasn't completely lost; the double bladed weapon immediately conjured images of the native double-sword of his own kind back home, used by the ceremonial hunters and slave-herders. Their style of combat required much training, great balance and command of body to achieve, but with a blade on either end of a central hilt, they could rip into targets with almost careless ease.

But almost as soon as he had taken it, the weapon was gone; an unseen force switching the weapon off and ripping it from his hands, letting it settle back upon the sandy steps it had once lain. The noghri was clearly powerful, that much alone was evident through his command of the Force and his use of such a weapon, but the Trandoshan offered little in the way of cowering deference; standing in the elder Sith's presence without a shred of intimidation. There was no nervousness in his voice, no conflict in his stance; the lizard wasn't hostile, but he wasn't afraid either.

"Don't mistake my curiosity for ignorance; I was merely intrigued. We have a similar weapon on Dosha; it conjured familiarity to see its like in lightsaber form." The Trandoshan offered back, his tone evenly measured and confident, if perhaps surprisingly so given the sheer difference in rank and power between the two. Modest respect was evident, but that was the extent of the deference displayed; no contest of strength or verbal jostling for power, but no grovelling either. 

"I have no mortal master, Noghri; I've taught myself thus far the Jedi arts in better service to Her decree. The Sith provided me an opportunity to better harness my abilities, and I pursue it regardless of leadership." Added the reptile, beginning to pace slightly before the steps; his clawed feet cutting through the dirt and sand straight down to the stone with each step he took. "Whether I am given direct tutelage or pursue knowledge myself is irrelevant; it will be gained regardless, and better serve the path the Scorekeeper set for us."

[Foxfire]

Cho had known some to come to the sith to just be and slowly grow. Often though they were weaker and didn't grow much in the force and became the soldiers on the front line. Cho could feel the power within this one. He could have took this one on and may have did some thing, but he himself was not ready to fully dive into that situation again.

Slowly Cho slipped back out from hiding his force signature. Breathing in through his teeth he felt the flow of the full force once again. Cho's signature poured from him as an air of black death. Standing to his short height Cho moved off the steps and away from the temple for a few yards.

A user of the force has to know how to control the force. Most draw it from their emotions others from their connection and skill within it. Use both sides and one aspect more and that is from your memories of the past. Knowing all three areas will be your greatest power.

Emotions ramp and quickly enhance ones power but for a short time. Knowledge and your connection with the things in the force will stabilize the length and power level. Memories will bring every thing together and give your other sides greater strength. When these three basics are known and about to access then all other skills and training will be easier to achieve.

Cho stretched out in the force with a bit of rage his power shot up. Reaching out he grabbed hold of a block that had been sitting in the same spot since the building had started being not needed in the construction. Cho himself had carved it out of the quarry with his own saber and dragged it here himself many many years ago. Memorizing those days Cho's power seemed to double his power. The block was a six by six block of stone. Many had used it as a testing stone Cho could feel and see the marks upon it. With a little effort Cho raised the block from the ground into the air. Slowly he walked the block to a place that was out of the way some sixty feet away.

Cho let the block settle to the ground with a gently thud.

Every part of your being will either accept the changes or break from it.

[lion]

As the Noghri stood and began his speech, Sarkh could only feel a presence that beckoned his attention; the Trandoshan male's focus fading momentarily from the real to the ethereal. The Force called to him and he reached to it as best he knew how, finding his senses bumping and slipping from an oily, shadowy figure among the residual darkness looming about the Temple. It was an unfamiliar sensation, especially so used to sensing the shining light of a Jedi, to sense a Sith; the difference was literally night and day.

The shadow, the presence of what Sarkh could only guess to be the Noghri, was something of thought; where had it been before, that the Trandoshan's senses could not have detected it? Perhaps it had been the backdrop that had masked it; the residual aura of the Sith Temple practically seemed to overshadow much of Korriban, perhaps the Noghri had simply been using it to mask himself to others?

The notion begged much, but as the reverberations of speech rang through the reptile's ear-holes, the vision of shadow was snatched away, replaced with Korriban's dunes once more. The Noghri was talking, launching into a speech about the nature of the Force and the Dark Side as if a lecturer giving class to an audience of students; Sarkh found himself paying respect enough to listen to what the elder Sith had to say, but wondered what had spurned the impromptu piece of advice.

It had not been asked for, after all; was it perhaps Sith habits to interject and offer one's own advice whenever possible to students? The wisdom was not unwelcome, of course, merely its presence bringing on a sense of curiosity about the Noghri not about what he was saying, but why.

As the show of wisdom progressed into demonstration, Sarkh remained completely silent, though the slight expression of surprise upon his face for a brief moment as the large stone was hoisted and carried was not easily hidden. It was an impressive display of power, to be certain; the stone had to weigh upward of tonnes and yet, hoisted in the air as if gravity itself decided to let it go, it flew sixty feet and settled into the dust at but a command from the Noghri. 

For an initiate, it was a display of sheer power, no question about it, but no sooner had the impression upon Sarkh appeared did it vanish; the Noghri was no-question more powerful than he was, why display it so blatantly? Education among the Force was clearly the differing factor between the two men, why put an exclamation mark upon it? Perhaps this was less an educating display than it was a reminder of his position, Sarkh mused; the Sith had indeed had a reputation for pettiness, maybe this was simply their way of reminding the initiate not of the power he could attain, but the power they had attained.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Noghri. But make no mistake, I did not come here to break." Sarkh replied curtly, the slight venom of bitterness beginning to edge into his rasped voice; something between indignation and reluctant sincerity. The reptile didn't dare even attempt to reach out toward the stone in effort to mimic the display; the result was foregone within the Trandoshan's mind, and rather than attempt and embarrass himself, restraint seemed the better option.

For now.

[Foxfire]

A familiar feeling came once again to Cho as he finished speaking. He was doing it again speaking when it was not wanted giving advice when not called for. What he had done was made clear by the pheromones the other Sith was giving off. Cold rage welled up within him not at the sith but at himself letting himself want to be wanted.

Dropping out of the force letting his signature collapse like a black hole he shut down his emotion and took back on the predatory nature he had developed. Cold as a night on Zoist Cho walked back to the temple steps. His foot falls were silent even on the loose gravel at the foot of the steps.

Turning to the initiate Wroth spoke.

I speak because so few listen and show little respect for the force. Yet....

The sound of crackling could be heard as Cho's hold of his force power was seeping past his efforts to hide his signature. Like static electricity the force lighting was snapping and jumping from finger to finger of his left hand as his right hand gripped tightly the double bladed saber.

... I forget that most that I met care for nothing but their own ego. You need to know that Ego will get you killed and drag those under your command to your great Scorekeeper.

All I know and need to know is that power is never enough and the sith hounds will be one to pay their respect for you by eating your rotting corpus before any other creature can defile it.

Learn, study, practice, that is all you need to know and do for if you think you'll be a Darth and go take on the Jedi temple single handed then what the force gave you is truly wasted.

With a sigh he reigned in his force power and refocused burying his force signature deeper until his signature all but disappeared.

[lion]

It were as if the Noghri had laid the Trandoshan's thoughts bare for all to see, for no sooner had Sarkh's rationality questioned the nature of the display before him, the higher-ranked Sith answered in voice. The tone of voice was exasperated, it seemed, as the adjusted airwaves reverberated against the reptile's skull, and distant; explaining a lesson seemingly stated more times than it ever had to be.

And yet, all the younger man could find within himself was not understanding, but the budding embers of agitation begin to burn. The scaled features of the Trandoshan hunter began to sour and darken significantly; both metaphorically and indeed literally, as the reptile's greenish hue slid a few shades down the spectrum to a nigh emerald tone. 

By the time the follow-on display, of sparks of arcane lightning and the all-too-obvious grasping of the lengthy lightsaber hilt, Sarkh had heard enough; the Trandoshan's patience had worn thin and civility gave way to outright distance. If there had been any doubt of a hostile tension in the air before, it had long since eroded, and no sooner did Cho reach for his lightsaber did Sarkh respond in kind, gripping his own in a draw-ready posture. 

The weapon never left the reptile's belt, but the returned gesture was enough to make the point; if it came to a fight, Sarkh was more than content to oblige.

"You will not read my thoughts, Noghri dog, nor will I tolerate sacrilege from you." The Trandoshan snapped, practically spitting the words, as his gaze followed the smaller man before him, absorbing what detail he could of Cho's stance and demeanor. It was clear the reptile had been insulted, or at least taken offense; similarly clear was his resolve to avenge such disgrace visited upon him, as while he remained just out of striking range, Sarkh showed little in the way of hesitation in speaking his part.

"Have you finished giving your lecture? Talking of destructive ego and respect of the Force whilst flagrantly disregarding it; are you trying to impress a point upon me, Noghri, or simply impress?" Sarkh added, a slight flick of the free hand offering a both inquisitive yet dismissive wave as he laid the questions out into the open, beckoning response. 

[Foxfire]

Cho had forgotten much from being away and knew his first few days interacting with other sith would not go well and this was proof. He had once wanted to teach and now from this encounter he remembered why he would not take another to teach. His anger was seething just below the surface. Yet like a sith hound he masked it and pushed it down to power his force.

Take what you want and ignore the rest user. The force is yours and from your age not many would take you on. So watch and learn from the others for that is all you will get from me. I warn you as well never test me for I am never alone.

Just as if set ahead of time a small pack of sith hounds came around the temple and up the steps. Cho walked over to the pack and they hissed and chirped as their gettings. Wroth replied in kind and stroked a few of the heads of the younger hounds.

Find a place and don't do anything stupid. Stupid doesn't live long around here.

Wroth stood in the middle of the pack of hounds and his physical posture seemed to change the longer he was with them. He had indeed seemed more sith hound than any normal being.

[lion]

Unwavering in his stance, the Trandoshan gave no ground and offered little in the way of weakness; presenting before the higher Sith a front of utter preparedness. Claws gripped the unlit lightsaber, waiting for a moment's notice to bring the weapon into being; reptilian pupils expanding ever so slightly as adrenalin seeped through the lizardman's blood, sharpening his senses.

But the attack never came.

No, rather than engage, the Noghri seemed to back away, and whilst the parting rebuke may have hurt the common-fare prospective Sith, the Trandoshan brushed the words aside as one brushed dust. Words from a sacrilegious mouth were as muddied water; not fit to be taken in by anyone with sense, and with that, the Trandoshan paid the Sith no mind.

Parting words of his own were tempting, but it wasn't worth the effort it would have taken; the Noghri had seemingly buried himself into a pack of beastly hounds and, moment by moment, seemed to prove the Trandoshan's earlier insult correct. Was this the teaching the Sith offered? Animalism was hardly something to aspire to, even with regards to a fine predator such as a Tuk'ata; every beast had its prey but likewise its predator, the hounds were little different.

Rather than press the verbal fencing, Sarkh instead looped the lightsaber upon his belt once more; offering a wordless and sidelong glance in Wroth's direction before resuming his path upward along the Temple steps.

There was nothing left to say, after all, to a beast.