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Nov 27, 2019 2:21:07 GMT -5
Post by hugo on Nov 27, 2019 2:21:07 GMT -5
For someone who liked to learn, Visarion hated to teach. It wasn't so much the act itself that he so despised. It was the acolytes. So foolish and so weak. They were always looking at him with this disgusting neediness. It was as if he was the answer to their weakness. But, it was to be his penance.
After he literally limped out of Af'El half alive and with the crystals he was sent to retrieve, his betters within the Cult of Mysteries were unimpressed. Sure, he had managed to complete his objective and get out of that Archeri-infested hell hole more or less in one piece, but the entire squad had been wiped out. Furthermore, they viewed his survival as a mere fortuity, owing to the interference of a mysterious Matukai by the name of Tsubasa Arus. They viewed his escape as very un-Sith-like, so he was to be punished.
The Sith were talented at a great number of things, but invoking misery in others was their forte above all others. Some shortcomings warrented physical torment, while others were punished with demotions or public reprimands. Visarion would be punished by giving a seminar.
He was to report to speeder bay 6 for 0800. Glancing down at his chrono, the still-battered Hapan noted it was a quarter-till. His scowl was hidden by the Cult's characteristic silver mask. The dossier was clear: he was to rendez-vous with a pair of apprentices, Karn and Velten, and take him to a nearby cavern. It was a dangerous place, filled with all varieties of Korriban's wicked fauna. Normally, it was a place used for combat and survival training, but neither were Visarion's specialty. No, he was to give a specific lesson on a practical application of the Force of his choice. See the Cult of Mysteries was clever, it wasn't going to give them the luxury of a direct assignment. He would have to come up with a lesson plan and figure out how to impart it upon these pupils of his.
He would teach them the beginnings of how to manipulate life energies to fuel their own powers, how to break the bones of others to mend their own. He let out another sigh; it was undoubtedly a vain effort. In his experience, Korriban acolytes were insufferably dull. Poorly read and even more poorly motivated, he had not been impressed by the caliber of Sith neophytes. Hopefully he would be disappointed in that expectation.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Nov 28, 2019 17:47:35 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Nov 28, 2019 17:47:35 GMT -5
Karn awoke with a start.
His sleep had been fitful and restless, after hours spent laying awake, staring at the ceiling of his claustrophobic room in the Acolyte residences in Korriban’s Sith Academy. Korriban, he thought, half sitting up. I’m back on fucking Korriban.
He slumped back onto his hard pillow and sighed. What a fucking nightmare.
It’d been less than a full day since he’d arrived back at Korriban. After returning to Dromund Kaas after the Battle of Nar Shaddaa, he’d been informed that he was being transferred away from the Imperial capital world until he got a new master.
A pang of grief made Karn’s chest hurt. Master... She’d died during the battle. Run through by one of the Archeri monsters.
It was my fault. He sat up, swinging his feet over the side of the bed as he leaned forward with his forearms on his knees. For a long, silent moment, he stared at himself in the grimy mirror across the room and wondered what would become of him now; if he’d find another master, or be stuck trying to feel his way through the dark alone.
BZZT BZZT BZZT BZZT BZZT
The alarm shattered the silence and his quiet moment of contemplation. An enraged flick of the Force shattered the chrono to pieces against the wall.
Karn grumbled to himself as he pulled his sleeping shirt over his head and set about getting dressed. He had a class to get to.
—-
He was the first to arrive at the speeder bay. He didn’t know who else would be joining him, but he was to learn under Visarion, of the Cult of Mysteries today. For what, he did not know; likely something related to the Force, given that bunch’s preferences.
Karn had looked over a brief description when the assignment came, but he was — as he had been since returning to the Force-damned rock of a world — too petulant to care. He was dressed lightly — a grey shirt with short sleeves under a dark, unremarkable jacket hung open. His pants were black, as were the boots, already scuffed and dusted from past excursions out into the desert.
He saw neither the need and lacked the desire to dress to impress today; he just wanted to get the class over with as quickly as possible and return to his room.
And so he waited, arms folded as he leaned against a speeder, for the others to show up.
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Dec 1, 2019 18:46:10 GMT -5
Post by CaptainBonkers on Dec 1, 2019 18:46:10 GMT -5
Prestigious as it might have been to study at the cradle of the Sith Order, to receive one's training in the shadow of ancient statues and grand pyramids of the original lords, Korriban was beginning to lose some of its luster. The variety of recreational activities available was slim; one could either socialize with the other students, hunt the local wildlife, poke around the non-restricted ruins or while away the hours in the training rooms or the library. After a while all of those activities grew somewhat stale. Seen one ruin, seen them all. And sure, hunting some of the local critters prowling the landscape was a good enough way to pass a day or two but its entertainment value began to suffer from deflation when repeated often.
His fellow students were a mixed bag at best. Some of them, largely those originating from proper Imperial families, were mostly alright and at worst merely tolerable company. However, for some reason Velten couldn't even begin to fathom the Order didn't see fit to restrict the commoners' access to the Korriban Academy. Honestly, some of them were worse than the scholarship boys back in the Academy. They at least needed to have some manner of breeding, after all no streetbred pleb could hope to scrounge up enough credits to send their child to a school good enough to offer scholarships to the Imperial Academy. But alas, it seemed that all it took to get in here was Force sensitivity and enough endurance to get through the selection process. A damn shame really. They really brought the quality of the student body down significantly.
At least the lessons were interesting, at least as soon as the teachers realized that they weren't teaching someone with no training whatsoever. After all, barring the various Jedi rejects that seemed to naturally gravitate towards Korriban, Velten was easily among the most well taught apprentices on campus. He had, after all, received around a decade's worth of tutoring in the various subjects taught here. Nothing was more infuriating as being lumped together with the completely untrained, not to mention boring. Hopefully today's lesson wouldn't fall into that category, though it could still find a way of being boring, even if the instructor knew who they were teaching. Members of the Cult of Mysteries were in Velten's experience the driest bookworms in the Order, so a lesson from one could easily devolve into them droning on about the glory of the old Siths or something equally mind numbing.
Since the lesson would be taking place out in the relative wilderness that lay beyond the Academy grounds, Velten had come prepared. The sand colored bag on his back carried a full canteen, a comm with a longer range than the one he regularly carried, a couple of flares and some rations. All in all a fairly light load for someone who’d gone through the Imperial Grenadier Officer certification. Of course, Velten would have preferred a more robust kit but he was fairly certain that the instructor would not have looked kindly on a train of porters carrying all the necessary equipment trailing them.
His clothes were likewise picked with the days activity in mind. Dressed in a well-maintained pair of sturdy combat boots, field trousers fit for desert conditions and hot-climate field jacket Velten felt fairly well prepared to venture out. Especially with the reassuring weight of his lightsaber and blaster hanging from his belt.
His chrono indicated that it was a minute or two until the scheduled rendezvous when entered the speeder hangar. The place was never completely empty, though it did not take long to locate his company for the day. For one, they were waiting at the speeder mentioned in the instructions. The bloke there seemed like a human, though there was some quality that made Velten couldn’t quite tell that gave him some doubt in the matter. Maybe something to do with the bloke’s complexion or eye color? Oh, well. Near-humans were basically just degenerated humans in the end, so the matter wasn’t worth the hassle to focus on further.
“I take that you’re the Albert fellow I’m supposed to meet here.” he said, giving the fellow a half polite nod as he approached.
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Dec 2, 2019 20:11:22 GMT -5
Post by hugo on Dec 2, 2019 20:11:22 GMT -5
At exactly 0759, the pressure doors of Bay 6 slid open with a hiss and Visarion, Knight of Mysteries strode in briskly. Various staff, initiates, and Sith proper were milling about, going about their duties in the harsh orange glow of Korribans morning sun as it beamed through the massive, open bays that overlooked the desolate eastern outskirts of the Temple complex. The light glinted on his silver mask and intermittently caught the end of his lightsaber hilt when it swayed gently at his hip from the dark robes and briefly into the light. Only the most observant would notice that his gait was a little off, his left leg limping slightly in a constant reminder of Af'El and the Archeri.
The apprentices were there. Good. Tardiness was infuriating. The pale one, an Arkanian, brightly contrasted the slate gray of the speeder he leaned against. The other, a Human as far as he could tell, had only just arrived and begun chatting with his counterpart. He guessed they were only a few years his junior, but beyond that and their apparent promptness, he could not discern much about them.
He approached them and stopped abruptly. "I am Visarion." He looked them up and down behind the anonymity of the scarred mask. "You are apprentices Albrecht and Torrik, yes?" Though he recognized neither of the acolytes, but did note the latter shared a name with the Minister of Security. A quick holonet search had revealed the acolyte as the Minister's nephew. Plenty scions of the Empire's greatest families found themselves on Korriban, and Visarion was generally rendered unimpressed. Yet those without talent or grit, there because of their money or name, didn't tend to last long at the Temple. He would be a fool to assume this human, Velten, was part of that unfortunate category. Besides, it took a certain type to give up a sure life of opulent comforts for savage and dour Korriban
Of the other, the pale one Karn, Visarion knew little. He sensed great despair though. That was good. Despair had fueled his education in the Dark Side, and in his view was among the rawest and most potent of emotions from which to channel the Force. Perhaps he would learn to use it as an asset. Perhaps he already had.
"One of you, drive." He walked past them and sat in the passenger seat, whipping out his datapad and entering the coordinates of the site once he'd settled into the hard seat. It wouldn't take them very long to get there, perhaps the better part of an hour.
As much as his colleagues within the Cult of Mysteries enjoyed cultivating an air of mystique, Visarion was no great proponent of such trivialities. The mask was awfully stuffy, particularly in Korriban's dry morning air. He removed it and dropped his hood, revealing his alabaster-pale face, bright blue eyes, and a mop of curly black hair, framed in all the subtle graces of his Hapan ancestry. The thin scar that trailed across the right side of his face matched that on his mask, though it had healed into a thin white line that stretched from his right eye to below his chin.
Visarion was eager to set out, if only to get the day over with. There was much to do, much to teach before he could return to his research.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Dec 3, 2019 13:49:48 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Dec 3, 2019 13:49:48 GMT -5
Approaching footsteps, heard over the quiet bustle in the speeder bay as the Temple rose from its slumber, alerted Karn to his company. He glanced up, bringing himself from more aggrieved introspection to see the other acolyte.
He was a tall fellow, and sturdily built. Karn simply watched as he approached, offering no further acknowledgment of his presence. Velten Torrik as the name, according to the short class listing he’d glanced at. At least he remembered that much.
Karn didn’t know the guy, and, at the moment, didn’t care to get to know him. He wanted only to return to his quarters and spend the rest of the day alone with his grief.
Never that easy, is it? Karn sighed quietly and went back to staring off into the middle distance.
Still, he knew the boy was the child of some Sith official. Word of that sort of thing traveled quickly through the Temple, and Karn vaguely remembered the name Torrik from his time on Dromund Kaas.
“I take that you’re the Albert fellow I’m supposed to meet here.”
Karn shot a knife of a glare Velten. His grief flashed away, instantly replaced by roiling irritation at the butchering of his name. He’s a human, he told himself. Of course he’d fuck it up. As much as his temper wanted to flare, Karn remained as he was, despite a brief tightening of his expression.
“Albrecht,” he said flatly, pronouncing the name clearly. He was about to offer his first name, with a jab about one syllable perhaps being easier for Velten to process when a stirring in the Force announced their instructor’s arrival.
Visarion seemed as eager to be there as Karn did. The Arkanian gave a shallow nod as the Knight of Mysteries identified him, and turned to the speeder that appeared to be their ride for the day.
He glanced at Velten with a snort as Visarion climbed into the passenger seat. Karn hopped in the back, taking care to keep his long-hilted lightsaber from clanging against the side. “I’m sure he can handle it just fine,” he said. The speeder was an open-top, altogether unremarkable model. As Karn settled in, he noticed Visarion taking off his silver mask, though he couldn’t’ see the Knight’s face from behind.
“Where are we going for this, anyway?” He made little effort to hide his complete lack of desire to be there.
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Dec 15, 2019 16:18:17 GMT -5
Post by CaptainBonkers on Dec 15, 2019 16:18:17 GMT -5
“I’d be delighted to ensure we reach our destination in a timely fashion since you find yourself incapable of doing so.” Velten replied nonchalantly. He could see the game the Adelbart fellow was trying to play, though he had to confess that it was a tad odd still that the other apprentice didn’t wish to display their talents. After, weren’t the echani supposed to be good at hand-eye coordination? You’d think they’d make for good pilots.
Well, piloting the speeder was no skin off of Velten’s teeth. It seemed like a stripped down version of the ones he had passed his qualifications back in the Imperial Academy, ZR-112 if Velten wasn’t very much mistaken, so getting it moving probably wasn’t going to be an issue of any kind. The steering might be a little light, though but that was to be expected with the lighter armor and armament. He might have to test it a little during the take-off to see how responsive it was, just to make sure there were no surprises later on if he for some reason needed to make sharper maneuvers.
He made his way to the pilot’s seat and strapped himself in. The standard issue seat, while quite utilitarian in design and lacking in any luxuries, had a certain familiar quality that compensated for the lack of actual comfort. If he closed his eyes, he might as well been back at the Academy.
There probably wasn’t enough time, or rather Velten wagered that the instructor didn’t have the patience, for a proper pre-flight check, so Velten went through the most critical parts of the list and inspected the maintenance log to see if there was anything of note in the most recent entries. There weren’t so as far as he was concerned, they were good for take off.
“Kindly see yourselves seated, we’re ready for set out.” he said as he brought the engines online and the speeder’s repulsors settled in their standard cruising height.
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Dec 16, 2019 22:25:06 GMT -5
Post by hugo on Dec 16, 2019 22:25:06 GMT -5
The coolness of Velten's tone caused Visarion to wonder silently if the two had some sort of troubled history. In any case, he was ready to set out and couldn't care less about the schoolyard bickerings of the acolytes. If there was anything Visarion learned since arriving on Korriban, it was that there were no shortage of pettiness among the Sith. The oneupsmanship and egoism within the Temple was suffocating. He had little use for games or popularity contests, yet they abounded here. That was part of the reason he found comfort within the Cult, where at least some of his colleagues were more or less focused their work rather than each other.
Visarion said nothing as the human acolyte pulled the airspeeder through the wide portal and out into Korriban's open, dry air. From here they could see canyons, mountains, valleys and structures spread about, the bare world's earthen hued surface seeming to stretch on forever in all directions. The nav chirped and indicated their route along one of the wider canyons, westward a hundred or so kilos to the cavern where their lesson would begin.
The speeder was very quiet throughout, save the occasional, redundant imput from the navcomputer and the constant roaring of the wind around them. These apprentices certainly weren't a chatty bunch, which was all the better for Visarion. If he had no patience for simpletons and fools, he had even less for idle chatter. Even as they put a fair bit of distance between themselves and the Temple, Korriban changed little. It was a barren waste of a world, perhaps more rugged even than Iridonia, the perilous homeworld of the Zabrak which he'd called home for several years before joining the Order.
After some time, he began to get lost in his thoughts. His lesson, he hoped, was simple enough for Karn and Velten. Force Drain, as it had become known, was a staple among Dark Jedi, one of the more popular and practicable disciplines of the Dark side. He did not know if they had any previous instruction in it, but it was far from a simple art, particularly if one wanted to do it correctly. It required focus, training, but most of all, passion. Thinking it over, perhaps the apparent enmity between his pupils could serve a pedagogical purpose afterall.
~~
The remainder of their trek across the lifeless countryside went much the same way. Before an hour had passed, the nav chirped once more to alert them of their imminent arrival. Velten complied, whipping the blocky speeder down and to the left, entering a narrow canyon below them. Within a minute the mouth of the cavern was visible, an inconspicuous gap nestled between some toppled boulders and a rough, rocky outcropping.
It wasn't anyone's idea of picturesque. The air in the bottom of the canyon was still and hot, and even as the topography drew long shadows across the dusty earth and shielded them from Korriban's unkind star, Visarion could feel small beads of sweat forming on his forehead and under his arms as soon as Velten brought the speeder to a gentle halt before the mouth of the cavern. The stale air smelled of dirt, perhaps faintly of Tuk'ata dung.
"Ah, Gornath Cavern." he said, recalling the dossier he'd read a few days earlier. It was a place of no real importance to anyone alive today, but was believed by Mysteries archaeologists to be an ancient holy place of the Purebloods. Ancient Sith mystics purportedly performed strange rituals and sacrifices therein hundreds of years before the arrival of Ajunta Pall and the Dark Jedi. Whatever remnants intelligent life may have left within were long gone, but the Dark Side was thick in this place. More importantly for his purposes, it was rife with Korribani fauna, a small but ferocious pack of Tuk'ata, notably.
It would have to do. Visarion preferred to practice this peculiar art on sentient subjects, but unfortunately, the Temple was low on expendable prisoners nowadays. It was truly a pity. The relatively pathetic life force of the local fauna would have to do, it seemed. He douubted the acolytes could manifest the requisite talent to perform a successful Drain on a humanoid anyway, so the creatures within the cave would offer an appropriate tutorial for them. With a look back over his shoulder to make sure his charges had exited the speeder without grave incident, Visarion strode without a word into the impenetrable darkness of the cavern, limping ever so slightly as he did.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Dec 23, 2019 10:34:00 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Dec 23, 2019 10:34:00 GMT -5
Karn closed his eyes and settled, as much as he could in the cramped rear seat, as the speeder zipped off away from the academy. For all the venom he longed to let loose at Velten, he held his tongue. He had no idea how far they had to travel, and he had little patience to spend it arguing.
He focused his anger, his irritation, and compressed it within himself, alongside the raw, throbbing pain of loss that still lingered from the Battle of Nar Shaddaa. He’d learned long ago that emotion was a powerful fuel for the Force. Whatever lesson Visarion planned to put them to, Karn would have plenty to draw from.
They’ll see, he thought as the wind whipped through his pale hair. They’ll all see.
The trio of Sith arrived at their location after a trip of middling length, most of which Karn spent brooding and contemplating his own missteps and failures and loss on Nar Shaddaa. By the time they arrived, his mood had visibly darkened. He kept to himself as they exited the speeder and studied the path ahead of them.
It was uncomfortable and hot in the canyon. Karn scowled. A cave opened up ahead of them, short stalactites hanging down like jagged, broken teeth. It could offer some reprieve from the heat. Or make it worse, if it’s connected to some geothermal system, he thought, narrowing his eyes slightly. He fished around in his coat pocket for a moment; his goggles were there, made to protect his vision in areas with extreme heat. He was fine, for now, but it was good to know they were on hand, should the need arise.
“A cave in the bottom of a ravine in the middle of nowhere,” he said, setting his pace to remain a few steps behind Visarion as the Knight started to walk. A pale eyebrow arched slightly. Was Visarion limping? It was a subtle thing, but there. He spoke on as if he hadn’t noticed. “What lesson awaits us in here, Knight Visarion?”
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Jan 2, 2020 17:25:38 GMT -5
Post by CaptainBonkers on Jan 2, 2020 17:25:38 GMT -5
The instructor and Alberion were truly smashing company to have. During the flight to the cave neither spoke much, seemingly preoccupied with their own thoughts. Especially the other student seemed to be seething in his seat. While not exactly worried by the impotent wrath of a shrimpy echani, Velten still made a mental note of not exposing his back to the bloke. Alfred seemed like the kind of fellow who might try sticking a knife in there, if given half a chance. But that was alien plebs for you.
Their destination didn’t look like much from the outside and Velten suspected it wouldn’t be much improved once they passed the threshold. Jagged stone and sand weren’t exactly the most impressive of natural materials. He had to wonder what kind of lesson necessitated dragging them to a place like this. Better not be some meditation bollocks again. Velten thoroughly detested meditation practice; it was nothing but sitting still in one place with your eyes closed and thinking really hard about the Force until you figured out some revelation or other similar crap. He could do that without having some Mysteries’ bore droning on about proper technique or whatever, thank you very much. He was yet to win a fight by meditating and until he saw someone do so meditation as an avenue of study remained as waste of time in his opinion.
Of course the knight might have brought them here because it was tuk’ata territory. If that was they case the day might actually get interesting. The beasties were a blast to hunt, though if they were indeed here to grab a few pelts Velten was going to be annoyed he hadn’t been forewarned. He would have brought his hunting rifle along for the ride. Tuk’ata could be quite tricky opponents within claw’s reach but at range they weren’t much to worry about. Fine, some of the spitters could cause trouble further away than melee range but ultimately the hounds were just animals. And in the rock-paper-scissors of life technology always beat claw and fang. Well, even if he wasn’t properly prepared for tuk’ata hunting, at least he wasn’t unarmed. Lightsaber might not have been the smartest weapon to go against wild animals with but it could cut through a tuk’ata’s hide well enough.
“What lesson awaits us in here, Knight Visarion?” it seemed that Velten’s fellow student wondered the same subject as he.
“Indeed. As charming as a venue this place is I’d prefer to begin learning as soon as possible.” he said.
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Jan 5, 2020 23:54:41 GMT -5
Post by hugo on Jan 5, 2020 23:54:41 GMT -5
They were insolent and foolish. No doubt, the cave was far from impressive. But if they were to be Sith, truly embody the path of victory, then they would have to learn that all was not what it seemed. The Force rarely came in a form that was immediately appreciable. They would, judging from their lack of faith, which he indeed found disturbing, have to learn the hard way. Acolytes en train, he stopped suddenly. "Wait."
He stood pensively a few meters from the mouth of the cave, blinded by the glare and his poor low-light vision. "Give me your lightsabers."
They would learn that through the Force, they could accomplish anything. If they were set upon in the darkness by the monsters within, Shyrack and Tu'kata he apprised from the faint stench of stale dung emanating from the cavern's abyssal portal. Yes, the Force would be their only ally here. If they were weak and succumbed to, rather than tamed, the darkness around them, then so be it. It was far from uncommon for an initiate or even an acolyte, like Velten or Albrecht, to die in the course of their training. Particularly out here, in the wasteland.
What he'd declined to mention thus far was that Gornath Cavern had not been explored since the days of Revan's Empire, and there were scant reports on what lie within. A thorough report, of course backed up by historical and forecelogical literature on the subject, would serve as a fine offering to the Cult of Mysteries' archives, and no doubt garner favor among his betters. As he approached his thirties, Visarion thought more and more of Lordship and the opportunities it could bring. He could have his own ship or castle to serve as a redoubt of knowledge.
More immediately enticing, however, was the cavern's putative contents. The Pureblood mystics who'd millennia prior performed strange, ancient liturgies to channel Dark Side power. He'd recently unearthed an ancient Sith tablet near the Valley, which he'd painstakingly translated during his post-Af'El recovery phase, to reveal a centuries old legend of an artifact, a dagger used for previously undocumented ritual sacrifices. That was his primary objective.
Still, the acolytes could benefit greatly from this exercise, especially given his latest modification. He saw no reason to inform them of his other motives. If they were clever, they would figure it out. If they were too oafish to put two and two together, they did not deserve to know.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Jan 8, 2020 14:25:22 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jan 8, 2020 14:25:22 GMT -5
For once, Karn found himself glancing at Velten with a semblance of agreement. It wasn’t enough to pull his lips upward in a smile; just a slight nod as he lifted a pale brow after their reticent instructor. The sooner they began their lesson, the sooner they could be back on the way to the Academy, and the sooner he could return to his quarters, away from the noise and distractions of dealing with other Sith.
Yet Visarion kept his motives, whatever they were, close to his chest. Karn squinted slightly as the harsh light of outside quickly gave way to darkness within the cave. His eyes adjusted quickly; Arkania was a cold, dark world, and Karn saw well in dim light.
“Give me your lightsabers.”
Karn blinked. “I’m sorry, what?” he asked flatly. His hand hovered near his lightsaber. It was long-hilted, more than twice the length of a regular lightsaber. The hilt itself, ornate but practical, was forged from songsteel. The metal was notoriously difficult to work with, but Karn had labored hard to bend it to his will, just as he’d bled the once-cyan crystal at its heart and turned it crimson. The result was a lightsaber hilt that was as much a work of art as a weapon and could withstand a lightsaber blade’s searing fury.
It was, in a word, precious to him. More to the point, he found himself wary of the Sith Knight who’d dragged them out to the middle of nowhere and now demanded they give up their weapons. Karn was slow to trust most, and his trust ran particularly low for his fellow Sith.
No, that’s not it. He eyed the Knight in the darkness. If this training is for the Force, he wants to remove lightsabers as an option.
After some moments of hesitating, he relented, unclipped the long hilt from his belt and held out it for Visarion.
As the hilt left his hand, Karn opened himself to the Force. Even weaponless, his prowess with the Dark Side had been one of the few things that separated him from many of his acolyte peers. He had that, if nothing else, to defend himself from whatever threats might lurk within the cavern.
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Jan 20, 2020 14:19:41 GMT -5
Post by CaptainBonkers on Jan 20, 2020 14:19:41 GMT -5
”Give me your lightsabers.”
Velten’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. If there was on thing that had been drilled into his backbone by the cavalcade of instructors in here and at Imperial Academy it was not to let himself be disarmed by someone you did not trust explicitly. An alien fellow he had met less than few hours ago most certainly qualified as someone he didn’t exactly trust. While he didn’t assume this lesson was some kind of ambush, it could still be a some kind of ambush. Place him in an unnecessarily dangerous situation without a weapon to defend himself with and hope there was a tragic accident. It wasn’t so far fetched; his family had plenty of rivals whom would gladly stoop so low.
There was his dignity to be considered as well. Had one of the Lords of the Inner Sanctum demanded a regular lord to hand them their lightsaber, that lord would have likely refused unless their safety was absolutely assured. His current situation differed from that scenario in that the ranks were different. No self respecting Sith would comply with such order unless they knew the one giving the order could forcibly compel them to follow it or if they had faith in that person. And Velten was certain enough that he had the capacity and resources of getting away with refusing an order from a Knight in a cult he had no desire to associate with.
To Velten’s amazement, his fellow student caved in and handed over his weapon after mere moments of pondering. Some Sith they were, bowing down to a petty authority of knight from the least useful cult without so much as a question. Had Velten done so, why he would never live it down with the Cult of Strife.
“I shall do no such thing, I’m afraid. One of the first things the instructors down at the practice pits teach is never to allow yourself be disarmed if you can avoid it and it is an axiom I intend to follow.” he said calmly. “Don’t worry, though. If the lesson you have planned requires that the lightsabers remain inert, I’ve self-discipline enough not to activate mine.”
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Jan 30, 2020 16:55:56 GMT -5
Post by hugo on Jan 30, 2020 16:55:56 GMT -5
How fascinating. Karn, with some reluctance, had actually submitted to his unusual request that they surrender their weapon, while the mouthy one, Velten, had not. Resistance was to be expected. The lightsaber was vital for a Sith, and had he been in a similar position, similarly blinded, Visarion would have resisted too. He took Karn's lighstaber, gripping it gingerly as he looked it over. He unclipped his own silver-hilted blade and held both of them together.
There were lessons to be learned. The Knight pivoted around and fixed an acrid gaze on the recalcitrant acolyte. "We are not here for a fencing lesson, boy. Neither have I left my duties to cut you down in the dark of that stinking cave." The Sith of the Academy were as paranoid as they were vain, and this Velten seemed to fit in nicely. What could a Knight possibly have to gain by harming him? Make enemies in the Ministry of Security?
The point of disarming the boys was not to test their discipline, nor to render them helpless. It was to deprive them of security, to render them alone, naked, with only their mastery of the Dark mysteries on which to rely. As elemental as the lighsaber purportedly was to the Sith and their counterparts, it was, in actuality, a mere tool, an object of great value and with manifold applications, but an object nonetheless.
A weapon was nothing to the Force. Even as infantile as the acolytes seemed, they were capable because of it. It would guide them through their lives, and ultimately to their deaths. A genuine understanding of the Force instructed that one was to be as fearless in the warmth of his quarters as he was in the darkest bowels of the deepest caverns, for one's destiny was ultimately beyond his grasp. It did not follow, however, that they were to be as a nerf, herded along gently by the long staff of the cosmic Force.
Passion and will were the cornerstones of existence, and central to the Sith philosophy. The Dark Side as they practiced it would not exist without one or the other. There was no more basic iteration of the self, nor purer imposition of its will upon the other, than the defiance that was survival. The effect of that sensation for a Sith was invigorating. Visarion had felt it all too acutely on Af'El.
But armed and accompanied by Visarion and his fellow acolyte, Velten was lacking the essential external stimulus needed for such a state: fear. In this context, his blade was as much a weakness, an impediment to his growth, as it was his shield against reality's grim circumstances. With all the discipline in the galaxy wide, the safe assurance of a laser sword dangling at his waist would shelter him not only from danger, but from truth. If he was to grow, to truly become Sith, the Human would have to learn to face circumstance, to extend himself to it, to consume it, to make it mass, to make it his.
One could lead a Bantha to a moisturizer but you couldn't make him drink. Visarion was as content to enter the cave and proceed with the lesson, less one student, if that was what Velten wanted.
"But I will not force you to listen. Someone has to watch the speeder anyway."
Visarion appraised the acolyte once more, curious as to his reaction. As for Karn, the Hapan appreciated his faith. A Sith was never weaponless, even without his lightsaber. It would soon be clear, however, if there was any substance to that fidelity.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Feb 3, 2020 14:32:03 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Feb 3, 2020 14:32:03 GMT -5
Karn felt as if he were handing over a piece of himself when he gave his lightsaber over to Visarion. He watched, in silence, as the Sith took his weapon — the subject of countless hours of hard work to merely craft, to say nothing of learning to use it — and held it near his own.
He gave Visarion a hard look, one that carried a silent threat to do him harm if something happened to his lightsaber. What, Karn didn’t know. But something, anything, if the slender Knight betrayed his already-frail trust.
Yet it was Velten that drew his attention away from Visarion as he flatly refused to hand over his lightsaber. He couldn’t blame his fellow acolyte. There were few things he’d rather do than give up his weapon while surrounded by Sith. Whether the current regime earned it or not, the Sith’s reputation for betrayal wasn’t unfounded.
His eyes darted back to Visarion, worry twisting his stomach. Had he misgauged? Was this a test where they were supposed to refuse Visarion’s command? But what would that accomplish? Encouraging acolytes to disobey Knights? It seemed a poor habit to encourage. Sith were not expected to be subservient, but the Order’s hierarchy was well known. To strain too much against it, especially from a position of weakness, was to invite disaster upon oneself.
No, far from commending Velten, Visarion chastised him--even going so far as to invite Velten to see his way out of the cavern.
Karn remained silent, gaze shifting between the two.
Whatever the decision, he wanted it to come quickly.
The sooner this damned lesson was done, the sooner he could get back in bed.
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CaptainBonkers
Nah, I'll just wing it.
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Feb 26, 2020 9:56:08 GMT -5
Post by CaptainBonkers on Feb 26, 2020 9:56:08 GMT -5
Boy? The alien had some nerve, calling Velten a boy. He could not have been more than a few years his senior. Even if Visarion formally held some authority over Velten due to his rank as a knight, the man really should have possessed a better sense than to talk down to a member of the imperial aristocracy. Such crass manner could earn one lasting enemies among the highborn and certainly did not make Velten any more inclined to give even an inch. He’d be damned before he would hand over his lightsaber without an explanation better than what amounted to ‘because I said so’ from a mere knight of the order. Especially one from the Cult of mysteries; he’d never live it down among his fellow Strife aspirants if the word got out.
“Stay with the ship?” Velten asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm. “Sure, why not.”
If all he could expect from the alien instructor was insults and orders to be followed blindly rather than proper instructions, Velten would gladly remain with the speeder. Though, the fact that he still held on to the vehicle’s ignition chip from their ride over here did give him an idea that might see this all not turning out to being a massive waste of time on his part.
“Though I do hope you like walking back.” he continued. “Because if you are going to bar me from your little lesson for refusing to disarm myself without more expansive explanation than this not being a fencing lesson, I will not waste my time waiting you two to return. I’ll hop in that speeder and return the academy to do something productive with my time.”
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Feb 29, 2020 22:39:32 GMT -5
Post by hugo on Feb 29, 2020 22:39:32 GMT -5
Well that did it for Visarion. His impatience swelled as the acolyte barked at him as if he was some subservient alien that had brought his shaving water cold. Such insolence. Such tedium. Visarion had not desired greatly to teach acolytes, and he was only incensed more by Velten's plain insubordination. Paranoia and vanity had always been the greatest weakness of the Sith, and here it was on full display. Rather than follow a simple instruction, so as to further their aims in unlocking useful secrets of the Dark side, the Acolyte chose to make a stand over pride.
Yet the Hapan, frustrated, sensed opportunity for learning. And not just for the Acolytes. The tension, daresay, animosity, he'd sensed earlier among the two apprentices may have had its uses after all. Perhaps the cavern and the Tu'kata within had been a mere beacon, leading the trio of Sith towards the knowledge they truly sought.
With a swiftly souring expression, Visarion looked to his immediate left at Karn. The Arkanian met his gaze and seemed to understand. The Hapan returned Karn's blade with a flick of his wrist, the lightsaber twirling gently into the acolyte's four-fingered grasp.
"Well gentlemen." His scowl became neutral. "It seems we are at an impasse. One of you wishes to see reason, and one of you does not. Both of you know that such disputes, such fundamental disagreements, can be settled only by the scale called might. Of you there can be only a victor and a loser."
Perhaps his seminar had been driven somewhat off the rails by this sudden dissension, but in the very least, it would offer some insight into the extent of each acolyte's ability. He would not allow them to kill or grievously harm one another, merely, the contest would go one until their was a clear victor. He did not know, beyond what the ebbing and flowing of the Force could tell him, which could be favored. They were younger than hiimself, and not yet as attuned to their true potential, yet he sensed great capablity in either apprentice.
In Velten there was that common, daddy's money insolence. But also a deeper, well-founded confidence. Perhaps his arrogance had been a consequence of rank, but perhaps it was derived from great ability. There was resentment and pride. All necessary ingredients for a Sith. The Human, who Visarion had begun to find distasteful, was very different from himself. Yet he saw similarities. Visarion's power grew from hunger, and from resentment. From that insidious, gut-wrenching feeling of being restrained and jostling furiously to escape. He could see that in Velten, and if only in the slightest of terms, stoked admiration in the irritated Hapan.
Karn, on the other hand, was volcanic. In as little time as Visarion had interacted with the Arkanian acolyte, he'd become privy to the wrath that bubbled just beneath his alabaster countenance. That was potent too, different but not entirely dissimilar to the essence that drove his own darkest ambitions. It was also conducive to advancement as Sith, if distinct from that which was more familiar in the Human.
What a spectacle it would be.
"May the best man win."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Mar 1, 2020 9:17:30 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Mar 1, 2020 9:17:30 GMT -5
How aggravating. Rather than acknowledging Visarion’s instruction, rather than thinking with his own brain about why the Knight of Mysteries would choose to relieve them of their lightsabers, Velten decided to dig his heels in.
Normally that would all be well and good. If Visarion and the rich boy wanted to butt heads, Karn was perfectly content to find a rock to sit on and watch until they worked out their differences, through violence or otherwise.
In a way, he could empathize with Velten, despite his distaste for the man after their initial meeting. Karn could be notoriously stubborn when someone pushed the wrong buttons, regardless of their rank. Still, he wondered at the point of it all. Visarion was a full member of the order and they, as Acolytes, were technically not. Visarion could promote them both to Knightship if he willed it, as could any other Knight of the Order.
Regardless of his intent to merely observe, Karn found his attention drawn rudely to the fore as Velten threatened to take the speeder and leave both of them behind.
His ivory eyes narrowed at the Human. “You will do no such thing,” he said, voice low and warning. “I will destroy that speeder and leave us all stranded here before I let you do that.” It wasn’t a hard thing to do; a blast of lightning could overload the speeder’s systems and leave it a ruined, worthless, smoking pile of metal quite quickly. If it didn’t go up in an explosion.
And the thing about speeders was they were inanimate — Karn would not have to hold back his considerable strength in the Dark Side, as he might in a spar with a fellow Acolyte.
He glanced at Visarion, as the Knight’s expression soured. Karn, already open to the Force from when he handed over his lightsaber, felt the Knight’s mood darken, just as he felt a tension grow in the mouth of the dark cavern.
As he took his lightsaber — reunited once again after only a few moments apart — he turned his attention to Velten.
Visarion wanted them to fight. Karn suspected this was borne of the Knight’s irritation with Velten. He didn’t mind that, if things came to blows — he certainly did not fear Velten, and his peer had done himself no favors in their introductory meeting. The threat to leave Karn behind with Visarion, dragging him into a conflict that was otherwise not his, reignited irritation that had otherwise subsided.
But he was more interested in this lesson of the Force, whatever it was, of learning what it was Visarion had to offer them. Karn had not dragged himself out of bed, endured the ride out to the middle of nowhere only for this whole affair to turn into a fight that could just as easily have happened in he sparring yards.
“Allow me to offer some encouragement, dear colleague,” he said in a too-nice tone. “Instead of demanding that you be handed answers on a plate, why not put that brain to use and think, hm? Why would a Knight of Mysteries, who seems as interested in being here as you or I, want to relieve us of our lightsabers before a lesson?
“Sure, he could attack us, but we are two, and he is one.” Karn suspected either of them would have a hard time besting Visarion alone, but together, they’d prove a stiffer challenge. “But what would he gain from that? Coming to the middle of the desert to murder two acolytes just because? There are easier ways to do that, if he wanted, and doing such gains him nothing.
“Clearly then, there is some aspect of this lesson that requires removing the weapons as an option, as a fallback. Do you think you’re unarmed, even without it? Are you so doubtful of your own abilities that you must cling to it like a frightened child to a blanket? Do you think we could not call the weapons to our hands if we truly needed them, or that they would not be returned?” He raised his as-of-yet unignited blade. “Clearly not.”
“But since you,” he said, still looking at Velten, “are clearly only interested in being a stubborn ass and begging for spoonfed instruction and you,” he looked to Visarion, “want to use me in your stead, allow me to make a declaration. You two will work this disagreement out, or I will destroy that speeder myself and we’ll all be stuck here with each other.”
He began to walk back toward the mouth of the cave through which they’d entered, brushing past Velten and stopping a few steps beyond him with blue-white electricity crackling between his open hand’s fingertips, to make a point of the threat, as he turned around. “I came here to learn of the Force, not to waste time with squabbles that could just as easily be had in the Temple.”
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Mar 8, 2020 22:07:52 GMT -5
Post by hugo on Mar 8, 2020 22:07:52 GMT -5
By the time Karn had finished his outburst and sauntered into the cavern's dank obscurity, Visarion was well aware that his little seminar had gone off the rails. Across from him, Velten simmered and watched him like a pouting child. With the last wave of violent threats, the Hapan, who was all but massaging his temples in frustration, realized he had to get things back on track. If he could not be trusted to keep control of two acolytes, even if they were particularly strong-willed ones, the Order could hardly see fit to trust him with more.
Perhaps the touchy ego of the human opposite him could be an advantage, rather than an impediment. Indeed, the swirling, violent essence that churned just beneath the surface in both of them. Visarion needed to help them tame that energy, that acidic resentment that was common to their kind, and channel it, not against one another, but towards their goals.
"I may not have been as clear I should have been, Acolyte." He hid a grimace under a reasonably amiable, conciliatory expression. "I merely asked both of you to disarm to better facilitate your instruction. Both you and Karn there, " his head nodded towards the mouth of the cave, where the ivory acolyte had disappeared, "were judged sufficiently advanced students to learn this valuable skill. If I had not thought either of you capable of the task, I would not have made such a bold request."
"But it still stands, Velten. That lightsaber is an accessory to your power. You are a weapon, and beyond that, the Force has seen fit to open your eyes to its truth, to permit to you and us what it denies to the vast majority of our fellow sentients. My request is not a mere pulling of rank, but, for what the word is worth on Korriban, an honest attempt to play my role in helping you two." Visarion no longer had to suppress a grimace. He was being frank, open. The pensive Hapan did not often speak so highly of people, certainly not to their face, but he judged a degree of honesty to be useful, at least in diffusing the seething human and preventing the trio having to make a long, sullen, and sandy trip back to the temple on foot.
"I will not force you to join us," he said turning to the mouth of the cave and taking a few steps in its direction, "but do know that you were selected for this technique because of your potential, and it would be a disservice not only to yourself, but to the Order and, " he paused, looking down at the ground before back at the human, "your proud family."
For his part, Visarion detested rank and privilege. He never had a family, though he doubted they were the who's who of the Hapes Consortium. Too many among the Sith relied on their family wealth, or even more distastefully, their family name, to fill the gaps left by their want of talent. Aristocracy was cancer to power, in his opinion. But Velten was not one of its malignant offspring, the young man rippling with the raw, base energy that made good Sith. Still, some Humans, depending on their origins, placed great importance on titles and decorum, so the Hapan reasoned a modicum of respect could win over the recalcitrant acolyte.
He gambled that his entreaties were successful, leaving Velten with the speeder as he turned into the cavern's entrance to join Karn on the other end of the narrow crag where the cave opened up into a dimly lit quasi-antechamber.
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CaptainBonkers
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Apr 9, 2020 9:56:56 GMT -5
Post by CaptainBonkers on Apr 9, 2020 9:56:56 GMT -5
Well, that escalated quickly. Velten might have expected some kind of outburst from his fellow acolyte when Visarion tried to use the fellow as his pawn but threatening to blow up the speeder? Talk about overreaction. And a short sighted to boot; Velten couldn’t imagine that the Order looked too kindly on students ruining equipment for the fun of it and judging from Alaric’s clothes, the bloke could hardly afford to compensate the Order for wrecking something as expensive as a military grade landspeeder. Even for Velten that would not have exactly been mere pocket change. Still, it seemed to cause Visarion to re-asses how his lesson was proceeding.
Gone was the dismissive and haughty attitude, replaced with a more conciliatory tone. Alongside, however, came finally some explanation and an affirmation that some one higher in up in the totem pole had signed off on the lesson the instructor was planning to. And as much as Velten hated to admit it after having having dug his heels, Visarion still made a point. He was here to learn, after all, even if it often felt like the instructors had trouble realizing his ability without him having to demonstrate it to them first.
“You might have lead with all that.” he finally said, hesitantly reaching for his lightsaber. It still didn’t feel exactly like a good idea and went against the instincts his various instructors and tutors had drilled into his backbone. “But if I am considered to be ready for this lesson by those in charge, then who am I to challenge that wisdom.” he continued as he caught up with the others, handing his lightsaber over to Visarion.
“Oh, and I suppose you want this as well.” Velten added and drew his blaster pistol from its holster, handing it over, grip first.
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Rugs
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Apr 13, 2020 14:10:47 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Apr 13, 2020 14:10:47 GMT -5
Karn wandered off and waited, arms folded over his chest, to see what came of Visarion and Velten’s disagreement. As far as he was concerned, they could sort the matter out between themselves, but he would not be dragged into it. He’d not left this bed, still freshly recovered from Nar Shaddaa’s traumas, to get caught up in whatever bullheaded nerfshit was keeping the damn lesson fro getting underway.
He scowled at no one in particular as Visarion approached Velten to talk. I knew I should have signed up for a solo class. Intra-sith relations could be volatile at the best of times, and this was certainly not that.
Whatever happened in the brief exchange, Visarion came walking after Karn and, a moment later, so too did Velten, lightsaber extended in hand as he handed it over to their teacher.
“Finally,” Karn muttered, still glowering from where he’d taken to leaning against the wall. All that trouble, and they ended up at the same point they should have been at some point ago. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, feeling the warmth, the Dark power that clung to the forgotten cave. At the bottom of a ravine. In the middle of nowhere. On Korriban.
His white eyes opened with his long, sighed exhale and eyed Visarion and Velten, now properly disarmed, in turn. They were quite different from each other, as he was from each of them. Maybe it was only natural to expect sparks where more than one Sith gathered together.
“Well,” he started, coming off from the uneven cavern wall behind him, “glad to see we’ve worked that out of our system.” His tone indicated, despite his words, that he thought the whole kerfuffle had been a staggering waste of time. “While I doubt it was an intended part of the less, I’m sure we can all learn quite a bit from it!”
His clawed fingers unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and Karn held it out, returning the weapon to Visarion. Seeing no need to dwell on the matter of the disagreement further, Karn turned his attention to Visarion.
“This place is thick with the Dark Side,” he observed to the Knight as the group began to move onward, into the cavern. “That’s not a rarity on Korriban, sure, but there must be something at the heart of it.” That was how it tended to work, in his admittedly-limited experience. When the Dark Side lay over a place like a fog, there was usually a reason. Much like the millennia-old Sith presence on Korriban turned the world to a nexus for the dark energies, so too did tombs and older ruins across its craggy face draw stronger pockets of the Dark Side.
Karn was familiar with some of these locations, scattered around the Valley. This one, though, was new to him. Yet Visarion knew of it. It could be coincidence, sure, but things were rarely so simple.
“Do you know what it is?”
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