A Discussion Between Master and Apprentice

[Aidan Moonrunner]

As usual, Nox was in her quarters, her eyes closed in meditation. Her hood was down, revealing her short black hair and pale skin to the world, something it did not exactly see often. The Acolyte was once more searching deep within herself, channeling the darkness inside of her. Searching for what, she did not know; but when she found it, she would know it.
Even as a child in a cult, Nox enjoyed meditation, she found it relaxing and enlightening.

In her meditation, the assassin felt her Master, [member="Darth Ophidia"], approaching. Perhaps she wished to speak with her? Very well. Nox simply continued her meditation. If her Master wished to converse, then they would.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Entering, Darth Ophidia set her eyes on her apprentice, @Nox. She was indeed there to speak, wanting to better understand her apprentice so that she could teach her more efficiently. She was wearing quite the standard set of fitted black robes. Her hood was thrown back to expose her bald head, as she often did when she did not mind being seen. Seeing the young woman in meditation, the Rattataki Sith Lord sat down and closed her own eyes to join her. Ophidia's legs crossed under her in the lotus position and her hands cupped in her lap as she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.

In her mind, she stood in front of a pool of black water. Her fingers touched the liquid and caused a ripple to run through the still surface. Just as she did, a ripple could be sensed around her. The, she dipped the toes of her mind into the water. It was cold. Her foot went in, then the other. She waded deeper and deeper into the pool until only her face was on the surface, looking up. From there, she felt as though she could see Nox' meditation.

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

Nox felt her Master sit beside her, and join the acolyte in meditation. Her mouth twitched with a smile, but it quickly reverted back to it's previous line of concentration. In her mind, Nox was once again a child on Hoithea, facing off against another Initiate. Both held blades in their hands, and both were determined to prove they were the best.
Their blades locked with each other in a shower of sparks, her eyes meeting with her opponent's, both burning with hatred and corruption. Again and again, their blades met, with neither gaining an advantage over the other.
Finally, Nox screamed in rage as she used the Force to disarm her opponent, and sink her blade into the Initiate's chest. Blood sprayed on her, and Nox watched the light leave her eyes.
"Embrace the Shadow."

Nox's eyes opened from the vision into her past, and they swiveled to [member="Darth Ophidia"].
"What can I do for you, Master."

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Ophidia watched as if looking down on the two girls fighting. She did not intervene nor speak, because she knew she was a visitor in this memory. Rather, she took note of what she had seen. It was similar to a memory she had experienced in the poison-induced Spirit Walk of her Knighthood Ceremony so many years ago. A smile spread on her lips as she drew the parallel. However, as [member="Nox"] exited her meditation, Ophidia was pulled out of the memory. It felt as though she had been yanked directly from the water she had immersed herself in. Darth Ophidia's red eyes opened and fixed on the apprentice before her, a small smile curling the corners of her lips.

"What was that you were meditating on? A memory?"

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

Nox breathed deeply as she prepared to answer [member="Darth Ophidia"]'s question.
"Yes. One of my most significant, if not exactly treasured. It was the first time I took the life of another."
Her blue eyes looked away.
"I and another Initiate were ordered to attack each other, to fight each other. We were not ordered to fight to the death, but we were so eager to impress our Masters that we took it to that level."
Her eyes looked back at her Master.
"Tell me, do you remember the first time you killed, Master?"​

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As [member="Nox"] spoke, Ophidia could relate. One of the reasons why she had been so intrigued by the memory was because it was so similar to one of her own. As Nox asked if she could remember her first kill, the Rattataki seemingly produced a coin out of thin air. It was a trick, a slight of hand she had thoroughly mastered. The golden coin rolled over the top of her knuckles before returning between Ophidia's thumb and forefinger. The motion of it was smooth and natural to the point where it hardly even drew attention.

"Yes, Nox. I too was just a girl, ten years old perhaps. It was in the gladiatorial arenas of my home planet. A comrade and I were both caught stealing and so they thought it would be good sport to pit us against one another. We each got a knife and we were ushered into the Arena. I left her gutted in the sand, and they paid me one token credit."

The coin rolled over her knuckles again as she spoke, only to reappear at her thumb once more. There was no remorse in her voice, nor pride or anger. It was a dry and matter-of-factly tone. The gold disk flitting over her knuckles could have bought her anything at that time. Food, spices, shelter, sweet relief. Yet she had it in her hand to this day. It was a token of determination to never again be weak, and it was a token for revenge. One day the sands of Rattatak would be wet with blood again.

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

Nox watched and listen to [member="Darth Ophidia"] with fascination, her admiration for her Master growing. Ophidia was one of the very few people in her life that respected her, and Nox couldn't imagine her life without the Sith Lady.
That was one of the reasons she was so conflicted.

She had been keeping a secret from the Sith, one that could destroy them; and her Master was the only person she trusted with that secret.
"Master. . ." She hesitated. "I feel I must tell you something, but I need your word to not breathe a word of it to the others."​

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Darth Ophidia's eyes narrowed slightly as [member="Nox"] broke off from their topic with what sounded to the Rattataki as a hesitant voice. She had not known the Acolyte to be hesitant in anything, and as such it alarmed her to see her holding back. Whatever she had not told them, it was a serious matter. Deep down, Ophidia had an inkling of what it could be about. She had, of course, noticed the similarities between her own apprentice and the forces that had attacked their temporary base on Coruscant. Not to mention the coincidence that a significantly stronger person had seemingly sought Nox out.

"I can promise you I will not tell them the whole truth, nor where I got it from. However, I will not promise you that I will not act on that which you tell me."

If there was an organisation coming for the Sith Assassins, then as the Aspect of Death, she had to set in motion the countermeasures.

"Even so, no one lays a finger upon my apprentice unless I say so. You are safe, Nox"

The smile on her lips was almost motherly as she spoke, a strange look for a stone-cold assassin. Yet, deep down she meant it. She felt a certain protectiveness over her apprentices. While she was a firm believer in culling the weak, she still had an urge to protect those who sought her teachings. They were conflicting emotions, and often she had to put her protective feelings aside in order to purge their weaknesses.

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

Nox breathed deeply, and closed her eyes for a moment.
"You remember the attack on our Coruscant base, yes?"
She looked at the ground.
"Those people. . . They did not attack the Assassins."
She managed to look [member="Darth Ophidia"] in the eye.
"They were attacking me, and you got in their path."

The young woman's gaze dropped to the ground once more
"They have been hunting me for a long time, now; I thought that perhaps with the Assassins, they would stop out of fear of the Sith, but I was wrong. They will not stop until I am dead."​

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"Of course I got in their path. You were in danger. Danger I did not sanction. No one hurts my apprentice without my say-so."

She was hardly aware that she was saying it, and after the words had spluttered from her mouth, she narrowed her eyes in scrutiny at her own utterance. Did she really care so much for her apprentices? Yes, she did. It was one thing if they got themselves into trouble, but this was an attack right in the Sith's back-yard. Darth Ophidia would not allow it. Then again, pieces came together as the new information came into play. The similarity in armour had bothered her, not to mention the mysterious origins of @Nox. Who were the masters she had spoken of?

"I'm glad you told me. What more can you tell me about them? So that I may better protect you and others from them. No doubt, they will attack again."