A Student Once More ( Darth Ferus )

[Ben Watts]

I am no one.

If he said it enough times then surely it would come true. After facing all of his fears in front of the Dark Lords hand he had been reawaked. His fears were now his powers, his pain was now what drove him, and any notions he had crafted while a Jedi he had to let slip. He was, of course, only a man and it was not as easy as just forgetting. But that was why he was here, that was why he needed to train, and [member="Darth Ferus"] had promised he could make him no one.

It was strange being on the opposite end. For the past thirty years he had been the one training, the one that had given the knowledge, it had been a long while since he had been the one seeking it. What a strange feeling it was, one that put much doubt into his mind. Was he too old to learn new tricks? Some probably thought so, but he had become one of the most powerful force users in the Galaxy once, surely he could do it again.

He had to wonder, though, how this Darth Ferus person would take to him. He had only met him once and in his past life he might have considered someone like him to be unstable, unable to work with him, but those were thoughts of a man who was dead now. It would work, he would make it work, he knew he could. He just hoped Ferus was as dedicated as he was.

For now though, the two would feel each other out, and Ben hoped that the chance he was taking on Darth Ferus would pan out. Entering the agreed meeting place Ben casually strolled up to Darth Ferus and he dropped to one knee, he knew the drill, he bowed his head. "I am here to serve you, my master." He said with a firm tone to his voice.


( I left the location open ended. Not sure where you wanted to train! )

 

[Darth Ferus]

Fresia.

It was a name once associated with a back water world who's only saving grace was the company built upon it. Now, it was a haven for the Dark. The whole planet's population were gathered and slaughtered in just one day. The One Sith had come, and they had no mercy. The few who remained were Sith to learn in the Temple of Pain, a temple owned by [member="Sage Bane"] , another of the Dark Lords chosen. Yet it was not he on that fateful day who had killed those millions of people. He got the credit. But that's what the real creator wanted. Ferus did not want to be known for something so small.

Standing before the lake sized Basin the Sith simply stared into it. It was empty. The blood of two million people was gone, sucked away. Two million souls, devoured, consumed. There souls gave birth to something new. At first they had been writhing in eternal damnation, unable to leave the waters, unable to stop their very beings being used to create monsters and weaponry. Ferus had been lost to these waters, consumed by his own creation in a moment of weakness. He had become chained by the weight of millions. But through the Code he had been set free. He had consumed the basin. Been birthed anew in its murky waters. The missing waters and power was he, and he was it.

The echo's of the dead rang through his head as they all saw the place of their death and their rebirth. Many were angry. Spiteful of their fate. But Ferus had grown use to their screams, perhaps dependent to remind him he was in control. Some of the stronger souls were known to leak into his mannerisms, causing drastic changes in his personality. But he was always himself, always in control.

[member="Ben Watts"] had been called here for a single reason. The Sith had no delusion of training Ben as he would any other acolyte. The ex Jedi was already strong in the Force, already wise beyond his years. No, he would not teach him saber skills or basic force techniques. Instead, he would teach him the philosophy of the Sith. This.. Acolyte, was one in name only, and he would not waste his own or Watts. Red eyes flicked over to the man as he knelt and spoke, and with a single nod he would motion for him to stand.

"Do not confuse yourself with fresh Acolytes. Your skill makes you stronger than even some of the Lords. You are Acolyte in name alone, and I do not expect that to last long. We will however begin the lesson without delay." Ferus found himself once more being influenced by that of a noble spirit. One with honor, and humility. There was a light grumble as he continued. "However, in the presence of others it would be wise to do as you did. Can't have other Lords thinking I've grown soft." Good save Ferus. He would continue on again, not letting any sort of questions interrupt him. "In your time as the Grandmaster, I'm sure you've at least heard of the Sith Code. Tell me what it means to you."

 

[Ben Watts]

Ben raised himself once Ferus began to speak and the two men stood face to face. The location was the opposite of where he trained when he was a Jedi. A flashback to Tython placed Ben under a tree at dusk. A'donari sat across from him and they were both meditating. It was calm there and everything seemed okay as the sun slowly crept away and the darkness followed closely behind it. For a moment he missed A'donari, his prodigy, the one set to replace him after he left. But like with everything else in Ben's life, he had failed, and A'donari was no more.

The Sith Code, Ben almost laughed, the parallels between the Jedi and Sith were humorous. He recalled how every Jedi had opened their lesson with a pointed question about the Jedi Code and now here he was on the other end talking about the Code of the Sith. But there were reasons for it, the Code was not just a set of words, no it was much more than that. The same as the Jedi Code. It represented what it meant to be a Sith, to embrace the ideals, to harness your true power. That was what Ben wanted. He wanted to see how far he could go when he was not holding back. He no longer had to hide from power and act as if he did not desire it.

"Oh yes.... I have heard of the Sith Code," Ben said quietly with a nod of his head. He placed his arms behind his back and he casually turned to face the large basin Ferus had been standing over as Ben approached. Before he continued he stared at his reflection in the water. Small ripples distorted his figure, which was fitting given his current circumstances. "I have been gone for some eight years I believe. Some thought me dead, others thought I had holed up on some planet on the far reaches of the Galaxy, but I was studying."

So [member="Darth Ferus"] was the one who would be the first to hear of where he had been. Turning his head he wondered if he even care, but, it would all tie in together with his question. In time Ferus would learn that Ben was long winded and had a lot to say. It was more indicative of his years spent alone but it was a trait he had always carried. "I gave my everything for the Jedi. My relationship with my friends and family.... the ones I loved.... I sacrificed it all for them. But what do I have to show for it? Everything that I built is being destroyed right before my eyes and I am completely powerless to stop it."

A mix of anger and sadness welled in his voice as he spoke. He truly felt like a failure for what he had let happen to the Galactic Republic but he would use that to fuel him. "In my time of exile I questioned the Jedi Code for the first time. I followed it exactly, you see, but all it did was bring me pain and suffering. So I wondered if maybe everything I had ever believed was wrong. Maybe, just maybe, the Sith Code was the right code. Only one can be right, they are conflicting ideals, and I had always believed the Jedi Code was the right one."

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me."

Ben recited the code for him, from memory, he knew it by heart now. "It means that I can be free, I can do what needs to be done instead of pleasing my peers or the Senate. These are the words that will free me of my bonds, I will break the chains of the Jedi, and I will find peace in the Force for the first time in my life. I will be unencumbered by obligation or authority...... I will be answerable only to myself. It means that I can live my life."

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Peace in the Force you say? Yet right at the beginning of this code you hope to find peace in, it clearly states Peace is a lie. Peace leads to stagnation. To growing old, rusted like a machine. If you do not take care to clean and repair your ship, does it not for away? The code means evolution. Demands evolution. Every day you must become better, stronger, and know that no matter what you do, there will always be something else to learn. All of the Sith of the past have lost because they believed themselves all knowing. They believed there was nothing left to be taught, nothing left to learn, but to just control. Control without evolution." Ferus spoke up only at the end of what [member="Ben Watts"] had to say. Truthfully, Ferus did not care about the explanation. The past was the past, and unless someone learns how to travel back in time, there is nothing that can or will be changed.

Though as Ferus began to speak a different idea began to form in his mind. This man had been through so much, changed so much. Experience made a man who they were. Yet, Ben wanted to become no one. A faceless man to destroy the Republic he had once built. A tool of destruction. A small grin formed on the mans face as his gaze traveled out to the water. "Tell me if you. All of you. Your past. Everything that makes you Ben Watts. And as you do, remember how it shaped you. Your pain, your anger. All of it. And when you are finished, I will help you to forget. If you wish to truly become no one, we will have to destroy the name Ben once and for all."