Private Apathy Is Death

[Darth Solipsis]

His voice reached out across space and time, transcending the vast physical boundaries through the majesty of the Force. It started as a whisper, almost a faint echo. Slowly it grew as if it was becoming attuned to Wilhelm's location and place within the vessel. The cargo hold was cold, filled with stale air, and cramped with the plunder of the newfound pirate companions hosting the boy. His voice was not.

There was a strange warmth to the Elder's voice, unlike before it did not try to worm through his mind from the dark recesses like on Hoth. While not invasive, it seemed darker then and more assertive. No, not this time, it came to the forefront in a welcoming, comforting warmth. The same way it came to him before, during his stay with the CIS when he needed it the most.

"You have done well, my boy."

There was no visible body, no physical presence around him to match the voice. As it had always been, an inaudible voice that only he could hear. Yet, there was no mistake that someone, something was with him in that cargo hold.

"The Ashla has preserved you from the perversion of the Bogan. Be mindful of what you have witnessed, for you too can become as savage as those beasts." He paused, ever so briefly as if to collect his thoughts on the matter. "I promised to teach you, and so I shall. You are growing closer, I can feel it. I also sense that the time for apathy is over. With the threats aligned against you, perhaps we should begin our lessons sooner than expected."

The Elder exhaled softly, followed by a sudden wheezing. Composing himself, he chuckled in a lighthearted manner. "Such is old age. I have been around for a long time, and I have had many names."

His voice deepened, "You may call me Laevus.." An unseen smile crept across his wicked face, "..and I look forward to completing your training."


Cedric Grayson

 

[Cedric Grayson]

The flight had been relatively uneventful thus far. Wilhelm had busied himself with exploring every nook and cranny of the ship and making friends with the many pirates aboard. They were all kind to him despite their natures: the youth was unsure as to whether that was simply because their captain had taken a shine to him, or it was genuine compassion - he didn't much care either way.

He was in the middle of a sabacc game with two of the Nikto engineers when the voice came calling again. It had been several days since he'd heard it last, and he'd almost started to think that the voice was simply an unhinged part of his consciousness; that he had never conversed with the ethereal being in the first place.

It came as a whisper as it always did, but there was a candor to it that had been lacking in the past. It pushed aside some of the youth's unease - at least enough to convince the boy that it was worth responding.

"I gotta go," he mumbled to the two Nikto. There was no money in the game, and they simply nodded along as he meandered to one of the isolated corners of the chamber.

The voice gave him a name: Darth Solipsis . It was an odd name, but then many of those Wilhelm had come across carried even stranger monikers. He did not reply immediately, instead choosing to stare blankly at one of the shipping containers as he considered whether it was wise or not to entreat Laevus. The voice-man-thing had spoken harshly to him before, but his instructions had saved Wilhelm's life. Miss Alyson spoke of Laevus as if he were an evil figure, but to Wilhelm, she seemed only paranoid. The stranger had proven himself to be a friend thus far.

"The Ashla has always protected me, or at least that was what Ma always said," Wilhelm whispered to the crate. "What kind of threats? Are the Sith still coming?" He asked, a hint of worry coloring his youthful voice.

The boy sighed. "Miss Alyson said I have talent in the magic - the Force. I stopped those soldiers before, but I don't really know how." The youth paused, "But you do, don't you?"

 

[Darth Solipsis]

"Your mother was right. The Ashla protects you, it guides you, but it won't save you if you won't try to save yourself. Always keep that in mind." The crate whispered back, at least in the mind's eye of the child. "Dear child, there are far worse things than the Sith lurking in the dark corners of the galaxy.." Laevus sighed in a soft tone.

".. but yes, the Sith hunt you still. I fear you will find many things ahead that will test you. For that, you must be ready to face whatever is to come." The Elder chuckled light heartily as the boy again referred to the Force as magic before correcting himself. The boy paused, and asked a question. Nearly a statement in the manner he spoke, as if he already knew the answer.

"Of course."

He began wheezing once more, he attempted to clear his throat and exhaled deeply. "The Force is a most powerful ally. It is an energy field that connects all living things, it binds the galaxy together. It surrounds you and I now, it exists within and without us. It strives for balance, it guides us to our destinies... but it does not rule them."

His voice beckoned to the boy, "Sit down and close your eyes. Find a quiet place within and center yourself." Laevus whispered now in a hushed voice, one that was more soothing to the mind. "Drown out the noise around you, it is only you and I in this place. Let go of your physical senses, your body is an anchor that must be severed. Let the Ashla guide you."

Laevus closed his eyes, he let himself start drifting off in trance. The Elder began to enter a meditative state, he centered himself and spoke, "Reach out.. Reach out with your feelings.. do not try. Failure is certain, you must push. You know you can, you have felt it before. You must truly feel the weight of your physical body drift away in the current of the Force. Your senses heighten as you touch it, your chains.. you must break your chains. The Force shall set you free."

"Reach out.." The Elder's voice bellowed, echoed by an unfamiliar, younger voice that was barely audible. ".. and tell me what you see."


Cedric Grayson

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Wilhelm did not respond with words, only with hitched breath and a taut jaw. Laevus had been kind to him thus far, far kinder than most. If he could teach him to use the Force, to utilize the same strengths his father once possessed, then he would listen. If could gain the power required to prevent others from suffering as he had, then he would do whatever was required of him to achieve it.

An alliance built upon hatred was a fragile alliance at best, but it was all Wilhelm needed to make his decision.

"I will try," he mumbled as he allowed himself to drop down to the floor in a kneeling position. his eyes drifted shut, and at first, all he took note of was the blackness behind his eyelids. The empyrean did not speak to him, but he felt its river running nearby all the same - it was as if he were a dying man wasting away in the desert, and he could hear a fresh river running just over the next hill, but could not see past its apex.

That irked him.

"I see a desert," the boy mouthed, "A big dry desert." It wasn't the most descriptive thing ever put to the word, but then Wilhelm was no poet. He drew in a deep breath, and slowly let it run its course through his body. Nothing changed. The river's babbling grew louder, and in doing so became all the more maddening.

And then he felt the first drops.

Slowly the world around him faded to nothingness. The smells of oil and gunmetal withered away to staleness and the warmth upon his skin from the light above followed suit.

He felt the river washing over him as he immersed himself within it, a running of energy that almost threatened to tip him over. The waters were terribly deep, and the river's tide was violent as it crashed into him. It was all he could do not to drown.

The darkness shifted.

"I...I see a planet. A world. It is on fire. Everyone's dying I don't -!" the youth stuttered. "I see another planet. It's...that's Dantooine. It's home. I...there's ships. A fleet. An army. Two armies. My home, it's on fire too. The nerf are burning, mama is dead!" The boy shuddered. "Soldiers in white. Crimson sabers. Jedi? No, I don't..."

The vision faded as quickly as it had come.

"I...I have to go home. I have to go to Dantooine. The river - the Force, I feel it, I think it's telling me I need to go there. I don't understand."

Darth Solipsis

 

[Darth Solipsis]

"I see a desert." The boy spoke, while not very descriptive, it was exactly what the Elder wanted to hear. "A big dry desert." Laevus's lips parted, spouting words of approval as he too was beginning to immerse into a deep state of connection with the Force. "Good. Keep going."

As the boy delved deeper into the current, bolstering his connection with the Force, Laevus focused intently on his emotions. He could hear the fear in the boy's voice just as clearly as he could feel it with senses. He spoke of his home burning, he spoke of people dying. Armies clashing over the plains of Dantooine, and his mother, his poor mother..

"You are not in control, you are confused by what you see. Afraid even." Laevus whispered as he preached to the boy, "You want to stop what is to come, you feel powerless." A sickening smile appeared across his face as he grinned from ear to ear. "Good."

He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "Powerless individuals often turn to anger. They lash out with a blind fury, often to everyone's detriment." The Elder's voice deepened, "Powerful beings harness their anger, like a sharpened tool. They let it build and patiently wait for the opportunity to strike, but when the opportunity arises they do not hesitate. They show no mercy."

His eyes opened, he gazed out into the dark as if he was looking upon the boy as he spoke. "If we do not strike, we fall. Apathy is death." Laevus audibly clapped his hands together, the sound carrying into their conversation as he continued, "If you go to Dantooine, who will you be?"


Cedric Grayson

 

[Cedric Grayson]

The old man's words rung in Wilhelm's head as if they were his own. The boy had received many teachings as of late, and they all seemed to be in contest with one another. Mordok The Fallen had spoken similarly to Darth Solipsis . Kahlil Noble and Alyson Halle rebuked such teachings, and offered another path.

Wilhelm was still uncertain as to where he stood with such things, but Laevus had always been kind, if not a bit pushy. If the old man's words were true, if his philospiphy could save his mother, then Wilhelm would allow himself to believe in them. The image of Dantooine melted away as Wilhelm warred with his own thoughts, replaced by the Great Ocean he had often seen in his dreams. It was the way by which Wilhelm understood the living force, much as his parents had.

"I want to save my mother," Wilhelm spoke, his voice loud and confident, a hint of bridling anger lacing his words. "I...I never saw her die. Never felt it. She made me leave Dantooine when the Sith came through on their purges. She stayed behind, to try and stop them I think, I dunno."

The youth shuddered.

"I'll be whatever she needs me to be Laevus. If she's still alive, we can save her before this war happens. I know she won't live through it if I do nothing." The boy paused, "I know it."

Another pause. "But...why do the strong not show mercy? My father always said that mercy was a true sign of strength, that it allowed you to rise above your animalistic instincts. Was he wrong?"

 

[Darth Solipsis]

"I want to save my mother."

Laevus relished those words and found the underlying hint of anger soothing. He listened as the boy expressed his desire to save his mother from the clutches of the Sith, from the horrors that were to come on the fields of Dantooine. He was curious to say the least, to know truly what the boy had seen, yet he would make no attempt to read the surface of his thoughts. At least not at this time.

"I know... I know.." Laevus exhaled slowly, "Then we must move quickly. Learn what I have to teach you if you are to save your mother and survive the Sith pursuing you. Only through me will you have the power to save those you love. I give this to you, my friend."

The Elder paused, "Your father was a great man, much like his father before him, but he is wrong. Mercy is weakness. Offer it to your enemies and you might as well fall upon your own saber. Showing mercy is to not administer just punishment to the guilty. Punishment that has been earned."

He paused again for his words to sink in for a brief moment, "My boy, eventually all those who show mercy meet their end. You know this firsthand.."

"Open your mind, let me show you where you come from."


Cedric Grayson