Back in Black (Ferus)

[Lord Ajihad]

Lord Ajihad, The Demon's Fist, had not been seen in years. He had become a Nightbrother on Dathomir, and spent a good deal of time training with the witches that dwelt on the gloomy planet. He had become a true assassin, learning things that even the Sith couldn't teach him. However, now it was time to complete his training among the Sith.

As well as being a Sith, Vi'kas was also part of the Spynet. That being said, when he disappeared, he did it well. One night, he vanished without a trace, leaving no trail behind. As far as he knew, he had been all but forgotten. However, it was time. Time for his return.

After previously spending a long time looking for his old Master, Vi'kas simply couldn't find him. He looked for the familiar red-skinned Zabrak all over the Sith academy, but could never find him. Instead of giving up, Lord Ajihad began to ask around with some of the younger acolytes. None of them recognized him, probably because of the hood pulled up over his head. Of course, this raised no suspicion. He was in the Sith academy, after all. He finally figured out that his former master and friend had transferred bodies, an occurrence not uncommon among the Sith.

He crouched in the rafters high up in the Sith academy on Coruscant, overlooking the entrance all-too familiar training room that Lord Ajihad and his master, [member="Darth Ferus"] , had often trained in. He had recently seen the Red Assassin enter the chamber with a younger Sith Acolyte, whom Vi'kas did not know. Silently, he dropped from the rafter, and entered the sparring chamber.

 

[Darth Ferus]

If there was anything that should be apparent when a network of Assassins was made, it would be no one could simply just disappear. And [member="Lord Ajihad"] had picked quite the wrong avenue if he wished to hide from Ferus. The Spynet was not only something the Sith Lord knew of, but had friends in. His ties with the Techno Union and C.I.S. of old were facts most forgot, but his time as a Templar ally of the Bantha was still remembered.​

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But the Sith in his new body did not care where his apprentice went. The search for power often brought young Sith such as Vi'kas into new territory and make new friends, none of which truly mattered to the Hand of the Dark Lord unless betrayal was involved.​

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Thankfully, there was none he knew of. At least, yet. But if there was ever a betrayal, one could expect the leader of the Sith Assassins to know.​

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The Darth felt the wayward Knight long before he saw him. Here in the Sith Academy one could expect to fade away in the mosh of signatures. With Ferus, who trained so many and needed to know his surroundings, it was the opposite. When the Demon's Fist entered the room the Sith Lord stood waiting, back to. The younger acolyte was no where to be found, a distraction it seemed.​

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"Good to see you've returned Vi'kas. How long has it been?"​

 

[Lord Ajihad]

The Nightbrother stopped about ten meters away from the Red Assassin, and pulled back his hood. Beneath the cowl was a chiseled face with hard features. An eyepatch was pulled over where his right eye had used to be. He carried two lightsabers on his belt, as well as several gadgets positioned all over his armored body.

A grin split his face, an expression which he had not made in quite some time. The Nightsisters were not a humorous bunch, to say the least...

"Quite frankly, I have lost track of time. It feels like several lifetimes, though I believe it has only been a few years. What have I missed?" The young Sith's rich accent seemed to echo off the walls, coming from every angle. "I have returned because my training is indeed incomplete. I was wondering if you would perhaps be able to assist?"

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"You have indeed been gone a long time Lord Ajihad. I've picked up new apprentices, quite a number actually. I can assist with your training, but you are no longer my apprentice. My secrets no longer available for you to enjoy. Well, some of them at least. Ask what you want to be taught, and I shall teach it if I see it is fitting. Otherwise, I will not. Simple no?"

Both arms crossed over the man's chest as he watched [member="Lord Ajihad"] for signs of emotions. How would he take knowing he was replaced? Would it make him angry, or would he not care? Ferus leaned more towards the latter, but that was only biased off of what he did know of the Fist. Time however changed people, so the first was not ruled out as an option.

 

[Lord Ajihad]

The Sith Knight watched his former Master's movements as he spoke. The man crossed his arms, and watched Vi'kas carefully. It seemed he was trying to get an emotion out of the younger assassin, something many Sith enjoyed doing. However, that was a pleasure [member="Darth Ferus"] would not have the chance to enjoy.

The assassin paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back as he spoke. "Ah, as I remember it, I fought another a long time ago to claim the title as your apprentice. However, I left, which ended my apprenticeship. Fair enough, you have every right to withhold training from me. If you will still teach me, I would like to learn to conceal my presence in the force, so I may not be detected by others. Can you do this?"

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Well, I can't say no to teaching something so fundamental to any Assassin. Very well, I will. But know this. It will take months, even years, before you'll be able to almost completely hide yourself. You will, once mastered, be able to shrink your signature down to the size of an atom. But first, you have to know what your signature is. Sit."

It was a commanding tone. Ferus began to pace back and forth around [member="Lord Ajihad"] , and only when he sat would he continue.

"To find your signature is to find everything that you are. This signature, this part of you, resides outside the body, almost like a bubble that meshes and sometimes envelops others. To shrink it, you have to find the edges of it. Close your eyes, feel the world around you, and feel where you begin and you end in the affecting of the Force."

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Vi'kas did as he was commanded, and sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor. This was but a menial task for him, as he was a Miraluka. He had relied on seeing with the force for the vast majority of his life, and had skill with force sight that it took most Sith years to master. He looked at the world around him through the eyes of the force. He marveled at how different everything looked, how the force's point of view differed so much from his own. He probed the area around his body, seeing what had to be his force signature. It was a black and deep purple loose sphere that surrounded him, looking almost like a delicate bubble ready to pop. Dreamily, he reached his hand out, trying to touch the foreign object. However, as his hand was about to make contact, something unusual happened. The signature changed shape in a blink of an eye, a transformation almost too quick to see. The bubble flashed into the shape of a humanoid figure , surrounding the knight like some sort of avatar. However, this was no human. It was the Grim Reaper.

Startled, the young Sith drew his hand back, surprised and slightly shocked at the occurrence. Just as quickly as it had come, the Reaper disappeared, leaving the seeming innocent bubble in his place. Vi'kas wordless opened his eyes and looked back at his master, wondering if the Red Assassin had seen the anomaly that had just taken place.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Sadly such an anomaly was not a public, but a private. What [member="Lord Ajihad"] had seen was something within his own mind, a shadow of what he was, or what he could be. It was personal, and only Vi'kas could see it. Ferus on the other hand was now sitting across from him, golden eyes focused intently.

"Did you find your signature then?"

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Still a bit stunned from the action that had just taken place, it took Vi'kas a moment to come to his senses. After realizing someone had asked him a question, he snapped back to reality. "Ah, yes. I do believe I have. The question is, what do I do with it?" The assassin suppressed a grin. He had forgotten how exhilarating it was to delve into the ways of the force.

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Now, you simply force it down. Condense it, fold it upon itself, grip it to your form. This is not easy, but just like a rubber band the more you use it, the easier it will get." With that, Ferus chose to sit across from [member="Lord Ajihad"] , watching him in silence as he waited to the task to be completed.

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Again, the assassin closed his eye, relying on the force in order to see. He saw the force bubble around him, and examined it. It was an amazing sight, to say the least. Though he had just seen it, he was still entranced by the foreign object that surrounded him. He then thoroughly scanned it, looking for a way to condense it.

He eventually decided that his best bet was to use the force to suck it in towards the center of his being. He picked the area directly below his sternum, and began the process. He controlled the force, using it to almost vacuum the bubble inwards. At first, nothing happened. Just as he was about to give up, it suddenly sucked inwards. It condensed to the size of his fist in less than a second. However, as he tried to make it smaller, he couldn't. He then recalled [member="Darth Ferus"] 's words. The more he practiced, the better he'd get. He opened his only eye, and looked at the Red Assassin, seeing if he had any input on the subject.

 

[Darth Ferus]

And approving nod would be all [member="Lord Ajihad"] got from the Sith as the signature condensed down to a viable size. As in the past, Vi'kas had learned as quick as Ferus expected he would, and at this point there was nothing else the Darth could show the younger assassin. With both hands behind his back Darth Ferus left the Night Brother, letting him practice in silence, as all Sith should once in a while.

 

[Lord Ajihad]

Vi'kas stood up as his former master departed, but he had one last thing to say. "Before you leave, I have something you might like." As he spoke, he dug through his robes, trying to find the object he had brought for [member="Darth Ferus"] . After a couple of minutes, he found what he was looking for. It was a medium-sized black bag, with a red string tied around the top to keep it closed. As he tossed it to the Red Assassin, he said, "It's a herbal tea mix, something I concocted on Dathomir, it improves your clarity with the force. It helps clear your mind, too. Should be good for meditating, I think." If he remembered correctly, his former master loved tea. He hoped that was still the case.

 

[Darth Ferus]

A brow raised as the man turned, and a single hand reached out to catch the bag. Darth Ferus looked between it and [member="Lord Ajihad"] and the latter spoke, but with a grin the Sith would offer a shrug. Fire took over the bag, black in color as the Hand of the Dark Lord burned the gift. "The tea I drank was because of a weakness of my old body. That is no longer the case, and clearing my mind only lessens the effect I aim to get from the Force." With that, Darth Ferus would leave Vi'kas, not halting for any continuation of the conversation.