Chains Freed

[Dravis Rosilla]

COURSCANT, LOWER CITY​

ROSILLA'S FINE DINING AND DRINK​

​

The din of hushed voices and soft music played under bright, seedy lights. Luminescent floors glowed under foot, trampled by the dirty lowlives of the galaxy. All carried blasters of some sort, the unease in the air palpable despite the warm colors and fine wines. No one could say Dravis hadn't done well for himself.

Behind the glass counter, arms rested nonchalantly, fingers tapping impatiently, was a Bith. The creature had a bulbous, wrinkly head, punctuated by dark, endless eyes, and a circular mouth, pursed, as if he had eaten a sour fruit. He very well could have, the wines in Rosilla's could make a Rancor's eyes water. That's what it said on the bottle, anyways.

Dravis Rosilla stared down in front of him, at the bottle of wine in his grasp. Perhaps he was slightly inebriated, but the Bith didn't care. Today had been a long shift, and Drav was ready for it to end. A Gamorrean stepped up to him, and grunted. Absentmindedly, Dravis poured something for the pig, and returned to his blank staring.

He was tired. A fourteen-hour shift will do that to a man. He hated it. He hated his job, he hated the people who came, he even hated the credits he got, which were far from satisfactory. He yelled behind him, at the cook.

"Grazzi! I'm leaving!" His voice was sharp, insistent, and more than a bit angry. The cook, a Besalisk, peeked out, yelling back in a similar manner.

"Over my dead body, Rosilla! You aren't leaving chit!" The muscular, four-armed alien shook a fist, and went back to cooking up something.

"Watch me!" The Bith threw his bottle into the kitchen, shattering the glass against the bright floor, and stepped out from behind the counter. Drav shambled out of the door, and into the street, biting back curse words as he walked towards his apartment.

- [member="Darth Abyss"] -

 

[Darth Abyss]

Coruscant. It had been years since Abyss had set foot on the cityscape of what once had been the capital planet of the one sith. He remembered the war he fought here, in his early time as an acolyte. Now the alliance had taken over and while the city looked the same as always, something still felt different. Maybe it was because this place was a symbol of defeat for anyone who had been with the one sith empire at the time, or maybe it was because most of the corrupted infection of darkness hsd faded significantly.

Instead of his typical black robe, Abyss was shrouded in a black hoodie and grey trousers, a red scarf hiding everything but his eys. In place of his lightsaber he only carried a slugthrower in a holster on his right. Hiding in plain side, blending in with the scum that inhabited the lowermost levels of the city. The bar he had spend his time in once had been a market for rare and expensive informations, but now it seemed like any other half broke cantina on world like this.

He had traveled here for simple reconnaissance, finding out what the jedi and the alliance where up to right now. Sadly that information, or any other had been denied to him, as most people on coruscant weren't that keen on opposing the jedi.

He had ordered a drink, yet he had not taken a single sip from his beverage when the Barkeeper was about to leave. Without his scarf he would be fairly easy to recognise, and he had done one bad thing to much to let his caution slip like that.

Wordlessly Abyss followed the bith, waiting for the alien to take a wrong turn, so he could draw him away from the streets. As they passed by a dark alleyway, Abyss gun wandered in his hand. With a controlled voice he spoke.

"No wrong move, No sound. Do exactly what I say or die."

[member="Dravis Rosilia"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Dravis stepped into the street, feet lazily dragging under him. He was tired, of today, of this planet, of life in general. He had all the symptoms of an overworked man. Therefore, Abyss didn't have to wait long until the Bith made a wrong turn.

The Bith stumbled past an alley, and froze as he heard a voice behind him. It sounded calm, controlled, not entirely friendly. Drav turned slowly, dark eyes glinting as he spotted the hooded man behind him, blaster at the ready. Dravis frowned, putting up his hands disarmingly. "Woah, woah, no hasty moves, sir. I know how muggings work."

The Bith kept his hands in the air, fingers twitching. He felt fear begin to take control as he stared at his would-be mugger. This wasn't the first time this had happened to him, of course. He really needed to start carrying around a blaster, or knife, or something. "All of my change is in my bag, you can have it."

- [member="Darth Abyss"] -

 

[Darth Abyss]

"A mugging?"

Abyss yellow eyes rolled upwards, the only visible emotion that wasn't hidden under the scarf that shrouded his face. He had not interest in something as redundant as the mans handful of credits, as his cult was slowly starting to make him richer than he ever had been.

"Guess again bith, can you not see what I am."

Slowly he moved towards the alien, the gun still aimed at him without a twitch or any other sign of nervousness. Normally he would had send one of his men to do something like this, but it was important to be highly cautious in alliance space, and he was his most skilled asset after all.

"The place you work at, I am sure you are aware for what it was known for before the invasion. I need everything you got on recent alliance activity."

Abyss felt the fear inside the man, the reek of weakness and despair, but something else was flowing under the surface, a dim fire of passion. How couldn't he have sensed it when he stepped into that bar?

[member="Dravis Rosilla"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Dravis narrowed his eyes at the man, taking him in. There was something... dark about him, something the Bith couldn't quite place. When he spoke, however, Dravis began putting together the pieces.

"You're... a bounty hunter of some kind, then? You want secrets?" Dravis kept his hands up, but felt a sudden burst of anger. A strange feeling plagued the Bith as the dark swelled within him.

Might as well try it.

"Take this secret!" Quickly, both arms flicking out in front of him, Drav attempted to reach out with the Force towards the blaster in Abyss' hand. He would try to fling it from the Sith's grasp, and onto the floor. He was extremely unpracticed, only raw emotion empowering his disarm maneuver.

- [member="Darth Abyss"] -

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss almost couldn't believe his eyes as the gun was pulled out of his hands and dropped towards the ground. He had felt something special about the man, but he had been unable to place it until now. Simply by judging his appearance and his job, Abyss mistook him for just another burned out bartender. Being so arrogant normally wasn't his thing, and this encounter reminded him why.

Before the weapon could even hit the ground, his hand extended, stopping the weapon mid air. Slowly he moved his hands, reaching towards the piece of metal levitating above the ground. As his hands meet the handle of once more, he lifted it up again, this time aiming it at the biths face.

"Guess again, lesser one. I am no common bounty hunter."

He could feel the rage inside himself building up as fits of blue lightning danced over his arms. It would have been a pleasure to fry the alien up with a bit help of the darkside, but the power was simply to flashy and easy to recognize to be used on coruscant, even in an isolated alley like this one.

[member="Dravis Rosilla"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Drav felt momentary success as his power ripped the man's weapon away. The grin he had cultivated vanished instantly as the blaster stopped it's descent, and traveled back into the man's hand. Dravis felt a wad of fear lodge itself into his being, the darkness within him swelling because of it.

"You're... a Sith." Dravis raised his hands again, terrified. "I'm sorry, I thought..."

Abyss wasn't completely wrong. Rosilla's was known as a place for information swapping. Of course, Dravis had information. Information he was planning on selling. But held up by a Sith like this, the Bith knew he had to give it up. He may have power, but he was nothing to the Sith Knight before him.

Drav had used the Sith that had come into his bar as a base-line for his studies in the Force. Their raw power, ferocity, and renown were what Drav wanted more than anything in the world. So he knew very well that he had to cooperate to survive.

"Yes, I know a few things about the Alliance." Dravis tried to calm himself, the same irritated pursing lips finding itself on his circular mouth. "How about the location of an undercover sting operation, led by a high-ranking official? Can't get that if I'm dead, can ya?" Despite his angry tone, he was mostly afraid, and a bit in awe of the Sith before him. He had witnessed them from a distance for the past ten years, never daring to go close to one.

- [member="Darth Abyss"] -

 

[Darth Abyss]

A laugh could be heard from under the scarf, as Abyss continued his walk towards the bith, the gun still high up in the air. As only roughly a meter was between the two, he suddenly lowered the gun, to give the alien some room to breath. He could feel fear inside the man, but also ambition, dedication, passion. And he had played well, giving him a taste of his secrets to secure his survival.

"I could simply rip your secrets out of your mind bith, without even lifting my hand."

He advanced further until he could almost touch the alien, the yellow glow of his eyes fixated on the black emptiness that was characteristics for the eyes of the bith. He was smart, and he taught himself at least something about the force. That was admirable, and a sure sign that he was sith material to be forged. The question that really mattered now was if he was material to be the apprentice of Darth Abyss, the ascended, the last knight of the one sith, the prophet of the darkness, and a number of other meaningless titles.

"Kneel, acolyte. Show me if you have been born to serve the darkness."

[member="Dravis Rosilla"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Drav backed up as the imposing Sith approached, holding out his hands defensively. The idea of ripping secrets out of his mind seemed... painful. "I'd rather you didn't do that, Sith." The Bith glanced around quickly, looking for any alternative avenues of escape, finding none. Then, Abyss commanded him to kneel.

Dravis cocked his large head at the command, confusion gripping him. "Of... Of course!" He fell to his knees quickly, doing everything in his power to avoid looking the man above him in the eye. This man wanted him to become an acolyte? To become Sith? Dravis had never actually considered the path before.

When Courscant had been taken by the One Sith, and Drav had encountered his first of the kind, he had been impressed, and terrified. These beings wielded immense power, their word and saber enough to gain respect from just about anyone. Dravis had been jealous. He had wished to have that sort of power. Then his own Force showed itself, that same day. Dravis hadn't realized that it may have been fate.

The Bith grew conviction in his bottomless eyes, and a spark of yellow could be seen forming at their very centers as he fully embraced his ambition. "Born to serve... My lord."

- [member="Darth Abyss"] -

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Wrong. A sith is born to rule. Only a fool is born to serve."

Anger flickered through Abyss yellow glowing eyes as he looked down on the alien in front of him. A sith had to be obedient to a master to grow and evolve, but someone who was born to serve certainly lacked the ambition and strength to really become a sith. Obedience and loyalty only existed as long as a apprentice found the inner strength to overcome those more powerful. It seemed that this one had a lot to learn.

"Being Sith is more than commanding the force, more than wielding a crimson red blade and hunting jedi. It is a path only for those strong enough to survive it. There is no room for the weak in our ranks. Make sure you understand that before you make a decision."

The sith knight still towered over the bith that was kneeling in front of him, his presence a dark mist that clouded the air in fear and uncertainty. After a few moments he began to speak again, after what he deemed enough time to make such a live changing decision. If he was truly meant to become a sith, then there would be no doubt.

"If you choose to wander upon the path of the sith, than repeat my words, remember them, understand them. If not, be gone and make sure our paths will never cross again."

"There is no peace, only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain Victory.
Through Victory, my chains will be broken.
The force shall free me."

[member="Dravis Rosilla"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

"Wrong."

The Bith seethed in his bow as Abyss said that word, and seethed more as more were said. Had Abyss not just asked him...?

Trick questions. Dravis hated trick questions. And it showed, as even while Abyss' eyes flared in anger, so too did the new specks of yellow energy in Dravis' eyes, becoming bright flames for a moment, before taming back into what they were before.

Even while Darth Abyss emitted his terrifying presence, the Bith didn't cower in fear. Nor did he feel fear, besides the small suspicion that none of this was actually happening to him. He had longed for recognition, for power, for so long, and if the man before him thought otherwise, he was dead wrong.

"There is no peace." Dravis looked up from his bow, at the man above him, black eyes void of emotion. "Only passion."

The Bith's lips pursed, anger below the surface of his calm demeanor. "Through passion, I gain strength." Dravis lingered on that word, relishing it. Strength. Strength was what he wanted. But he realized there was a bigger picture, as the Sith code went on.


"Through strength, I gain power." The Bith stood from his kneeling position, now almost eye level with the Sith before him.

"Through power, I gain victory." Pale hands balled under his apron, the rage in him unquenchable.

"Through victory, my chains will be broken." Dravis untied his apron, letting it fall to a heap on the ground.

"The Force shall free me."​

​

- [member="Darth Abyss"] -

 

[Darth Abyss]

Darth Abyss watched as the bith rose from the ground in front of him, his desire, his passion flowing through the force around him with undeniable strength. He remembered the time he repeated the sith code in front of his master, the first sith he ever meet. Other than this bith he had been aware of the code long before he had been initiated into the ranks of the sith, but like him he only learned to understand it as a true sith stood in front of him.

"Good. You made the first step into a world that is greater than you and me, greater than anything else in this universe."

Blue lightning again began to dance around his left arm, as he looked at the new born acolyte, his face deformed into a cruel grin that was hidden under the scarf. He knew what he signed up for in theory, but now he had to learn what it meant in praxis. There was no room for mistakes in the path of the sith, not even such small ones as standing up in front of a superior being.

"I can feel your ambition, acolyte, your desire for strength. But strength is only for those who earned it. I can not remember that I allowed you to stand, lesser one."

With a swift movement his left pushed forward, aimed at the face of the alien, the energy that had build up around it ready to be released on contact. What better way to prepare an acolyte than an act of seemingly unjustified and mindless violence? Only when he would grow as a sith he would realize that pain and suffering would form him into what he desired.

"Welcome to the sith."

[member="Dravis Rosilla"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Dravis stared down the Sith in front of him, balls of burning passion in his bottomless eyes. Somehow, just saying the Code reaffirmed his desire to follow this path. His inner flame blazed, rekindled by the mysterious Darth. His kindled flame only grew when he heard Abyss' affirmation. It turned to amazement as he saw the blue lightning. That was, until he saw the manic grin. Oh.

Welcome to the Sith, indeed.

"Agh!" The Bith cried out as arcs of blue electricity surged through his being, threatening to engulf him. He fell to the floor, writhing and squirming, crying out in tortured agony. A couple Duros walked by the alley, eyes widening in horror as they realized what was happening, and quickly walked in the other direction. Dravis hated them for not helping, but also understood their fear. His spark of the Dark side only grew.

Whnever the lightning stopped, Drav would lay gasping, his entire body in a world of pain he had never known before.

"Of course, My lord. Sorry, My lord." Dravis sat up, and knelt at the Sith's feet, anger welling up in him.

- [member="Darth Abyss"] -

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss felt the anger rushing through the new born sith in front of him, he could feel how the darkness began to take hold inside the biths mind. He was ambitious and determined, yet he still stood right at the beginning and weakness pouring out of him. This one had a long way to go, a way that would break his mind a reform him into a new, better being.

Right now it was impossible to say if the man was worthy to become Abyss apprentice, to much was still obscured and unknown about the future. The galaxy was a chaotic place, and there was only room for the strong at the side of the sith knight. A sith apprentice wasn't simply there to study, a apprentice was chosen to be the eyes, ears and blade of its master. Potential was good, but Abyss needed more.

"I can see a future for you in our ranks, acolyte, maybe even by my side when the time is right. But before I deem you worthy to learn from me, you have to prove yourself. Learn, advanced, evolve. Show me that you are more than what I can see today."

From his pocket, Abyss grabbed a com device and handed it down to the alien. On it was a set of coordinates, that would lead the bith to malachor V and the academy Abyss had created there. Also on it was a way to get in contact with the sith order as a whole, so that he could learn. Hopefully the bith would surprise him, and meet him at the Academy one day in the near future to show him what he had become.

[member="Dravis Rosilla"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

As Dravis simmered in his kneeling position, he heard Abyss' less-than-comforting words. But, he supposed, comfort wasn't for him. Not yet. When he achieved enough power, perhaps then he would be comfortable.

The Bith kept his bulbous head low as Darth Abyss handed him the com device. Dravis snatched it out of the man's hand, flicking the device into his pocket. "Of course, My lord. Perhaps when I meet your expectations."

The new Sith clenched his fists, anger again flaring from his aura. How was he supposed to grow in power if he had no teacher? Perhaps that was the test; amass power on his own. He had to find power. That meant leaving his old life behind. Could he do that?

Yes. Yes he could.

A new conviction found its way into Dravis' bow, becoming more rigid. Everything he had learned about the world, he discarded. That was the old Dravis. He was new, reborn... weak.

He would grow in power. For now, he only bowed. One day, however, he would be the one above the rest.

- [member="Darth Abyss"] -

 

[Darth Abyss]

The cruel grin in his face twitched, showing a small hint of satisfaction before his face returned back into a cold and emotionless stare down on the bith. He knew that he was now reborn completely, a blank slate for the sith to form, a new life, a new sense of self, exactly like Abyss had been years earlier. Now it was time for the acolyte to explore the darkness. Once the time was right he would need a master, but the path of the sith was a path of the individual. The alien needed to discover his talents, sharpen his mind and evolve.

"Then go now acolyte. Time does not stop for any of us."

His future was obscured, still in the shadows but Abyss was eager to see what the bith would become. A warrior, an assassin or sorcerer? Something else entirely? The way of the sith was so beautifully diverse, and often Abyss had been quite fascinated with what the young ones came up with to make up for their lack of power.

Without a further look the sith knight turned around, and only a second later became one with the shadows, a translucent silhouette barley visible to the blank eye. Now it was up to the acolytes ambitions and fate to decide what was about to come.

[member="Dravis Rosilla"]