Chapter One: Potential

[Malok]

Potential.

Much akin to an untapped source of precious ore, potential was the sort of thing that was sought after. Those confident in their ability to cultivate believed themselves capable of turning a seemingly benign mass of stone into billions of credits. Likewise, the Sith Lord thought himself capable of harnessing the potential of a variety of...resources. That was why he had ventured so far from civilized space, opting to bring his corporate fleet out into the Wilds.

A report had been made regarding a relic of the past: a ship. It was outdated and obviously devasted by the final battle it participated in...yet, it had potential. Enough efforts on the part of Darth Metus could see it become a capable flagship for the growing, "Migrant Fleet" owned by his corporation. So, he aspired to take it for his own; and in the process, expose two young souls to the way he did things. They, like the ship, were untapped oceans of potential...and most interestingly were rather different from each other.

Where one leaped, the other punched.

The Sith Lord, having returned to the Obsidian Order in a sense, took it upon himself to select these two as his apprentices. They would come to learn what he had to teach; and in the process tap into the potential he so avidly sought. Today, the two would be instructed to meet their Master on the bridge of his lead vessel, which currently sliced through hyperspace at a brisk pace. Arrival at the appointed destination would not take long, but there was enough time to begin the lesson of the day.

Seated upon his commander's chair, Darth Metus exercised patience. The apprentices would be along soon, of this he had no doubt.

[member="Kerri Aislinn"] | [member="Tanalth"]

 

[Tanalth]

So here she was, aboard a ship bound for whatever place while under the command of a new master. This [member="Darth Metus"] was apparently a big deal in both the Techno Union and some of the other factions, like the Primeval. Finally she had found herself a teacher in the ways of the force, something she knew she would need when she would fight Kezeroth again. They may have been matched in strength but he was far more proficient in the Force, something she'd learned the hard way. But now she had someone, even better a fully trained Sith Lord to give her the lessons she needed in becoming a powerful force of destruction like her "big brother".​

​

On the ship Tanalth had been given quarters which she had made herself right at home with. Within the first day she already made it dirty like half the other places she stayed in. Clothing everywhere along with a lot of other junk like magazines and cds and the like. And currently the large Gen'dai cloned female was sleeping heavily in her bed. A small alarm went off, indicating she needed to get up for the lessons. She groaned and kicked before smashing it to pieces, finally getting the nerve to get up from bed. Her hair was a mess and she had not but underwear on under the sheets. ​

​

It had taken a good long while for her to be fully "awake" before finally changing into her more usual black attire of pants and a vest. As she made her way to the bridge she was eating a handful of fruit in the process, claiming it was her breakfast. ​

​

[member="Kerri Aislinn"]​

 

[Kerri Aislinn]

Kerri Aislinn was in the Obsidian Order for a bit of time now. How did a day turn into three months? That entire first month seemed more like a week of vacation. She had constructed her Obsidian lightsaber, personalized her own set of Obsidian armor, even learned another lightsaber style: ataru. However, her three months had been spent in self training. Even if she was now in the Obsidian Order, a group of people keeping justice and order in the Techno Union, her own home all growing up, Kerri was still anti-social and lacked of a general social outlet. Yes, she had taken down bandits and bounty hunters; but she barely socialized with her fellow knights obsidian.

When told she was assigned an official teacher, Kerri had been filled with nothing but pure dread. The last time she had followed a higher up, obeyed and followed the teachings of a master… its hadn’t turned out so well… the mentor she had was a monster, a brute who did not care how much she screamed in that lab. Three years until the breakout, Kerri had been living in hot – all because she followed the words of a stronger man. Kerri had to pull herself out of her doubts, her past, and remind herself that it was the knights obsidian who destroyed that illegal base in the first place. She nursed her wounds all those last two nights, telling herself over and over this would be different. Even if she took a sleeping medicine last night, did get good sleep, and was drinking caffeinated coffee with five sugars as she walked down the hall; Kerri still felt tired and nauseated. Her trust issues, combined with her grogginess, did not mix well.

The terrelian finished her drink, throwing the empty cup in a garbage disposal unit before coming to the bridge of the ship. They did not have much time before the ship landed, and Kerri was to be accompanied by another student. She shuddered, even as she stepped up to the seat where her new mentor, by the name of Darth Metus, sat. In the room as well was a tall, muscular, red girl chowing down on some fruit like a rancor. She looked a bit tired too, the one thing they had in common at first glance. Kerri inched away from her, as they stood side by side when she first entered, and looked to her new teacher.

Kerri forced a small smile on her face and properly bowed, ”Master Metus. Kerri Aislinn at your service.” Yeah, this is going great…

Kerri currently had her armor on. It was lighter and more mobile that most pieces of armor, but it was still strong and carried out its needs. Her Obsidian lightsaber was hanging on her Templar belt. Her other lightsaber, larger in size due to its separate phases it could go through, was hanging on the back of her belt, not the side. Her warden cloak, of course, was over it all. The hood was, unusually, down though. Kerri had her helmet tucked between her arm and side.


[member="Darth Metus"] [member="Tanalth"]

 

[Malok]

It was no secret that the hour was early; at least in the context of the Galactic Standard. Most sane beings would still be curled up underneath their sheets, but alas the sanity of the Sith Lord had been called into question several times. Today, he deliberately summoned his two apprentices as early as possible, simply to observe how they would respond. This, of course, was the exposition to a valuable lesson: for warfare and enemies did not wait for one to be well rested. In fact, the opportune time to strike was when the enemy was lying on their back.

As such, the two would soon learn to function whilst tired; among other things.

After a few moments of patience, Darth Metus was greeted by the sight of the two women. The first, a fiery-skinned Gen'Dai, looked as if she had literally rolled out of bed. Her fellow apprentice looked the exact opposite and was fully armored. This one seemed ready for whatever the day threw at her. (And so, Kerri earned her first gold star in the Sith Lord's eyes) Following this assessment, Darth Metus rose from his seat before greeting the both of them. "Well met, Kerri." he began, offering a polite nod. "I bid you both welcome to the Eminance." He paused, motioning at the Bridge in general.

"Today, our objective is simple. Battles of the past have presented us an opportunity, one that I will not miss. A vessel has laid dormant for centuries, and it is my goal to claim it. What I know about this ship is very little...save that it served the Sith Empire of old. Now, normally in ventures such as this, a cadre of droids would be sent to board the vessel and ready it for towing. However, that will not be the case today. Instead, we alone will conduct the preparations. It is my hope that this can prove to be a fitting place for the first of many lessons. Now then, any questions before we proceed?"

[member="Kerri Aislinn"] | [member=Tanalth]

 

[Tanalth]

Tanalth had looked down when the other girl arrived. [member="Kerri Aislinn"] , as she introduced herself, looked more ready than her. Tanalth only sniffled at this as she was still waking herself up in a sense. Not that she fully cared how she looked or how she presented herself. This was all about being stronger to her, anything else was just an inconvenience. While [member="Darth Metus"] introduced himself she yawned and nodded, scratching her head and finishing off her fruit, as he explained what they were after. From the sounds of it whatever was on this ship would have something important, and likely powerful. Not the lesson Tanalth would've wanted but a decent start at least. ​

​

When he asked she only yawned while saying "No, it all sounds nice." When she finished she gave a little burp before asking "So when do we get there?"​

 

[Malok]

It was slowly becoming apparent that the two apprentices were as different as night and day. Where one spoke, the other was silent. Where one revered, the other belched. Well this is going to be an interesting ride. the Sith thought to himself. He then turned his attention past [member="Tanalth"] so that he might obtain an accurate answer to her inquiry. "Navigator. How long until we arrive?" he asked, speaking over the buzz of the Bridge with an authoritative tone.

"T-Minus three minutes, sir!" came the response.

"Excellent." he remarked, before motioning for the pair to follow him out of the Bridge. He then lead the way down the vessel, headed for the hangar bay. All the while, he took it upon himself to fill them in on the plan of attack. "We will be boarding via pod. The hangar isn't exactly suited for accomodating a new vessel at the moment. From there, we will make our way to the reactor and see if we can get some power returned. If we are lucky, the vital systems can come online and towing will be a touch easier." he explained.

Not too much later did the trio arrive before a rather imposing, circular door. It slid open in response to their presence and the Sith Lord filed in. He took a seat, keyed in a few commands upon the adjacent keyboard, and signaled the launch process.

"Your first lesson begins now."

And those were the final words Darth Metus uttered by mouth. The bastion of his mind opened ever so slightly, allowing his will to flow forth via the Force. In an instant, he snatched the psyches of his students and made his presence known. "Only through the Force shall we speak. Your mind shall grow to be a fortress: impenetrable save by your own choosing. This exercise will serve to strengthen your fledgling minds, and set you on the path of mental defense." With that said, Darth Metus closed the pod about them and waited a moment. The capital ship lurched forth out of hyperspace, triggering a green light within the pod. At this signal did it immediately jettison into the void of space, adjusting its course effortlessly to head towards the derelict behemoth.

The voyage was brief. The landing was rough. The pod smashed through an ancient hull of durasteel before awaiting the release command of the Sith Lord. He took a moment to properly equip his apprentices, offering them vacuum-worthy equipment from the provided locker, before commencing their exploration. Once ready to go, Darth Metus opened the pod and lead the way out. Soundless footsteps touched down upon the ancient floor, and the way forward became illuminated by the Sith Lord's helm-mounted lights.

And what a scene it was.

The remains of bodies were strewn about. At a glance, they seemed to have been literally torn apart and left to float in the vacuum of space. Oddly enough, the immediate area did not seem to have been impacted by any ordnance...leading to the conclusion that whatever was responsible had been inside the ship. "Charming." he said across their minds. "[member="Tanalth"], I want you to lead the way forward. Kerri, watch our backs." This order would herald the rather...uncomfortable journey forward through the bodies until an obstruction would block their way. A blast door, with no power connected to open it. What's more, it seemed as though several dents were on the surface. As if something had attempted to get out. Desperately.

"I'll leave it to the two of you to sort out getting the door open."

[member="Tanalth"] | [member="Kerri Aislinn"]