Elements

[Riamah]

After her reunion, meeting and conversation with Adron Malvern, Ra needed to make plans and arrange to have him as company on Vjun. Provided he was able to get away for a time from his duties within the Empire. He had been here before and she didn't think this would the last time here either.

Her old butler Vincent was still alive and did his best to keep up with his duties. Anything he couldn't do on his own anymore, he requested help. Either Ra gave it herself or one of the other, younger servants helped. When she had bought him as a slave, he was already an old man. Back when she gave him his freedom, he had given her his life. A vow to stay with her until he died himself. His day was drawing closer and when it happened, Ra would be very sad.

Everything was ready for Adron now and the request for him to visit her was sent out if he was able to.

In her own home, Ra was comfortable. Instead of wearing her full business attire, she kept to wearing her pants for the meeting, but wore a top that looked almost like something a peasant would wear. Like last time, she wore no weapons and until the time came that they might physically train, she didn't intend to.

Having noticed what his picked to drink when she visited him, Ra had wine ready for when he wanted it. There were various other drinks to be had, but Adron would probably be aware of that already.

He had been here before so would know where to find Ra when he arrived.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

​There will come a time, when you question the path you are on. A time where you will question every decision you have ever made. In those times, when you feel your weakest, you must remember, you are a Count of Serenno and you are my son. The blood of greatness flows with you and the Force will be with you, always.

​The words that were spoken by his father as a boy echoed through Adron's mind as his eyes opened. A slight smirk came to his face, realizing that his father's words had come true. He was questioning each and every decision he was making, and there was little comfort in the knowledge of the blood that ran through his veins.

​"Sir. We're here." A voice called out to him, from the cockpit of his shuttle. The man stood from his seat, his usual attire replaced with a slate suit that hugged his body closely. For the man who was raised in wealth and privilege, this was as casual as he dared dress outside of his own home. A bag sat on the seat beside him, everything he could need for his stay with Ra'a'mah. Of course the Empire had been notified of his leave, though they were told only what he felt they need concern themselves with. As far as they were concerned he was on meditative retreat on Naboo for an undetermined time.

​He could feel the soft shift as the shuttle's movements ceased, signifying it had touched down on the surface of Vjun. Taking his bag into his hands, Adron looked to the pilot, his crystal like eyes gazing into the man as he spoke. "Where am I?"

​"Naboo sir." The pilot responded, without a fraction of hesitation.

​"What am I doing?" The High Moff demanded.

​"A bit of meditation, practiced a bit with your lightsaber, but otherwise kept to yourself, sir." Again, the pilot responded, obviously knowing the silence required for such events. Adron nodded at the man, making his way towards the shuttle door. He had given this particular pilot the job of being his personal pilot. The exchange for such a position was a very generous salary and the High Moff's letter of recommendation for the pilot's children who aspired to go to the Imperial Academy on Bothawui.

​Making his way off the shuttle platform, Adron glanced up to the skies and took notice of the swirling clouds that thundered above. The threat of rain on such a planet was not something to be taken lightly, not if one valued their skin.

​He approached the door to the palace, his bag taken into his hands as he did.

​Two swift knocks were laid upon the door, before Adron stood silently in waiting.

​An all too familiar man greeted Adron at the door, his humbled frame and withered form caused the young Count to frown ever so slightly. He said no words to Adron, instead he but gestured for the man to enter, offering to lead him to the hall where Ra laid in waiting. Adron dismissed the man, not needing the escort as he made his way through the Ra's castle. Once he made his way to Ra's study he offered another double knock, awaiting conformation for him to enter before he opened the door.

​Once inside he inclined his head respectfully as he often did. "Ra'a'mah, thank you for inviting me. I hope my presence will not be an interruption of your own tasks." He said, standing on a bit of ceremony as he often did. His eyes could not help but linger to the white wine that sat in the room, before a soft smirk came to his face.

​She was quite the host.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Knowing when Adron arrived, Ra smiled slightly. As he approached the library, he might feel a small bit of curiosity coming from her. A thought or question had come into her mind. Even though he had never known of her potential betrayal that day on Eol Sha, was she the only person that had never truly betrayed him? If he asked about it, she would answer, but she kept the question to herself. For now.

Standing up when he entered, she returned the nod and motioned for him to help himself to the wine if he wanted some now. Ra resumed her seat and waited for him to join her in the chair that was across the fireplace from her. Positioned sort of diagonally, they would be able to see the fire and each other in comfort without having to turn to accomplish both.

"Not at all, Adron. My work allows me a little freedom now and then. Much like yours I think. I assume you have arranged sufficient time off as well?"

Already having her own drink, if he got one, she would lift her glass in a similar fashion to what he had done when they met last time.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

​Ra's gesture for wine was well received, and far past tempting. However, he had decided such a luxury could be postponed until after he figured out just what he would be doing it and where. He waved a hand against the drink, offering a polite smile in return. "No, thank you."

​The Force shifted and flowed between the two with relative ease, slightly easier than it had when Adron had committed himself to the light side of the Force. Now, Ra's thoughts and actions were no longer shrouded by a cloud of uncertainty. While the Sith's inner thoughts were still inaccessible to Adron, her emotions began to slowly bleed into the Force surrounding her. Chief among these feelings was a sense of....curiosity? The emotions and feelings flowing from her were still difficult to decipher, yet he believed that to be what he was sensing.

​"The Empire knows I am on a retreat of sorts. For obvious reasons they don't know where I am or who I am with." As he took a seat across from Ra he made no attempt to hide his feelings, his mind however he kept under a wall of the Force. He did not know if his new Master would attempt to infiltrate his mind, and honestly did not care. The wall had been something he was trained to keep up, so his thoughts could remain his own.

​Once he had rested into his seat, the Count held up a hand, as if wishing to say something. The hand went down yet his words were spoken. "You help me when no one else will. I am grateful for that Ra'a'mah, and know my debt to you will be paid." With the words spoken, Adron offered a brief clearing of his throat before looking to his Master. "What will you teach me?" He asked, his curiosity finally rising out of him.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Accepting that he didn't want the wine right now, Ra waited for him to answer her question about what he told his Empire. Nodding as she understood, she knew Adron would not trust just any person. Whoever had brought him here, he trusted.

She knew a few skills that could be used to read his mind, but Ra did not employ them. Everybody deserved privacy, however if she wanted to, she was confident she could have pulled his thoughts out.

Not long ago, a lesson had been given to her on what it meant to be sith. A sith did not ask, they took if they wanted something. Pushing the memory of that encounter out of her mind, Ra focused on what Adron said. The look he gave him as she listened was almost neutral, but not because she wore any form of façade. At the moment, neutral was what she felt until he asked what she would be teaching him.

With a broad motion that took in the room around, her eyes met his and a slight upward tilt of the corners of her mouth. Not totally a smile, but not entirely devoid of emotion.

"There is a room full of knowledge here, Adron. What do you want to learn? I do think a refresher of the sith code to get things started would be apt though."

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

​The Sith Code.

​Adron knew little about the Sith outside what he had gained in the few short years he had worked with them in The dominion. From what Adron had gathered of the Sith was they were impulsive creatures who allowed their emotions to rule them. As a young Jedi Lord Adron had been taught to rule his emotions and keep them in check, so the prospect of abandoning such teachings was foreign to the man.

​He had remained silent for long enough and finally exhaled. "I can handle a lightsaber. I can command the Force, I need to know how to use the Dark Side. If the Sith Code will help in this, I need to learn." He declared, before clasping his hands together.

​Standing from his seat, Adron ran a hand through his hair, the force would shift around him softly as his mind became focused on his new Master's words. "Tell me this code, and I will strive to accept it." He declared, rather boldly.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Taking a sip of her drink, it was actually tea if Adron paid attention to the detail. As much as he may have felt he needed a clear mind, Ra did as well. She calmly, but seriously listened to him as he spoke. In saying he knew how to fight and use the Force, but that he needed to learn how to use the Dark Side, she nodded. In a way the two of them might be similar.

Ra was a follower of the Sith Code, but she wasn't evil. That code did not say anything about a person needing to be evil, however, most followers did turn into monsters over time. That had been the case with her master. A past not many knew about fully. Adron didn't even know of it. He only knew she was sith.

"It might and then again it might not.

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.​"

Reciting the code, Ra took a drink of her tea and looked at Adron before speaking again. If he wanted to interject anything, he would be given the opportunity to do so. Setting her cup down, she considered her next words carefully.

"There are several ways to look at this code. None are wrong though, in my mind. Some people take the words with a literal meaning and apply it only on the surface level. Those are generally the ones that are far more chaotic and evil. The kind that take pleasure in causing pain to others."

Again a slight pause to ​give him a few moments for her words to sink in. Not taking a sip from her drink this time, Ra carefully watched him. Her expression still rather neutral, but internally that curiosity was still there. More now focused on how he was going to interpret the code.

"My view is a little different, but I feel just as valid as the example I used. You see, I hold the code close and apply it to myself more or less. My passion for a goal gives me strength to see it through."

That only addressed the ​first two lines, the lines about power Ra had little personal interest in. She did not crave power for the sake of having. However, she wanted knowledge and in gaining that, she gained power.

"It is going to be up to you, how you apply that code. In time you may find it isn't for you, however, I think it is a key to accomplishing what you want. Do you understand my reasoning behind this?"

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

​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.​

​For a moment Adron fell silent, his mind analyzing the code that Ra just recited to him. Where the code of the Jedi had demanded composure and reason, this code seemed to suggest that one fuels their own power through their dreams. To a normal Jedi, the code would seem a trap, that could very easily lead to the Dark Side of the Force. Indulgence in emotion, embracing raw strength, there was no doubt this code was of the Sith.

​Of course the code was not dark or evil in nature. Adron was not sure if he was surprised by this or not. As Ra'a'mah spoke, Adron shook his head in denial. "I will never take joy in others pain. That does not mean I will not inflict it." He said, now taking his seat back across from Ra. Try as he might, parts of the code made no sense to him.

​"Peace is a lie. Through passion I gain strength. I understand that. Most of it is.....understandable if not relatable." A pause occurred before Adron's question finally surfaced from the back of his mind. "What are the chains?" It was the final part of the code that had left the man with some questions.

​Adron had long since abandoned the dogmatic views of the Jedi Order. Accepting the code of the Sith should not be difficult, yet some part of him, deeper into his subconscious, wished to reject the code. "Are they my limitations?" He asked, musing over the final part of the code.

​

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

The moments of silence between the two of them wasn't uncomfortable. It was full of thought as Ra felt this was a rather important conversation. Giving it and Adron her full attention. Even if she followed the sith code, her interpretation was in a way quite similar to sith of old. She knew there was no way to easily enforce something like the rule of two. It was how she grew up and didn't even know it. As she looked back on her past though, she realized it had worked for her and her master.

"Does it make you feel any better when I say the same thing? I might follow that code very closely, but not everything can I relate to fully."

​If you only understood it by the meaning of the words only, anything was easily comprehended. However, Ra took the meaning of the words far deeper and used her understanding of them in her life.

When Adron voiced his question, Ra nodded.

"Correct, the chains can be limitations, fears or any number of things. However, most sith don't ever know them or they focus on something they think are their chains and end up further chained. The current incarnation of the Sith Empire...are full of those chained. I cut my ties with them and broke my chains there."

Chains could be very subtle or grand. Everybody had them even if they didn't know it. This included Ra. The chains that bound her though, were of her own making and she didn't want to break them. To do that would change her on a fundamental level, but she was content with her chains...for now.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

​Adron listened to Ra's words closely before offering a reply.

​"How do I find my chains? Will they become apparent to me before I have Victory or after?" He wondered just what the chains were that bound him, and on top of that he wondered why he needed victory to overcome his own inhibitions. Adron erupted into a soft chuckle when he realized something. "So the Sith Code isn't about just gaining for yourself, it's about improving oneself? Right. If the Code is focused around breaking past your own fears and limitations it can't be....evil." He said, hoping to find another word where none were appropriate.

​Her warning about other Sith did cause a bit of hesitation. "They become so focused on the destination before them they forget the path they are walking." He muttered, a phrase his father had often uttered about the utter blindness of the Sith Code. "But that doesn't mean it will happen to me." He assured himself, his confidence in his own abilities rising past his worries.

​The man settled in his chair as he tried to think of what his own limitations, his chains could be. Yet a lingering question was in his mind, that he would have answered. "What are your chains?" He asked, his eyes falling upon Ra.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

"The answers to your questions aren't always clear, Adron. Ask yourself and really think about it. What do you see as something holding you back? An example I can use and know right away is your Empire. They are a chain that holds you back from accomplishing a goal you set in taking back Serenno. However, I'm not suggesting you break that chain now. You still need it. Another chain can be family. It all depends on the person."

Sitting back in her chair, Ra crossed one of her legs over the other and rested her elbows on the arms of it. She spoke partially with her hands and pointed at him when she used him as an example. As she continued and spoke of herself, she motioned to herself.

"Even I have chains, however those I am aware of I don't want broken. The best examples I can think of is my word. Once given, I will do everything in my power to keep it. Another is my position as lead of the Merchant Fleet. The position itself isn't a chain, I mean that's great. I get to go all over the galaxy, meet people and strike trade agreements. However, nobody knows I can use the Force or have any idea of my alignment."

There were other chains she was aware of and more she was not.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

[SIZE=11pt]A settled expression fell over Adron as he realized something. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“So your chains can be necessary, at times.” He said, making a statement rather than asking a question. The man pressed a hand to his chin, his fingers rolling over the bare chin as he pondered silently. It was true, the Empire can be a chain that holds Adron from certain things, both things he wanted and things he needed. However for the time being the Empire was also his greatest asset. Hopefully the future would maintain that relationship, yet he did not know. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]When Ra spoke of the chain of family, Adron started to speak but decided against it. His marriage was annulled and his family was dead, there was no family in the man's life. Nor did he believe there ever would be. Rather than speak on his pessimistic family views, he allowed a confident smile to come over him once again. It was all so amusing. He had been born a jedi, raised a jedi, and once believed that path was all he had left. A soft chuckle erupted from him, before he looked to Ra. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“When my family died. I believed all I had left was the Jedi ways. All I had left we're my beliefs. Now, when I've truly lost everything I've turned so far from that path. Does that make me a hypocrite, or a wise man?” He asked, sobering himself before looking around the room for a moment. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]He wanted to ask Ra a bit more about her own chains. In fact he even wanted to know more a bit of her own plans for the future, why did she value the Merchant fleet so much? Yet the question had no place in the current conversation. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Through passion, I gain strength. This is asking me to use my passions as a source of strength. You are a disciplined woman, so this must mean I can do this while remaining…. Composed.” [/SIZE]

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

A similar look was on her face as Adron spoke and she nodded as he came to the conclusion she had learned long ago. Some chains had a purpose, others though should be broken. Chains that held a person back in a negative way or potentially harmed them.

"You know there is nothing wrong with the Jedi Code? It serves as much of a purpose as that of mine. Honestly, as long as a person doesn't get in my way if I have a goal in mind, I don't care what code or belief they have."

Shrugging slightly when she said that if Adron could pick up on her emotions, he would know what Ra said was true in her opinion. It was something that maybe made her unique among people. She felt it was a strength of hers, to be able to see past codes and work with everybody. At least until somebody got in her way. Even then, Ra would attempt to find alternate methods before resorting to violence.

Adron mentioned he had no family left and it was like Ra herself. That was a main contributing factor to why she didn't have a family of her own now. Almost everybody that had gotten close to her in life had died. So because of that, she had closed off her heart and didn't allow people to get close to her. There were a few exceptions to that rule, but they were able to take care of themselves and even them, she didn't have close all the time. Deciding for now to let that subject rest, there wasn't a need for either of them of speak of it right now.

When he mentioned the passion part of the code and her composure, she raised a finger to point something out when he finished.

"There are varying degrees and even types of passion, Adron. The passion I use is the what I feel for a goal or objective. That passion I have gives me strength to see my way through to accomplishing that goal. There is of course, the much more simplistic form of passion. The fundamental and primal one almost everybody feels in their life."

And one she had no knowledge of.
​
[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

Ra'a'mah had been the first Sith that Adron had seen argue their was nothing wrong with the Jedi code. Yet, Adron had refused to believe such a thing long ago. "The Jedi Code is pretentious and filled with falsehoods." He muttered, turning his eyes to Ra before offering a dismissive wave of his hand. "The Jedi don't concern me anymore. That path doesn't hold anything for me, and their existence is irrelevant to my plans." Even without digging into the Force, one could see the distaste Adron had for the Jedi. They were the object of his failure's, simply to spare his own mind from the truth of his missteps.

​As Ra'a'mah spoke of passion, Adron couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "My passion becomes my motivation, which becomes my strength. In that regard I've already accepted the code. I will do anything to take my planet back, my drive and determination strengthen me."

​Through his mind Adron was able to se the Code of the Sith and to some extent, it impressed him. He could never admit it, nor was he conscious of it, but there was still a part of him that was wary of letting his passions rule him.

​"I think I understand. At least, I understand the basics of the Code." He settled, resting a hand on his chin.

​Seeing the lesson as closed, Adron looked to Ra, an almost challenging smile coming to his lips as he spoke. "Now. What's next?"

@Ra'a'mah