Fear leads to Anger (Darth Arcanix)

[Minna]

Alderaan was nothing like it used to be, at least to Minna. It had a different feel to it, a sense of knowing that darkness held its grip over the planet even if it was no a physically strong presence. If she could have chosen where her next mission would be, she would definitely not have chosen here. However, her new duty as a Jedi Knight called, and there had been various sources of information about a Sith worthy of the Ession's attention being present here. Which particular person, or that person's strength, was unknown, which made this mission one of her most dangerous. There was no denying she was scared even thought she shouldn't be. Her new-found belief in the Light Side of the Force only comforted her slightly, but there was still a hint of fear concerning her past experience with the dark side. The mindless rage in which she had injured her best friend...

The Yodaling snapped out of her negative thoughts, and focused on the small Sith outpost ahead. Her tracking had led her here, but the place seemed empty. Dead ends in her search were not uncommon, but Minna had to try either way. Dropping down from the nearby tree in which she had been perched, she made her way into the seemingly empty collection of small buildings and tents. Drawing her swords from their sheathes, she kept a keen eye out. Something didn't feel right...

Maybe someone was here...

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Minna"]

Taeli rotated her shoulders as she started packing up her satchel. She had sent her workers home for a time, saying the mine could wait a few more days. her workers had of course been grateful, not just because she had been working along side them, but also for the break. The development of the phrik mine for her company was requiring a lot of long hours and work, but it would be worth it.

Stopping for a moment, she frowned slightly. Something didn't feel right, something was out of place. Straightening and pulling out her lightsaber, the Sith Lord, or Lady as she preferred, known as Darth Arcanix emerged from the tent she was using for her quarters and looked around. Someone of the light was here, but something about them felt a little . . . off. Like they weren't completely comfortable being here or with the light.

How interesting. Keeping her lightsaber deactivated, she moved into the shadows and waited to see who arrived, suppressing her Force presence by focusing on her Vong coral seed implant.

 

[Minna]

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

Minna continued moving through the outpost, scanning side to side for any sign of activity. To her it seemed quiet, she was certainly not skilled enough to sense the Sith Lord nearby. With her naivety she kept walking, small and steady steps with her blades outstretch on either side. As the seconds went by she became more and more fearful of the unknown. She tried her best to suppress it, but it only made her more scared of the darkness. It could have been stupidity or instinct, but the Yodaling shouted as loud as she could: "Show yourself!"

Realizing she had lost any element of surprise she might have had, Minna readied her blades. Breathing heavily, she waited and watched to see if anyone had been nearby.
And still her fear grew...

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Minna"]

Well, well, well, a Jedi and one of the species that the ancient Jedi Yoda had been. How very interesting, but that wasn't the most interesting thing. Her stance might say she was ready for anything, but slight things about her body language spoke of fear. Deciding to help that along, she stopped suppressing her presence, allowing her full power in the dark side to manifest itself. Doing so, she could literally feel the fear rolling off the Jedi.

"Such fear for a Jedi," she said, walking slowly out of the shadows, her black dress and caped hood keeping her half shrouded. "Why have you come here?"

Blades, not lightsabers, were gripped in her opponent's small hands. Brining her lightsaber to her side, her lightsaber ignited, the crimson blade glowing brightly.

"If you have come here for me, I warn you now it wont end well," she said.

 

[Minna]

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

Minna almost jumped in fright upon seeing the woman, but she kept herself firmly in her ready stance. "The Light Side, I have. When you are dead, gone, my fear will be." Her face remained grim, as she narrowed her eyes in concentration to examine her opponent. Ataru was the only form she could rely upon, and so without further ado the Yodaling leaped forward with the force, aiming to bring both of her swords down upon the Sith's face. Knowing that her swords would most likely clash with her opponent's saber, she made an effort to ensure she could land safely behind to then attempt another slice to Arcanix's back. It was an optimistic effort, but throughout the attack she tried to keep the Light flowing through her. But it was not enough to quell all fear within her...

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Minna"]

"Being the aggressor, oh dear dear dear, I believe that's a no for a Jedi?" she said, blocking the attack and pivoting so she remained facing her opponent. Thank the Force that her preferred lightsaber form was Makashi, even if she hadn't fully master it yet and used her own style still. But, she felt at a slight disadvantage right now. Two blades versus one, she had to change that.

Gripping her half-circle hand guarded saber hilt, she ignited the second blade of her lightsaber and launched an aggressive barrage of attacks at her opponent with her double bladed lightsaber, expecting them to counter her attacks. But that wasn't the point, it was more to force her opponent off-balance, to keep the fear going and perhaps change it into anger.

 

[Minna]

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

Minna remained silent, determined not to fall prey to the Sith's words. Her main effort was put into blocking the barrage of attacks that came soon after her own which made her feel the disadvantage of using solid blades; they were heavier than a lightsaber and therefore not as quick. It wasn't long before her she lost her balance, after struggling to block one of the strikes she fell backwards and lost her grip on her left sword. The loose sword went out of reach, leaving her with only a single blade. Hope began to fade away, she was facing a near impossible challenge. The parts of her mind that hoped now feared, and some of that fear became anger. She was angry at herself for bringing herself here, she was angry at Darth Arcanix as her opponent. Then, she was angry at everything. Anger took control of her actions and she began leaping once again, aiming for a single stab at the Sith's chest area. A pathetic attempt, but an attempt nonetheless.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Minna"]

Taeli spun her blade in front of her, deflecting the leaping stab and twisting to avoid any follow through. The Yodaling, she guessed was a good way to describe her opponent, was getting more fearful, and that fear was slowly turning to anger. She could feel it flowing through her.

"It would seem you were sent unprepared for this confrontation, one would almost think your Jedi masters threw your life away carelessly," Taeli said, rotating her saber in front of her, keeping her hands within the half-circle guard. "Now let me show you just what they sent you to fight."

Twisting the handle of her saber, the other half of her hand-guard dropped down and formed a full circle. The blade emitters mag-locks unlocked and started to spin faster and faster along the ring, Taeli smiling from behind the spinning blades of energy.

"Show me the power of your fear, your anger. That is your only hope in fighting me," and with that said, she charged in using the spinning saber blades like a chainsaw while her other hand was free to unleash a barrage of lightning at her little green friend.

 

[Minna]

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

Minna's anger only grew. "Weak, the Dark Side is! Fail, you shall!" She shouted in defiance, although the tone of her voice was no longer very convincing. Bringing herself backwards to avoid the spinning blades, the Yodaling would have her sword shot out of her hands after attempting to block the lightning with it. Fueled by rage, she quickly reacted with a Force Barrier, only just big enough to prevent the lightning from making contact with her body. However, the barrier was a crimson red, evidence of her negative emotions that created it. She herself realized what she was doing, and out of fear of her own actions she dropped the barriers. The lightning made contact and shot her backwards a good few metres, at the end of which she rolled into a slump. With a grunt, she attempted to stand again. The sound of the spinning lightsaber filled her ears, and the Anger became Hate. A deep hatred for her own failure. After a few moments of attempting to stand, she only found herself kneeling. Her eyes looked up at the Sith before her, the greatest feeling of helplessness washing over her. "Weak... I am..." She managed to groan, her throat now dry from the shock. The spinning lightsaber looked like a red blur to her now, but she only shook her head. "Stronger, I must be... Make me... Stronger..."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Minna"]

Taeli stopped what she was doing, which was about to bring her saber down upon her kneeling opponent when she spoke.

"Weak... I am..., stronger, I must be... make me... stronger..." her opponent croaked. Taeli had been surprised by the red Force barrier, as it showed just how in touch her opponent was with the dark side. But now, the Yodaling's fear and anger were turning to hate, aimed not directly at Taeli.

"Hold on a moment, you want me to make you stronger?" she asked, tilting her head in slight confusion. "You want to know the dark side, the raw power your emotions can give you once you control them and use them for power? Why?"

Depending on the answer she got, Taeli would be interested indeed.

 

[Minna]

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

Minna realized what she had said, but somehow she did not regret. Her eyes fixed on the Sith's, the taint of the dark side present within them. "Crush... the Jedi... I must... The..." She squinted her eyes for a moment, unable to prevent the rage that spoke for her. "The Ession... The Republic... All must fall... Weak, they are... To survive in this galaxy, power is what you need..." The hatred manifested itself into targets for her; The Seven Swords one of them. But, they were led by her greatest friend. He was no longer her friend, he stood with the Ession. "Traitors, they are. Traitors to the order, servants to the Republic..." Her rant could have continued if not for her willpower. She managed to silence herself for the moment, instead just looking up at Arcanix. The next words she spoke she could not believe herself, but they seemed so right. A necessity for survival. "Teach me of the Dark Side... A Sith, I must become..." With those words, the Light that had managed to hang onto her soul this far faded, replaced by the pure darkness she had let in.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Listening to the Yodaling's answer, Taeli smiled to herself. She had sensed that hatred now, hatred towards what she assumed was her former allies for what they had become. The fact this Yodaling in front of her was from Ession explained so much, they were all close to darkness even as they fought against the Sith. They were no Army of Light as they claimed, their actions during recent battles demonstrated they didn't truly care for their allies as instead of influencing them back, they just killed them.

"If you wish to become a Sith, then come forward and tell me your former name," Taeli said, deactivating her lightsaber. Out of all the outcomes she had expected for her day, this was certainly not one of them. An Ession assassin essentially was joining her instead, oh she would be a powerful weapon against the enemies of the Sith. She was already a Knight and perhaps she could show Taeli some things even she didn't know yet, she always welcomed new knowledge.

"We shall allow the dark side to reveal your true name, the one you shall hence forth be known by to the galaxy," she continued saying.

[member="Minna"]

 

[Minna]

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

Minna found a new strength, strength through raw emotion. With this she managed to stand, stepping forward towards Arcanix. "Minna, my name was" She said, already understanding and accepting the act of relinquishing her former name, and her former self. Unlike before, the Yodaling stood straight now, refreshed and almost renewed. It was as if a great burden had been lifted from her. She didn't need to hide from the darkness anymore, instead she could embrace it and use it to make her stronger. Lowering her head slightly in respect to her new master, she spoke more clearly now. "What is my new name?"

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Minna"]

Taeli closed her eyes as she called on the dark side, the answer to the Yodaling's question would be found there. A moment of consultation, a pause, and a name slid through her mind. One that elicited exactly what had turned the Yodaling to the dark side, and to her and Minna's destiny.

"Your name, henceforth, will be Darth . . . Valtryx," Taeli said, placing a finger onto the new Sith's forehead and allowed the dark side to flow from it into her newest apprentice. She seemed to be attracting more and more people to her side, and that was fine by her. It would all help her gain more prestige within the Sith and raise even higher.

The dark energies that were flowing into the newly named Darth Valtryx would begin to manifest as her Marks of Darkness on the area of her body that she valued the most. She would be able to make them appear and disappear at will, and they would be conduit to even more power from the dark side.

 

[Minna]

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

Valtryx. The name itself gave her the feeling of immense, dark power. With each moment that passed she forgot more and more of her former self, she was being reborn. Her palms raised upwards for a moment for her to see, and on them she could not only see but feel the beginnings of her Marks of Darkness on them. She had crossed the threshold of dark side energy that minutes ago she was too scared to touch, and she did not regret a single bit of it. The Yodaling looked up at her master, eyes full of evil and malice, and gave a cruel smirk. "Crush the Republic, we shall..." She said, building up even more hatred inside her. With this hatred she also found control, so that she may unleash it when the time was right, not now. "I am at your command, Master..." Her head lowered again, in knowing completion of her new allegiance. She was a Sith now, and forever...