Private I told you so.

[Darth Nwul]

Wake got to his feet in a flash, his lip twitching. Sith do not kneel, then, they face even their betters with strength. He could get behind that. There were no equals but there was also no tolerance for men without backbone either. Wake smirked, so there were Sith who didn't care for the monotony of hierarchical pandering. Good. He crossed his arms behind his back and nodded, the Sith Code. He had heard of it, but had never heard it from a proper sith. He did not know if what he knew was correct, so he chased the memory away-Ibini Abaas' memories and thoughts on the matter were clouded by the dogma of the Jedi.

Wake wanted a pure take.

Then Darth Strosius spoke the first line, and it hit him like an avalanche.

Peace is a lie, there is only passion. It felt like a gundark had punched him in the chest. Breathless. There was such profundity to those words he couldn't begin to remark on it. What did the sith even mean by peace? What was passion? He frowned, peace is a lie? Rationally it made sense, from a purely logical standpoint peace was next to impossible in the galaxy. But the sith wouldn't take something so matter-of-fact and make it the first line of their code. Peace. What was peace. What were they rejecting?

"Jedi," Wake whispered to himself and refocused.

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.

Wake reflected on it, closing his eyes and considering the code from the perspective of one who had once lived as a jedi. The sith had once been Jedi, they had come from the same roots. So wouldn't that mean- that the words were a retaliation of sorts? Or was that just- no- it wasn't a misconception. It was Master Abaas' knowledge applied to the situation, without the distortion of her opinion. Just her capacity of philosophical thought. He mulled it over.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion," He intoned, "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," Wake repeated.

"Peace refers to the jedi's serenity, the absence of movement, the surrender to a void without feeling," Wake said, the disgust in his voice making his words trip with venom. He hated the Jedi for what they did to people, taking their capacity to feel away from them and kidnapping children to do the same to them. "Passion is desire, desire to live, to feel, to do, to continue existing," Wake continued, "In doing, in practicing, in living, I gain strength, I gain the ability to overcome obstacles."

Wake nodded, "Yes, and by overcoming obstacles, I now possess power over those obstacles, over my enemies, over my allies, over my weaknesses, and in doing so, I find victory. I have seen through the difficulties of life, the problems, and used my strength and power to break through. What once held me back, a chain, can no longer contain me," Wake bit out, "The force is the conduit for achieving these things, and with it, I am free."

Wake let out a breath, looking back at Darth Strosius with a steady gaze.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri watched and listened, intent and silent, as Wake mulled over the code and repeated it. But of course, he was far more interested in what the younger man thought of it than simply his ability to recount it. He didn't offer any form of reaction or response until Wake had finished with his interpretation of the code, wanting to hear the unfiltered thoughts and opinions that the Acolyte held on the matter. Or as unfiltered as Wake allowed himself to be anyway. There was always the chance that he was lying or leaving out information though of course.

"Hm, interesting."

A short and clipped reply that didn't offer much of a reaction or expression. Measured and almost monotonous were it not for the nod and slight lilt in his tone as he spoke. Thankfully he only allowed a few moments before he continued. "What makes you associate the first verse with the Jedi?" His head cocked to the side at the question, a display of curiosity amidst an otherwise unreadable mask and visor. "Peace can mean any number of things and yet you mention the complacency of the Jedi specifically. I'm simply curious as to why that is what you refer to in particular."

Of course he was not unaware of the connection between the Sith Code and the Jedi's own, not ignorant of their shared past eons ago, but he was still curious. "Do you share some sort of history with the Jedi, young Acolyte? Some vengeful past?" His tone was not one of interrogation despite the circumstances, rather simply one of genuine interest. "I have seen the 'peace' they promise first-hand myself. When they led fleets and armies against the Sith Empire, when they tore down our holiest worlds and strongest bastions, when they stood aside and let the New Imperials loose upon the Sith that they didn't want to execute themselves. I have seen the lie of the Jedi's peace, what have you seen?"

Darth Nwul

 

[Darth Nwul]

Wake blinked twice, damn it, he'd left an inroad that he hadn't intened to give. He exhaled, he supposed there was no point in trying to bury it under contradiction and misdirection. That wasn't going to work on someone like this. He looked up to the sky for a moment and took a breath, acknowledging the feeling of resentment that bubbled up in his chest. It wasn't directed at Darth Strosius, but rather at the Jedi themselves. He listened to Strosius for a moment, nodding along with his example. He didn't need to go that far to pry the truth out of him though.

It wasn't like Wake was ashamed, he just didn't like giving out details he didn't feel he needed to.

His lip twitched and he snorted out a laugh, "Nothing so blunt as Jedi-lead warfleets. But perhaps more personal," Wake said and looked back up to the stars, "Someone I loved was destroyed by the Jedi, or rather, by their so-called peace. Their self-imposed serenity. How is one supposed to care about the world if you can't feel?' He demanded, expression darkening, "I was a Padawan, and I know the sith histories from the point of view of the Jedi," He didn't say that the information in question had come from consuming Master Abaas, but that wasn't relevant.

"The sith code was written by ex-Jedi right? Sorzus Syn. I'd never heard it before now, only interperetations or variations," Wake said and looked Darth Strosius in the eyes, "Doesn't it sound like a rejection of the Jedi code rather than an outright declaration that the concept of 'peace' is a lie? There is no emotion, there is peace. Peace is a lie, there is only passion..." He clenched his fists, "The Jedi's peace is a lie, it is brainwashing, mind control, unnatural and robotic, sterile, wrong," Wake hissed.

He composed himself and cleared his throat; "Does that answer your question?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri idly noted Wake's reaction and demeanor before he responded, finding the reluctance to be interesting. Perhaps the memory was simply painful, perhaps it drew strong emotions that the young man would rather not experience, perhaps he simply wished not to speak on the topic. Perhaps it was some combination of complex factors that he wasn't privy to yet. Yet thankfully for him, Wake did not hesitate to speak his mind for too long.

His answer was guarded yet one that offered much in the way of information even if it did not delve into specifics. The masked man seemed very interested in the admittance of Wake being a Padawan in the past, but there was no hostility or anger from him as one might expect. Rather, he was intrigued. To hear a former Jedi casting doubt and criticism on the very code that governed them was something that he hadn't encountered before, although he had seen former Jedi-turned-Sith in his time, and to him it was a marvel to behold.

Perhaps the Jedi could be saved then, turned to the Dark Side and offered salvation if they repented rather than being doomed to damnation for their adherence to the Light. Something to muse on at a later time for certain, as Wake looked at him expectantly.

"You have answered my question and then some, young Acolyte." Alisteri nodded, satisfied by the words of the new Sith. He now knew and had heard all that he desired to for the moment and thus the time for interrogation was over. He offered no real reaction or response to the reveal however, choosing instead to turn away from the young man and glance up as the shuttles moved in to receive his Legionnaires and the armory's equipment.

"The Sith Order will be bolstered by your presence I sense, perhaps one day it shall be you who finds new Sith and inducts them into the fold. For now though it has come time for us to depart. I shall bring you to Sith Space and there you will be free to find your own destiny amidst our ranks. The smugglers and their ship can be left here for now, their valuables are of little use to me. Now come, we have quite some time before we reach Sith Space and there is still much to discuss."

Darth Nwul

 

[Darth Nwul]

Wake raised his head in pride, his hands behind his back. The lack of response was telling. The man would think about what Wake had to say and that was enough for him. His thoughts and perspectives hadn't been rejected. More importantly, the invitation was a complete one. Darth Strosius would take him to Sith Space. It was time to begin this new stage in his life.

From that moment on, Wake's path had been set. From his original initiation he would begin his basic education before being sent to Korriban to aid in the conquest of the world. The galaxy would not know what was approaching. A monster had been discovered by Darth Strosius that day and given the entry it needed to bring its ravenous gaze down on an unsuspecting galaxy.

Wake bowed low before looking up into the Sith Lord's masked face, "I'm looking forward to it."