One Speed, One Gear: Go!

[Caulder Dune]

THE MACHINATOR
IN ORBIT OF CORUSCANT

[member="Maelasi Eramar"]

But a few days before Jemmila would arrive on the Machinator, it was time to entertain his second pupil. In regards to Maelasi, Darth Adekos had found there was little need to put her through the majority of the hardships he would eventually have in store for Jemmila. For instance, he neglected to do the bait-and-switch with the luxury suite. Maelasi was already likely used to spartan accommodations and would fail to be miffed on the same level as Jemmila by such a change. There was also no need for the good old "wake up with the cattle prod" routine. She was already a warrior, this Maelasi. Already disciplined and trained, already physically fit. He wasn't building this one from the ground up.

And that would be so much easier.

For Adekos, that is. Maelasi was in for at least some physical and mental torment. It was to be expected. Dark Side training often required as much. Better at the hands of an Umbaran she went with willingly than some disgruntled Sithling whose lack of remarkable skill found him instructing at the Coruscant academy. Early in the morning, Maelasi was summoned to one of the many rooms on board the Machinator by a pair of TA4 Ultra Battle Droids. They escorted her from her quasi-comfortable lodgings on board the vessel's core ship and into a re-purposed room.

This time around it was completely empty, save for about a dozen Marksman-H combat remotes. These had their blasters deactivated, but were covered with barbed wire. They were a much more ominous sight in that regard, gently bobbing up and down over empty space. Adekos was awaiting beside the door.

"Ah. The apprentice arrives." He greeted. "You'll pardon the droids if they went about their duties roughly. They are, after all, only machines."

 

[Lief]

Maelasi had been up for several hours before the droids came to collect her. While she had gotten her things returned to her from the Sith Academy, the most crucial item - her vibroblade - had been broken, likely as a reminder of her place in the eyes of the Sith. Despite the annoyance she felt, Mae knew better than to make a scene over it and as a result had spent the time since refixing the mechanism. There was no structural damage, which was a relief as Mae knew little about smithing and thus would have required a new one entirely.

She had just reconnected the UVG when she was summoned, and not wanting to cause further damage to the weapon decided to leave it behind on the table she had been using as a workbench. Besides, what use was a weapon when she wasn't even sure it was wholly functional again?

While not entirely appreciative of the fact that the droids felt the need to escort her to Adekos, Maelasi followed them without issue; before she entered the room in question, she took a moment to brush down her robes and neaten out the creases which had set since she put them on that morning. Habit bade her to remain disciplined in all facets, making her appearance just as important as her punctuality. That being said, Maelasi was not late by the time she entered the room.

Glancing around, and noting first her Master and then just as quickly the remote droids, Mae inclined her head into a respectful bow of greeting before stepping aside from her escorts. "Master..." she began, voice retaining a neutral tone. "I found no fault with the way they conducted themselves." This was accompanied with the most subtle of shrugs. Moments later, Maelasi glanced back across to the tiny remote droids, noticing their barbed state with a ponderous frown.

Perhaps she had been wrong to leave the weapon behind, but then again it could have proven to be more of a hindrance than an asset in its present state.

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Maelasi Eramar"]

So dour and serious, this one. It reminded him a lot of himself, even the way she radiated a subtle kind of annoyance and permanent skepticism. Darth Adekos did not appreciate these traits now, but would probably come to adore them rather jealously after interacting with the second as-of-yet-acquired apprentice once that time came. But these were all things he remained blissfully unaware of. For now he would focus on the necessity of instilling within his apprentice a value of speed and agility, particularly that as empowered through the Force.

But before they could get to that, there would be questions. If Adekos didn't explain what he was getting at, he would feel as though the lesson was lost.

"What is it you already know of the Force, Maelasi?"

 

[Lief]

Sensing a mild case of disapproval at the way she presented herself, Maelasi frowned and carefully watched Adekos. He was a strange man, seeming to be off with his thoughts more often than not. She knew such traits could prove a hindrance just as much as it was philosophically useful. All the same it was not her place to pass judgement or comment, she was the lesser being here, the student, and i was from Adekos that she would be learning the next phase of her training - whether she wanted to touch upon the Force or not.

When he posed her the question the girl began to frown. It pained her to confess her ignorance at a subject: she had always been aware of her Force Sensitivity, and despite that had tried to hide it so as to comfortably integrate herself into the regular academies out there in the Galaxy. With a very soft sigh she ran a hand up through her hair, before shrugging lightly.

"I've never really looked into it, Master, I know the basic organic physics of it, but beyond that nothing. It's never been part of my training agenda."

She grit her jaw almost immediately, admitting her weaknesses was a difficult thing indeed.

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Maelasi Eramar"]

"The Force is all-encompassing. It connects all living creatures in the galaxy; from the highest of kings to the lowliest of Jawas. But far more important than that- it is a source of great power. Some individuals are attuned to the Force more than others, such as yourself." He lectured, hands behind his back, beginning to circle Maelasi in the typical Sith fashion. "Those who posses this attunement are capable of actively drawing upon the Force to accomplish things thought impossible by the wider galaxy. Harnessing this power is simple for those who are capable of harnessing and controlling their more passionate emotions- fear, hatred, anger, and so forth. That is the way of the Dark Side. Through it, anything is possible."

Adekos stopped his idle strolling to now look Maelasi in the eyes. He didn't imagine he would be able to incite her into some sort of preternatural rage state. She had to have dealt with drill sergeants or something equally nasty in the past. Adekos wasn't blind to the similarities, though when the drillmasters barked their insults they were largely impersonal, loud, and embellished. Darth Adekos preferred for a quieter and more sincere approach. It was better to plant the seeds of hatred that way. It was a vital ingredient to this whole process, after all.

She likely wouldn't be whipped into a frenzy. but that didn't mean he couldn't get her mad. The best type of fury was a cold fury, as it empowered any competent user of the Dark Side while simultaneously allowing them to keep their focus. If Darth Adekos had to guess, she would be most like him in that regard.

"You, of course, lack ambition. And would probably be dead in a battlefield trench somewhere if you had your way. While others seek to warp the very fabric of reality to their purpose, you want only to smack people over the head with a sharpened chunk of durasteel. Distasteful, to say the least, but I can tell your blinders are so ingrained into you that to remove them would be to kill you, so I will indulge your more primal tendencies by instructing you in something you have use for."

The Umbaran held a hand up, signalling one of the floating barbed wire covered drones. On his signal, one of them flung itself across the room with remarkable speed. The device nearly blurred, zooming like a silent bullet through the air. It stopped abruptly, just short of the wall on the other side of the chamber. Beyond the wiring wrapped around them, their repulsors also seemed to have been modified extensively.

"If I were to order these drones to ram into you, do you imagine you would be able to avoid them?"

 

[Lief]

Settling her hands at her back, to keep herself rigid as the man spoke to her, Maelasi listened in as if hanging on his every word: honestly, she enjoyed the notion of learning something that was intangible. Science and mathematics had their place, but they were too cold... The likes of philosophized theory, however? Of the metaphysical? It thrilled her like nothing else could, even roaming a battlefield with a slug in one hand and a blade strapped to her back dulled in comparison. For the girl's mind was her sanctuary, the sole place she could escape to.

The initial description was what she already knew: the force was an energy which permeated everything, binded it together, etcetera. Even silly soldiers such as herself - provided they'd been to the Academies as she had - knew that much. It was physics and biology both. However, she had never heard the rest; she had never seen the Force at work, as most Non-Force Users never would... And the idea that emotions so raw could derive such power..?

"But, Master - surely using frenzied emotions would be a great hindrance. Anger and the like create adrenalin, and that can knock you off your true focus, it can make you see red as it were... That's when most mistakes are made." She frowned some, having always been warned against fruitless acts of vengeance and raw power. It was better to remain in control, one step ahead of your opponent. All the same, the girl silenced and continued to listen in on what more he had to say.

What came next was something she was well adjusted to, the belittling of her person from a higher up - it had been a very good motivational aid when she was younger, gave her something to strive towards, something to prove them wrong about, it gave her aspiration. But she had quickly learned that it was just a tool - and an unnecessary one at that if one already had motivation within their stride. "Removing my blinders would do no such thing, there's more within this head of mind than mindless bloodshed, Master."

Grumbling somewhat, at the very thought of it, she sighed. There was no use in arguing with him so early on in the game, he wouldn't listen properly until she had proven herself worthy anyway. Instead she glanced up at the floating droid he was speaking of and watched it zip across the air - almost too fast for her to keep track of. Then came the question, and quite honestly Maelasi shook her head.

"No, Master, I would not; and doing so would be folly, anyway. If I attempted to move out of the way and they caught me, those barbs would rip into my flesh and cause quite the mess. Less damage would actually be done if I were to remain in place. Only so far the barbs could go before the impact was rendered useless, anyway. And by that time I could have them immobilized."

Mae liked analyzing situations, but more so than this it was nice to call upon prior experiences to help problem solve. The likes of barbs and other jagged metals were no stranger to the girl. Moving suddenly to try and avoid the inevitable only caused tugs which led to open wounds and worse.

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Maelasi Eramar"]

This one was sharp. Much sharper than other acolytes whose presence he had suffered before and would suffer in the future. Darth Adekos regarded her in a cynical silence as she prattled on. She wasn't wrong. Fury, hatred, fear; all these things did invoke adrenaline. It got the blood pumping and practically begged for mistakes to be made. Adekos had witnessed more than enough Sith meet unfortunate, predictable ends because they allowed themselves to be controlled by their emotions. Some people just weren't cut out to become long-lived, successful Sith. Jedi would always train competent Jedi, but Sith training would churn out more cadavers than it would serviceable acolytes.

A trend Adekos intended to break.

"With the proper training, that will not be an issue." He answered. "The Jedi reject their emotions because they fear they cannot control them. As a user of the Dark Side, you reject such a notion. You can control and channel your hatred and anger. Control over our more powerful emotions, rather than outright rejection, is what separates us from the Jedi. And it's that control that also separates us from the more incompetent, unstable strain of Sith."

He folded his arms as she continued. Now Maelasi was calling into question his comment about blinders. She was a chatty one when provoked, it would seem. Frankly, he very much doubted removing metaphorical blinders would result in traumatic enough injury to kill her outright. Adekos just liked mocking people. After all, she had every intention of just enlisting in the armor prior to her Force Sensitivity being discovered. What a miserable way to squander her life.

There was a contemptuous snort from Adekos when she outlined the folly of attempting to dodge the wired drones. A classical over-thinker.

"So if one were to hurtle towards your face at this very moment, you would not attempt to duck? Because you feel you'd be less injured if you remained still? If they were all flung at your body simultaneously, you would not evade them? You would rather stand there and be pelted with an unrelenting swarm of floating, spikey pain balls?"

He held up a hand as if preparing to give a signal. "In that case..."

 

[Lief]

Squinting her eyes ever so slightly, she regarded the man in an entirely different manner the more he spoke of the Force in conjunction with emotions. Perhaps he was right, and it could be controlled. But she knew there would be others out there who could not. Darkness was a suffocating and intoxicating notion, it often dragged the unwary down with it. The question, then, was which side of the net would Maelasi fall upon?

Perhaps it was best she let down her guard and test it. In a controlled environment such as this, she doubted as much could go wrong as it would out in a battlefield. Was that not why soldiers trained prior to being dispatched? Did it not iron out any kinks without running any serious risk to the Private and the battalion he belonged to? Deciding it best to simply nod her understanding, rather than run the risk of creating further tangents, she instead focused back in on the task at hand.

Yet she realised almost immediately the mistake she had made.

For her back felt much too light, owing to the absence of her vibroblade. Without it she could not hope to do as she intended, and strike them down as they neared her. Of course, she supposed Adekos knew as much. This was a humiliating yet humbling realisation.

"Wait" she said, backtracking on herself with a sudden shake of her head. "No, you're right, it's probably not the best choice given my current predicament..." But had she been prepared for it, then no doubt she'd have proven him wrong. Then again, if something did not work when one is not expecting it then it wasn't a very good method. On the battefield, nothing is planned after all.

She presumed this would be an introduction into augmentation through the Force; she had heard of such things before, utilizing it to enhance one's body, their speed and the height of their jumps. It all seemed too good to believe when she was younger, but she had quickly learned not to dismiss something simply because she didn't understand it.

"I'd have no luck outrunning it, though, either... Especially not given how unpredictable training droids can be."

And that, she knew, was why she was the student and not the Master.

[member="Darth Adekos"]