Power is Knowledge

[Grace Darkson]

Soft footsteps carried Grace down the hallway as she rubbed her wrist. The bones had healed back together, and she could use them, but that didn't mean the wound didn't hurt. Not that she minded. Part of her enjoyed the pain. She could draw on it, use it to empower her. Still, She wouldn't miss it. After all, it was harder to carry books.

The Chimera had am amazing collection of tomes, scrolls, and holocrons. She could spend weeks, maybe even months, pouring through the archives and still not know half of what was stored in the Sith'ari's vaults. Sadly, she didn't dare trespass there, for fear of what the Dark Lord would deem off limits. She had her own collection, most of it currently in her room.The book tucked under her arm was one she had found in an old crypt. She knew what she was looking for was inside. She just needed to find a place she wouldn't be disturbed. Sighing, she sank down in the corner of a rather spacious, mostly open room. Part of her wondered what it was for. Ah, well. It was relatively out of the way, and large enough that a girl sitting in the corner would be easy enough to ignore. Pulling a gold and emerald necklace from her pocket, she crossed her legs in front of her. The necklace rested on the ground, next to the book.

What are you doing?

"I'm finding out what you really are." She muttered, the faintest echo of her voice resonating through the chamber.

Soon she would have answers.

[member="Darth Mephirium"] [member="Alecandria"]

 

[Alecandria]

She had not allowed herself to wander, and rather kept herself contained within her own spaces. Rarely did she wander, but not out of fear. Attributing it more to her lack of trust in other people, Alecandria preferred the isolation of solitude over congregating and mingling with others. Conversation made it hard to think, to hear her thoughts clearly. With silence, it was easier to repeat the questions she had already asked herself a multitude of times.

Today was different. When she had arisen from her slumber, she could do nothing to dispense the innate feeling of restlessness. To satisfy the need, she spurred herself onward after concluding that a walk would probably do herself some good. All she had to do was keep her head down and no one would bother her. Or so she had assumed. Twice, she had interference but with surprising ease, she had persuaded them that she had no interest in partaking in any form of company.

For several hours Alecandria wandered. From room to room, she traveled. Occasionally, she inspected the interior with any real lack of interest.

When she entered a large, open room she stopped and looked about with disinterested, distant eyes. Her brow furrowed, frustration etching into her features for the most fleeting of moments before it dissipated as quickly as it had come forth. Upon her toes, she spun and began the steps that would have taken her back through the threshold and into the series of halls and rooms beyond.

[member="Grace Darkson"]
[member="Darth Mephirium"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

A number of acolytes and prospects had been gathered from across the galaxy and tucked away aboard the Chimaera. The Star Destroyer was a massive ship, and had little trouble housing so many, but it was beginning to feel a little cramped. Regardless, the amount of potential on the vessel was impressive, and Mephirium fancied that he was starting a collection of sorts. There was [member="Grace Darkson"], a powerful prospect whom had all the makings of an effective and ambitious Sith Lady. Then there was [member="Alecandria"], a Jedi Padawan whom had lost her way. She was not converted to Mephirium's way of thinking, nor would he attempt to do so outright. He preferred for her to arrive at that conclusion on her own.

Along with them came three others. One [member="Enma Jayss"], a hybrid creature that had come to him on Ambria and captured his attentions, and an old favorite, [member="Darth Malakai"]. He was one of Mephirium's first prospects, and one whom very well may take his place on day. The Darth title bestowed upon him was as much to flood the boy's own ego as to list him as superior to the others. Mephirium needed to reinforce a sense of rivalry if they were to be cultivated properly. A fifth had been asked of as an afterthought, [member="Minn Tavers"], a former Jedi whom had sworn herself to him after the wore. His hopes for her were not as high as they were for the others, but perhaps she would prove herself.

One would become his favored apprentice. The others would be doomed to play second fiddle to that apprentice, but even the weakest of them would hold more prestige than almost any other Sith in the new order. They would be personally trained by the Dark Lord, and there could be no greater honor.

And so Mephirium called them. Messages had been sent throughout the vessel to each one of them, instructing them to join Mephirium in his primary training hall. None knew about the others existence, let alone that they would all be attending.

With his arms folded behind his back, Darth Mephirium awaited his prospects. The training room was a large, dark room that might have once been a barracks. It was several paces long and twice that wide, with obsidian floor tiles and walls the color of basalt. Two overhanging lights bathed the room in pale light that harshly contrasted the floor itself.

 

[ToKola Bakari]

As a loyal Kath hound returns to the call of it's master so does Malakai return to Darth Mephirium. He sat in his new quarters, unimpressed by the luxury of such decor, but finding solice in the darkness that brewed from the ship he was on. Malakai stood in his room, looking over the place he would call home from now on, it was certainly a nice room. Most likely one of the finer suites that were reserved for the officer's of the ship. It came with everything that the Sith would need. The main room held a doorway that led to both a refresher and an adjacent closet. The bed, which had a finely decorated frame, was also able to retract into the wall should the user need anymore space than what was already given.

Nothing about the luxury of the room surprised Malakai, Mepherium was a Sith of pomps and tempts, promises of power and luxury were often displayed in order to inspire loyalty. These trivial things did not succeed in distracting Malakai, while they were a luxury he would accept, he would never forget who he was and where he stood with the Dark Lord.

Clasping his lightsaber to his hip he turned out of the room, making his way down to the training hall. Soldiers and engineer's passed him, quickly reinforcing their allegiance with a salute before moving about their business. As he moved closer to the training hall he could feel him, as he went to open the the blast door's to the room he exhaled softly, clearing his mind of all distractions. The chamber became open to him and he saw [member="Darth Mephirium"] , standing as he always did, as if he was a god among men.

Power in the Dark Side had been Mepherium's ally nearly all his life, it was that power that drew Malakai to him. It was that power that caused him to bow before the Dark Lord as he entered the training room. "You summoned, My Lord."

 

[Enma Jayss]

She stood straight, unhesitating, tucked away in the solitude of her chambers. The hybrid had made a point of disposing of anything old, favoring everything new. And today she had been surprised. A blind creature positioning itself in front of a mirror was a confusing sight to see. Her slender, athletic body that bore the only remaining marks of her past was clad in the black attire of an Apprentice. Unlike most blind people, she did not hide the deadness of her orbes under a bandage or a mask.

Slowly, her eyes started glowing in what used to be a light blue brightness. Its color had shifted to a palish orange as well as the allignment of her own form, the only thing she could see of herself in the mirror. The edges of her lips sightly curled in a pleasant smile. The words of her new Master had been burned in her mind, now as the dark-side slowly tried to consume her she allowed its entrance but denied it control. She could notice herself feeling the slow but steady increase in her attuning to the obscure face of the living Force through her studies, through her practice, her training, her Master...And it encouraged her on-wards, always keeping in mind her very first lesson.

Today she had also received a message from [member="Darth Mephirium"] , calling on her to the primary training hall. Having prepared herself in advance for what she assumed was to be a lesson, but knowing she could not completely anticipate her Master's actions she made the effort of not speculating and simply be prepared to receive whatever this day may hold in stake for her.

She moved through the vessel without the aid of Force sight. It wouldn't have been wise to neglect the outstanding capacity of her other senses. And guided herself through corridors with her ears, her hands and her Force sensing. Soon enough she reached the main training hall and perceiving her master's presence, she bowed her head as soon as she entered. To her surprise, there was also another in the room.

"Greetings, Master" Her voice was respectful, sure and calm. She took some steps further into the room until she had positioned herself closer to her Master, leaving some meters in between. She then assessed the stranger her eyes now coming to life in that new color of light. He was another apprentice and she found it in herself to greet him as she would have greeted one of her brothers or sisters in the past times, she nodded in acknowledgement. She had been raised to both respect and be careful of her competition not to be condescending and definitely not to believe she was beyond their reach. Afterall, that had been her siblings' mistake with herself.

[member="Darth Malakai"]

 

[Minn Tavers]

Minn was studying ancient knowledge in the library. Minn always had a thing for ancient tomes and scrolls, the knowledge of sith long dead. There was an appeal to it, but it contained much more than amusment. The knowledge in these tomes was often overlooked, ignored by many other sith. Minn knew better than to ignore the knowledge of the greats, knowledge was power after all.

She was currently reading on the philosophy of a long dead and forgotten sith lord when she received a message from Mepherium himself telling her to meet him in the training room. She packed up her things and began to maker her way there. This was an odd occurance, this was not one of the normal training days. Minn had a feeling something was up, but she could not tell what it was. The master was cryptic and confusing, she never knew what he had planned.

She made her way down the ship and eventually came up upon the chamber. Making her way through the doors she found herself in the quite familiar training hall, but she saw two other forms in the room. Walls were of no difference to Minn, she could see right through them like a normal person saw through glass. She saw that these two forms were strong in the force as well, almost as strong as her, and in front of them, the unmistakable presence of Mepherium himself. This was odd, but she would play along for now.

"Greetings, Master" she heard as she approached the room. It appeared as if the master was keeping other apprentices behind her back, looks like Minn did not know the full extent of the masters secrets. Now it was time for her to undertake some deception of her own.

She entered the room, attempting to mask her force presence, she did not want the others to know the full extent of her strength yet, it would be advantagous if anything were to happen. Minn would attempt to appear as if she were shy and lacking in confidence, let the others in the room think of her as easy pickings. She knew how sith worked, she had read the ideals of many of the greats, they were always looking to one up another, always looking to look better to their masters. If Minn were able to appear as easy to best, the others would think of her as easy pickings, this would allow her to reveal her true strength at the right moment, making the predator into the prey. She knew it would not work on her master, she could only hope he would play along.

"He.. hello master." She said with an incredibly shy voice, she attempted not to overplay it too much as to be unrealistic, but enough to lull the others in the room into a sense of security.

[member="Enma Jayss"]
[member="Darth Malakai"]
[member="Darth Mephirium"]
[member="Alecandria"]
[member="Grace Darkson"]

 

[Enma Jayss]

Enma's eyes wavered to the new presence in the hall. Yet another student. The hybrid was probably the one that felt more at comfort with a situation of this characteristic. She knew her Master could have many students, she doubted that they were more than fifty...To her, the room was almost empty. The only presence that inspired to her personal interest was the one of her Master, the others were simply both companions and rivals. It was like experiencing a flash-back to her childhood and teenage-hood years. To her first twenty years of life.

Her ears tingled when they perceived the voice of the newcomer. Shyness. An eyebrow was slowly raised as she turned to look at the young woman. She immediately identified her species as one of the components of herself. However, soon enough her eyes returned to that deadened state as she stopped using her Force-sight for the time being, a dull and empty, unnerving stare boring into the girl.

And the reason was because she was playing a game Enma knew very well. A game she had played for twenty years. It was the sort of game in which one needed to know when others were playing too. For a deceiver who is deceived, has been deceived two times. Without a word or expression, not letting her knowledge be seen through her expressions, that passed as simple surprise at the timidness of the girl, she returned her full attention to Mephirium and only kept her suspicions to herself.

Then, she dedicated her mind to try to decipher why the Sith Lord had decided to stop keeping his students a secret from each other.

[member="Darth Mephirium"]
[member="Minn Tavers"]
[member="Darth Malakai"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

Grace looked up from her corner and frowned. She had hoped to have a moment's peace to work on this, but the Force seemed to think otherwise. Shaking her head, she pushed herself up from the corner, each time she pressed her left hand into the wall feeling like fire coursing through her. As she righted herself, her eyes scanned the others while her right hand tucked the necklace into her pocket. So there were more than just her and Minn. Interesting. It made sense. The Dark Lord was a being of power. Those seeking power would flock to him like mothes to a flame. Three rivals. Enough to play off each other, not enough to become a complicated mess. She'd need to figure out what they were good at. Find out who to turn into who's rivals. As soft soled shoes carried her to the group, her thoughts moved between the three of them.

Minn was easy enough. From what she understood, the girl was confident, physically powerful, and prone to fits of rage. Apparently not that good at mental defenses, as she had discovered. Tick her off enough, and she'll even disobey the Sith'ari. Simple enough, it seemed. The others, well, she'd need to learn.

The male apprentice seemed to be more used to the Dark Lord than the others. The loyal hound to Minn's wild card. The respectful bow, the way he held himself. He was a threat, and she guessed a greater one than the others. She'd have to watch her step. He had the influence of time. An advantage she lacked. Something to remember when dealing with him.

The other girl was harder to read. No eyes, just dead spheres. Seeing through the Force? No sneaking up on her. Still, she would cover it as a Miraluka, right? It seemed to be a cultural thing to them, according to Tessa. Hmm.

A hound, an enigma and a wild card. This would be interesting.

As she reached the group, her form dropped to one knee. "My Lord." With a slow motion, she pulled herself back up, and turned to the Miraluka with a smile. "Minn. How's the knee."

[member="Alecandria"] [member="Darth Mephirium"] [member="Darth Malakai"] [member="Enma Jayss"] [member="Minn Tavers"]

 

[Alecandria]

Some say that it takes only one man to build an empire, but Alecandria was not one of them. To her eyes, the great individuals that the universe had given birth throughout the whole of history were nothing but broken things. To say that one individual made a change was a blatant and utter lie. It took more than one man to create an empire, and even more to make it grand. Without the smaller stepping stones, the whole temple would crumble beneath it's own weight and bringing about it's destructive end. Behind the greatest conqueror was a band of minds and strengths. Following them were their compatriots and after them, smaller and more insignificant things. No grand mastermind stood alone. Each galaxy would be not without it's stars, suns, and moons. No matter how small, each played a vital part in the whole of the grand scheme. Thus, for one man to make a difference, to build an empire, to achieve greatness; he could not. Not without others to play their part.

Her mind wandered, and she gave into her thoughts like she had done more often than not in the past months. It was the only security she had and even though it was as fleeting as a child's wish, she found she relished in it's fiction. Without the solitude of her mind, what few strings remained attached would have been severed long ago. The remnants of her humanity clung desperately, latching onto her fragile reality while her guilt and despair continued to threaten to swallow her whole still. Had it not been for Mephirium and Praetorias, she would have given into the her demons and ceased to exist. Had they not rekindled her will to live in the ruined remains of the Sith Temple, she shuddered to consider.

With the recollection of the Temple, she could not help but follow the bud back to the seed that had sprouted her whole journey. From one branch to another, she could trace every step that she had bad back to the very moment in which she had cast herself into exile. At some point, she had leaned against the wall that served as the barricade between the hall and the wide room, the anchor to which the doors was bound. Alecandria lowered herself down to the floor and drew herself into insignificance, arms and legs pulled tightly against herself. With distant, crystalline blue eyes and an expressionless face, she made not a sound as the occasional passerby continued on. They ignored her and she ignored them.

When the message found her, she was drawn from her state but made no move to follow the directions. She was no pet to come to the master's call. Though he had done no harm to her thus far, she had little doubt that he would. He was a Sith, after all. Both Praetorias and himself. As such, neither were to be trusted. After all, was she not content where she was?

In truth, she was more a prisoner than anything else. She was a Jedi. Not some manipulated and twisted pawn of the Dark Side. But, was it not her weakness that had guided her to the Chimaera? Was it not the reason that had sent her spiraling into darkness and despair? Yes, it was. Because she had been unable to resist it's temptation, she had failed in her duty to be just and good. Because she had failed when it mattered, Alecandria had closed herself off from everyone and thing and thrown herself into a stolen craft in an attempt to run. She had run because she'd been teased and tempted to let herself take the first step towards her dark descent. And yet, her whole intent had been to escape it, to redeem herself in her own eyes -- as well as her peers, and come back with a higher sense of purity. How truly ironic it was to find herself in the hands of a Sith Lord and his lackeys.

Thrice during her thoughts was she interrupted by the arrival of three individuals that entered through the doors beside her, back into the room she had vacated several hours before. With each one passing, she lifted her head and listened to their passing and the soft sounds of voices resonating from within.

Master. Lord.

Mephirium had to be within.

Knowing full well that she could no longer ignore the summons, Alecandria rose to her feet. Patting the white robes that clung neatly to her form and smoothing out the wrinkles, her right hand brushed against the tarnished metal of her saber. Warmth radiated through her that she had been permitted to keep it upon her person. Without it, she would have been incapacitated and left vulnerable. Not so much physically as it was emotionally. All the same, her vulnerability was evident for all to see.

She was, after all, a broken woman. It did not take a genius to take a glance upon her and know from her posture and stance that she lacked any true sense of confidence.

When she entered through the threshold and back into the training room, her brilliant blue eyes befell each of the others. She did not linger, nor did she study them. She was not a part of them. Whom ever the four were, they must hold some significance. Certainly not apprentices? Though she did not show her confusion, she could not help but wonder why a Sith would ever chose to have so many. From what she understood, it was customary not to waste time and resources on more than one. Perhaps they were lackeys, of sorts. The assumption proved to be more reasonable as she took two more steps forward to allow the doors to close behind her.

Alecandria remained where she was, though her eyes turned to Mephirium. None of the others were of importance to her, after all. They were nothing more than Sith play-things. Nothing to be concerned with, for they were not of her concern. The Dark Lord, however, was. He had, after all, destroyed an empire.

 

[Placeholder 04]

Mephirium was a statue.

He stood entirely motionless, watching as the lot of them prostrated themselves before him. It was the intelligent thing to do. He'd done the same to [member="Darth Vulcanus"] during his apprenticeship, and if not respect, than at least a fondness for the dogmatic approach of it had made Vulcanus teach him. Of his rivals and equals, Darth Mephirium was not an arrogant man. He was a pragmatist: one that could make another feel as if they were both his peer, and then below him all the same.

Of his apprentices, Mephirium expected nothing but total obedience. Anything less would interfere with his designs, and rogue elements needed to be quelled. All that he had created revolved around the ideal of order and the preservation of peace; discord only wrought death and pain. His apprentices' respect was a sign of that order, and one day, they too would stand where he stood now.

"Rise," he spoke, gesturing for the lot of them to do as told. "You've all captured my personal attentions, in one way or another. As much as I may be, I am but a man: mortal. One day, the clutches of death will take me, and I have no intentions of attempting to return as some of my constituents have. What I dream cannot be accomplished in one life time: a united galaxy not born off the back of despotism, but unification. Patriotism. A merging of cultural identity -- the extinction of war, racism, religious schisms; we shall know true peace. Even still, I doubt I will live until that day.."

He gestured toward those gathered, "Should I perish, one of you will ascend to my seat one day, and succeed me as the Dark Lord of the Sith. You will be challenged by others for the title. You will be hunted. You will find you have no allies, save for those that are the very closest to you, and perhaps not even them. Most of all, you will come to appreciate one another, just as much as you wish to kill one another."

For the weight of his words, Mephirium sounded more amused than anything else. A forlorn Jedi, a hybrid abomination, a loyal beast, an opportunist, and the child of his forefathers' brothers. It was an odd conglomeration, but it would suit his purpose well.

"The way of the Sith is to take what you desire, but it is also to follow your betters. What we create shall follow this policy. Never stop attempting to rise, but know to cease when your efforts harm what we create," he paused, "One of you will succeed me. The others will become some of the galaxy's most powerful beings. Either way, your destinies are tied intrinsically with one another. You will all succeed, or you will all perish."

"Now, introduce yourselves to your peers, but be wise as to what you say. Knowledge is power, and it was cunning, not strength of arms that allowed me my current position. Use that to your advantages, and proceed."

[member="Alecandria"], [member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Enma Jayss"], [member="Darth Malakai"], [member="Minn Tavers"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Malakai had certainly not expected his master to hide other apprentices, but at the same time it did not surprise the young Sith. He knew it was both an immature and unrealistic notion for him to be Darth Mephirium's only apprentice. He remained silent as the others entered the training hall, he felt no need to acknowledge them as of yet and he was more focused on learning about them than he was interacting with them. The first of the hidden apprentices to enter was a Miraluka woman, her eyes much like that of a star that had lost it's life long ago. He assumed that the woman used the Force as her eyes, as most of her kind did.

The next of the apprentices had introduced herself to the Dark Lord in a way void of assertion and confidence. This, more than anything, caused Malakai to question and wonder about her. It was not uncommon for his master to place stock in those who were not yet ready, whether it be emotionally, physically, or even mentally. If she was as timid as she seemed than it only meant her strengths lied else where, something to be wary of in the future.

While he had still been examining the timid one another apprentice had entered the room, this one seemed to be the most relaxed of the apprentices. There was nothing extraordinary about her that he could notice at first glance so he simply returned his attention to his master while he was speaking. It was not until a fourth individual, a woman clad in all white, had made her way inside that Malakai had broken his attention for a fraction of a moment. She made no attempt to speak with Darth Mepherium and even less attempt to acknowled the apprentices before her. Whoever she was, she felt she was above them, he could not help but allow a slight smirk to creep over his face. It never ceased to fail; the type of individuals his master could attract were generally beyond extrodianry.

An introduction, such an unnecessary ritual, still, it was another way for him to learn more of his new colleagues. He looked to the others, speaking in a firm voice, yet holding a neutral tone as he did so. "I am Darth Malakai, I am sure you will all prove to be both great allies and rivals in the future." With that he returned to his silence, seeing no reason to release any more information than his name.

[member="Darth Mephirium"][member="Enma Jayss"][member="Minn Tavers"] @Alecandria @Grace Darkson

 

[Enma Jayss]

Slowly she leaned her head to the side, her neck cracking quite loudly as she did so, her stretching skin bringing forth the dark marks that decorated the whole of her back and climbed up her neck. The ink, hidden by her clothes, had been a gift from her many brothers and sisters. A mural, a piece of tribal art on her skin that was built over the years. All forty-nine marks were there to be found. She couldn't have felt more at comfort today. She had both loved and killed her siblings. She was used to coexist and annihilate at the same time. To her, this was the normal way of things. She was already starting to feel comfortable among her fellow apprentices. She would learn to support them and hold them and be always ready to let them fall at some given time, was this to be necessary. And she did not find any value in being dishonest about this.

Two more initiates entered the room and the hybrid liked the both less than she had liked the previous two. One was too scheming, she could almost hear her gears cricketing inside her head, feel her glare through her skin. She apparently knew the...shy one from previous experience. The second and last one was a far different case. Enma felt that she didn't want to be here. And that stroke the hybrid the wrong way. The ones that do not know what they want, or at least how to behave in the face of indecision, are either trying two follow two different paths at the same time or are loosing the hold on what keeps them in one. These were the most dangerous of them. The ones that could be more desperate.

But truth was, Enma did not hold any wants of becoming her Master's successor. At least, not at the time. Now, Enma just wanted to succeed as his apprentice, to accomplish his expectations for her. She had lived her whole life as an apprentice. She had been raised like that. And she was good at it. Chances were, that even in the future if she was to elevate through the ranks of the Sith, she would still follow him.

Her Master then instructed them to introduce themselves. The first to do so was the young man, the one that Enma had -in some way- liked better above her other peers. She was unmoved by his introduction. After all, he had only given them a name. She, who had a far different perception of this situation, classifying it as a familiar one, did not feel like holding anything from them. For she knew that her past might incline them to be weary of her, maybe even target her first, but everyone would suffer that fate sooner or later. And as she had done with her siblings, she would not be angry at them for their successes nor would she be dishonest.

"I was named Enma Jayss. And I was born to many creators and to many siblings, though I am not sure exactly when. I was made with the purpose of achieving what my masters had defined as perfection. Me and my forty nine siblings had the same objective, only we had different bloods. For ten years we were faced against each other, until on the last year only seven of us remained. Our Masters last command was for us to end their lives. And we obeyed. Then we left, each of us on a different path. But I will always be united to them by the strongest of bonds and the mission to end them." Her voice was smooth and slow and dismally calm, as though she was retelling a fairy tale and not the demise of her familiars. She did not make any direct allusions to her hybridism, to her it was more than evident to the eye.

[member="Darth Mephirium"]
[member="Darth Malakai"]
[member="Minn Tavers"]
[member="Grace Darkson"]
[member="Alecandria"]

 

[Minn Tavers]

Minn did not know of these others in the slightest. The revelation that everyone in this room was an apprentice was all the more shocking. Minn said nothing, she needed to focus to continue her ruse. This sort of deception was very like Mepherium, he had brought down the One Sith with a grand deception, this was but a a simple trick compared to that.

Minn felt a bit of anger boil up in her as Grace entered the room, the fight had been taxing on both of them, but that did not prevent Minn from feeling resentment towards Grace. The comments didnt help either. Minn did not speak, only making some anxious noises to keep the ruse.

Did every sith have an extravagant history? I mean Minn herself was just a security guard Mephirium picked up off of the street after she had been shot. The darth fellow was interesting as well, he did not go into much detail, but from what Minn new, Darth was bestowed upon either reaching master, or accomplishing one or more feats that show your raw power. He would be a threat, she did not want to mess with him. On the other hand, the other apprentice seemed to have an extremely interesting backstory, she would have to coax more out of her in the future.

"Hello... I am Minn Tavers. Nice to meet you." Minn said, extremely anxiously

[member="Enma Jayss"]
[member="Darth Malakai"]
[member="Darth Mephirium"]
[member="Alecandria"]
[member="Grace Darkson"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

Time seemed to be working for her today. The more she watched and listened, the more she learned. The new woman, if she was even worthy of being called that, seemed to be a broken soul. Not a word and barely a sound admitted from the girl, and yet the lightsaber at her hilt meant something. She had to be some fallen Jedi, or some wandering being driven to the brink of sanity by the Dark Side. Still, it would be best not to underestimate her. Those at the end of their rope were some of the most dangerous opponents. As the others introduced herself, she listened with interest.

The loyal hound was Darth Malakai. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she heard the title. So they were in the presence of two Lords, although to her, it seemed Malakai was much weaker. Not really a surprise, considering the scope of his competition. Still, the man was more of a threat than she had first thought. That would make things a lot harder. Time, experience and power. He had so many advantages. She'd need to find a weakness.

Emma Jayss was made. Some sort of Sithspawn, then? And one of many? She'd need to learn about her siblings, maybe find one. Could be a useful ally. What abilities had her makers given her? And why did they leave her sentient? Most who did that knew it was a bad idea.

Weren't mad scientists fun?

She could feel the anger boil up inside Minn at her comment, drawing a small smile from her. As fearful as the whelp wanted to act, Grace could feel the anger welling up simply from being in the same room. Part of her wondered how much the others could sense it. Timidness wasn't an act she would want to pull, not here among equals. It was a dangerous game. One not easily played out. The Vahla would take a different approach.

"Grace Darkson, Archaeologist." She gave a bow, more overdone than she probably should of. In the back of her head she heard snickering.

Really, Grace? She knew the voice well enough. For a brief moment, a frown crossed her face, but it vanished almost as soon at it appeared. She'd deal with that later. She had more important things to focus on.

[member="Alecandria"] [member="Darth Mephirium"] [member="Darth Malakai"] [member="Enma Jayss"] [member="Minn Tavers"]

 

[Alecandria]

Throughout history and time itself, a great many accomplishments had been achieved through conflict and violence. However, there were also those that had been one on more diplomatic words. To say that Mephirium's words carried weight was an understatement. Words had power; they could be persuasive, inspiring, revitalizing, and they could also be damning. With a few choice words, a heart could be won or a fragile alliance could be shattered.

To hear the words that fell from the Dark Lord's lips left her with raw unsatisfaction. It had been obvious that she had peaked his interest when she had come into contact with Praetorias and himself. Certainly, she was not a part of this congregation. It seemed more reasonable to her that she was her to witness it, to observe those that would be her jailer in the event that Mephirium met an unfortunate, and untimely, fate.

As he proceeded and commanded the others to introduce themselves, Alecandria remained where she was standing. She made no notion of interest to place herself among them, keeping herself apart from them and not just physically. While the other four proceeded to voice their introductions, she listened, wearily. They were Sith, and not to be trusted.


From a simple name and title, a timid pipe of a voice, false pleasantries, and a long-winded history of murder, the four Apprentices sized one another up. Crystal blue drifted from one to the next, observing each in kind.

The first, the provider of the timid and small voice. The second, a woman with a fair concept of duty. The man, imposing. It was they hybrid that naturally drew the most concern, of course. However, Alecandria's face was blank, like an unwritten page. There was nothing to see nor hide in her expression.

The silence that followed was no less than awkward. Still, she said nothing. She was here to observe. After all, she was no apprentice to a Sith.


[member="Grace Darkson"] | [member="Minn Tavers"] | [member="Enma Jayss"] | [member="Darth Malakai"] | [member="Darth Mephirium"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

Of them all, Alecandria's reaction amused Mephirium the most. They all had some semblance of understanding about what was going on, but the self-proclaimed Jedi refused to accept reality. She belonged to him now, whether she wished it or not. It was only a matter of time until she came to realize and accept this, though the longer she resisted, the further the seeds were allowed to grow.

Mephirium's gaze passed from one to the other, pleased to see that each of them aside from Alec spoke. Good. This was the start of something. They had come for a lesson, but they would receive a challenge instead.

"You must prove yourselves before I can continue your training," Mephirium began, "Malakai, Enma, you will go to Tatooine and retrieve a holocron of great power for me. You will find it in the cave of a demon. Should you fail, I doubt you will survive."

His attentions shifted to Minn and Grace. "The both of you will travel to Serenno. There, too, is a holocron of strength. It lies in the hands of a Serenno noble. You will need to earn his attentions and retrieve this holocron. The former is a test of strength, the latter a test of guile. Do not fail."

Finally, Alecandria. "And you and I are going to have a talk."

[member="Alecandria"], [member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Minn Tavers"], [member="Enma Jayss"], [member="Darth Malakai"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

It was not Malakai's place to question his master, especially in front of the other apprentices. At the same time Malakai had never worked with a partner before and the idea of such a thing was as alien to him as a casino with Jedi and Sith. He glanced over to [member="Enma Jayss"] and nodded quietly.

He was sure his Master had his reasons and simply chalked it up to that. "As you wish, my lord." He gave his master a respectful bow before turning away from the group, making his way to his quarters. He glanced to Enma as he passed, hopefully she would not drag her feet in preparing to leave.

Malakai knew Tatooine well, a part of his training having been on the desolate waste of a world. He was not it's biggest fan and in the time of his training he felt it was almost a mutual feeling shared by the planet itself.

The Sith glanced at the other apprentices, still curious as to how they would all fit in his Master's grand scheme of things. One thing was certain, it was going to be an interesting result.


[member="Darth Mephirium"] @Alecandria @Grace Darkson [member="Minn Tavers"]

 

[Enma Jayss]

The hybrid eyed the silent last-comer again, as though she was not as blind as she really was. She felt a deep, obnoxious and nagging concern that she knew how to control extremely well. The reason of her profound dislike of this other apprentice was that she represented everything that Enma had been taught against. And if she was to see her as an equal, as she would have looked at her late siblings, she would have to put her mind together soon.

The window that held the Hybrid's pleasantries was very easy to close. She wondered why she felt such disdain for them but had followed Mephirium anyways. And she didn't want to state she knew the answer, though she suspected it.

Thoughts of [member="Alecandria"] were erased from the hybrids mind as soon as Mephirium delivered his command. She was to join [member="Darth Malakai"] in the search for an ancient holocron. She nodded and said no more, bowing once before the Sith Lord before exiting the room and returning to her quarters where she sat, her dead eyes staring straight at where she knew was the wall. Trying to find something in their darkness, a very particular thought...

[member="Darth Mephirium"]
[member="Grace Darkson"]
[member="Minn Tavers"]

 

[Alecandria]

There was something haunting in the way he said, "and you and I are going to have a talk." It was a frank statement, one spoken plainly and without hidden context. It was for that reason that Alecandria felt the prickling sensation of her skin crawling. Yet, she still made no betrayal of her turmoil upon her face. It was the distrust in her eyes that betrayed her. Even though the Dark Lord had essentially saved her from self damnation, there was no changing the truth that he was a Sith.

She was a Jedi, raised and trained to uphold justice, honor, and life above all things. It was her duty to combat the forces of darkness wherever possible. It was that same enemy that had perverted her and continued to make an attempt.

As the apprentices acknowledged Mephirium's dictations, Alecandria came to understand the precarious position in which she found herself. She was not only a prisoner, she was also a captive to the whole essence of temptation. Broken as she was, she knew that the minutes that ticked by would bring her ever closer to the chasm. She would have to resist, steel herself against the Dark Lord and his words of velvet. She would have to barricade herself from the satin and silk, and resist the want to touch. For she knew that if she gave in, there would be no turning back. After all, she had already taken a bite from the forbidden fruit.

"Of course."



[member="Grace Darkson"] | [member="Minn Tavers"] | [member="Enma Jayss"] | [member="Darth Malakai"] | [member="Darth Mephirium"]