Removing the Mask

[Tmoxin Temi]

Location: The Tenebras Academy

Tmoxin had often trained at the Obsidian Order’s Tenebras Academy, but never unmasked. Therefore, landing her Innesco-Class Star Yacht, the Sovereign Stingray, into the asteroid hangar, attracted quite a few looks, not only for the flashy ship, but also because she was a stranger among them. She recognized a few students walking in, but they would not recognize her, so she passed them without greeting. The Hapan CEO was known previously at Tenebras as The Black Moth, because of her black armor and skull mask, but today even her Archon, Sigma would not know who she was. Because she was going to Force train as Tmoxin Temi.

She had seen Jerec Wraith's name as a visiting trainer at Tenebras, so using the Black Moth alias, she had signed up for a series of lessons to learn something beyond Telekinesis or Force Jump which she had been learning with Sigma. Tmoxin was most interested in mind tricks, shadow play, weather manipulation or even darkshear. She knew how to evade and saber sparring came easily to her with her prior fencing and combat experience. It was time to advance into skills which would not only keep an opponent at bay but would also render them obselete. Tmoxin was hoping to learn how to wield nearly infinite power on the battlefield, the likes of which she had only witnessed from afar.

And as far as Wraith’s personality? She wasn’t sure how he would be as a trainer, but personally he was confident, at times overly so. Was he trustworthy? The jury was still out on that. But he did have her respect based on his prowess on the battlefield.

Would Wraith be surpised that he was training Tmoxin? He could have picked up her Force sensitivity when they had been together on Doldur and had just not said anything. Or perhaps he was unaware.

Either way, she would find out soon enough as she walked into the lobby of Tenebras to meet up with Jerec Wraith.

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

Tenebras Academy​

Clad in his Obsidian armor, which was really just a few purple plates over the purple robes he typically liked to wear, the man stood in the lobby. Many Obsidian order pupils mulled around him on their morning tasks, and he paid them little attention. Occasionally, a few would give him some looks and appear to have a question on their face. If he was fast enough, he would just send a subtle nudge or suggestion straight into their subconscious to leave him alone. Wraith couldn’t fully put up a barrier so that he wasn’t noticed, because well he would get in trouble with the other Master’s of the Order if he didn’t help out. It really was pathetic that he had to shun the main two factions in the galaxy he wanted to join. Jerec had no love for Vong, nor did he want them to study the means by which he was extending his life and appearing to be so young. The Imperial Remnant had been a bunch of incompetent fools, so he had gone to the new hip faction for darksiders really wanting to be evil.

Honestly, Jerec was just here so he wouldn’t get fined.

Pulling the datapad from his waist, he examined the name. “Who in the feth would call themselves Black Moth?” A look of disgust crossed his handsome features, he was clearly annoyed already. I’ve been here for a month and they are handing me trash? The thought burned inside him, the void of darkness that he was. A million plots sprung forth in his mind, all of them about how he would kill the Archon and slowly feast on his soul. His gloved hand slowly put the datapad back, little information on his future pupil had been provided.

How in the hell am I supposed to work with this?

It took all he had to not let his cape swoosh behind him and walk out in a hurry. Jerec didn’t, he merely gripped the curved lightsaber hilt on his belt and scanned the room until his eyes fell on a familiar Hapan who had just walked in. Ever the social creature when he was seeking angles, he briskly walked over to her. “Ms. Temi, what brings you to the academy?” While he asked the question, dark tendrils of energy prodded the woman. She was now awake to the Force, and he could feel a darkness within her.

“It seems you’ve changed, who’s your instructor?”

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

Once Tmoxin found the training room, she saw that Jerec Wraith was already there. By the Eternal Core, he was even more handsome than she remembered with his tall, lean form and piercing blue eyes, but his pushing into her mind like that was really quite intrusive. Didn’t just a handshake or even a gentlemanly kiss on the hand seem like the more proper way to greet a lady rather than all of this cerebral prodding?

But she had a few Masters before and didn’t think sending him some kind of mental Force slap back would bode very well for their first day of instruction. She merely acknowledged the dark brush to her mind with a patient sigh.

“I am here to train with you, Jerec,” she said with a smirk. “You are my instructor.”

If Tmoxin didn’t know better she would think the Dark Jedi Master was on his way out.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” Tmoxin asked.

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

Jerec had a few things that got his attention, intelligence, and distinctive beauty. It had been like that his entire life, with power and the pursuit of it ever being at the top. Many had spoken to him of the concept of love, he didn’t understand how to love individuals. That’s what made me a horrible Jedi, he mused as he immediately slowed everything down upon speaking to her. Taut muscles relaxed, and his aura shifted instantaneously. His calm, cool, and calculating demeanour came back to the forefront as frustration faded away. Upon her saying the words that he was her instructor, he had to fight down quite the chuckle. You are far too intelligent to come up with some alias such as the Black Moth flashed across his mind, but the words never made the distance from brain to mouth.

Instead, he took her hand and quickly kissed the top of it. One didn’t live for nearly eight decades without some modicum of decorum or the ability to save a situation. “I had no idea it would be you that I would have the pleasure teaching Lady Temi.” His ten thousand megawatt smile flashed as he instead put said hand over the crook of his arm and spun on his heel to lead her back into the training room. “I hate to admit that I was actually about to leave, patience isn’t one of my strong suits.” It was a lie, he had spent two decades as some ethereal spirit while waiting for his power to recharge enough so that he could finally construct some body and find a mortal fool to help him. Never reveal your hand to a lady, especially if it’s to say you think her alias is silly.

Jerec kept his mouth shut, and released his arm as he walked a few meters ahead before turning before her. Without a word or any silly hand movements most force-users were prone to do, he adjusted the lighting, taking away the sterile brightness and making it darker and more moody. Every sliding door in the room closed and locked, and one bench had made it’s way right next to the man. Removing the large cape he had been wearing, he revealed himself to be wearing quite utilitarian robes.

“So what do you wish to learn from me?” His voice was friendly, but anyone who viewed him through the force would see only one thing.

A void, that sucked in all the light around it.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

After Jerec kissed her hand, he appeared much less in a hurry and lead her back to the training room, Tmoxin said, "I understand. Patience is not a strong suit of mine as well. We have that in common, I suppose." Unlike Wraith, the Hapan Jedi wasn't lying. She was about as patient as an aggravated nerf with a bad case of sand fleas.

She watched him adjust the room's atmosphere noting especially the darker lighting and locking of the doors. But her face betrayed nothing but a mild amusement. Unlike Jerec in his simple robes, Tmoxin was dressed in a form fitting jump suit of sorts with a leather jacket which she removed and hung over the bench on which the Dark Jedi Master sat.

She considered his question for a moment, about what she wanted to learn, and the answer came easily.

"Since we've been on the battlefield together you know that I am proficient in combat. I also know some Force augmentation skills which help with physical attacks. But what I lack are any mental powers."

She didn't delve into his mind yet. There would be plenty of time for that with the promise of mental training ahead. She stepped up closer to him, not sitting next to him but standing before him as he sat on the bench.

"I would like to use the Force to influence, coerce, and ultimately subdue my opponent."

[member="Jerec Wraith"]

 

[Jerec Wraith]

“You are rather proficient, My’lady.” He of course knew she was pretty good at combat, even if he despised how she used her lightsaber. The only form he really liked was Makashi, any other use of the lightsaber was considered a waste of time in his mind. Where this hatred had come from he wasn’t totally certain, but he knew most of it had to do with the fact that his younger brother had killed him with his mastery of Vaapad. Okay, lets not think of that now. The thought was squashed in his mind, falling back behind the layers of mental protection he always kept up. Just the mention of his younger sibling could break the facade he always kept up, and that didn’t need to happen in a training academy around a beautiful woman.

Even as his hand immediately went for the hilt, but it just rested against the cool electrum surface.

As words began to form, his layers of mental defense increased exponentially. His own prodding wouldn’t have gone unnoticed, he hadn’t intended to be stealthy. “Well, if you are wanting to learn to coerce you must become good at the art of deception my dear.” Jerec kept his distance, even standing at parade rest. He had never served in any military capacity, but he had learned that individuals respected a man who had that air about him. “Mental powers are merely an extension of your own ability to convince people with your words. Much in the same capacity that you augment your physical abilities with the force. It requires offering suggestions in a tone that is pleasant and wording that makes sense. Your target can’t really know you are tricking or manipulating them, it must be done in a way that you make them agree to your suggestion.”

His mind was probing a students, and the seed was planted. Shortly thereafter a younger male entered the room with a blank look on his face.

“Hello there child,” his tone was friendly. “Tmoxin, I want you to simply talk to this boy for a few minutes. Learn about him, and then we shall proceed.” As those words were uttered he sent a message directly to her brain.

I want you to make him go to sleep, make him think it’s in his best interest to take a nap. Simply plant the seeds and allow your words to carry a subtle amount of the force. If you push too hard, he’ll either fight back or your break his mind.

Jerec really didn’t care if the latter happened, but most couldn’t bare hurting a teenager.

[member="Tmoxin Temi"]

 

[Tmoxin Temi]

The Hapan CEO tried to keep a straight face as she listened to Wraith’s description of a mind trick. She didn’t want to betray that she was immensely confident this skill would come very easily to her. Tmoxin had a long list of references who could attest to her skills in deception. She had embezzled credits, plotted against the Sith, and even tricked Darth Carach’s own Royal Guards, escaping right out from under their eagle-eyed watch on Annaxes when she was supposed to be under house arrest. And this with nary a scratch on her lean, muscular body. She had no major scars or cybernetics, which only attested to her ability to escape danger through her wits.

Of course, it could have been luck, Tmoxin, she thought dryly.

When she spied the teenage boy enter the room, the padawan realized that Wraith was about to give her a small test to begin working on this Force power. She listened to his instructions and shot him a puzzled look when he said telepathically that she could break his mind. I will do nothing of the sort, she thought. Unless she coerciced him to fall into such a deep sleep that she killed him? That was a grim prospect indeed.

Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on channeling the Force through her body and mind as she opened her mouth. Persuasion, Tmoxin. That is what this is all about.

“Young man,” she said turning to address him. “You look extremely tired. In fact, I’ve never seen a human being so tired before in my life. I really think that if we found you a cot or a bed somewhere it would be a good idea to lie down and go to sleep.”
She cocked her head at the teenager and added, “What do you think? Are you exhausted?” She would let the Force wash over both of them as she spoke her words, trying to envelop them in its life-sustaining embrace.

[member="Jerec Wraith"]