Tentation (Darth Arcanix)

[Zion Mirtis]

Sophie had flinched when the saber was taken out of her grip. She looked and saw where it landed, too far away to reach for. Even with the force it wouldn't reach her in time. She looked back seeing as [member="Darth Arcanix"] had her blade ready to strike her down. Sophie was afraid for her life now more than ever. And even with her at a defeating position the Sith still poured out her talk of how she was more Sith than she realized.

"S-Stay away!" Sophie said, putting her arms up to cover herself. The Sith then said how she was already down the dark path for seeking knowledgde, this angering her to where she yelled "GET AWAY!"

A sudden burst escaped her hands. She lashed out with the force and pushed at the Sith, putting all her might into it to send her flying across the room. Sophie did not fully realize but she'd put so much anger and emotion into it that she wanted to crush the Sith with her bare hands if need be.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli righted herself in the air, landing gracefully, but smiling triumphantly.

"So there is someone who will harness their emotions underneath all that Jedi bravado," she said, reigniting her lightsaber and moving towards the girl again. "What are we feeling, my young friend? Do you want to rip me limb from limb with your hands? Choke me into submission, then keep going? Tell me what you are feeling!"

She rushed forward, using the Force to augment her speed. The girl had lashed out in anger, that was good, she was close then. She brought her lightsaber down towards the girl, deliberately making the swing slightly slow enough that only through using her emotions, that survival instinct she had, again would the girl be able to dodge. Everything had to be precise, but then the girl was so very close to giving in completely.

[member="Sophie Gustav"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

With the Sith having been reading for it Sophie only felt more angered at herself for not being better. For not planning ahead. For not trying to run while she still had the chance. For not having the sense to not come here in the first place. She'd gotten herself into this and yet there was no one else to blame but herself. But she could project that blame on the Sith. She killed her pilot. She had to be here too. Tis was her fault as well.

When the Sith tried to attack again Sophie leapt out of the way before shouting her answer "I feel like I want to kill you!" before unleashing the force again.

She reached out and tried bringing down some of the piles of rubble around the Sith onto her. Rocks and boulders and broken peices of stone all cullminated into an avalanche of things to crush her with. Sophie wasn't thinking straight anymore. She just wanted to make [member="Darth Arcanix"] suffer now.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

The burst of the Force energy radiating out from the girl with her declaration was music to Taeli's ears, even as she used her won command of the Force to stop the rubble from touching her.

"Yes! Lash out, use your Force given powers, use your emotions, unshackle yourself from the chains that the Jedi have lashed to you," she said, dodging stones and unleashing Force Lightning on her young friend, just enough to shock and anger her even more.

"Just try and kill me, my friend!"

[member="Sophie Gustav"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

The lighting struck Sophie, cutting off her focus from the force. She screamed loudly as everything echoed, both in the room and in her mind as it screamed from the pain. When it stopped she felt to the ground and felt the unsettling sensation in her whole body. Her fingers twitched and her head felt oversized. She tried to move but everything ached so bad. She was down for the count but that didn't stop her from giving a bruning look towards [member="Darth Arcanix"] for what she'd done.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli looked down on the young girl, enjoying the burning look she was giving her. Her anger was smoldering now, unleashed and directed towards her, but it was good. A valiant effort she had given, but she wasn't strong enough to fight the fully fledged Sith Knight.

"A worthy effort, my young friend, but now you can see that the you don't stand a chance against the power of the dark side," she said, moving to stand over the girl and lifting her chin. "But, as much as you hate me and wish to kill me, I can show you the path to true power, to fully embrace your hunger for knowledge and have the permission to use that knowledge."

Stepping away from the girl and turning her back momentarily, she continued saying, "I give you a gift, something the Jedi would never give you. I give you the freedom of choice."

[member="Sophie Gustav"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

She could feel the dark prsence of this woman with every word she said to her. Shope tried looking away even with the Sith holding her chin and speaking to her. But instead of killing her she walked away, saying she offered her a choice. Sophie didn't understand at first an only did what she could to pick herself up. She stumbled and feel to her knees, looking to [member="Darth Arcanix"] to know why she was suddenly letting her go. She thought it was a trick of some kind. Sophie wasn't going to fall for it. She cralwed over and grabbed her by the leg trying to push her down to the poi t she was so angry she tried biting her boot like a wild child. She was so pent up she could barley think. If she could see herself she'd weep.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli used the Force to lift the girl before she tried to bite her boot, still with her back to the girl. It was interesting, the girl's persistence and drive to try and cause her harm. She could definitely understand where the girl was coming from, a flashback of how she first unleashed her dark powers slipped through her mind for a moment.

"Tell me, my young friend, what choice would you make? To learn more about the dark side, gain as much knowledge as you can possible gain or continue along the Jedi path, knowing that your pursuit of knowledge and your powerful emotions will eventually lead back to the dark side? I'm curious, very curious indeed."

Turning back to look at the girl, she smiled and allowed her Force presence to surround the girl, letting her feel the full extent of her power and subtly tempting the girl's emotions and thoughts.

[member="Sophie Gustav"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Sophie felt herself being lifted off the ground. She stuggled in the air, trying to get her feet back onto something solid. Instead she was dangling about like a recently caught fish, at the mercy of [member="Darth Arcanix"] and whatever schemes she had for her. She stood still and hovered as the Sith asked her for her answer, and as bad as she felt about it Sophie was genuinly interested. But not for the reasons she initially thought. A part of her wanted to know how the dark side worked, so she could better understand it in the hopes of changing it. Using it's powers for good. Perhaps through the Darth she could.

"I.....I do want to know..." she said, her tone showing a child-like interest.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli smiled as the girl stuttered her answer out, although she felt it wasn't a genuine turn yet. The girl would probably be harboring some notions of trying to use the dark side for good, to change its nature. But that was far easier said than done, and she fully expected that eventually, the girl would give in completely to the dark side. It would only be a matter of time and patience.

"Then I ask you to do one thing," she said, a smile forming across her lips. "Embrace your emotions completely, then we can take the knowledge you came for and we will begin your tutelage."

[member="Sophie Gustav"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Embracing her emotions seemed easy enough but of course Sophie wasn't fully sure. Emotions needed to be kept in check, at least that was what the Jedi had always said. Otherwise they would get the better of you, as they had her when she fought with [member="Darth Arcanix"] earlier. Yet she recalled Jedi who had fluient use in lightside abilites while using dark side techniques, like Master Mce Windu of old. He wasn't evil, only using something against his opponents that they would try to use against him. That was what she wanted. Looking to the Sith she nodded and indicated she would, if it meant getting the knowledge she wanted.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"Very well then," Taeli said, setting the girl back down on the floor. She still suspected the girl was going to try and use the dark side skills she learned against the Sith, but there were ways to make sure that didn't happen. Plus, once the girl started learning to embrace what she felt instead of locking it away, she just might be willing to join whole-heartedly. It would remain to be seen.

"If you want to collect what you came for, you'll need some reading material for the trip back to Coruscant," she said, turning off her lightsaber and tucking it away inside her satchel. "I'll be with you in just a moment."

Taeli turned and walked away, going into a different room to access the historical records of Ossus. If the girl wanted to flee, now would be the time, but Taeli had a clear sense of her Force presence. If she ran, Taeli could catch her in an instant. Pulling up the details on the period during the war against Exar Kun, she downloaded all pertinent files on him, then looked up the terraforming project the first incarnation of the One Sith sabotaged. She was very interested in the Vongspawn Virus they had utilized, and it would help her own research.

[member="Sophie Gustav"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Courascant? She was going to take her back there? Sophie didn't plan on heading into the lion's den and she had no intention of going. She just stood there and watched as [member="Darth Arcanix"] began to download the files. Sophie knew there was the risk she'd find something but there was little she could do. She had to escape as fast as possible. She waited until her back was turned before taking tiny steps for the exit. Each little one she took she glanced back to see if the Sith noticed. With each confirmation she added two more steps before looking back again. When she could see the exit leading back to the upper levels and a way out of the ruins Sophie had to risk it. Without a word she ran, hurrying as fast as she could before using the force to block the stairway going up. With all her might she oushed herself up the steps and out to the next level.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli sighed as she felt the girl take off, well if it was going to be that way. . .

She finished the download and gave chase, reigniting her lightsaber as she went. The stairs were blocked but that wouldn't be a problem as she sent a massive Force Push forward blowing the block away and she leapt up the stairs to the second floor. Landing gracefully, she augmented her speed again and used the Force to pull the girl back to her. Looks like a lesson was in order. Force Lightning lanced from her hands, surrounding the girl.

"That was very unwise, my young friend," she said, advancing towards her.

[member="Sophie Gustav"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

The force lighting had cut her off from escape. Sophie stopped and gasped while sheilding her eyes from the blaring light. She looked back, seeing [member="Darth Arcanix"] coming towards her, before standing definalty at her. "I'm not going with you to Courascant!" she said. "I won't be turned into what you are, not matter how powerful you might be." In reality it was her fear talking. She didn't want to be pulled into the den of the One Sith and be turned into one of them. She knew being among them would corrupt her mind as opposed to trying to control the dark side herself, in the hopes of using it against them as she planned.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"A pity that," Taeli sighed, before turning the full force of her lightning upon the young girl, blasting her to the ground and not allowing the lightning to let up for an instant. A lesson had to be taught here apparently, and I f necessary, she would take the unconscious girl with her to Coruscant. There were other ways to turn someone, but she had wanted this to be a willing transformation, not having to do what Carliah had been put through.

"You fear the Sith, you fear that being amongst us would turn you completely into one of us," she said, continuing the stream of lightning. "A shame that you feel that way, a real shame indeed as you are strong with the Force and have a sharp mind. Admit to me what you were hoping would be the case when you started learning of the dark side. Were you hoping to use it against us?"

[member="Sophie Gustav"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

A violent scream ruptured out as Sophie was hit by the lighting again. She fell back on the ground and writhed in pain from it. Her teeth clenched as she rolled herself in a ball while trying to fight the growing sense of dread in her stomach. She could feel every part of her sreaming out for it to stop, not helped by [member="Darth Arcanix"] and her words echoing in her head again. "M-Maybe I...was!" she shouted through the pain. "I just....I want to do something great! Ahhhh! I want to prove I'm special!"

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli circled around to block the girl from trying to run again, lifting the lightning from her twitching and writhing form. She wanted to be something special, to do great deeds. Crouching down next to the girl, Taeli sighed. She related to this girl in so many ways it seemed, the strive for recognition and respect. The hunt for knowledge she could proudly proclaim she had brought back out of the shadows of obscurity.

"How old are you?" she asked, her tone more soothing than before. Now that she knew what this girl sought, she understood her even better. "And don't worry, I won't blast you again as long as you don't try and run again. I have to say I'm sorry for that, truly. Mother always said I was a bit of a hot-head when I was at school on Lorrd."

[member="Sophie Gustav"]

 

[Zion Mirtis]

With the lighting gone again Sophie could catch her breath. She took massive gasps as she recovered before rolling to her side and trying to support herself with her arm. She iched away when [member="Darth Arcanix"] kneeled next to her before asking her age. And even when she tried to follow up with an apology Sophie looked at her oddly. Whatever she was playing at Sophie didn't know but she was worried about not answering as opposed to actually answering. "I'm....nineteen."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"I'm twenty-two," Taeli said, sitting down on the floor. She wondered if hearing how she had joined the Sith might change the girl's mind. "And I'll freely admit, I only recently joined the Sith myself. I was on Lorrd, getting ready to go on a big galaxy-wide search for knowledge when I was attacked by three boys from my school. They intended to rape and probably kill me, and the only thing that saved me was my emotions. My anger, my fear, my despair broke the chains of my mundane life, and I killed them for what they tried to do. You might think me a monster for that, but I view it as justice."

She took a breath, looking up for a moment.

"My master found me after that incident, offered me a second chance, something I don't think the Jedi would have granted me. I was a murderer, even if it was self-defense, and I took the chance to learn how to control these powers, to harness my emotions."

Shrugging, she continued by saying, "I guess I enjoy the power the dark side gives me because I'm free to search for whatever I want, do whatever I want, and it gives me the power to prevent something like that ever happening to me again. I understand your need to be recognized, to achieve great deeds. I really do, and I want to help you achieve those. While you fear going to Coruscant, it is still a great repository of knowledge as the Sith preserved everything in the temple when we took it for our own, adding to the collection our own knowledge of the dark side."

[member="Sophie Gustav"]