The Earth at Your Command (Abyss)

[Darth Ophidia]

Glee Anselm, even years down the path, Darth Ophidia could remember the day they captured the ocean planet that would become a pearl in their midst and a centre for learning in the ways of the dark side of the Force. Of course, this academy was but one of many spread throughout the Empire, governed by the promising and the powerful.

The Rattataki Sith Lord had never presided over an academy, though she had taught numerous apprentices in the ways of the Sith and the ways of the assassin. Many perished, weak and unworthy of their station. Some went on to become great, and some became extinguished before their prime. She had only become a colder teacher for it, a cruel and unforgiving Master. Yet, she was one who created results.

Now, she sat in one of the many chambers in the Sith Academy of Glee Anselm, deep under the ocean surface, carved into the rock as a testament to the dominion of the One Sith over this place. The room was spartan, featuring simple stone walls without decoration. The lights were out but all along the wall, candles threw their flickering light on the walls to create an ambient illumination of the space.

In the middle of the room, a number of stone orbs were placed in order of size, from a small pebble to a boulder seemingly beyond the lifting capabilities of any near-human. Ophidia sat in front of them with her legs crossed in the lotus position. Her eyes were closed and her breath slow. The stillness of her form could almost make one think she was a statue, herself.

Darth Ophidia awaited the arrival of her next project, one they called [member="Abyss"].

 

[Darth Abyss]

It been only a few days since Abyss entered the Academy. Days he spend reading any piece of information about the One Sith available to newcomers at the Academy. But words could not satisfy his hunger for knowledge forever, every hour gone by made it harder to focus. When he was informed that a true master had shown an interest in training him, he could feel greed exelling everything he experienced before.

A tall and slender figure enters the room, shrouded in an old black robe hiding everything besides the lower half of his face. The reduced lighting of the room made it hard for Abyss to see the Sith master in front of him, but her dark presence was enough to lead the way towards her. He covers the distance between them by walking slightly faster than he intended to, and no acting, no force power he possesed could hide the hint of excitement in his face. He stops, standing roughly a meter away from this master of the dark arts, and bows down in front of her.

"Darth Ophidia. I am here for my training."

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As the Acolyte spoke, the Sith Lord's eyes opened. Her eyelids withdrew to expose the burning irises, like embers against the ashen hue of her skin. Dark-painted lips pulled into a mocking smile as she looked the young man over. Her chin lifted, enforcing the air of dominance she projected. Her voice was like ice, sharp, calm, without compassion.

"Sit, apprentice."

Her pale right hand gestured to the floor in front of her. It was by no means a comfortable place to sit. Only a duracrete floor, hard and unforgiving.

"We begin with meditation to sharpen the mind and refine the senses."

Some thought of meditation as a Jedi practice, belonging to their practice of robbing the soul of emotion. However, Darth Ophidia and many others knew it had a purpose for the Sith and really anyone. It built reserves of energy, focused the mind, and aided in building the personal discipline needed to wield the powers granted by the dark side of the Force. A ship could sail the stars or it could be swallowed by the void.

"Close your eyes, focus on your breath."

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

The hooded figure slighty nods his head towards the Darth, before taking place on the ground in front of her, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. He had read about the practice of meditation serveral times while studying texts of the old Sith and Jedi, but never felt the need to perfrom it. The moment his eyes closed, and his breath started to follow a slow and regular pattern, he could feel his mind becoming more attuned to the force around him. As anyone with a connection to the force, he felt the power within the Academy on the day he arrived. Until now it was a just cloud of darkness, but as he allowed his mind to leave the physical world around him behind he could feel the single parts of it: Objects of weaker and greater force, Individums connected to the dark side in a way he could not comprehend and the master in front of him, a dark powerful entity overshadowing them all.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Obedient, it was a good beginning. Darth Ophidia watched him, not only his physical form but his exploration of the Force. Meditation helped, but the way of the Sith and the dark side of the Force was a long and arduous path. These were his firsts steps.

"You can sense what is around you, this is good, but keep your attention on yourself. Feel the power that surges through your veins."

She inhaled through her nose, and the room veritably shuddered under the telekinetic draw she unleashed as a display of power. The subsequent exhale rendered nothing but a cold gust of air. This was not the time for grand displays, but the odd the odd gesture was too amusing not to do.

"What you feel is the Force, and passion is the source of this power."

A pause for thought and effect.

"I assume you have familiarised yourself with our code."

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

His eyes still closed, Abyss could feel the power that was filling the room. A power he wanted to possess. He could feel the passion inside him burning, a fire that consumed everything else on his mind. He takes a deep breath before answering the master in front of him, keeping his eyes closed and focusing on the glimpse of darkness burning inside him.

"I have read the code long before I could even understand the difference between the light and dark side"

Fueled by his passion he starts to recite the sith code in the language of the old sith, and while he mispronounced some of the words, he could feel the true meaning of them for the first time.

"Nwûl tash.
Dzwol shâsotkun.
Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk.
Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan.
Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha.
Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak."

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"In the ancient tongue even. You are a studious one."

In a single fluent motion, she rose to her feet and full height. Darth Ophidia's long neck craned down to peer at the Acolyte by her feet. Her hands clasped behind her back as she turned and took the first few strides in a wide circle around him.

"There is a proverb: Hear and you forget; see and you remember; do and you understand."

Her words came in time with her pace; slow and steady for effect. Her unblinking eyes were on him like those of a serpent, burning orange with the seething passions of a Sith Lord. Her fury was not hot, but cold like the void itself.

"Our code must be lived in order to be understood. In these mere words, you find the keys to unlocking every secret of the dark side of the Force."

When she was behind him, she slowed her step a little extra before continuing her calm pace as she asked her follow-up question

"You may remember times when you have felt your blood boil, and strange things happened. Times when your will has come into being despite all odds. Not some mere instance of luck, but an incident of unprecedented... Uniqueness."

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

The young man keept his eyes closed, resisting the temptation to open the to observer what she was doing, only hearing her steps as she walked around him. Even without his eyes, the powerful aura of the dark lord was enough to further support the point of her words. He was still focused on the emotions inside him, and her words made him remember the few times he could actually feel the dark side inside him, and not the weak, faded image of it the he teached himself to rely on.

"I remember. ... I remember a fire burning away my flesh, so powerful that it felt like I could tear down a city by myself."

He remains silent for a moment, unsure if his question would anger the dark lord.

"Master ... I have a question. Aren´t the sith supposed to break their chains to reach victory? How can the lords of the One Sith justify working with others, letting other decided over their faith. Isn´t the title Darth itself a challange to everyone, a claim of power over anyone else?"

His heart was beating, he knew that not much fantasy was needed to interpret his words as treason

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

She stopped, halted in her step by his question. For a moment, she flared with a spark of anger at the insult that was his interruption of her lesson. Yet, she recognised that the question was worthwhile. Her pace changed a little as she stepped into a new train of thought.

"Your question requires a twofold answer. It depends on what you mean by others."

Reaching out to one of the stones set along the walls, she made a beckoning motion of her hand, causing it to float over to her.

"Yes, the title of Darth is a challenge and a claim of power. We are the rightful rulers of this universe. Yet, the path there is more complicated than merely staking a claim. Battles are fought in many ways. Some without ever drawing a blade."

The stone, about as large as a person's head, rested in her outstretched hand as though it weighed nothing.

"The Sith will always seek more power, but if we fight amongst ourselves, we will only crumble. Darth Bane and Darth Krayt both knew this. Darth Bane thought we should be only two; master and apprentice. Ever seeking more power until two stand at the pinnacle of the galaxy. His plan came near fruition with Darth Sidious, but it was foiled, and the Sith were thrown back into the darkness."

She shifted the stone into her other hand, turning it around between her fingers.

"Darth Krayt, the Dark Lord of the Sith upon whom our teachings are founded, believed that the key to keeping the Sith in line was not the restriction of members, but blind loyalty to one, singular Dark Lord. One with the power to hold all others in line and give them direction. When they had captured the Galaxy, then they would fight amongst themselves. Until then there was only the conquest. He was killed as he tried to create the ultimate apprentice, caught in the web of his own hubris."

She paced to the front of Abyss and held the stone in both hands, looking directly into his eyes.

"Our Dark Council seeks to do the same. The strongest of the Sith plot the course for total domination of the Galaxy. They point every sabre in one direction. We work with other Sith in order to increase the strength of our Order. The Order will conquer the galaxy and the strongest within it will rule on the Dark Council."

A smile spread on her lips as the furious passion burned in her eyes. Ambition, avarice, and the power to uphold it emanated from her very being.

"That is part one of the answer to your question. Part two: From the perspective of the I; all others are stepping-stones toward the greater power. Be it by skill of the sabre, knowledge of the Force, or the command of forces. Every Sith, Jedi, Mandalorian, Imperial, Republican, down to the lowliest worm that crawls the surface of this galaxy is a tool in someone's play to power."

The stone left her hands, floating towards [member="Abyss"].

"Even you; even I. Does that answer your question?"

 

[Darth Abyss]

He could feel a wave relieve inside him, when his question was not answered with a deadly swing of his masters saber, but instead with words. Words he tried and struggled to place into what he knew already. He learned the storys or at least parts of storys, from both Darth Bane and Darth Krayt. They had been lords of great power and knowledge. Strong in the force, and cunning when it came to defeating anyone opposing them ... and still both failed in the end. The rules they created lived on, but in the end the sith following them never truly succeed. Yet as to prove all he had thought of wrong, a powerful Lord of the dark side was in this room with him in this moment, a lord that was following one of these rules. Maybe one of them was right. Maybe every sith that ever lived was wrong. He was just an apprantice and far from powerful enough to decided what the truth behind all really this was. This was not the time ask more questions that could cost him his life. There are still thing he could learn.

He remained completely motionless while his master was talking, and it took him a minute to answer her question. He had put a lot of thought in the words he was about to say. he wanted to show his master that, as the codex of the sith commanded, he did not would place his life in the believes of others, but also inform her that she and the one sith had his total loyalty.

"Yes it does. Or at least it shows what you are think is the truth. I have only started to understand what it means to be a sith, while you are a true dark lord. I will trust in your wisdom until I am strong enough to break my own chains without the knowlegde of a master. Then I will decided myself what the real truth about the nature of the dark side is."

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"And so, the evolution of our order continues. Stagnation is like cancer upon our existence. It is in our words: Peace is a lie; there is only passion."

Peace was not only peace of mind or peace between nations and peoples, it was a question of movement and stillness; active and passive; passion versus obedience. It had been a brief but stimulating conversation, and it was time to move on to the lesson at hand. To summon the Force and command it to move. It was a skill of endless utilities and potential. The first she would teach any potential student of hers.

"The difference between the Sith and the Philosopher is that we can command our surroundings through knowledge and command of the Force. We can unlock power beyond comprehension, and it all begins with a very simple task."

Her right hand gestured down to the stone she had formerly let float down in front of the Acolyte.

"Lift this stone without touching it."

The smile had faded from her face and all that remained was a demeanour, cold and judging. She took three steps back to give him space to work, but her presence remained like a dark column towering over [member="Abyss"] .

 

[Darth Abyss]

He had read about the telekinetic powers the could be archived trough the force, and the techniques how to do it. He had used them himself when the passion inside him was burning like a thousand suns and his mind and body acted completely on instinct. Using it intentionally on the other hand was something he had not yet been able to do.

The young acolyte focuses on all his negative, raw emotions, embracing the fire of the dark side inside him. He had not yet opened his eyes, still remaining in his meditative state, searching for the stone with his senses in the force. He slowly raises his hand, pointing at the stone with the tips of his finger, focusing on one thing: lifting it into the air.

Even without looking at it, the sith knew that the rock was levitating around hald a meter in the air.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"Acceptable."

Her eyes flicked to the two rows of stones, mentally marking two of a size larger than the one the Acolyte currently held under his control.

"Keep it there, and two more."

She guided his perception to the two she had marked. By steadily increasing the number and size of the objects, she would push his limits to the breaking point and then a little further. Each time, he would be better; each time, she would demand more. There was no end. When she had no more sizes to increase, there was always a test of endurance.

"Feel the Force surging through you, feel its power. It is yours to command if you have the will."

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

The first rock was far easier to lift into the air than he tought before. The second one was heavier and therefore slighty more mentally exhausting to lift in the air than the other one. Still the acolyte could manage to let it levitate besides the other other one. For the third he needed to once again amplify his power by focusing on his negative emotions, tapping into the dark side. Slighty slower than before the third stone is pulled into the air, hoovering over to ther acolyte. Abyss could feel the first few drops of sweat on his forehead.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"And now hold, keep them steady."

His focus was good, and in time he would learn to expend less energy. There was promise in this one, but there was a long way to go yet. Now came the amusing part. Having made sure he could harness the power of the Dark Side in the shape of telekinesis, she would test his reactions.

The Sith Lord subtly turned one of her palms against one of the largest boulders. It stood as tall as she did and equally wide. Massive, it would likely crush anyone unfortunate enough to be trapped underneath. Her fingers curled, and the stone tremored before it began its smooth ascent. Suddenly, she lashed her hand out at [member="Abyss"] and the boulder followed. Like a meteorite, it came ramming at the apprentice.

Adrenaline was a fine motivator for unlocking one's true potential in the Force, and in matters of the Sith there were only two options: Success or death.

He would stop it or he would never be Sith. She did not expect him to be able to withhold concentration on the other stones, they merely served to occupy him at this point.

 

[Darth Abyss]

The stones in the air completely occupied Abyss mind, keeping his focus away from the world around him. Suddenly he could feel something in the force, a feeling of danger in the back of his mind. His yellow eyes now opened he looks at the massive piece of stone above him. His mind was to slow to figure out what exactly happend before fear took over. Fear of death. Fear of failure. Fear of weakness...
Fear is an interesting emotion. It can be a crippling weakness to those who could not control it and and a powerful motivation to those who could feast on the dark and twisted feelings within them.
The fear inside the young acolyte was like the fire of a supernova, the last chance for a star to leave a mark on the galaxy. His legs still crossed he raises his arms, his fingers already touching the cold stone. With a burst of dark energy the sith pushed against the stone, both physically and with the force. For a moment it looked like he was holding the stone in the air. Sweat drops hit the ground, and with another burst of the dark side the stone falls down besides him.
The acolyte remains in his meditative stance, breathing heavily and his robe wet from his sweat.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

She watched him struggle against the weight of the stone as it came crushing down over him. For a moment, she thought he would be crushed but, to her delight, he proved the Sith Lord wrong. Abyss lived and that was one more, little step towards being Sith.

She watched him for a silent moment, reading him like a flimsiplast tome before coming to speak once more.

"Why are you Sith?"

Sith meant 'perfect' in the old tongue and it was not a path lightly taken. No, it was an uphill battle, a struggle for power with no end. Yet, it was a privilege to enter upon a realm of such power. She did not really wonder why he would want it, but why he deserved the chance.

However, she did not elaborate on the question, but allowed him to interpret it. How he saw the question would tell her much about how he thought, which was vital information if she was to train this young man in matters of the Force. Instead, she held her burning gaze upon his face, unblinking, unwavering, stripping away every shroud before his soul.

[member="Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

For a second Abyss was confused. His knowledge of the old tongue was fragmentary and it took him a moment that she meant perfect instead of the sith as a cult of force users. The meaning of her question was open to interpenetration and the young acolyte was sure that this was yet another test. He remained silent for a while to think about his answer. Was there a right or wrong answer in this, something his master wanted to her from her new apprentice? After around two minutes the sith opens his mouth to give his final answer, he had decided to give her his true opinion instead of a lie that might have pleased her more:

"I am not sith. No one is. It does not matter if you are a low born farmer in the outer rim or a dark lord of the sith, everybody has a weakness. These who think of themselves as perfect will always fall to their greatest weakness: Arrogance. Perfection isn't something a being can reach, it is the goal on a never ending path that we walk on, a passion that forces us to move forward."

After he spoke his words the young man remained silent once again, waiting for the reaction of his master to see if his answer would satisfy her.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

All through his reply, she maintained her burning stare. The grey tone of her skin and the shadows that clung to her dark-robed form made her look like a stone sentinel, standing through ages innumerable. Even after his answer was given, she remained in a moment of tense silence as she considered. The only visible movement was a slight narrowing of her eyes.

Then there was a twitch at the corners of her mouth, a jerk in her abdomen. Then a dry, cackling laughter erupted from her abdomen and escaped her mouth. The Sith Lord broke out into a laugh, cruel and taunting like that of a witch.

This Acolyte had seen the layers in her question and presented an interesting hypothesis. Objective perfection meant stagnation; a lack of movement and progress. Yet, all Sith reached for this elusive ideal.

Her laughted died down into a chuckle and then silence. A shrewd smile remained on Darth Ophidia's lips as she looked at the apprentice once more.

"We shall see, apprentice. Practice what you have seen today, meditate upon what you have done. I shall see you again."

Taking a step back, the Sith Lord's form sunk into the floor and left nothing behind. Her presence vanished entirely as she left [member="Abyss"] to his thoughts.

Spoiler

I figured we could call an end to this thread here and pick up again in another with a new lesson.