The Fourth Teacher [Velok]

[Allyson Locke]

Velok was someone that Ashin had mentioned several times, Spencer had met him Ord Mantell after defeating a large being created by Omni. The stories that followed Velok were interesting; he was old and had many years under his belt…centuries. Spencer knew that he would hold the most information that she needed for her pilgrimage. Standing in the middle of the Tundra, something common on the home world of the Whiphid, Spencer took in a deep breath feeling the planet as she usually did when on Dathomir. It was odd to think of the planet now, she had grown up there, but she wasn’t welcomed anymore. The laws stated her to be a danger to the clans and now she could never return unless she turned her back on Ashin and the Empire.

Kneeling, Spencer allowed her mind to open to the world around her. She could never leave Ashin, not now. Despite everything, Ashin was the only one in this galaxy that believed in her. She was the only one that didn’t have any underlying intention for her. Taking in a deep breath, Spencer allowed herself to meditate. Through the force she called out to the Master known as Velok. Their connection when she healed him allowed her to understand his aura and to search for it. Sending out the vibe, she had a feeling he would know where she was.

He knew her taste.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

He did indeed.

Velok was one of the old hungers, a man who had lived by his ability to drain away life force. He kept it under control, disciplined...sometimes. Others might be greater when it came to the broad-scale application of the technique, but Velok ranked among the finest when using it one-on-one. And when Spencer had reversed her own knowledge of Force Drain to revitalize him, it had been all he could do to avoid accelerating the flow. He could have drained her half-dry before she could have responded.

And considering she was a living Force nexus, the desire had been there.

"I haven't been to Toola in half a century," said the Whiphid, looming out of the light snowfall. "As with any acculturated expatriate, I find myself too Whiphid for the galaxy and too galactic for the Whiphids. Your name is Spencer Jacobs. Your usefulness to the war effort was considerable, and Ashin Varanin learned from me that one does not surrender assets willingly. You vanish, and a masked blonde Sith appears. I have long familiarity with Sith magic and alchemy; the necklace she wears might pass unnoticed by most Masters, but I know the signs. I can even guess the spells.

"So. You've cut a swathe through all available trainers. I hear enough from certain sources to suspect that you've even talked Moridin into teaching you. And I can imagine what." He snorted. "As if one Master could fully control the energies of billions. Not even Vitiate..."

He examined Spencer, walking around her.

"Why do you want to know so much? You'll never be able to push these skills to their limits, not as a Knight. What drives you to learn?"

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer stood as he appeared; the Whiphid knew so much about her just from one meeting. It seemed he had some sort ability to tell what and who one is by just a meeting. Spencer took a deep breath, her eyes never peeling away from him as he told her story. He knew her secret, he knew far more than anyone has been able to tell her. To her understanding, Ashin and a few of her closets knew who Sanctuary truly was. Nodding each time Velok mentioned something about her, she knew and valued him even more.

His question though struck her as odd. No one had asked her the true intention of her wanderings. Spencer knew she needed to learn for her own protection, but as time went on she discovered she wanted to learn because she wanted to understand everything.

“I seek balance, the old teachings spoke of balance with in the force. One couldn’t stray too far into the light and yet couldn’t stray too far into darkness. Having a balance created a harmony not only with the Force but with the essence of life itself. I seek that balance.”

There was something more and she pondered if telling Velok would sway him to teach her. Clutching the necklace she looked towards her feet for a moment. He knew everything; there was no hiding anything from him. She peered back up, the hazel eyes showing the girl she once was, pure and innocent.

“I also seek to learn everything to protect the one person I have in this galaxy.”

 

[Ashin Varanin]

His eyes dipped to the necklace. She clutched it as she spoke -- and then, of course, there were the rumors about the circumstances of her exit from the Jedi Order...

"Your lover," he said without ceremony. "I understand. I would give nearly anything if I could protect those I once loved. That's the essence of being a Sith, after all -- to do anything, absolutely anything, for exactly what you want.

"There was a time, twenty or thirty millennia back, when all wielders of the Force sought balance. Two thousand years ago, there was a man who tried again. His name was Vulta Daanat, and he had two principles. First, knowledge for its own sake. The Dark Side of the Force was, to him, a gateway to understanding the universe. Second, balance, as you say. He fought the Dark Lord Kaan, his Master, and was cast down as a heretic. He founded an order called the Blackguard, devoted to the acquisition of knowledge and the preservation of fringe Force secrets. They were nearly wiped out around eight hundred years ago, but a few survived. After all, who better to survive calamity after calamity than archivists?

"I cannot claim to be balanced. I am a Darksider. But I am the last Blackguard, guardian of every secret we've accumulated in two millennia. Knowledge for its own sake. I was born and raised in the Blackguard; it's my first identity, before Sith, before Whiphid, before lor pelek."

 

[Allyson Locke]

"Yes, my lover...which I have a feeling you know who that is..."

Spencer nodded as he mentioned about her lover. Some would see it as a weakness, but to Spencer the thought of protecting her was strength. It drove Spencer to better her abilities and to seek knowledge. She was far from a pet in her eyes and she never considered being used by Ashin or the Sith. It was curious he compared her to an asset to the Empress and how she wouldn’t let her go. Spencer continued to fiddle with the necklace as she continued to ponder that thought.

Velok continued to tell her about this group, something that caught her attention. There were others like her, others that felt the way she felt about the Force. Spencer didn’t feel along anymore, she felt better about her understanding and her vision with the Force. A smile crossed her face as he spoke about the other people who thought like her.

Then the smile faded.

The people were gone that thought like her, they didn’t exist anymore. Velok was apart of this group, but he wasn’t like her. He wasn’t balanced like she wanted to be -- he was a darksider. Spencer’s hand fell from her necklace as she looked past Velok.

“So you’re the last of the Blackguard, you’ve never tried to revive them? I want to know your knowledge and the secrets that belonged to the Blackguard. Please Velok...”

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Velok blinked.

"Congratulations, child...you have actually managed to surprise me. Nobody surprises me anymore. I think, perhaps, you're sincere about your path.

"I would seek balance if I could, you know. I was a good Blackguard in my youth, but it's too late for me. I endorse the Blackguard ways, even if I'm, well, lapsed. And then again, even if my powers are pure darkness, I've used them to defend -- to enlighten -- and, often, to destroy the destroyer. So you could say I've remained balanced after all.

"There's one old Sith principle that's dear to my heart," he said. "And make no mistake, the Blackguard may have been Sith apostates, but we were still Sith, though they might not have said that about us. Sacrifice. What are you willing to give up to become like me?"

 

[Allyson Locke]

The sacrifice, she had heard about it before and didn’t figure Velok to be one of the ones the to hold that close to his heart. Pondering his question she thought about what she would sacrifice. Essentially the wise choice would be something that she held dear to her heart and something important. Once again her hand moved towards the necklace, she played with it and continued to think and assets herself. Biting her lower lip, she continued to think there was something she could sacrifice, but she would never sacrifice that.

“I would sacrifice everything to keep the one dearest to me safe. I know and I feel like the right answer is to sacrifice her but I can’t. Its the one thing I cannot do. I would sacrifice everything else to have the knowledge that you possess Velok.”

Her path, she had to stay true to it. Ashin was apart of that path a large part of that path. Spencer dropped her hand from her necklace again and her arms crossed in front of her. The way her arms wrapped around her acted more as a comfort.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"And I can't fault you for that. In fairness, child, I made the same choice."

He sat down on the tundra and wrapped thick robes around his legs.

"Ultimately, every principle of Jedi and Sith and Blackguard is entirely constructed. There is no eternal law that says you must kill Ashin to become all-powerful. And there are other interpretations of the sacrifice, interpretations that may mean something to you. The Dark Lord Lumiya once said that, well..."

He closed his eyes, and spent a long moment enhancing his memory with the Force before attempting to recall the exact quote verbatim.

"'Taking the life of an innocent is always harder even than taking your own, if you're sincere. This is the ultimate test of selflessness—whether you're ready to face unending emotional pain, true agony, to gain the power to create peace and order for billions of total strangers. That is the sacrifice. To be vilified by others, by people you know and care for, and for your personal sacrifice to be totally unknown to those billions you save, to do your duty as a Sith. To do your duty for the good of the galaxy. It's easy to be a clean-cut hero slaying monsters. There's always a little bit of vanity in it. There can be no room for vanity or pride in being despised.'

"I'm not asking you to kill an innocent. Personally, I've massacred thousands, but very few if any were innocent. Another principle made by a mortal. But the idea behind it, the abjection of self...that much strikes me as very true."

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer sat down next to Velok, she felt safe enough to keep her eyes closed as she envisioned the words understanding them and applying them. There was far more wisdom with Velok than any of the other masters she had encountered until now. They all asked the same thing of her, but each Master had a flaw that Spencer was quick to pick up on and use it against them. Focusing on her breathing she remembered every encounter with the Masters, they were unique and each had their own power to offer her. She craved their knowledge, but again none compared to Velok.

“Everyone has asked me my reasons; it’s funny how simple some of the masters are. I just had to play into what they wanted to hear. Some I didn’t want knowing my intentions because I know it wouldn’t have gotten me as far. Moridin for example…play into his ego and he’ll give you the world.”

The girl laughed as she remembered everything Moridin had taught her. What she said to him to fill his ego to the brim. Shaking head slightly, Velok was the one person that made her look at herself and really figure out what her path needed to be. She had a feeling later on in her lifetime she would thank him.

“The words of the Dark Lord are wise, I don’t seek pride or vanity from what I’m doing…I don’t want any praise. I just want a better galaxy a better place for generations to come. If I go unmentioned in the history books then so be it. There needs to be a balance in the galaxy."

Spencer suspected part of Velok's teachings were going to be about her self evaluations, a pit stop to see if what she did was on the right path. Remembering her conversation and lesson in bending fate, Spencer felt somewhat better knowing she had that skill if something began to go terribly wrong. While her eyes were closed she listened to the Force -- the music that it played dragging fate along.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Unmentioned...or vilified? But then again, one thing at a time. I myself am virtually unmentioned. There was a time, in the Unknown Regions, when my name was known well, but all who heard it are dead.

"Of course, you could simply have learned all this from Ashin. From her, you would know my heritage, my taste for balance, my reasons for acquiring knowledge. I find it both flattering and suspicious that your 'true' motivations, as compared with the watered-down versions you've given to other Masters, so closely resemble my own. If you're playing me for my knowledge, that's fair. At least you aren't Sasha Santhe, who deliberately invaded my mind and stole something I had forbidden her. For some people, for many people, the taste for power overrides sense. Don't pull a Santhe, and you and I will have a great deal to do together.

"Let's start at the very beginning. What do you know, and from whom do you know it?"

 

[Allyson Locke]

“I’ll never be anything like Sasha Santhe; the girl is disgrace and shouldn’t be allowed to be Ashin’s apprentice. Her hunger for power disgusts me and it’s Sith like her that through the Force out of balance.”

Anger rose inside of her, Sasha had looked for Velok as well and gained some of his knowledge. Though the knowledge was taken and unwillingly given. Spencer felt the surge of emotions from inside of her and took a deep breath the calm them. This wasn’t the place or the time to become enraged at the mention of Sasha’s crimes. A hand pressed against her forehead as she continued to listen to Velok, she had given water downed explanations to the other Masters. It was necessary; they were too far out of balance to truly understand her intentions.

“The others, if I told them the truth how many would have taught me. How many would have agreed with my thoughts?”

He decided to continue with her and Spencer pondered how she was going to mention things. Looking over at Velok she started to explain herself.

“I learned about Chaos and Force walking from Moridin, Defense against Sith Magic and I dabbled in Illusions with Sirella Valkner, I learned Echani combat from my father Kamon Vondiranach, and finally with you I’ll learn whatever you offer. At the end of all of this I will meet with Ashin and she will assess my training, I don’t know what she has in store for me as my final teacher. She's taught me the most out of everyone. I've learned to control my battle meditation, she's taught me to see and to bend fate among other force techniques. She was the one that taught me Force Drain, mostly to protect myself. As you could tell someone who can't control their hunger...I'm quite the feast. ”

Remembering quickly she smiled somewhat pleased with herself for the next trail of teachers.

“I learned control and reasonable thinking from the Jedi Master Phylis Alince, I learned emotional control and how to pin point the emotions I wish to feel from Grand Jedi Master Darron Wraith…he also taught me the way of the lightsaber.”

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"An impressive pedigree. Ambitious, even. Exar Kun was much like you, once -- impatient with the teachings of a single Master. That skillset would serve you well into your Mastery. There's no question in my mind that you're dangerous. You might, perhaps, even defeat me -- I'm not what I once was.

"But now you face a comprehensive choice. You see, one only has so much time to practice and train. If you focus on the things you already know, if you pick your specialties, you'll be powerful in those fields. If you learn what I have to teach you, you'll probably be the ultimate generalist. You'll lose every direct contest of telekinesis against telekinesis, lightning against lightning. Oh, you can still have a couple of specialties, but it's a major sacrifice, knowing everything.

"Your choice."

 

[Allyson Locke]

“Knowing everything would give me a toolset that I can adapt to any situation if needed. I don’t see a reason to go head to head with the same skill.”

Spencer smiled, she was happy that Velok approved of what she was doing. It was more than just the fact that she would be powerful, she wanted to fix so much of this galaxy. Remembering the words that Ashin gave her when she chose to follow the woman out of the Liner, she would forever mark that day as a day she made a choice to change the galaxy.

“I want to know everything you wish to teach me Velok”

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"You don't see a reason? Child, when you reversed Force Drain and strengthened me on Ord Mantell, I could have enhanced the flow and drained you dry. Sometimes it's lightning against lightning, Drain against Drain, and no amount of cleverness can avoid that all the time. But you seem to know what you're doing.

"All right, let's start with the basics." He stood and brushed snow off his robes. "My greatest strength, such as it is, lies in tutaminis -- energy manipulation."

His lightsabre ignited. Focusing, he wrapped his will around his free hand, then drove the lightsabre into it. The blade hissed and roiled where it ended on his hairy palm.

"A simple Force shield will do for debris, but for something like this, you need something more real." Velok's voice was hoarse with strain. "As a Knight, I suspect you'll be able to withstand a glancing blow if you see it coming. Sustained contact, never."

He deactivated the weapon and presented his hand. Smoke curled up from his palm, and scorched hair assaulted his nostrils. He explained the principles of it, then gestured. An old dead tree, half-buried in the tundra, rose to the surface and burst into flame.

"Put your hand in the fire; that's how you start. Control everything about it."

 

[Allyson Locke]

Maybe the old Sith was right, maybe he was wrong. These were the type of mistakes Spencer needed to make on her own. She hoped that when she did make these mistakes she would be alive to learn from them. Spencer stopped thinking of what ifs and started to refocus her mind on what Velok was telling her. She followed him to stand and waited watching him ignite his blade. She had heard about energy manipulation, she had never seen any of it done before.

Tilting her head she watched the old Sith show her, his hand smoking from the blade’s heat. Looking down at his hand, she examined it, Velok was quite the Master. The ground shook and she struggled to keep her balance, looking in the direction flames crackled around the tree. Blinking several times, mostly in disbelief of his request she moved slowly towards the tree. The flames licked her skin while she stared at it. Part of her brain urged against the foolish act, while the other urged her to continue to seek the knowledge embedded in this training.

Spencer extended her right hand outward; she kept her left close to her body since it had more value to her than her right. The flames danced towards her hand seeing the tender flesh. Focusing she tried to draw the force to protect her hand, the fear though of getting burned was too much and as she put her hand into the flame the force abandoned it and the fire caressed her skin turning it red as she removed it. Her left hand quickly moved to her hand and started the healing process quickly.

“Why did that happen? I focused everything I had in the Force to protect my hand, I knew this was going to happen…Velok I don’t understand.”

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"You knew this was going to happen," he echoed. "Think back to your first instruction as a Jedi. Think of it in Teferi's voice, if it helps. Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try. You don't believe it? That is why you fail. Faith in yourself, faith in the Force. Spencer, sometimes it really is that simple, that fundamental. Mastery is about that absolute belief, that absolute will." He closed his gigantic hand around the flaming log, and stared at her unblinking.

"I was stronger once than I am now. Much stronger. I stood at the heart of a nuclear explosion once, Spencer. My clothes vanished, the ground beneath my feet melted and descended, so I fell the length of a starfighter into molten stone. And yet, here I am. It was the greatest tutaminis accomplishment of my life, and neither you nor I will ever see its equal. But absolute will -- I can teach you that."

He released the burning log.

"Put your hand in the fire."

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer rubbed her hand as she listened to Velok. It upset her knowing that she had failed one of the most basic skills a force user learns. They had to trust themselves, trust the force and believe that it would guide them. Taking a deep breath, she remembered the lessons when she was a child learning the basics of the force. It was a bit easier to remember the lessons in the former Grand Master's voice. His odd way of forming sentences made her smile and it calmed her mind.

"I want to learn that power Velok. I have to learn that power, for my own protetion along with the people I care about."

A smile crept across her face. The thought of the others, the people that believed in her they gave her the strength to believe in herself. Closing her eyes, she felt the heat of the flames against her body. Focusing the force along her hand she instead didn't think of forming a bubble around her hand as she would if she was doing a force bubble. Instead she focused on the fibers of her aura weaving its way like armor along her hand protecting it and rejecting the heat. She still felt it, the burn was still there, but it was bearable. She left in there for a moment and then pulled her hand out.

"My hand...it still burned, but I was able to leave it in. I'm not burned"

Looking down at her hand, she watched her aura unwind itself pulling back into her body. Blinking several times she looked her hand over and over only seeing the red from the heat of the flame.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Yes, that is the general idea."

Without ceremony, Velok pulled out a blaster, pointed it at his own skull, and fired a killshot, point blank. He then holstered the little blaster and scratched his furry temple.

"And that's the specific idea. Like I said, this power has all manner of potential. Tutaminis is the study of a lifetime, and, insofar as I have a specialty at all, that's it. At my best, I could gobble up lightning and then latch onto its wielder, transforming energy drain into life drain with a thought.

"Let's start...simply. A fire is just there, but some assaults are instantaneous." He pulled out a training remote. "No lightsabre. Catch the stinger bolts with your hands and dissipate them."

The orb rose into the air and oriented on Spencer.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer gasped slightly even though she knew whatever he did he was going to be okay. It was just the shock factor of everything. Taking mental notes she figured if she could weave her aura like that on her hand she should be able to do the same all over her body. IT was the speed that needed to change. She couldn’t stand there and wait for the strands to form. The aura needed to do it instantly. Nodding, she positioned herself looking at the small orb.

How she hated that thing.

Tossing her lightsaber aside, she wanted to make sure she didn’t have the temptation to use it.

“Okay, same thing with the fire. Let’s do this Velok”

Pumping herself up, she watched as the little orb started to fire on her. It was an instinct but she started to dance and bend her body to dodge the shots. She was doing alright until the orb oriented itself and fired on her midsection. Her hand reached over and caught it with her fingertips. She deflected the shot slightly and it stung her in the opposite arm.

“Ow feth!”

A couple of more bolts came towards her but she focused on her aura weaving like before and she caught the shots and watched as they seemed to be “absorbed” into her protective aura.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Good...good. You slipped, but you recovered. That's very hard to do with tutaminis."

After several minutes of practice, the Whiphid whuffled. "I hope you don't mind if I raise the stakes."

He stood and pulled out the blaster once more. "Now, I've set this to stun. The ability to shrug off a stun bolt, or stop one with your hand -- that's rare and wonderful all on its own, even though it's a gateway to better things. Now that you're clear on the conceptual framework, you can begin to apply a portion of your full power."

He began to fire, slowly, one stun ring every ten seconds or so, then beginning to accelerate.