The Home

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

...Only to be rebuilt anew. Darth Ayra held a scornful gaze upon her Apprentice, as the two lifted the heavy crate away from the corner of the Skyhook and back through the consoles and their computers, towards the center of the structure where the three plinths stood. Lowering the crate and the ingots of Adamithium inside, Ayra looked over to Justiciara. "Forgiven," she said, her voice stern, but normal once again. "There is one more crate."

Moving back the way they came, Darth Ayra walked back to the second crate, expecting Justiciara to follow. The distance between the crystals, the plinths they rested upon and the first crate of Adamithium was short enough for conversation to be held. Talking as she moved back through the consoles, looking over her shoulder expecting her to be following, Ayra said to Justiciara: "I would be surprised if you didn't have more questions for me, Justiciara. I invite questions. I want you to challenge me. When I reveal a strategy, that we will use to achieve a goal, I want you to supply another. When I teach you something new, I want you to ask more about it, until you understand it entirely."

"Without challenge, then we will become stagnant and weak. To be lured into a false sense of security, would be to invite catastrophe. I say that I own you, but the nature of our apprenticeship is for you to break that shackle and claim my place. Every training session that we will conduct together, your objective will be to try and kill me. As I bring out the best of you, you will bring the best out of me, until you surpass me. But know your place, Apprentice. Learn the subtle nuances of your current role. Know the difference between instruction and demand."

Stopping by the second crate, Darth Ayra leaned down to claim her strap.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Heaving the crates across at Ayra’s instruction, Joon strained but followed and did what she had been asked, and listened at the little lecture. There was so much Joon wanted to ask and to know, but the woman she thought she knew was gone. That was the most confusing aspect of all.

After the second crate, Joon stood and watched, hold her hands in front of her. Ayra wanted it, so Joon would give it.

"Do you care about me or am I just a subject, like I was in the cloning tank. Am I product to be used, or do you like me for who I am? I don’t know what to think."

She swallowed. Maybe it wasn’t a question the Sith wanted, but she wanted Joon to ask, so the first one she had, she did.

"Do you like me? Are we friends, or just partners in this…project."


[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

As they carried the second crate over, Darth Ayra said: "I have thought about you for a long time. Going back when I was the Apprentice of Darth Pandeima, my Sith Master. I used to think about who you would be, how you would act, how strong you were and so on. The nearest word I could use to summarize how I perceive you would be love. You are like my Mother, daughter, sister, lover, friend, companion and more, all rolled into one."

"But I love you without compassion. The training exercises I will put you through, as well as the other things we will do together, I see as necessary to teach and make you stronger. This is the way of the Sith. To feel compassionate about your suffering and pain would be to invite weakness. Compassion is a trait of the Jedi. I live to destroy the Jedi. I am the opposite of everything of what it is to be Jedi and so you will be as well."

"The nuances of our apprenticeship are complex. As Master and Apprentice, it is your role to surpass me one day, take my place and train another to repeat the process, until the Grand Plan- that we will work together to complete- reaches fruition with the destruction of the Jedi. But the nature of the Grand Plan requires partnership. It requires us to work together. Friendship is a close word to describe this, but misses the nuance of our relationship as Sith."

Lowering the crate next to the first, Darth Ayra rose to her full height, turning to address Justiciara. "The nature of the dark side is individualistic. Those who surrender themselves to it and in turn make it their property come to understand that it is how strong they can get and so on. But this invites arrogance. Darth Bane, who was the Dark Lord of the Sith that created the Rule of Two, knew of this arrogance. The Rule of Two eliminates the false dichotomy of the Sith. It allows us to work together towards the goal of destroying the Jedi, without trying to undo each other at every single turn, for the chase of false power or position."

"Other Sith in your position would wait for me to grow old and weaker. They would kill me in my sleep, if the opportunity came. They would create alliances with other Sith- who were all weaker than I individually- to come together to murder me. They would do this because it would be easier to wrench away my position, than to challenge me outright. This is axiomatic. Weak. Pitiful. It ignores the concept of challenge. It ignores the hunger for my place. It would undermine what it is to be Sith."

"It will take years for you to become strong enough to challenge me. Only through strength, do you gain power. Only through power, do you gain victory. Only through victory, are your chains are broken. You are my prodigy. My finest work. You mean everything to me. But be mindful of everything I have taught you up to this point. Be mindful of Duro, Sojourn, Korriban and what happened there."

 

[Connor Harrison]

In another life, looking down on herself, Joon would see everything was going as the Sith planned. Her spirit was broken, and the one who broke it was now rebuilding it. Her former self would shout and scream and tell her to run, but she would do nothing but stand there, watch and bow her head to her Master; her Mother, daughter, sister, lover, friend, companion and more.

She raised her head; the first building block of confidence and allegiance to Darth Ayra, and looked in the calm eyes that were devoid of that sickly, scary yellow.

"Can't we make this journey together and work together until one of us dies naturally, and the other can continue? What if I don't want to kill you? What if you mean everything to me and without you, I can't be...me. Does that make me weak, like the Jedi, if I will protect and kill for you and ensure your dream becomes reality?"

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

Darth Ayra folded her arms across her chest. She frowned, her own mind trying to riddle through the complexities of the Rule of Two. The concept had been simple, at first. She could almost hear Darth Bane's voice, as he said: Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it. But the subtle nuances of the relationship between Master and Apprentice were far more difficult than the wise words Bane had once spoken to his Apprentice.

Action spoke louder than words. Darth Ayra had also learned that her Apprentice learned quicker with emotion, rather than the complexity behind words. When she had discovered JN-4 on Duro, it was easy for the clone to formulate that Darth Ayra had saved her life. Her feeling was gratitude and happiness, which gave birth to the same loyalty that she was showing even now. On Sojourn, when Ayra had revealed the Sith code, what it meant and the larger role that JN-4 would play, as well as the revelation that one day the JN Program would be revived, deepened those feelings.

But on Korriban, Darth Ayra had put her through so much pain and suffering, so as to awaken her power in the Force, that it grew forth a deep hatred within the clone. She had felt betrayed. Why would someone who gave so much cause so much pain? As she thought it all over, Ayra reasoned that she had done all of this bring her Apprentice further in. JN-4's seminal life as a mere clone was over. Suddenly, Darth Ayra sensed that her Apprentice stood on the precipice of stepping into the new life that she was molding for her.

"There was a Sith Lord that stood where I stand now. Her name was Darth Pandeima and she was my Sith Master. She taught me everything that she knew before she died." Allowing her arms to drop, Darth Ayra motioned for Justiciara to join her. Shutting her own crate, the Dark Lord sat down on the ledge and turned to face Justiciara to continue her explanation. "Pandeima sought to change the nature of the Rule of Two. I don't know if she understood it as I have come to understand. But the fact that she isn't alive today shows us both that she was wrong."

"Darth Pandeima sought to create a perfect Rule of Two. She would train me in the ways of the dark side, until one day I would be her equal. Together, we would accomplish great things. But she was limited. Her lot was set on merely building businesses, corporations and alliances with varying different individuals, with no greater goal in mind. She was content with just being powerful. That is stagnant. That is weak. To be Sith is to continue wanting more. It never stops. To stop is to stagnate. We must strive to continue becoming better. We must strive to become perfect."

"Let us apply the mistakes of Pandeima to what you just said. Like her, you wish for both of us to continue together, until ultimately, one of us dies a natural death. This removes the element of challenge. As I have said, I want you to challenge everything I say and do. When we train, I want you to come at me with every intention of murdering me. If I am unable to answer your challenges or I fail to survive your onslaught, then I was not worthy of being the Sith Master. Only the stronger can ever claim to be the Sith Master."

"It is the ultimate challenge for us to compete to the death, to determine who remains or becomes the Sith Master. Without this challenge, then we can never truly learn who was the stronger. Without strength, we are not powerful. Without power, we are not victorious. Without victory, we can never be free. Pandeima never wanted me to challenge her. She only wished for me to lead alongside her. But this is not the way of the Sith."

"When I realized that Pandeima was wrong, and when I learned the true meaning of the Rule of Two, did I challenge her for her place. Again, the nature of the dark side is individualistic, Justiciara. Beneath Pandeima, I was stagnant and weak. The confirmation of when I murdered her allowed me to realize my true potential. I challenged Pandeima whilst she was still strong. I ripped the mantle of Sith Master away from her with all my strength. When I replaced Pandeima, I was stronger than her. I confirmed this through her defeat. The same must be done for us."

"The nature of our work is dangerous. Our objective is the destruction of the Jedi. To record and discover the holocrons of the Sith, so as to uncover their knowledge. To continue bettering ourselves, so that we can continue to grow stronger. Death is our ally. The Sith does not fear death. Instead we embrace it. We feed death our enemies, but one day, we will be fed to death. It is inevitable that I will one day die. So will you. We prepare for death, through the teaching of a successor. When I die, you will succeed me and take my place. But to deny yourself the opportunity to challenge me before I die invites the possibility that you was weaker than me. In that instance, a weakling became the Sith Master. This must never happen, as it weakens the nature of our work."

"Ultimately, your seminal life is over. The days where you were called Joon, and the designation you were given at birth, have been destroyed. At this moment, you are becoming something new. That is what it means to become Sith. To be free of your limitations. You were born a soldier- a weapon- for the Imperial Remnant. Through my teachings, I free you, so that you can become someone else. Someone better. Stronger. More powerful."

Turning her gaze, Darth Ayra spoke to the floor. "You will kill many people. Not all of them will be Jedi, but their deaths will contribute to that goal. As Justiciara Noctare, you will join me in Galaxy and we will create weapons, technology and wealth to contribute to the goal of destroying the Jedi. But before you join me out there, you will become someone else first. When you are ready, I will confer to you a new name. As I was called Darth Ayra by my Master, I will call you a Darth as well."

"Simply put." Darth Ayra turned her gaze to Justiciara. "You are becoming something new. Something better. Embrace it, Justiciara. It is your destiny."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Following by Ayra’s side, Joon was a pace behind, respectfully trying to listen and understand. She’d been saved, cared, abandoned, attacked and taught by the Sith so far, and she truly didn’t know what to feel on her own. Ayra sat and faced her.

She stood, posture slightly to the side and hands rubbing together slowly behind her back as a nervous little twitch. So much information to be taken in, and it sounded such a brutal and callous world she was a part of; but it was the only world she knew now. There was nothing else.

If she was going to be something great, she had to accept her standing and follow this course to the end, to the death. She nodded as a wave of subtle praise and confidence was instilled to her, once more building up her broken spirit all for Ayra’s gain.

"I understand, Master."

She didn’t, but she tried to.

"I’m not adverse to taking a life when I need to. I want to kill, to experience how it feels to take away those who pose a danger. Let me kill for you. I’ll show you what I can become."

The unstable DNA was once more eradicating the stable side of Joon, and the Dark Side was bleeding more and more into her system and her soul.

"I want to strike fear into everyone who looks down on me and I want to show them I am loyal to one and one alone and nothing will stand in my way. Our way. We can do this. I won’t let you down – I will stand beside you and when the time comes and I will do everything for you and claim your role as Master to prove you were not wrong."

It felt like a weight was lifted partially; an acceptance on Joon’s part.

"Make me a Sith. I don’t want to be a clone," she looked at Ayra. "Hurt me. Break me. Rebuild me as a Sith warrior. Make me invincible to pain."

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

Oh, you will be rebuilt, Darth Ayra thought. But you still have so much to learn. Standing up to her feet, the Dark Lord decided that she had done enough, for now. Through her training, the loyalty that her Apprentice spoke of would be purged and replaced. Slowly, Darth Ayra was coming to understand more about Justiciara. Her understanding was based upon emotion, and the loyalty that she felt to her Master was undoubtly due to the cloning process that had created her. She was bred to follow orders and to do as she was commanded. A loyal, obedient soldier created to serve and ultimately die for a cause.

But could she break free of her genetic coding and embrace a new way? It was the way of the Sith to break free of their limitations. Right now, Justiciara was limited by her seminal life, keeping her tied to it. But the Sith code would lead her to salvation. Turning back to her Apprentice, Darth Ayra said: "Return to your exercises. I have still have to complete the next phase of a project, one that I will elaborate further upon when your training is complete." Lowering her gaze to the Adamithium that rested before her, Darth Ayra folded her arms into her sleeves, envisioning the fusion that she would create. The process of fusing together two lightsaber crystals, to her knowledge, had never been achieved before. To fuse several at the same time would be unprecedented. But what she would create out of that fusion would place her work among the greats. Freedon Nadd, Dathka Graush, Belia Darzu and other Dark Lords of the Sith, who like Darth Ayra before her, ventured deep into the abyss that was the dark side to discover something new.

As she thought over the feats that would be achieved with her work, Darth Ayra turned to watch Justiciara again. She knew that the days where the Sith were mighty warriors, who led their crusades as warriors who harnessed the dark side to cause great destruction, were over. If the Sith were to be freed of the Jedi, so as to conquer the Force itself, then they had to adapt. The One Sith, like so many Sith Order's before them, had raised armies and technological feats, so as to create weapons to destroy the Jedi. It was inevitable that they would fail in their quest, as had their predecessors. But the Rule of Two and it's philosophy allowed the Sith to become scholars, historians, who existed in the shadows, plotting the destruction of the Jedi with the knowledge of what the dark side was supposed to be: subtle, secretive, individualistic. The Sith that would follow Darth Ayra would become these things, with the understanding that she and a few, select others had reached. In the course of Sith history, only forty had reached this level of understanding. A new linage of Dark Lords of the Sith would follow with the same belief.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon wanted to hear more, some assurance, some care, but got none. Just a soothing order to return to her training. The clone nodded once and turned without looking, swallowing her expectations and accepting this wasn’t a relationship where emotions would be nurtured.

Glancing to the side to see where Ayra was, a split-second thought crept into her mind; how would the Jedi have raised her if they had gotten to her first? How would that have cared for her.

With a shake of the head, she knelt and took the heavy training saber in her hand and tapped it gently on the floor while she waited for the droids to activate now someone was in their vicinity. They hissed and rose from the floor. Joon sighed and pushed her aches down and focused this time on simply absorbing the bolts – no anger, no rage, no blind aggression. Just focus.

Focus.

She closed her eyes and stood strong. With a breath out, she opened them, and began the exercises again until she collapsed or was ordered to stop – whichever came first.

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

A standard week had past since their last lesson. Unlike the time on Sojourn, where Darth Ayra had been separated by several large rooms and the protection of her Sun Guards, the Skyhook facility at the Home was significantly smaller than the Fort. Thus, the Dark Lord saw her Apprentice each day, but paid her no attention, her mind and attention devoted to her work. Aware that emotion was the key to teaching her, Darth Ayra endeavored to pay Justiciara with as little attention as possible. It would be a long lesson, elongated over several years, but the rewards of it would be worth the wait. If Justiciara did not care for her Master, then she would feel no sense of loyalty. The ultimate test was to understand the nuance of the relationship. This would be difficult, but as Justiciara grew, so too would her very young and feeble mind. An eye would always be kept on her. Darth Ayra was prepared for all possibilities.

In the center of the Skyhook stood the fruits of Darth Ayra's labour. Made entirely out of Adamithium, the Creatura Reactor would be the key to her discovering the means to creating the perfect Lightsaber. When Darth Ayra created that certain crystal, that would replace the synthetic crystal that she currently used, she knew that it was on a step to the ultimate weapon. Her experiments into understanding crystalogy- the term she had come up with to describe the science she pursued- was the means to which she would control the galaxy. Not content to merely roll over and die for Justiciara, when the time for her to challenge her Master to the death, Darth Ayra wanted to be there and watch it with her own eyes.

It was axiomatic for the Dark Lord to merely content herself with the knowledge that she would one day die, and that all her work should benefit the others that would follow her. No, the nature of the dark side was individualistic, as she had revealed to Justiciara during their last lesson. All her work would be towards the destruction of the Jedi during her time. In her own way, Darth Ayra was still trying to figure out the nuances of the Rule of Two herself. Pandeima had been a poor Master in that regard. If the nature of the dark side was individualistic, then why should she allow herself to be sacrificed by her Apprentice? Why not discover the means to which her labour would come to fruition now, rather in the years following her death?

She was not sure, but in time, these things would be revealed. There was much for her to learn, to join the things she already knew. As Justiciara continued gaining strength, so too would Darth Ayra. Observing the reactor quietly, Darth Ayra called out: "Justiciara. Come."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Ayra’s voice called out in the ghostly silence of the Skyhook. Joon exhaled sharply, trembling, sweat on her brow and a face tight with concentration.

Her eyes flicked right across to where her Master was, her voice echoing out.

Holding on for 5 more seconds.

4…

…3…

…2…

…1.

She let go of the bars and dropped 6ft to the ground with a graceful kneel to absorb the fall. Rolling her shoulders and rubbing her hands together, she walked on to where she had been summoned. Her little haven away from the rest of the Skyhook was where she exercised, read and trained daily; a home in a home. Ayra never checked on her, or pandered to her. That seemed to be the way after their little clash a week before.

But to be honest, it bothered Joon less. The more she explored herself and her strength, the more she felt able to stand alone.

Down a central spiral staircase, Joon walked through at ease, and stood beside the imposing figure of Darth Ayra in the large reactor room; an impressive structure if ever she saw one.

"You called, Master."

She had learnt to address Ayra correctly.

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

"It is time for us to make our first move." Gesturing for her to follow, Darth Ayra led Justiciara away from the Creatura and past the consoles towards the docking port. "I have received intelligence that an ancient Sith tomb has been discovered in the Onderon system. As I speak, the site is being excavated by a team of tomb raiders who are working for the Black Tie Syndicate."

Stopping outside the port, Darth Ayra turned to address her Apprentice. "We will be heading to Onderon, so as to investigate these claims. During my studies and research, none of it suggested that the Sith had ever been to Onderon before. This is the first tangible lead that I have ever received that they were ever there." Turning to the access hatch, Ayra put in the password to unlock it. As she opened the hatch, she said to Justiciara: "You will be accompanying me to Onderon. We leave within the hour."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon followed, and nodded to herself as she processed the orders. Leaving for another new world, for another new place to seek an ancient treasure – she was ready for this.

"I will change at once. I am sure it will be a beneficial journey."

She stopped before she left.

"What is the Black Tie Syndicate? Are they allies or enemies?"

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

"We will have time to discuss them in greater depth whilst we are en route to Onderon." Diving into the access hatch, Darth Ayra climbed her way into the Initium. A thin layer of dust had gathered over the ship. It had only been four days since the ship had been delivered to her via a cargo pilot who had owed the Purple Rejects a life's fortune in debt, borne out of a Glitterstim addiction. Coerced into delivering the strange and rare transport to the coordinates given, the Human- who she figured to be Corellian, based on his accent- had arrived, expecting to be awarded for his service. He had been given a quick death before his body had been jettisoned out of the Initium's access hatch. It was a security risk for the Corellian to be allowed to leave the MZX32905 system with the knowledge of the Skyhook.

She doubted that anyone would follow up on the man's disappearance. The Corellians were a rare commodity these days, following the destruction of their homeworld. Scoundrels came and went from Formos on a daily basis. The chances that anyone cared, to her estimation, were minimal. In time, she would deal with the Purple Rejects, if it came necessary to purge those who held knowledge of the MZX3205 system. But after what she had done to them, in order to gain their allegiance to her, would take a very brave or dumb man to divulge her secrets.

Lowering herself into the pilot's seat, Darth Ayra immediately noticed the differences in the ship in comparison to how it had been before it's venture into the Stygian Caldera. The Purple Rejects had repaired the damage, fitting it out with no engines and sealing the hull breaches, yes, but it wasn't exactly how Darth Ayra had founded the vessel when she had Emeritus Industries construct it in an off the books project. She decided that the Initium required some fine tuning, borne out of her own touch, before she would fully be satisfied with it again. She made a note to return to Sojourn after Onderon, where she could commence with her own repairs and adjustments. This also made sense, for if she were to discover anything of merit whilst she was in the Onderon system, then it would join her other collected valuables at the Fort.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Another cryptic response, but Joon had become used to that sort of reply to her questions not seeming important to the Sith.

It took her a good few minutes to refresh and change into her basic black and tan clothes, fitting of an explorer, which she was in a way – exploring the galaxy, exploring herself and exploring her Sith future. Hair brushed down, she looked presentable at least for any formal introductions and ready to go tomb raiding, whatever that entailed.

There was nothing she could bring that would be useful except herself, and so leaving the training saber on the wall mount of her small room, she exited towards the docking bay where Ayra was waiting in a new ship. Every time she saw one, Joon was a little giddy. Such magnificent, powerful crafts – maybe one day she would have a ship and go across the stars.

One day.

First, she had to earn it, as she had to earn everything now from her Master on their journey together.

[member="Darth Ayra"]