The Sith are eternal (solo thread)

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"That was as low an intensity as I could manage, don't want you getting hit full blast since you're just learning," Taeli replied with a small smile. "Regardless, I only need to do it once as that experience is enough to call upon the memory of the pain and the feeling of the energy channeling through you. That is the important part to summoning Force Lightning, the memory of how if felt helps you shape the lightning you produce."

Rummaging around in her storage locker for a moment, Taeli pulled out several exercise targets that would be perfect for beginning training with the technique.

"Training apprentices on the move," she said, in case Maja had any questions about why she had targets on her shuttle. "Anyways, I want you to hit each target with a small fork of Force Lightning. It might take a little bit, and it might hurt because it can char and burn an untrained person's hand if done improperly as I personally learned when I started out. Now, focus on that memory of how it felt and channel the Force down your arms to your fingertips and out."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja was pleased she didn’t need to endure it again and most definitely remembered the acute pain and its effect on her body.

Maja was getting better at channelling the Force. She’d taught herself through trial and error and could access it when she needed – it was just she didn’t know what to do with it when she’d got it.

“I warn you, my efforts with using the Force thus far have been kind of hit and miss. I don’t really do finesse, it seems to be on and off at the moment.” She grinned, “Just thought I’d let you know.”

She stared at the target and her eyes gently morphed from their usual amber to yellow. She pulled at the Force and remembered the pain she’d experienced. She imagined the lightning literally flowing through her arm and felt the same tingling she’d experienced – albeit less powerfully. But that’s all that happened.

She pulled a face and attempted again. This time she pulled more of the Force and the sensation was stronger and sparks of blue started to erupt from her fingertips. She pulled more of the Force and this time a huge bolt of lightning was sent flying to the target obliterating it. She smiled at her attempt but realised that the end of her fingers appeared to be on fire. She shoved her hand in her mouth and sucked hard. She glowered at Darth Arcanix as if it were her fault.

“Char and burn – I remember,” she said as she removed her fingers and examined them gingerly. “I’ll try the other hand next time, OK?”

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"I did warn you," Taeli said, pulling out some bacta for when the girl would need it. "The flow of energy has to move unimpeded through your limbs, or the result will continue. Think of it this way. The energy that will form the lightning is like water, and your arm is a river. Your fingers are the branching rivers that flow out to the ocean, which in this case is open air or towards a target. You have to make sure that flow is not interrupted in anyway or it will char your fingers over and over again."

She was smiling all the while she explained, Maja certainly was different than what she had expected. A bit more sarcastic, but willing to learn what she could and in any way she needed.

"But go ahead and use your other hand," she continued. "The bacta is here if you need to heal your fingers."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja eyed the bacta but persevered. Her sister would not be impressed if she acted like a cry-baby. “Like water eh?” Maja was close in her thought process but completely by accident – but it would do.

So this time she imagined the lightning flowing down her arm and through her hand and out through her fingertips and gently flowing to the target. And this time it worked so much better. Her hand wasn’t smelling of burnt skin and the flow of lighting was weak but controlled. “Better, yes?”

She was desparate to take the bacta but felt so keen to finish the training first. She’d endured worse burns when working freighters and she’d no doubt face worse pain in the future.

Maja gave Arcanix a second look. “You were on that trip to the fortress with my sister weren’t you?”

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"Much better, it helps not to be cooking your fingers and hands yes?" Taeli said, smiling a little bit. "You've got a small grasp of the ability now, so we will take an ever so small break before we continue again."

Listening to the girl's question, she recognized where she knew the girl from and who's aura she felt like. Vitium's sister . . . oh now that was interesting. She hadn't expected Silara to actually have a sister or family for that matter, but then again, the woman was incredibly secretive about her personal life and her plans. Something that always made Taeli wary of the Voice.

"Fortress? Fortress? Ah, you mean the trip to Naga Sadow's hidden fortress," Taeli said, smiling a little wider. "Yes, I was on that trip. Was an interesting experience, very interesting indeed. I take it then you're Vitium's sister then?"

 

[Darth Zilti]

At the word ‘break’ Maja took the bacta and applied it to her burned fingers.

Looking back at the Sith she nodded, “Yes, that’s the one – Naga Sadow. You were the one who was really interested in the bridge. I was the one freezing my butt off.” She laughed softly – time seemed to mellow unpleasant memories.

“Yes, I’m Silara’s little sister – well not so little now. I aged four years when I met her you know. My original birth-date is unrecorded and for some reason my age was mixed up too. I went from sixteen to twenty in an afternoon.”

“I was abandoned as a baby…” There was no sadness in her voice but there was steel in it – clearly this was something she still found hard to deal with. “She was raised by a family – not our parents apparently – and I was dumped on a ship to roam the galaxy. When my Force abilities were discovered, it awakened something in me. That same night I shared a dream with Silara – we talked just like we’re chatting now. She said she’d come and get me.”

“When I woke up, I thought it was just a dream – but I hoped and wished – and almost straight away she turned up and put me in this fancy apartment and lavished me with stuff. Promised to be my Master and make me a saber and everything.” Now there was a softening of the voice and her eyes glistened. “But she’s busy, I know that – and who needs a little sister tugging at your coat-tails, demanding to be trained in this and that.” She cleared her throat. “She’s busy, right?”

She stood up and faced away from Darth Arcanix. “So I decided I didn’t want to be kept, like some pet. I wanted to prove to her I was worthy. So I did stuff, research, looking for something that would show her I wasn’t a burden. Not someone who needed babysitting. So I found a crystal in a Kinrath egg – but decided that wasn’t enough. So I did this journey and it brought me here. I don’t know where I’m going next but I won’t go back until I’m a worthy opponent- I mean sister.” She rubbed her face with the sleeve of her jacket and then turned to face Taeli. “Shall I go again?”

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"I'm a scholar first and foremost, so yes, I understand the need to go out and seek knowledge," Taeli said, smiling as the girl applied the bacta. "I have to say, I can relate to your story in a way, I was adopted by my family and they kept my true birth family hidden from me. Regardless, we aren't here to listen to my story."

She had caught the girl's slip of tongue? maybe? about trying to be an opponent to her sister, and while that piqued Taeli's interests, she didn't know Maja well enough to share such thoughts. Still, it seemed Maja was disappointed that her sister didn't have time to teach her, or maybe even the interest to do so. It wasn't Taeli's business, but she would do her best to help this girl along.

"If you want sure," she said, as Maja asked about going again. "This time, I want you to push yourself more, make the river flow faster and more intense along your arm. I want to see something a bit stronger."

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja listened and took the time to get the pain in her hand under control – and the bacta certainly did that. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and focused on her instructions and remembered what went well last time and what she needed to improve upon.

But that old Achilles heel of self-doubt started to worm its way into her mind and she wondered if she’d ever be worthy enough for her sister. And as these thoughts bounced around her mind, she was aware of the crystal again. Nothing more than that – but it distracted her from her negative thoughts and she was suddenly only focused on the task in hand.

So she raised her right hand and pulled power from the Dark-side and remembered the flow from before but this time imagined it as a faster running stream and as she did so blue lightning sprang from her fingertips and headed to the target. As she imagined the flow of water to speed up or slow down, so did the lightning – and she was able to control the power this way. She beamed with satisfaction and just wished her sister could be here to see it.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"Excellent work Maja," Taeli said, beaming a bit at the girl. "Very excellent indeed, now do realize that your Lightning will become even more potent as you gain more power and your connection to the dark side grows."

Even as she was about to go into another part of her lecture, the console from the cockpit started beeping and the ship shuddered a little bit as it emerged from hyperspace. The green gem that was Kashyyyk glinted out of the corner of Taeli's eye from the front viewport. Guess the lesson would need to continue on the fly on the world below.

"Seems we arrived, we will pick this up once we're in the Shadlowlands, targets are easy enough, but you need to experience lightning striking something living to fully appreciate the ability to control it," Taeli said with another smile. "So, where to my young friend?"

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja was pleased with herself but even more so at the praise. Since an early age she’d just done ‘stuff’ and nobody tended to thank her, let alone suggest she’d done a good job. And it felt very good indeed.

But she listened to the feedback regardless and was delighted that what she’d been able to produce could only grow stronger through time and practice.

And like Darth Arcanix, she heard the ship telling them that they’d arrived at Kashyyk. “With a ship like this, we’re going to have to land on the Wawaatt Archipelago on the outskirts of Kachirho. From there we head north-west through the 'Dead Forest' until we reach a gate. And through there we head to the lower levels of the forest – where we’ll find a village.”

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"Then let us descend and see what exactly is standing in our way, my young friend," Taeli replied with a smile, almost calling Maja her apprentice. It was so tempting to just take the girl as a student until Silara either decided to take her sister back, or until the girl was strong enough to challenge her sister. Either way, she would leave such thoughts to Maja about what path she wished to take in the future beyond a few lessons.

Taking the ship down to the archipelago, she landed and lowered the ramp to shuttle, thinking she really needed to finish her pet project for ships for herself and her apprentices. Setting off to the north-west and going through part of the city of Kachiro, Taeli was curious what the girl had encountered here before.

"So I have to ask, what exactly is lurking in this village?" Taeli asked, closing the flap of her satchel as she finished purchasing a map for that region of the Shadowlands.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja was clearly uncomfortable as they descended and after biting her bottom lip for a good ten minutes, she finally came out with it. “My sister, Silara. What I said before…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it to sound the way it did. I always said I wanted to return to face her as a worthy Sith. I didn’t mean as an adversary. I…I…I…” She was clearly searching for the right words. “I didn’t mean it in a Bane and Zannah way. I meant I want to face her and show her I would be a worthy opponent and therefore someone she could respect. A sister to be proud of, not one to babysit. Someone she’d want to join the Sith and see as an ally, not a hindrance.”

Clearly deciding this train of thought was over, she stood up and smiled. “Now, there are two things to worry about and I’ll tell you as we walk.” She grabbed her bag and stuffed it with her blaster, her crystals and a large handful of candy bars. “I’m ready to go.”

#​

As they walked through the Dead Forest and passed through the gates that marked the entrance to the deadliest area of the forest, she recounted the advice she’d received the last time she was here. “Before I was heading for the Myyydril Caverns, where Bane’s Heart was worked on in the workshop of Doctor Kinesworthy. But I got derailed.” She shuddered slightly at the memory. “Avoid the Sayormi was the first piece of advice I received by the locals. That’s the one we’re going to ignore. And keep away from the webweavers, they’re the giant arachnids. And if we don’t see any, I’d be rather pleased. No table manners” She flashed a smile at a joke that meant nothing to her companion but she clearly found funny.

“Last time out the spiders got me but the Sayormi rescued me and took me to their village. There was a witch, who seemed like she was their queen or something and she had a small leather book. And that village matches the coordinates to the ones I found in the other book. And the witch,” Maja’s hand went involuntarily to where the tattoo had appeared previously, “She performed some Dark-magic on me but then set me free. I have no idea why, but I guess I owe them my life.”

She looked at Darth Arcanix now – “But don’t let that stop you. They mean nothing to me and if they won’t co-operate, well, you know.”

The shades of grey simply increased the further they walked, it wasn’t known as the Dead Forest just because it had a nice ring to it. And as the quiet of the forest became oppressive she felt a familiar feeling. This time she could put it down to the Force telling her something. “You remember I mentioned the spiders…”

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"We all must choose the path and goals we want," Taeli said, smiling at Maja. "No need to apologize Maja, one does get a bit of an assumption when they hear such words. So my apologies for that, but regardless, I'll help you however you want so you can show Silara she can be proud to call you her sister."

Listening to the girl say they would have two things to worry about later on inside the forest, Taeli just sighed. She knew this was going to be an interesting expedition.

"Of course, there's alllllways something," she mumbled, with some humor in her voice.

~~~~~~~~~~~​

​

"I'm guessing those spiders tried to eat you," Taeli said, smiling at the joke as Maja explained what resided in this part of Kashyyyk's forest. It was certainly more darker than other areas, the trees dead or gray and twisted. It felt more menacing indeed, a perfect place for dangerous creatures and what sounded like a dark side cult or tribe to live in.

"So this queen sounds like a Force witch, now that is interesting," Taeli said, but not feeling worried about dealing with the natives. There were huge differences between a just starting Sith acolyte and a very active Sith Lady. "Well, if they give us what we want, there should be no need for violence at all. But if they try anything . . . well, you can use your imagination I'm sure."

That was when she felt something, or several somethings, heading their way and feeling rather hungry. Why oh why was there always a legion of spiders in the way of a prize.

"Oh lovely," Taeli said as a giant red and gray spider emerged from the gloom and it wasn't alone. "They picked the wrong people to attack, allow me."

Igniting her lightsaber, then the second blade of it, she winked over at Maja as she twisted the handle. A shink sound came as the second half of the circle hand guard slid out and joined the other side in a perfect ring. The mag locks on her blade emitters disengaged and her lightsaber blades began spinning, while lightning former around her other hand.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja stood and watched. This time their combined senses meant she'd not been caught unaware, and so she watched as the saber activated and the Sith started to form Lighting. Maja was unsure if she should follow suit but decided to let the experience of her companion take the lead.

It was about then she was for no obvious reason reminded of Rain, or more specifically Bane. When on Dxun, when Zannah was facing her first test, he'd allowed a creature to attack him, just to see how it did. For perfect predators didn't need to vary their attacks, they simply repeated them. So instinctively she looked up. Slowly edging down to them from above on a silken thread was another of the giant web weavers. For a second time instinct kicked in and she extended her left hand and calling on the Force, Force Lightning first pooled around her fingers before arcing towards the creature. She fed more and more power into the blue flashes until the smell of burning flesh told her she'd killed it.

Maja turned to face Darth Arcanix, "We'll you did say I could practice on living things, right?" She smiled and gestured to the two in front. "And I saved a couple for you."

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"That I did, that I did, now watch and learn Maja," Taeli said, her eyes changing from purple to yellow in an instant as she brought the power of the dark side to bear. Rushing forward, her lightsaber blades acting like an energy saw, she carved through one spider horizontally, then another as it came at her, mandibles snapping until it's head and some legs fell to the ground. She was whirlwind of death as Force Lightning, at full power, erupted from her other hand to strike three more spiders as they advanced, reducing them to just blackened husks.

Her head snapped up as she sensed two more spiders behind her, and she pivoted to face them. Instead of normal Force Lightning, she focused on an emptiness inside her as a red-pseudo lightning flew from her hand to engulf both spiders, draining their life away. Seeing their fellow spiders getting slaughtered mercilessly, the few remaining ones began to retreat, but Taeli would have none of that. Throwing her lightsaber like a disk, she carved through each of them before catching her thrown lightsaber and deactivating her blades.

"Well, that was fun," she said serenely, her eyes turning back to purple. "So which way Maja?"

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja watched as one after the other spider was either carved up or fried before her eyes. She counted the fatalities – seven in total.

“Good work,” Maja said when she’d finished. “I was…observing. And that red Lightning, that was different, huh?” The question was asked, even if the words weren’t actually said.

“And it’s this way,” she indicated, “I'd say it's about another half a kilometre. You’ll know when you get there, the skulls on the end of poles are a complete giveaway.”

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"To answer the unasked question, that was a manifestation of Force Drain," Taeli replied, smiling a bit as they set off again towards this mysterious village. "I hope you learned something from that, always good to observe someone at a higher level for things or to see what one might be capable of later on."

Skulls on poles, how . . . uncivilized, Taeli thought to herself as they continued. Her sister would be laughing at Taeli essentially paraphrasing her favorite Jedi, but that was besides the point. This tribe had the information she sought, and they would give it over one or another. She sort of regretted killing all of those spiders though, she should have dominated a few with Beast Control, but oh well. There would be more in the future possibly.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Force Drain? Maja made a decision to ask for this Ability next if and when the opportunity arose.

And the woman’s tone was different to Maja’s ears. It was either patronising or genuinely the voice of a teacher - but as someone who had been obliged to fight for every piece of knowledge she had, the concept of being given information freely was alien to her. And she didn’t want to look any more foolish than she already did by reacting too positively, so she simply shrugged. “I guess watching can help, yes.”

She stared at the way ahead and picked up her pace until they saw it, the Sayormi village. They clearly were a primitive society, living in simple huts built from animal skins and decorated with bones and skulls. Directly ahead of them on the path was a scarecrow made of wood and bones which clearly marked their territory in the Dead Forest. No sooner had they sighted it than half a dozen warriors walked from the village, their Sayormi Heartstrikers, small sharp blades, in their hands.

Seeing Maja they stopped and turned to form a kind of honour guard. Their intention was clear, she was being escorted into the village but the honour didn’t look like it extended to her deciding not to enter. “Shall we?” Maja said to her companion, “It would be rude to say no, plus possibly painful?”

[member="Darth Arcanix"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Maja Vern"]

"How . . . interesting," Taeli said as they neared the village, noticing the skulls and totems. Primitives could always go either way, one you could get them to worship you and make them serve you, or two, you ended up killing them or having to run. Still, as she observed the six warriors running towards them and forming a guard around them, Taeli decided to go with the flow for now. No need for a fight yet after all.

"Indeed, we certainly don't want to be rude," she replied, smiling. "I guess have them lead the way."

With that, they would enter the village and Taeli had no idea what to expect. She hadn't studied these people after all.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja nodded to their escorts and smiled, as if this was common-place for her. “Last time I was carried in, inside a cocoon, but that’s a story for another day, eh?” she offered to Darth Arcanix as they reached the centre of the village.

By now some twenty men had gathered, muttering in a strange language. Their blades were carried but pointed skyward – a definite improvement on last time.

As before, the crowd of men parted and a woman stepped forward. Like them, she had dark skin and grey robes but she also had long and wild hair and Maja felt a presence about her – which she now recognised as a Dark-sided aura.

The woman smiled when she saw Maja – in fact she only seemed to have eyes for the red-head. The woman circled her slowly and talked in her strange tongue. Maja felt her face growing hotter and she put her hand to her face, she was sure the tattoo was visible again, she could feel the swirls of the pattern warm on her skin.

Now the woman turned her attention to Darth Arcanix. In broken basic she offered, “Why come here? She welcome, you…” She seemed to be searching for the right words, “You not expected. Not in book. Not expected, not understand, why you here?” Her voice was not aggressive but she clearly seemed agitated and her hand kept covering a pouch that was slung around her neck, the cord long enough that the animal skin bag bounced off her hip.

[member="Darth Arcanix"]