The Student becomes the Master

[Krux Mullarus]

Night falls on Glee Anselm. The surface turns dark. Likewise, thousands of feet below the surface under the ocean, it is pitch black. The only visible light are the bright lights of the Sith Academy built into the side of a natural cavern. This is the place that three Sith Acolytes deemed worthy and ready to be tested by a Sith Knight would be sent in via submarine.

Inside of a dark, dimly lit room with walls of stone and a soft red carpet floor would stand three Sith Acolytes. One was an Iridonian with yellow skin and black tattoos, dressed in the average black sith robes, but with a lightsaber hanging from his belt. He had a smug grin on his face as if he knew he would emerge the victor today and be allowed to call himself a Sith Apprentice. The second was a short, sickly looking Ithorian with pale grey skin. He was a bit hunched over, even for an Ithorian, and one might wonder how worthy a frail old Ithorian might have been to a Sith Knight half his age.

The third was the odd, intimidatingly large creature, [member="Abelain Narv'uk"], who surely caught the eyes of the other two Acolytes. Neither had ever seen, nor heard of such an imposing alien before. While the older, wiser Ithorian might have been taken aback and lost some confidence, the Iridonian's face remained as confident as it was before.

Finally, the stone door before the trio opened. As the tall, armored figure entered, the candles along the wall lit the room up. The figure, none other than their judge named Mullarus, had a hood over his masked face. His Imperial Shield armor bore a long, black cloak over the broad shoulderpads which blew in the faint breeze that blew through the Sith Academy's corridors.

The Sith Knight took heavy steps toward the three Acolytes, sizing them up behind his mask, looking intimidating as he did so. Yet, when he spoke, his voice resounded more of wisdom and experience than cruelty and authority. "Acolytes. Do you know why you are here?" It was a rhetorical question, "Of course you do. I know the feeling as if it were just last week. You have been hand-picked by myself to be considered for training under my guidance. I, too, was once in this very position you find yourselves in. I stood before my master just as you stand before me now. Only I emerged the most worthy of my other adversaries."

Mullarus started on one end, staring down at the iridonian acolyte. "Acolyte Hasen of Iridonia. What makes you more worthy than your competition?"

The iridonian stared up and answered confidently, "Simple, my lord. I am above them."

Under the twisted morals of any other Sith in the Empire, that may have been a suitable answer. But Mullarus, as his apprentice would find, is unlike many Sith in the order. "Arrogance will get you nowhere, Acolyte. At the position you stand in now, you are the lowest rank of Sith in the Order. There may come a time when foolish, misplaced confidence will have some meaning, but today is certainly not that day. Perhaps some failure aould be good for you. You sound like you should be put in your place."

As Mullarus moved down toward the Ithorian, the Iridonian scowled. Clearly, he was getting angry. "Acolyte Jal'Haves of Ithor. You sure are quite aged to still be an Acolyte, but I picked you for a reason. You must be quite experienced, yes?"

The Ithorian chuckled, "Oh, yes. I may be past my prime now, but I can prove to you I am worthy of your teachings, my lord." This answer seemed to please Mullarus. He smiled beneath his mask and nodded, heading further down and having to look up for once at the towering alien about 8 inches taller than himself. "Goodness. I haven't had to look up at anyone like this for a while. Acolyte Narv'uk of...uh...come to think of it, i've forgotten. In fact, I do not know of your race at all. Would you mind sharing a bit of yourself, Acolyte?"

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

Abelain stood waiting for the arrival of the 'Sith Knight' that he; along with the others, were supposed to meet. He was still unfamiliar with the terminology, but the way it was explained, the Sith were very powerful beings indeed. He was here to learn, and to be compared to the other two beings around the room. Abelain's eyes opened, casting a glance over to the pair, and beginning a slow examination of them as they waited in the gloomy construct.

The Iridonian; for that was what he had learned they were called, seemed confident, almost too confident in the way he stood and the aura he seemed to display about him. Blue eyes flicked over to the instrument swinging about his hips, a cylinder, it's purpose still unknown to him. Without a second thought, Abelain disregarded him as inferior and moved his attention to the other contender for the place of student.

The Ithorian seemed pitifully frail and the color that his skin gave off seemed to indicate constant illness. Yet, despite this, Abelain looked upon the Ithorian much more favorably than he had the Iridonian. It was clear that this was a being of experience, not martial, but still very worthwhile. He was not marked off as an inferior as the Iridonian had, but instead was consciously marked as a respectable being.

As the examination of the other contenders concluded, the stone door in front of them shifted open and in stepped their judge and potential tutor. His attire was curiously dark, making it slightly harder for the Arue'tii to make him out among some of the more shadowy parts of the room. He wore the clothing of a being who most would subconsciously assume to be evil, however, when he spoke it was not with malign intent or venom, but instead with the tone of a wise man.

The being stood before them and explained the significance of the event to his own history, and then walked over to the Iridonian. The question set before the inferior being was why he was more worthy than the other two. His answer seemed to match his witless youth, and further solidified the fact that the Iridonian was indeed his inferior; A pest among finer specimen. Their judge seemed to agree, snapping the Iridonian back into his place, and eliciting a slow grin from Abelain.

The next being in line was the Ithorian, and he responded with an answer which befitted his respectable position, he did not seem to see himself as the master, but rather accepted his place as the student. Abelain mentally gave his approval for the being.

The teacher stood before him, being forced to look upwards to him due to his elevated position. It seemed somewhat improper to force a teacher to look to his student in such a way, and so Abelain began to kneel to the teacher, shifting the height difference more towards a proper balance. Upon the request to share about himself, Abelain gave a brief moment of thought to the question, and then gave his freshly fermented answer.

"I am Abelain Narv'uk, Explorer of The Order of Hazarin, and descendant of Sarith." He paused, hoping to allow a respectful pause in case the teacher wished to interject.

He would then continue "I am of the Arue'tii, we are new to the greater galaxy, and so it is understandable that few would be familiar with us."

He stopped speaking, awaiting further commands upon the floor from the teacher.
[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

A smile escaped Mullarus' lips, but only for a moment. Looking down, now, at the strange alien, he could practically smell the humility in his voice. It was nice. Both him and the Ithorian showed a compassion that was rare in Sith these days. The real question would remain if they were willing to put that compassion aside to attune themselves to the Dark Side of the Force that the Sith fed from. "Please, Acolyte Narv'uk, your height is not an issue. It does not put you above me, just as being humble does not make you more worthy of becoming Sith than being arrogant does." He shot a look at the Iridonian Acolyte, who was practically fuming with embarassment. "You may rise, Acolyte. As a Sith, you are not required to bend the knee to anyone, not even myself. It may be positively-looked-upon by society, but that is the simple beauty of the Sith." Mullarus took a few steps back and faced his three Acolytes once more.

"The freedom to choose. Something the Jedi cannot claim for themselves. You all made the correct decision in choosing us over them. The Jedi Code is one of confinement and hypocrisy, something you should always remember as a Sith. The Jedi may tempt you with arguments such as 'Doing the right thing, protecting the innocent, and keeping the peace in the galaxy from tyrants like you'. But that is what the Jedi are limited to. Lifeless, droid-like diplomats who cling to pacifism, but draw their swords at the first sign of war and rush in to kill everything.

"But I lecture too much" Mullarus chuckled, shaking his head, "Today is about you." He pointed to Acolyte Hasen, the confident Iridonian, "What makes you worthy of calling yourself a Sith?"

The Iridonian suddenly looked less confident than he did before, hesitating before answering. "M-my lord, I was a champion warrior among my people. My father before me was even a Sith. I even still have it!" he said, patting the lightsaber dangling from his belt. "I can lead armies into battle, and I can take the head of every Jedi in the galaxy for you! Just like you, I hate them all! Unleash me, my lord, for I will bring destruction to them in your name!"

Mullarus couldn't help but grin, "You remind me of myself as a raw acolyte. So eager to get into the saddle and start battling the Republic. Well, Acolyte, I, too, am descended from a long line of Sith. Did that make me automatically worthy of the title?" Mullarus waited for the Iridonian to answer.

"Uh..." he murmured, nervously scratching the back of his bald head, "...no?"

"Correct. Does owning a lightsaber make you worthy, then?"

"No..."

"You're confident and so full of passion, Acolyte, for that I must commend you. You're eager. Hold on to that, just learn that the galaxy does not bend to you, even if you were to become Sith. For that to happen, you must study and practice. A proper Sith knows his enemy and respects him, even if he refuses to say the same about you. You will all find that the galaxy typically looks down upon the Sith for being bloodthirsty, brutish animals who only seek to make life across the galaxy suffer and perish. Doing so does not violate the Sith Code, but it will also give our glorious Empire more enemies and opposition." He pointed to the Ithorian, "Why are you worthy?"

The Ithorian took a deep breath, as if he had rehearsed this, "My lord, I am not a descendant of the Sith like my friend the Zabrak and yourself. My family were, in fact, Jedi. I am old now but an acolyte because I, too, was once a Jedi. I am not afraid to admit it to you because I know of many Sith who were once Jedi. Once upon a time, a man called Anakin Skywalker walked the corridors of the Jedi Temple, but then saw it burn to the ground in glorious wildfire. He claimed the name Darth Vader and nearly wiped the galaxy clean of Jedi. I have embraced the Dark Side, and I am here not to prove myself worthy of calling myself Sith, but to learn of the Dark Side and the Sith so that I, too, may claim a power unknown to any being in the galaxy who is not Sith."

Mullarus nodded, "Your wisdom is noted. I thought I smelled Jedi on you. I do not fault you for it. You are correct, many Sith have once called themselves Jedi. Darth Vader was no Sith, however. Vader was a Dark Jedi. There is a difference. Dark Jedi learn to fuel their power with their passion like a Sith, but they do not follow the Sith Code as a real Sith does. Dark Jedi simply follow their own agenda, and are not to be confused with Sith. An example of a Sith during that time would be Vader's master, Darth Sidious, who is responsible for the rise of our glorious Empire and the fall of the first Galactic Republic. The man was a genius, and learned from a true Sith Lord called Pelaguis. They were Sith in every way.

"Acolyte Narv'uk. What makes you Sith material?"

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

Abelain rose to his full height once more with a respectful nod in the direction of the teacher. It was curious that the teacher mentioned that being among the Sith meant not being forced to kneel, especially when the choice of kneeling had blatantly been his own. That may have been the way of the Sith however, further interactions would decide.

The teacher began to speak of another being known as the Jedi, though as his words continued, Abelain realized that this was not a singular entity, but rather a collection. The history of his people had seen many civil wars, and this abusive speech towards a foe seemed familiar, something that he could understand. These beings were not so different from those he had known throughout his entire existence.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, the lecture on the evils of the Jedi was finished, and attention once more focused upon the acolytes. The teacher went in the same order as he had previously done, starting with the Iridonian. Abelain closed his eyes, and began to consider a response to the question that would inevitably be given him. He listened as the Iridonian stated his familial history, and was taught by the teacher that family did not determine role.

The Arue'tii agreed with that idea completely, they did not base their power upon family or ability even, but rather upon achievement and merit. He returned to his thoughts, still considering answers as the teacher moved on to the next individual, asking the same question and receiving a detail of that being's history as well. It seemed as though the Ithorian was reformed from the ranks of the enemy, an act that called his people once more to mind.

Finally, the teacher reached him and asked his question. Abelain's eyes flickered open, a response finally formulated in his mind. "I am from a world of harsh creatures and environments. I believe I can defeat the Iridonian in combat, and that I can outwit the Ithorian in mind. Though, I do not proclaim to know more than you, teacher."
[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The widest grin spread across Mullarus' face beneath his mask, almost pure excitement, as the alien acolyte openly challenged the other two acolytes. Mullarus could not help but laugh, "You know nothing of the Sith, and yet, you seem to know more than the two here who have known them for years! Yes! Acolyte Narv'uk, you already understand one of the core elements of being a Sith." Mullarus opened and closed a fist dramatically, "To grow stronger, you must destroy the competition! Through strength, I gain power! That is a line in the Sith Code itself, something you will learn by heart if you will call yourself my student.

"Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Acolytes, there will never truely be peace in this galaxy. We can fight for it, but there will always be someone in the universe who has to disturb it for his own sake, be it a grab for power or feeling his honor has been damaged. War is what builds nations and places crowns upon kings. War brings out the best in man, and battle shows the world what a man really is.

Mullarus began to pace and lecture over the Sith Code, knowing two of these acolytes, possibly even all three, would be dead within the hour. "Through passion, I gain strength. What makes us strong? Yes, experience and practice matter, but experience and practice alone would be holding you back. This is where the Jedi truely fail. The Jedi teach to let go of passion and to let the Force alone guide their actions. No, acolytes. That passion that they refuse is what makes a force-sensitive warrior such as yourselves powerful! Look in the past and explain to me why every Sith Lord that rose to power had to be confronted by at least two Jedi to be equally matched! The Jedi hold themselves back, they deny the single power that would make them strong because they are afraid it will consume them! They do not even trust themselves with their own power. How pathetic."

Mullarus nodded to the Ithorian, "You know the next line of the Sith Code, yes?"

The Ithorian stirred nervously, shaking his head. "No, my lord, I do no-"

"Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force...shall free me" The Iridonian acolyte finished the entire Sith Code for Mullarus, causing him to chuckle softly, "So you're not all muscle and no brain. Good, maybe you will still have some use for me after all.

"Unfortunately, Acolytes, the time is growing near. I cannot accept three students. There can be only one...it's time you demonstrated to me how determined you are to become my apprentice."

Mullarus stood back against the door. The Iridonian grinned, a hand hovering over his lightsaber. The Ithorian started to back away slowly, his hand going behind his back.

"You want to be Sith? Show me."

Only a second after the words were said, and the Iridonian ignited his red lightsaber with a hiss, spun around, and chopped the aged Ithorian in two from the waist. Blood splattered [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] and the floor around them as the Ithorian acolyte demonstrated to his fellow acolytes that while wisdom can take a man far, Sith had to prove themselves through battle.

As he fell dead in two pieces, the Iridonian's cold gaze met that of the Arue'tii, murder in his eyes. "You're next, you ugly bantha karker"

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

Abelain listened intently to the teacher as he spoke of one of the core elements of the Sith, namely, to destroy one's competition in order to make oneself more powerful. That made sense to Abelain, any competition would simply undermine anything that you were trying to accomplish. Though, the context of the words forced him to look once more at his competitors, especially the Ithorian. He had no wish of killing the aged being, and yet it seemed as though this rule essentially forced it.

The rest of the Sith code also seemed logical, there would always be individuals attempting to disrupt order, no matter the amount of strength was shown by the current government. The teacher once more slandered the Jedi as being weak, of being afraid to unlock their full potential for fear that they might do something dastardly or malignant. Could not an individual choose what they used their power? Were the Jedi much like a construction worker who is so afraid of his tool that he refuses to turn it on?

The Iridonian spoke once about the Sith code, likely waiting for the opportunity to prove himself once more to the teacher. Then, as he finished, the teacher stated that they would be beginning soon and that he could only take one student. Abelain cast another glance at the Ithorian, unsure of what he would do should he be forced to assail him.

The moment that the teacher spoke of beginning, the Iridonian drew his cylinder, and ignited it into a strange blade of light. It struck into the Ithorian, bisecting him in a moment before turning his attention to Abelain. Abelain examined the cylindrical weapon for a brief moment, his mouth seeming to close into a freakishly large smile, though anyone watching exceptionally closely would see that this new set of 'teeth' appeared just ahead of where the previous ones had been.

Abelain glared down at the Iridonian, watching as he prepared to assail him. The grin on his face remained as he spoke, seemingly unhindered by it. "You will strike me with a weapon of light in a place of shadow? Do you cower in fear so much as to require it as opposed to your own strength. Foolish inferior."

To most beings listening, this would have been an attempt at fooling the Iridonian into removing his weapon and fighting hand to hand, in which case it was extremely likely that he would be bested by the Arue'tii. However, in reality, Abelain wanted him to keep the weapon and to rush in, he wanted him to become angry and to lose his senses in that anger. To not pay attention to reality and to assume things for what he understood them.

Hands lifted up in a position of defense taught to him by The Order of Hazarin. They hovered at about the same height as the Iridonian's torso, and his right foot shifted behind his left, turning ever so slightly clockwise.
[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

"We'll see who is the inferior when you're dead" the Iridonian yelled, charging forward with his lightsaber and thrusting it at [member="Abelain Narv'uk"]. Like a good student of the Sith, he channelled his rage into his attack.

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

Abelain waited in his defensive position, curling his left hand into a claw-like formation and raising it slightly upwards, so that it was above the height of the cylinder, but not the light blade.

The Iridonian charged forward, his anger evident in his movements before thrusting the saber at Abelain. The blow struck against his right lower torso, and for a brief moment it seemed as though the fight was all but finished. Yet, when the blade moved away, the only evidence that it had ever struck was a blackened char mark upon the place of it's impact.

Abelain's grin seemed to grow, and his left hand shot forward, it's claw-like formation tearing through the air between the now quite close acolytes, very obviously aimed at the throat. "You carry the heat of hatred, Iridonian, but my chitin is resistant to your flame."
[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The angry snarl on the Zabrak's face faded as his lightsaber simply bounced off of the Arue'tii's exoskeleton-like skin. Even Mullarus stood straight up off of the wall he leaned on as he watched in surprise. Never before had he seen anything like this. An alien with lightsaber-proof skin? Did this man even understand how revolutionary this was? Mullarus could forge him into one of the One Sith's most devastating warriors they had ever seen.

The Iridonian yelped as the Arue'tii lifted him into the air, dropping his lightsaber. He fought for air as he struggled against his mighty fist, blood starting to stain the alien's hand as the Arue'tiis claws broke skin on his neck. "Bah! N-no! Y-you're no alien, you're a m-monster! Put me down!"

Mullarus clasped his hands together, waiting for how the alien would choose to finish this.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

The Arue'tii continued it's creeping grin as it moved the Zabrak closer to itself. A sniff of the air revealed the irony tang of blood flowing through it's veins. The Zabrak began to struggle, but found itself helpless to remove the grasp of Abelain, panicking and describing the being holding him as a monster. Yet, if anyone were to be called a monster, would it not be the Zabrak?

No matter, he would assist him in his Escalation into the next life. "May the One Escalation guide you." He whispered softly before leaning down to the ground and scooping up the lightsaber. He promptly placed it against the Zabrak's chest, and activated it, not once, but twice.

"It is done." He would drop the limp body, and kneel once more to the teacher.
[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

His body hit the floor with a thud. Slain by his own blade, the Iridonian met his demise, proving quite the opposite point revealed at the Ithorian's death.

"A Sith is a warrior first, but an educated one. Power and confidence alone do not make a Sith." Mullarus smiled, pushing a button on his armor's neck. The helmet he wore beneath his hood, which he also removed, would disassemble itself and retract into his armor. Mullarus revealed his face, young and looking inexperienced for the teachings that left his lips, to [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] as he took a knee before his master.

Mullarus spoke, his voice no longer electronic-sounding through a speaker. "Acolyte Narv'uk, you have proven yourself most worthy among your competition to claim the spot at my side." He unhooked his exotic crossguard lightsaber from his belt, igniting it's violet blade and holding it close to the acolyte's shoulder. "From this moment, I, Mullarus, Knight of the Order of the One Sith, accept you, Sith Acolyte Abelain Narv'uk, as my official apprentice "

He moved his lightsaber, its blade longer than an average one, to the Arue'tiis other shoulder, "Through me, you will learn the Sith Code and the responsibilities that come with claiming the title. I will forge you into a weapon that will devastate our enemies and guide you to your destiny." Mullarus lifted his blade, taking it in both hands.

"Rise, Narv'uk, Apprentice of the One Sith."

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

Abelain raised his eyes for a brief glimpse at his teacher's face, and took note of how young it seemed. Age did not matter entirely, accomplishment was what mattered; another tenant drilled into him by his people. His eyes once more downcast themselves in the presence of the teacher, listening carefully to his judgement.

The snap-hiss of the light blade that the teacher held ringed in Abelain's head. The blade hummed closely to his shoulder, and the teacher acknowledged him as the most worthy of the competition, and that he would officially be his apprentice. The blade swung over to his other shoulder, apparently finishing the ceremonial act.

The next words of the teacher however were especially noted by Abelain. He was to be taught the code of the Sith, and then to be forged into a weapon to devastate their enemies. It was good. It had been the reason that he had come to these strange worlds, to learn, and now here was the promise to be taught to become powerful.

He arose, but now as an apprentice, and the grin spread across his face was no longer chitin.
"As you wish, teacher."
[member="Knight Mullarus"]