Your true education begins with Knighthood (Sasha)

[Ashin Varanin]

The complex on Dromund Kaas held an assortment of wonderful things, dangerous things. Velok's home served him in lieu of a sector to govern; he was not that kind of a Master. He had done his time as an administrator, and didn't care for it.

The wonderful, dangerous things included an operating bay and an awful lot of droids. And, right now, one enthralled and nonplussed girl, a brand-new Sith Knight. One of the Empress's Apprentices.

Not her First Apprentice, and that had to rankle to an ambitious girl like @[member="Sasha Santhe"] .

"Your Mistress and mine is sending her other Apprentice to learn from multiple Masters," said the Whiphid. "You're here because I believe I can make something special out of you. You may not be able to keep up with Sanctuary...but then again, you may, if you work hard enough. I'm told you have a good deal of facility with technology."

 

[Sasha Santhe]

Sasha was uncharacteristically cautious as she entered the alien's home. There was stories, many stories. Sasha bowed recently to the Whiphis Master. She had stories of his apparent encyclopedic knowledge of lore. "I am from the Santhe family." The name helf weight with most of the galaxy but there was a chance it meant little to this creature. "We are practically weened on a mechanical teet."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Velok whuffled. "What you do in your private lives is your affair. Mechanical teats..."

Shaking his head, the ancient Whiphid threw a switch on an obscure machine. Lights blinked, buzzers buzzed.

"Drain Knowledge," he said. "My guiding star. I want to teach you mechu-deru, but that would take a foundational knowledge of the Force that a new Knight simply can't possess. And so, to save time, I'll teach you to drain the requisite understanding from my head. Take any more than what I offer, and you'll die screaming. Your fumbling first attempts to take that knowledge from me will undoubtedly cause both you and I some pain. Be careful."

His mental shields descended.

"Once you've taken what I offer, I can begin to teach you mechu-deru."

 

[Sasha Santhe]

Narrowing her eyes Sasha stared at the alien. Frowning she asked, "I heard it's harder to drain knowledge from a mind that is alien..." She bit her lower lip and concentrated on him mentally. Was this a test? Would his defenses shoot back up to prove a point? She reached out with her mind and touched his, gently at first and then forcefully trying to take what she needed.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

His eyes widened as her efforts intensified. "If this is how you approach most things in life, I feel sorry for your lovers. You feel...desperate. Now, yes, careful with that. You're quite right. An alien mind is different, but it's a sliding scale. One that thinks in Basic and was raised by humans, a mind like mine, is easier than, say, a native primitive Whiphid. And of course Toydarians and Hutts are impossible unless you're Darth fething Shule."

He winced against the touch of her mind.

"This is the general idea, yes. You're doing it right. Now, I've encapsulated a package of knowledge. Find it and take it."

 

[Sasha Santhe]

Sasha seethed with anger at the Whiphids comments. Did he want her to attack? Was he goading her to attack his mind with all her powers. She considered for a moment and then stopped. She didn't know who this Darth Shule character was, some insignificant welp who people believed powerful no doubt. He was no Emperor, no Empress.

Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the creatures minds. She had heard of Wookiees ripping limbs from bodies and thought this creature looked hairy and similar. She was careful not to divert from the set path reaching out and attempting to grab the parcel of Velok's knowledge that he was willing to give. As she traveled down the road she commented, "There is so much here...."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"There really is. I no longer have the strength to do all of it, of course. Your Mistress saw to that."

As the Sith Knight claimed the parcel of knowledge, Velok carefully extricated her from his mind. It was not his area of expertise. Then again, everything was his area of expertise. And thus, he had no real expertise at all, just a gigantic collection of motley skills.

He brought his mental defenses back up and sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Now take a moment to absorb that, then meet me in the surgery suite."

 

[Sasha Santhe]

Sasha grabbed hold of the package and started pull, poking around the Whiphid's mind a little as she drove out. The Sith Master shot his defenses up as she did so, but it didn't matter, she got what she wanted. The minute he mentioned not having the strength to perform all of his skills the old Whiphid reflected on his two hundred years of age. She used that emotion to ride into a catalog of information related to the subject and grabbed on to one particular thought. "Yes master," Sasha said with a smirk. He appeared non the wiser. She took a few deep breaths and concentrated on the information she just received, all of it. She couldn't over play her hand, not when she was going into a surgery suite. She followed the sith master in and smiled at him, "What now master?" She knew he couldn't stand her superior smirk and took comfort in that.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Now I cut open your brain," he said evenly. If he had noticed her interference, he made no sign of it. "There are several paths into mechu-deru; the quickest is what I call the Ismaren path. A cranial implant allows you to make contact with electronics and droids, but the Force guides you to be able to know how to control them.

"There are other ways, of course, as I said. But this is probably the most suitable to a Knight, as opposed to a great Master."

 

[Sasha Santhe]

Narrowing her eyes Sasha stared at Velok. "I'm supposed to trust a Sith to operate on me?" She was still unconvinced. "Are you qualified my dear master?" As she stared to tried her best to gauge his reaction and detect treachery. Any body movements he had, any tells could be important.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Velok snorted. "You're barely in puberty and I don't question your credentials when I step into a ship you designed. I have more university degrees than you have notches on your bedpost. Yes, I know what I'm doing. But the choice is yours."

 

[Sasha Santhe]

Sasha was satisfied. With a wink and a smirk she simply said, "Then you must have a lot of degree's, it's a shame of my notch's and your education were more overt conquests the galaxy could be ours." Sirella's voice echoed in hers. She had spent too much time on the Botany Bay recently. She walked over to the operating table and laid down. "If I don't wake up, whatever peace you know in life will be extinguished." It wasn't a threat but a statement of fact. If the Empress didn't act her family, her corporation would, and if even those failed her, there was money to be considered a clause in the will gifting more money than most could ever dream of her to killer.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Velok snorted as he lowered the knockout gas mask onto her face. "Many have tried, child, many have tried."

As the gas took effect, a medical droid entered the room and began to slice into her skull. The Baktoid implant would be enough.

 

[Sasha Santhe]

It was surprising to Sasha that she woke up without any pain. She stood up and noticed a medical droid present and suppressed a smile. It was comforting to know the Whiphid didn't try anything personally. "Now what?" The Sith Master sat at the end of her bed. The implant immediate picked up a compatible signal from the nearby medical droid. Sasha looked at it and felt it more than saw it. "I know Alli," she said staring at the droid. "Her company designed this chip."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"Don't get carried away," said Velok. "The implant gives you contact, but only growth in the Force can give you the instincts necessary to control machinery. You need to know their circuitry, their physics, their science -- and of course you already know a great deal of it. But let's begin with something simpler than this very expensive droid."

The medical droid toddled off.

"Your lightsabre. Turn it on and off...without the switch."

 

[Sasha Santhe]

This frustrated Sasha. There was no wireless signal from her ligthhaber, therefore the chip she just had surgicaly placed in her brain by one of the scariest sith lords she had ever met was useless. What was the point then? She didn't ponder long. She concentrated on the lightsaber and felt along the circuits and the wiring. It was fairly easy to do, she was connected to the artistic blade. She found where the simple circuit connected allowing the weapon to be activated and nudged it. Machines were easy, or so she had always thought. The blade pattered on and off before shooting to life. "I need more of a challenge...." the girl said absently.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

"No, what you need to do is realize that what you're doing now -- interacting with circuitry that has no wireless signal -- is a major preliminary step to properly using your implant. It's also important for the calibration, which should be done...well, now."

By now the medical droid was gone, but other droids remained in the facility, and other electronic systems.

"Go wild, girl."

 

[Sasha Santhe]

Sasha wasn't sure exactly what to do. The droids were there, standing in line in front of her. She could see readouts in the heads up display and decided to feel her way through their circuits like she had the lightsaber. It was much harder with them because she had no connection to them. She wondered how she could interface with one of her companies droids, or even a starfighter. She felt the droid and tried to control it. She raised her hand and watched as two other droids copied her movement. It was hard, draining, and she was sweating from the effort. "This wasn't as easy as I thought was it?" she said aloud. She knew the Whiphid would make some sort of comment, but didn't care. She moved her arms down to her side but willed the droids to theirs up. The strain was causing her physical pain as she forced the droid to point at Velok. "Getting the hang of this..."

 

[Ashin Varanin]

Velok looked around at the droids that were copying Sasha's movements.

"Yes, it may be easier than mind control, but...well, let's say 'less difficult'. If my records are correct, you're experiencing the same initial powers as Irek Ismaren, a fascinating case. One source even says he was the son of Palpatine. Another, bizarrely, identifies him with Lord Nyax.

"It's important that you rest before continuing this training seriously. Return to your business; push yourself too hard and you will die. I'll see you in a week, and I had better be impressed."

 

[Sasha Santhe]

A week passed before Sasha had returned. She stood in front of the mans home. She could feel the droids inside, see through their eyes. The chip in her brain now enhanced by the force. She rang, but did not wait to answer. Instead Sasha reached into the force and dragged one of the droids toward the door. His limbs were hers to command like a puppets. She licked her lips as a little sweet dripped off her brow. The droid opened up the door allowing her into Veloks home. Her will forced the other droids to fall into a line around her as she yelled, "I'm here old man," to get the whiphids attention.