Electric Passion

[Marf]

Some electric violin music to get you inspired.

- Force Spark Class -​

The thunder and lightning of Coruscant's electric storms surged within the black sky. Rain splattered onto the wall-length window of the training room, high up in the temple tower. Satoryu preferred the bright warmth of Korriban, but the mournful and gloomy devastation of Coruscant was almost as beautiful. She had chosen the new temple for Sorcerers to teach her class on Force Spark, the most basic starting point of Force Lightning. It made sense Satoryu thought, to teach such a topic on a planet covered in electric storms.

The training room was round and dark, with long windows which covered the entirety of the walls. At the center of the wall was a large metallic desk and chair. Perched upon the desk was the Sith Assassin; She sat cross-legged, wearing full Sith apparel save for any kind of footwear. Her naked and slender ankles and feet hung lazily from beneath her flowing robes, like pallid flashes of light amongst the dark room. In Satoryu's arms, she held a baby black rabbit, Marka, a new companion she had acquired on Anaxes. She had been practicing her Animal Friendship techniques on the vicious creature.

Satoryu stroked Marka as he tried to bite and scratch her gloved hands. Her hair obscured her face and fell down across the desk on which she sat. It was an unsettlingly picturesque site which the Acolytes would behold; That of the beautiful Yu girl holding a black rabbit, against the backdrop of a thunderous lightning storm. An incense stick smouldered away on the desk as the smoke swirled around the room, entwined with the twisted, Dark Side which radiated from Satoryu.

 

[Cortan]

Azur supposed some part of him should have been thankful that, of all the limbs he could have lost, it was 'only' the leg.

On any other occasion of course, he did still lament the loss, and all the connotations it carried with it. The defeat that had cost him it, the shame that such a defeat had wrought, and the time he had lingered in his own failings before finally striving to rise above them. Yet here, he could not help but realise that, of all places, the leg was the most... affordable. A leg provided only something to stand on - easily replaced by a stocky frame, let alone an artificial duplicate. But something like his arms... provided dexterity, grip, and control. And with regards to today's occasion, an arm of flesh would allow him to channel a power that, whilst not quite like the stuff of legend, would be a significant starting point nonetheless. Had it been one of his arms he lost, or perhaps both of them, he would be unable to use this power in any form, lest he fry his own digits.

Tightening his hand at the thought, Azur gazed out a nearby window, looking across the scarred world of Coruscant. It seemed in spite of leaving this place to learn elsewhere, there was something that always drew him back to this world. Where as a child, he came to it with endless fear in his eyes, pleading to be taken back home to Dentaal, now the familiarity of the lightning, thunder, earthquakes and rain was... comforting, in its own weird way. Perhaps, after ten years, and after the battle, after finally coming to seek the power of the dark side, and not merely abide to learn it, he had come to be at home in its strange and terrible ways?
That thought took its time to sink in as he walked the walls, wandering up through a tower in which he had never quite ventured. That familiarity he had on this world became an ever distant, ever broad concept, certainly reinforced by the make of the stones and metal, but their arrangements and purpose... alien in that slight, off putting way.

He ultimately arrived at the chamber where the Crusader was waiting, and gave a short, formal bow to signal his courtesies. The Crusader was ever the eccentric it seemed, but with as wide and diverse the galaxy was, he was hardly in a position to comment. His blue skin was touched in brief bursts by flashes of lightning, before thunder shook the walls. He found himself a corner of the room in which to wait silently in meditation, hoping to attain some focus before the training began.

 

[Poltergeist]

It was becoming a rather dull affair, wasting his time away on Coruscant, poring over the many texts and holocrons that were made available to acolytes of the dark side. Days, weeks, even months were spent studying these ancient teachings, honing greater understanding of the guidance they meticulously conferred. ‘Tedious’ was an accurate word to describe most of it, especially when rumors flocked back to the enclave of known Jedi whereabouts. Though the old, forgotten order was a dwindling force with far fewer numbers than the Imperium, it posed a substantial risk to the existing condition of the galaxy, if for no other reason that it was practically immortal. It was certainly no help that it was shepherded by handfuls of charismatic men and women, whose tales of salvation were growing less and less reckless over time. That was worrisome.

Vash happened to catch a break late one afternoon, having been suspended in a murky meditative state for the majority of his morning. Like an open wound, his hatred festered, lulling him deeper and deeper into a somber trance. It wasn’t until he was approached by a fellow student, a young Zabrak boy clad in charcoal-gray robes, when he released the breath he had been holding in for the past seven minutes. Slowly, he reclaimed his place in the physical world and tipped the child a single credit chit, unspoken gratitude for stirring him at the appointed time.

He whisked himself through the grand, forlorn halls of the Sith temple, fingers laced together in a nonchalant embrace. A single turbolift ascended him high above the cobbled wasteland of the Sith-controlled planet, offering a very savory view of the once brilliant gem. Streaks of blistering electrical energy scarred the blackened sky, a fitting display considering the purpose of Satoryu’s class.

Amused by the incidental parallel, he allowed his feet to carry him into the large, spherical training room. It was unusually dim, but he distinctly singled out the lithe figure of the Yu perched atop a normal-looking desk. Nestled betwixt pale arms appeared to be an animal of some kind, with elongated ears and a black, stubby nose. Vash had never seen anything quite like it.

Speaking as though he were suffering from some form of morbid curiosity, he asked in an apprehensive voice, "What is that thing?"

 

[darkpwns]

Ilyos was in a foul mood as his booted feet pounded the marble of the Sith Temple.

"Go here, do this, do that" was Lord Balk's mantra. Apparently the sith master was to be the young adult's mentor. However, all Ilyos had learned in the month that he'd been apprenticed to the man was how to complete errands. The banality of Ilyos' current state of affairs, compounded with his inability to even glean a trickle of emotion from his master's mind drove him towards feelings of helplessness. Helpless was not a mentality that Ilyos desired to be acquainted with.

It would no doubt infuriate the sith master to learn that his apprentice had sought out lessons from another in the ways of the dark side. Perhaps, even enough to drive Lord Balk to murder. It was a risk Ilyos was willing to take, however. If he didn't show any initiative, he was surely to remain a pawn in whatever schemes his master saw fit to include him in.

Ilyos glanced out of a temple window. In a way, Coruscant's turbulent atmosphere drew parallels with Ilyos' current mood. Enraged, confused, nervous, excited, dangerous. It didn't go entirely unappreciated.

Today would be Ilyos' first meeting with a sith other than his own master. He'd heard of the crusader Satoryu, of course. Beautiful, powerful and cold. Or at least that is what the imperial soldiers, in all their cantina talk, divulged. The young acolyte was curious. Beauty and power was a dangerous cocktail. The power to dominate the minds of men, as well as their bodies. Not that they'll put up much of a fight after her betrayal was revealed. Ilyos imagined the crusader as a black widow. He shook his head, suddenly. Expectations were only made to have them unmet. He would not give his instructor an undue advantage by creating an idealized personality for her.

As the acolyte finally made his way into the chamber, he was flooded with feelings of loss, sorrow, shame. Mine? No, not mine. Whose? Ilyos' eyes snapped to the most commanding presence in the room. A barefoot woman, with exceptionally long hair who seemed to be fondling a rabbit of some sort. Ilyos felt nothing from her. The unsettling silence that he'd grown accustomed to when dealing with his own master. This woman could only be Satoryu. The mental silence coupled with the stormy backdrop did no wonders for Ilyos' calm. However, he masked his unease deftly. Not her. Who?

The acolyte's eyes scanned once more and settled on a Wroonian who was idling in a corner. Ilyos focused his thoughts on him briefly. Him. It's him. Why? Later. I'll find out later.

The mystery solved, Ilyos smiled and nodded to the human male; almost as an afterthought.


"My name is Ilyos Fenris. May the dark side serve us, always,"

 

[Kaane]

"Why do I even come to this god forsaken planet anymore..."

Dawn sighed as he looked up at Coruscant's gloomy, stormy sky. The air was so thick with the Dark Side's presence here...some Sith might love that about this planet, but not Dawn. It suffocated him...and though it was already hard for him to breathe in the first place, this atmosphere just seemed to make it harder. It was literally tangible to him. Everytime a breeze came his way, he felt the Dark buffeting against him, wearing away at his patience and control like seawater wears away rock. Not only that...but it only reminded him of the terrible things he had seen here. When he had taken a mission to retrieve some survivors of Flight 327's dramatic crash, he had seen and felt darkness that he, even after having been steeped in its influence for half of his life, couldn't fathom. He feared this place then...and though he had conquered it during that mission, he probably never would get over the feelings of unease that accompanied him every time he came here. Yes...it would be a joyous thing when he got off this planet...

But he was here for a reason. A Crusader apparently named Satoryu was offering some sort of an opportunity to Acolytes to further their abilities with the Force, and Dawn was happy to take it. And it wasn't just the opportunity for power that drove him; his need to learn more about the nature of this mysterious Force he was bound to...what it was capable of...it had always been a driving factor in his studies of the Dark Side. Ever since he first stepped foot in the territory of the Sith, he had seen things that turned his very understanding of the world upside down. From that point forward, he was determined to unravel the mysteries of the Force and the midichlorians that made it work. And this class was another stepping stone to that end...not only that, but this Force Spark he was supposed to be learning might be quite helpful in combat when he learned how to control its power and create full-fledged Force Lightning.

As he stepped into the room where the Crusader was holding her class, he first noticed the students that were already there. There were what appeared to be two humans and a Wroonian, all standing before the Crusader herself, sitting on a desk of some sort. She appeared to be a human of the Yu variety, and she was holding...holding...

"That's so cute..." he muttered out loud, his hardened heart melted somewhat by the appearance of a black bunny, held calmly in the Crusader's hands. He had no idea that Sith even had the capability to take care of a pet...most Acolytes he met saw any kind of personal attachment as a liability rather than a strength. But, once again, his preconceptions were flipped onto their heads...damn...whoever this woman was, she was definitely...different.

Realizing that he had accidentally spoke his mind out loud, he cleared his throat and bowed lightly to Satoryu, saying "Never mind that...umm...I'm Radiant Dawn. And I am thoroughly honored to be training with you."

 

[Marf]

One by one, the presences filed into the room. Satoryu recognized Azur Zaff already, he had no need to introduce himself, she turned her head and gave him a silent nod of acknowledgement. The Crusader hopped down from the desk whilst holding Marka in one arm, and gave full attention to her students. She was subtly amused by one Acolytes reaction to the rabbit, as though he had never seen such a creature before. As she held him, Marka struggled violently and tried to bite her fingers. Raising a hand before him, Satoryu gave a subtle wave of two fingers and the animal immediately ceased.

"You've never seen a rabbit before, Acolyte? This one is called Marka, Lord of the Netherworld. He's a vicious little shit harbouring a great deal of furious rage, I thought he'd fit in quite well with us, but I am teaching him to control his emotions. You may pet him if you like. What is your name, Acolyte?"

Satoryu did not trust the presence of this particular Acolyte to let him hold Marka. If anyone hurt that rabbit, Satoryu would hurt them a great deal more. Approaching the Acolyte who addressed himself as Ilyos, Satoryu could immediately sense his anger. He was grumpy today, that would either assist him with skill being taught, or test his teacher's patience. Satoryu was at least impressed that he had remembered to introduce himself. She replied in response to his greeting.

"Always, Ilyos. May it serve you at your will and break your shackles. Welcome."

The remark of the fourth student caught Satoryu's attention and caused her to immediately turn her head. He hadn't meant to speak out loud, but Satoryu's senses were too keen not to have heard. A rare, wide smile appeared on her steely countenance as she looked at the student while scratching Marka's head behind his ears. She sensed the Acolyte's bewilderment.

"Welcome, Radiant. Many Sith keep pets, from alchemical monsters which they created themselves, to hunting beasts to accompany on their quests. Marka here is a vicious creature, I am practising my skills of the Animal Friendship ability on him. Animals are also indiscriminate and loyal, unlike sentient beings. Please hold him while I address the class. He is highly enraged, but under my control, he won't hurt you."

Satoryu handed the rabbit to Radiant. He was calm now and happily twitching his nose. The instructor made her way back to the desk which she sat on once again.

"Welcome students, to my class on the ability of Force Spark. This ability is the first and most basic step towards learning Force Lightning. Lightning is complex and draining power, too difficult for Acolytes such as yourselves to practice. The attempt to create Force Lightning at your level would be highly dangerous, with a serious of physical harm and possibly death. You will not be able to cause serious damage with Force Spark, nor will you be able to utilize it in combat. Do you have any questions or desires before we begin?"

 

[Cortan]

So... it seemed he was to be the only one not of some kind of human descent, his blue skin contrasting against the varying shades of pink. But he did not show his consideration of this fact beyond a small glance at each new face, before returning to gazing down upon his own hands, resting upon his lap. Try as he might, he could not completely clear the thoughts from his head, even knowing that a mind and heart working at one's behest was a key part of becoming a great Sith. Controlling one's emotions, not being lost to them.
But, he supposed, therein lay at least some of the advantage in practising the lesser version of a technique first.

He was made curious by the Crusader's assertion that such a power would not be able to used in combat, and wondered if she meant that literally, or at a practical level. Even as a watered down variant of a power that was infamous across the stars, he could see some of the potential usages, ever considerate as he was as to how he might one day face down the thus far nameless Jedi that had taken his leg. But perhaps the power was tricky to handle. Or impossible to contain. Would it work alongside a lightsaber, and if not, would it have enough power to even be worth the effort? How much effort would it require, at their level.
His head lowered and tilted slightly as he considered the possibilities. All that was certain that if there was a way to apply the power in battle, it would not be this woman who taught it to them.

But the student who forever relies on teachers is one who will never become a master.

"I have no questions, Crusader, and my only desire is that our teaching begin." Azur bowed once, and then awaited instruction.

 

[darkpwns]

Ilyos smiled and adjusted his posture so as to appear more open. He wanted to give the appearance of utmost friendliness, the better to make acquaintance with his fellow acolytes. He did not find it so odd that the crusader owned a pet. Above her status as a sith was her status as a sentient being. It was in the nature of those with higher intelligence to subvert those which were not gifted with the same.

Ilyos glanced at the acolyte holding the rabbit. Radiant, was it? Ilyos thought the acolyte somewhat interesting. To be moved by the aesthetics of a creature in such a cold and hardened environment indicated that he had not yet moved to the dark depths of depravity that would take away a man's humanity. Would he be able to attain power with this perceived softness, Ilyos had to wonder. Not that it particularly concerned the towering acolyte. Ilyos had thrown away this particular brand of empathy long before he joined the ranks of the sith.

Ilyos was skeptical about Satoryu's claim that one would not be able to utilize force spark in combat. Perhaps it was not powerful, but there was much to be said about distractions in battle. If it could provide just that; then Ilyos was sure he would be able to find a practical use for the power.


"I've but one question...it isn't of great import as of yet; but where is the blasted bathroom in this place?" Ilyos smiled as wide as he could. He would establish himself as the clown. He would be able to lighten the mood, hopefully easing some of the tension that the blue tinted one felt. Ilyos could not lie, the emotions seeping from the man was distracting.

 

[Kaane]

Dawn coughed and tensed up somewhat as the Crusader noticed his verbal slip-up. He feared rebuke for his weakness...a weakness he had once conquered. When he was once a tool, an addict to the power of the Dark Side...there was barely any humanity left within him at all. He had wanted nothing more than bloodshed, destruction, any chance he could possibly have to utilize the power that he had been gifted with. But as he returned to reality, drifting away from the teachings of the Sith that he had been raised with since he was 11, he had correspondingly become much softer within. As he searched for wisdom and purity rather than the addictive power of the Dark Side that had first drawn him to the Sith, much of what work had been done to harden his heart and will unraveled slowly. And this seemed to be the result....imagine that. If all of the great Sith Lords of history could have been stopped just by throwing a bunny in their direction...

He was relieved to see that the Crusader smiled at him, and he returned it. As she spoke to him, he marveled at how easily she seemed to read his mind. But, then again, he should have expected that answer. Many Sith he had met were extraordinarily self-centered...a pet to them would just be another means of legally owning a slave. But he was still somewhat flustered...what use would a rabbit possibly serve for anyone? Perhaps as some kind of messenger...but beyond that, there was no reason for him. Perhaps she was just as moved by cuteness as he was, which would be a relief to know that there were at least some Sith in the higher ranks of the Order that retained a manner of warmth in their sentience.

Well, either that or it was all some sort of psychological game she was playing. But, at the moment, Dawn took it for face value, not wanting to overthink things. He had come here to learn, not to analyze someone's his teacher's psyche based on her choice of pet. But he was then taken even more by surprise when he was asked to hold the bunny. He did so graciously, not wanting to disobey his superior -at least, not while he was in his current position of relative powerlessness- and took the black rabbit gently in his hands. He looked down at it...he could easily sense the rage that Satoryu had mentioned. He felt like he was holding a beaker of a volatile gas of some sort, with this Crusader's Animal Friendship acting as the cork. The woman's hold was firm, but still, this rabbit's mental state was somewhat precarious at best. He could only imagine what might have happened to it...or Marka, as Satoryu called him. What former owner could have possibly abused him this greatly to make him such an unrestrained ball of rage? Whoever it was, those were the exact kind of people he hated the most. The people who preyed on the weak for no reason other than their own sick pleasure. It was his duty in life to exterminate those people; to make damned sure no father could ever break the will and spirit of his son again.

He risked petting the creature gently with one hand absentmindedly as he listened to the Crusader continue to speak about the subject of their class. Force Spark. He had come in here with realistic expectations of course...he doubted that it would ever be useful unless he needed a source of electrical power of some sort, or perhaps to short circuit a droid with physical contact. But then again, combat was not the only thing he had to be prepared for. There were other situations that this power could easily find a use. He couldn't think of all that many at the moment...but the opportunity would present itself eventually.

As the Crusader asked if any of the Acolytes had question, he shook his head and said "No, I'm good." He smirked at the large human next to him who asked about the bathroom; not a bad way to make yourself look like moron. But, considering how many Sith played psychological games with one another, it was not an analysis he trusted. Though he was tempted to respond with a smartass comment, he just let it slide. He'd see his true aptitude for intelligence once the lesson got underway.