Empowered by Passion

Phoenix

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Beep, beep, beep, beep. Javik’s eyes parted slowly at the sound of his alarm. That meant it was time to get busy. He rolled over and looked at his quarters within the academy. The chrono on the desk read 7:15 AM. Forty-five minutes until his meeting. Plenty of time, he thought to himself. He swung his legs out of the bed and they hit the cold floor of his quarters. He rolled his eyes and knew that he was going to have to make his way across the freezing floor to get to the freshers. Forcing himself onward, he made his way to the freshers and hopped in the shower.

After a few minutes he emerged and went to get dressed. Typically he would wear his full armor, even in the academy but today he decided to bypass the plastoid covering and elected to wear just the armorweave. It was plain black, not too tight and actually could pass as regular close when not covered by the plastoid plates. Because he wasn’t going to wear his helmet he placed a leather, strapless eye patch over his left eye, which rounded out his “outfit.”

He picked up his lightsaber, hooked it to his belt, and made his way out of the room. It was nearly eight in the morning and the academy was already bustling with activity. He made his way down the long hallway to room 236, passing by such a variety of species as he did. The diversity that the Sith drew never ceased to amaze him.

He was headed to meet a Sith master who had agreed to assist him with his training. He was quite pleased that a true Sith master had agreed to train him. His initial trainer was not a master. He wasn’t even a true Sith, and since his time joining the Sith no masters had seen fit to take the time to train yet another acolyte.

After a few minutes he found room 236 on the second floor of the academy and walked inside. The room was moderately sized and Spartan in its décor. Simple red banners hung on the walls of the room. In the center was a conference table. It was where they had agreed to meet although whether they would remain there was uncertain to him at the moment. He wandered into the room and took a seat in one of the chairs that faced the door. It was always best to face the entrance to the room; it was harder for someone to sneak up on you. The chrono on the wall read 7:55 AM. And so he waited.
 

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Walking down the hall was a Miraluka that bit into an apple, hovering in front of his mouth while he read a datapad. The heels of his boots, clicked on the floor while he quickly strode down the metal floors. The clicking of claws could also be heard as he was tailed by Vallo, his newest animal companion. A Tuk'ata that seemed to be interested in the Sith Master but wanted little to do with him. Curious, but Vi was far too busy to try and study this oddity in the Force. He was always busy, always moving, Acolytes upon Acolytes flooded the halls of Korriban and mysteriously all others seemed too...distracted to teach. Leaving far too many wandering in the dark. That made for a short life.

Pity.

Where some would see a chore, he saw loyalty. Training, raising, this powers would mean another blade he could add to his armory. So why not? With another bite he scrolled down on the datapad as he met up with Eezeo. The droid beeped quickly, reminding him of his obligation to another Acolyte today. Raith arched a brow. "Are you sure?..." Raith was quickly becoming in need of a protocol droid. Maybe he'd reprogram an HK unit...No no, no time for such thoughts. Eezeo beeped furiously, insulted that Raith would question him. "Yes yes. Okay okay. I'll go."

You waste your time with these weaklings...

And what were you when your late master found you?

Tch. That's different. I had talents...I HAVE talents.

And yet for all your talents, you are still trapped inside me. For eternity...Now silence. We have arrived.


The ghost of Erchitu, the Dathomir woman who had been a Sith Apprentice in life, sulked in his mind. He mentally chuckled as he walked inside the classroom, a minute late according to Eezeo. The droid beeped a bit as it looked around. "Indeed, Eezeo, this won't do...too crowded. Are you sure this was the room? You know how I hate clutter... " The Tuk'ata curled up in a corner where he could see everything. His usual distrustful glare filling his eyes.

Raith's voice or his eye mask would undoubtedly be the first thing the student picked up on. Most had never met a Miraluka, let alone heard of them, and as a result the eye wear was almost always questioned. Raith's choice of eye coverings was a bone mask of the krayt dragon. His voice was another matter entirely. When he spoke, it was his voice that held dominance, but just under was the feminine, and heavily Dathomir accented, voice of Erchitu. Her honey sweet tone complimenting Raith's typical even and analytical sound. He waved his hand, flexing his control of the universe. The chairs in the room immediately flung over to stack in a far corner of the room, leaving onto the one that the Acolyte set in.

"Better."

The Arcanist leaned against the desk and folded his arms. His attair would also appear...abnormal. He hated wearing his typical robes and such, so he almost always opted for casual things. Such as today when he wore boots, a pair of jeans, and a long sleeve v-cut maroon shirt. His pair of sabers were clipped to either SIDS of his waist. The Tuk'ata huffed annoyed as the space in the room cleared up. He preferred to remain hidden, as far as Vi could tell.

"So...It seems I must apologize. I forgot I had this session today. Though now that Eezeo has updated me, I do, in fact, recall this meeting. Though tell me, Acolyte, why are you here? And avoid the obvious. Tell me why you are here?
 

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Javik remained seated as he waited for the Sith Master to arrive. After a few minutes the doors slid open and a large spider-like droid came scurrying in, followed by a Tuk’ata, and finally the Sith master.

He didn’t really look anything like what he had expected. His dress was very relaxed. But to be honest Javik couldn’t fault the man for that. He had always thought that many of the Sith robes were a little over the top. Much better to have practical or comfortable clothes than to stand on ceremony, he figured.

He also seemed to have a bone visor covering his eyes. Seemed a bit strange but when it came to strange eye things he wasn't exactly a stranger to them. Javik’s right eye was destroyed during one of his fights and most people didn’t handle his eye well when he didn’t wear a patch or helmet.

The thing that did seem a little strange to him was the man’s voice. It almost sounded as if two people were talking at once. He had never heard anything quite like it before. He somewhat wanted to ask him about it. All in due time. If an opportunity presented itself great, but he didn’t want to be rude in his opening sentence.

He watched as the Tuk’ata curled up in the corner of the room. Javik wasn’t going to lie as far as pets went it was hard to argue with a Tuk’ata, but it still made him a little bit nervous having the animal here. Most of what he had heard about them was, shall we say, not things you would want your house pet doing. Like eating people.

The spidery droid seemed nice enough as it came in and beeped about the room being too crowded. Then the Sith did something quite impressive. He snatched all of the chairs, save the one Javik sat in and put them into a corner with amazing speed. But then he wouldn’t be a master if he were incompetent.

He apologized for his tardiness, but to be honest one minute late wasn’t something that Javik was going to get upset about, but he appreciated the man’s politeness. He didn’t seem to consider himself so much higher than an acolyte that he thought his time was more important than Javik’s. “No worries. I haven’t been here long.” The man then continued, “Why are you here? And avoid the obvious. Tell me why you are here?”

Javik appreciated the directness. No point in tiptoeing around the topic, besides he had learned in his previous “profession” that candor was almost never underrated. He figured that this Sith had heard many answers to this question from the students he trained and would be able to spot a lie from a mile away. No, he was here to learn and he wouldn’t be able to do that if he weren’t honest. Skirting the question wouldn’t get him anywhere.

“I could say power but that would be a bit cliche wouldn't it? I suspect what you want to know is why I want power. I'm not looking for the same kind of power others want. My past is … littered with pain. Pain and loss that are directly related to my inability to control my environment. I never want to suffer that again. Hopeless loss of control over my own destiny. I want power over myself and my life.”
 
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Vexillar

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The Arcanist moved slowly, he began to circle the Acolyte like a vulture. He listened intently as the other spoke. With slightly pursed lips and a tilted head, he nodded slowly. Taking in the male's words, he stopped in front of him, arms lightly folded across his chest, he stood with his weight slightly shifted onto his right leg.

"Power? It doesn't sound like power, does it? You said you never want to suffer from an inability to control your environment, and thus by extension your life, and you don't need power for that...you need control. All the power in the world doesn't afford you control of your life and over others."

He stepped forward and crouched in front of the desk. He placed his saber in front of the Acolyte.

"For many people the saber represents control. I'm not here to tell anyone what their saber should and should not represent. The lightsaber is something for each wielder to decide." He paused for a moment to allow the Acolyte time to understand the words. "So, if control is what you seek, how would you get that control? What is control?" He arched a brow as he asked the question.

He remembered a time when he struggled with his own desires, with his own feelings of why he was here...Now he understood, and he knew exactly who he was....or st least who he wanted to be.
 

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He watched the Sith circle him as he spoke. He didn’t move, and after a moment the Sith came to a stop directly in front of him. He watched as the man pulled his lightsaber from his side and he involuntarily stiffened. No, there’s no need for that, he reminded himself and attempted to relax.

He watched as the man placed the saber in front of Javik, comparing it to control. Indeed, perhaps control was the better word to describe what he sought. “You say control and I think you’re right. But I’ve always associated control with power. As in, if you have power you’ll have control. At least it seems that those with power have control at least over themselves.”

He paused for a moment as he considered his next statement. “Unless perhaps strength is at the root of both. It seems that the path to control is often through strength. Not just physical strength per se, but inner strength. But then I have known people in the past who had all the strength in the galaxy and no control. Maybe strength is just one of several factors that leads to control.”

He considered this for a moment and felt as though he had simply talked himself in circles, without actually having arrived at an answer. What was control? That seemed to be the question he needed to decide. “I think control is the lack of chains that’s spoken of in the Sith Code. But then, in the Code it says that power is below control. So control is self-determination and it’s the by-product of victory which comes from power.” He said, unsure if it was correct or if there even was a "correct" answer, but it seemed right.
 
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He pursed his lips and spun the saber around on the table idly. "Perhaps..." He tilted his head and then looked up at the Acolyte. "Though if power begets control, then surely all Sith must have control. Yes? Because the Sith Code pushes power upon it's followers, which tells them power, as you said, will set them free, and, as we have determined, freedom is control. Yes? Then that raises a second question. If control is discovered by power, then are only those whom have power in control? If the answer is no, then you need to broaden your horizens. And if the answer is yes, then that would imply that the Jedi have equal or greater power than the Sith, but not just the Jedi. That would imply a myriad of people do. So then the question becomes...what makes you so special?"

He arched a brow and stood up.

Walking over to his own desk in the room he took a seat on it, reclining slightly, his own power keeping him from falling back. "This also provides us with another road to explore. Which is that if control is provided, or rather can be provided, through power is that absolute? Does power always lead to control? I'd wager no. Look at how many Sith Lords have come before you and I. How many of them had all the power one could want, and yet they wanted more. Does that sound like the logic and reasoning of a man in control? How many of them started out sane as you or I, and yet their quest for power, for the sake of power, was their undoing? At what point does power stop giving one control, and start restricting them again? " He shrugged slightly, and motioned to Javik prompting him for a response.
 

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He watched as the Sith twirled his saber on the table, and listened as he continued to question Javik’s position, forcing him to consider and reconsider what he thought and said. Eventually he motioned for Javik’s response and Javik, again, took a moment before answering. “I think to answer those questions you have to break down the word control a bit further than I did. The way I see it, it seems like there are two types of control. Environmental control and self-control. Environmental control allows the control of things around you. For instance, very few, if any people, could tell one of the very powerful Sith Lords what to do. A Sith Lord like that was almost completely self-determined. He had control over others and what they did as well as what he, himself, would do.”

He paused a moment, raising his hand and gently stroking his chin. “On the other hand, as you pointed out, they ultimately fell apart because of their quest for greater power. I would attribute that to a lack of the second type of control: self-control, with that being control over one’s desires, whether physical, psychological, etc. Without a balance of the two, one breeds failure. So going back to the question: do those in power have control? I would say environmental control, yes, absolutely they do, but not necessarily self-control.”

He considered if he had answered all he was asked. “As for those with power being the only ones with control, I think, at least when it comes to environmental control, yes, those with power are the only ones that actually have the power of self-determination. All others are in some way subject to the will of others.”
 

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The Arcanist nodded. Not so much in affirmation of the other's words but more out of undersranding. He enjoyed these classes. He didn't have to do much, because there wasn't much to do. He simply had to push, to challenge. And in this the lesson would reveal itself.

"Interesting. Well, Javik, remember these thoughts and conclusions. Because they are the building blocks for your life with the Force. The Force in you is only as strong as your conviction. Similarly, the powers available are restricted to your beliefs. So..."

He folded his arms loosely over his chest and grins just slightly.

"What do you believe?"
 

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Javik watched as the Arcanist nodded but he wasn’t entirely sure whether the man was agreeing or simply nodding for the sake of nodding. And then the question came: what do you believe? It was an extremely broad question but again he decided being candid was his best option.

“I hope I’m understanding your question right and if I’m not then feel free to correct me. I believe in victory at virtually any cost. I believe that stagnation brings decay. That conflict strengthens people. When people stop trying to advance, they will naturally slide backwards. That’s why the push to become better, stronger is indispensible.”

He took a deep breath before continuing, conjuring the memories of his past. “I don’t know if that just sounds like me spewing out the Sith mantra but its something I’ve really seen personally. I used to be a fighter, a gladiator, and when other gladiators, I mean really impressive fighters, would come out of retirement they were nothing like they used to be. They just hadn’t practiced, hadn’t fought and when they came back they were weak.”
 

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He shook his head slightly.

"No, my dear. What do you believe in as it relates to the Force. What is it? What path do yoy subscribe to? There are a multitude of different cults, religions, orders, and communities, that have all come to their own understanding of the Force."

He projected a minor illusion out to the Acolyte, changing their scenery to the various places Raith had been. The Rift, Dathomir, Korriban, a temple of a hidden sect, and a few other random places. "You'll meet people who swear their way is the correct path. That they have discovered what the Force really is. They are fools. A narrow mind will lead to a short life, Javik. Remember that. So think. And think hard, don't answer what you think the Sith want to hear. Answer what you believe to be true." He dropped the illusion and motioned again that Javik was to speak.

"What do you believe?"
 

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He cringed internally with embarrassment. He had a feeling he might have misunderstood the question and he had not only missed the bullseye, he didn't even hit the target. He almost chuckled to himself in embarrassment but what cut short as the room melted away around him and he saw other worlds before his eyes. It was a truly stunning experience and it took him a moment to recover after the illusions vanished.

"I must confess to you Arcanist V, my philosophical teachings regarding the Force have been, shall we say, lacking up until 7 o'clock this morning. The man that taught me most of the core powers and such didn't focus on philosophy but I will do my best to describe my personal interaction with the Force. I've always viewed it as a spectrum. At one end you have what most would call the light and at the other the dark. In the center you have something of a grey area. I think that the Force is a single entity. I've never thought of it as a being or a deity necessarily but as exactly what the name describes. A force. It moves people in one direction or another and sees the future but has no real stake in it and isn't really a person. No personality and not really a deity. The future exists but the Force doesn't necessarily control the future it simply helps guide people toward the end that already exists. I don't know what that philosophy would be called or if it's right but that is what I have always thought." He shrugged, "I'm sure you have a much better understanding in your travels than I do."
 
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He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm going to level with you. Nobody has a clue what the Force is. We are all just guessing at it's nature. It's purpose. Ask any philosopher, who claims he has the answers to the Force, for concrete proof, and I'll show you not a philosopher but a cultist. My beliefs are mine, and yours are yours. Don't worry yourself with who has a better understanding, because that's not what is important. Nobody has a better understanding. We've just had more time to properly articulate our thoughts, and give life to our beliefs. With time you will do the same, and some young Acolyte will look at you with curiosity. Just as you looked at me." He chuckled softly and stepped over to Javik.

"So let's get to breaking down your beliefs, shall we? You lean more towards what's referred to as the Living Force. The belief mostly held by Jedi and Sith, and a portion of Non-sensitives, that the Force comes in two parts. A light and a dark. This is a common belief system, and not a bad one to have. My people, the Miraluka, don't believe in the Light and Dark as much as we do Life and Death. We respect and honor this, and as such don't typically stray to any one side of the Force. The Witches of Dathomir believe in two god spirits. The Winged Goddess and the Fanged God. Twins. One represents light, benevolence, mercy. The other, not so much. Long long ago. The first Jedi called the Force Ashla and Bogan, terms you'll hear me use often, Ashla being the deity of the Light and Bogan of the dark."

He took a moment to allow the information to sink with the Acolyte.

"Now. As you can see, the Living Force is alive in a multitude of cultures and time periods. Keep in mind there is no right or wrong here. I don't have answers, I only have questions. You have the answers here. So answer me this, Javik, is there really a Light Side and Dark Side? Or are they merely extensions of our will? Colors we put onto this beast called the Force, to aid us in labeling our thoughts and actions.
 

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He found it interesting the way that the Arcanist described the Force, and he appreciated the fact that the man didn’t look down on him for his inexperience. He truly was here to guide. “I don’t really think there is a difference in the sides of the Force. I think the Force is a single entity and the “light” and “dark” sides are simply descriptions of the emotions that the user feels. One may tap into a specific ability of the Force by using one specific motivation or emotion whereas you access another ability of the Force by accessing another emotion or motivation. Regardless of the motive, the Force still IS. It is still unchanging. It still exists as a single entity but it’s what motives one uses it for that dictates how it’s interacted with.”

He paused for a moment. May I ask. Have you ever communed with the dead? I've heard that sometimes people can speak to those that have died. Have you ever done that? It seemed like something of a strange question but his curiosity was piqued and he figured if anyone would know it would likely be this man.
 
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He was about to comment more on the Force when he asked about the dead.

He was silent for a moment. Fools engaged with the dead before this time. Would this Acolyte? Could Raith give him the information he wanted? It was a gamble, but...

"Communication with the dead is...possible. Technically you communicate with the dead every time you open a holocron. The spirits of the dead lurk within many worlds. Korriban being one of them of course. These spirits are like scars on the Force. Things that insist upon remaining though they are no longer required for this world. You have heard the rumors, I am sure, that I myself am possessed by a ghost." He pointed to his lips to signify his voice.

"The rumors are just that. Rumors. I am not so weak as to be possessed by something that shouldn't exist. I do have a ghost inside of me, however, I have bound her to me. My will is my own, though I can feel her thoughts and emotions. The dead play dangerous games, Acolyte, but Sith, Jedi, and others who go out of their way to poke the dead play a deadlier one."

He arched his brow and moved to stand before the Acolyte.

"You don't intend to be a foolish Acolyte, correct?"
 

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That was certainly what Javik would classify as a stern warning. Much more so than he expected, and enough to put him off from trying anything stupid. He considered asking why he had bound a spirit to himself but thought better of it. “No, Master. To be honest I didn’t know just how hazardous it was, and I’m sorry if I’ve upset you. I had heard stories of Jedi and Sith alike finding ways to communicate with them and I was curious. I don’t intend to do anything foolish.” Although to be honest he already felt like a fool for just having asked. He had hoped to make a good impression and now hoped he hadn’t screwed up to completely. But then he was only a fool if he didn’t heed the advise of the wiser man? “Forgive me for interrupting.”
 
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