Ask Umbara I Would Like To Buy One Apprentice Please

[Param Vour]

The cartoon was good! Param smiled as she looked it over, and handed it back to them. "Life, freedom, and creativity," she repeated. "Those are good passions to have. Pretty similar to mine." She would leave his need to get even alone. Getting fucked over seemed to be the norm of the galaxy. She sincerely hoped the Order wasn't going to be added to the list of things they wanted to get even with; though she knew it probably would be over time.

Param giggled with his enthusiasm. Being excited was good! Even if it was for an Order that would take everything you loved and rip it apart. She kept her smile, silver eyes meeting his gaze. "Freedom, is my passion," she said. She would leave out love. There was no reason for them to know about that. Not yet. "What I am working on is a martial art. You are more than welcome to help with it."

She motioned for them to take a seat at one of the circular couches that surrounded a small table. Param would sit elegantly down on the opposite side. "But I'm also my Master's apprentice, and I'm building a business. My tea cafe shop has one location so far, but I want to expand that to more planets and sectors. I've heard the underground could use some tea of a..." she paused, searching for the right word without just saying spiked. "extra curricular type."

"A Sith without a power base is slave, Vossari. Our code says the Force will free us, but we still kneel. I plan on building that power base, and you're welcome to join me." The smile stayed but her eyes seemed to harden. She wanted to let him know that this wasn't a goal of hers out of greed, or ambition. This was her protecting her passions, protecting her love, and survival.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Within Param lurked a dragon. Now, Vossari saw that. He identified with it. They had to create a means of building power - they had to lead themselves to their own freedom. The Force wouldn't give them freedom - it had to be taken. By force. Hence the name.

"Yes. Power-base. That's exactly what I'm here for." The martial arts sounded interesting, too, but mainly on a theoretical level. As an artist, he could appreciate the cultural intentionality that infused martial arts. Combining the Sith style with Echani arts would create something unique, dynamic. The same way their art combined Tethysian and Sith motifs.

"Tell me about this martial art. You're starting it yourself? Who taught you that?" It was a curious enough hobby for them to have learned. Martial Arts were, of course, a topic at the academy. And Param's weirdo master likely taught them the basics of swordplay. To infuse their own martial arts into that was interesting. "Can you show me something from it?"

Vossari rose from the seat, moving to a clear space in the ship. They were curious to see a demonstration of power from their mistress, or, failing that, the finesse and grace that many martial arts were known for. "You can demonstrate on me...if that helps."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param shook her head. "I can't show you here, but I can show you when we reach my garden. It requires a real sword, not a lightsaber," she said. "Though some techniques can still be used with a lightsaber." It was true, the martial art she was working on involved the use of a sword and scabbard. In the hand-to-hand department, it was mostly just Echani. The Sith didn't have much hand-to-hand in their logs. It was just punch or be punched.

"The cargo hold is empty. As long as you don't mind a hard floor, I can teach you some of the hand-to-hand while we wait?" she offered. As they moved to the cargo hold, an empty room large enough to move around in, Param lay everything she had on her except her robes in a pile, and stepped into the middle of the room. When Vossari had done the same, she began the lesson.

She showed him the first few movements of an Echani ritual, flowing her arms and legs like water in strikes and defense. When he would get that down, she would then turn to sparring him, trading blows and defenses. It passed the time quickly, and despite only just starting to learn, Param could see that Voss was learning quickly. The techniques involved attacking, deflecting, and counter-attacking. There were very few hard blocks, and the one blocks that were there were always supported, and never alone.

They had sparred for quite a while when Vee scurried into the cargo hold with a string of beeps and whirs. Param smiled at her little droid friend. "Thanks, Vee," she said. Her silver gaze turned to Vossari again. "We're almost there, so you'll be able to practice with blades and find one that works for you soon. For the most part, the blade is just an extension of the body, so the techniques don't change," she said.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari imitated Param as she moved. Flowing arms and legs - water. Constanly moving. Following the path of least resistance. Going with the body's natural course of movement. Staying loose. All these things were essential to learning the basics. Vossari imagined a blade in his arms - the flowing movements with which to striking, blocking, and changing angles. They resisted the urge to put their own spin on it - preferring to work the technique over and over and over until they understood it. Then, sparring. Vossari was a quick study, no doubt, but ultimately couldn't hold a candle to Param. Their technique was solid, but they lacked the experience to set up combinations or catch Param off guard.

Vossari napped the rest of the trip back to Troiken, exhausted from a day of moving and the vigorous sparring session he'd just had. His soft lips parted, between snores and quiet gasps, as he slept. It was only the excited chattering of Vee that woke up the acolyte, and they watched from the viewport as their ship made the rapid descent onto the planet.

Vossari turned to his teacher as they landed. "This is your home base, then? Do you, like, rule this planet?"

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

"This is home, yes," she said. Param turned a warm smile to Vossari. He'd done well in their initial instruction and sparring. "I have my garden, and my tea shop. For all intents and purposes my Master is the one that owns the planet since he owns the spice mining operations." She watched the forested planet creep closer. "I spent a lot of time here though, so the locals know me pretty well."

As Vossari would find out when they landed, the locals were in fact mostly xexto, though there were various other species walking about the main city. Right outside the starport, The Garden Spot- Param's tea shop- stood proudly with the tea garden lining the outside walls, clear windows showing the patrons within at regular cafe tables and the honeycomb booths with curtains along the walls. "This is my tea shop," she said, motioning to it. "While we're on Troiken, and training, you'll work part time behind the counter. It's important to know how to talk to different people, and have respect; for a Sith and otherwise. You'll still be paid though."

They'd continue until they came upon a particularly rough looking xexto standing in front of a speeder. Param motioned for them to get in the back, and the xexto began taking them out to her pagoda. It wasn't a long trip, but just long enough that they couldn't see the city when the speeder stopped.

Vossari would see a three story pagoda standing tall in a walled-off garden. The garden was vibrant with flowers, fruits, vegetables, and plants of all natures. Interspersed among them were creepervines, swaying happily, and on guard as the two droids programmed specifically to tend to the garden made their rounds with water and plant feed. Most of the architecture and furnitre was a white base with red highlights, even as they walked up the steps to the double-wide entrance of the pagoda proper. Vee hopped off her shoulder and scurried inside to continue working on the training droid he'd been working on for some time.

"This is the garden, and home. There's a couple of empty plots in the back if you want to plant something yourself. I'll have someone come by and build a wall next to it so you can continue your art," she said. "And this, is where we train." As she mentioned training, they would walk into what was designed as a tall training arena. A pit of sand sat in the center, flooring only covered about a meter of space on all sides of it to get around. At the very center of the pit of sand was an elevated stone planter with a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. Along the back wall were an assortment of echani foils, vibro-blades, and vibro-swords.

Param turned to Vossari with a smile. "You'll have a room upstairs, but you are free to come and go as you please. You're not a slave here."

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

From the vendors stalls, Vossari grabbed a cold, refreshing bottle of Coca-Cola. They sipped it, savoring each refreshing bubble, as they walked through the city's spaceport. The port buzzed with life - not only from the spice mining operations that dotted Troiken, but from the growing industry in the city built to support it. Cranes and construction droids promised new star-scrapers, the beginning of a megacity that was attracting corporate tendrils from across the galaxy. Was this the machinations of Param's master? The expansion of the city itself?

It spoke to the power of the Sith. Mastery in the Force and mastery in the affairs of mortals. It was tantalizing.

Eventually, they reached The Garden Spot. Vossari shot the coke bottle into a recycling receptacle and stepped inside. A Sith with an honest-to-goodness tea shop. Maybe she was different. Vossari grabbed a long, straight vibroblade off the wall, admiring it with a hungry grin. His gaze shot back to his new Echani teacher.

"Of course we're not slaves, P. We are Sith."

Vossari slammed the door behind them, excited to be in their new room. Param would hear the boom of music from within his room. Within his new little castle, Vossari took out the vibroblade, and began to practice the forms that Param had showed him on the ship.

/thread exit