Ask Korriban Second Steps

[Darth Trelain]

As per my new normal: death enabled​

Trelain had been busy with the cleanup of Korriban since the battle had concluded. Nearly half of the planet's defense forces were dead, and those who had survived still needed to be vetted and debriefed to ensure they weren't Joined.

Off-world troops had, of course, almost immediately arrived in the system in force, making sure that the Twin Worlds didn't fall.

With her recent appointment as head of the ISB, however, things had become even busier. Even with all of that, however, the Warden had seen fit to take the time to address her new apprentice. And a Jedi no less.

Out on the scorching surface of Korriban during the heat of the day, the Councilor arrived to find her new apprentice already being put through physical exercise. To the half-Devaronian, it wasn't even warm, but to... whatever the Jedi was, the heat would no doubt be stifling.

Apprentice, front and center! she shouted across the sandy courtyard. The woman - Sarella as Trelain had discovered her name was - had not been allowed to leave Korriban since the incident, which was fully intentional. She'd been allowed to soak in the nexus in the days since the battle. And she'd been partnered with another acolyte who had been assigned to keep tabs on her at all times. How they had been getting along, Trelain didn't know... or, frankly, care.

That will be all, I'll notify you when you should return, she said to the other Acolyte who scurried off immediately, leaving the two alone as the PT instructors also left.

 

[Sarella]

The past few days had been an utterly surreal experience for Sarella. Even as the remaining Kilik’s were exterminated and clean-ups were conducted across the Twin Worlds, the battle itself remained vividly fresh in the Acolyte’s mind, not least of all due to the decisions that she had made that fateful day. Enveloped by the corruptive influence and power of the Dark Side Nexus, Sarella saw - with shocking clarity - everything that the Sith had to offer her. Power, both for herself and the things she cared about. Freedom, to explore every aspect of the Force that had been denied to her. More importantly, Sarella saw everything that the Jedi could never grant her - and how the Light, in her most vulnerable moment, had failed her entirely.

It was Trelain’s promise that ringed within her mind since that day - enticing and seductive with every silent repetition. The Darth was right within those tunnels - Sarella had seen what Letous and others were capable of, and it was strength that she desired for herself. And yet, all the same, the Acolyte couldn’t help but wonder what it would do to her. She had fought the Sith for years and attempted to heal the damage they inflicted across the Galaxy. She had seen the worst of their atrocities, and felt nothing but disgust for such barbarity. Is that what she now served? Is that what she would become? Sarella wanted to believe that wasn’t the reality. Not yet.

It had shaken Sarella down to her very core beliefs, overwhelmed with doubt regarding the path she had followed and the one she now had begun to walk. She fell back upon her own principles as a Fallanassi - those more ingrained into her mind since birth. Her own people taught that authority was nothing but an illusion - a shadow on the wall - and that one should only serve their own desires. That to waste one's life doing otherwise was a folly. Perhaps.. It was time she lived up to that philosophy.

Days had passed, and Sarella had been confined to Korriban for the entirety of that period - assigned to assist with the clean-up. Her mere presence on the planet meant that the Acolyte was continuously exposed to the influence of the Dark Nexus - feeling its malicious presence in the back of her mind. The Light felt so.. Distant, as of late. It was a mere whisper of the song she could once her so clearly - and it left her feeling cold, empty and alone. She felt the power of the Nexus itself - a sense of dread that bore down on her very soul, and yet whispered of power she was unable to touch.

Whatever her internal struggles, Sarella had been cut zero slack by the instructors of Korriban. She could feel the scorn that radiated off of them - including from the Acolyte she’d been assigned to - and it manifested in the way they trained. By the time Trelain entered the training yards, Sarella was already drenched in sweat - her pale, porcelain skin reddened with sunburn. A few cuts marked her cheeks were her ‘training partner’ had landed a blow against the former Jedi without remorse. It wasn’t hard to decipher they really weren’t getting on well at all.

It all came to a halt when Trelain entered the arena - her arrival met with salutes and bowed heads from nearly everyone in attendance. The presence of a Councilor was a privilege few Acolytes were graced with, and Sarella was fortunate enough to one for her own master. A fact that had earned her the scorn of her new peeps, by and large. There was no hesitation from any of them to clear the area at her command, and neither from Sarella as strolled to take position in front of the Devaronian Sith.

Her head dipped low as she stopped before Trelain. “Master,” The words left her lips, almost foreign and unfamiliar. She had apprenticed under Jedi in the past, but this was a different experience entirely. Sarella made no other moves, patiently awaiting whatever Trelain had in store for her.

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain looked down at the kneeling acolyte and evaluated her for a short moment. She was sweaty and sunburned, her body had clearly taken blows over the last few days, and that told the Sith Lord that she should be feeling exhausted. That was good. She knew how to break someone down and reshape them, and exhaustion was a good first step.

Rise, she said waiting for the Acolyte to do just that.

How have you been getting along here on Korriban? she asked. She wanted to know the woman's mindset. The truth was that it was difficult to gauge what would drive her forward the best without knowing something about her. Not that Trelain was much for small talk.

She let the power of the nexus wash over her even as she stood there, knowing it would be piercing the mind of the former-Jedi as well.

Your training is going well? she asked.

 

[Sarella]

It was no mystery that Sarella was utterly exhausted from the past few days. The battle on Korriban had pushed the Fallanassi to her very limits - until her strength failed, the Light abandoned her and death loomed close. Even as she was plucked from the dirt, she was offered little reprieve from the Sith - thrust into training and drills that caused every muscle in her body to ache, all while the sun beat down on her. It was grueling and it was awful. And perhaps it was only a hint of what was to come. All the same, Sarella endured it. For better or worse, this was the path she’d chosen.

She gave a small nod before rising back to her feet, idly running a hand across the front of her robes to brush away the reddish sand and dust. The question from Trelain echoed through Sarella’s mind for a moment, and she allowed the hints of a pause to exist between them before she answered. “I’ve endured it.” She said, biting back the faintest bits of a grimace. “The Force is.. Distant. Empty - more so than it ever has been.” The Dark Nexus had subtly begun the process of piercing into her mind, making its small alterations and changes - and there was almost hints of betrayal in her voice. For years, Sarella had basked on the chorus of the Light - as real and comforting to her as any physical person. And it had turned its back on her. She was entirely alone and those seeds of doubt and resentment had slowly taken root.

“I’ve.. Tried to adapt. Even if those here would see me fail. That Acolyte not least of all,” Sarella would feel the scorn that radiated from them, anger and resentment to the former Jedi. A part of it only fueled those feelings of emptiness and solitude. More and more, however, scorn beget scorn. She wanted nothing more than to excel past her peeps - just as Trelain had sworn to her.

“Well,” She nodded ever-so-slightly. “Clean-up of Kilik’s around the academy and surrounding dunes, drills here at the academy.” She exhaled a breath through her nostrils. “Whatever is next, my master..I will see it through.” There was no lack of doubt within Sarella. She had been broken upon Korriban, and only more difficulty lay ahead of her with Trelain. But this.. This wasonly path was forward.

It had to be.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain listened to what the former-Jedi had to say. In particular, her attention honed in on the Jedi's description of the Force. That would be their place to begin. The Jedi had taken her first steps on the path, but she hadn't truly opened herself to the darkenss.

The Force is the same here as it is anywhere else. The Jedi will tell you that the Light is the only true nature of the Force, but that's a lie. There is no Light without Darkness. The Jedi may shun it, but it's everywhere, she said. The Sith only followed a different method of the natural state of the universe.

You feel weak because you choose to block out your emotions, she said. Surely you felt anger and fear when Letous tried to kill you, she said. Perhaps even a sense of relief and indebtedness when Trelain had saved her life.

What is it you want, Acolyte? she asked. It was a pointed question, but in her experience, it was critical to the Sith. They needed something that motivated them. They had to find a reason to exist and live or they might as well enter oblivion.

 

[Sarella]

Sarella was silent for a long moment - listening to Trelain’s own perspective on the Force. A mere few weeks ago, the Fallanassi would’ve discredited the Councilor’s words as nothing short of heresy. To claim that the Dark Side was anything but a complete perversion of the Force - twisted beyond its true state - went against everything that she’d been taught as a Jedi. But at that moment? Everything had been called into question for Sarella, and she couldn’t help but consider the different perspective.

“I did,” For years, she had closed herself off to the Darkness. Countless hours of meditation and training had begun to fortify her mind and expertly reign in her emotions, in accordance with Jedi teachings. She had deliberately denied herself and buried down her natural instincts. And yet it was exactly those same emotions - the fear, the anger, the hopelessness - that had been key to her survival. Even wielded against her, Sarella had seen the raw power and strength wielded by Letous, fueled by those same emotions.Could she truly claim that the Darkness was any more ‘natural’ from the Light?

Harnessing it for herself, however, was a different thing entirely.

Though she clearly acknowledged the question from Trelain, it wasn’t met with an immediate answer. In the aftermath of Korriban, everything had changed for Sarella - and she couldn’t help but reconsider exactly what it was that drove her in life. Even on her new path - were those goals the same? How much of what she’d been was merely in service to the Jedi Order? Instead of fulfilling her own desires in life.

After a moment, Sarella finally exhaled through her nostrils. “I used to believe that my role as a Jedi.. Everything I had strived towards, would bring about the best case scenario for the Galaxy,” The Fallanassi had never seen eye-to-eye with everything that the Council preached, and it was for exactly that reason she’d lingered within the Outer Rim and worked alone. But the core principles - the vision of a peaceful, prosperous Galaxy? She had believed in that. Perhaps she still did - only now she had begun to see a different path to achieve those same results. “I know now that it won’t.”

Her gaze lifted to meet Trelain’s. “I want to be everything you promised me in that cave. To rise above my peeps and become everything I have the potential to be - and everything that the Jedi have held me back from.” There were the faintest hints of resentment - seeds that had only just begun to sprout - in her words. The Light and teachings of the Jedi had failed her, and it was only now that she was beginning to see their fallacies for what they were.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain listened not just because it would tell her about the course of her Acolyte's life and her hopes and dreams - and extension how to break her - but because it was also an insight into how all the Jedi thought. And what could drive them away from their idiotic crusade. This one had come over willingly, and that meant something more than just a Jedi tortured in a cell.

That path requires pain and sacrifice. To grind down everything that you are and rebuild it again. It is no small task and many will die trying, she said. She truly believed that if the woman set her mind to it, she could become a great Sith. But there were still barriers standing in her way: the willingness and readiness to sacrifice everything for the cause was not the least of these.

Are you ready to begin? she asked with a deep inhalation of breath. She didn't actually wait for an answer but raised her hand and shot lightning straight through the woman's body. It wasn't enough to kill, but it would bring agony all the same.

She let the stream pass on for several moments before stopping.

Do you feel that pain? That rage? Let it feed you. It's only through deep, powerful emotion that you can unlock your greatest potential. Most would say rage, but there are others as well, she said. Despite what most Sith seemed to think, it wasn't "through anger I gain strength" it was through passion.

 

[Sarella]

Though she said nothing, Sarella’s expression hardened with resolve when Trelain spoke. She knew that her current path wouldn’t be easy, and perhaps it would indeed end in her demise. It was a prospect that caused the faintest sensations of doubt to creep up in her chest, the very same that arose as her mine turned to just.. What she would become, as a Sith. But what other options did she have? The Light had failed her when she needed it most, and the Jedi were flawed in ways that only now did she realize. There was no stepping backwards and into their embrace. The only path was forward - though the pain and adversity and, if she was strong enough, to become something greater.

Everything she had the potential to be.

Sarella didn’t have time to verbalize a ‘yes’ before Trelain began their newest lesson. Before she could move a muscle, the Lightning found purchase and spread throughout the Fallanassi’s body - spiderwebs of electricity that crackled across her flesh and sank deep. The pain was excruciating, and it was more than enough to bring Sarella to her knees - sinking into the loose, red sand. It was pain like she’d rarely experienced, manifesting in her contorted expression and her screams.

The moments passed and felt like an eternity, until the stream finally ceased. Sarella’s hands went out in front of her to brace against the ground, each breath labored and heavy. She heard Trelain’s words - cold and dispassionate as she was commanded to allow her emotions to feed her. It was a simple enough concept in theory - and perhaps for a fresh Acolyte it would’ve been easier to grasp.. But Sarella had barriers of her own to break through. Hours of meditation and training as a Jedi, that intrinsically taught her to keep her own emotions in check. To find clarity of mind and serenity even in the darkest of moments, and to draw upon the Light without the influence of her passions.

It wouldn’t come from the first torrent of lightning, or even the second. And for quite a while, only her screams of agony and pathetic, whimpers filled the arena.

Minutes passed or repeated, torturous instruction before Sarella’s fingers finally dug into the sand. Whether it was from the pain itself or the anger she felt towards Trelain with every passing moment, she finally reached her own breaking point. There was no discipline or Light to draw upon - only the primal emotions that flowed through her in that moment. It was the anger she felt towards Trelain, and the pain that wracked her body. Perhaps more importantly though, it was her own stubbornness and passionate willpower. Her refusal to be crushed under heel or to linger with her face in the dirt.

She wanted to rise above. To prove every one of her fellows wrong and claim what was hers. Everything she deserved. It was that desire that drove her, and it allowed the Fallanassi to plant her feet into the sand. Slowly but surely, she forced herself to her feet once again - cerulean eyes locked onto Trelain. Perhaps the next torrent would bring her back to her knees, and then the next.

But she would endure it with her face locked onto Trelain.

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain was pitiless and unrelenting as the woman tried to regain her composure, but the Sith didn't lighten up. She let the stream of lightning continue until eventually Sarella pushed herself to her feet and finally the lightning stopped.

Good, she thought to herself. The Acolyte had found it within herself not to crumble and die under the pain. What Trelain had seen in her might still be able to come to fruition.

You want to kill the Acolyte who has been keeping guard over you, don't you? she asked. She could sense the woman's jealousy and no doubt her animosity toward the other Acolyte. Surely, the pain and exhaustion had made rational barriers began to fail and fall.

Admit it. What faster way to show your "peers" that you're better than them? More powerful, she said.

 

[Sarella]

Even after the torrent of lightning ceased, Sarella could feel the molten anguish that lingered for several moments more. The current of electricity coursed through her every extremity before it terminated out and through her feet - crackling across the surface of her skin with sparks of violet and blue. It felt as if her entire body was ablaze, and Trelain would clearly see the red, spiderweb markings that had been burned into her flesh. It remained to be seen if they were permanent, but the excruciating markings had been left in the immediate wake of their ‘lesson’.

All the same, Sarella couldn’t help but allow satisfaction to swell within her - manifesting in the faintest tugging at the corner of her lips. Through the pain and the anger, she was strong enough to stand on her two feet. Strong enough to look Trelain in the eyes, and though the Sith Councilor gave no approval, Sarella knew she had taken a step in the right direction all the same.

The question, however, caught her slightly off guard.

There was a momentary faltering in her expression, and Trelain would see any hint of a grin vanish from the woman's countenance. She blinked, her mouth opening and closing for a moment as the answer stuck in her throat. The answer was instinctive and without hesitation as it crossed her mind - influenced by the pain, the exhaustion and the influence that permeated all around her.

Yes.

And for the smallest moment, the Acolyte felt some level of resistance. Whether it was her teachings as a Jedi her plain conscience, , she hesitated for just that moment when it came to claiming that life. It manifested in the small twisting of her expression that hinted at a scowl. The follow-up words from the Councilor, however, rang true in her ears.

What better way to prove herself? Prove that she was stronger. That she was better. That she wasn’t to be trifled with. That the girl would be sorry for kicking Sarella when she was down. That she deserved to be Trelain’s apprentice while the rest of them bickered and fought for the attention of some Sith Champion to mentor them.

What was that single life, next to all the benefits? It was an easy spiral to descend, and Trelain would see her apprentices expression shift from that hint of a scowl to cold deadpan. Perhaps it would break the moment her execution was complete, or perhaps it would linger still. But her answer was the same.

“Yes.”

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain could sense it as she watched the Acolyte go through the mental hoops in her mind. She could see it written on her face and feel it etched into the waves of the Force. She wanted it, but there was still a piece of her that resisted. There were still walls and barriers that needed to be ground down until nothing of the Jedi was left anymore.

But that would come with time. For the moment, she had verbalized her desire to see the other Acolyte dead and that was a first step.

Very good. Where is your lightsaber? she asked, noting that the Acolyte did not have it presently displayed. From Trelain's reports, it hadn't been taken from her either. Such a weapon would make a fine tool for executing the worthless welp. Unless... perhaps not, but the question had already been aired. Trelain would wait for a far more personal means of snuffing out the other Padawan.

And for the Councilor, there was something fascinating in it all. This wasn't the first captive she had broken, but it was the first Jedi. They had such different barriers, and Trelain found herself wondering how she could make the most of whatever skills and abilities this former-Jedi might have. She supposed it would remain to be seen.

 

[Sarella]

Though she said nothing else, Sarella couldn’t deny the conflicting emotions that swirled within her - lingering long after the simple ‘yes’ left her lips. The hatred that she felt towards the fellow Acolyte - the vendetta that was harbored, and the vengeance she craved - was deep seated, and there was something unmistakably liberating about embracing those desires. To capitulate to her worst impulses without remorse or artificial restraint. And yet, neither could the Fallanassi deny the pang of shame that coursed through her.

It was almost immediate, and it burned in the center of Sarella’s chest like magma. What had the Acolyte done - truly - to warrant such a fate? To be executed and reduced to just another casualty of the rigorous Sith training. The Fallanassi had spent a lifetime in reverence to the Force and the concept that Life was a precious, sacred thing - and yet, all it had taken was the beginning of her training as a Sith to abandon that idea. Didn’t that make her weak? Wasn’t it wrong?

..Wasn’t it?

It wasn’t until Trelain spoke that Sarella was yanked back from her self-destructive spiral. Whatever conflicts she had, the Fallanassi pushed it down into the depths of her mind. She had made her desires known and with them came a commitment. There was no backing down from it now, regardless of whether it would haunt her in the end. She blinked once, staring back at the Sith Councilor before speaking an answer.

“It is stashed on the ship that brought me to Korriban,” She began, reaching down to brush a bit of the dust and red sand from her forearms. “As a Jedi, I rarely used it. My studies had always focused on a deeper understanding of the Force and its usage. I was a healer, and the Light provided everything I needed to serve that role.” There was a clear note of resentment in her words, however faint it was. "Until it didn't." She’d dedicated her life to the path of a Consular.. To become a healer. Where had it gotten her in the end? The Jedi had failed her. The Light had failed her.

Perhaps it was time she ceased shunning the alternative.

@Phoenix

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain looked down at her as she suffered with her uncertainty, but she didn't give her much time to ponder. That was the important piece of breaking someone's spirit and helping them compromise their morals. Don't let them sit and thinking, force them to continue moving forward.

It was clear, however, that as she mentioned how she eschewed her lightsaber that Trelain was neitehr pleased nor amused. That will change. The lightsaber is one more tool in your arsenal, and you're not powerful enough yet to toss aside tools, she said. While there had been Sith Lords who refused to use them, they were far more powerful than the Knight-turned-Acolyte.

She turned back over her shoulders and motioned for one of the guards. The Acolyte was dragged in, kicking, screaming, crying, and begging, shoved to her knees in front of Sarella.

Use the Force, and kill her, she said. Because she would have killed you already had I allowed it, she said. Trelain didn't seem to even bat an eye. The truth was, the woman would have been drummed out of the academy were it not for this singular purpose. Her only purpose now was to be the Knight's first kill.

 

[Sarella]

“As you say, my Master,” Sarella spoke in response, nodding towards Trelain. While the Acolyte said nothing else, she couldn’t help but consider the Councilor’s directive to take up a saber once again. For years, the Consular had hardly used the weapon - believing that it simply wasn’t necessary on her path. Perhaps it was that line of thinking that had failed her from the very beginning. Recent days had brought into question every decision and belief Sarella held dear, and it made her all the more pliable to Trelain’s commands.

Cerulean eyes followed the Councilor, and promptly shifted to the Acolyte that was dragged into the arena. She watched as the other woman kicked and clawed to get away from the pair of guards - her heels digging into the sand and leaving trenches in her wake. Tears streamed down her face, and her countenance rapidly shifted between terror and anger.

The woman was brought right before Sarella - forced down onto her knees. And the Fallanassi couldn’t deny the power that was presented to her on a silver platter. She stood above the very person who wished her dead. Their fate was entirely at the Sarella’s mercy. Perhaps she wouldn’t have enjoyed that feeling - there was a large part of her that twisted and sickened at the concept. But she couldn’t deny that the larger part of her did.

The words from Trelain were but a simple command. There was no option and only a single expectation - and Sarella didn’t have to guess what the price of failure would be.

“You wanted me dead,” Sarella said after a momentary pause, her fingers unfurling and stretching out towards the fellow Acolyte. She allowed her own words to echo within her mind - that simple realization fueling her anger and feeding into the tendrils of energy that snaked around the woman’s neck.

“P-please..” The Acolyte choked, tears streaming down her cheeks as Sarella’s grip tightened. She clawed and pulled at her throat, but to no avail. There was no escaping the chokehold, and the woman knew it. Her eyes never broke from Sarella - muddy browns boring deep into the Fallanassi’s core.

Despite her every intention and primal desire, Sarella couldn’t help but hesitate for the slightest moment. She felt the fear that radiated off the other woman, and couldn’t deny the way her stomach began to turn ever-so-slightly. It was everything she had fought against and denied for a lifetime, and those ingrained instincts still lingered within her for the time being.

All the time, it was the words of Trelain that echoed in her mind. Only one of the Acolytes could live, but not both. The woman wanted her dead - would have killed her, and been rewarded for it. The other Acolyte was merely a stepping stone - an obstacle in the path of what she wanted and the changes she could bring to the Galaxy, should she achieve her goals. What was her life, against all of that?

Nothing at all.

Biting down the hesitation and that lump in her throat, Sarella squeezed her fingers together and jerked her wrist - closing the Force completely around the fellow Acolyte’s windpipe. A sickening snap followed the movement of her wrist, and so too did the dead woman’s body slump sideways and into the dirt. There wasn’t so much as a scream or cry of pain, but her eyes continued to stare off into blank space. And Sarella said nothing at all - cerulean gaze never breaking from her victim.

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain watched it all impassively. She watched the way the other acolyte squirmed and cried. She watched how Sarella's death gaze lay on the other Sith and then she heard that snap-crunch as neck collapsed. She could sense the darkness that swirled around the area as another soul slipped from its flesh and that weight came to lay on Sarella.

Trelain suppressed the smirk on her lips as she reached out and laid a hand on the Jedi's shoulder. You did well, she said. You've secured your place as an Acolyte in this academy and protected yourself from a threat. No one else will protect you, you have to protect yourself, she said. Despite Trelain being her master and now a member of the Sith Council, it was a promise that the Sith Lord wouldn't protect her either. Not if she didn't help herself.

Follow me, she said, and turned back into the academy, leaving the body of the dead Acolyte in the dirt of the arena.

They walked through the academy to the upper floors before arriving at a room that Trelain entered. Inside was an extremely fine suite with fresh acolyte robes laid out on the bed.

Clean yourself up, shower, and I'll be back in an hour, she said. As Sarella looked through the room she would find fine food, a bathroom of incredible lavish quality, and many other smaller amenities.

Trelain turned and left the room, closing the door behind her and snorting quietly to herself. She knew what she was doing even if the Jedi wouldn't. The girl was little more than an animal to be trained through operant conditioning. After days of exhaustion and fatigue, she had been rewarded with comfort after obedience and slipping deeper into the Dark Side.

 

[Sarella]

An eternity seemed to pass from Sarella’s perspective, and her gaze never left the dead Acolyte. Oblivious to her surroundings, she stated into that vacant deathmask, observing the emptiness in the other girls eyes, and the faint twitch of muscles that reflexed for the final time. She was entirely silent - her expression deadpan and without emotion.. But what roiled within was a different story entirely. She felt the twinges of horror at what she’d done - at the person she was, with that first step, becoming. Perhaps what horrified her more, though, was the sense of satisfaction. The Acolyte had wanted her dead. She would’ve done the exact same thing to Sarella given the chance - likely with a smile on her face. And now? She was dead at the Fallanassi’s feet. She felt satisfied, and she felt powerful in her own way - even if she didn’t particularly like herself in that moment.

It was only the hand on her shoulder that snapped Sarella back to reality. She glanced back, cerulean eyes fixating onto the Sith Councilor as the words echoed through the arena. They sunk into her very core, echoing in her mind.

No one else will protect you, you have to protect yourself,

It was as much a promise as what Sarella had been told in that cave, and instantaneously knew that Trelain was not simply being facetious. She was the only one that would protect herself - and it was further confirmation that the Acolyte’s death was justified.

She offered the Acolyte a single glance before turning on a heel, following close behind Trelain. She stepped out of the dirt and into the cool, shaded interior of the Academy - and that alone seemed to bring her a sense of relief. Those initial feelings of remorse and horror at herself hadn’t done completely.. But it was a dull, numb sensation. Perhaps a part of herself had been lost in that arena, and it wasn’t entirely clear if that was for better or worse. Not when it brought her one step closer to what she wanted. With every necessary sacrifice, she was one step closer to becoming what Trelain had promised. Powerful, enough to change things to her own vision and for the better. It was all she had hoped for as a Jedi. And the path already seemed far more real within the Sith.

As she stepped into the lavish suite, Sarella couldn’t help but gawk. After everything she’d endures, the Acolyte expected an empty room and stone slab for a bed. Instead she was treated to amenities and luxuries abundant, complete with scent soaps lining the shower and an array of delicious foods. It was.. A relief. A welcome one at that - and once more helped to numb those doubts and regret at what she’d done before. Perhaps she couldn’t see what Trelain was actually doing, but she didn’t particularly need to either.

As Trelain turned to leave, Sarella glanced back over her shoulder "What will-" She began, only to catch herself a moment later. “I’ll be ready,” What for, she had no idea. But questioning it likely wasn't going to get her anywhere. She couldn’t really prepare for anything along this path.. But she’d be ready for when the Councilor returned. “Thank you, master.” The words felt strange as they left her lips, but the gratitude was legitimate. Who wouldn’t have been? It wasn’t until Trelain was gone that Sarella finally allowed herself to indulge the amenities left to her. The first part of that, naturally, involved rather pathetically flopping face-first into the bed.

In the hour that passed, Sarella had ate and drank her fill of the fine foods - filling her stomach after days of exhaustive work and living off scraps. She washed the red dirt off her skin, and savored a warm shower for the first time since leaving the Jedi Temple. By the time Trelain returned, Sarella had dressed in her new robes and had tied her silver-gold hair back into an elaborate half-up-half-down style.

She knew that Trelain would be arriving soon, and the Acolyte finished preparing herself in the meantime and enjoying the room. Somehow, she imagined there wouldn’t be much time to enjoy it once the Councilor had returned.

 

[Darth Trelain]

While Sarella enjoyed the wonders of her sweet, suite living, Trelain went back to her office to deal with reports. The experiences both women were having could not have been more opposite, but Trelain still found herself enthusiastic for getting out of office and starting the next phase of Sarella's training.

As the hour completed, Trelain groaned as she finished the final report, rolled her eyes, and headed back to the suite. She rapped her knuckles against the door and waited for Sarella to answer. The Sith was certainly looking more put together now than when Trelain had first seen her, but that was intentional. She wanted to reinforce the comfort and let the former-Jedi see what it really meant to be powerful.

She moved across the room and took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs in the common area, waiting for Sarella to do the same.

You find your temporary quarters agreeable, I take it? she said. There was the faintest hint of satisfaction in her tone as she said it, knowing well that the acolyte would enjoy it.

Now that you're cleaned up, it's a good time to talk about what comes next, she said. In her own mind, Trelain knew that Sarella had an abundance of pain and suffering to come still, but not for the moment. That would come later.

What do you have to offer to the Sith Empire? she asked bluntly. Trelain, ultimately, had put herself on the line to some extent for this woman, and she wanted to see a return on her investment.

 

[Sarella]

“I do,” Sarella responded without missing a beat. The quarters were far more than she’d ever expected - far more than she’d ever experience as a Jedi. And the simple fact they had been offered at the height of her exhaustion and torment made them all the sweeter to indulge in. The Acolyte had enjoyed the amenities and the fine food, and it only left her with a simple desire for more of the same. Perhaps another simple, primal motivation along her new path.

The Acolyte knitted her hands together, allowing them to hang down at her lap. Truth be told, Sarella had no idea what Trelain had in mind, or what came next in her training. She.. Doubted, any of it would be easier than what had come before. The pain and suffering was almost guaranteed, but that did little to pierce the veil of mystery that loomed.

Thus, she couldn’t help but blink when Trelain asked such a blunt question. It was a simple question in theory, but one that caused the Acolyte a few moments of pause. The mercy and opportunity she had didn’t come without a price, and Sarella knew that Trelain would want tangible gain for it. All the same, the Acolyte couldn’t help but ponder what answer it was the Darth wanted to hear, or if this was yet another test from the woman.

“My life,” She began slowly, cerulean eyes fixated onto the Darth, “..Is yours. Belongs to you and the Empire.” It wasn’t an exaggeration or a lie. The Fallanassi had given up.. Everything, when she accepted Trelain’s offer. There was no going back now, no matter how much the path ahead tormented her or broke down her very principles. “Whatever you ask of me, I will do.” She was not just an Acolyte, but a weapon for Trelain to use as she saw fit. “As a former Jedi, I have access to facilities. Security codes, clearances.. And the fact they likely do not know what has happened to me, gives me an opportunity to catch them off guard.” She stared back at Trelain. “Or to provide whatever assistance I can to the ISB.”

“I was a Diplomat, and could continue to fill that role within the Empire, rathar than that of a typical soldier.” She said after a moment. Though combat had never quite been her expertise, her other talents would provide useful to the Empire if she was allowed to move into that space. "Before, I dedicated my studies to the deeper mysteries of the Force. I would hope to continue that training - without the reservations and artificial regulations of the Jedi.”

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain listened to what Sarella pledged without betraying a twitch on her face. She was a veteran of the intelligence game and knew how not to betray what was going on inside of her head.

But the wheels were turning. She thought of her own personal assassin or her own personal arcanist who might be able to launch her career even further forward. A way to kill her rivals and lay waste to the Jedi and the FWA.

She thought of the publicity of a former-Jedi fighting so hard as a diplomat against the people she had once upheld and protected. There were so many possibilities, but first, the Sith Lord needed to ensure she was what she said. That she truly was loyal.

And I will hold you to that, she said. She would not let the Jedi walk away, she belonged to Darth Trelain now.

The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to so many more abilities that the Jedi hold back. They barely touch a fraction of the Force's potential, and I will see to it that you can discover all of those secrets, she said.

But I wonder if you can stay with the promises you're making here now. Can you really bring yourself to betray the people who raised you? To kill men and women you fought beside? she asked. It was, of course, the hard question to ask, but Trelain wasn't here to make things easy. She would need assurances, and those assurances would come in the form of literal Jedi heads.

 

[Sarella]

In an instant, Sarella knew that Trelain was being deathly serious. For better or worse, promises had been made - and it was only a matter of time before her Master would collect upon those assurances and test that loyalty. As a Sith, she was free from the limitations and artificial regulation of the Jedi. And yet, Sarella couldn’t help but wonder if she’d subjected herself to a different type of enslavement entirely. It was a dangerous thought, she knew, and wasn’t one that the Fallanassi allowed herself to linger upon.

Instead, Sarella allowed the hints of a smile to grace her lips - listening to Trelain when the Darth promised her access to the secrets of the Force. She’d always been a vigorous study, and the prospect of being able to sate her appetite for knowledge, without reservations, was something that pleased her to no end.

Of course, every promise and positive encouragement was succeeded by another hard, uncomfortable question. It was one that Sarella had.. Avoided, the past few days. Killing an Acolyte was one thing - especially when that person wanted Sarella dead just as well. But a Jedi? Trelain was right. She fought, ate and played alongside them. They were her brothers and sisters - her family - and the conflict now was inevitable.

Could she bring herself to do it? It was a question that tore the Acolyte apart inside. The Light had abandoned her, and their teachings had failed her. But the people were different from the Order they served. Perhaps.. It was necessary. Perhaps the ends justified the means - and their sacrifice would allow Sarella to make the changes she wished to see in the Galaxy.

Would the Jedi not execute her for her choices, in that very moment? Some would, she knew.

A moment ticked by, and Sarella allowed the tension to flow out of her with a drawn-out exhale. “I..” She began, “Allow me to prove it, master.” Her cerulean gaze flicked back to Trelain, once more refusing to break from the woman, “Words are wind, compared to actions.”