Ask The Forest for the Trees

[Talak Rand]

Talak knew that she was set on this path now, and it was his fault. He had introduced her to the darkness, and she wouldn't turn back from it. He considered saying something as she said she had to explore the darkness, but somehow he knew that she knew what she was doing. She had made her decision, and he couldn't stop that.

He let out a sigh and stood up as she reached for the lightsaber.

No, that one will do, he said as she asked about making her own. He held out his hand, and assuming she didn't stop him, he would float it toward his hand. It hovered in the air and began to break apart into its smaller elements until eventually the crystal at the center floated between them. The other pieces of electronics floated to the ground beside them and only the crystal floated in the center.

This is a kyber crystal. It's what helps fuel the blade, and this is what I was telling you is alive. It was attuned to the person who owned it before you, but they were a lightsider... probably a Jedi. You'll need to break the crystal, he said before realizing that "breaking" the crystal probably wasn't very clear.

It's called "bleeding" it, he continued. The name gave an idea of how unpleasant the process could be. You have to meditate over the crystal and pour the darkness into it until you break its spirit, he said, floating the crystal back toward her. It would take time, and he wasn't sure she was ready to do it yet anyway, but at least she now knew for when the time came. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

He had just warned her about the darkness, told her that it didn't deliver on promises, not to embrace it, that it was easy to give in. Everything that would turn her away from it and now he was... telling her to use it, to pour it into this crystal?

The whispers in her mind told her that this was a test, or a trick, or him simply giving up on her because she was too weak to resist the Dark Side. That he was going to betray or abandon her if she followed through—like everyone else. She knew if he abandoned her now she couldn't handle living. Not without a better grasp of everything, not being alone. She hadn't been introduced to others yet. She'd allowed herself to become dependent despite knowing that it could be the death of her.

Lilith pushed away the crystal, and forced herself to stand. It was slightly easier now with the stim in full effect. But she took just enough steps to be closer to him, "I... I don't think I can do that right now," she said almost in a whisper. The truth of it—outside of the dark whispers of paranoia—was she wasn't sure she could control herself if she dipped into it again so soon.

With that she held her hand out to put the blade back together. It was a struggle, but she finished and turned the hilt towards Talak before falling back on her knees. "Kill me," she said in a voice that would come off numb, despite the raging turmoil below the surface. Betrayal—death—was preferable over abandonment.

"We both know I can't turn back. I know you don't approve of my choice." A confusing, painful realization after he had just pushed her into it. All of these was painful and confusing. "Just end it all now, please." Lilith closed her eyes and cradled her head once more. It wasn't for comfort this time, or some misguided attempt to shield her mind from a Force she didn't fully understand. It was simply to hide the reemerging tears in the corner of her eyes. She'd hide that bit of weakness to the bitter end, at least.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak watched her as she seemed to break before his eyes. She asked her to kill him, and he just stood there for a moment. For the briefest moment he considered it. Putting her out of the misery that he knew awaited her and stopping her from walking the same path as him... and then he was appalled at the thought.

He sighed quietly and bent down next to her. He could feel pain radiating out of her like a beacon, and he knew what awaited her ahead.

No, I won't kill you, he said. He took the lightsaber and hung it from his belt as well, offering her a hand to help her up.

Come on, let's walk, he said. He knew that he was doing a positively terrible job of teaching her because he was so conflicted, but he wanted to help her. He didn't want her to flounder in agony as he had. He made sure that she was able to walk before he kept going.

I can't stop you from walking down the dark path, he began, not even entirely sure where he was going with this.

But I can tell you that I've done it, and it doesn't get easier. At the very least, don't indulge in the darkness because it only brings on the loss that much more quickly, he said. He looked over to her, wondering what went though her mind. Did she want to be a Sith Eternal? Did she have other hopes and goals? Did she want to learn only the basics and move on? The Force was a path to many, many routes, and the dark side wasn't the only one. Even he was beginning to consider the need to search elsewhere. That was when something struck him.

Perhaps you should go to my homeworld, he said. Experience what it's like to be around others like us, he said, watching her for her reaction. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

His refusal to kill her hurt. She was ready for it to be over. The sorrow was overwhelming, but she accepted his help to stand up. It was possible for her to stand, so was walking. There was tiredness and pain, but the stim had done a good enough job.

Talak continued to talk as they walked and at first she only answered with a, "Yes, master" when he told her not to indulge. At least she could be a proper student and listen to that part. At least he hadn't been testing her before.

Some life returned to her eyes when me mentioned meeting others like them. "Yes. Please. I want to go there," she answered in an almost desperate tone. It wouldn't be just her and Talak anymore, although that was an assumption. There was no guarantee that she'd make any sort of connections, but it was better than no chance at all. However, she looked away after something came to her mind.

With his words came some questions, and not about their people, "But there is something..." she stopped walking for the moment. "Something I don't understand about this all. You said you walked the path. Do you mean you stopped some time ago, or will no longer from now on?" Lilith looked at her hands, pictures of the dark lightning flashing in her mind. "How did you turn so easily? I just saw you..." Use it, she thought but did not say, what she really wanted to ask was, "Do you mean you will never use the Dark Side again...?"

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak listened to the flowing rivers and the buzzing of the insects and found himself relaxing more with each step. He wondered if he would be able to keep his mind in this state after he left, and he wondered what his path would be after this.

She was clearly excited to head to the world of the Sith Eternal, and he wondered in the back of his mind if it was owed to his horrible teaching. There were probably others who could teach her better than he could, but they would also be as torturous as he was trying to avoid being.

Her questions were poignant, and more to the point, he didn't have answers to them. He didn't know where his path would take him from here, and he was seriously considering abandoning the dark and the Sith altogether. He needed answers that didn't seem to come, and even as he thought about it, the serenity of this world seemed to wear away and leave the clawing at his mind again. Even on such a peaceful world, balance eluded him. Maybe balance is what you need, he wondered to himself.

He looked down at his own hand that had only moments ago launched lighting to torture her. It looked pale and thin.

I need to find answers of my own, he said. I'll have to seek my own counsel, but my days of indulging in the darkness are done. There are some actions that aren't worth it to me. And if you're wise, you'll weigh your own use, he said. His answers were intentionally cryptic, but no less true.

But when we go to the other Sith, you need to be mindful. If you lash out at them, they won't hesitate to kill you, he said, changing the subject to divert away from himself. In time, perhaps he would feel that he could confide in her, but at the moment, showing her his own confusion would only further cloud her training. She had great potential, and there was no sense in squandering it. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

It seemed to take him some time to answer her questions, and it wasn't really an answer either. It surprised her because he was always full of answers, but thinking on it for a handful of heartbeats, she realized he was a man as much as he was her teacher. It probably wasn't possible for him or anyone to have all the answers, even to things that seemed simple.

His mention of her needing to be mindful struck an uneasy cord within her. "Yes, master, I will be mindful," she answered simply at first, shuffling uncomfortably before continuing, "I've... I've learned my lesson."

She tried to continue the subject as quickly as possible, to not dwell on her punishment. "When can we go there?" she asked, wanting to go whenever it was possible. It was hard not to be curious, and wonder how many if all struggled with the Dark Side like Talak... and now like her. She had no real way of knowing if Talak was normal or unique in that fact, only that it was confusing to her.

Naturally her gaze returned to him, and it was then that she remembered her lightsaber as her eyes fell on his belt. If one of the Sith would kill her for upsetting him or her, she decided to ask, "Also... my lightsaber?" while extending her hand out. She wouldn't try to take it from his belt with the Force, obviously, partly knowing not to push anything but also feeling awkward since she had just asked him to kill her with it.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak held his hand out and the lightsaber floated through the air before coming to rest in her hand. It seemed there were things that neither of them wanted to talk about, and he thought that tensions were perhaps running a bit too high for that anyway.

If I were you, I would just take some time meditating over the crystal inside. You don't have to bleed it right away, and you may even end up bleeding it by coincidence, he said, remembering that his own experience had been almost accidental.

But the more time you spend with it, the less it will resist you, he said. It'll also give you time for some introspection on the journey, he said.

I'll transmit the coordinates to your ship. Jumping to the Unknown Region is easy, but you'll have to follow the path very closely once you reach the edge, he said. The Unknown Region is notoriously difficult to navigate, he said. If she hadn't done any navigating off world before, he didn't know what she might know of the Region.

And then they were off.

---​

Talak's ship set down quite some time later, and although he was feeling "rested" he didn't feel particularly good about where his head was at. Still, he kept it together enough to disembark and look for Lilith's ship. The main compound was just beyond, and it was clear that it was filled with darkness. Although the compound itself was nice, it had memories harbored there that Talak wasn't fond of. Homeworld or not, it wasn't where he had felt at home for years.

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith put her lightsaber on her belt, happy to have it back for some reason. It disliking her may have disturbed her, but it felt right having it within her grasp anyway. Maybe because it made her feel safer, she wasn't sure.

She nodded when he suggested she meditate. "I will," she said simply, though afraid of inadvertently tapping into the darkness. The part about being careful navigating made her feel a pang of worry, but she needed to get use to traveling again. She also looked forward to sleeping, and having some time away from Talak. Even though she was dependent on him, that didn't mean she wouldn't feel more comfortable being further away from him right now. With a slight bow, she turned to go back to her ship.

---​

The Rain touched down on Talak's homeworld. Lilith walked out of her ship in traditional Sith garb, or at least as close as she could come to it. She'd stopped and gotten the fabric and did what she could on the way. She didn't want to seem out of place on the planet, even if she might feel that way.

When stepped out of her ship she noticed her master right away, though walked past him and stared at the planet. It... this whole place felt bathed in darkness, and she could hear the whispers again. She knew Talak had said not to indulge, but that'd be very difficult here. The young Sith forced herself out of a stupor and looked back, staring at Talak with almost wide-eyes. "Can we go there?" she asked, pointing to the main compound.

Then she turned away for a second and looked around, noting the ebb and flow of the people here. There weren't many, but there were some. "Do you know him? Or... her? Or him?" she asked absentmindedly before turning back to Talak. "Who do you know?" she asked, obviously eager to meet other Sith. She was fully recovered and while she had been in and out of turmoil the whole trip, the excitement of landing on the planet seemed to smother it, at least for the time being.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak watched as she promptly walked past him to look at the world. She was clearly captivated and immediately launched into asking him if he knew the various people here.

Honestly, I don't spend much time here. Most of the people I know probably aren't on world, he said. He wasn't a particularly social soul, and this world wasn't a place he enjoyed spending time. Still, there were a few people he knew who he could introduce her to.

This is where a lot of the new trainees come, he said. If she had wanted she could stay here and train with the other new members recruited, though he wasn't sure she would want to. Talak's own primary master was dead, and he hoped the man was rotting in the Force.

Still, there were others who he had slightly more fond memories of. Perhaps they would manage to meet up with one of the only people here who Talak liked.

Yeah, we can go inside, he said, starting to head over. The building wasn't overly crowded after most people had returned to the wider galaxy after the Eternal's announcement, but there were still a few moving here and there. Typically Guardians who studied what teachings they had about the Sith.

There's a lot of knowledge you can access here if you want, he said. It was how he had learned a great deal of what he knew about combat: he'd studied old teachings and spent time dueling other students. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

A bit of a frown tugged at her cheeks when he mentioned that he might not know anyone currently on world. Though that did not mean she couldn't try to meet someone, and she perked up when he mentioned they could go inside.

She simply nodded at his replies and started to walk again, fast enough that she got in front of him especially as he mentioned knowledge. It was hard for her not to be eager. She'd been so eager when she met Talak, now there were who-knows-how-many more she could meet. Not that she'd trust them... Talak was the only one she had a small amount of trust in, and even he had hurt her.

As they made their way Lilith stopped, noticing a large man who radiated power and the Dark Side. In front of him were younger students. Some younger looking than Lilith, others around the same age. She stepped forward a little towards the group but didn't get too close. It took her a second to notice a man on his knees in the middle of the group, shaking and reeking of fear. Possibly a slave, or someone captured for one reason or another.

"You," the one radiating the Dark Side said. One of the younger ones reached out and started to Force choke the trembling man in the middle. "Stop only as he is on the very brink," the man added.

Lilith was not sure what she was seeing. A course on... torture? "But why?" Lilith asked absentmindedly, tipping her head and looking back at Talak. Did the Sith torture enough that there was a course on it? She thought they simply wiped out cultures. The memories it forced to the surface made her shuffle uncomfortably, but otherwise she was able to remain calm enough not to seem weak. "Is this something I need to know, master?" she asked Talak, gesturing towards the group.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak moved inside and all the bad memories came flooding back. The "class" taking place right in the middle of the room was a despicable event. Talak winced watching it happen, but he also knew that it was just a part of the world they lived in. He knew how to inflict pain and torture as well, though his own preference was to use mental means rather than physical. Wow, that was a little messed up, wasn't it?

He probably tried to double cross or expose us, he said. He didn't know why the man was here, but he was an enemy at the least.

Maybe, was all he said at first in response to her question. Torturing was often a useful tool in the field, but one could probably get by with out it. You don't technically have to learn anything you don't want to, but if you're in the field, you might find your job more difficult if you can't extract information, he said. He intentionally started walking on because he didn't want to listen to the strangled, gurgling sounds of the dying man any longer.

There's an archive where you can find a great deal about Sith history and techniques, he said as they made their way there. It was one of the only places that Talak didn't mind in this awful building. Primarily because it didn't usually involve the more unsavory elements of their order. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

She turned back to face him fully when he mentioned she didn't have to learn anything she didn't want to. "I think... I think I want to learn everything I can, master." It was the first time she said it, but thinking about it perhaps that was always true. She'd always craved knowledge, even more so when she learned of the Force. Of course, she was wary about the Dark Side now due to Talak's warnings. Maybe she'd never learn everything about the Dark Side, but she'd learn what she could.

"Is that where we are going?" she asked, not exactly expecting an answer as seconds later she noticed a large doorway that lead into an archive. The size of it mystified her and made her nearly trip over herself while she wasn't paying attention. She'd been trailing behind Talak for a few seconds, but seeing the archive made her walk ahead of him again.

She looked around, almost overwhelmed with the choices. "What do you suggest I study?" she asked, though that didn't stop her from walking deeper into the archive, and turning to go around a corner.

But then she saw something. "Erm... master, one other thing. There's a dead body here, is that normal?" she asked, staring at the lightsaber wound through his body. She noticed a lightsaber near his hand, too. It looked like it rolled into the shelf from his hand.

The normal reaction was probably to just stand there, but instead she bent down and picked up the weapon. She stared at it, as it seemed to be different than her current lightsaber. The hilt was black with red letters in a language she'd never seen before. It was much more... exuberant. She wasn't sure if it was safe to keep, but it did peak her interest.

@Phoenix

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak moved along into the archives where they found a body that shouldn't have been there. The Sith Eternal weren't supposed to infight like the Sith Lords of old. They were supposed to be more enlightened in order to ensure the Will of the Force and the survival of their people.

No, it isn't, he said, and she would be able to tell that he wasn't very happy about what he was seeing. Though, it did seem she might get a new saber out of the deal. Perhaps the Force was looking to drop it in her lap as it had left the Jedi sabers in their laps earlier.

But in this, Talak saw an opportunity. A dangerous opportunity, but still potential to learn.

Here's your first opportunity to learn to be one of us, he said, moving back from the body. I leave it to you to find the person who did this and kill them, he said, turning to look at her. It would likely be an unnerving order, but it would teach her a great deal about being in the Sith Eternal: self-reliance, ingenuity, and danger were a part of the every day life. Now she would experience that, and he would leave her to do it alone. It wasn't entirely different than tasks he'd been given as a student, but lacked the brutality that Talak had hated about his mentor. As much as he hated him, there were things he did right.

In the meantime, I have my own matters to attend to, he said, handing her a comlink channel to contact him on.

Best of luck, he said, and left her to her work.