"I'm not sure, the Force is tugging me towards you. Obviously there is some lesson in this that I have to learn." He walked forward, keeping his mood completely neutral, though it was a little taxing. "You know who I am so an introduction is pointless." He reached the edge off the pool, reached down and twirled the water with his hand a little. "What guidance do you offer me?" He asked, taking his robe off and floting it across the room to drape over a seat. Daran sat down.
"Your master has warned you about me. Yet you seek me up. You willingly tried shrouding the dark side. You do not know why you came here. If you would stop and listen, you would see that your actions in themselves is a lesson. Perhaps the lesson that you seek"
Q'Anilia smiled again, like she always had. She was wrong about the boy. He was no Sith. Not yet, even though he had accepted apprenticehood. He was one lost in the search for the self.
"I sense inner conflicts. You yern power, but you seek other ways to obtain it. Your emotions as you had slained the pilot screamed trough the force. I heard them well. Regret, compassion, confusion, sorrow and even fear. The path of the Sith is not what you should walk. It is not what you want. Your lady of the Sith is not training you, but forming another self of herself. The Sith is a title for selfishness, and all actions they do for themselves. Even taking on an apprentice is an act of being selfish for the Sith. You know it is true. She has told you so herself. She has told you that you come first, and everyone else second. That philosophy apply to her as well as you"
Q'Anilia scooted over to the left and lifted her right hand over the water surface, the palm of her hand turned upwards. She turned her face towards Daran and with a smile she continued.
"Do join me. Undress and enter the water. I will show you something. Although since I require your trust for that, I ask you if I have permission to take you beyond the now. Join me here and we will together search for you in the past"
Q'Anilia held her hand up for him to grab when or if he decided to undress and join her. She turned her head to face straight forward and took a few deep breaths. She sent then the following sentences trough her mind into his, not actually speaking, but delivering the words trough telepathy.
"I will show you the dark side of the force. We will seek out the past, as well as the future. You believe that the dark side of the force is the path to follow. I will take you there, and show you exactly what you can become and what the path offers. Worry not, for I will only show you abilities and paths that speak in benefit of your powers. You will not be shown what is in my opinion negative aspects of the dark side. I will not meld in my personal perspective of things. We will look trough the eyes of the Sith. We will think like the Sith. In a way, troughout the vision, we will both be the Sith. When it is all done, we will see what you want"
Daran remained silent as he thought this over. Ultimately he choose the quest for knolege. "Yes..." Was his only reply as he took off his dark blue jumpsuit. "Yes..." He wanted to at least try and trust her, no matter the stories he had heard about her. Darth Sear removed his boots and floated all over to the chair. He resisted saying yes for the third time as he slipped into the beautiful, warm, regulated water. He placed his saber's cylinder on the edge of the bath, then moved towards her, a little unsure.
"As promised, I will show you the dark side. As promised, I will not influence the vision with personal perspective. As promised, I will not bring in the negative aspects of the vision. As promised, I will show you how very powerful you can become. Silence your mind. Close your eyes. Breath in the force. I will show you the path you have chosen. I will show you the Sith from their very eyes"
Q'Anilia took another couple of deep breaths, as she grabbed the left hand of Daran. She grabbed it tight enough for him to not escape the grip and she then pulled him closer, reached over him and with her other hand grabbed his right one. She then sat down in front of him in the pool, holding both of his hands. She had her knees on the bottom of the pool, sitting straight.
"Now, Darth Sears. Keep an open mind. What you will come to see has already taken place. Even though it might feel real, it is in the past and is nothing but a vision"
With a sound equivalent to thunder, it suddenly turned death silent. In the empty black space that the two seemed to be floating in, nothing but the two could be seen. Q'Anilia and Daran. Only one thing could be heard, and it was the thoughts of Q'Anilia. Suddenly, the surroundings changed.
* * *
"You are now looking at my planet of birth. A planet by the name Katarr in the mid rim, of ocean and mountains. You are observing it from the eyes of the great Sith Lord Darth Nihilus, a Sith of absolute power. He amassed so much power, that the boundries of life and death was not an obstacle. The planet that we are watching contains millions of lives. It is also the appointed location of a meeting between various Jedi. The Jedi were unaware of the fact that they were acting as bait. Bait for you, Darth Nihilus. A terrible misscaluclation by the Jedi for thinking that you would so easily fall into their trap. You proved them wrong, and you held the planet accountable. You wiped it clean. You devoured every single piece of life on the planet, including the unexpecting Jedi. You left but one survivor out of many millions. Innocent and guilty alike, they all got a final taste of your extreme power. But remember, in the eyes of the Sith, there are no innocents. Only various degrees of guilty"
* * *
The last thing Daran and Q'Anilia saw from that vision was how the essence of life itself abandoned the planet, leaving it deserted completely of life. The species Miraluka becoming extinct. The vision turned pitch black again, leaving only Q'Anilia and Daran visible once more. Once more, before once again the surroundings changed.
* * *
"You are on Dantooine now. A planet you might be familiar with. A planet of oceans, savannas and mountains. Your name is Darth Traya, a Lady of the Sith, former master of previously noted Darth Nihilus. You are angry. You are in the Jedi Enclave and watching how several Jedi Masters from the council is punishing a Jedi Exile for a crime not been proven guilty for although the Jedi Exile has accepted the punishment. In your anger, you raise your only hand. You become then the judge of what is right and wrong. You remove the force from the Jedi Masters, killing them on spot. You have the power to close someone out from the force. The power to determine who has the right to use the force and who does not"
* * *
The last thing Q'Anilia and Daran then see in the vision is how the Jedi Masters fall to the ground, not a trace of the force remaining in them. Not even a whisper in the force of even their existance. Again, total darkness. Total darkness followed by another change of surrounding.
* * *
"I understand that this might be strainful to you. Unlike me, visions is not a custom to you. This vision will be the last one for now. When you are ready, there is more. You are now sitting on a throne. You are onboard a spaceship. You are watching how two Jedi are fighting to asure your safety. You are Darth Sidious. The ones fighting in front of you are Darth Tyranus, holding his own against Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. A very skillful fighter, your apprentice is. Darth Tyranus. You are watching how the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi gets knocked unconcious by a powerful telekinetical wave that sends him into the wall. You see how Anakin Skywalker soon comes to use his anger to get the best of your apprentice. With impressive moves and a will of phrik, Anakin disarms Darth Tyranus, and you applaud. You watch how the Jedi Knight hold the two lightsabers, both his own and the one of your apprentice against the throat of Darth Tyranus. Anakin and your apprentice both look at you in terror when you utter the sentence: "Kill him" :and you speak it while smiling"
* * *
The last thing to see in the vision is how at your command, the Jedi Knight causes the head of Darth Tyranus, your apprentice, to fall to the ground and the lifeless body shortly after. The surroundings turn black once again. A whirl in reality comes around and Daran and Q'Anilia both are back in their respective bodies.
"You are now Darth Sear. You are inside a pool. In front of you is a sworn hunter of the Sith called Q'Anilia, an exiled Miraluka from an extinct world. Unarmed. You on the other hand could easily reach for your lightsaber, placed just behind you and strike. You are onboard a friendly vessel, and the act could easily be considered self-defense and could even be met by gratitude by members of the crew and most importantly: Your master"
Darth Sear brathes hard. His thoughts racing somewhat. After he regulated his breathing he opened his eyes. "My lightsaber shall remain where it is, neither entering or being thought about by me." He was letting down his guards and was relaxing. Perhaps this is what she wanted. A weak Sith. Although he had consciously accepted the Sith, sub-consciously he on several levels was unsure. Compassion will be my undoing as a Sith, he thought. Daran Trist smiled. "Please..." he settled his thoughts, closing his eyes for a moment "...continue."
"As you wish. I will continue. I warn you however that this might not be quite as pleasant"
She smiled. Not due to the fact that it would be somewhat unpleasant, but because he started to trust her. She gripped his hand tight with her right hand, but her left hand slid over his face. Again, reality twisted around them and they returned to the darkness where only they and the voice of Q'Anilia existed. The surroundings dissolved and reformed.
* * *
"You are inside an ancient building on Malachor V. You have confronted the very same Jedi exile that was punished in a former vision. Your name is Darth Sion. Behind you leads the passage to your master, another familiar name from past visions. Darth Traya. You engage the exile in battle. After a long battle, you prove yourself unkillable. The exile best you over and over again, but you stand. Not even a lightsaber can cut you down. The force holds you together. You feel the pain. You feel every strike of the saber in contact with your skin, but you do not die. You do not fall. You do not even weaken. On the inside, you are screaming in torment. On the outside, you are unkillable. Every desperate attempt by the exile to strike you down fail, even when you are bested. You are invulnerable. You are immortal. You die, but live again. However, you are not happy. You are not pleased. You are invincible, but you are unhappy"
* * *
Again, the reality twisted, the surroundings dissolving and the two return back into total darkness. Q'Anilias voice echo again, as again the surroundings dissolve and both of the twos presence is transported away again.
* * *
"You are once again Darth Nihilus. You have laid waste to an entire planet. No one opponent can destroy you. You feed on the very force. You devour the force that surrounds you. People call you a wound of the force, but you know better. You know the real word. You are power. You are wondering what chanceless world that is next to fall to your might. Your ship floats over the planet Taris. Every single habitant on the planet fear you. They fear your name. They fear your might. You on the other hand fear nothing. Fearless. You stop for no one. No one man can slay you. You are the most powerful being in the universe. You have but one thing on your mind. To feed. You are lonely. You are lost. You are an empty shell of primitive needs. To eat. To survive. What else do you need anyway? You are power. Absolute power"
* * *
The vision ends with an explosion. An explosion caused by invaders. Intruders on the ship. Then total darkness. Total silence once more and Q'Anilia floats in front of Darth Sear. Again, the reality whirls around them, and a new vision appears.
* * *
"Your name is Darth Vader. You are formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi that slayed your masters apprentice. This vision feels more real than the others for some reason. You are holding your red lightsaber and you are circling another Sith. This Sith is an incredible fighter with the saber and parts of you even fear him. His name is Darth Maul. A former apprentice of your master Darth Sidious. Darth Maul has had the upper hand so far, but a sudden twist in anger grants you the upper hand in the duel. You fight in both anger, hate and desperation. You use your emotions, not only your muscles against your opponent who a while ago seemed unstoppable. Darth Maul is famous for his ability to feed on hate and fear. Yet you succeed at using hate against him. You strike him until he comes into a state of submission. You are the winner. Darth Maul then utters: "What could you hate enough to destroy me?" :And you look him straight into the eyes trough your mask. Your breath is heavy in both exhaustion and by the limited air access that your helmet grant you. You take a deep breath and you then respond: "Myself" :as you overcome him with pure hate"
* * *
As the final words echoed trough the mind of Daran as well as Q'Anilia, they returned to the presence. Back into the bathroom. Q'Anilia then raises her head and faces Darth Sear. She lets go of his hand and lowers it beneath the surface.
"You are once again Darth Sear"
Vader hated himself? He lowered his head down. This was starting to get unpleasent. Something... wasn't quite right about the last vision, it seemed far to real to contemplate. "Vader... he hated what he had become... he had become a mechanical shell of a man, a machine. Like general Grevious, only he had the Force with him." He could have guessed what the next vision might be off but he wasn't going to try and forsee too much. "These visions, are we actually there? Are they real enought to interact with. If the next Sith we see through gets cut down, will it hurt?" He wasn't fearing for his life. He wanted to experiance this, it was will of the Force that had led him here, if not for this then perhaps he was going to be tested, a greater lesson would be at hand. Daran's eyes opened and he looked at Q'Anilia. Did he trust her enough to continue?
The Force whispered to him: "Trust is your view of a person at whole, if you believe this Seer is worth you trust, then garantee that it doesn't waver." said the disembodied voice of a Jedi Master.
Daran looked at Q'Anilia. He hoped she hadn't heard that, but of course, she would have. He nodded. "Please would you continue."
"Is that your view of Darth Vader, or the view you have been taught? Darth Vader was a tormented soul, even without the mechanical shell. Why Vader hated himself, we can only speculate. The reason the final vision was more real than the others, was because I intensified it. Vader hated himself, and no matter the reason, he did so with passion. If you keep preforming actions you will regret, Darth Vader will not be the only Sith to hate himself. I can not tell you what to do, but I can try persuade you to see the whole picture. You killed the pilot, but you proved also that the Jedi in you live still. Only if you abandon the Jedi can you embrace the Sith. If you keep going down a path you do not trust, you will destroy yourself and no one else"
Q'Anilia held his hands gently. It surprised her that this man was willing to keep the visions going, even though he seemed to know the risk of an intensified vision. She smiled when he spoke to her and she nodded as he finished.
"The visions you experience are real, but takes place in the past. They will feel as real as I permit them to be. I permit them only to be as real as required to bring forth the message. You are correct to think that a vision can harm and perhaps even kill. I have in the past suffered even physical injuries from them. Worry not, however, for I will not permit you to experience them to such a degree. You are here to be taught, not fought"
She nodded as he asked her to continue. She held his hands gently and after a deep breath, once again did the world around them dissolve into darkness. Then, from darkness into something else.
* * *
"Your name is Darth Traya. A familiar name, yes? Indeed we have had visions revolving Darth Traya before. She is a great example for many things. A great teacher for one that wish to learn both the light and the dark side. In your case, the dark side. Now be ready, for you will now feel the pain that she does. Pain is something you will have to be custom with while following the dark side.
You stand before your two apprentices. With a mere look, Darth Nihilus launches you into the wall. The impact hurts. A lot. You remain awake though. Awake enough to be sure that the one approaching you is Darth Sion. From where you sits against the wall you have been sent into, he grab you across the face with his torn hands. His level of muscles is too much for you to part. Lifting you up with one hand across your face, he then slams you into the pillar behind you. The pillar rumbles, and a crack is left in the rocky pillar from the impact. He kneels you then in the chest, with such force that once again does the pillar rumble behind you. A punch is delivered then by his right hand, and the feeling could easily be compared to having an accelerated speeder shoved straight into the face. When you think it is over, and you falls towards the ground, he grabs you. He grabs you before you even touch it and while holding your throat, he lifts you up again. Only to personally send you down with a smash, fairly equivalent to having fallen down a several levels high building. Upon landing, the ground below you cracks by the impact. You remain on the ground, humiliated and defeated by your own apprentices"
* * *
This time, the two returned back to the bathroom immediately. Q'Anilia raised her head and watched the Darth sitting in front of her.
"Why do you think I showed you that vision?"
"Sith are well known back stabbers, it is natural. Want for greater power is a path full of self wanting. I will speak of Vader, he tried to turn his son to the dark side, thinking that Luke could defeat the Emperor and then Vader planned to take the Emperors place and rule with Luke beside him. Previously in his single minded quest for power, Vader tried to defeat Obi-Wan on Mustafar, but he had overestimated hmself, his belief in his powers, or his underestimation of Obi-Wan was ultimately his failure." Darth Sear said. "I still wish to continue... (Jedireaper: Its really interesting, this is great, thank-you Q'Anilia, sorry if its a lotof trouble) ...Q'Anilia, even if I get hurt, you should have no compassion for a Sith, do not worry about me." He kept his hands in hers. His eyes brushed over her face, smiling he moved a little closer. "And I'm single too." He added with his smile. His eye's locked on where hers should be. He felt relaxed, perhaps there was another path for him. He had already disobeyed his mistress in coming, he was going to be truly punished by her.
"I do not worry about you, Darth Sear or the Sith. I worry about Daran. Your master selected an excellent Jedi to serve as her apprentice, but you are not much of a Sith. There is too much inside you that contradict it. Never the less, you are shrouded by the dark side. Purification is within reach if you only accept it, but as I said before, a choice has to be yours and yours alone. I show you only what you want to see. Me and my visions do restrict to your desire"
She smiled at him and remained where she was as he moved closer to her. Her expression altered little by his move. It was expected by her, but not entirely without surprise. She continued holding his hands, and still while she smiled she shook her head.
"Single indeed, but you are misstaking if you expect me to embrace one following the path of the dark side"
Before a chance was given for him to respond, the surroundings altered as she brought forth another vision. The visions started touching reality, feeling as real as if the person followed was the same as the person having the vision.
* * *
"Your name is Darth Maul. You have more blood on your hands from the past days than some Sith Lords have troughout an entire lifetime. You have anger, hate and willpower beyond what I imagine you know possible. Your anger does not only control you, but grant you strength. The task given to you by your master is almost complete. Only one thing stands between you and success. A witch of Dathomir. You keep a minor dialogue between one another of insignificant words, revolving who of you two is the most dangerous one. The witch is completely unaware of your true nature as the two of you clash with blades. She is chanceless and you are fueled by your rage as well as hers. You handle her as easily as you would in a near future handle a certain Qui-Gon Jinn. That is, until the fight has a sudden twist when you disarm her: "A Nightsister is never unarmed" : She utters and from her fingertips spreads agony transformed into an attack. Lighting flows from her fingers like water down a waterfall, drowning you. Incinerating you on the inside. It is pain you have not felt in years. Not since the torture, or training as it could be called, by your master Darth Sidious. She lights your very insides on fire, but inevitably you rise and defy the pain, slicing the witch in half. She dies of course, and the Black Sun shortly afterwards"
* * *
The two returned to the bathroom once more, and Q'Anilia leaned forth slightly.
"Darth Maul was a true Sith. His loyalty to his master and the dark side was infinite. He would have taken a killing blow in his masters place any time at all. Darth Maul was hate, anger and darkness basically personified. It fueled him and it drove him forth. He was the apprentice all Sith masters would wish for. He was also a puppet. You see, unlike Jedi apprentices, an apprentice of the Sith is always that. An apprentice. All until the master dies. A puppet. A blank paper, written only the way the master desires. Unlike the Jedi, the Sith can obtain absolute power. Unlike the Jedi, the Sith would come to fear the apprentice. Unlike the Jedi, the Sith do not teach out everything they know. It is true that total power can only come from the dark side, but power from the dark side always comes with a price"
Darth Sear's eyes darkened. "A puppet, so far all I have had to do is observe, my true training would begin in time." He smiled at her. "This is most insighful." He pulled his hands away for a moment, he was beginning to feel tired. "I would like to see your view of the Sith." His expression was ernest but underneath he wanted more, a typical trait of a Sith, never happy with a certain amount but wanting much more. That also could be because in the last five years he had had no true guidance as a Jedi, had not met any kind of master in the Force, had made his own way in life, making his own decisions, scrounging and running from places and people, especially the Hutts. Until, that is, he joined the Imperial Alliance. He had been taken in, recruited by a remnant of the Empire, but this faction had been different. In the wake of the New Repubic's implosion the IA had taken in Rebels, Imperials and the like, even taking in Jedi, and Dark Jedi, forcing them all to work together for a better galaxy. He looked at Q'Anilia. He had done well as a Jedi Knight on his own for years.
"My view of the Sith? Once upon a time, I thought I knew for sure. I have had many years to reflect on my thoughts and the dark side. To be a Sith is more about what you do, than what your name is. It is an incomplete philosophy still however. Looking back at my life, there are things I have done in the past that I today would consider acts of the Sith. I was young and inexperienced though, but will not use it as an excuse. Asking for my view about what the Sith is involve a wide range of various variables. Telling the difference between the Sith and dark force users is tough.
What is it you are asking me about exactly?"
Q'Anilia was facing the man before her, uncertain of what exactly to answer to his questions. Did he want visions? Answers in words? Preaching? Philosophy? Did he wish to be convinced that the path of the Sith was the wrong road? Did he perhaps wish to expand his knowledge. Perhaps did he just keep an open mind like she had advised him earlier. She may be a seer, but she respected the man enough to not snatch the answers from his mind.
Yes, he had done well on his own for years, protecting the innocent, but when the first master of the Force, other than Master Jacen Xaun, was a Lady of the Sith, Darth Banis, a beautiful, knowlegeable, intense, mistress of the Dark Side. He was happy to have, finally, someone to follow, someone to learn from, someone he could gain much skill in following. He had been lost previously. Then he was also searching the seer's advice, perhaps some of her knowlege, maybe some of her insight into the path he was taking. He smiled at her and said nothing. 'What you show me shall be your choice.'
Originally posted by Jedireaper
He kept his hands in hers. His eyes brushed over her face, smiling he moved a little closer. "And I'm single too." He added with his smile. His eye's locked on where hers should be. He felt relaxed, perhaps there was another path for him. He had already disobeyed his mistress in coming, he was going to be truly punished by her.
satana: ouch....)))
EH: Too much has happened to really explain. Just re-read the last three or so pages... it'll be worth it, and probably a good read.
DB: Oh-yea, Banis will probably give him electric shock therapy, or severe his limbs, or make him feel so much pain its excruciating, or just give him a good Force aided beating. Then again he might just get scolded by her and then given a horrible task, or given advice.. Hey, you can talk to Aya, y'know, just waiting for a resonse for her... 😄
Originally posted by JedireaperTalk to her...
"We have gotten as many drop ships as we can. Captain, we had better get out of here before they send more than frigates after us."The captain looked over as Aya and her Stormtrooper escort stepped into the round white, pristine bridge. On the viewport was the huge but dwindling space battle as IA Star Destroyers all began making their exit.
PA: "Prepare for battle! This is not a drill!"
The who ship shook from a glancing blow. Several consoles exploded in sparks. Screams of the officers were nothing but a precursor to the coming slugging match, before they could get out of the moons gravity field. "By the Force! Captain, half that entire fleet is turning for us! The rest are engaging the Mandolorians."
"Are the Dark Blade's droships on board?"
Another voice: "A minute... I read a last dropship."
The captain tore his eyes from the massing enemy ships. His expressiom bleak. "I-"
Aya stepped forward. "Pilot, take us out of here!"
The pilot's eyes brightened. "Yes, ma'am."