A New Disciple

[Sirak Kolar]

Ebon sat high in the stands of of Glee Anselm’s raunchy arena, next to him hundreds of holotapes dissecting each of the students in the academy, each desperately trying to prove themselves to one of the Sith Knights and Lords that often come to purvey new stock in their arsenal. Today was just that day for Ebon, his eye’s watching groups of acolytes come to fight and prove themselves for his enjoyment.

As two Acolytes were dragged from the arena, his eye’s wandered to the next on his list, a young female named [member="Thallai Brawsta"]. She was a 20 something year old energy vampire with a hankering for exotic weaponry. It faintly reminded Ebon of his own history under the Jedi Academy of Coruscant long ago.

​

Still, it would take more than reminding him of his past to come under his tutelage. He needed to see her in action first, long before he would consider having her become his agent in the galaxy. Quietly, he pressed the holographic button on the holopad to both call her and her nameless acolyte opponent out.

Down on the sands of the arena floor, far below Ebon, came the opposition. Their blade ignited with a grim malice, and they waited patiently in a Shi-Cho stance to face down Thallai, their sith overwatch studying their every movement.

 

[Thallai Brawsta]

Thallai tapped her fingers impatiently along the long handle of her saberstaff as she waited for her turn to spar. A master come to take an apprentice was rare enough, what with her only spending roughly a third of her time at the academy, that she was determined not miss this opportunity. Eventually, after what felt like hours, she was called out onto the sandy arena floor for her turn. Her opponent was a single-saber user, using a very basic form. She had learned some of Shii-Cho during her earliest training, but she had never been a fan of it. Too simple, too slow paced. She liked to end her fights quickly and decisively, giving her opponent little time to react.

Taking her saberstaff off her belt, Thallai spun it around as the blades ignited before bringing it down to a ready stance. Once they were signaled to begin, Thallai charged her opponent and feinted with a blow to the right shoulder with one blade before reversing the momentum of her attack and instead going for a blow to the left thigh, hoping to deal a crippling blow right at the start of the fight.

[member="Ebon"]

 

[Sirak Kolar]

The opposite acolyte had seen Thallai around the academy's grounds before and knew she was an aggressive fighter, but had never faced her before. She grunted as the first strike struck from the top, using the a rounding momentum to knock the first strike way, only to meet the second with the same fluid movement, spinning her body to match the opponents speed. As she stood, shoulder's perpendicular to Thallai's own, she threw her leg sideways to her gut, hoping to knock what wind she could from her.

However, the main strike was not what was important, but the follow through. Whether the kick landed or not, she would bring the training saber arcing over head with a grand momentum, aimed directly at her head.

High in the stands, Ebon watched with the same guttural amusement of two fighting over his attention. How desperate one can be for power that they kill their allies... Still, he wouldn't hesitate himself to do just the same. Perhaps he had been influenced more by the sith than he thought? Unlikely, he still hated that hutt Zambrano, and would have struck him down in a moments notice given the chance. His attention slowly found it's way back to the fight, watching carefully what was to happen.

[member="Thallai Brawsta"]

 

[Thallai Brawsta]

Thallai narrowed her eyes as her opponent proved more of a match than she had hoped, blocking both her strikes and countering with a kick to the gut she barely managed to managed to dodge, to say nothing of the overhand saber strike she blocked with one of the blades of her staff. However, this could wind up working in her favor, beating a stronger opponent would certainly look better than an easy win, she supposed. However, she still wanted to end this quickly if she could and she smirked behind her mask as a thought occurred to her. She let her block give a little, hoping to draw her opponent closer to her, then swung a sharp knee aimed for her opponents groin before sidestepping away from her opponent and taking another swing at her rivals thigh, this time looking to cut it off and end the fight without being forced to kill what should be an ally.

[member="Ebon"]

 

[Sirak Kolar]

The opposing acolyte may have expected a harsh counter attack, but she hardly expected the block to be apart of it, finding themselves off balance as the swing flew too far forward. As quickly as they realized the ruse, her eye's watered as a knee connected with her groin, either hand moving to hold her fresh bruise. Still, the slash for their leg couldn't be stopped at this point. The training sabers violently ripped through her leg, burning the skin as it passed. The acolyte screamed out in pain and fell to the ground, cries of torture emanating through the sandy hall.

A short fight, and Thallai had won it.

High in the stands Ebon watched the fight end so quickly, his brow raising. He could see they were both some of the most promising candidates, but to overcome the other so quickly was a feat in itself. He grinned faintly before making his way down to arena level with the two competitors, his black robes swaying softly in the draft of it's massive ceiling. He called out to Thallai with a grim but inviting greeting;

"Congratulations on your victory, Acolyte.", he said, motioning to the fallen, writhing individual next to her, "You did well."

Still, his eye's wandered to the collapsed form for a moment, almost disgusted. Once more, he offered a momentary pause before speaking;

"What do you think of her? Your fallen opponent?"

[member="Thallai Brawsta"]

 

[Thallai Brawsta]

Thallai grinned in fierce satisfaction as her training blade cut into her opponents thigh, ending the fight. Deactivating her weapon, Thallai waited with barely concealed nervousness until the knight they had been sparring for appeared on the sandy floor of the arena. She bowed when the Zabrak appeared, then glanced over at her opponent when he questioned her about the writhing acolyte. "She won't fall for that again, and with a prosthetic replacement for the leg she'll be a better warrior for it. A far better outcome, I believe, than killing her would have been, my lord." she said, her tone calm and respectful. She sincerely hoped the effort wouldn't go to waste, either by the Sith Knight killing the fallen acolyte or by her opponent doing something stupid once she was recovered.

[member="Ebon"]

 

[Sirak Kolar]

"She won't fall for that again, and with a prosthetic replacement for the leg she'll be a better warrior for it.”

He grinned back at her smile, his fanged yellow teeth menacingly gleaming in the artificial light that descended on them.

“A far better outcome, I believe, than killing her would have been, my lord."

The massive zabrak’s eyes glinted for a moment before he responded, slowly enunciating each word;

“She will not need a new leg, as your saber only burned her, however it would be a waste regardless.”, he spoke.

“Tell me, who are you?”

[member="Thallai Brawsta"]

 

[Thallai Brawsta]

Thallai looked down at the injured acolyte as the Sith Knight spoke. Her injury was more minor than Thallai had anticipated, but she supposed the result had been the same. At his question, however, she looked up at him. "I am Thallai Brawsta, an energy vampire raised in an orphanage on Tython, brought into the ways of the Sith when they conquered Tython and found I was force sensitive. I'm part of the Sith Inquisition now, but still in search of a proper master to complete my training. The Inquisition...can only do so much for that." she said, her tone calm and respectful, though she had been surprised at the question and wondered if she had perhaps mistook his meaning. Either way, she fell silent and awaited his answer.

 

[Sirak Kolar]

And Ebon's answer would come.

His harshness took many forms, in his features, in his size, and his fighting, but in this moment it was his presence. Harsh teeth broke through crooked lips, and he offered her nothing more than a horrid grin for a few moments before speaking once more, his voice the same tightly held, enunciated, deepness that it was;

"And what of your aspirations, Acolyte?"

His body language implied he was toying with her, but his tone said otherwise. Through this all, the soft chirps of a broken opponent lay to their side, quietly fidgeting from the pain they endured still.

[member="Thallai Brawsta"]

 

[Thallai Brawsta]

Thallai cocked her head to the side at the knights question, unsure of whether or not he was messing with her. His body language said he probably was, but his tone was more serious. She chose to listen to the voice rather than the body language, for now at least, though she spared a glance for her defeated opponent. "Safety. Not for myself, but for the entire galaxy. I'm...my species live for a very long time, so I can afford to be patient and learn as much as I can, grow stronger, I don't have to seek power as aggressively or as quickly as most." she said, her voice calm as she spoke, though she glanced down at her opponent again. "Should we send her to a healer?"

[member="Ebon"]

(apologies for delay, was busy)

 

[Sirak Kolar]

Ebon’s smile retained it’s wicked stance, his body shifting it’s weight to one side, either of his hands crossing over his chest. Quietly, one of the tazerblades he held on his person unsheathed itself, influenced by the force to behold itself infront of Thallai.

“You’re soft, my child. The power of the sith comes through passion.”

His amber eye’s glanced to the acolyte, then back to Thallai, pausing for a moment in his monolauge before continuing.

“This shall be your first lesson. Kill your opponent to prove not only your loyalty, but your dedication to power.”

“If you can do so, I shall take you on as my apprentice.”

The tazer blade continued to float in front of her, Ebon’s ever brooding sensation covering the small arena they were in.



[member="Thallai Brawsta"]

 

[Thallai Brawsta]

Thallai gave the knight an even stare as he called her soft, then watched as he used the force to raise a sword of some kind up in front of her. At his order, her expression turned grim and she reached up to take the weapon before stepping over to her fallen opponent. "Thank you. With your fall, I will rise." she said quietly to her opponent, before she thrust the blade into her opponents chest, ending her life. She watched silently as the life faded from the eyes of her opponent before she withdrew the blade and turned to face the knight, handing him back his weapon. "There." she said, her tone calm and patient as she waited for a response.

[member="Ebon"]

 

[Sirak Kolar]

"The road to darkness is short, but the road to true power is a long one."

His eye's wandered over her slender form before he spoke again.

"Keep in mind who your master is while I guide you, and we'll get along wonderfully."

He slowly grabbed the weapon, holstering it behind his black cloak before motioning her to follow him from the arena. He continued to talk as they went through the hallways, a mixture of ancient architecture and designs, to modern electrical systems and computers.

"I will allow you the freedom to do as you wish, but I shall occasionally have need of your services. Training will not take on a regime, but will have to be done when you see fit. Your path will go at your pace, not mine."

"And one more thing...", he said, stopping and glancing back to her. His gaunt, scarred cheeks offered a small hint at the deadliness in his voice, with deadlocked eye's backing them up.

"Don't ever disobey me."

[member="Thallai Brawsta"]

 

[Thallai Brawsta]

Thallai remained silent as her new master motioned for her to follow him. He was an interesting study and she wondered if she would be like him after her training, seemingly dead inside. Then she remembered the fear she had felt when the Sith had taken Tython, the terror in the eyes of the children who she had tried to comfort as the sounds of conflict raged around them. No, she decided, she would not allow the Dark Side to consume her, that was not why she craved power. She craved power, needed it, to make sure no one would experience such fear under her protection.

As they walked down the hall, she nodded at his comment about the training proceeding at her pace. "That is well. I am part of the Inquisition as well, and they call on me as well." she said, before giving him another look at his final comment. "That goes without saying, Master." she said, not showing much reaction to the implied threat. Threats weren't merely something she was used too, they were something she expected from anyone with any power at all. Especially amongst the Sith, where power trumped everything else in the minds of most of the people. Then a thought occurred to her. "Master, I just realized something. I don't know your name."

[member="Ebon"]

 

[Sirak Kolar]

Ebon's eye's flickered for a moment before nodding slowly. The doors in front of them opened with a sharp hiss, laying a foundation for his own guttural eminence.

"There's a reason for that, Apprentice.", remarked, coyness permeating his voice.

"You shall call me Ebon, as all others do. Does this fit?"

He glanced back to her, judging not only her reaction to what he said, but once more judging the way she carried herself.

[member="Thallai Brawsta"]

 

[Thallai Brawsta]

Thallai cocked her head to side as her master commented that there was a reason she didn't know his name, though when she gave her a pseudonym, unless his parents were just cruel and Ebon was actually his name, she simply nodded. Secrecy seemed to be as natural as breathing to many Sith, and she rarely volunteered her own name unless it was to a superior, and as soon as she was strong enough to earn a proper pseudonym she'd use that and only that. "It fits fine, Master. Suitable for a Sith and less....overtly dramatic than many I've heard." she said, her lips twitching in amusement. As they walked through the door, she ventured a question. "Master, if it is not impertinent, I know little of your abilities, and thus I don't where I should focus during my apprenticeship under you." she said. It wasn't quite a question about his capabilities, but the query was implied in her statement.

[member="Ebon"]

(I keep forgetting to add the mention. <_>)

 

[Sirak Kolar]

"Martial Prowess, young one. Power through posture.", he offered.

He walked through the door that opened before them, opening up to a small marine vessel bay with a single bay filled. A slender ship, black with a all glass ceiling, likely for an amusing ride to and fro from the academy.

"Lightsabers of all degree, and the forms to accompany them. If you wish to learn it, I shall find the knowledge for you to press forward."

His eye's glanced to her as they wandered to the submarine. It's gates opened with the same hiss as before, implying it too was pressurized.

[member="Thallai Brawsta"]

(Sorry, I'm getting bad at responding due to IRL. I'll try and keep up!)

 

[Thallai Brawsta]

Thallai fell silent as she followed Ebon through the academy, listening to him list the things he could teach her, an eager grin spreading as she listened. "Excellent, Master. There is much I wish to learn, of both the Force and the Saber, and other forms of combat as well." she said as the doors of the submarine opened. "I know many of our order prefer to abstain from more.....mundane tools, feeling them to be a weakness." she said, before grimacing slightly. "I'll admit, I never understood that feeling. There is much power to be gained through the force, yes, but these other tools certainly have their uses as well." she said, daring to venture an opinion to her master, though she watched him to see his reaction.

[member="Ebon"]

(I've been having much the same thing happening. :/)