A Path Fuelled by Passion

[guest.224]

Never before had it been known: for Vahliath to willingly invite another entity into the domain of a world he came to call home. She wasn’t just any old exception, though. She, who held no name to his knowledge; just a set of radio codes, provided by a superior authority who swore the two were fated to align their paths. A path fuelled by passion; by strength, power, victory— following a code only one grand and ancient force went by. One they’d come to know and cherish as they progressed in its teachings, arts and mysteries, giving them access to unimaginable power: the Code of the Sith.

Vahliath wasn’t hesitant in broadcasting the coordinates of his location. As he sat with the facility upon Tendril-4, the woodland planet which homed him and his primary base of operations, technology done its part in reaching out to her, wherever she may have been in that vast, wondrous galaxy. Coordinates came in the form of a radio frequency, limited only to those radio codes Vahliath had had been told were hers. Together, they’d come to train. Train in the side of a source so ancient and powerful, eons of conflict couldn’t shake the faith of its existence. Those who followed the Sith beliefs would never lose faith, so long as they maintained passion — determination. Vahliath had a lot of that. Did she?

“There’s not much I know about her, other than she’s a girl. They say the Force side is vibrant with her, and she’s passionate in exercising it.” Vahliath spoke more to himself than the Magnaguard standing idly by his side. Crimson lenses fixated upon the screen before Vahliath, which he himself observed through a pair of spectacles. His broadcast had made contact, but there was no sign of creating a communication link. It have the lead up to her arrival that extra pinch of suspense, one that pulsed through his body like an adrenaline rush. Maybe it was the Midichlorians preparing themselves for what his brain was telling them: a union basked in the horizon, two opposites attracted by a Force which pulled them together. Hazel gems stared intensely at the screen. Nonetheless, Vahliath wasn’t nervous. Excited, yes, but not nervous. If anything, it felt as if a void was being filled. Lost kin meeting for the first time. They both had something to gain from this. If not a friendship, then knowledge in power. Power which could give them strength. Focus. Vahliath sat back in his chair, waiting for that desired ‘bleep!’ to emanate from his monitor. When it did, it meant she was about to make her descent into the atmosphere . . . and thus begin their voyage into unknown territories.

[member="Alm"]

 

[Eurydice]

Alm hadn’t had much time to prepare for her journey to Tendril-4. Though she was becoming rapidly adept with technology given her upbringing, it didn’t exactly integrated into her daily life seamlessly. Often she forgot that many of her questions could be answered with a simple Holonet search.

Someday, she hoped, her people would come to completely embrace the modern ways of the galaxy.

Her corvette touched down near the facility where her coordinates tracked to, and at some point before landing she’d pinged [member="Vahliath Imperious "]to alert him that she was on her way. She knew next to nothing about him other than that he was a scientist like Vereshin—as pleasant as the former had been, she tended to feel somewhat intimidated by these types. Scientists were smart, they knew about things on an intricate level that made Alm’s head spin. The Nasvali didn’t know about genetics or particles or physics but she knew how to live off of the land and survive in the mountains.

Exiting her ship, the young woman smoothed back her hair and nervously tugged at the hem of her shirt. She was unused to wearing modern clothes and found that most of them were rather short on her tall frame. Still, she wanted to look more like a modern woman and not some mountain child who could barely speak Basic.

She could kind of speak Basic. Enough to understand and be understood, mostly.

Well, ah, she was getting better.

[member="Vahliath Imperious"]

 

[guest.224]

And there it was: that long-awaited ping, thus signifying her arrival. Vahliath could see her craft descending from the heavens through the window. A thousand expectations felt to have swept through his mind, countless possibilities on what he would come to see when he finally met her. Another ping on his monitor confirmed her craft had touched down in the hangar within the western wing. Vahliath switched off the device before him, and he sat back for a moment as the black screen filled his vision, filling his mind with contemplation. He could feel it: a sway in the Force. It only felt subtle when she first came close to his facility; now she was actually inside, the pendulum swayed violently in disturbance, something he hadn’t felt in a while. Not since—

“Stay here.” Vahliath ordered as he came to rise from the chair. He straightened his coat over his shoulders, and it fell neatly over his frame, portraying sophistication to his physique. The Magnaguard looked in wonder, for never had it seen him prepare to greet another within the domain of Tendril-4. As ordered, however, it would stay out of sight. Leave organic beings to interact without the interference of artificial intelligence. Vahliath made his way to the hangar at an easy pace. It didn’t take long for him to reach it; however, when he did, he came to an abrupt halt just inches past a doorframe. There she was - only meters away from him. Hazel gems wandered her frame, taking in the aspects of her design. She wasn’t what he expected, but then again, what was he expecting? A woman in robes, or even a droid? He’d be lying if he said he didn’t. Slowly but surely, he closed the distance between them, until all but a few feet divided them. If the balance of the Force swayed in her presence, how powerful would training make them?

“You must be my partner. It’s good to meet you.” Vahliath confessed so formally, his expression of utter seriousness. Professionalism. “My name is Vahliath. Vahliath Impèrious. I haven’t been told your name yet. May I ask what it is?”

[member="Alm"]

 

[Eurydice]

A proper looking man with silvery white hair came to meet Alm at the threshold and introduced himself. A bit startled, the young woman’s eyes widened as she took a moment to process his speech in her mind. Although she was getting better, Basic was such a tricky tongue.

“Vah-liath Imp…im-pèrious.” She sounded his name out before nodding. One thing that continued to surprise her was how long some names turned out to be. Names were shorter on Manas and only higher caste families had surnames.

She paused to give him a curious once-over. Formal clothes, good posture and slim physique. Alm by contrast was taller, lankier and altogether an awkward adolescent with gangly limbs, a baby face and stony eyes.

“My name is Alm.” It was one of the few complete and grammatically correct sentences she knew.

“It is good meeting, yes.” She gestured around her. “Your home, very nice.”

The least she could do was try and be polite.

[member="Vahliath Imperious"]

 

[guest.224]

There was a brief moment of silence while Vahliath analysed her - optically. His eyes wandered her frame, taking note of every distinct feature on her body. "Alm," he repeated back to himself in thought. A short, simple name - easy to tongue. His ears weren’t deaf to her vocabulary; she had a distinct stutter he’d heard about before, one associated with an inability to master the Basic tongue. He remained positive in the form of a subtle smile, one hand gestured to his chest, thus signifying he was referring to himself.

“You can call me Vahl’ - for short. It’s nice to meet you, Alm. Why don’t you come inside?” He empahsised inside, using a hand signal to gesture to the doorway behind him. He want about to give up becuase she was untrained in the Basic tongue. If he had to, he’d train her. After all, that was what they were there to do: train. In more ways than one.

[member="Alm"]

 

[Eurydice]

Alm nodded. “Vahl.” She liked that—monosyllabic and easy for her to remember. At the very least, she was glad that he was friendly though this didn’t quite reflect what was on her face. Poor Alm was afflicted with what one may call ‘chronic queen face’, as in, her default resting face made her look angry or displeased. In reality, the young woman wasn’t really aware of the aura she exuded.

Vahl didn’t seem perturbed though and invited her into his home. “Yes, thank you.” Though her words were broken and thickly accented, she understood more than she spoke and managed to communicate decently. Some situations were more difficult than others.

The Nasvali followed Vahl into his home, stone eyes softened with curiosity as she took in the view. “This, place. Everything belonging Vahl? What you do?” Alm was interested in his occupation. She knew that he dealt in science but didn’t have the knowledge to delve into specifics.

[member="Vahliath Imperious"]

 

[guest.224]

It was in his lab that Alm hinted curiosity to Vahlaith’s claim to the technology, to which he turned around to face her. Her broken dialect never phased his ability of comprehension; whatever her background or reason, he emphasised. He slowly dipped his head before verbally replying.

“That’s right. Everything belongs to Vahl. I’m scientist. Engineer. Biologist. That, not so important, though. Today, we train. Dark Side training. Wait here - one moment?”

Vahliath would be lying to himself if he said it wasn’t hard to try and lower his vocabulary to her level of understanding. He was used to big words, of course being a scientist. That came with the job, for there were a million different ways and phrases to say what he studied in that vast galaxy of theirs. He walked past the Magnaguard, dropping his trench coat into its hand. He proceeded past the droid and turned left towards a panel on the wall. Upon pressing it, a door opened, and Vahliath stepped inside where he remained for a good five minutes. Today, he wasn’t out to wear anything too formal, as Alm would soon come to discover when he finally stepped out of the room. When he did, his attire consisted of something different than the formal fabrics he donned earlier. His attire consisted of something close to a short, grey tunic suit blazer, unbuttoned and neatly fitted around his shoulders. The sleeves were generously loose, topped off with a pair of grey, fitted gloves. Beneath that blazer, a white shirt hung loose over his torso, giving sight to the top of his sternum. His legs carried a pair of grey trousers, and his feet held a pair of black boots which disappeared underneath the fabric of them. Okay, maybe it was a little bit formal, but it was also flexible. To top off that change of uniform, Vahliath held something in hands: a bag. A bag filled with clothes, which he offered to Alm in a stretch of his arm, hazel eyes gazing directly at her.

“You need— clothes?” He said, tugging at the blazer to use as an example. Hopefully she’d understand him.

[member="Alm"]

 

[Eurydice]

Alm nodded in understanding, watching silently as Vahl disappeared inside a room. The young Nasvali was a hunter, trained to quietly observe her surroundings in any given situation. Part of why her people tended not to be chatty stemmed from reading body language.

When he reappeared, Alm regarded him with the same curious look. Her gaze swept down to the bag and then to the blazer. She understood what he was offering.

“No.” She answered evenly. “I have clothes.”

Though she often had trouble finding clothing offworld tailored to her taller frame, Alm found that she liked many of the modern styles she’d come across. In Sel, Manas’s most modern city, fashionable clothes made for her people were more commonplace. Alm had only spent a few months in the city before leaving the planet, figuring that she’d have to stock up on her next trip home.

Whenever that was.

“Training begins, yes? What first?”

[member="Vahliath Imperious"]

 

[guest.224]

"--Concentration." Vahliath said, putting the clothes of a tableside to his right. For him, this was a vital point of their training, and one he would ensure with one hundred percent of his dedication. He gestured to a doorway behind him, as he himself turned to it. He didn't delay in walking towards it; several taps of his digits against the panels later, the cold breath of the outside air hissed against his flesh as it filled his office, moving around him. His facility was surrounded by forestation - wilderness. That same door he opened led into it, towards a place he felt was brilliant to train. But not before ensuring Alm would follow behind him. As he stepped out into the wilds, his head motioned to the left, a hazel gem peering past his shoulder to stare back at her. "Come, Alm. I'll show somewhere perfect for us." Vahliath said with such sophistication. Professionalism. Determination and devotion was definitely among him in these regards, for if they weren't, their training would surely fail.

Vahliath led on into the wilderness, moving into the trees. The Magnaguard within the office remained where it was, watching with prying eyes right up until Alm left the confines of the facility and stepped out into the world. Vahliath maintained a steady pace for her to keep up with. Eventually, they entered an almost perfect clearing of the trees, entering a circular domain clear of any forest life. Just plant-less soils sat beneath their feet, stretching for metres in a circular formation, almost artificial, as if it had been carved into the forest. Maybe that was true, but Vahliath didn't say anything about it. He walked into the centre of the area, away from the high standing trees they once walked amongst. When it reached his desired destination, he turned back to Alm, staring at her in a moment of prolonged silence before a word escaped his lips. It was like him to be analytical towards those he didn't know, but this observation he had on her was something different. Like he knew something inside her was begging to come out.

"Do you have a weapon?"

[member="Alm"]

 

[Eurydice]

Concentration. That wasn’t what she had expected, but then again she’d experienced many strange things from the Sith. They were a mixed bag—some emphasized power and cruelty while others like Lord Fa preferred to rely on their cunning.

“Okay.” She took a step back as the doorway registered whatever he had keyed into it and opened to reveal a forested area. Again with the unexpected gestures, but this was one that Alm could appreciate at a deeper level. As she stepped out onto the new terrain, the young Nasvalo inhaled deeply. Pine. Birch. Perhaps a hint of Laakwai? Alm was a hunter, born in the wild mountains of Manas. Though so far this area seemed a little flatter than she was used to, Alm was in her element.

As Vahl walked into the center of the circular clearing and stared at her in silence, Alm gazed passively back. Something in her was more at home.

“Yes.” She answered, reaching for the war hammer that was strapped to her back. It was rather large and heavy for someone who didn’t have her sort of strength, unwieldy to most other than others of her race. Her hand wrapped around the hilt of the iron weapon, drawing it from her back so that it stood head angled down towards the ground.

“We will fight?” She inquired, eyes searching Vahl for any indication of a weapon he was carrying. Perhaps he was not the sort to fight with sabers or blades—maybe he preferred creative uses of the force and Sith magic.

[member="Vahliath Imperious"]

 

[guest.224]

Vahliath knew better than not to judge a book by its cover; or, in this case, a woman by her size. When he saw the hefty hammer in her grasp, he was in a state of awe. Uniqueness, not to use Lightsaber was admirable, and contradicted most stereotypes towards Sith followers. He was glad to have come across her. "Something - like fighting. Yes." Vahliath replied. Truth be told, talking in a more simpler manner was a lot more harder than what was expected, for he felt that he was constantly having to hold back his tongue, lest he say a word she couldn't understand. It was good mental training, though. More experience that he could learn from, as well as her. Unlike Alm, Vahliath never drew a weapon. If she was well attuned with the Force, she'd fell in thicken in the air. It wasn't strong, but it wasn't weak, either. Just enough to be associated with the Dark Side, twisted in its nature and power. Suddenly, several rocks elevated from the ground, some considered pebbles, while others were hefty, almost as big as Vahliath's head. Altogether, there were at least seven distinct objects which came to elevate around Vahliath. Through focus, he maintained their elevation for the moment, allowing them to linger around him like the centre of gravity. He maintained his hazel gaze at Alm.

"Speed. Focus. I'd like us to make them priority-" Hm, perhaps she didn't know that word. Priority. "Make them most important to grow." He attempted to simplify. "Try to attack me. Your weapon - use it. Try to hit me with it - if you are able." This would be a lesson for them both, not just for her. For Vahliath, he was learning to use the Force in a prolonged period of time, while he expected Alm to focus on her ability to carry that weapon through evasion and reach her target: Vahliath himself. Vahliath instigated their training through those several rocks and boulders, hurling them towards her with a momentum built up from the Force, making them move at a more accelerated form of speed.

[member="Alm"]

 

[Eurydice]

Alm studied Vahl as he spoke. Though she had a temper, the Nasvalo was slow to anger—patience was a trait taught among her people, hunters especially. It was a skill essential to tracking prey, learning habits and figuring out where their vulnerabilities were. Though Alm had not been tracking Vahl for weeks, she had to do a slapdash assessment on her opponent.

Several stones of varying size lifted themselves from the ground, and in this Alm recognized telekinesis. It was a basic ability that crossed all alignments of the Force, whether it be light, dark or somewhere in between.

So it was a test of speed and agility. “I see.”

She would start easy, a litmus test of sorts to gage her opponent. Alm strode forward, once, twice before breaking into a run, hammer still held low. The floating rocks were in the periphery of her mind.

[member="Vahliath Imperious"]