Private Apprentice Rising

[Kyyrk]

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R E T U R N
Continued from Darkness calls to Darkness​

After the struggle with a band of Mercenaries mere hours ago, Voph had carried his unconscious new companion to his ship. Wasting no time in departing, the Obsidian Star soon docked with Voph's flagship, The Desolation. Adilya Solveig was taken to the medbay where she could be monitored in case her condition worsened. Voph didn't expect that it would. Blacking out due to over-stress of the Force typically did not have lasting effects on the user. But, there was a first time for everything. Though there were medical droids on duty, Voph left specific instructions that Darcy was to monitor the girl, and escort her to him when she awoke.​

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When the girl did come to, she would find herself alone in a private room, sparsely decorated. A new set of clothes were laid on a chair near by, should she desire a change. Voph hadn't had the time to assess how well off she was, but after living on the streets, it may be time for a change. Or at the very least, something to wear while her other clothes received a much needed wash. When Adilya showed signs of movement, a soft, lilting voice filled the otherwise empty room. "Welcome aboard the Desolation, Mistress Solveig." Darcy did not engage her usual holographic appearance module as the recipient was blind. "I'm Darcy. Boss's assistant Artificial Intelligence. I've been asked to escort you to him when you're ready."​

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[Adilya Solveig]

Kyyrk

Her dreams where dark — lonely. She dreamt of her time in exile, the exile that her Father sentenced her too; night after night crying herself to sleep. She remembered the feeling of “if only” she could somehow fix herself, she could be loved again. Her outward body, lay peacefully as every once and a while a small moan would escape her lips.

The darkness soon overtook her dreams.

She recalled in her dream world the moment of her infilling of the dark side. It felt, good... and she wanted more. She stood looking at the scene now, as she observed her body, only for a woman’s voice to stir Adi from her slumber. She darted upwards as she tried to gain clarity on her surroundings. They were aboard a ship... but for once she was now a passenger, not a stow away. Adi was shown to the lavatory, as the assistant helped to clean and get Adilya ready for Voph. She pulled the new clothes on, feeling the clean material on her.... and as she moved to put her eye covering back on, she hesitated as she gripped the white gold eye covering. Did she want to wear this emblem? This thing, that tied her to the family that did this? For now, no, she was too frustrated. Adi instead requested for a simple silk eye cover for the time being. Shortly once she became situated, Darcy began to escort her to Voph. As they came to another door, Adi heard Darcy address Voph... Adi simply standing there as she had the evening they’d met prior... but now cleaned and refreshed. “Voph,... thank you for the clothing... I uh —...” She bowed her head and bent forward slightly as her hands moved to her thighs, situating herself into a formal bow. “I apologize for my outburst, I - I lost control and - didn’t know how to control what was happening to me. That’s never happened before.”

 

[Kyyrk]

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J O U R N E Y​

Adilya was not the only one refreshing herself after the events on the planet. Voph's hair was tied back into the usual strict ponytail, leaving his face framed amidst all the scars that adorned it. When Adilya walked into the room, he had stripped away much of the armor that he had worn the day previous, and instead wore a simple tunic, black and unassuming. The room he was in was clearly a part of the captain's suite. One wall was a large transparisteel window, looking down upon the ship below. The rest of the room, a large workshop.​

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"...and the rest of the delegation?"​

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"Residing upon Scarif, and Viceroy Hester's request."​

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Voph nodded once at this, hunched over a gauntlet upon his work bench. The hooded figure that spoke with him stood at his shoulder, arms folded over his chest. He turned, however, when the girl entered the room. Voph remained as he was, fixing whatever armoring lay before him. He paused, however, as Adilya entered the room. ​

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"The Council shall remain here. The Black Star nears completion. Go now. Let me finish my work in peace."​

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The man bowed stiffly, and strode off, offering a small nod of greeting to the girl as he left. Voph didn't turn, instead staring out at the blue vortex of hyperspace beyond the window. "You should consider yourself lucky. Not all encounters with the Force are so...beneficial. But do not apologize. Such is natural when the Force flows through you so freely. So...untamed." Voph stood, lifting the gauntlet to carry it to a waiting suit of armor. "Welcome aboard the Desolation. We are returning to Naboo. Capital of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. My...home, for whatever that term may mean to people like us."​

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Adilya Solveig ​

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[Adilya Solveig]

Kyyrk

Lucky, she did consider herself so when she thought of the fact that her path had crossed with Vophs. She remained quiet as he spoke those towards to her. He was right; she shouldn’t be sorry for allowing what she had been endowed... did she have a natural talent within this force? All she knew, was the power she had felt, at the moment that she pushed into it, and the man exploded like a bomb, she had never .... felt more invigorated. “I wish to learn about such things Voph.... I want to know how to control, and do what I did intentionally.... not by chance. Will I learn these things from the ones you are taking me too?” She accepted it back on the streets when he stated he had things of importance to attend too... she wouldn’t push — she trusted him to be present when he would be.

Home.

The word stirred visible and easily read emotions of disgust and hate. Her father sent those men, something had to be done. “What will we do if this incident... if the mercenary wasn’t bluffing, my father would have received notice and will try again. I’m not going back.” She paused as she turned, her arms crossing just slightly as her right hand came to her mouth, nibbling on her thumb; perhaps the most normal, and young adult thing she had done so far... she was relaxing, she felt safe with Voph. She spoke, almost as if however she was speaking . “What I don’t understand is why now? After all this time, and after he chose to exile me... why.” She turned again, and spoke with more of an even tone, but more intently and directly this time. “Wherever you call home, so shall I.”

 

[Kyyrk]

M A N T L E​

Voph frowned to himself slightly as he fitted the gauntlet onto the suit of armor. He stepped back, as if assessing his work for a moment, dusting his gloved hands together. He knew that if more mercenaries were sent, it would be of little consequence. They would be dealt with. Adi was, if only unofficially in the immediate moment, a member of the Confederacy. And the Confederacy protected their own. And in time, she would learn how to handle herself. Voph brushed his hand across the chestplate of the armor before him. His fingers lingered over where the heart would be. "No. Those I take you to will only see to your education. They will only teach you of the mundane. They themselves have no ambitions to weave great tapestries in the Force."

Voph fell silent for a moment, pressing his hand against the chest of the armor, running his palm along it till it rested upon the shoulder at the base of the neck. Voph drew a breath, then sighed. He began to speak, of history or memory, it was not clear. "The Force is powerful. And terrible. And capable of feats beyond your wildest imaginations. And when you are finished, the power to rend flesh like water upon duracrete will seem trivial."

Voph turned, hand still upon the shoulder of the armor. Though he did not look at Adi. "Fear. Primal. Rampant. All consuming. Driving the mightiest of warriors to wallow in the dirt like animals." Oricon. The Dread War. Whether Adi knew of it or not, she would come to learn. "Those that faced the might of the Dread Masters were forever changed. The Force having awakened their deepest fears, and fed them until their minds broke." Voph's hand slipped from the armor as he continued to stare at a point on the floor.

"Determination. Strong and unyielding. Ripping starships from the sky, or leveling the mightiest of mountains. Even mighty dreadnoughts have fallen prey to the Force. Ripped in two by sheer force of will. But perhaps the most dire...Hunger. The very darkness you seek to serve. Entire planets consumed to sate its hunger. Nought but ash and ruin left behind."

Voph turned to look at Adi. "Perhaps one day you shall learn how to do all this, and more. In time. When you are ready." Voph drew a deep breath, stepping back to look over the new armor once more. "But for now, perhaps it best to focus on your present, not your future. And worry not of your father, little one." Voph stepped back, placing a hand on Adi's shoulder. The force flowed through him, allowing the girl to see as he saw, for a brief moment. The Desolation had arrived at Naboo. And against the mighty fleets that lie in wait around the Confederacy's capital planet, even the Desolation seemed small. "Whatever he may send to find you, they will have more than you or I to concern themselves with..."

Adilya Solveig

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[Adilya Solveig]

Kyyrk

Adi listened with extreme interest as Voph told of what one that wielded such a power was capable of. She being an individual of small stature, it was hard to imagine being able to do such things... but when she thought back to the moment of explosion, her body buzzed with what only she could imagine was still a high off of what she would, be able to do. Still, the power to do, and act as one willed seemed to also be a terrifying aspect, for in her heart, she didn’t know how she would handle such a power.


As he put his hand on her shoulder, a small gasp escaped from her lips as she saw with utter clarity how Voph did. It was — unique, but it held such detail... it was as if nothing escaped his sight. He spoke of the CIS, and she felt for once, now at peace with the words he spoke. She had protection of an entire organization, and... she had Voph, whom by this short period of time, she had grown rather fond of. “I understand Voph. Do you know of what I shall be studying?...” She noticed and understood how he seemed to operate. Much like her father, he had a system. She needed to be educated in the ‘mundane’ to achieve and know of the extraordinary things. She wouldn’t push for more, but I’m her mind, she was ready, she thirsted for knowledge and wanted to grow now more than she ever had before.

 

[Kyyrk]

B L E S S I N G
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Voph withdrew his hand from the girl's shoulder. She posed the question to him of what she would learn. What the monks would teach her. Frankly? He did not know, nor did he care. They would teach her what she needed to know. Nothing more, nothing less. "You will study whatever the Monks deem necessary for a successful life. Mathematics, History, the like. Your time with the monks will be relatively uninspiring, I feel." Voph turned back to the suit of armor. There was but one piece missing.

Voph pulled his gloves off, revealing a glint of white metal from his left hand. A cybernetic. One that, upon further inspection, reached to his elbow. A consequence of the path the man had chosen, he was no longer whole, nor would he ever be for the rest of his days. Even so, it did not seem out of place. Not against the ripples of flesh adorning the man's body. The multitude of scars that decorated his body from head to toe. "Your training in the matters of importance...I shall see to directly."

Voph stepped towards the armor once more, and reached out to place his hand upon the chest. A soft glow visible to Adilya began to shine from beneath his hand. The Force itself was wrapping and twisting about his arm and hand, and becoming one with the armor. Voph murmured something under his breath, an incantation of some kind, given the tone and rhythm of his voice. A soft, musical language. One that may seem familiar to the girl. But then again, perhaps not.

After a moment, Voph withdrew his hand, standing as if to survey his work. "I think it's finished." He said, drawing his hand across the shoulder as if to brush dust from it. "In time, we will have to fashion something for you. But for the time being, your robes will suffice." Voph turned to look at the girl one last time as an announcement rang out through the ship. They had arrived at Naboo. "The galaxy is a dangerous place. We had best start learning how to defend yourself."

Adilya Solveig



Chaos NaNo: 355 Words

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[Adilya Solveig]

Kyyrk

Adi thought back to life before this; it seeming foreign now. She felt, at least her studies regarding scholarly subjects had been well to-do, but standing before this man and the knowledge he seemed to have of things pertaining to life, death and the force — she knew there was unfortunately more to learn. The things pertaining the force, the studies she would undergo with Voph — she craved for; her bones ached with anticipation, with the promise of spending more time with this man — the word ‘master’ seemed to linger more and more on the tip of her tongue, but she dared not speak it yet, not until she fully knew the nature of this. She was silent the remainder of the time, listening to the melodic tone that Voph spoke aloud... it was familiar, but where she had heard it, she couldn’t remember. The atmosphere in the room was relaxing, safe.... but her mind wouldn’t leave her be. She walked some way from Voph, her hand out slightly as she walked along the contours of the room. “Voph...” Softly speaking his name as she contemplated how to ask the question she sought answers from. “Earlier, when we first met, you spoke of a price I would have to pay — a price that would be exacted if I follow this path. What price earlier did you speak of?” She turned slightly towards him — her hands at her side as they came up and she removed the golden covering to her eyes, once again bearing herself as she spoke. “Is it that I swear myself, my soul, heart and will to you, as a Master? If this is the case, then all that I am, I give it freely to the one that has already saved me... or, is the price higher? I wish to know before I depart from you, please.” She could feel the ship docking following the announcement, it was time, time to learn — time to embark on her first steps to a journey that was guided this time. She was ready.

 

[Kyyrk]

P R I C E
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Voph paused visibly, as he had removed his tunic to reveal a bodyglove beneath it. It would seem he intended to don the armor immediately. But his hand paused above the workbench as the girl asked her question. All that I am, I give it freely. Voph frowned at this. And the girl had removed her blindfold. She meant what she said. Voph remained still for a moment, then finished placing the tunic on the workbench. "Four hundred thousand, Three hundred Seventy Two." A simple enough number, even if spoken without context. Voph turned to just barely look over his shoulder, and reached up to return the gesture. Whatever he was about to say, he normally held in the highest confidence. It would not be proper to repeat it.

"That is how many gave their lives in service to me. Over one war, or the next. Four Hundred Thousand dead, because they swore unending loyalty to me. Never again will I ask that of anyone. Even you." Voph turned, and began to pick apart the armor piece by piece, and draw it over the glove. "The price you will pay is not to me. Never to me. It is a price you pay of your self." Voph continued pulling on pieces of armor, but was still clearly giving Adilya his full attention. "If you chose to embrace this power...and the responsibility that comes with it...it may very well destroy you. No one walks away from war unchanged. And I pray you do not suffer the same fate as I have."

Adilya Solveig

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