Basic training

[Kriel Firin]

Kriel had been accepted as a Disciple. The training was brutal and lonely. He spent many hours studying – something he was not used to. But he learned of the past – of where the Knights of Ren came from. Of how they shared much in common with the Sith – including an enmity for the Jedi. In the last days of the Old Republic, the Sith – followers of the Force's Dark side and ancient enemies of the Jedi order numbered only two: one Master and one apprentice. Yet it was not always so. A thousand years before the Republic's collapse and Emperor Palpatine's rise to power, the Sith were legion. As they were again.

And the Knights were few in number but were growing. Like some galactic cancer, they would spread across the map, touching and corrupting each and every planet as they went. The time of the Sith was now, Kriel knew that. But the future was for the Knights – this he believed passionately.

Found on Bespin only a few short weeks ago, his training had been intense – initially showing him how to access the power he’d inadvertently tapped into throughout his entire life. It explained a lot. His ability to talk his way out of trouble, to sway people to his will. But if he could achieve that without conscious control of the Force, who knew what he might achieve with training?

Now he walked to his first lesson of the day.

 

[Kriel Firin]

Kriel’s teacher scratched gently at his chin with long, talon-like fingers.

“You purport to be a student yet you have never been trained in the ways of the Force?”

Kriel shook his head. “I grew up on Bespin. I never encountred anyone that could use the Force.”

“Yet you managed to find your way here. Convenient?”

“Then First Order took control of my planet. I was discovered by a Knight of Ren and brought here. There is no reason to be suspicious.”

The teacher laughed. “Not suspicious; cautious. It has helped me to maintain my position here among so many powerful and ambitious young Knights.”

Kriel nodded, understanding dawning on his face.

“But you are older than we usually train. We prefer to find our students when they are younger and more ... malleable.”

There was silence while Kriel considered his teacher’s words – but could think of none to offer into the conversation. So he remained patient.

“The other Disciples have been training for many years. You are far behind,” he said at last.

“I will catch up, if given the chance.”

“And I wonder ... will the others give you that chance? Not if they are smart. But if you survive you training, you will be of use to us.”

 

[Kriel Firin]

“The tenets of the Sith were more than just words to be memorized,” Kriel’s teacher told him. “Learn them, understand them. They will lead you to the true power of the Force: the power of the Dark side.”

His teacher was very thin and clad in a black, loose-fitting robe, with the hood drawn back to fall across his shoulders. He might have been human, but something about his appearance seemed off. His skin was an unnatural, chalky hue, made even more obvious by the glittering gems encrusting the many rings on his long fingers. His eyes were dark and sunken. His teeth were sharp and pointed, and his fingernails were curved and wicked talons.

Kriel stood before him, similarly clad in a dark robe with the hood drawn back. Earlier this morning he had heard the Code of the Sith for the first time, and the words were still fresh and mysterious. They swirled through the undercurrents of his mind, occasionally bubbling up into his conscious thoughts as he tried to absorb the deeper meaning behind them. Peace is a lie. There is only passion. He knew the first tenet to be true, at least. His entire life was proof of that.

Over and over, his teacher goaded him. “You come to us as a raw apprentice,” he repeated for perhaps the hundredth time. “You have never been trained in the ways of the Force.”

“I’m a quick learner,” Kriel assured him.

“Yes . . . and strong in the power of the Dark side. But the same can be said of all who come here.”

Not sure how to respond, Kriel decided the wisest course of action was to stay silent.

“What do you know of this Academy?” his teacher finally asked.

“The students here are taught to use the Force. They are taught the secrets of the Dark side by you and the other Knights.” After a brief hesitation he added, “And I know there are many other academies like this one.”

“No,” his teacher corrected. “Not like this one. It is true we have other training facilities spread across our ever-growing empire, places where individuals with promise are taught to control and use their power. But each facility is unique, and where individual students are sent depends on how much potential we see in them.”

Through passion I gain strength, Kriel thought. But when he spoke he said, “Brute strength alone is not enough to bring down the Alliance.”

“True,” his teacher agreed. From the tone of his voice Kriel knew he had said what his teacher wanted to hear.

Kriel felt a shiver of excitement. Through strength I gain power.

“This planet is a place of great power; the Dark side lives and breathes in the very core of this world.” He paused and slowly extended his skeletal hand, palm upward. It almost seemed as if he was cradling something unseen – something precious and invaluable – in his claw-like fingers.

“This temple we stand in was built to collect and focus that power. Here you can feel the Dark side at its strongest.” He closed his fist so tightly that his long fingernails cut into his palm, drawing blood. “You have been chosen because you have great potential,” he whispered. “Great things are expected of the Disciples here. The training is difficult, but the rewards are great for those who succeed.”

Through power I gain victory.

The teacher reached out and placed his wounded palm on the crown of Kriel’s bare scalp, anointing him with the blood of a Knight of Ren. Kriel had seen plenty of blood on Bespin, yet for some reason this ceremonial act of self-mutilation revolted him. It was all he could do not to pull away.

“You have the potential to become one of us. Together we can cast off the shackles of the Alliance.”

Through victory my chains are broken.

“But even those with potential can fail,” his teacher finished. “I trust you will not disappoint us.”

Kriel had no intention of doing that.

 

[Kriel Firin]

“Slow down!” he snapped. “You’re going too fast!”

Kriel clenched his teeth as a fresh bolt of pain ripped through his skull.

"I am not going too fast,” his teacher replied, keeping his voice even but stern. “You are going too slow. You must find a way to keep up.”

“I don’t understand how to keep the pain out. You’re not teaching me anything.”

Kriel had spirit. That had been clear from the moment of their first meeting. His teacher had recognized Kriel instantly for what he was: a potential Knight of Ren, sworn enemy of the Jedi, a servant of the Dark side. And he had shown no fear. He wasn’t yet certain why Kriel had been so eager to ally himself to the Knights of Ren. It could have been a simple act of desperation: Or maybe he saw the Dark side as a path to power and lusted to claim it as his own.

Whatever her true motivations, he had been more than willing to swear fealty to the Knights. However, it was neither his spirit nor his willingness that made him worthy of being his apprentice. He had chosen Kriel for one reason, and one reason only.

“You are strong in the Force,” he explained, his voice still betraying no hint of emotion. “You must learn to use it. To call on its power. To bend it to your purpose.”

He saw a flicker of doubt cross Kriel’s face. “I don’t know how to do that,” he muttered.

His teacher detected a hint of guilt in Kriel’s voice. He was disappointed, but hardly surprised. He was confused.

“Nothing just happens,” he insisted. “You have previously called upon the power of the Force. To manipulate people. Think back to how you did it. Think back to what happened.”

“You feel sorry for yourself.” The easy tone fell away quickly as his voice began to rise in both volume and intensity. “But this is a worthless emotion. It means nothing. What you need to feel is anger!”

He took a sudden step toward Kriel, his right fist clenched before him to punctuate his words. Kriel flinched at the unexpected movement, but didn’t retreat.

“Think back to what you felt when you unleashed your power against them,” he said, his voice now a soft, seductive whisper. “Think back to what you felt when you made them bend to your will.”

Kriel dropped his head, his eyes closed. For several seconds he was still and silent, forcing his mind to relive the moment. His teacher saw the emotions crossing his face: grief, sorrow, loss. Kriel trembled slightly. Then, slowly, he felt his anger begin to rise. And with it, the power of the Dark side.

When Kriel looked up again his eyes were open wide; they burned with a fierce intensity, a yellow sulphuric tint to the irises. “It felt good!”

“Good.” His teacher took a step back, the hint of a satisfied smile playing across his lips. “Feel the anger. Welcome it. Embrace it.”

He could sense the Dark side building within Kriel, growing in intensity until he could almost feel its heat.

“Only the strong survive, and the Force will make you strong.” As he turned away, he added, “Use it to keep up. If you fail again, I will discard you.”

“But you still haven’t told me what to do!” Kriel shouted.

His teacher didn’t reply. He’d given the answer, though the young man didn’t know it yet. If he was worthy of being a Disciple, he’d figure it out.

The Knight of Ren felt a sudden surge of power rushing toward him, concentrated on his mind. The old man had braced himself for some kind of reaction the moment he’d challeneged Kriel. He’d pushed the Disciple to the edge; he’d have been disappointed if he had done nothing. But he’d been expecting a broader, more basic assault – a wave of Dark side energy meant to hurl him to the ground. A focused strike against his mind was much more subtle. It showed intelligence and cunning, and though he was ready for it, the strength of the attack still surprised him.

Yet even with as much power and potential as Kriel had, he was no match for a Knight of Ren. The old man drew upon his own abilities in the Force to absorb the impact of the attack, catching it and amplifying its strength before firing it back at Kriel. The redirected blow struck the young Disciple in the chest, hard enough to knock him to the ground. A grunt of surprise escaped his lips as he landed hard on his backside.

He fixed his cold gaze on the young man still sitting on the hard stone floor.

Kriel glared back up at him, furious at the way he had been humiliated.

“A Knight of Ren knows when to unleash the fury of the Dark side,” he informed the Disciple, “And when to hold back. Patience can be a weapon if you know how to use it, and your anger can fuel the Dark side if you learn how to control it.”

Kriel was still fuming with rage, but he saw something else in the young man’s expression now: a guarded curiosity. Slowly the prone man nodded as the meaning of his teacher’s words became clear, and his expression softened. The Knight could still felt the power of the Dark side within Kriel; his anger was still there, but he had hidden it below the surface. He was nursing it, feeding it for a time when he could unleash it.

“Good. Very good.”

 

[Kriel Firin]

The next few weeks passed quickly as Kriel threw himself into his studies. To his surprise, he discovered that his inexperience with the Force was the exception rather than the rule. Many of the students had trained for months or years before they had been accepted here.

At first Kriel found this troubling. He had just started his training and he was already behind. In such a competitive, ruthless environment he would be an easy target for every other student. But as he mulled it over, he began to realise he might not be as vulnerable as he’d thought.

He alone, of all the Disciples, had been able to manifest the power of the Dark side without any training at all. He’d used it so often he’d come to take it for granted. It had given him advantages over his opponents in his life of petty crime. In cards and in brawling. It had warned him of danger and brought him victory in otherwise impossible circumstances.

And he’d done it all on instinct, with no training, without even any conscious idea of what he was doing. Now, for the first time, he was being taught to truly use his abilities. He didn’t have to worry about any of the other students ... if anything, they should be worrying about him. When he completed his training, none of the others would be his equal.

 

[Kriel Firin]

There were group training sessions but they were few and far between. The weak and the slow could not be allowed to hold back the strong and ambitious. Students learned at their own pace, driven by their desire and hunger for power. There were, however, nearly six students for every teacher, and the Disciples had to prove their worth before one of the instructors would spend valuable time teaching them the secrets of the Knights of Ren.

Though he was a neophyte, Kriel found it easy to garner the attention of the teachers. He knew the extra attention would inevitably breed animosity in the other students, but he forced himself not to think about that. In time the additional instruction he got would allow him to catch up to and pass the other Disciples, and once he did he wouldn’t need to worry about their petty jealousies. Until then he was careful to stay out of the way and not draw attention to himself.

When he wasn’t learning from the teachers, he was in the library studying the ancient records. Much was limited to scrolls, tomes, and manuals. And because the collection was constantly being added to, the indexes and references were hopelessly out of date. Searching the archives was often an exercise in futility or frustration, and most of the students felt their time was better spent trying to learn from or impress the teachers.

Perhaps it was because he was older than most of the others, or maybe because his years had taught him patience – whatever the explanation, Kriel spent several hours each day studying the ancient records. He found them fascinating. Many of the scrolls were historical records recounting ancient battles or glorifying the deeds of ancient Sith Lords. By itself the information had little practical use, but he could see each individual work for what it actually represented: a tiny piece of a much larger puzzle, a clue to a much greater understanding.

The archives supplemented what he learned from the teachers. It gave context to abstract lessons. Kriel felt that, in time, the ancient knowledge would be the key to unlocking his full potential. And so his understanding of the Force slowly took shape.

 

[Kriel Firin]

Mystical and unexplainable, the Force was also natural and essential: a fundamental energy binding the universe and connecting all living things within it. This energy, this power, could be harnessed. It could be manipulated and controlled. And through the teachings of the dark side, Kriel was learning to seize hold of it. He practiced his meditations and exercises daily. After only a few weeks he learned to move small objects simply by thinking about it-something he would have thought impossible only a short time before.

Yet now he understood that this was only the beginning. He was starting to grasp a great truth on a deep, fundamental level: that the strength to survive must come from within. Others will always fail you. Friends, family, fellow Knight ... in the end, each person must stand alone. When in need, look to the self.

The Dark side nurtured the power of the individual. The teachings of the Knights would make him strong. In pleasing them, he could unlock his full potential and one day sit among them.