Checkmate [Acolyte Edition]

[Matsu Xiangu]

Her estates on Coruscant were, by now, no mystery, and due to where she saw the lesson traveling it made the most sense to start in one of her – for lack of a better term – labs. It was hardly the aesthetically sterile environment the word might conjure to mind. It was just one of the myriad spread of apartments she used less for comfort and more for human experimentation. The apartments she used for sleep and play soared far above, the top levels of skyscrapers on the city’s surface.

Here they were far below, deep beneath the crust of the city planet in the dark and dirty.

Down in this place it was easy to slip people no one would miss past uncaring eyes, people who had far more pressing matters than the continued survival of a person they did not know. For years Matsu had captured humans and aliens alike, dissecting them in an attempt to perfect her use of the Force against the mind: how to control it, what areas were best to stimulate for which effect, and which different species needed a different approach depending on their biology. She’d learned much, and although most of the up and coming force-users in the Galaxy seemed to favor more direct confrontation – nothing wrong with that, evidence of her approval easy enough to find in Gabriel, her partner of choice – she had decided to offer her knowledge to those who might learn to put it to use. Even if they decided not to pursue it as a talent, even basic knowledge could assist them in the face of the weak-minded.

And so much of the Galaxy was weak-minded.

She walked among the cages filled with prisoners, some captured under minor grievances and others taken just because they’d been convenient. Dressed as finely as usual, her delicate features were highlighted in the play of light and shadow filling the room, her expression impassive as the prisoners begged to be set free.

She hoped any student wishing to join her would arrive on time – the begging and screaming was getting on her nerves.

[SIZE=12pt][member="Elensa Jari"] | [member="Nulgath Zardai"] | [member="Ostanes"] | [member="Melori Raaf"] | [member="Tain Organa"] | [member="Wolf"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"][/SIZE]​

Competition will be begin when everyone has had a sufficient chance to exercise their new knowledge.​

 

[Lassiter]

Perhaps there was something to be said about a former slave looking to learn how to control the minds of a man; hypocrisy being the top choice when it came to Sena of all people exercising domination over someone’s mind and putting herself at the piedestal as the master. She had learnt to ignore such silly notions. After all, being ‘honest’ about things was just not one those things that got you very far in life.

Besides, you never know when a skill such as this would come in handy, and especially not when most of your downtime is spent in the lower levels of Coruscant. To have bodyguards, though involuntary ones, was the first thing that had occurred to her. To protect herself and the select few she cared about. If there was one thing that would be a good stepping stone in becoming the Sith who she saw herself becoming, this was it.

Then it all just faded away as the dungeon came to remind her of her past. She knew what these souls were experiencing. The urge to free them was as great but the craving for knowledge was greater. She needed this, and these people were far-gone anyway. Or at least so she told herself to make it easier. To eventually have them tear each other apart would be a mercy on them, right?

Right.

Talkative as ever she stepped up in front of [member="Matsu Xiangu"] and nodded her ‘Hello’ as she awaited instructions.

 

[Wolf]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] | [member="Elensa Jari"] | [member="Nulgath Zardai"] | [member="Ostanes"] | [member="Melori Raaf"] | [member="Tain Organa"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"]

The Coruscanti underworld scored a sharp contrast to the developed and metropolitan world above. Grungy, dirty and dank it fit the very word underworld to a tee. During the reign of the Galactic Empire many fugitives and those who would dare cross the Emperor took flight to the deep reaches of this planet. It attracted the vilest of criminals and the most pitiful of the homeless. Wolfgang did not wish to stay outside long, there was a foul smell hanging in the air that spoke of illness and poverty.

Under Sith rule Wolf would not be surprised if the situation here was worse than it was previously, many people would have fled here after facing the harsh rule of the One Sith in the world above. It was a marvellous thing that the Sith now ruled the planet, the very heart of the galaxy. The planet was of the utmost strategic, symbolic and historical importance. Palpatine's conquest of the planet through political deception and genius, even pulling wool over the eyes of the Jedi, was an astounding thing to be admired for millennia. Though surely this too would be remembered and admired for millennia? The Sith had taken the planet as a unified force, by the sheer superiority of combat without the Sith breaking up into petty in-fighting and betrayal. Wolfgang was living in an exciting and historic era, one in which the Sith were currently reigning triumphant.

There was mild relief from the atmosphere outside as Wolf entered one of [member="Matsu Xiangu"]'s apartments. He would not venture into these depraved depths of the planet for some trivial cause, no, he was here for training. Among other acolytes he would be learning the art of delving into another person's mind and subjecting them to one's will. To control another person's mind was a fascinating prospect and one that excited the young man greatly. They would then be engaging in a contest, which Wolf was determined to come out the victor, though he still had little experience with the Force itself and could not expect to master a technique like mind control in a single day.

Wolf was greeted by the harrowing cries and screams of prisoners as he entered the "lab", as it were. His eyes could not help but glance at the grimy and tearful faces of those who were held in the cages. He did not wish to think about the sorts of experiments that were carried out down here. Wolf served as a soldier in the Sith military for six years, he had witnessed the cruelties of war, comrades being blown apart before his very eyes and the heartless and murderous advance of the Sith war machine through civilian areas. It did not make it any easier for him to ignore the helpless cries of these prisoners. They were treated as animals, and Wolf trained his eyes to focus on the Sith Lord and not look at the cage-held prisoners around him. ​We must further the Sith cause at any cost. Such things must be done to secure the future. That was what Wolf was telling himself anyway. If these prisoners were not here, how else would he practise this new art of mind control? The Sith were not weighed down by ethics and morality as the Jedi were. Wolf resolved to not let his emotions be tinged by the faces that surrounded him, cold logic and rationality must win the day, not the urgings of an impulsive and baseless heart.

The man took a few steps forward as he approached [member="Matsu Xiangu"]. He had not seen her before and he had no doubt she was a woman of immense power. Surely the experiments that took place here were justified if they helped train such powerful weapons for the Sith such as herself? Perhaps. Wolf bowed his head low in respect, saying nothing as he awaited the arrival of other acolytes and further instruction.

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori was widening her circle of associates slowly and surely – her sister and Master had discouraged her to circulate too freely initially – but she’d felt constrained and they both knew it was a double-edged sword. If she revealed her true identity too early, she risked so much. But if she took her development too slowly, she’d be at potential risk for too long.

Mostly she’d been around Acolytes who no doubt wouldn’t pick up on any clues – but recently she’d been exposed to Sith Lords – although none, so far, had ever met her middle sister. And with the opportunity to learn to control those that clearly deserved to be forced into servitude, she just couldn’t resist the temptation.

Of course she hadn’t disobeyed her Master – rather she’d neglected to mention the training until it was too late. No harm in that, eh?
She’d experienced different aspects of Coruscant already. The newly constructed tombs in the Valley, the old Jedi Academy and Temple and her sister’s somewhat comfortable apartments. But this was a new experience to add to the list. She’d followed the instructions until she reached a sprawl of apartments and then…then she went down. Down where it got dirtier the lower you went – and she went pretty low. To a place where nobody gave you eye contact – which suited her and she found oddly amusing. Somewhere she thought it interesting to return to when she needed some practice – a location where one, two, ten or a hundred people would go missing and nobody would notice, or care even if they did.

She arrived and knew it was the place before she’d even reached the entrance. First there was the Force telling her of the beautiful pain and suffering. Next came the noise – begging, screaming and futile threats. It was..delicious. So she entered and saw two Acolytes there already. She recognised both and gave them a curt acknowledgement. And then she saw the Sith who was no doubt going to teach them – she was dressed well and her features were delicate. It seemed few Sith were alike. So she waited for the inevitable others to arrive and wondered what they’d learn first. Her appetite for learning could never be sated.

[member="Wolf"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"] | [member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

They were all very quiet. Whether they’d been warned ahead of time that Matsu preferred silence or sensed it themselves mattered little – the Sith Lord wasn’t much for talking out loud and she nested in the silence the acolytes brought with them despite the fact that she would soon have to break it. Nods of greeting aside, she decided to begin – any stragglers would just suffer the slim pickings of subjects those on time left behind. With a gentle tug, she gripped the minds of the captured all around and quieted them, their sudden silence leaving a ringing in the interior of her Underworld apartments filled only by the sea-glass smoothness of her voice.

“Welcome – I’m Matsu Xiangu. I don’t believe I’ve met any of you yet,” she said, offering a breath of silence for them to offer their names. She was adept with minds, recognizing others by the flavor of their thoughts before she’d ever place them by their face. None of them felt familiar to her, but that was unsurprising. She’d known many homes and the One Sith had a fascinating habit of chewing up and spitting out more who came to try their hand at infamy than she could keep track of. Each of those in front of her knew what they had signed up for and Matsu wouldn’t waste time repeating it.

Pacing slowly in front of the cages, she let long, delicate metal fingers tick along the bars as she spoke, the captured staring vacantly in to space as she kept them subdued. “I want each of you to select one of these specimens. Out in the field you often won’t have the luxury of hand-picking a mind to work with, but today I want you to get a feel for the inside of someone’s head. It’s unlike anything else in the Galaxy.” She sounded reverent, her respect for the mind evident in her speech, a spider content with victims wrapped in silk. Moving from the bars she released the prisoner’s minds, letting them animate again, though most of them didn’t go back to screaming and instead either stood in defiance at the front of their enclosures or abject terror at the back. “Once complete, we will progress to controlling them. Go ahead. The one you pick should be the one you connect to most easily, even the briefest touch. I like to visualize my power bridging physically from my mind to theirs. You might hear a whisper of a thought or gain some sense of them as a...person.” Matsu sounded unsure the creatures in her cages were truly sentient beings, prone to seeing them as numbers.

Mentalism was a highly subjective field and every practitioner visualized differently – it was what made it an endlessly creative pursuit. Each of them would experience the lesson in their own way, and that in itself was an experiment for Matsu.

[member="Sena Lassiter"] | [member="Wolf"] | [member="Melori Raaf"]​

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori was accustomed to speaking first. Perhaps it was her natural arrogance that tended to show as confidence. So she stood initially in silence, unsure if the Sith Lord she’d been granted an audience with was one of the talkative types or the strong and silent ones. At this stage in her career, she didn’t need enemies, so she kept her own counsel until she could better ascertain how the Sith Lord operated.

She was aware the Sith Lord didn’t introduce herself by title, so she made a mental note.

“I’m Melori Rae, Apprentice to Darth Arcanix.” As ever, she didn’t bow. Her voice showed respect but years of being told to bow had ingrained an overwhelming desire to never do so again. Plus, she had come to the conclusion that bowing denoted servitude and she did not want to convey that message – even subliminally.

She watched the Sith Lord pace, aware the people inside the cage were clearly being subdued. And she listened of course, the instructions simple yet tantalisingly challenging at the same time.

She’d learned the basics of Telepathy before, but that was simply to communicate or gain surface memories and thoughts. She’d never been ‘allowed’ to truly search someone’s mind – the short-sighted training she’d had back on Corellia forbade it. So once Matsu released her prisoners and gave them the green light to progress, Melori considered her options.

This was learning but she also wanted to be challenged. Those that recovered quickest and with the most spirit automatically attracted her attention. So she glanced along the front row from where she stood. One man stood out to her. As she brushed across their minds his was the single most lucid thought. And he was staring at her, which was understandable given his thought. And based upon what he wanted to do with…no, to her, she knew he had to be the one.

She stepped forward and appraised him – like some race-horse at an auction. He was physically fit and the sweat and grime on his body actually accentuated his muscle definition. He had a short beard, no doubt due to a few days without shaving, and his hair was the same length and jet black. His eyes were a deep green in colour and she stared back into them. She drew the Force to her and her eyes morphed from the baby blue to a pale yellow and finally to a deep shade of yellow, her irises ringed crimson.

And he didn’t flinch a muscle.

She liked that. It was similar to finding a spirited foal. The breaking would be so much harder but so much more rewarding. She located that emotion again – lust, tinged with anger. She followed it to the source – his mind. It was, to her, like swimming upstream. Her previous training was to be gentle, to respect the privacy of the subject and not to hurt them. But this time she simply travelled as swiftly as she could. She wasn’t going to purposefully hurt him but she wasn’t going to take all day to connect with him either. Finally she reached his mind.

‘You know that thing you want to do with me? If you please me, I might just let you.’

Now that solicited a response. She smiled. ‘Good, it seems I have your measure and maybe, just maybe, you think you have mine too...perhaps.’ She licked her lips but did not look to progress at this stage. It would be a shame to break him because she was clumsy. She’d done as the Sith Lord had asked and awaited further instruction, standing now almost nose to nose with the man.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] | [member="Wolf"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

For her to speak felt weird, to give her full name would have been worse. There was one person in the area who could figure the name out herself, [member="Matsu Xiangu"]. Call it a sense of distrust but the less that was known about the little acolyte the safer she felt. Not because she had anything to hide but because it felt like the right idea. Anonymity could serve a person well.

With soft footsteps she proceeded down the dungeon upon the Lord’s request. She needed to find someone, or something, to read. The cries for help still hit in waves of self-loathing. Sena tried to silence them, use them for her own gains and quiet her conscience. This wasn’t the time to act hero. Not that she ever had seen herself as one but there still was that tiniest flicker that needed to be ripped asunder.

Eyes searching for just the right subject she eventually found herself looking at a pitiful mess in the corner. A young thing like her. It felt like all kinds of wrong, an alternate reality. Her brown hair a mess, the pale skin and lifeless brown eyes. This girl was already broken from the start yet it was the one person Sena truly wanted to ‘understand’ or ‘sense as a person.’

Thoughts on the similarities made it hard to look past but if anyone was to do anything to this girl it would feel appropriate that it’d be Sena. Connection to the victim proved challenging despite the young acolyte’s best attempts to phase out the guilt.

The young woman in front of her was Nessa, a convict. The new information hit her like an explosion. Sena had to use this for her own gains. The insufferable guilt and the fear. A single command was issued non-verbally.

‘Look at me.’

The girl slowly obeyed as her eyes looked lift up to look into Sena’s. This felt so wrong yet there was that small spark inside of her that made it just seem so addictively good. The girl had done as Sena asked without question.

‘Stand over there.’

To watch yet another command be obeyed without question felt good as the spark inside turned into an ember. In a sense it was overwhelming, yet in another way it felt terrifying.

‘Hit that man.’

The unquestionable sound of a man suckerpunched in the gut emanated throughout the room. As the man collapsed to the floor in surprise, and pain, there was little Sena could do but let a tiny laugh. The ember turned into a fire.

The emotional walls were crumbling. A fire was tearing at the supports as the small shreds of doubt and guilt were slowly being set aside. The surge of emotion felt wrong, yet so right.

 

[Wolf]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] | [member="Melori Raaf"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"]

"Wolfgang Krieger," came the short declaration from the man as he stated his name. He was taken aback a bit as the commands were issued forth to go pick out a prisoner and get a feel for their mind. She made it sound so trivial, as if it was an entirely ordinary thing to do like tying shoelaces or riding a bicycle. It sounded like an entirely alien thing for the man who had served as a soldier. Surely this would require some sort of telepathy? How was he even supposed to proceed?

Nevertheless, Wolf turned with resolve and examined the pitiful bunch of prisoners before him, using all the strength within him to resist feeling sorry for them and their situation. While most were dirty, thin and rather helpless, he noticed one man whose eyes were to the ground and making no noise. He was a well-built man, and what caught Wolf's eyes was a glint coming from the man's chest. Dog tags. A soldier. Wolf marched up to the man, his arms behind his back. He caught the man's attention, who looked up and held Wolf's own gaze. He could have been a Republic soldier, maybe a deserter, who knows. His eyes were certainly of those who had seen war, however.

Wolf leaned into the bars of the cage, speaking in a low voice. The others in the room would not hear it, though of course it would be no trouble for a telepath or one with heightened senses to understand.

"I'm not like them." Wolf reached into his collar and pulled out a chain bearing his own identification tags, proving his own service in the military, "I cannot promise things will be pleasant, but if you stick with me you will be dealing with the lesser of evils."

The man in front of him remained silent, seemingly pondering what Wolf had said. The prisoner's brows suddenly furrowed however, drawing back his head and spitting into Wolf's face. "I will never bow before a Sith dog, soldier or not."

Wolf remained still and unaffected, only his eyes closing as his hand came up and wiped away the saliva from his face. Anger wanted to rise up inside of him for a moment, but he held it back. The man was shorter than him by a few inches, and Wolf only leaned in more to assert his physical dominance.

"You have no choice in the matter." Wolf's face remained expressionless, though his eyes narrowed as he tried to focus on the mind of the man in front of him. He had certainly picked a tough nut to crack, though he had not intended to. Wolf closed his eyes and tried to "reach out" with the Force, as he had heard so many times before. He really was a beginner though, he had no understanding of how exactly he was supposed to do that. Wolf stood there for a good ten seconds, his mind concentrating and urging itself to somehow delve into the prisoner's own.

The prisoner could see him struggling and sneered. Wolf let out a low growl in annoyance as he turned to face [member="Matsu Xiangu"], his face quite clearly asking for a bit of assistance. He sincerely hoped she would not find him weak; quite frankly he did not have any formal teaching in the Force before to guide him in how to do this, or any basic Force training at all.

"Lady Xiangu," was Lady the right term? Wolf was not sure, though honestly he could not care for formalities now as he wished to get on with learning and not drag everyone behind, "I have had no prior training in this, neither in telepathy or even sensing with the Force. I know the Sith should be independent and strive to achieve things on their own but I feel I have hit a barrier where only knowledge imparted by those far wiser and more experienced can help..." He was being honest, he couldn't just work out such techniques by himself without the basic training, and he hoped she would assist him.

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

There’d been a time she’d hoped to maintain anonymity, travel between the stars like the day she’d first set out in the world without a single person on any planet knowing her name besides the parents and two brothers she’d left behind. For a long time it’d worked, performing under cover of shadow and mystery – and there were those who could maintain it. But when she’d begun working with the One Sith her presence had become meteoric, throwing herself in to battle in ways that would strip away any carefully cultivated efforts to hide who she was and what she might do. She saw the usefulness in not sharing a name however, and therefore didn’t press when one didn’t provide when prompted, especially since for today it wasn’t needed.

She watched them attempt her instructions, feeling a myriad array of emotions from all three. There was a surprising sensation of some sort of reluctance from the group – interesting, to say the least. Most acolytes she’d seen thus far had taken the chance with relish, challenging each other with feats increasingly violent. It was no matter, as long as they took to her instructions eventually. Matsu despised weakness, but also found the cartoonish, draconian stereotype of angry, constantly brutal Sith just as disgusting. That each of these acolytes were finding their place only struck her as trial. If they weren’t cut out for the Sith…they could find other uses.

Melori and the woman that hadn’t named herself were the first to get something of a handle, at least from what she could monitor through the Force. “Good,” she said quietly, so as not to break their concentration. “Now, I’m sure you all know some version of the Sith code of old, what was kept of it through the plague. ‘Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power.’ Mind control and mentalism are no different from any physical application of the Force, though instead of gaining strength from your passion, you prey on the passions of others. Their fear, their hatred, their despair and panic, their lust, their love – it’s all fuel, a weakness in their walls that you can exploit. Use their passion against them and you weaken their ability to resist you. And then they belong to you.”

Nodding at Wolfgang’s request, she gave the other two the next step. “In that vein, a little basic mentalism first. You’re tethered to your pawn by a connection, and you share some of the same headspace. Eventually you can pluck fears and thoughts right from their mind but that might be difficult at this stage. So instead, try projecting something terrifying in to their heads. If you can feel them getting scared, you’re on the right track – dig deeper. If they’re not frightened…try something else. Breaking their will strengthens your control.”

With that, she moved to stand beside Wolfgang. She had no qualms about assisting him. From the sounds of it, he was new to their order, and mental abilities were not like force-push or pull – simple acts of physics, manipulation that seemed straightforward. The head was far less so.

The acolyte towered over her, as most did, forcing her to tilt her gaze up as she stood beside him. “Once they know what you’re doing, they’ll fight much harder to keep you out. Many Sith will say fight fire with fire, get angry, smash through the walls he puts up. But I find a little quiet is much more effective.” She reached out, gripping the mind of another human in the pen that accompanied the man Wolfgang had chosen to work with, prompting the two of them to start a fight with one another. As the two men were distracted by trying to get out of each other’s grip, now the Acolyte would have some uninterrupted time to try and forge a connection. “Instead of trying to force your way in, close your eyes. Listen to the sound of their fight, the anger and fear in their struggle, the knowledge only one can survive. Let that passion feed you, follow it to its source. May I?” she asked, moving to wrap a metallic hand just below his elbow. A physical connection would make it easier to assist him, lending him some of her awareness of all the minds around her.

[member="Wolf"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"] | [member="Melori Raaf"]​

 

[Wolf]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] | [member="Melori Raaf"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"]

Wolf was relieved to find no hint of annoyance or anger from the Sith Lord as she nodded at him, before approaching him. He noted her words carefully, and watched with intrigue as she gripped the mind of another prisoner as if he were a mere playdoll, and forced the prisoner and Wolf's own target into a fight. Wolf agreed that a brute force approach was not always the best route, he preferred efficiency to emotional bouts that expended energy, his motivation in most things was quite simply to get the job done, playing with his enemies was not something he was fond of.

Wolf closed his eyes as she had requested, though he still struggled to come to grips with how he would exactly get a hold of their minds. It was then that the Sith took a hold of his arm, and a cold, tingling wave of sensations shot up his arm. Immediately his muscles relaxed, his body exhaling as a stream of thoughts began to emerge in his mind. It was as if many people were speaking in very hushed voices, and Wolf had never experienced anything like it. The physical link was there to provide him with some assistance, Wolf gleaned, it was not there to do the job for him. He could not quite make out any of the voices, but he now certainly had an awareness of the minds around him in the room.

Brief visual flashes of surrounding thoughts appeared every now and again, breaking through the chorus of hushed voices. He saw a woman in tears, and then a huge pillar falling through the sky, and then a man lying at the bottom of the sea. They were both literal pictures and symbolisms all put together, and the more he focussed on a single thought the harder it became to understand as he was introduced to the sheer complexity of the mind. It was beautiful, and yet frustrating. No doubt these pictures evoked the deep and pitiful emotions that the prisoners around him were feeling.

As Wolf began to grow more used to this new mental state, he resolved to find these two prisoners. It was not particularly difficult, for amid the chorus of hushed voices they were by far the loudest and the most impassioned. He determined himself to hone in on these two voices, and his own mind strained as he focussed on those two voices, allowing them to grow louder and louder until the other voices became nothing more than a faint whisper. Wolf was shocked for a moment by the guttural cries that began to almost overwhelm his mind, they were primal desires, quite probably the most primal desires of all, to survive.

Physical sounds began to merge with the mental as Wolf found that these guttural cries were also taking place right before him. He resolved to keep his mental connection as his eyes slowly opened and he beheld the two engaged in an almighty struggle. They were wrestling each other to the ground, the well-built man, his own target, found himself pinned to the ground as his opponent managed to push his thumbs into the soldier's throat and began to choke him. Wolf grimaced as he felt the pain both physically and mentally. He could feel all sorts of powerful emotions from the two men, anger, the cold fear of death, the primal instinct for survival.

Quite suddenly, as his target was on the ground crying out in agony, Wolf suddenly sensed a new, surging emotion springing forth. Hatred. Pure and unadulterated, as the soldier on the ground ran out of oxygen and struggled for his life, the emotion screamed forth like some terrible fiend wanting to be unleashed. Wolf could see it clearly in his eyes; glaring with hatred at his opponent as his life began to slowly fade away. This would all be for nothing if the soldier were to die now. Wolf's mind reached out for the emotion, it was so strong it could not be ignored, his mind clambered after it.

There was a snap in Wolf's mind, as if he had hit something. He had followed the trail to its source, and amid the soldier's dying breaths, Wolf smirked.

"I've found you."

The soldier could not hear Wolf over the sound of his own struggle. That did not matter. Wolfgang could only feel satisfaction having located the soldier's mind. He turned to the Sith Lady, "Thank you," signalling that he no longer required her physical link. There was a moment of doubt over whether he would be able to maintain his newfound abilities without the Sith's assistance. He suddenly felt his mental abilities begin to fade, though failure was quite simply not an option right now. A renewed resolve stirred up within him as he urged his mind to continue. Having already experienced the mental connection with other minds, it only took a good deal of willpower to return to that previous state. As his mental awareness was forced to return he continued his focus on the mind of the dying soldier.

The hatred was stronger than ever, even as the soldier's breaths grew shallower and his body began to struggle less and less. Wolf remembered what the Sith had said to the other two acolytes, who had at that stage progressed further than himself. Project something terrifying into their heads.

Wolf had the advantage here, because there was one thing on that soldier's mind that was already terrifying him more than anything else; his death. He did not need to poke around to find other weaknesses the soldier might have, all he had to do was make this death all the more real. Wolf's mind began to press against the soldier's, which had now become pitifully weak. There were no defences awaiting Wolf as he slipped into his mind, a dying man had other things on his mind, he would not notice Wolf's presence.

It was as if Wolf had been introduced to a whole new dimension, and his mind was invigorated and pushed onwards by this newfound sense of the world around him. He began to delve into the soldier's mind, and there was one singular thought he had to feed onto. Wolf had to project his own thoughts into the soldier, which sounded difficult at first but was more intuitive than he would have first thought. Wolf began to create his own thoughts of death and despair, and pressed them onto the soldier's mind. He could sense that the soldier reacted as the thoughts were pushed in, his fear only increasing. Wolf continued to feed thoughts of nothingness and the empty blackness that awaited the soldier, mingled with the soldier's own hatred and desire to take vengeance upon his aggressor. The pride of not 'bowing before a Sith dog' could stand no longer, for the soldier's mind was singularly focussed on his own soon demise and his willingness to do near anything to get out of it due to Wolf's amplification of his fear and hatred.

Satisfied with his efforts, Wolf then focussed and pressed upon him a second, more complex thought. They were a string of nine words, ones that would resound through his target's mind.

Let me in. I bring vengeance. I bring salvation.

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori was familiar with taking from others by using the Force. She’d been taught to strip vitality and Force power and saw this, in a small way, as an extension of that concept. Rather than using her own passions to ensure the subject did what she wanted, she would use his. He was a droid under her control but he would provide his own power.

She’d been lucky enough to choose one with enough emotions to fuel his actions for some time. Lust and hatred he had in abundance. But she needed more – she wanted more. She could control him through lust but where was the challenge in that? Was it her arrogance speaking or a genuine desire to push herself? It mattered little. The result was the same.

She needed to make him fear her. But he was stubborn and strong, as well as foolishly brave. She needed an angle, a way of getting both proverbially and literally under his skin. So she caressed his mind with her thoughts.

‘You want me, you need me. And you can have me. You are strong and dominant. You want to have me yes?’

And she planted thoughts in his head, images guaranteed to stir him. Mentally he was hers and even his face betrayed the fact by breaking out into a lascivious grin. And at the point of no return, she projected an image of a saber, piercing his back, poking though his chest. And in the image her skin turned old and wrinkled, her teeth blackened, her hair turned white but her eyes remained the same.

And then his own body changed the same way until they were the same – except his eyes were dead – staring into space.

Yes…yes…there it was - pure and abject fear. Was it the loss of control? Death? She could experiment further no doubt, but there was no need. He was hers, she was sure of it. She felt him fight her mentally but the bridle had been fitted. He would go where she dictated, he would do what she wished. And she could use his own emotions to drive him.

But it was one thing to get him to hit another, she needed a stronger test to prove her dominance, her control. She tapped into his emotions, pulling at the many tendrils of hatred – yes, he had so much to work with. And she twisted them, coalescing them into a single thread of pure loathing that threatened to consume him. And she planted the thought. ‘These others are weak. Their very presence offends you. Just seeing them is abhorrent to you. You know what you must do.’

And as she watched, the man lifted his left hand and wordlessly plucked out his own right eye.

[member="Wolf"] | [member="Matsu Xiangu"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

Not one to use her voice she simply nodded along and gave [member="Matsu Xiangu"] her full attention. Exploit emotions; fear, hate, panic and love, fuel for the acolytes to use in their struggle for dominion over another man’s mind. Dig deeper into the conscious mind of another and turn them into something a bit more ‘obedient.’

Focus on what and how to do it. Despite having an initial moment of clarity in her first attempt she quickly found the information gone like the wind, the know-how of it withered and gone with the dust. Perhaps it was the lifelessness of her victim, or their frightening similarities, but something about the young girl called out for Sena to continue her learning process on her.

It was almost like digging into yourself, like prodding around your own mind. Not quite, but almost. It would be easier for a thief to come up with terrors to plague another thief. What was it that used to terrify Sena? Authorities, an empty wallet and stomach. Not being able to even scrape to get by. The uncertainty to life when you had nothing to lose but your life, so to implant an idea or a situation of certain death would have no effect on a woman such as this, and especially not one who had been broken like this.

‘The authorities are on their way.’ The thief looked up, the smallest hint of joy sparkling in her eyes. ‘To arrest you.’

‘You have a dozen stolen items on you, the alleyway has one exit and they’re closing it off. One of the items is from one of the officers, he approaches you with his baton raised for the sky before quickly-...’

The girl screamed in terror. So she was afraid of getting hit, a natural reaction.

‘The only way to save yourself is to attack him again.’

The thief shook her head.

‘Yes, you do.’

Another shake.

‘Yes, you do!’

The chain repeated itself for a while without any results, much to Sena’s annoyance.

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

She dropped the contact between herself and Wolf, nodding and stepping back to observe the three acolytes deep in concentration. Snippets of their communication with their subjects swirled through her head, a listening-in she was sure her students were aware of at least in theory. She sat on the edges, breaching no one’s privacy. Though entirely capable, she reserved the worst of her abilities for those that proved weak.

She turned her head when she heard the visceral sounds of unnatural extraction, a scrape of eye socket. Smiling, she nodded in approval, raising a hand and using a light telekinetic tug to draw the removed eye from the prisoner Raaf controlled in to her own hand. Walking to the wall of jars lining one side of the room they worked within, she casually poured preservatives in to the jar, plopping the eye within it as she explained how they would continue.

For the first part of the lesson they’d focused on mind control, a natural extension of mentalism that would come in handy for the majority of those sensitive to the dark side. At higher levels, all three would experience none of the roadblocks they’d climbed their way over thus far unless they attempted to control extremely powerful opponents – and even then, practice made perfect. But how to conquer the mind of someone strong enough to resist you if simple brute force wasn’t working? She could feel the frustration of hitting a wall rolling off the one that hadn’t provided a name. That was where her specialty came in. All three could benefit.

“Anything with the mind requires subtlety. Announce your presence by coming on too aggressively and you’ve lost before you’ve even begun. But sometimes despite our best efforts, a target realizes what’s happening to them. How do you make them forget? Make whatever you’re telling them real. The best illusions are the ones you’ve set up, or ones that make sense in the situation. Once on Manaan, a planet with a single city amid an entire surface of ocean, I created the illusion it was flooding for everyone around me, that we were drowning. It was much easier because I chose something that could really happen. Each of you has told your prisoner something – now make them believe you. Imagine your lie is an absolute truth, draw it in your mind, and let it play.”

She screwed a cap on the jar, sealing it tight and placing it on the shelf with the rest of her specimens.

Spoiler

Sorry for the wait guys - I came to know the joys of food poisoning!

[member="Sena Lassiter"] | [member="Melori Raaf"] | [member="Wolf"]​

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori reflected. She could do sneaky and underhand. She could do ruthless efficiency and of late she’d added patience to that mix. She was even working on cunning – but subtlety was not something that even she would suggest in her wildest arrogant moment was associated with her.

As seemed to be the case these days, she was learning more than one thing in any given lesson. This man had been an easy target because he’d wanted her. She’d offered herself to him and he’d come willingly as a result. As tough as he was, she’d found an easy avenue to explore to gain access.

So Melori reflected on what she’d told the prisoner. She’d planted the image of what might happen – now she had to convince him it had actually happened. So she cast her mind back to that mental image. Of her skin being old and wrinkled. Her teeth blackened and her hair white. So she wove a story in her mind. That she was an aged and powerful Sith sorceress and that was her natural form. That the young blonde he saw in front of him was an illusion. And now, as he removed his offending eye, he had been gifted through his sacrifice the power of true sight – the ability to see her for what she truly was.

Once she had this story in her mind and believed it, she tentatively shared it with him. She did not force it upon him – in case it appeared a mere illusion. Rather she allowed him to pull the truth to him, to unravel it, to piece together the clues. Her age, her power with sorcery, the fact that their shared dream was the real truth. As he stared at her with his one remaining eye, his face turned from lust to disgust. Before his very eyes he believed he saw the truth, her body ageing as he watched until her skin was leathery and her teeth a blend of grey and black, her hair white and thin.

Finally he looked away, disgusted by both what he saw and how he’d lusted after her. She smiled as she shared these thoughts – she was still in his mind, albeit without him noticing. Subtlety? She wasn’t a natural – but she was working on it.

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"] | [member="Wolf"]

 

[Lassiter]

With a look over her shoulder Sena stared at [member="Matsu Xiangu"] while the master explained how brute-forcing your way into a mind was more likely to end in her being locked out. Her attention set on the cowering prisoner again. The guilt had numbed down. It was there, but it had numbed down. With a deep breath Sena allowed the musky air fill her lungs in an attempt to find a modicum of clarity.

Subtlety, leading them into it rather than pushing them. With a sharp exhale she opened her eyes to look at the prisoner again. Play to their weaknesses, trick them into believing you. Influence the subject and make them believe the lie. It wasn’t too much to ask for to at least give it a shot.

So how would she subtly influence the woman into doing her bidding? The scene had to be built and the props envisioned. Sena needed a story that could strike itself as plausible to the prisoner and the only one she could think of was an attempt at freedom. She had the willpower to resist the most obvious of attempts while still clinging to hope of salvation. It wasn’t too far from what Sena would have done had she not been ‘enlightened’ by her new friends.

Or at least so she told herself.

‘Look at that man.’ The suggestion would echo around the empty voids of the prisoner’s mind. ‘You see the keys on his belt, don’t you?’

It was a long shot and it took a while for the prisoner to begin cooperating again. Slowly she rose to her feet as did Sena. The look of determination upon the prisoner as she eyed up and down along the body of the man she had already punched once put excitement into the young acolyte.

‘There is only one way out of here.’ The prisoner hunched, ready to pounce. ‘You know what you must do.’

In a meager guttural scream the girl leapt on top of the man clawing, ripping and tearing at the away all over him. It was exciting enough but something felt wrong. Sena wasn’t fulfilled, she wanted more but she had no idea what it was. She had expected the joy of seeing someone put beneath her yet here she was looking at someone else getting to relish in it.

Maybe she could find solace in knowing that the woman seemed to enjoy it just as much as Sena would have.

It would have to do. She looked over at Matsu again, prisoner still tearing away at the man. Sena probably should have stopped it but she was not one to keep others from venting.

 

[Wolf]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"] | [member="Melori Raaf"]

Wolf listened to the Sith Master's words carefully. Subtlety was the key here, and making whatever one told them real. He turned his head and looked back at the soldier who was now writhing on the floor in agony, his breath fading away under the weight and strength of the other prisoner. Wolf repeated his message to the soldier, this time with more clarity and urgency than before.

Let me in. I bring vengeance. I bring salvation.

The soldier was running out of time, and Wolf had to call upon his own patience to stop himself from using a brute force method that would have a high chance of failure. Wolf concentrated and began to share two other thoughts with the prisoner. I bring vengeance. A stark image of the soldier gaining strength, overpowering his enemy and freeing himself from the grapple was impressed upon him. The soldier looked out of the corner of his eye at Wolf, his face desperate, his life fading away and yet his mind was still unsure. He of course wanted such a thing, he wanted to break free and take revenge on this prisoner that was taking the life out of him. Wolf had impressed the fear of death upon him, yet the soldier was still uncertain, his disciplined military instincts were screaming at him to resist any sort of mental intrusion.

The second thought came like a wave of cool water to the soldier. Wolf himself had brought up a memory of his own, it was far easier to do that than to conjure one up with its own emotions and feelings. I bring salvation, came the thought again. The soldier would see himself lying down on a patch of grass, gazing at a beautiful night sky. It was such a precious memory to Wolf that it was not difficult to recall every last sensation and share it with the soldier. The cool breeze that caressed his face, the smell of grass and the overwhelming view of the night-sky.

Thousands of twinkling specks of light adorned the dark canvas of sky. And the more one concentrated, one could see only more stars, it was truly a fascinating spectacle. There was a deep sense of peace and stillness as one took it all in. Wolf himself was in danger of being drawn into it too deeply, it was a defining memory of his life and one that could entice him into losing his own concentration. Nevertheless he retrieved every last sensation from that night, sharing it with the soldier. He wanted to impart the same realisations and understanding that he had gained from that night, but that was more difficult than just sending across emotions.

Look! Do you see how vast it is? How incredible it is?

Do not waste your life because of some irrational hatred of the Sith, based on some idealistic principle.

This universe is bigger than us. It's bigger than the Republic, or the Sith, or any other entity. Do you see how meaningless we are?

You are dying. You will fade into black, into nothing. Do you see how meaningless that is? How petty your resistance to me is?

I can give you a new perspective, a new life. Walk among the stars as a freeman, not one in bondage to your ideals and principles. Behold this universe, and live!

The words took some mental effort from Wolf, and he was running out of patience. The soldier had stopped struggling however, his body quite visibly responding to the mental image on the hillside. The soldier's face was pale as his life hung by a thread. He turned his head to Wolf, his lips slightly moving as he tried to utter something but found no air from his lungs. Wolf could see a tear stream down from the soldier's eye, and the soldier's eyes closed as he nodded.

Suddenly there was a mental snap, as if floodgates had suddenly been opened. The soldier threw down his last defences. He still could not trust the Sith, but the image was all-too real, for indeed it was a real memory. That same sense of awe had put the soldier's worldview into perspective, enough that the soldier would give it a shot, one based in hope. The first thought would attract the soldier to a solution in the immediate sense, where as the second thought would give him an underlying hope and perspective for doing so. Hope was a powerful force, one that pushed a person onward to something better, to believe that there is something higher and greater to come. It was an ideal a Jedi would cherish, though only a Sith could so abuse it to enter a man's mind and use him for his own gain.

Wolf smiled in satisfaction as he was let in. Now he had to actually save the man's life, otherwise this would all be for nothing.

 

[Talos Rygat]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"]

A whisp of wind from nowhere, a whirl of leaves from somewhere and a torrent of light from darkness. Stepping into the room from a place where there was no door, Legion appeared, late, but with good reason. It had taken him a while to get from the Outer Rim to Coruscant.

"Master Matsu, apologies for Our tardiness...We have traveled a ways to return to you...We are here for more power..."

Reaching into the room with the Force, the others he detected were set upon the task of delving into the minds of these slaves. After concluding he would need a subject, he sent forth a few of his Echos to choose. One floated above a Rodian, another found a Twi'lek and the last was an Iridonian. Forcing their way into the brains of the three, he pulled them foward, each step they took was fought, but they had no choice. Their eyes glowing green from the Echo behind their minds.

In unison, the trio spoke, eerily like one mind with three voices.

"We have assumed control."

[member="Wolf"] [member="Sena Lassiter"] [member="Melori Raaf"]

 

[Sitara Qin]

She was late to the party, though she wasn’t the only one.

She arrived a few seconds after [member="Darth Legion"], although she had no clue as to who he was. She was apologetic; this was after all, the chance of a lifetime. Getting the opportunity to learn how to delve into a mind opened so many doors and possibilities for her. This was something that could save her life, and more importantly, this was something she could use to break a person. And although she might have spited the Sith lord who provided this opportunity, there was no way she was going slack off. She needed to be on parr with the others, she needed to prove that she had skill. She gritted her teeth and observed the dark lord in front of her. She arrived just in time to hear the latter part of the lecture. After introducing herself, she moved around. What were they supposed to be doing?

She proceeded to the dungeon. This was where the party was happening. The man who had arrived before her seemed to understand the mind better than anyone else here, given how he seemed to have penetrated three minds without effort already. She furrowed her eyebrows. He was probably the most experienced here judging by how old he looked. She crossed her arms around her chest. She needed to focus. How did they do it? She closed her eyes. She needed to concentrate and familiarize herself with her surroundings. Then she needed to seek.

She moved around. It was all very foggy to her. There had to be someone in here she could perforate. It was then that she saw him. He was younger than her, perhaps one of the youngest slaves here. He was a scrawny prisoner and when his grey eyes met hers, she could almost taste his fear. Was it sad that she had chosen to infiltrate the mind of a kid? She sighed and closed her eyes. She needed to visualize. She clenched her fists as she concentrated. She needed to drown the noise of her own thoughts out. She needed to be inside his.

She felt like she was spiralling through a deep tunnel. Her mind searched for an exit though she knew she couldn’t go back to her own thoughts. It was dark, but it was a connection. And with a burst of speed, she found herself in unfamiliar territory. It was a new sensation, one she wasn’t certain she’s felt before. She wasn’t too experienced with telepathy, though from what she learned by having her mind constantly penetrated by Carach, it couldn’t be too difficult with practice.

She sifted herself into his thoughts. She was there, somehow she knew it. The boy didn’t seem to react, though he didn’t seem to be moving either. Their eyes were locked into each other’s and that was when she tasted it. The flavor of hatred. He didn’t want to be here. Something happened, yet Sitara hadn’t started digging for the information.

How easy was it to break into someone’s only sanctity. How evil did you have to be to invade the only place people found salvation in?

The images she conveyed came in waves. The image she projected was exactly the same thing he was seeing; the cold hard dungeon. However, she slowly wove a story, one that involved her setting him free. In his head, he was on a cruiser, heading off to some bright open field. The kid hadn’t resisted, and judging by the tears that were rolling down his cheek, she knew that this was what he wanted. His freedom. Sitara was cruel to give him a taste of something he’d never be able to enjoy, and yet, at the same time she was helping him. If he couldn’t escape this dark world, he could at least enjoy a brighter life in his head.

For the mean time, at least.

“Good night, kid.” Sitara said, mentally. This was a message she didn’t transmit. Now he’d be seeing a wide open field. The sunlight would pour into his eyes, its warmth kissing his skin. He hadn’t been out in who knows how long? He’d frolic in the grass, he’d feel the damp soil against his grimy feet. He’d smell the breeze for the first time and dance as every gale passed him. He was so happy, she could feel it.

It would be a shame if someone were to take that away.

And suddenly, arms would come and embrace him from behind. She could see him panic, his body had tightened and he screamed. The tears came down faster, as the man in his head dragged him into a small cage. He started to panic, and his physical body fell to the ground and hugged his knees. In his head he was caged. This was all too real for him and Sitara assumed he had faced this before.

It was hard to describe the sensation of inflicting pain without touching him. She was destroying him mentally without doing so much as laying a finger on him. Fear was real and it left its marks. The sith were brutal for corrupting those around them, yet Sitara could not blame them. Illusions required concentration, and the effects it had on a person was definitely worth the time it took to master it.

She hadn’t broken the link yet. She wasn’t finished.

He was now being transferred into another ship. She could actually hear him wailing inside her head, their connection was that strong. He wanted to be free. Let me out, he’d scream. Let me go. He would beg, yet the nameless soldiers ignored him. He was helpless and he knew it. He learned it. There was no chance he was getting out of here. He almost wished it wasn’t real.

He didn’t know it wasn’t.

The ship would arrive onto the planet, and she could see his physical being pale. This place was very familiar to him. It was a place he wanted to never see. He only associated it with cruelty. What was that? He missed his mother? Tough luck, kid. Guards held him by the arm as he thrashed around wishing to get out. He resisted the guards with such a strength that Sitara was frightened he’d break the connection. He settled eventually as they threw him back into his cell on coruscant.

The last thing she’d project was herself into his head. She wanted him to perpetually fear her.

“Did you really think you were getting out?”

| [member="Wolf"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"] | [member="Melori Raaf"] | [member="Matsu Xiangu"] |

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] and open

The young, Omwati turned her hawklike gaze to her chosen prisoner: a male human. He had the tattered clothes of a smuggler. Wrong place wrong time. It was generous of their host to let them play with her toys. A mind was a difficult thing to break but when it did, things could escalate quickly.

Athena had to tread lightly to keep her chosen broken but alive.

Silently, she began playing at the edges of his mind. What were his fears, nightmares, and hopes?

The mental trap started small: a spider crawling from the crack in the floor of his cell, another along the bars, something crawling up his neck. She sat still, concentration pouring from her mind. How much more difficult would this be in battle?

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

She’d guessed she’d witness creativity on a grand scale. Acolytes fresh to the art of manipulating minds had no ruts to stick themselves in – clean slates, grasping at straws to conjure new and exciting images that effected them almost as deeply as their victims. She’d fought Lords who grew so comfortable in their prowess that they couldn’t draw anything but the same old tired trick they’d grown used to. The Atrisian hoped today’s competition would prove the importance of remaining open to new possibilities, to never sticking oneself in a corner.

It seemed they would be graced by more guests, her attention dragged away from the screaming of the man being attached by the nameless girls’s pawn – an auspicious day. Matsu had no problem with “better late than never”. She was simply pleased to see more possibility, for the chance to cull the weak from among the Sith’s ranks. She dragged herself from the fleeting promise in Wolf’s vision as it appealed to her sense of wonder, watching the new arrivals.

How to make it even? The latecomers seemed to warm to the task with a little more familiarity, especially Legion as he’d sought training from her before.

“The three of you,” she said, indicating Wolf, Melori, and Sena, “may take your pawns and go. The blocks in which you’ll compete have been marked off and some of my droids will be outside to instruct you on the rules. Those who’ve just arrived…kill the ones you’re working on now using illusions only, and if you prove capable you may join the others.”

In this way, by allowing the ones who’d been on time to use the pawns they were already thoroughly in control of, she was giving an advantage. There would be no initial struggle – just strategy and perhaps the driving fear of losing that pawn and having to find another. The latecomers would be forced to join their counterparts and find a new mind to control all on the battlefield. What she was asking of them – tricking them in to death – was difficult at their level, but it was the price that needed to be paid.

Spoiler

First of all, thank you guys SO much for your patience while I've been away for my surgery.

Secondly just to make sure it's clear: Melori, Wolf, and Sena can proceed to competition with their current pawns. Legion, Athena, and Sitara have a task before they'll be allowed to proceed without theirs. The rules will be pasted below but if you have any questions please contact me in the OOC thread!

The thread will go on for as long as you guys are still in the game/having fun, and a winner will be decided once everyone's pawns are dead or you've decided you've all had your fill! Happy hunting!

RULES
1. You may employ both force-users of any level and alignment, and NFU’s of any skill level/equipment level. These people are entirely up to you to create, leading to endless possibilities and ways to fight.
2. Please be realistic in how many people you can control at once/how easy it is to take over more. As long as you are controlling at least one pawn, you are in the game. Deaths will NOT count against you unless it’s your last Pawn – I want to see some epic ends.
3. If all your pawns are killed, you have one ‘respawn’ at your original starting location to try again. You must start with taking over a completely new person and getting back on the field.
4. FU’s can use any and all abilities realistic to their rank once controlled, but keep it to their alignment. (i.e. Jedi shouldn’t be using Force Rage or Deadly Sight, etc.)
5. Any and all weapons and tech are allowed. Random melee weapons found in the environment are also encouraged.
6. You may jump between pawns if controlling one at a time, but do not do so to powergame/avoid a death. For example, if you’re controlling a street urchin and someone else controlling a bounty hunter takes a blaster shot at you, don’t suddenly jump to a Sith that just happened to be standing there and block the shot with a lightsaber.

I expect situations not governed by these rules to come up as this is a lesson all about creativity. Please direct questions to the OOC thread located in the One Sith General Discussion forum. For the most part it’s a free-for-all brawl over part of the city – just be realistic and fair to your fellow player, and most of all HAVE FUN!

[member="Athena Heron"] | [member="Sitara Qin"] | [member="Darth Legion"] | [member="Wolf"] | [member="Sena Lassiter"] | [member="Melori Raaf"]​