Damming a Psyche

[Jake Daniels]

.::.Farana.::.
.::.Mid-Morning - Ghost Town.::.

He crouched and remained as stiff as a fallen tree. From under his hood, Darth Gravis stared at one of several entrances to what seemed like a ghost town. For nearly a half hour the man had quietly stalked its perimeter; desperate to see if anyone or anything still called this place home. Yet he saw no one and only heard the occasional sound of a gust that rattled the wooden planks of the long since abandoned buildings. The town itself seemed to have been an industry hub of some kind. To its west were rail tracks that led into the surrounding hill sides. The town seemed to have large storage facilities. If Gravis had to guess he would have assumed it to have been simple ores. Common metals such as copper and bronze. Though at the state the town seemed to be in whatever it was they mined seemed to have dried up. Its as though people left the town overnight. That was the life of many miners. Once their luck ran out and the pay stopped, they picked up stakes and moved on.

Gravis wasn't here to mine. He had no interest in searching for the next big score. He was here because of a message. Since awakening from his cryosleep, Daniels had been a man possessed. Searching for a means to bring back his deceased family. Searching for his Masters lineage. Yet since joining the Empire he called Walking Monkeys, Gravis had also found himself desperate for two more things. The first and most basic; to be trained again. The man had been a respected Sith Knight in his prime. A man of the blade but limited with the force. His goal now was to search the galaxy for seven different individuals whom could train him in their tactics using one of the seven common forms of lightsaber combat. The other thing he sought was something a bit more personal. Mental stability.

Jake was a codependent s.o.b. His mind didn't work like the average humans. He needed companionship. Not in the sense most thought. He simply needed a rock. The two women whom acted as that mental rock; the two women that seemed to help control his levels of sanity were dead. That meant the level of control in his mind was wavering. The mental blocks they placed up now long gone. His thoughts mocked him. His mind taunted him. He needed focus. He needed help. Right now Gravis could get ravaged mentally and have absolutely no means of defense. He needed something; anything to aid him. That's why he came to Farana. Whether by a drive given from the will of the force or by sheer gut instinct, Gravis knew he needed to be here.

This was the planet Gravis had trained the 62nd Sith Marine Light Infantry during his hay day centuries earlier. Quiet, secluded, peaceful. Yet a town now resided on his the very spot of his old training grounds. Gone were the offices of the 62nd, his included. Gone were the barracks. Gone was the munitions depot. All of it gone. His hope of being around the familiar, the hope the familiar would bring the stability. Gone. Whatever had been here from four centuries prior had either been stolen, found and sold off, or rotted away with time. Still, there had to be something here for Gravis... right?

Several kilometers south of the town, Umako, Cody, and Rania, waited with their ship. They knew the routine. Drop Gravis off, fly off a safe distance, then wait for a call to come pick him up. Since Ambria the trio simply didn't argue. They did as told when told. They, for the moment, acted as a level of consistency the man desperately needed. It wasn't enough. He needed more. Yet staring at the ghost town, all he saw was more change. More god damn change. Quietly he rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration while he felt the subtle ting of his mind wanting to play its little games.

His only thought, 'Keep it together old man.'

Slowly rising to his feet, his red, black, and white robes became completely visible. A single, aged, lightsaber hung from his right hip. The tree of life styled family crest of his Master proudly displayed on his left shoulder. To top off the ensemble, a messenger bag was slung across him, resting on his left side. It held nothing of any real importance. Paper, pen, the framed photo of his family, some water, a small communications ear piece to communicate with the ship, and of course a first aid kit. Even a Sith had to be prepared for basic bumps and bruises. Slowly he descended from his vantage point and entered the town.

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]​

 

[Lief]

Kära held no love of the Galaxy.

She had turned her back on it some time ago in favour of a peaceful life upon Midvinter alongside her beloved, their daughter, and extended family. It was the first time in her life that she had ever really belonged somewhere. There was no pressure, no expectations, just love and life. Now that she resided among lightsiders she had found her connection to the darkside slowly waning. It would never be gone entirely, that wasn't the way the darkside worked, but Kära was Sith no longer.

Truth be told she had never wanted to be Sith.

But while she had forsaken the rest of the Galaxy, there were still some within it that insisted on keeping contact. The informants she had always relied upon, who would actually likely come in handy upon Midvinter in the coming months, and old students and mentors alike. She didn't usually respond to their requests, she never took them on when they asked her to come out of her snowy shell to train some would-be Sith in the art of mentalism or alchemy. But this time it was different.

Kära had just faced a great personal loss. She was hurt, angry, and due to her position on Midvinter she had no real way of getting that out of her system. No mother should have to go through what she had, but moreso no mother should be expected not to grieve. Everyone did that in their own ways, Kära had never been taught a constructive method so she fell back on her old tricks.

Hammering away at the forge, and busying herself with training.

The request had been two-toned. Makashi training, and mental defense. A piece of cake, a walk in the park. She could teach both in her sleep.

So she had sent a message out to this would be student, a Knight by the name of [member="Jake Daniels"] - no one she had ever heard of, but the Galaxy was vast and full of people - and encouraged him to meet her in this ghost town out in the middle of nowhere. Away from prying eyes, away from the Galaxy.

She did not give her name, she did not give any information concerning herself. Just coordinates.

And then when her informants told her that he was on his way, Kära ventured forth from her rented accommodation upon the planet to the location which had been set.

Now she stood in the center of the barren town, dressed in white as always. He was near, she could feel it.

 

[Jake Daniels]

The Knight quietly made his way between two buildings, his nerves heightened. Ghost towns were such an uncommon occurrence that even a Sith Knight with his amount of combat experience was uneasy. His icy blue eyes shot from dusty cracked window to the next; as though expecting to see some silhouette appear of an otherwise previously unseen figure. Step after step the man gradually made his way to the first street and gave it a simple glance about. Yeah he had gotten the message. Yes Jake Daniels had arrived. He wanted training but the request wasn't exactly honest.

The request for training in Makashi. That was true. The request for training in mental defense. Also true. The issue was there was a third request; one that the Sith Knight wanted to ask in person. This was a request, that through his own personal research, no Sith had dared ask for before. A request so personally dangerous that it would either pay off in spades or outright be his downfall. Yet he had to make this request. He needed everything he sought. The lightsaber trainings to once more become the lethal sword he had once been. He needed to protect his mind against those far stronger than he. All of this was for one reason; bringing back his family.

He made his way to the town center and finally felt the woman. As he cautiously came to the center of the road way the Knights eyes locked on the woman in white. Jake could feel her power; the aura that radiated from her. Jake wanted to be trained by the Masters of specific lightsaber forms. He also wanted a Master of the Mind. Just seeing the calm, collected, and eerily non-hostile demeanor of the woman who stood like a marble statue, the Sith Knight knew instantly she was the one whom responded to his request.

The Sith would have killed him for what he was planning.

Jake didn't care.

"My name is Jake Daniels. Known to some as Darth Gravis. I take it that you are the one whom has responded to my request. I thank you for your time." Jake said. His voice broke a silence that had befallen the town for years. Nothing about it however came off as sarcastic. It held nothing but the utmost of respect.

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]​

 

[Lief]

It was funny how the term Darth was thrown around so carelessly these days.

Once upon a time Kära might have lashed out or humiliated him for claiming to be such in her presence, but those days were long gone. She no longer cared what the Sith did among themselves. She no longer cared about the Galaxy at large. All that mattered to her was her home and her family. She had done enough for the Galaxy, both good and bad deeds. She was due some selfish time alone away from it all.

So instead of chiding him, she simply gave a nod of her head.

"Your name matters little to me, you're welcome to keep it to yourself."

There wasn't any hostility, she wasn't even trying to belittle him by stating as much, it was just a very honest statement on her part. She would not give her name to him, she saw no reason to.

"You are here to learn, yes? What I was told was rather vague, please... Let me know what it is you seek to discover this day."

[member="Jake Daniels"]

 

[Jake Daniels]

Beneath his hood Daniels momentarily narrowed his eyes. Her tone didn't dictate an insult, however her words did. As he had always been raised; it didn't matter how you said something, it mattered what you said. This was opposite of the norm. Many feeling that how you said something was more important. Those people had never been politely insulted. Still, if this woman proved herself to him then she would be asked to do the unthinkable. First though, Daniels needed to answer the question given.

"Seeing as nearly every other Sith and Jedi is stronger with the force than I am I use the one thing I am better at than nearly all of them; the blade. I have bested the strongest of Sith Lords and the smartest of Jedi Masters. However, after a very long slumber that I only have recently awoken from, my body isn't what it used to be. I am searching for seven incredibly powerful users of the seven core lightsaber forms. I need to regain the strength I once had with the blade. I've been retrained in Shii-Cho very recently. I now look for any other. If you are here I assume you must be a Master of one of the remaining six?" Daniels explained. He had nothing really to prove. The idea of trying to show off to others? Long gone. Jake wasn't a twenty year old Sith anymore. He was a desperate Father and Husband trying to find the strength to bring his family back.

"Along with that I need some help with this." Jake tapped on his temple, "The old noggin. I plan on finding some very powerful people and I need someone to help me keep my mind in check. Help me build walls that will prevent penetration."

He held back just one thing; his final request. Jake had to first ensure this woman was capable. He wasn't stupid. He wasn't just going to let anyone do what he was planning. Dangerous? Incredibly but if this worked it would be well worth the risk.

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]​