Private Dear Stardust

[OOC of Kavessk]

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get yours? I have a fascination with these weapons, so I can assure you it is of no ill intent."

Taking a page from Val's book, he was truly interested about everything with lightsabers. He honestly wanted to start a collection, it rather seemed calming. But now he had to pull himself from being lost in thoughts.

Val Drutin

 

[Val Drutin]

Val hesitated before answering. “I made mine. I have another one, too—it was my master’s.”

Getting up, he rummaged through the junk, eventually retrieving the second hilt. Holding it out carefully so it wouldn’t damage anything, he activated the lightsaber. The blade glowed red, the hilt of an unusual and ancient design.

Swiftly he deactivated it, feeling as if he had violated something sacrosanct. “Kind of weird, isn’t it?” he murmured, smiling weakly.

OOC of Kavessk

 

[OOC of Kavessk]

The red blade confirmed it. Val Drutin was a former student of a Dark Lord. A master of the Sith. Taking one down is no easy feat, even for one such as young. This host went against the odds and pursued what he wanted, regardless of the pain marked on him.

Kavessk admired that. Choosing not to intrude until the destination was arrived, he continued the current conversation.

"Very strange. I could never understand red when the color purple existed."

 

[Val Drutin]

Val set his master’s saber aside, smiling to himself at OOC of Kavessk ’s remark.

“She was a strange woman. Had a lot of funny ideas about the Force.”

Ideas she had sought to impress on young Val, to little effect. Her ruthless philosophy never suited the boy’s docile (if occasionally rambunctious) nature.

At least, that was what he told himself. He had killed her, cut her down with his own blade, but it was a provoked attack. She had struck first; he merely defended himself.

Val sighed, squeezing his eyes shut as if to close himself off from memory. He still didn’t understand what she had wanted from him. The Rule of Two—what good could have come from the cycle beginning anew, this time with him as the master? Him, crazy little Val Drutin, the maladjusted jester? It didn’t make sense even to his fractured psyche.

 

[OOC of Kavessk]

"Master eh? I thought it was a relative?"

Kavessk got Val Drutin to admit having a master twice, meaning something was there. Maybe it was due to Kavessk being a stranger, or to their signatures being very familiar.

"I'm only joking, the Sith had a lot of funny ideas about the Dark Side."

 

[Val Drutin]

Val froze up, realizing his idiotic blunder. What a fool he was!

“I... she...” He cast about for a response, his face reddening, but there was no way he could dig himself out of this one.

He derived little relief from OOC of Kavessk ‘s assurance. He hated being caught in a lie. Still, he felt compelled to speak up. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt an eerie connection to Kavessk. Not a bond in the Force—it was as if they stood on common ground.

“My master... was very old-fashioned,” he said at last, relenting. “She believed in the Rule of Two. That meant I had to... well, she made me do it...”

Tears began to stream from his eyes. He kept his head down in a vain attempt to hide it, then abruptly slammed his fist on the table in frustration. “I didn’t want to do it! She forced my hand... But why? So I could inherit this... this junk?!

“It’s not fair!”

 

[OOC of Kavessk]

Val Drutin's emotion spoke to Kavessk, being wronged by a fragile ideology. A wrong ideology strengthened by time. It angered the Dark Jedi just thinking about it, wanting to slash something with both blades. However he considered Val more important, as all of this was bottled up.

"The Sith believed that the Rule of Two strengthed them, lesser beings to contain the power. One to embody it, one to crave it. The victor coming out stronger because of it. However it is simply inferior, and you are a victim of such teachings."

Grabbing the Sith lightsaber with the Force, he lifted it in the air. His face further serious than normal, his tone changed.

"This lightsaber can mean anything to you. It doesn't deserve a hold on you, instead you remaining above it. Since you are so much more than what your Master wanted, and you prove that every day with your actions."

 

[Val Drutin]

Val recovered slowly as OOC of Kavessk spoke. He was breathing hard, exasperated by his own frustration.

His eyes fell upon his master's lightsaber as Kavessk levitated it in the air between them. He sank into a chair and sighed. "I want to believe that. But I couldn't even meet her expectations. Or his..." His voice dropped to a whisper, unwilling to speak of the man who had tried to sell him into slavery after he failed to impress. "I've disappointed everyone. I even disappoint myself." He looked down at his hands. "That's why I'm going to Hoth. I... need help."

 

[OOC of Kavessk]

Kavessk soon understood his own words, beginning to retract every thing he said.

He was being nice to someone.. Val was a spirit like his own, reminding him of his former apprentice. With this in mind, there was a long silence among them before he spoke once more.

"If that is what you think you must do, then that's what you should do. I understand. All of this for such a long time. So if the doctor isn't enough, I'll be on Hoth. Large place, can't miss it."

 

[Val Drutin]

Val gave a small smile of appreciation at OOC of Kavessk 's offer. But then he pursed his lips and looked away from the dark one.

"You sure seem to understand a lot about me. But you don't even know my name." He rested his chin on his hand. "I'm Valerian Drutin. Everyone calls me Val." He frowned. "I know your name, but not much else about you. Why are you going to Hoth?"

 

[OOC of Kavessk]

He was right, Kavessk barely shared anything about himself in the time that he gathered information about Val Drutin. It wouldn't hurt to share, despite that's not being the Dark Jedi's typical nature. After all, he wanted to help the former Sith.

In hindsight, today was a strange day for him.

"I'm working with an emperor to reboot an former academy on Hoth, provide a save haven for both aspects of the Force. I just have been wandering around a bit to strengthen how do I want to approach it, hence my recent interactions with force users such as yourself."

While true, Val was the only one that had any form of relativity.

 

[Val Drutin]

"An emperor?" Val echoed, snorting softly. "The emperor of what?"

He couldn't imagine why anyone would want to build an academy on a frozen planet like Hoth, but he supposed there had been generations of Jedi and Sith raised under less comfortable circumstances.

OOC of Kavessk

 

[OOC of Kavessk]

"Shadow Empire I think. The former Sith Lord would let me pass on what I know without any intervention from Jedi or Sith, so I joined for now."

It was a bit more to it than that, although Kavessk just met the Emperor recently. They both shared a distaste of both orders, and wanted to help the galaxy by any means. Still, it would allow the Dark Jedi to do what he wanted, and that was to teach.

Val Drutin

 

[Val Drutin]

Val didn't know what the Shadow Empire was, or where they held domain. He shrugged his shoulders. "I can't keep up with all the different factions. They appear, they disappear, or they merge together." He peered at Kavessk, sensing the master's desire to teach others. "Are you looking for students now? Or are all the slots taken?"

OOC of Kavessk

 

[OOC of Kavessk]

Kavessk felt similar, remembering a galaxy from forty years ago. No matter how many rised, most things just tended to stay the same.

Noticing Val's question, the first thing that came to him was the death he felt at the academy. A Sith Lord striking them all down.. But now things were different as the Dark Jedi was there.

"We have only just begun rebuilding, so I have no students."

Val Drutin

 

[Val Drutin]

"Maybe I could become your student. After I take care of things with the doctor, of course." Val paused. "Although I'd only be able to study part-time. I have... engagements elsewhere at certain times of the year."

OOC of Kavessk

 

[OOC of Kavessk]

"Very well, maybe-"

A loud ringing sound out of nowhere, only heard by Kavessk. As it got louder, a glimpse of his former life almost overwhelmed most of his sense. While on the outside did he look fine, the Force acted strangely within him.

"The girl will be taken care of, on his way to become a Jedi." It was himself, almost 50 years ago. He was pale as a normal Kage should be, untainted by the Dark Side. And yet that was all he could see, yet he didn't need the scene to be shown. After brief sounds of yelling and lightsaber igniting, he took control of his senses to see Stardust once again.

"Well make sure to let others know it exists all right? I'm too old to start recruiting."

Val Drutin

 

[Val Drutin]

Val observed the brief flash of emotion that crossed OOC of Kavessk 's face. He sensed turmoil in the master, something which Val was more in tune with than others.

"What did you see just now?" he asked, curiosity overriding any concern he might have.

 

[OOC of Kavessk]

"Are we at the destination Val?"

Kavessk ignored the question, bring unable to lie. As most of his concentration was focusing on the handle of the Dark Side.

 

[Val Drutin]

"I dunno." Val shrugged. "But I'm gonna go with no, we're nowhere close to being there yet."

OOC of Kavessk