Figuring Things Out

[Sheff Zee]

Through the Sith Temple upon Coruscant he walked. He had come to find out that there was a Sith Lord within the Order that had previously been a Jedi Master and had changed sides in some engagement in One Sith Space. It interested him as to how someone could just betray the people who he had fought for, for seemingly so long since he was a Master.

He wasn't entirely sure how old the former Jedi Master was, but he did know that it took a long time to become a Master. Then there was the Sith's name. It must mean something to him. He thought to himself as he entered the location that [member="Darth Tsolan"] was located.

Now all he needed to do was figure out which one was this Sith Lord.

 

[Vulpesen]

Tsolan could be found in the meditation room. It was where he passed all of his time now that he had joined the sith. He never moved save to eat, sleep, and occasionally train with more physical exercises. Around him was a miasma of the darkside, conjured by hours of training, so thick that his own force presence was hidden beneath it. As for picking him out form any other sith master, such would be easy. On his face, Tsolan wore his trademark fox mask, painted black and red upon his transformation, the mask covered his entire face as he stayed in his trance.

[member="Malphas"]

 

[Sheff Zee]

The Sith Pureblood soon found the Sith Lord that he was looking for within the Meditation Chambers. There were relatively a few other Sith Knights present, and none of them were upon the power level of the Sith Lord, [member="Darth Tsolan"]. When he approached, he remained quiet as he watched the former Jedi Master meditating and wondered as to why he would join the Dark Side.

Was he truly convinced? He seems quite centred. Perhaps... I should approach him later.

Something in his mind said no as he took a few steps forwards and stopped when he was two meters away from the Sith and greeted with, "Sith Lord."

 

[Vulpesen]

Tsolan's eyes flicked open, revealing a bright gold before finally fading back to their normal ground. Little by little, the dark miasma removed itself from him, revealing a fairly neutral force presence, though the taint of the darkside did seem fairly predominant. "Might I ask who has come to speak to me?" There was a coldness to his voice. Those who knew him before would find him to be completely changed. As a jedi he had been spontaneous, and free willed. Now, he was cold and calculating.

[member="Malphas"]

 

[Sheff Zee]

The Sith Apprentice didn't falter when he had practically demanded the attention of the Sith Lord. They were both Sith, but Malphas was more Sith. But the Sith in front of him was simply more powerful. When the Sith asked him who he was, he took note that he didn't demand to know.

Maybe there is still some Jidai, or kindness within him. We'll see...

The Charcoal One paused for a moment before he said, "that's not important. I'm only a lowly Sith to a Sith Lord, my name will change nothing in your life." It was a practiced line, and sometimes it got the better of some Sith, but those Sith were Sith Knights. This was a Sith Lord, he could only imagine what sort of response he would have. He needed to come up with a new name, and fast. He couldn't be known as The Charcoal One, or Malphas all the time. He liked to keep some shred of secrecy about him.

[member="Darth Tsolan"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Tsolan finally turned his head to see [member="Malphas"], the neutral gaze of his mask boring into Malphas. "A name is power. To know one's name, his true name is to hold over him more than you might think. I have seen people toppled by names. I have searched and found those whose names were hidden and used what knew to topple them. You see, a name is far more effective than you might think and thus I wish to know yours as such knowledge might keep the man behind it from changing or destroying my life. If you wish to speak, then realize that with me, everything has a price." Kindness? Not with this sith. Courtesy, formality, and prices. He was in for profit. His goals were his own and he worked to reach them. Why he had become a sith was unknown for the time being. But the fact that he had joined them was quite evident.

 

[Sheff Zee]

The Sith made no response. It was clear that they had different fighting styles, this former Jedi must have been some sort of spy, if the Jedi had an Intelligence Organization. If so, he was certain that this Sith Lord was once apart of them. Then, there was the speech about names.

Only some names were powerful, but perhaps one day he would have the chance to explain that to this Sith, at the moment he said nothing. He thought over it for a while, thinking how far he would be able to get by lying to the Sith Lord. When he shook his head when he realized he wouldn't get far he said, "Acarus."

[member="Darth Tsolan"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Tsolan thought for a moment, rolling the words around in his head before finally giving a nod. "And what do you wish to speak to me about Acarus?" This acolyte had an air of confidence around him. He enjoyed it and such might serve him well in the future, should it not grow to be the fault of foolish pride. As such, the elder sith was open to speaking with this acolyte.

[member="Malphas"]

 

[Sheff Zee]

"I have heard that you yourself was once a Jedi." He said, taking the Sith's question as some form of approval and he had sat down in front of him and folded his legs upon one another. "I do not understand why you have betrayed them." Then there was innocence in his voice. There had been confidence about him moments ago, that was still there, but a predominated feature was the young Pureblood's innocence.

He paused for a moment, thinking as to whether he should continue with his own history. "I myself came from Tantorus, a planet with many many Sith. We are a powerful people when it comes to our potential with the Force." He explained softly, then he gave the Sith a look as if to say that 'you knew that already.' But his actually helmet and cloak concealed his facial features. "I fought with my rivals and peers, beat them and rose above them, but I wouldn't think to betray them..." He said. It was clear that there was genuine curiosity and it wasn't a concealed attack against the Jedi.

[member="Darth Tsolan"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Tsolan nodded as he took in the apprentice's question. Finally, a sith who asked questions. All others had taken him for granted, happy that another had joined their ranks and caring not why he had done so. "Your questions are well placed, and with plenty of reason. However, their premise is flawed. To betray someone, you must first feel loyalty." He turned to fully face [member="Malphas"]. "I was born to both a sith and a jedi, then given to a neutral force user to be raised. At fifteen, I chose between my passions and the people of the galaxy. For that reason, I joined the jedi. But the constant wars and struggles were hurting my ability to protect. Also, what passions I had were frowned upon, and for such reasons I was promoted in such simplistic ways as to that I could never advance to greater heights. To betray the jedi, I needed loyalty to the jedi. But my loyalty is to the people of the galaxy and to my companion. For this reason I left. I wished to pursue my passions and defend others without fighting the sith. My best bet was to join your ranks. The jedi failed to pay the price of respect. Thus, they lost my assistance. I hope that with this order, I might strengthen my abilities to bring peace to the galaxy and end this war through any means possible."
[member="Malphas"]

 

[Sheff Zee]

"Did the Jidai start wars?" It sounded like a smart ass retort, but it was said with a tone of curiosity. He had never heard of a Jedi before, and when he tried to pronounce the word, it came out as 'Jidai,' instead of Jedi. "So you fought with an organization that you didn't have faith in?" He didn't understand that, how could you fight with those that you never truly felt for, for so long and only turn now. "Why, did you at least try to find a sense of loyalty to those you fight with?" The Sith Pureblood asked.

He was enjoying what he had learned so far. He had been destined for the Kissai Priests, the Force user caste, the prophets, etc. They had been the most powerful within the Caste System, they bred leaders, in fact, they were the leaders on Tantorus. When he had found that out, Malphas had been certain he was destined to rule.

"Everytime we attack or when The Republic attacks us, people die. Since you serve the people do you do it to save those individuals, or just the majority? The remaining lives that you could have ruined with those deaths and attacks? What respect did they forget to pay you, the Jidai?"

[member="Darth Tsolan"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Tsolan nodded at the first question. "On occasion. Usually, the sith struck first. The jedi then struck out to destroy their attackers. Though, there were times that the jedi launched preemptive strikes. Or attacked when they shouldn't have. You must understand if I do not speak with utter loathing. Unlike most sith here, I still respect many of my past friends. Just because I left them, doesn't mean that I hate them. They were a means to an end." As for his other questions, Tsolan was happy to speak once more. "You misunderstand. I had faith in them. I had faith in their cause, their people, everything. But, causes, and people change. Over time, the republic changed and I lost the faith I once had. My friends and those I was loya to left. They left with my loyalty and eventually, no one took their place. At least, no one I respected."

On the next question, the sith lord was silent for a moment. Weighing his words and how best to speak them. He had been asked that many times before, but back then, he had been a jedi. Now, he was a sith. "I believed in prioritizing. Freedom over the lives of the few. the lives of many over immediate freedom. I preferred not to harm others and as such, my attacks were controlled. Sadly I cannot say the same for others of my past order. As for the respects... Have you heard of the massacre of Togoria? No, you haven't. The reason is simple. It never happened. I stopped it. I saved thousands of lives. My plan, my quick thinking, and my blade saved a mass killing of innocent people at the hands of a sith of an older order. I never asked for reward. However, I would have liked some sort of acknowledgement. I became a master due to military prowess and activity. But titles I thought were mine were given to others, others who were my junior. An ex-sith became my leader and then I faded into the shadows of obscurity. Those I respected left and were replaced by leaders I didn't know." By now, his voice started to show signs of anger. "No respect, no thanks, no appreciation, just orders. Do this, do that, get away from your passions, heel, sit, fetch, you are our dog and THERE IS NO BONE!"

[member="Malphas"]

 

[Sheff Zee]

He nodded his head to the Sith Master's words, they sounded wise enough, after all it was his life, so how was he supposed to say that it was stupid? He clearly went through a lot, and he is courteous. He says what he means. He had faith in his people, those that he fought with, and then when more explanations came, he finally understood. It's because his friends left, those warriors, those people who had made themselves heroes in his eyes... "I understand." The Pureblood said suddenly at the first part of the Sith Lord's words.

He truly did. He felt as if his eyes had been opened to the truth of the Jedi. This was as much information about the Jedi Order that he had ever received, what else was he to believe, that other source that he had never heard of? No. A former Jedi Master that spoke with a passion was, who and what he was going to believe.

"Who was this ex-Sith?" He asked softly, he didn't want to rile up the Sith Lord anymore, but he figured that he would anyway with that question. "Did you lead armies to victory?" He asked when he imagined what Togoria would like with a massacre occurring, but he stopped because he had never set eyes upon that planet. He didn't even know what species originated from that planet. Probably some form of dogs since he referenced them. "What did you do in the Jedi?"

[member="Darth Tsolan"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen smiled as he saw the lights click in the acolytes eyes. Good. Ignorance and blind beliefs were the enemies of survival. This one seemed to understand that enough to learn patiently. "I believe he might still be a sith. Known as Darth Vazela. And I rarely led armies. During operation hammer, I was but a simple knight. Vazela had gathered the togorians into the town square and held them at ransom. The price. that the Army of Light surrender. Normally, I'd have waited for orders but my commanding officer had left. In the middle of that battle, he left and he never returned. Despite my pleas, he wouldn't come back. So, I took charge. I ordered our men to surround the square in smoke bombs while myself and another jedi took on Lord Vazela. We won and minimal lives were lost. Yet, despite these actions, the jedi never acknowledged my actions. As for what I did once I became a knight, I became a shadow. I hunted sith. I stopped them. I fought and I won by any means necessary."

[member="Malphas"]

 

[Sheff Zee]

He nodded his head in understanding again. He had never heard of Darth Vazela, he would have to meet him one day and to find out if he was in truth still a Jedi. If he wasn't, he would have to be struck down for betraying the One Sith, and the one true Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Who was the Jedi Knight you fought with? And who was your cowardly commander?" He had learned a long time ago that if you were to make allies, it was a good idea to find a common enemy to share the common ground. If he insulted this 'Commander,' he'd be able to share another ground with this Sith Lord. When he thought of it, perhaps he was a better teacher than his current one, Ballen-Ist, but he needed to stick with his own species. They were sparse within the Galaxy after all.

"How many Sith did you hunt, beat, and kill?" Now this was a conversation he could get into.

[member="Darth Tsolan"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Tsolan looked up to Malphas, his eyes having a slight twitch under the fox mask. "Tracyn Ordo. As for the commander, Kei Amadis was no coward. Though to this day, I have no idea where he went, nor why he left. Al I know, is that he left everything, even his wife and even she doesn't know where." At the question of his kill count, Tsolan couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Two on Hapes. I lost count of the graug I killed on Gratos. And I killed hundreds of tund sorcerers on Tund. But actual sith... no more than five. How many did I hunt? I would say twenty. How many did I beat? More than I could count. I redeemed two or three of them. I was a jedi. I didn't kill if I had another option. Many times, I simply made them surrender."

[member="Malphas"]

 

[Sheff Zee]

"Jidai kill too." He said lamely. Some Jedi were more... Warrior types and wouldn't take prisoners supposedly, but this was his only idea of a Jedi, so when he thought of it, he couldn't exactly pin his ideas of a Jedi upon a traitor, and then he sighed to himself. It was probably going to be the closest thing to a Jedi that he got to for a while.

"Are you able to talk to me about the engagements you fought in? How many, where?" It was clear the Acolyte lived for the war, or at least cared enough to gather information about the enemy. Gathering information from the enemy's point of view was even better as well.

[member="Darth Tsolan"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Tsolan nodded at the initial statement. "When pushed. Most jedi prefer not to kill.But a reluctance does not always mean an inability. As for my engagements, they were numerous and varied between different levels of difficulty. Fighting changed between each opponent and not every jedi fights exactly the same. I prefer tricks and plans. Tracyn was powerful, a tank that bashed your head in with his fists."

[member="Malphas"]

 

[Sheff Zee]

He nodded his head in response to the Sith Lord. He understood. "If you meet this Tracyn on the battlefield one day, you will kill him, yes?" He asked. It was a test, this Tracyn sounded like a friend, if not that at least a friend of sorts, and he was curious to know if he would say he'd kill the Jedi so that he could actually make sure to pay attention to the Sith Master upon their next engagement.

"It sounds as if you could outsmart him."

[member="Darth Tsolan"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Tsolan chuckled at his question about Tracyn. "You are an inquisitive one aren't you? In any case, no I wouldn't try to kill him. But not out of mercy. You sith are strong but not because of your might and ability to kill. Though i will say that is quite helpful. No, you are convincing, a quality I am now proud to stand by. No, I woud not try to kill Tracyn, not at first. First, I would like to attempt to turn him to our side. You see, Tracyn is unstable and thus it may be possible to turn him to our side." He grinned at the next part. "If he refuses, then I'll kill him."

[member="Malphas"]