Forging the Dark Side

[Orion Darkstar]

Planet: Chalcedon​

Location: Planet's Surface​

​

Dry, crusted, and cracked at its core Chalcedon was covered in black obsidian rock. The lava slithered below its fragile crevices of ash, vibrant red piercing through. Desolate and close to forgotten the planet had little attention, then again who would be so eager to take chances with volcanic implications. Steam was another attribute that made the planet dangerous, spraying up at spontaneous times, capable of burning flesh. Mountains stretched across the surface like a metropolis, some of the mountains towered the volcanoes beside them. Active and lively, the planet was far from dead. Its treacherous clutches waiting for its next prey. The heat was the worst part of the entire situation, at least for Kevros. He hated being hot, let alone having to walk across molten rock ready to break at any given moment. The lava popped below teasing his fate.

These hazardous dangers weren't the reason for his presence, the force whispered to him in his sleep. A dream lead him here. The voice of the dark side entwined themselves into his mind. Kevros could bare with the planet's conditions solely for the the answers he had been seeking. The force had finally connected with him, showed him the path to significance. There were many things Kevros still needed in order to succeed as a true user of the dark side, a teacher. The dream he had showed him a figure, a entity almost, the very core of the dark side reaching out to him like vines gripping a wall. Never releasing its clutches the apparition showed him the planet Chalcedon. Kevros knew it was a message, a start, and of course his future.

Step by step Kevros made his way to the mysterious coordinates logged into his ship. How they got into his ships log was beyond him, this made it even more enticing to inspect. Kevros was a curious man, curious about the true nature of the force. His youth had taught him that the light side of the force, while more acceptable, wasn't the true way to embrace the force. Jedi were on a different caliber than Sith, whether that would lead Kevros to his demise or not, was yet to be decided.

Kevros scanned the area, just one more hill and he would be able to map the distance it would take to reach his destination. A sudden hiss forced him to leap back quickly, steam springing out from the obsidian rock below. Maneuvering his way around the deadly steam cloud, ashes began to fall softly atop his hood, his Kovani mask untouched. The delicate way the ash fell made Kevros contemplate how something so harmless could easily lead to death. Smiling under his mask at the thought, Kevros reached the top of the glass-like spire. His emerald eyes surveyed the area again, this time a light silhouette could be made out in the distance. A structure, dark and forgotten from the looks of it, laid quietly below.

​

A river of lava meandered its way into the the structures core, Keveros knew he had found what he was looking for. The force was apparent, and lively in such a clandestine spot. something was calling out him, he could feel it. The light tickles of the dark side caressed his ears as it pulled him closer. Kevros scaled down the spire, and before long stood in front of a dark, volcanic glass made ruin. Shards of glistening glass were thrown to the side, stone breaking from the pressure below. Kevros had discovered something ancient, he slide his arms out from beneath his cloak, and bent down. Grabbing a piece of the glass he twirled it around, his eyes scanning its imperfect, perfection.

​Kevros tossed the obsidian glass into the large pool of lava resting to the right of the ruins. Charred pillars of what used to be glamours stone, were torn in half. Chalcedon was always altering its terrain, it was surprising that the structure before him was still standing. Stepping forward he found himself inside, the heat was stripped from its dark embrace. Cold and filled with ash Kevros quietly made his way deeper, the whispers of something eager forced him further in. Tall arches made way for the giant opening at the center, the roof was caved in blocking off certain accessible areas of the main entrance. Even still, Kevros moved on, echoes of loose chains could be heard in the distance, shackles for slaves mounted on the walls. Whatever was once here, Kevros truly thought was glorious in its youth.

Windows throughout caused an odd effect across the hallway walls, scriptures of another language presenting themselves to those who wandered in. The sound of a churning metal suddenly came to life, a booming echo severing the cold silence. Kevros tuned out everything and waited, licking his lips he anticipated another churn of working metal. It happened, a clinging of hammer and steel, resonating from below. Stairs, there had to be stairs. Kevros ran, his boots thumping against the cold stone beneath him. The loud clash of metal to metal continued, Until Kevros reached the top of the steps.

A gentle hue of red and yellow flashed against the compartmentalized walls as Kevros felt his way down the winding staircase. The clashing had stopped abruptly, had someone known he arrived?

Kevros peered around the corner his terrifying mask lit from the churning fires ahead. A furnace rested on the far side of the wall, the room was filled with tools. Lava flowed in from the surface, the perfect set up for a hidden forge. The articulate designs among the heaping tools, scattered about the steel anvils, were en-crested with the same symbol. The room also had barrels of coolant liquid in every corner, Kevros was more than impressed. In the very center rested the most valuable piece of the entire room. A pit to melt the metal down, its triangular shape stretched over the immense heat of the lava within. Anchors were strapped to the sides in order to lower the metal safely into the heaping magma. It truly was a forge.

​

​Swords rested along the outside of the room, parts of unfinished work left to the imagination. The dark side was more alive here than Kevros has seen in years. He could feel the deep sensation of power, Kevros stared into the never ending flame of the furnace.
Wrapping his mind around one thing, who's forge was this? Not only that would Kevros make it out alive?

The sweet smell of clad iron and rustic oils cleansed him, the darkness would soon take hold. Tense and alert, Kevros silently waited, the force surrounded him with a malevolent embrace.

 

[Sinistra]

It seemed to be the will of the Dark Side that she be drawn like moth to flame, heat and destruction calling to her like the siren of her own undoing. Chalcedon was a hub of slaving and she had been tracking a juicy bit of intel for the One Sith to this particular location. It seemed there was a black market weaponsmith who boasted perfecting techniques that made alchemy obsolete. Sinistra scoffed at the report, but it was her job to investigate rumors and leads as her handler so politely pointed out. She had read the mission details and immediately decided that there was no need to preserve her civilian cover, she could attend to this business in all her Sithly glory.

Finding the forge wasn't a problem. There was someone who beat her to it, a masked Sith that carefully made his way along the lava floes to descend into the pit that she had been sent to investigate. He didn't move with the intention of someone who knew where they were going. However, he did move with purpose. His fixation on the prize kept him from noticing the illusions that masked her with her surroundings and blended her presence into the seductive pull of the Dark Side already present.

The forge was an impressive one, whoever had made it obviously spared no expense and used the super heated magma to help stoke the fires of the smelter. It was ingenious but the way the masked adept crept around, he was not the owner. She allowed him to creep into the space before she very suddenly dropped the illusion that blended her into the wall around her. Her presence rolled over him; cold, impassive, and nonplussed.

She did not reach for a weapon, either one on her person or one lying around. Instead, the red lenses of her mask peered at him, while her vocoder croaked, breaking the silence of the room.

"What are you doing here?"

[member="Kevros Kovani"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

The consistent hiss of the magma flowing through the center of the room made him enticed to the Dark Side even more. The swinging chains along the walls lightly played with each other. Surround by the forge he stepped in. Walking to the far wall he touched the metal workings of the expert craftsman. The long axe was cleanly cut, smashed perfectly into the half-moon edges. Kevros smiled underneath his mask. The idea of finding something so valuable made him excited deep within. The thoughts of finding the smith and having him or her make a weapon of his own began to cycle through his mind.

The silent whispers of the force began to grip at him, someone was close. How had someone gotten pst his keen senses? Turning to face the intruder he felt inferior, something was different about the Sith before him. The armor was impressive and the glaring red of its eyes began to take effect. Kevros tilted his head in curiosity. Whoever was standing in front of him was well taught in the arts of stealth, and most of all powerful in the force.

Stepping forward he sighed.

"I could ask you the same, although I was told of a forge deep within these ruins. Are you perhaps the creator of these fine tools and weapons?" Kevros asked, calm and respectful he was unsure of what the Sith really wanted, better yet what they were capable of.

The force was almost tangibly resonating from the stealthy Sith, something Kevros had been seeking. If anything was for certain he needed to know how they infiltrated the forge without him noticing. Being unseen during times of strife could become more useful than most. Reaching for his head with his left hand his moved it towards the left, a light crack coming from his neck bone. Licking his lips he waited patiently for his new acquaintance to reveal the truth.

Kira Corsai

 

[Sinistra]

He seemed surprised, as much as she could divine his mood from his movements and his tone of voice. She wasn't the only one masking herself from the prying eyes of strangers. She descended slowly the rest of the steps into the forge, only pulling her eyes from him long enough to sweep the surfaces of work tables for anything she could use to help identify the smith. Not standing a few stairs up from him now, she was remarkably short. There were slashes that hung from her waist but for the most part, she wasn't wearing anything that would catch fire should she be less than vigilant about her movements among the magma.

She paused on the opposite side of the room, her hands hanging at her sides.

"No. I am here to locate the smith for other reasons."

On a far bench, a glint of flame on metal caught her eye and she stepped closer, looking over the polished blade. It lifted through the air to her open palm and she turned it in the light to get a closer look. It was light, silver in color, and seemed to be perfectly balanced, but she was more concerned with something else. Plucking a silver hilt off her belt, she ignited a silver lightsaber and tapped the sharpened sword edge.

The screech of the saber drowned out the sound of the flames and lava, but the sword seemed untouched by the glowing plasma. The saber was deactivated and disappeared beneath her robes once more, without a glance at the one behind her. She lay the flat of the blade across her right palm, the warbling sounds of her vocoder getting louder. The sword took on a faint green glow, a sickly flash down the razor sharp blade before both the unnatural color and the rasping voice of the Sith ceased. She tossed the sword onto the bench, not very mindful of protecting it.

"And now my questions are answered. Luck to you boy, you're going to need it."

She turned to exit the forge, her curiosity satisfied, and no more mystery here for the OSI.

[member="Kevros Kovani"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

He watched her move across the room like a mathematician calculating his or her every move. As she gripped onto the smith's work she responded. The cackle of the vocoder seemed to hide who they were. The Sith before him was almost agitating to figure out. They were sly, sheltered, and again powerful. The armored Sith made its way to the other end of the benches. The light gave her what she was looking for.

The sudden ignition of her lightsaber made a disturbing sound as it made contact with the smith's work. The blade that had been constructed held cortosis within its creation, capable of dismantling lightsabers for a short time. The knoweldge the armored Sith presented, made Kevros insecure, he'd never been outwitted. The information he had come into seemed to be lackluster compared to that of his newly found intruder.

"What do you mean?" Kevros asked almost immediately, she turned to leave. he couldn't let them slip away without knowing who they were. "Better yet who are you? How did you know the blade was weaved with cortosis?" He bombarded her again with his flurry of questions, the concept seemed odd to him.

Kevros had always been the man two, three steps ahead. Now he was being outdone, outsourced, and maybe even blind to the armored Sith's real intentions.

Kira Corsaihttp://starwarsrp.net/user/9047-kira-corsai/

 

[Sinistra]

She felt this was a wasted trip but as he called out to her, she paused on the stairs. She didn't have to answer him, she owed him nothing. However, she turned, the hem of the sashes hanging from her belt sweeping the edge of the glassy steps.

"It's not cortosis. Cortosis would have shorted out the blade and killed the saber. It's phrik. Phrik is resistant to sabers and nearly indestructible. It needs a lot of heat for smelting. It explains why the forge is here."

The vocoder rasped through the room, hard to understand with the reverberations off the stone walls. She corrected the gravelly tone and her voice came out much more clear but still mechanical and gender neutral, the curve of her armor notwithstanding.

"My name is Lord Sinistra, of the One Sith. This smith claimed he had discovered techniques to outwit even our ancient magicks. I was sent to investigate and find answers. I have them. You still never answered why you are here."

[member="Kevros Kovani"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

It seemed the Sith before him wasn't an apprentice level student like himself. The Sith lord before him was talented in the ways of the force and even her cunning armor seemed like a testament to her will to continue. Its appearance alone held a menacing feature, the solid mask engulfing the head completely. Their Identity must have been of uppermost importance. Kevros could feel the agitation as Sinistra spoke.

"I was hoping to find the smith here, I wanted a new weapon. Forged and capable rather than this rag tag Massassi Blade of my own. I was also in search of the One Sith. It seems I've found that second part in you. Forgive my rudeness, Lord Sinistra if I had known before hand, I would have..." He paused, his head slightly tilting to the right.

"Forgive me." He finished.

Kevros felt ashamed, sometimes his deceptive games got the better of him. Although, Lord Sinistra alone had the deceptive allure as well. He examined the armor closely, stepping forward to take it all in. It was the first Sith Lord he had come in contact with. The smooth curves around the waist line gave away Sinistra's gender like feature. Kevros considered the possibility of a male behind the mask, but the body shape and chest armor gave it away. Lord Sinistra was a female from what he could tell. The tassels from her waist swayed back and forth.

Kevros stared at her, his head tilting back in an upright position. He had to be taught in the ways of the dark side, something he knew she could offer. In return she would have a pupil, ready and determined to become powerful. The only thing that bothered him was the idea of following orders, however, sometimes in life to get what you want, you had to sacrifice others.

"Lord Sinistra, the dark side, I can feel it. Hear it. Want it. Only I feel so far out of reach from its purpose. I can feel this fragile line waiting to be crossed, a line that will bring to where I need to go. Guidance, Lord Sinistra, guidance is what I truly seek."

Clenching his fist with passion he stood silently, hoping she would stay intrigued. He was lost without her, the force had lead him here for a different reason. That reason seemed to be Lord Sinistra.

[member="Kira Corsai"]

 

[Sinistra]

She did not speak when he confessed his reasoning to her, merely watched him. He was young, inexperienced but not entirely without promise. She could feel the tendrils of the Dark Side, pulling and whispering to her. She took two steps down the stairs, her boots clicking on the stone.

She reached out with her left hand, the Massassi blade jerked from his scabbard and flew quickly to her palm. She inspected it, the age on it and the knicks in it where it had been beaten but not sharpened, where it had not been cared for properly. Perhaps it was he who did not cherish it, perhaps it was whoever he had taken it from. The glow of the lava illuminated the red lenses of her mask as she titled her head towards the light, making her look monstrous under the hood.

"This ragtag blade you despise so is worth more than every weapon in this room, my sabers included. If it is a Massassi blade, and I see no reason to doubt your claim, then you have been given a treasure more generous than many Lord could ever dream of."

She turned the blade in her gloved and gauntleted hands, holding the hilt to him to take back and resheath.

"If you are to wield such a boon, then you should be trained to use it. What is your name?"

[member="Kevros Kovani"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Reaching out to grab the blade, he slid it neatly back into its sheathe. Everything about her seemed incriminating, ruthless, and dark. He hadn't been in a odd position of inferiority too many times before. He was impressed with her ease of access to the force. Lord Sinistra showed more promise for his future than any other he sought after.

"The blade was my fathers. He was a many of many talents back on Zelos II. He passed away when I was young and left it to me. If this blade is as worthy of your ind as you say it is perhaps I owe my father an apology." He said, a light grin forming under his Kovani mask. He knew the blade was valuable, even more he loved the weapon.

Cracking his lengthy fingers he looked around the room, the oils and iron filling his scent with displeasure. He hated the smell of the forge, the different metal alloys that were burnt hours before still lingering in the air. The heat of the planet didn't make it any better, sweat started to form around his neck.

"Kevros Kovani." He said it with pride for the first time, in a long time.

[member="Kira Corsai"]

 

[Sinistra]

"I assume you got here with some means of transport, so you will use it to make your way to Garqi, a planet towards the Tingel Arm. On the outskirts of Pesktda, there is an estate. Arrive after dark, there is a landing pad on the grounds."

She turned to head back up the stairs, her heels crunching unpleasantly on the steps ridden with glass debris and metal filings. She paused a couple steps up, turning to glance over her shoulder. Her vocoder was astonishingly clear when she spoke.

"I do not suffer fools, Kevros. See that you never forget that. Or I will kill you."

Her words were not rushed, not a threat, not really. She spoke as if death was just the natural consequence of failing her expectations, her tone flat and even just as she had been when describing the sword he carried at his side. The message delivered, she turned back to the ascent of the stairs, her cloak and sashes quieting her steps as she disappeared from his sight. Should he have decided to rush the stairs, to catch up to her, there would be nothing there but the desolate wastes of the magma fields, stretching in every direction.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

​

Outskirts of Pesktda, Garqi​

​

It was an hour past sundown on the purple planet on the edge of the galaxy, far removed from the main body of the One Sith. She had been waiting in the ballroom, reading an alchemy text, the silence in the halls of the estate eerily appropriate for the occasion. The estate appeared deserted, miles away from anyone who would have prying eyes. There was nothing truly to see here, just a dusty old mansion and a quiet hermit who never ventured into town. The locals were content to leave well enough alone, and for the most part, the estate seemed in good hands. It was cared for.

The telltale hum and whine of sublight engines drew her attention and she looked up to the heavens or the painted ceiling of the ballroom, one or the other.

"It is time," she seemed to say to no one in particular, but her words carried weight as though she had just given orders.

Sinistra rose from the makeshift work table, reaching for the well worn folds of her cloak. It had once been black as the deepest reaches of space, but now it had been wet, dried, dusty, dirty, bloody, and every other thing a cloak could be. The color had faded but it went well with the ensemble. She looked as though she had lived a life in that cloak, and for all Kevros needed to know, she had.

The night air was cool this time of year, but it was still summer on the agriworld, and the breeze carried the scent of the dense forests just beyond the walls of the compound. She looked exactly the same, standing there in the wash of the lights from the landing pad.

[member="Kevros Kovani"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Kevros knew what she meant, she wouldn't be played with. It was a dangerous game, the galaxy, filled with dangers spanning far and wide, Lord Sinistra one of them. He watched as she slipped out into the darkness. Her steps fading as he almost chased after her. Instead Kevros turned to look at the forge one last time. The popping magma within ready for more metal to be applied. Shaking his head he turned to leave, his long cloak sweeping across the duty floor.

He had reached the surface of Chalcedon, it's dark obsidian rock filtering the way to make it back to his ship safely. Kevros made his way over the large spire, standing he looked down on the old Sith ruins, the echoing sounds of metal being smashed in the distance. His eyes narrowed, he had attained a master. In time he would return to the forge, something told him it wasn't the last time. Walking away he had one thing on his mind.

Lord Sinistra

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took him sometime to arrive on the planet Garqi. Kevros wasn't sure what Sinistra had in mind bringing him to such a planet. His ship landed, the bulk of the hull raddled slightly as the landing gear latched onto the landing pad. Bright luminescent lights paving the way as the drawbridge mechanism lowered a ramp. Kevros slowly walked, his boots clattering as he descended onto the dark, purple planet. The sound of insects chirping hidden by the lush forest that surrounded him. His eyes scoured for her presence, apparently she was waiting within.

The mansion was quite impressive, its sharp stone work winding around each corner of the foundation. Chiseled and done by and expert was a symbol above the entrance. The doors seemed to be blown open, creaking as he approached. The brisk cold air snapped at his hands as he pushed the door further open. The energy from within felt familiar, resonating like a constant pulse urging him closer.

The click of the door slammed against the wooden wall hidden behind the door. Kevros didn't mean for the rude intrusion, the wind of the midnight air had other plans. He looked down the two hallways to his left and right, empty. Small tiny tables lined up against the foyer that he apparently was now standing in. The smell of lavender teased his nose. Coughing for only a moment his head bowed toward the floor. The tile like path etched with little octagons creating a interesting design.

The dim light made him feel at home. The windows were covered in webs and dust, an upkeep that apparently was far from a necessity. Walking further in he heard the sounds of what sounded like a person. As he neared the corner he slipped inside. His mask glimmering in the purple hue from the towering windows above. His cloak concealing his red, rag tag clothing underneath. His hood was creased with an odd disillusion, something he personally couldn't stand. At his waist rested his Massassi Blade, and small metal gadgets. He grinned underneath his Kovani mask.

"Lord Sinistra." The tone was confident and smooth.

[member="Kira Corsai"]

 

[Sinistra]

Sinistra looked at him a long moment, cocking her head to the side. Where to begin? He found his way here, with only minimal clues to lead him to her. He had demonstrated his willingness to be instructed but she needed more before they could begin in earnest. Her eyes behind her mask cut over to an empty crate sitting along the wall. Reaching out through the force, she hoisted the crate to the middle of the open floor between them. It hovered a moment before it hit the ground with a loud thud.

"I need to understand your current skill level and natural talents. You will perform a series of tasks, building in complexity until I am satisfied with the answers."

She had drawn a chair to her after the crate was deposited, and she sat down neatly, her hands folded in her lap. She crossed one leg over the other but her boots, trinkets, and accessories were lost under the sashes, skirts, and folds of her cloak.

"Use the force to lift the crate and hold it above the ground while telling me what you wish to accomplish by studying the ways of the Sith."

[member="Kevros Kovani"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

The box was brown, holes forming around the wooden planks that made up its sides. As it feel a small cloud of dust pushed itself out from underneath the weight. Lord Sinistra moved it with ease something Kevros wasn't sure he could preform, at least with such profound success. He stepped closer to the box. Bending down he placed his right hand along the top, patting it he judged how heavy the object might be. He breathed in and leaned back. Kevros couldn't think of a better way to display his strength in the force than right now.

Ignoring Sinistra's words Kevros did what he always could, attempted a force push. His left arm bent backwards, slowly stretching out towards the box. The pressure of the air around him began to marginalize into the tips of his fingers. With a quick flick his wrist snapped upright, a pulse of energy escaping his hand. Rather than actually pushing the object he tried to focus on lifting it, the wooden box shook. Tettering back and forth as it began to wobble. Kevros couldn't connect with the object in the same way Sinistra could. Something was missing, he knew he was capable but the box refused to lift.

Frustrated he flexed his left arm forward with vigor, finally letting loose. Another pulse of energy ruptured from his hand. The wooden box flying across the room to the other end where Sinistra now sat. Kevros's arm fell dead, angered at the fact of failure.

How could he feel the force but not use it entirely to his advantage?

His fingers curled into his palm as the fabric of his glove tightened around his fist. He wasn't sure how Sinistra would respond. Instead, since he displayed his lack in telekinesis, he showed her something else.

"Accomplishments are mere stepping stones, I seek knowledge of the dark side, powers that will make me capable not just in your eyes, but my own. I am no stranger to the happenings of the force, what i lack in sorcery, I make up for with my wit and swordsmanship. I seek guidance in the myths that have come before us. Tales of powers that allowed ancient Sith the capabilities to control others, force them to see things, that aren't. Others of unmatched speed, bellowing voices so resounding it could stop a hundred men in their tracks. You see Sinistra, I don't just want to know the ways of the Sith. I want to become one with the Dark Side, feed off its limitless potential. Naive, perhaps, I find it more of an ambition. " He explained.

The purple light from the windows above continued to shower him with its presence, his golden mask gleaming in the dark.

[member="Sinistra"]

 

[Sinistra]

Rough would have been an understatement. The very fact that Kevros walked over to the crate and touched it to get a feel for it was enough for Sinistra to know that instruction in the use of his powers was rudimentary at best. This did not necessarily deter her from his tutelage. In fact, if anything, it meant he did not have to unlearn anything. He was a blank slate as far as she was concerned.

When the crate shot towards her, it took merely a thought before it seized in the air in front of her. With another gentle motion of her left hand, the crate was set back in the original spot and her hand went back to resting in her lap.

"Why did you touch the crate?"

She knew exactly why he did, but this exercise would need to walk him through the mental steps he would need to understand and accept that his power in the force had nothing to do with his physical form. Patience and time.

[member="Kevros Kovani"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Kevros watched as the box was held in the air. Sinistra's left arm waving through the dim lit room. The box arrived back at where it once was. He touched the box to get a range of how far he could push it. The physical contact gave him hints to its mass, he had only ever lifted light objects, such as his hilt.

"I was simply gaining information based on its properties, the wood, the iron bent edges holding everything in place. I figure by most standards that box is a solid four and a half Kilograms." He replied, his hand slowly going for another attempt.

His mind was free now, Kevros was so worried about the weight and failure he couldn't see the success right in front of him. Maybe these practicalities didn't matter. Maybe they did. Either way the force was willing to do, what Kevros could not.

His palm arched upright once more, the tendrils of the energy from his very being wrapping itself around the wooden box. Slowly it lifted, only reaching a mere two inched from the ground. Kevros clenched his teeth as he strained even more. The box floated, not raising in height. Frustration began to set in once more. Kevros looked to Sinistra everything about her lead him to try harder, to be her. Holding the box in place he waited for further instruction.

[member="Sinistra"]

 

[Sinistra]

Although her posture was relaxed and neutral, the crate sudden slammed down hard on the marble floors, the wood cracking and creaking its displeasure while the metal corners scraped loudly. She cocked her head to the right, the light catching the red lenses as she looked at him.

"Do you think that my ability to manipulate this object has anything to do with my physical strength?"

The vocoder sounded clear, her words carefully enunciated through the device so that he would be able to understand her. She did not reach out to touch his mind with hers, her presence kept at bay from him. She did not seek to overwhelm him with her connection to the Dark Side just yet. She was testing his first. Sinistra tented her fingers, tapping the pads of them together as she waited for him to answer.

The darkness had called to him, lead him to where he would find her. However, she wondered if it was for his benefit or for hers.

[member="Kevros Kovani"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Kevros couldn't hold the box much longer. A loud thud resonating throughout the room. Sinistra questioned his knowledge of how the force in this particular regard worked. Kevros knew from her question that he had gotten it wrong the whole time.

One's physical strength had nothing to do with the force. He needed to focus, concentrate on the darkness. The flicker of dead bodies reached his mind. The crew on the old ship that made everything possible flashed in his mind. The wicked tingle in his body caused a spark of energy. He melded himself into the sensation.His eyes closed, Kevros standing silently as he knew the answer.

"No. Lord Sinistra." He said, his eyes snapping open.

Kevros felt the force move through him like a wave. His hand finally with ease gripping for the box with the dark side energy around him. It lifted higher and higher until he flung it against the wall. The wooden box smashed into tiny pieces. Splinters of the wood tapping the ground.

"I understand now, the force isn't obstructed by the realm of physicality. The dark side is the only weight that matters." Kevros replied waiting for his next test.

[member="Sinistra"]

 

[Sinistra]

There was a curl upwards of her lip as the crate floated up and his straining seemed to lessen. He was getting it. In order to properly master the force for oneself, it was crucial to accept that you must be a conduit through which it flows, not a fretless manhandler who ham handedly tried to make it submit. The darkside would never move for someone who felt they were superior to it.

She was pleased.

However, that approval of his progress evaporated when he sent the crate careening into the wall, smashing it to pieces. The cacophony of sound clattered around the mostly empty room as wood hit the floor, making a mess of the corner.

Sigh.

If she could have reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, she would have. She stood up from her chair, and with the raise of her right hand, a tendril like bit of pressure encircled his ankle and hoisted him off the ground, dangling him upside down in the air several feet as she walked over to him, her voice hard and metallic through the vocoder.

"Yes, you managed to levitate the box, but I don't recall telling you to break it."

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the grip holding him a couple feet off the ground released and he was dropped in a heap.

"Follow me."

She swept out of the room, her hem swaying out from momentum as she left the modified ballroom and stalked the darkened halls out onto the lawn. The night was still, just the chirps of insects singing the lullabies to the sleeping mortal world. She stopped out in the gardens, a strange place of carefully maintained hedgerows, topiaries and flowers interspersed with large marble statues of robed figures.

"Lift the statue and hold it. Do not break it, do not throw it."

[member="Kevros Kovani"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Like a thrill ride Kevros was hoisted upside down. His arms flailing through the air like a animal caught in a net. he couldn't react to her forceful expertise in the dark side and for that he was outdone. His hood flipped down as his long black hair was revealed only for a short time. Falling to the ground his elbows smacked against the stone floor. He couldn't remember the last time his was handled with such ease. Not since his training back on Zelos II did he have someone that could truly prove superior. The concept in itself made him realize that everything would soon make sense. If the dark side wanted him here it was for a reason.

Her voice was cold and menacing. Kevros rose to his feet quickly, clearly breaking the box hand angered her. he followed closely behind, his cloak scrapping the back side of his heels as he walked. Reaching the doorway way Sinistra seemed to be looking, they made their way out into the midnight air. Frigid and breezy he followed. The sound of small bugs in the grouching grass nearby surrounded them. Flowers spring from the ground as they attached themselves to two statues.

He had been given the order, lift the statues. The idea of lifting something much heavier than the box moments ago made him hesitant. He channeled the fear of failure and quickly waved his hand upward, his palm held vertically. Kevros' eyes narrowing as he focused. He could feel the gripping mechanisms of the force around the robed statue. It was all in his control the sweet sound of the darkness finally coupling his senses. Slowly he rose his hand, perfectly upward as the stone statue began to take flight.

Kevros felt it, the weight of the force allowing him to break through the physical world and into the world of endless power. His mind fed off the idea as the statue rose higher every second. A sly grin forming underneath his Kovani mask. He had done as instructed, this time there would be no throwing. Only displays of his untapped potential.

[member="Sinistra"]

 

[Sinistra]

"Good. Now set it back down on the base."

Sinistra walked around the statue as it hovered, a wobble here and there but it was to be expected. What Kevros needed to learn was how to be the conduit for the dark side to flow through and to learn control. A frustrating concept to the young and hot blooded, but completely necessary if Kevros wanted to advance beyond his current limitations. She tuned the vocoder of her helmet, and her voice came through ungarbled, unaltered, merely magnified as if she was speaking through a microphone.

"Power is as power does. Unlearned adepts can stumble their way into the basics; lifting, throwing, speeding themselves up, jumping great distances or heights. You will never move past these first steps if you cannot learn control. We are Sith, we are emboldened by our emotions, by our anger, by our hate. However, we must be able to use that to our advantage or you becoming nothing more than a marauding beast."

She stopped next to him, turned slightly away as she extended her right hand toward the mirror of his statue standing on the opposite side of the stone path.

"Feel the pulse of the darkside, the quiet thrum of it around you, around everything. Feel it within you and how it connects to every single thing around you, above you, below you. Feel the presence of the statue, let the darkness bridge the gap until it moves with your thoughts."

The statue beyond her grasp floated up gracefully, turning around in a full arc before it was once again settled back on the base.

[member="Kevros Kovani"]