Grasping At Secrets

[Ithnan Cryo]

Strong will or enveloping greed. One of these was the host of Ithnan actions and ideas as his steps through the temple entrance were so graceful and proper it was almost as if he was gliding against the sacred stone beneath his feet. Each step carrying him ever closer to a bad idea with a large payout.

That was how he saw it, or needed to that is.

Thinking of actions in terms of what could be returned from the investment allowed him to push aside unnecessary fear and focus more on the possibility. It had gotten him this far and with the right treatment, it could potentially propel him even higher up the echelon of his goals and ideas. The next goal in his path was one every person in his position would eventually face, finding a master. He had graduated from the academy but that wasn't enough for a person to truly call themselves Sith or to even project the illusion that they were of a superior stock when it came to the other sentients and living beings of the galaxy.

Ithnan wanted that, more so he craved that. To place those of weaker being beneath him and use them to his ends. In this war-torn galaxy, it was clear that only those with the ability to project their strength over other would be able to live in any semblance of assured peace and prosperity. However, before he could do that he needed to broaden his horizons and develop himself personally before releasing it onto the galaxy.

This certain venture had a particular person in mind for this grooming and refinement. It was none other than She, The Lady Of Secrets. He had only met her once in a class she held on Sith magic and alchemy but he knew from that moment that the ladies before him were of a standard he hoped to reach, powerful, dark, stunning, and graceful. It had taken him more than a few meditation sessions to resolve himself of the idea that he had a chance as her apprentice, even so deep in his mind he felt confliction and doubt. Striking it all away was impossible, and proved even more so that he needed the training to make the impossible reality.

He greeted his betters and nodded toward his peers as the large halls were filled with the echoes of footsteps. The academy was always home to someone and he couldn't forget the blood sweat and tears he had shed here, mostly the blood. Countless hours worrying about his future and his place among the others he had to call classmates. A stressful time.

Before long he was before the office dedicated to the Lady herself and with three simple knocks he waited for a response to enter. It had taken a decent bit of questioning to map out when she would be on Bastion again, and even then he couldn't be sure because as everyone knew information was paint to The Lady secrets, manipulated and contorted to make any image she saw fit.

He hoped that his intel was good and that he wouldn't have to go on another investigation as to her whereabouts.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ithnan Cryo"]

Reviewing the performance of the Sith academy on Bastion was never an enjoyable task, especially for the Overseers, when she came to call. But as the Lady of Secrets, and the Triumvir of Power, she only wanted the best and brightest students to become actual Sith... and even more so if they desired to join the alchemists and sorcerers she oversaw. As it was, she had encouraged the Overseers to ever so subtly increase their tests and observations of students who had the gift for alchemy.

It might mean a few more died or washed out into the branches of the Sith Services, but they would likely have died or done some mistake in an experiment anyway that would have led to their deaths or worse.

For instance, the student on the datapad she was reviewing had failed a rather simple test, and now she was deciding what should be done with them. Perhaps... hmm maybe she could correct their problems, and continue her ongoing experiments at the same time.

A knock or three came at the door of the office she kept within the academy. Decorated mostly with shelves filled to the brim with books, ancient manuscripts, holobooks, and datapads, it was certainly more of a study than anything else. Well, more of an overflow place for her things at Stormvale.

"Enter," she called out, setting the datapad down. She was curious what the young man, she recognized his presence from her one lecture, wanted. Should be interesting.

 

[Ithnan Cryo]

His heart bounced up and down in his body when he heard a familiar voice respond to him and with stalwart conviction, he entered the book-filled office. The sheer number of them was enough to immediately draw his attention away from her but the myriad of titles and topics they enveloped made the collection all the more alluring. It took him a few seconds to notice he was dawdling and avert his stare to the Lady Of Secrets who seemed to be in the middle of some work. A datapad sat in front of her with a length of text adorning the screen with what seemed to be information on a student here. It made sense she would come here for teaching duties alone. Though he had hoped to catch her in a downtime period. The Lady's downtime probably involved something off-world and not scrolling through files on students.

"Good evening Darth Arcanix." he gave a small bow and the semblance of a smile to reassure himself that he needed to not show weakness.

Taking a few more steps into the room he would stand before the Lady's desk. Fortune favored the bold was a saying that kept playing in his head as he finally decided to speak up and not leave an awkward silence in the air. It was paranoia, that was his biggest enemy now. No one he had questioned or spoken to could give detail to the power Darth Arcanix possessed as a Sith. The thought of not knowing his adversary in this case put him on uneasy footing. She had the high ground inherently and now he was meant to impress and convince her. It seemed foolish, and not the typical scenario he would've liked.

Nevertheless, the words poured from him.

" I am sorry to have interrupted your day and schedule but I wished to speak with you about possibly taking me under your wing as an apprentice."

A slight weight lifted as it was do or die time.

"While the skills I possess now have managed to keep me alive in this beast eat beast world we inhabit it has only been survival. I do not simply wish to survive but to thrive in my habitat, and the clearest option I see to that goal is to learn from someone who has done so like yourself. Tales of your exploits have made that clear to everyone assuredly and I would rather it be me who can ingest the knowledge you possess and not those who seek to devour me."

His eyes were deathly serious and cold toward the end as it was a fact that Acolytes would do anything to distinguish themselves and get ahead. It was something the academy had ingrained in them. The weak will feed the stronger and the stronger will subjugate each other to be the strongest of the pack.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ithnan Cryo"]

Well, she had to give the acolyte this. He was bold, no doubt about that. Many Sith Lords would simply laugh at an acolyte for doing something like this. Others would subject the bold acolyte with Force Lightning to teach them a lesson. And others would laugh and conjure lightning. She, on the other hand, was mildly intrigued as the acolyte greeted her and explained his reasons for being here. He spoke the truth after all. Survival at the academy was... abhorrent to someone who could become a truly powerful Sith. The top students were at the top because they were not satisfied with learning from just the overseers.

They sought out additional avenues of learning to dominate their fellow students, but Acolyte Cryo had decided the best way to do that was to go straight to a Lord for an apprenticeship. She had noted, before he even started speaking, how his eyes had roved over the collection of books here. He was hungry for knowledge, for power.

"Take a seat, Acolyte Cryo," she said pleasantly, giving him an easy smile. "Tell me, what have you learned so far?"

And if he was smart enough, he would know she was not asking what his Overseers had taught him. She wanted to know what initiative he had shown, what his philosophy was developing into, and most importantly... how he responded.

 

[Ithnan Cryo]

Ithnan bowed in thanks as he pulled out a chair and neatly took a seat across from the Lady. On one hand, he felt relief as he had avoided immediate death and execution, having got his foot through the door. Though on the other hand, he felt the immense weight of this task as he was in the literal hot seat people joked about. At the least, he had her attention so all he had to do now was somehow convince her he wasn't a waste of time.

The question of what has he learned so far seemed like a strange one. Saying he knew the basics such as the zones of attack and rings of defense seemed redundant when it came to leaving an impression. Even he as an Acolyte would find that news more than lackluster and more the lines of a joke and not a serious point of self-promotion. His words, and her time, would be better spent with him telling her of what he was currently practicing instead.

"Of course my Lady. Currently, I have begun to dive deeper into the art of Makashi and overall my personal defense. Not long ago at the battle for Commenor, I and a fellow Acolyte came into a skirmish with a Jedi defending the tunnels "

His tone at the end would hold so sharpness and annoyance. The time still left a bitter taste in his mouth and heart.

"Her skill outmatched mine and I found my style of aggression did not work against an opponent like her. My strikes were useless and the result was me almost burning to death and being buried beneath the earth. With that dabble with death I've decided to focus on covering my cracks."

He would pause for a moment.

"Though I will say what really intrigued me from that time was her ability to conjure fire and control earth. The Force was manipulated but I don't know how, nor do I know what exactly it is I escaped. Many of my meditations had been disturbed with the thought. My original thought was it could've been some weird sort of witchery unbeknownst to the basics of Sith knowledge so I read "Wild Power" to see if the long legend Mother Talzin wrote of it. As it turns out she does mention a people who could bend nature to their will hailing from Kro Var."

He crossed one leg over the other, partially thinking on the subject.


"Sadly have not been able to investigate further due to time so now I look to the Force to help provide a path.....I guess a better answer to your question is that I have learned of how much I lack and how much I need to correct that."


To solidify his weaknesses and assimilate whatever had the potential of doing so. That was the mission. He knew of other Acolytes looking to practice and experiment things far out of their reach for the sheer glory of it. The seduction was there for him of course. To do the things of stories and legends and at an early age would surely propel someone up the food chain, but they were all below the vastness of the force and no proper wolf ever leaped at a target prematurely.

His path was self-gratifying enough, and with the proper direction, the length at which he could experiment and assimilate would broaden.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ithnan Cryo"]

She did not say a word as he spoke, simply listening to his tale. She almost spoke up, in derision, that he and another acolyte had tried to fight a Jedi on Commenor... until she heard what that Jedi had used against them. That very much sounded like a Kerrigan or one of her people, in which case the acolyte was very lucky to have survived the encounter and should be commended on his survival instinct. The encounter had also served an important lesson that she sometimes found all too lost on other acolytes.

A defeat showed one their limitations and from there one could learn how to exceed those limitations. As he finished speaking, she also reflected that he had likely gained some wisdom from the encounter as well if he had determined he did not know anything, not really.

"Good, a defeat can teach one humility and caution, along with a strong sense of revenge and a hunger to be better the next time you engage our ancient enemy," she finally said. "I'm pleased you recognize that you have barely scratched the surface of your education. It is a neverending quest, as you can see, the pursuit of knowledge."

She gestured at all her books.

"This is but a small overflow library, a temporary home for these books before they are transferred to my home or elsewhere. But even within these tomes, you would find many techniques and bits of wisdom from those who came before us that would keep you busy for years. Tell me, Acolyte Cryo, what does this trove of books mean to you?"

 

[Ithnan Cryo]

Ithnan let his eyes wander across the books once more with her direction this time. Small overflow wasn't the word he would use for the fairly large collection. The idea that she had more housed away in other locations made his mind boggle at how many books the Lady actually had. His collection was but a small pile that he chose to keep on the ship, no more than twelve he felt essential to pass the time and sharpen the mind while he had the chance. He could only imagine the amount of documentation and cataloging went into keeping track of each and every tome in her well of knowledge.

When his mind was torn away by her question he looked to her for a second and then back to all the books. It was a question a person would form an answer to over time. Reading was one thing, collecting was another. The drive behind each action was connected but separated in a flowing way that varied between individuals.

" To me, these books are the embodiment of potential, tools for the mind and soul. They are the things we turn to when we wish to improve. We as the sentient life are merely musicians who without the instrument of tools such as books become dull and directionless. However, when one surrounds themselves with many instruments and takes from them all they not only sharpen their talent but also the reach of tunes they can play."

He uncrossed his leg and gestured to the collection of books himself.

"These books will never seek us out as they have all they need and are what they are. It is up to the individual to enlighten themselves if they wish to become better than they once were. Books inspire action, drive, passion, and greed in many people who pursue knowledge. In a sense, they are the gatekeepers to a pit that will ever slowly drive the reader deeper into the thrall of discovery. To indulge in surrounding yourself with them gives you access to all the knowledge they hold and turns potential into a usable reality."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ithnan Cryo"]

"A very apt description," Taeli said, rather impressed by the eloquence of the acolyte's explanation. That was certainly refreshing, and it showed the white-haired younger man had a keen mind. He recognized the value in these books, in the secrets they held and promised to reveal if one opened them up. She also recognized, in the eye of the young man, a longing for what was around him. This acolyte wanted to learn, wanted to excel as a Sith. Good, he could very well be a useful apprentice.

But she wanted to know a little more first.

"We shall have to put your drive to a test, young acolyte, if you want to be my apprentice," she said. "It's a simple mental exercise, a question that has many right answers but just as many wrong ones. You will need to use your intuition and your mind. If you fail to produce an insufficient answer to my question, you will leave as an acolyte. If you answer sufficiently, you will leave this room as my newest apprentice."

"How would you try and kill me?"

 

[Ithnan Cryo]

Mental exercise? The Ladt seemed to love these as it was brought up in her class as well. It was most befitting of the Lady considering the whispers about her personal demeanor and grace. It was of little issue though. Ithnan's heart was relieved of its fear of death, probably a bad place to be, and was now more focused on keeping him calm and clearheaded for the question to come. He had made it this far without angering the women to deny him the opportunity of apprenticeship. His pipe dream and longshot was slowly making for the target and now all he needed to do was follow through with the right answer to one simple question.

But...

When Ithnan heard what it was exactly he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and curl the ends of his mouth into a close-mouthed smile. It was such an unfathomable and topical question he thought the force itself was pushing him towards death or glory. "A curious question my Lady. " He crossed a leg once more as he closed his eyes and thought for a second. Ithnan wasn't concerned with finding an answer to her question, his adrenaline had sent his mind racing as to how to survive before he had entered the temple. The true conundrum came in telling the truth or lying.

This sort of question would force him to show his hand and mindset. The last thing he needed was for the Lady to be even more at an advantage whether it be in mastership or partnership. However, lying could also net him issues if she were able to discern a lie from the truth so easily...no..what was he thinking. It was her job to craft, manipulate, and decipher the lies of the present through Politics and the past through books. He needed to answer something at the very least. His tone remained polite and formal even while detailing his ideas of her death.

" Your question comes with many advantages my lady. Showing a move before it can ever be made is unwise but in reverence of your wisdom, I will answer truthfully. As it stands we are not equals in either knowledge or strength my Lady. You possess experience while I do not, and so the only option left available would be to study you. As Sith we indulge our vices, our wants, and needs and through doing so we form attachments.

You, who is far longer on the path than I is sure to have formed many. I would take away whatever it is you love most and use your state of mind against you. It would not be a fight but a hunt, and when I deem you are ready to die I will take what I have learned and strike you down......at the very least that is one idea that came to mind.

As you say the answers are numerous as well as the dead ends that come from other plans. My inability to truly gauge your abilities leaves my scope of imagination narrow. "

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ithnan Cryo"]

Taeli smiled politely as he the acolyte laid out how he might try and kill her at present. She could see the cogs turning in his head as he formed his response... and see how difficult it was for him to admit even this bit. Good, he liked to keep secrets close to the vest, and certainly did not enjoy being forced to express any of them. Still, for an off the cuff response, was fairly decent, if somewhat misguided and full of assumptions at the moment. Ones she would be happy to eliminate.

"A fairly well thought out response, which must hurt to say," she said, still smiling. "However, there are a few holes in the logic that we shall rectify now so you can adjust accordingly. First off, you are surrounded by one of my only two, maybe three vices. I am not like the Emperor or other Sith and partake in other recreational activities, such as imbibing alcohol or drugs or partaking of the pleasures of the flesh very often. They all cloud the senses, dull the mind when we Sith need to have our wits about us at all times. Books and information do not do so."

She paused for a moment, her purples eyes roving over her books.

"Secondly, striking at what I love might be more difficult than you might risk attempting. My beloved is a Rear Admiral within our very own fleet, and striking at her would bring down more than just my wrath. However, if you did attempt such, you would wish it would be the Emperor to reach you first. And thirdly, you are quite right to hedge your bets as you do not know me. And I do like that in an apprentice."

 

[Ithnan Cryo]

Ithnan smiled as his shortcomings were revealed to him. It lightened the load off him to gain new details on where exactly his plan would fail if it were ever attempted. Whether she was telling the truth was still up in the air but from her demeanor and position, he saw no need for her to lie to something so small on her radar.

Learning her vices would be the first task he took for his own personal security. Books and ancient tomes were apparent but laid behind the mask was probably far more titillating. Plus to destroy her vast library would be a crime against himself and the secrets they could've revealed to him after her demise. If anything this admiral seemed like a more prime target, though their security and protection were blatantly expressed. No, he needed to learn more on them as well before even considering that plan viable.

"You flatter me by even acknowledging my plan . I will take this new information to heart and have a more robust answer for you next time should you have me. I must admit I never heard that you had a lover in the Armada. Though that does seem the most obvious thing to hold close, especially with your position. "

He sighed

"And from your response, it is clear that you care deeply for them. I have heard rumors on the wrath of the emperor so if it is not the mystery of what you would do to me making me second guess the idea it is the level of torment you are building off of. I will hope I never have to face it, my Lady."

He bowed his head in respect before raising it back and moving aside the hair in his face.

Being in a position of weakness only kept him on his toes and paranoid about the events around him. Constantly living in fear of what The Lady of Secrets would do would not stand nor could it as it would only hinder him and his path to being a true Sith. For now, he would have to keep her warnings in mind and concoct something new, more refined than a simple assassination or pyre of books.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Ithnan Cryo"]

"And I'm sure you won't have to face my wrath," she said, smiling ever so sweetly. But the smile didn't quite reach those amethyst eyes as a subtle sign that she meant every word about what would happen if someone tried to take a loved one from her... ever again. "And I would encourage you to keep thinking on the question as your education continues, as a mental exercise only."

And if murderous thoughts did take route in his heart and mind, well she could always just turn him into a Child. The process had been completed, not from lack of experimentation either. Eldaah would always remain her First Daughter.

"Now, I see no reason to not agree with your proposal," she continued saying. "You will find, my new young apprentice, I can be both a demanding taskmaster and one who rewards excellent service. For being as bold as you were today, and for humoring my questions, I feel that deserves something."

She got up from her seat, moving to her bookshelves for a moment. She selected several datapads from among one shelve and brought them over to sit on the desk in front of the young Sith. She tapped a hand on the top datapad, leaning against the desk.

"These datapads contain a history on the Makashi form, written by Darth Tyranus, as well as more advanced forms of the saber style the Sith created himself. Also within these datapads are some instruction on conjuring and controlling Force Lightning. Not just unleashing it from your hand, but other uses as well. Now, if you accept these, you will be bound in my service. You still have the option, as much as you wished it when you entered, to leave and seek out a different instruction."

 

[Ithnan Cryo]

Ithnan looked at the items placed in front of him with curiosity at first but as she explained what they held within his interest was more than peeked. It was a nice intellectual high he was getting at the prospect of not only learning something new but also achieving his goal of falling into her service. The Makashi form would help close the holes in his defense and who knew what other details were held within. Along with that the idea of summoning lightning from his hands alone was enough to send his mind into a flurry of ideas and situations of how it could be used. The mood was only ruined when her final words registered in his head.

"You make service under you sound so devious my Lady." He slid the datapads closer to himself. "If I am to have regrets of being bound to you then it will stem from my own faults. I would be more than honored to serve you, master. Clearly, I have a lot to learn from you."

Standing up he would give a small bow to her in thanks for the datapads. " As I take it this investment in me is not without return is there anything you wish of me at the moment? As it stands my duties and assignments have slimmed with the current military climate. If there is anything you need of me I am available to you."

A small closemouthed smile would fill his face. His expectation for service under her had already been played out in his mind. One did not keep so little information about them from seeping out by letting everyone in. Trust had to be earned and all he could do was hope to gain hers for a peek into the separate galaxy she inhabited.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]