Mind Over Matter

[Sage Bane]

LOCATION: Sith Temple on Coruscant, Training Grounds

Sage Bane, the youngest Hand of the Dark Lord held the philosophy that mentalism was just as important to becoming a Sith Warrior as were lightsaber combat skills. Using the Force to insert yourself into someone's thoughts and exert your inexorable will over your victims, could make or break a fight, especially if you were disarmed or otherwise unable to move. The dark- sided mind powers veered into even nastier and more powerful attacks than the light-sided Jedi would ever dare to. Force fear, force insanity, and the very powerful Force corruption: the Jedi simply didn't have the equivalent powers in their arsenal. Mind tricks were for Jedi kids. Mind control. Now that was a Sith power.

Sage was currently sitting cross-legged in the middle of a training courtyard, his head bowed in a meditative pose. His body was as still as a statue on the stony ground, and he was radiant with the dark side of the Force. The Hand's infamous amphistaff arm was hidden today, safely glamoured behind the guise of human skin. There was no need to have it exposed for this particular lesson, especially since one bite of one of the trio's sentient heads would bring about an early end to his lessons. It would be incredibly hard to teach a dead apprentice anyway.

At either side of the courtyard were two human male slaves, dressed in filthy rags, each one lying chained to a stone slab. Low moans could be heard every now and then from one or the other, causing a disturbance in the Sith Knight's focus. If Sage didn't need the slaves as props for today's training session, he simply would have slit their throats by now.

Chances were good that bloodletting would happen by the time the lessons were through regardless.

[member="Jardo Snow"] [member="Saiah"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

To bend minds to her will, could there be a better tool for any Assassin? Saiah had heard the few surviving accounts of what Sage Bane, recently appointed Hand of the Dark Lord, could do with Mentalism. The effects were absolutely splendid. If she could make people shoot themselves, then her work would be far easier. Just give them a blaster or a cup of poison and sit back, enjoy the show. The simple elegance of it delighted her. Of course, no great power ever came easy, not did she expect to walk away from this lesson with all she needed to create her own Suicide Puppet-Shows. Foundations would be laid down in hard work, and with practice she would build her prowess.

Her feet trod lightly on the dry stone of the Korriban Sith Temple, the soft soles of her boots left hardly a sound as the Rattataki Sith Assassin glided over the stone. The hem of her robes nearly swept the ground behind, and the pattern of blue on the back of her outer robe swayed in a serpentine manner. She halted as she came into view of Sage and observed him quietly. As the slaves let out another moan, her pale eyes darted over to them for a split second before returning to the Knight in his meditation. She decided to enter, stepping quietly into the open courtyard she sat down on her knees a few metres from the Hand and lowered her hood, revealing her bald, tattooed head. Parts of her robes were the same she wore under her armour, and as such the hood was lined with alchemised tererantek leather, protecting her mind from spilling surface thoughts. Rather nifty, she thought.

[member="Sage Bane"] | [member="Jardo Snow"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Was he insane? Was all the Sith stuff corrupting his mind? The answer to those questions is simple. The answer is probably. Why else would he want to learn Force Insanity and Force Corruption. It was sort of horrible, vicious what the powers of the Sith could achieve. It was sick, dangerous to the Sith but man it was a rush. It was a rush to know he could crush his enemies with the force, to know he could control them.

The most powerful weapon to an Assassin, the ability to manipulate with the force. Though Jardo did wonder why Sage was willing to teach someone that was only an Acolyte, teach them how to basically break someone. Though to be honest he didn't question it, he chose not to question those of higher rank to him. Especially if what he'd heard was true and Sage was close to becoming a Lord, that was scary to think about.

Slowly he walked out from the temple, eyes locked on both Sage and Saiah. He heard the slight moan from the slaves and shook his head. He made the mental note to ask Sage if [member="Sempra the Hutt"] could have them after the lesson. The Hutt was always moaning about slaves and stuff, so might as well feed him.

He bowed lightly. He'd been in the presence of Lords and Knights, but never at the same time. It almost scared him knowing that he was the Acolyte here, the weak kid here. Actually he had to stop himself thinking that one. In no way was Jardo Snow, Darth Draykon, weak. He was probably the most armed here, though not the most powerful. The kid had everything from Lightning to Push. All he really needed to top his arsenal was what he was learning today and Force Choke, though Force Choke would be sort of hard as Raien was no-where to be seen. He guessed he'd have to find a master willing.

That was after this though. This was going to be fun.

[member="Saiah"]
[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage raised his head, his light brown eyes studying the two Sith who had joined him. Some Sith liked to make dramatic entrances, intimidating their students with their masterful control of the dark side. He was guilty of that too of course, once sneaking up behind a student, and letting his amphistaff arm coil around the student's neck until he or she moved it using the Force. Now that he was the Hand of the Dark Lord, he eschewed the pomp and circumstance. His title alone gave him enough of that. Even his amphistaff arm was safely secreted away behind its banelith masquer. To the naked eye, it looked just like his other human arm.

Sage stood and paced pedantically before his two students.

"To practice Mind Control one must first have a very strong mind," he glanced at the two and raised a brow. "I'm assuming the both of you wouldn't be here if you didn't. Now Mind Control is the spectrum of powers that influence the thoughts of sentient creatures. Today you're going to learn the very basics. If you're both good at it, you may end up getting to practice some more intermediate skills. Something like Force insanity comes later down the road when you've learned to hone your gifts."

Sage crossed over to one of the slaves lying helpless on the stone slab. A switch was activated, and the chains clinked onto the ground, freeing the captive. For a moment, the slave grunted and scrambled off the slab, trying to seize his freedom, but suddenly he stopped. He slowly sat on the edge of the slab in an upright postion, his back almost inhumanly straight. Glassy eyes stared straight ahead, with no recognition of anything. It was obvious that the Hand was controlling his mind. Sage turned his back on the slave, who did not move a muscle, and walked to the other end of the courtyard, repeating his actions with the other slave. Now there were two freed slaves, sitting on opposite ends of the courtyard, with husk-like expressions and mouths agog.

"Acolyte Snow and Knight Saiah, each of you take a place next to a slave, and then I will further instruct you."

[member="Jardo Snow"] [member="Saiah"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

She noted Jardo Snow entering and paid him a small nod of acknowledgement. As Sage stood so did Saiah, her eyes fixed on him, following him as he paced. Her senses tuned in on him, snatching up every word he spoke, only breaking her stare to watch as the slaves were set free, the first scrambling to escape, but then sitting down quietly, and then the second went through the same process. It was a long way to the top, but damn it would she climb.

As ordered, Saiah walked calmly to the first of the two and stood beside him. He appeared to be feistier, more of a challenge. She quite enjoyed a challenge. Saiah turned to Sage Bane, keeping her right shoulder to the entranced slave, and awaited further instruction. When it came to training she had all the obedience in the world. Defiance was only in the way of learning, and she did not like slow-paced classes. It was better to shut up, listen and do as instructed, than have to piece all the bits together herself.

[member="Sage Bane"] | [member="Jardo Snow"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

He chuckled lightly, knowing the amount of pain these slaves would find themselves in. It was sort of inhumane, but since when did The Sith care about that. Bowing lightly to Sage he took a light walk over to the remaining slave. He was a short fellow, human, pale and underfed. The rags around his shoulders about five sizes to big.

He shook his head. He had heard of the amount of effort you needed to apply to achieve mind powers, but he had also heard how worth it it was, how easy it was to come out the other end of a fight not even hurt after it. Plus it was something to get him closer to Knighthood, which seemed sort of hard to do now Keth had, as they say, done a bunk.

[member="Saiah"]
[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage smiled at the Acolytes, nodding at each one in turn. "Now each of you has a sentient to take control of. Good. Good."

His boots clopping on the stone of the courtyard ground, the Hand walked back and forth as he continued his lecture.

"Mind control works much like other Force powers, telekinesis for example. However, instead of using the Force to manipulate matter, you're using it to manipulate thoughts and emotions. It's a bit harder to bend a thought than it is to bend durasteel. Do you know why?"

He glanced around but quickly continued. It was a rhetorical question that the students weren't meant to answer.

"It's because durasteel doesn't fight back."

He turned back to the two students and gestured to each slave with his hand. Both of them were still held in his rapturous control, staring straight ahead, with jaws slack. One of them had even begun to drool.

"Now then, branch out with the Force and try to enter your victim's mind. Visualize the porousness of the slave's grey matter. Bounce against its mental walls until you find the cracks into which you can slither. Once you're both inside, I will release my hold on them, and you will take control.

"Now, begin."

[member="Saiah"] [member="Jardo Snow"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Jardo always pictured the force as a ball, a ball he could manipulate and change to his way. This was no different, calling out to that ball and forcing it into the head of the slave. He noted that his hand was flicked out under his robe, not really noticeable to anyone else. It was like two screens, the one screen was the ball fighting through a mind and the other was real life, calm and peaceful, allowing you to see what others wouldn't.

He smiled, knowing that he'd just penetrated the head of the slave. He pictured a library, each book a vast storage of memories that you could could touch, feel and manipulate. He shook his head, trying to get the thought from his mind. He needed a clear head, he needed to bend the slave, force the slave to quit.

"Master, let go"

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Saiah kept a close eye on [member="Sage Bane"] as he spoke, positively soaking up every single word he said. She was mildly excited. At the "begin", she placed her hand on the slave's head. Feeling it gave her a more direct connection through which she could assert her dominance. Her visualisation of her attack on his mind was much more like an octopus extending from her hand. Tendrils forced themselves inside the slave's skull and wrapped around the soft and squishy matter inside. Tentacles of her presence gripped, wrapped around and proved every crevice of the slave's mind for a hold, a weakness, a crack.

It was though his mind was a fish inside a glass ball. Once she got inside, her tendrils would wrap themselves around the squirming fish and assert her control over him. She was the predator, he was the pray. She removed her hand from his physical head, her fingers extended still towards him and feeling she had a good grasp of the fish, she looked at Sage.

"Lord Hand, if you please."

[member="Jardo Snow"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage could feel the Acolytes take root in their victims' mind before they announced it. Sometimes apprentice-level Sith needed a bit of help, for example a physical touch from a Master to guide them in. In this case, these two particular slaves were so weak-minded, that sinking into their pyschic spaces was no trouble for either Acolyte Snow nor Acolyte Saiah.

"Good work, Apprentices. Now as I let go, make sure you focus on bolstering your mind link to them. When I let go, they may fight. Just remember to focus on keeping control. Exert your will on them. Be the voice in their heads that makes them heel."

With a dramatic handwave, Sage snapped off his control of the two sentients. The apprentices would receive mental feedback from the psychic struggle of the two slaves as they fought the foreign presence in their minds. Saiah's slave even clutched at his head and dragged his fingernails down his face, as if scratching his skin would release the mental intruder.

"Take control!" exclaimed Sage sharply.

"They both should be as malleable as clay."

[member="Saiah"] [member="Jardo Snow"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As their teacher dispelled his control of the slaves with a dramatic handwave, Saiah mentally clenched a hold of her subject's mind. She transmitted thought through the tendrils, much like she had learned in telepathy. Only now she was trying to command, not converse or convey. As the slave started scratching his face, she squeezed tighter with her mind-tentacles and commanded louder. She wanted him to sit, hands on lap and eyes forward. All he wanted was for her to leave, he fought, he even seemed to beg internally. She did not care the slightest what he wanted. He pressed, she pressed back and harder, as if she could constrict his mind into submission.

Physically, Saiah was staring at him with the intensity of a holo-drama diva learning she had just been sacked. her pale grey eyes were practically alight, and she seemed currently able to resist blinking. The area of her face where eyebrows would be furrowed angrily as she fought for control over the slave's mind. And this one was malleable? She could only imagine what a real challenge would be like. Then again, such is the nature of progressing. You struggle with the small until you can effortlessly take on bigger minds.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Mind control was just a game, a game where you had to forget about the real world. In reality about half a minute had passed, but down in the mind of the slave Jardo was battling, forcing his way around the brain. He wanted the slave under his control, he wanted this slave to dumb down and shut up.

He wanted, and he would get. He forced the image of the force towards the mind, watching as the slave tried to force him out, force him back from the mind. Jardo was winning, however. He was forcing the slave to do as he wanted, slowly he was falling. Slowly he was giving up, tiring. Jardo was trying to demand the slave to become silent, and slowly the slave was giving in, but it was a slow fight. A slow fight that Jardo would win.

He smiled.

It was just starting.

[member="Saiah"]
[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

"Excellent job, students," said Sage, studying their progress. The slaves were putting up a good fight, but soon the apprentices were winning.

"Remember, just like telekinesis, you're exerting your will on them. Manipulate their thoughts just as you would a rock or a sheet of metal. Break their will open so that you can play freely in their minds."

It didn't matter if the Acolytes went overboard and shattered the psyche of their sentient, which was a definite possibility during this lesson. The men were slaves, probably headed for a fate worse than death. Once they mastered the basics, Saiah and Jardo would need to learn the subtleties of the power, so that they could seize a mind without breaking it into tiny fragments.

Sage gestured to both the slaves. "Now then, once you feel you have a good control over your sentients, I want you to try something new with them."

The Hand's face spread into a wide, malicious smile. His brown eyes flashed red for a moment as he gave his next command.

"Make them fight each other to the death."

[member="Saiah"] [member="Jardo Snow"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Jardo was hardly listening. He heard fight to the death and managed to peace together what he was meant to do. Slowly he tapped into the mind of the slave, keeping his power upon him. The two slaves were meant to fight to the death, and Jardo and Saiah were meant to make them do it. Slowly he shook his head, the image of the mind expanding.

Forcing the ball of force power deeper into the mind, Jardo managed to make his slave shut up. If he could do that then it would be easy enough to make them fight. Exerting some energy upon it, Jardo slowly managed to make the slave sit up right. Using the force Jardo untied the slave, keeping him at bay by messing with his mind.

Then he gave the order. He fought his way past the slaves fighting back and slowly managed to get him standing. This was easier than it looked, and slowly Jardo made his slave punch the other. In reality he kept his hand on his lightsaber in case this went wrong, but he probably wouldn't notice anyway. He was busy picturing the mind, forcing those shots to come harder, quicker, faster.

[member="Sage Bane"]
[member="Saiah"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As they battled for control, Saiah felt something crunch under her mind tendrils. It would seem she had pressed a little too hard and broken something inside that skull. Good news were that he was now far more malleable, albeit also more slack-jawed than previously. Drooling would most likely be imminent. Having finally seized control of her slave, Saiah made him stand, eyes staring blankly forward. And as [member="Sage Bane"] gave his new orders, Saiah smiled. Of course they were going to fight. It was the perfect way to exercise control over their little puppets.

Even when breaking, the slave fought back against her command. He was feisty, now all she needed was to turn that against [member="Jardo Snow"]'s meat-sack and tear it apart. She tried to fuel her specimen with anger and point it at the other slave. Whispering in his mind sweet promises of freedom if he could kill. He could go home if only he killed the other one. It was something of a different approach than what she had initially attempted. With a firm hold around his mind, she tried to make him want it, not just obey.

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage watched the Acolytes take the strings of their new marionettes. At first their movements were a bit herky jerky, but once the two students got the hang of controlling the slaves, their bodies began to move with a touch more grace. Jardo's meatsack sat up and stiffly walked over to Saiah's slave. His arm drew back and then punched the other slave over and over.

Something was off about Saiah's slave. A long string of drool hung from his lips and his eyes were cast in two different directions. She had likely pressed too hard in his mind. Ah well. A heavy-handed touch was natural for the first time practicing the skill. In time, he knew that the Rattataki would learn how to finesse the skill.

As the two slaves began to fight, Sage let out a long hyenas laugh, and cheered them on.

"C'mon Saiah! Fight back!" he said, wiping a few tears away. "Jardo's slave is about to turn your slave's face into a bloody pulp."

He was enjoying this immensely.

[member="Jardo Snow"] [member="Saiah"]

Spoiler

Feel free to keep fighting as if this were a duel. And I can post again when it's finished

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Seeing her puppet getting beaten repeatedly fuelled Saiah with anger. While she wanted to personally go in and break the two of them, she knew this was about controlling the puppet not fighting it yourself. She would use the slack-eyed, drooling, ruin of a slave to fight for her. No matter how pathetic his form became. She had been heavy handed indeed, but one either learns from mistakes or suffer the consequences. She was not inclined to give up in any case.

"Oh we'll see about that!"

Saiah funnelled her anger into the broken mind and assembled the bits of the mind that would move limbs. His lip had already cracked and his nose was turned sideways, but he could still fight. She forced her puppet to swing his leg back and then try to kick up between the opponent's legs in a nut-shattering kick of reckless power, timed with the next punch so that his head would sway backwards rather than take the full force. That is if Jardo's puppet kept punching straight. It was her one move to make up for all the previous damage.

[member="Sage Bane"] [member="Jardo Snow"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Jardo felt what Saiah was doing before she did it. He forced his slave to step back, aiming a well placed dropkick towards the head. It was surprising how flexible his slave was, how flexible Jardo was making him. The only downside against this move was trying to land it, one failed move would snap the slave's neck, easily.

The picture of the mind was alive with movement as Jardo ordered the slave around. It was like trying to order an army of clones or droids. It was like trying to map the attack on The Swoop Gang with the Hutt Cartel. It was like trying to map the attack on Malif Cove with the assassins. It was a little insane actually.

[member="Saiah"]
[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As her puppet's kick missed, she did not have him swing back forward to meet a counter attack. Rather, she let the upwards momentum continue and forced her puppet to bend further backwards until his hands touched the ground, then the legs would follow. Of course, as Jardo's puppet launched his roundhouse kick, Saiah's puppet was knocked sideways as the kick connected with the drooler's legs, which toppled him over. With difficulty, she was able to land her puppet in a crouch, and from there have him launch at the other slave in an attempt at grappling by ramming his shoulder into Jardo's puppet's hip and grabbing for his legs.

It was indeed remarkable how much more flexible and resourceful in movement the puppets were under mind control. Then again, they were used with a certain recklessness, or at least Saiah's was. Reckless, but effective. Pressing it for speed, strength and manoeuvrability. Perhaps it was the broken mind that made him easy to topple around like a ragdoll? The only will left in the body seemed to want only to sink together on the ground and drool.

[member="Jardo Snow"] [member="Sage Bane"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

He felt the mind snap before the other slave connected, and he was too busy trying to fix his slave to actually notice that he was about to be killed. Instead of the other slave knocking his slave over all that happened was that they both fell over in a pile of limbs. Slowly Jardo managed to get his slave to beat the back of the head of the other slave, opening what looked like a nasty wound on the head. Though it might of been minor, no idea. All he knew was he saw blood.

He went back to the mind, trying to work on putting it back together, stopping the drooling, blubbering mess and make the slave the slave again. He managed to raise the arm and aim the killer shot on the neck nerve, still trying to fix the brain. The move he was about to do killed the normal people but he wondered how it'd work on a brain dead person.

[member="Saiah"]
[member="Sage Bane"]