Private Moraband's Stranger

[Varin Mortifer]

Revna

"No no no, come on you piece of junk!" The child speaks to the malfunctioning machine in a panic as he desperately tries to land an un-landable ship. Frantically flipping switches and pressing buttons that may or may not need to be touched he activates various features or attempts to activate the lack of features. Now seeing the landscape in sight he attempts a last resort flipping a peculiar little switch. Boosting up the front shields just before the ship makes a thunderous contact with the ground. His body jolts forwards with a resounding crack as his head makes an abrupt contact with the console. Blackness consumes him taking away his alert state.

He jolts awake gasping for air, unable to move his left arm, its been broken by the very less than delicate landing. Grunting in pain he pulls himself up and scambles to locate two objects. Two very important objects he promises to keep close to him. "DAMN IT! YOU CLUMSY FOOL!" Straining to remove some of the rubble in the ship he finds a very peculiar sith blade. Customized with carvings of a family history long forgotten to time, not far from it laying face first in the corner is an old sith warrior helmet. not very technologically advanced but incredibly sturdy, even under the rubble and after the crash the helmet and sword both remain intact. A sigh of relief hits his lungs before he coughs up some choked air. The ship is burning, realising his predicament he he tries to head toward the ships bay door. Slamming his right fist until it bled he realised it was no use. He looks to the window and smirks. "This will be fun". Placing the helmet on his head and gripping the sword with his good arm he makes his way to the window of the ship striking it with his blade to no use. The fires and smoke begin to overwhelm him as he keeps working on the window. "COME ON YOU BASTARD!" Frustration builds within him as his strength begins to fail him. He remembers what his father told him about his meditation. "Build your rage son, ally yourself with it, you do not rule it and it does not rule you, its a symbiotic relationship in a sense. Call upon it and it will come." Varin closes his eyes as he grips the blade, for a moment all the pain, all the fear, all the noise and distractions leave him. He thinks of his family dying, his cowardice to leave instead of fight, the disappointment of his father. "NO YOU WILL NOT TAKE ME!" He yells to the inferno before him as he swings the blade with both arms, the pain in his body gone, making contact with the glass he leaves a massive crack, another hit follows and a resounding slam echoes the chamber, every slam is a build up of rage in him before the windshield gives away to his might. Air is sucked into the cockpit stirring the flames as he scrambles out gasping for air. The previous feeling leaving him feeling weak, blood covers the left side of his face blinding his left eye temporarily as he takes is first gasps of air. Now a stranger to a new planet.

 

[Revna]

Tag: Varin Mortifer
​

It wasn’t often that Revna left the City of Vardin to roam beyond and into the wilds of Korriban, but today - a particularly chilly day for the cold desert planet - she had decided to do something different with herself and perhaps explore a bit. Korriban was to be her home, the place she co-ruled in the future, and it only made sense to her that she’d become more familiar with the place.

Of course, everyone knew about the Valley of the Dark Lords - and because of this it had been plundered and devastated and “rebuilt” time and time again, but Revna was wise and insightful; she knew that the Valley wasn’t the only place that the ancient Sith people buried their Dark Lords, or where they stashed secret tomes and holocrons and even ancient armor or weapons. Korriban was a world steeped and soaked in the Dark side; its Nexus had been renewed and rejuvenated and it bathed the world in dark energies. Sometimes, when one was attuned and listening, whispers could be heard across the vast mystery that was the Force - guiding one to hidden secrets.

Revna’s lust for knowledge and to gain further insight and power in her abilities almost always drove her to chase those whispers, and it was what drove her to leave the Castle of Vardin behind and venture out into the red sands beyond. She had no real objective or goal in mind - simply to listen and let the Force guide her and if she was lucky, it would reveal some of Korriban’s hidden secrets to her, perhaps something that had never been previously discovered.

The Sith woman hadn’t been gone for too long before she first sensed something about to happen, and then her sharp ears picked up the sound of a ship entering the atmosphere and her fiery eyes turned skyward as she beheld a ship trailing smoke and flame as it began to make a one way trip to the surface, and she watched silently as the damaged ship collided violently with the ground some distance away, the sound and vibrations of it reaching her moments later.

Hmm, I wonder if anyone was actually in that doomed ship, and if they survived… she pondered curiously to herself as she watched a pillar of blackened smoke rise in the distance. She tilted her head to one side as her thoughts swirled curiously; if whoever was flying it was dead, then maybe she could have the corpse brought back so it could be resurrected as a Jen’ari to serve in Darth Caedes ' undead forces.

She supposed there was only one way to find out if there were survivors or not.

Revna began to make her way towards the crash site, her black Zeyd-cloth robes fluttering about her in the cold breeze that constantly blew across Korriban’s surface. When she had reached the half-way point to the downed ship, she felt a surge of power, of the Dark side, and immediately the little Sith woman’s attention was focused and alert. She quickened her pace, her curiosity growing stronger the closer she came, until eventually she crested a sand dune and looked down to behold the crashed and currently burning ship, and what appeared to be a lone male figure who had managed to pull himself free of the wreckage.

Her fiery sharp eyes flickered over the scene carefully, before she turned her attention on the survivor and studied him briefly from a distance. Had the surge of Dark power come from him? It must have. She noticed the figure appeared young, even from a distance, and was bloodied, no doubt injured in the crash.

Silently, the woman in her dark robes and her single lightsaber hilt at her side, descended the hill towards the figure. She moved cautiously, slowly, to better gauge the reaction of this newcomer. Her eyes were drawn briefly to the two items the young man, who no older than her other acolyte she was mentoring from the looks of it, had salvaged from the ship. A sword that radiated power, and what appeared to be a Sith helm of some sort.

“...that was quite the landing, young man.” Revna said softly, a touch of sarcasm in her voice as she announced her presence to the boy, coming to a stop a few feet away from him. A small smirk tugged at her lips as she gestured with a jerk of her head in the direction of Vardin.

“The city landing ports were that way, you know. Though perhaps I should thank you for not crashing into the city itself. That would have been a mess to deal with…”

 

[Varin Mortifer]

Varin, after pulling himself out of the wreckage, strains his amber eyes to the brightness of the sun, still recoiling from the surge of power he demonstrated, his mental state is still on high gear. Though his vision is heavily blurred and his left eye blinded from the slowly cooling blood he grips his sword like a vice as if it is the final life line he has to hold. a mumbled voice sounds off near him. Quickly he spins around readying his blade with his good hand through his enraged vision he sees a blurred silhouette of a humanoid figure Revna approaching him. He grits his teeth as the being approaches noticing they're keeping a distance he growls to himself. "you....won't take me." He swallows hard feeling the prickling sensation of dehydration in his throat as he breathes harshly. He takes a stance to at any point to defend himself or at least attempt to. Though because of his state the stance is very less than optimal. Through his eyes he sends out a feeling of intent. Not one of fear, but of pure rage, he will not cower this time. He speaks again a little more authoritatively "You...will not take me." After a moment of making his stand he feels a sharp pain in his head and the focus on his rage wavers, His amber eyes darken into his natural dark brown eyes as his stance falters, the sword clatters to the ground as he loses his grip and Varin collapses to his knees. He looks at the helmet that's by his side and speaks softly "....father?" Blackness swallows him once more as he falls unconscious.

 

[Revna]

Tag: Varin Mortifer
​

Revna watched the wounded young man as he seemed to react strongly to her words and her presence. She was not surprised in the slightest with how defensive he was being; she didn’t know what had happened to him that had seen him crashing into Korriban’s red sand, and judging by the stream of blood from a nasty looking gash on the side of his head, he’d probably whacked his head pretty hard, which no doubt would have contributed to his combative nature.

"You....won't take me." he growled at her, leveling the sword in his hand at her. Revna still did not approach any closer, and neither did she reach for her weapon; she simply stood there, letting her eyes flicker over him as she studied him further. His stance was shaky and not the best, though she figured that was due to his injuries. She noticed, besides the bloody injury on his head, what appeared to be a broken arm that he was favoring.

He was an absolute mess, she thought to herself. But underneath the blood and the sand and whatever else, she saw a fiery soul that would stop at nothing to live. Fearless and bold, a young Dark sider whose history was unknown. And once again, she found herself in a unique situation where she was the one placed in the pathway of another young Sith hopeful - almost like the Force knew her desire to teach others and pass on her knowledge and her late Master’s legacy.

Revna tilted her head as she felt a probe in the Force coming from him, not one of fear but filled with intense anger. He was making his intentions known to her - he would not back down from a fight, and to this Revna could only smirk slightly to herself.

"You...will not take me!" he said in a sharper, more authoritative voice, and the Sith woman raised an eyebrow at him. Bold indeed, she thought. He didn’t know her at all, didn’t know what she was capable of and yet he was ready to go down fighting. Admirable and respectable.

Still, she did not move closer towards him, nor did she back away in the face of his fierce anger. She sent forth her own probe in the Force, a chill touch that would send tingles along his spine as if cold fingers were grazing his flesh. She could feel him fading, not into the arms of death, but weakening into unconsciousness. His fury wavered, the amber of Dark side corruption slipping from his eyes as he reached the threshold of what his body could handle.

The sword in his hand fell to the sand at his feet, and he followed suit not long after, dropping to his knees. She watched as he cast a sideways look over at the helm, and heard him mutter: "....father?" - before he collapsed unconscious to the red sand before her.

Only then did Revna move forward, like a black and cloaked spectre of death, kneeling down beside his prone body. Closing her eyes, she sank into the familiar weave of the Force, searching for his presence. She soon found him, his aura powerful and tinged Dark, like her was - but it was unrefined and unshaped. Still young and inexperienced; someone like him would be snatched up by another Sith Lord, no doubt - but she’d found him first.

Using a technique she’d learned while in her captivity, Revna began to pull together the various fractures she saw within the boy’s "weave" - pouring the Dark side into him to heal what she could of his injuries. Luckily for him, he was unconscious and would not feel the near crippling agony of what she was doing - but he would feel the pain resonate within him even while unconscious.

When she had completed this, Revna returned to the present and rose to her feet before she used her communications device to send for a medical team to come pick him up and return him to a medic ward within Vardin. She would wait nearby until they arrived to collect him, then followed them back to the royal city.

When he had been seen to and stabilized, the strange boy was placed in a recovery chamber, and there Revna started her vigil. No doubt he would be confused, in pain, and more than a bit wary of his new surroundings, and she felt it would be wiser for her to remain there for whenever he woke up to stop him from unleashing his fury in a moment of misunderstanding.

 

[Varin Mortifer]

Crush your enemies, see them driven before you.

Blackness consumed him, drowned by silence in an ever expanded void. He opens his mouth to speak and feels the vibrations of his vocal chords, but there is no sound. He feels a presence near him. Looking around he sees nothing but a slight figure blending with the shadows. A dry raspy voice speaks, "Poor lost child, running away from battle, you bring shame to your family of warriors. But I bring you salvation." A spark of lightning cracks through the nothingness igniting a spark. "I know what it is you seek, though you may not know yet. I bring you inspiration, power and many more promises to come. Only ask, and I will come." The spark begins to ignite into an inferno. The void illuminates in reds and oranges as vibrant as the Korriban sands yet as dark as it's history. It's ignition reveals several dark spectres, cackling, laughing, mocking. Varin opens his mouth again to speak but again the words are choked. The fire begins to spread as the laughter grows louder and the mockery continues. He feels his rage begin to build once more and he strains his voice as a yell erupts from his chest. "ENOUGH! YOU WILL NOT TAKE ME!". Suddenly his eyes open to find himself in a strange room, alarms sounding off from the various medical equipment, he finds his hand wrapped around the throat of a medical droid, his eyes turned amber as he begins to squeeze, the metal creaking beneath his grip. "RELEASE ME!" He glares into the service droid not understanding where he is or what is happening, looking for some resemblance of familiarity, his life line, his blade, or his helmet, anything to bring him back. He growls to the droid "Where am I? Speak to me now!" The droid begins to spark under the strain of pressure. Soon his pulse finally begins to settle as he takes in his surroundings, his eyes begin to darken once more as he drops the droid, surprise and shock in his eyes. This has never happened to him, ignoring all the commotion around him he looks at his hands. "What.....what is wrong with me? I don't understand." Revna

 

[Revna]

Tag: Varin Mortifer
​

It was the surge of raw power, untamed, that gave Revna her warning that the young man she had brought in from the cold desert sands was awakening, and a moment later a voice roared from his prone body as a hand shot up to grip the medic droid in his confused and dazed rage.

The Sith woman did not move from her seat against the distant wall of the dimmed recovery chamber in the Academy's Medical Ward; only watched the scene unfold. The boy snarled at the droid to release him, demanded to know where he was. The droid began to spark, damaged to the point where it was no longer useful and would need to be repaired or replaced.

Still, Revna did nothing - not until she felt the boy’s rage dissipate as he dropped the damaged droid, his eyes wide with shock and surprise. She raised a silvery and delicate eyebrow slightly as he lifted his hands to stare at them, asking: "What...what is wrong with me? I don't understand."

Only then did she speak, her voice soft, as she announced her presence. She didn't want to further alarm him, for she understood just how discomforting being in such a place could be, especially for a stranger. “Nothing is wrong with you, young man.” Revna stated at first, leaving that to hang for a few moments before she continued.

“You were being a conduit for the Dark side, reacting out of confusion and discomfort, among other things no doubt. I foresaw such a reaction, which is the reason why I stayed here with you: to help provide answers, while you rest and gain your wits about you.”

 

[Varin Mortifer]

“Nothing is wrong with you, young man.”

The child winces at the sentence, as if disgusted. The very phrase makes him confused. Normal people don't just lash out in violent tendencies. How is this normal? the question blips into his mind.

“You were being a conduit for the Dark side, reacting out of confusion and discomfort, among other things no doubt. I foresaw such a reaction, which is the reason why I stayed here with you: to help provide answers, while you rest and gain your wits about you.”

The child turns his head toward the soft spoken voice, and before him stands a figure of a woman, veiled in the shadows of the room. He can only clearly see one discernable feature, her fiery vibrant eyes, staring not at him, but into him. As if studying him, it was nearly hypnotic. "This feeling, it burns, I've never felt it before." He relaxes his body exhaustion and soreness starting to take hold of the events past. A grunt of frustration escapes his lips as he processes about his new predicament. "Who....who are you? How did I get here? Where's my stuff? I need it, its......important to me, all I have left." He speaks calmly, a very different change in tone from the previous interactions. Realising hes likely asking way too many questions at one time he looks toward tge figure with focused eyes. "I need answers." He can't help but look around nervously.

 

[Revna]

Tag: Varin Mortifer
​

The boy grimaced at her initial words, seeming to dislike or at least disbelieve what he heard. He turned his head to regard her after a few moments, dark brown eyes meeting her own. They were windows into the confusion and the uncertainty that bloomed within him; it made Revna wonder, had his most recent events been the first time he’d ever tapped into the Dark side? Had it been the first time where he’d felt it come over him and fill him with its raw power, not caring about the emotional and mental state it would leave him in?

"This feeling, it burns, I've never felt it before."

He relaxed, somewhat, though he still appeared frustrated as he looked around his surroundings and began to truly grasp that his circumstances were different than what he probably expected them to be. It made Revna’s curiosity about him deepen even further; she wanted to know more about who he was, where he had come from. But she knew those answers would come in time. She needed to be patient, wise…insightful.

"Who....who are you? How did I get here? Where's my stuff? I need it, it’s....important to me, all I have left."

Surprisingly, he spoke calmly to her - a complete change to the rage he’d been in just moments prior. After glancing around, he focused once more upon her - brown eyes meeting glimmering coals. "I need answers."

Revna remained silent for a few heartbeats, before she stepped closer to his bedside in a calm and collected manner, enough so that her features were no longer in shadow, and he could see her face clearly. Her expression was calm, cool - like a cold lake surface.

“And I can hopefully provide them for you, at least in part.” She began, her voice still the same soft tone, still level. “First…the most important answer that you need right now: the helm and the sword are safe; I personally oversaw them being placed into a container with a bio lock, and I locked it myself. That container is in this room, along with your clothes the medics had to remove in order to assess your wounds more properly. Though you may want new clothes - yours are quite damaged and bloodied.”

She gestured to the opposite wall, where there appeared to be some sort of dresser or storage device, and indeed at the very bottom was a box with a bio lock pad on the front of it, which appeared to be engaged.

“I know the value and the importance of items of significant meaning; I have my own special item that I would kill anyone over if they dared to touch it or take it from me.”

She paused once more to let him digest that information, before she moved on. “As for who I am - I am Revna Marr, and you are currently inside the medical ward of the Korriban Sith Academy, Kor’ethyr. I brought you here, after administering my own version of healing to you. You sustained quite the head injury, and a broken arm. I did what I could, then brought you here to be further evaluated and stabilized.”

Revna returned to her silence for a few moments once more, watching the boy. “No one is going to come and harm you here, nor take your possessions from you, as you are under my protection. To do so would be to court the wrath of the throne, and no one here is stupid enough to do that. Now…I have answered your questions truthfully and honestly. Now it is your turn. What is a name that I can call you by? Surely you don’t want me calling you ‘boy’ or ‘young man’ all the time?” She smirked slightly then, before moving to her next question, one that carried the weight of her burning curiosity.

“And how in Bogan’s name did you find yourself in a doomed vessel crashing into the sands of Korriban?”

 

[Varin Mortifer]

The veiled figure remained silent for a moment before approaching the bedside giving Varin a better view of his company. She was beautiful, but there was something about her that gave off a sense that she was dangerous, maybe it was her eyes, maybe it was her calm demeanor, but nonetheless he could sense this woman was strong, somehow. Maybe it had something to do with his incident with the ship and the now destroyed droid. The woman's voice was calm, collected, a very far difference from Varins emotional display.

“And I can hopefully provide them for you, at least in part.” A pause rings in the room before she continues allowing Varin to process. “First…the most important answer that you need right now: the helm and the sword are safe; I personally oversaw them being placed into a container with a bio lock, and I locked it myself. That container is in this room, along with your clothes the medics had to remove in order to assess your wounds more properly. Though you may want new clothes - yours are quite damaged and bloodied.” Varin looks to the lock box that was gestured to him as he soaks in her words, a sweep of relief hitting him. “As for who I am - I am Revna Marr, and you are currently inside the medical ward of the Korriban Sith Academy, Kor’ethyr. I brought you here, after administering my own version of healing to you. You sustained quite the head injury, and a broken arm. I did what I could, then brought you here to be further evaluated and stabilized.” Varin pauses and thinks, A Marr? He's heard of this family before, more specifically of a Sith Lord of old. Though he has not heard much. Assuring him safety by the authority of a throne threw him off guard, who else was this Marr? What made Varin so special? The thought is interrupted with Revnas own questions, who he was. He knew his name, he knew his goal, but beyond that he does not have a true independent thought, but a name is at least what this Revna deserves. He hesitates for a moment in contemplation digesting the information before finally speaking. "My name is Varin Mortifer." He contemplates telling her more about what he knows about his family history, almost driven, the family has lived in secrecy for hundreds of years, though they've been in every major conflict ranging from minor roles to major. Another question was given to him before he decides on IF he will tell her the history, but for now that story will have to wait.

“And how in Bogan’s name did you find yourself in a doomed vessel crashing into the sands of Korriban?”

He pauses, trying to remember the details, he takes a deep breath. "My families house was.....attacked, ransacked, burned and defiled..." He grips the railings of the medical bed his knuckles whitening under his grip. "They came in the dead of night while we slept." He growls as if straining to answer against his will as the pain begins to resurface. "They killed my mother, my sister, and my father died trying to protect them, and all while THEY LAUGHED!" His breathing quickens with shaking exhales. "I.....was a coward, I hid away as my father fought." Tears begin to well in his eyes. "They shot him in the back, and strung him up at our houses entrance while it burned, mocking him....during the chaos I found a way to my families hangar. It had only one ship that's been there for years, a piece of our history, it was......I boarded it in hopes to sneak away. But one of their fighters found me and damaged my ship, I suppose they thought I wouldn't make it in time to another planet. My light speed drive was heavily damaged so I floated for days. Until I finally crash landed here." His grip loosens on the railings leaving finger prints crushed into the metal. "I have to find who did this, I have to kill who did this, and I won't let anything or anyone get in my way." The air vibrates with his sudden emotion before it calms, blood slightly drips from his temple as he wipes a tear and smears the blood across his face. It's somehow fitting to him, like an ancient warriors paint before battle. Though he is a boy he has the eyes and the heart of a killer, a fighter, a warrior. He pauses in silence for a bit before asking another question. "What makes me so special that someone of the throne would protect me?"

 

[Revna]

Tag: Varin Mortifer
​

The boy seemed relieved to hear that his possessions were safe, and he seemed to take her at her word. Revna appreciated that, though admittedly she had expected him to argue or fight against her more than he had. It was generally not in a Sith’s nature to trust anyone - but despite the fact he seemed to tap into the Dark side and carried with him Sith objects, she couldn’t be sure if he was a Sith himself or not.

He seemed contemplative, soaking in her words as she spoke to him, and when she asked him for his name, he hesitated only a moment longer before surrendering it to her.

Varin Mortifer. The name rang with a tremor of power to Revna; to her, it carried a sense of weight to it. She made a mental note to perhaps search the data banks for any information about the name Mortifer, to see what she could uncover that would help her learn more about this mysterious young man.

When she asked him how he had ended up on Korriban, there was a shift in the energy around them as the boy began to recount a story that plucked at the cords of anger and hatred and pain. Revna remained quiet, simply listening as Varin told her what had happened to his family, and she subtly opened herself to the Force to truly feel his emotions too. Power rippled through the boy; was he aware of his strength? The might that flowed like barely contained electrical currents just under the surface?

"I have to find who did this, I have to kill who did this, and I won't let anything or anyone get in my way."

A small smirk tugged at the corner of Revna’s lips; ah, the fiery zeal of a vengeful youth. His words and attitude were about as Sith as they came. She’d felt this way before, in her past as well as recently, but she’d also been tempered by experience, that greatest and most merciless of masters.

She watched as a trickle of blood seeped from the bandage around his head, a drop that he wiped at, smearing it across his face like it was some sort of warpaint. She could see the warrior within him, but he was unrefined, unshaped. But perhaps…she could help with that, or at least provide a way for him to receive the training he clearly needed. She suspected that very little, if anything, would steer the boy off his course. She didn’t really want to, but she felt it upon her shoulders to at least provide some sort of wisdom or insight to help guide him.

"What makes me so special that someone of the throne would protect me?"

“I am connected to the King, and therefore those that I bring under my protection, are also protected by him.” she said bluntly on the matter, and she felt certain of this; her bond with Caedes was powerful, and she knew in her heart that he would stand with her on any matter. “Perhaps us crossing paths was the hand of fate, the guidance of destiny, or the will of the Dark side. Who knows?” Her playful half smirk returned for a moment, as she let him digest that information and she searched his face for a moment as she contemplated her next move.

She was technically already mentoring someone else, but perhaps she could provide some assistance and guidance for this young man too…or at least get him set up with a prospective Master who could further his training, or at least offer to sponsor him as well to the Academy.

But, ultimately, it would be up to Varin what he wanted for himself.

“Once upon a time, I was a foreigner in a new place too; didn’t know anyone, didn’t have anything to my name except the clothes on my back. I was…guiding…to a Sith Lord and we had a chat, we talked about many things…the Force, the Dark side, a bit of our life stories… in the end, I asked if He could teach me, and He agreed and accepted me as one of His acolytes. Having that connection, someone who could…look out for me, in a way…helped me to find my footing, to find myself. I say this to you, because you are now in a place that is strange to you, and perhaps I can be a source of guidance or assistance for you. At least until you can find your footing.”

 

[Varin Mortifer]

Choice. A little word that sounds like it has big meaning, but in the end is an illusion leading to the same end.

Varin takes in the words and the offer that is given to him. Choices, something he's never truly had. His primary training was to be directed to a target, a spear into the heart of the target. Every day was a form of training, from meditation, to combat, to tactics. Rigorous, constant, consistent; these were the words that lay in his very fiber. He looks up at Revna before speaking. "I'm no fool, I know talent can only get you so far. Though I don't know if you'd call what I have a talent. Talent is something you are born with. But there is always something that the talented and the talentless have in common. They need training to hone." He pauses to collect his thoughts, still reeling from having shared his past experience. "As I said before I am willing and will do what it takes to avenge what happened to my family and my home." He can't help but notice that she answered his question without giving him a real answer, perhaps it was just an answer he wanted. However he wanted to give her the chance to answer just a bit further so that his curiosity can be satisfied. "But I'm afraid you only answered half of my question, so I'll be a little more specific, why do YOU have an interest in me? Surely it isn't because of a similarity." He struggles a bit before he starts to stand the medical garment revealing a slight brand that trails from the top of his shoulder stretching to his back. "If I'm to have a master, then I need to know why I'm being chosen." He pauses as he hears whispers in his head and he closes his eyes growling in frustration. "Shut up, that's enough out of you." As he tries to silence the voices there's a feeling of another presence somewhere in the room, manifested only for a brief moment. He finally opens his eyes as they flash a dull amber, something is trying to stir him, make him lash out, or possibly test both individuals in the room. A pained sigh of relief escapes Varins chest. No you're right, she could be of use to us, as we would be to her. He looks at the lockbox and breathes slowly as if meditating, feeling the resonating energy of the items inside. He remains silent for a bit longer, "Will you train me? Help me sharpen and hone my skills? You would have a strong ally with you and my families assistance in any conflict you ask of us. I may be the last living member but I don't plan on that being forever." He waits desperate for an answer though patient.

 

[Revna]

Tag: Varin Mortifer
​

She listened to Varin’s response, that he knew that “talent” could only get one so far, and what was needed to hone talent and skills was training. He said he was willing to do whatever it would take to avenge his family, and she nodded in understanding.

Then he pointed out that she only answered part of his prior question, and asked her more directly on why she had an interest in him. She retained her silence as she watched him struggle to rise off the bed before getting to his feet; her keen eyes spied what appeared to be scar or brand of some sort along his shoulders and back, revealed through a gap in his medical gown. For a few moments, Revna became lost in her curiosity of such a marking; What was it? What was its purpose, if it had one at all? Where had he gotten it? Did it have meaning?

"If I'm to have a master, then I need to know why I'm being chosen."

These words snapped her out of her thoughts and she returned her gaze to him. Did he think she was offering to be his Master? Her? A masterless apprentice? She almost laughed…almost.

The boy seemed to struggle with something for a moment, shutting his eyes and growling with frustration, and when he reopened them she noticed the faint hue of corrupted amber within his otherwise brown eyes. Something was definitely going on within him she realized as she followed his gaze towards the lockbox with his precious items held within. He was quiet for a long time, seeming to ponder something or whatever was going on within his mind. Revna had the power to read surface thoughts, even what was below them, but she didn’t wish to violate the fragile connection that was being built. She was patient; she knew her curiosity of just who Varin was would reveal itself in time to her.

"Will you train me? Help me sharpen and hone my skills? You would have a strong ally with you and my family's assistance in any conflict you ask of us. I may be the last living member but I don't plan on that being forever."

Revna narrowed her eyes slightly at him; what he had just asked of her, what he was offering, was nothing small. She had tossed out a lifeline to him, a safety rope - and he seemed to have latched onto it. And beyond that he was willing to ally himself to her, even ally his family to her - all without really knowing who she was, who she served, her goals or plans or purposes.

“An apprentice doesn’t usually get to know the reason why a Master chooses them, unless their Master sees fit to tell them such a thing. Normally, the apprentice simply knows that they were worthy enough to be granted the honor of an apprenticeship. Now…as for why I chose you? Well, frankly I didn’t. If I had chosen you, then I would have taken away your ability to make the decision for yourself.” She returned to silence for another moment, watching Varin.

“However, I did choose to stay with you, to provide options for you when you awoke and were healed enough. I recognized power within you, and I also saw that you needed guidance and training. Luckily for you, you just so happened to crash into Korriban, which has a Sith academy that could offer the training that you need.”

She paused again, though briefly.

"I could sponsor you to the Academy, if you'd like. You'd receive a broader spectrum of training, be around others your age - peers to challenge you and push you to excel and become a stronger Sith. Or, if you would rather have more personal one on one training...I could bring you on as my second Acolyte, and mentor you until a suitable Master could be found for you." A small smirk curled at the corner of her lips then. "Well, unless I decide you'd make a worthy apprentice...then I might just keep you for myself."

 

[Varin Mortifer]

Varin narrowed his gaze. Was she trying to say that she owned him?

No dont get ahead of yourself Varin, if this were the case then she would not have given you options.

FOOL, OPTIONS? CHOICE? YOU KNOW WHAT THESE LEAD TO. SHES PLAYING YOU RIGHT INTO HER LITTLE GAME, AND YOU ARE STARTING TO FALL INTO IT. YOU ARE MOVING TOO HASTILY.

Varin growls again in frustration grabbing his head in discomfot. "I SAID SHUT UP" The air feels heavy for a moment as Varin tries to control his heavy labored breathing. He whispers to himself clenching his eyes closed

"You...wont take me.....you wont take me.....leave me be..." Varin collapses to his knees and reaches for the lock box. "I will cut you out if I have to." The room falls idle finally as the extra presence dissipates, his back now on display showing ritual circles branded into his back, pulsing with a slight amber hue before his normal skin tone finally takes back over.

Varin lets out a deep exhale. "I don't know what decision to make, its all so....much, maybe not to you likely, but i have just a few more questions before i make my decision." He sighs shakily, nervous about his next thought. "What would happen to me if I were in the academy and this happens? Would a cell be waiting for me? Would they even teach damaged goods? Would the other students....." Varin falls silent to give Revna a chance to speak as he tries to pick himself back up reaching for his clothes.

 

[Revna]

Tag: Varin Mortifer
​

The Sith woman was silent as she watched the boy before her seem to struggle once more with something that only he was aware of. Though she stayed still, calm and collected, she nonetheless felt a prickle of unease. Varin almost seemed like he was…struggling to manage inner voices.

Just like she had, in the very beginning. Very very few knew about the Voice that whispered to her; she had learned early on in her time as a Sith Acolyte not to mention such a thing to others. It had taken much training, honing, and focusing to learn how to manage it and not allow it to drive her insane.

It seemed, at least to her, that this teenage boy was struggling to maintain his grip on his own sanity. She wasn’t sure if she could help him, though if she was to take him under her wing and guide them then she would have to do her best by him and try.

But one thing was becoming more and more clear to her as the boy collapsed to his knees and reached for the locked box against the opposite wall: perhaps the Academy wasn’t the best environment for him. Not unless he could corral and manage whatever was going on within him.

Revna moved around the medical bed until she was on the same side as he was. She moved quietly and slowly so as not to startle him or make him feel threatened - well, not overtly so anyway. With him down and hunched over now, however, Revna was able to get a better view of the ritualistic branding marks upon his shoulders and back, and her brows dipped in a shadowy frown as she beheld a faint pulsing light emit from the runes before it faded away.

Intriguing, she thought to herself.

Varin exhaled, and slowly seemed to pull himself back together enough to try conversing with her again.

"I don't know what decision to make, it's all so....much, maybe not to you likely, but I have just a few more questions before I make my decision. What would happen to me if I were in the academy and this happens? Would a cell be waiting for me? Would they even teach damaged goods? Would the other students..." he trailed off, leaving his words to hang between them as he struggled to pull himself back to his feet, looking around for what she assumed to be clothes.

She moved over to the lockbox and pressed her palm against the bio-lock reader, which beeped and flashed green before the locking mechanism detached and allowed her to lift the lid. As she had promised, the sword and the helm were in the bottom, safe and sound, but folded up at the top was a deep black cloth, and it was this that she reached in to grab…revealing a traditional Zeyd-cloth Sith robe that could be secured at the waist with a leather sash.

“Here…I brought these robes for you. Your other clothes are damaged and unwearable.” She said softly, extending the black robes for him to take. Once he had done so, she made sure to turn her back to allow him privacy to change, as she peered out a window in the wall that looked out over a massive courtyard beyond.

“I won’t pretend to understand what all you are struggling with; but I do know this: every single Sith alive right now, could be considered damaged goods. We are all broken in some way, shape or form. If we weren’t, we’d be Jedi. What you perceive as damaged goods, perhaps even a weakness, could be honed to become a great strength for you. It is what we Sith do best - take that which is broken within us, and transform it into power that cannot be denied.”

She paused as she let her coal-like eyes flicker over the distant wind swept red dunes beyond the courtyard in front of her eyes. “I am not a student at the Academy, nor am I a professor or teacher there. I cannot tell you exactly what would happen, should such an incident that you experienced a moment ago happen while in the Academy. As for the other students…well, they are learning to become Sith. Sith are like wolves…they prey on those they consider weaker than themselves, and constantly force one another to prove their worth, their mettle. I imagine they would do the same thing to you. It…perhaps might be more prudent for me to instruct you personally…one on one.”

She finally turned back around to face him, her eyes leveling upon his as she pulled her hands behind her back, standing in the same manner her late Master would have. An unconscious habit she had learned from Him, when He had still been alive and training her.

“I know I have laid many options and choices before you, Varin. It is overwhelming, and I understand that. I give you choices, because I was once a slave, and I never had choices given to me. My Maser, Darth Strosius, laid options and choices before me when I finally fought my way to freedom and found my way to Him. I was overwhelmed too with it all…I asked if He could teach me, and luckily for me He was agreeable to it. I am offering to teach you, myself.” Revna paused for a moment, and let her gaze flicker to the floor before glancing back up at the boy.

“But I must make a confession to you: I am not a Sith Lord, I am not even a Sith Knight…yet. I do know the things that I know, and I can teach them to you. But eventually, you will need to have someone more experienced than me to complete your training. Luckily for you, I happen to know or be on friendly terms with several high ranking Sith Lords within the Order itself…and I can connect you with them in due time. This is not a decision you need to make right now. I do not own you; you are your own person. But if me making the decision here helps you, then I will do so.”

 

[Varin Mortifer]

Varin gently takes the robe as Revna speaks to him. As he listens her remembers a very traditional knot he uses to tie the sash. To hear that damaged goods can be salvaged, used, honed and trained. Something the jedi could never understand. It sounds like a dream come true. As for the other students, well, Varin has never shyed away from a challenge. He was born to test his mettle, trained to perservere, he was made for this life. Varin picks up his sword looking it over admiring the carvings along the blade. His family may be gone but before him stands another being willing to train him to the best of her abilities. Though she admits she's limited Varin can't help but suspect that she's a lot more powerful and knowledgeable than she is letting on. Perhaps it isn't the knowledge of what to teach but maybe the way he learns? Considering and weighing his options Varin takes a deep breath.

"I think it would be best if you trained me for now. Until you deem me ready for the academy. If I understand correctly a Sith Lord can claim me at the academy, perhaps I can get the more necessary training from them?"

Varin looks over at her a pause clinging to the air giving her a chance to respond.

Why aren't you knighted? You are clearly strong enough for it. Who is your master? Where is he now? Was he respected or feared? Did he treat you as a soldier or as family? These questions swam through his mind like an oceans current, but at the moment it's probably best to ask fewer questions, time is valuable and it is never guaranteed. Varins eyes widen as if something clicked in his head.

"I have one more thing I have to grab from the ship before we finalize this. I wish to take you up on your offer, anyone who's willing to teach me as long as they have more experience, always have something valuable to share."

He picks up his father's helmet looking into the faceplate, caressing a finger over the runic inscriptions of this ancient helm. He then stands patiently awaiting his soon to be "master's" next move.

 

[Revna]

Tag: Varin Mortifer
​

Revna kept her eye on the boy as he seemed to weigh her words, the reason behind why she was putting forth all of it before him now. Her gaze slid to the sword as he withdrew it from the lock box, and for a moment she was reflective - pondering upon the history that must have been attached to that blade, and why Varin was so worried over it and the helm.

If they were indeed the only possessions he had left of his family, then she didn’t blame him for his protectiveness over them.

After a few moments, the boy took a deep breath and made his decision, following it up with a question. "I think it would be best if you trained me for now. Until you deem me ready for the academy. If I understand correctly a Sith Lord can claim me at the academy, perhaps I can get the more necessary training from them?"

Revna watched Varin for a heartbeat longer in silence, before dipping her chin in acceptance of his decision. “Very well, I shall bring you under my wing and teach you what I can for the meantime. And yes - many Sith Lords keep their eyes on prospective students, and will approach a student they think would make a good apprentice. However, should you decide to remain here at the Academy after you are enrolled, you would graduate as a Darth. If you survived that long, that is.” She finished with a small smirk at the boy, before she noticed his eyes widened as he announced he had one more thing he needed to attend to. He needed to return to his damaged and crashed ship, out in the desert. To that, she raised an arched eyebrow at him, indicating her uncertainty about that.

“Your ship was heavily damaged and on fire when we left it behind; there is no guarantee that anything of it still remains. Though… we will return to it, if that is your wish. However, it might be more prudent to get you situated with your quarters first. Again, the choice is yours.”

 

[Varin Mortifer]

To hear that he could graduate with the title of Darth sent some feeling tumbling through him, excitement? Or was it a sense of challenge? Either way this was a path he knew he would go down eventually for his future. To be a Lord, that would be his dream. To rebuild his family, take root somewhere and flourish, maybe even rule his own little corner. May seem small to most sith but that's all he would ever want.

“Your ship was heavily damaged and on fire when we left it behind; there is no guarantee that anything of it still remains. Though… we will return to it, if that is your wish. However, it might be more prudent to get you situated with your quarters first. Again, the choice is yours.”

He pauses and looks at Revna . "I don't think I could get situated in my quarters unless I grab one last thing." He speaks in a bit of a hurriedly fashion as he picks up the last of his belongings and begins to head for the door oblivious to himself that he is trying to take lead. Possibly something that has been drilled into him. "Hopefully the burning stopped and the ship is approachable." He stops in the hallway when he realizes the sudden made he has walked into. Medical facilities always had a way of tricking the senses it seemed. ".....how long was i out?" He speaks softly to himself.

"Hmm" He studies the halfway looking side to side trying to get a clue of which direction to go, after a moment he looks at his new master. "It would seem i have no idea how to navigate this building or even how far out my ship is." He looks around taking in the sights of the droids and people of various races, some he had most definitely never seen. He looks back at her.

"When you mention my quarters, do you mean in the palace? I'm going to stay in basically a castle?"

 

[Revna]

Tag: Varin Mortifer
​

Varin looked at Revna for a moment before declaring that he wouldn’t be able to get himself situated until he had acquired one more thing - something she assumed to be left behind on the ship in the desert. Revna made no move as the boy began to almost rush himself, something driving him onward with haste. Whatever he had left behind, must have been of some importance to him, she mused to herself.

A faint smirk tugged at her lips as she watched him turn towards the door of his medical ward, listening to it slide open with a mechanical hiss. Varin stepped out and beyond into the halls - then came to a halt.

It was at this point that Revna approached from behind him, her black robes a soft whisper as she moved.

"...how long was I out?" She heard him whisper to himself, before he hummed and turned to look at her. "It would seem I have no idea how to navigate this building or even how far out my ship is."

Revna’s eyes glimmered briefly - was it amusement at his situation? Was she pleased that he came to that understanding on his own and thus realized he needed her to help him? It was hard to tell.

"When you mention my quarters, do you mean in the palace? I'm going to stay in basically a castle?"

“You were out for a full standard day, to ensure all your injuries were healed and there were no lasting ill effects.” Revna explained softly as she slipped past him into the hall. A single tilt of her head was all Varin would receive as she started to walk onward, indicating that he should follow her. For a short, petite woman, she moved with silent ease - her gait easily capable of keeping up with someone who had longer strides than she did.

“Follow along; we will take a transport to your ship so that you can retrieve whatever else you need from its ruins. As for your living space…No you will not be in the Palace. I have made an arrangement for you to stay within the dorms for the First Years in the Academy, should you choose to stay here.”

Revna glanced over at Varin, checking to see if he was keeping up with her. “Though, you might be fortunate enough to join me within the Palace walls from time to time. Though the Academy has all the facilities we could need or want for your training.” Another small smile crept over her pale face. “Besides…it might do you some good to be around others your age.”

The small Sith woman guided them both from the medical wing of the Academy, through winding sandstone hallways and past large study chambers and class rooms - some filled with Acolytes under instruction, and others empty. Students and Academy faculty passed by the two of them, and many cast glances at Revna and Varin as they walked past.

Eventually, they reached a port outside of the Academy walls where Revna commandeered a small shuttle for the two of them, before disembarking and setting out with haste towards the location of the crash site. It was a fair distance out, but the time it would take to get there would give Varin and Revna some time to talk.

“So - tell me Varin, have you had any formal training before now?” Revna inquired in a curious tone. “If so, what have you learned? If I am to be your…teacher…then I need to know what you know, and what you don’t.”

 

[Varin Mortifer]

“So - tell me Varin, have you had any formal training before now?”

His attention is easily grabbed at the mention of his name. He thinks for a moment before Revna continues.

“If so, what have you learned? If I am to be your…teacher…then I need to know what you know, and what you don’t.”

Varin thinks for a moment remembering all the lessons. "History was never my strongsuit i was never good at desk learning. I prefer to get experience in what im learning. Though i do know of some of the rulers of the sith including The King of Korriban." He pauses for a moment digging deep to remember his lessons.

"I was trained how to meditate, basic combat with a sith blade and some basic force abilities. Telekinesis, pull, push. It's only recently that I taught myself how to crush. I'm still trying to get the hang of it. I can commune with the dark side but ive also been taught to commune with the light side, my father told me to understand both can improve your ability greatly."

He looks at her. "My flying lessons though we're a bit....spotty. didn't get into how to land just yet so I improvised." He smirks slightly.

After a moment he thinks back. "My father and mother helped liberate Korriban from the jedi. I know a lot of sith helped but hearing the stories, I knew some day I had to come here and experience it myself. See the academy, the palace. Everything." He falls quiet for a moment. "I just wish...that they were all with me at least." He clutches the helmet in his hand.

It certainly was not like him to just dump all of this information on a stranger he barely knows. For all he knows he might as well spill his own guts while he's at it, but something was different for him this time.

 

[Revna]

Tag: Varin Mortifer
​

The woman was quiet as Varin set about answering her questions, and she focused intently upon his responses, storing them away within her mind. He started off with sharing how history had never been a strong suit of his - desk learning was not his forte, and he preferred more hands-on experience and learning opportunities. To that, Revna smiled. She could identify with him on that, for she was much the same way.

Though she did have a fondness for sitting and relaxing somewhere with a tomb in her lap, or coaxing a holocron to open and reveal its secrets to her.

Varin continued speaking, stating that he was familiar with major figures within the Sith Order, and she nodded upon hearing that he was familiar with who the King was. That was good, she thought to herself. At least he knew who was who, and their significance within the Order. He would know of Carnifex, of Empyrean and Gerwald and Malum and others. He shared that he had been taught how to meditate, the basics of combat with a Sith blade of all things - just like she had - along with learning basic Force abilities and techniques. Varin listed off some things he had learned to do with Telekinesis, the very basic foundations of the ability and the most common uses of it for Sith and Jedi alike.

His next statement however, took her by surprise. He’d not only been taught how to commune with the Dark side, but with the Light side as well, that his own father had taught him to use both could improve his abilities.

How…interesting, she thought to herself as an expression of intrigue flickered across her face briefly. Oddly enough, Revna too harbored the desire to learn Light side agilities and techniques - not out of a sense to find balance within the Force, but because her insatiable hunger for knowledge drove her to learn all that she could about the mysteries and powers of the Force. It was hers to use, to command…why not use all of it that she could to suit her purposes and whims?

Some Light side abilities she knew could prove incredibly useful for a Sith such as herself - and had already.

Varin looked over at her and commented about his flying lessons, and she couldn’t help but scoff softly in amusement at his sarcastic comment about his improvised landing skills. “Considering you lived through the event, I’d say your improvisation worked.” she replied.

There was a few long moments of silence between them; Revna thought about speaking up, but just before she did so, the teenage boy continued speaking and she remained silent in order to listen. He shared a bit more of his family’s background with her - the fact that his mother and father had apparently helped liberate Korriban from the Ashlan Jedi. It was something she thought about for a moment; his parents might have fought alongside her own Master at one point, maybe even the King himself before he had ascended to the throne of the ancient and holy Sith world. His story linked and tied him into her own story, her own connections, in their own way.

She couldn’t help but wonder if it was the Force’s will that Varin be delivered to her. It had been moving in her life recently, with intention, almost. It was something she took notice of, and stored in the back of her mind for later ponderance while in meditation.

Revna glanced over at the young man when he mentioned that he wished his parents had been within, and watched as he seemed to clutch the helm in his hands tighter. A somber, even sorrowful, look filled her eyes for a moment…their burning hue darkening slightly as she turned her gaze back before her. She was silent for a bit as they traversed the dunes of the Desert of Golg. She understood the pain of losing family, those that one cared for, or were connected to. She also understood just how…vulnerable the boy was being with her, a stranger.

She would reward his willingness to be open with her about such things, by revealing a bit of herself to him. Perhaps a common ground they could connect on.

“I lost my mother when I was ten. She was executed in front of me, and the rest of the household slaves…because of something that I did. I killed someone in a moment of rage, and in an effort to save my life and hide my Force sensitivity from our masters, she took the blame of it upon herself.”

Revna returned to silence for another moment, distant memories drifting through her mind’s eye, along with more recent and much more painful events. She took a deep breath to steady herself; time had passed since her Master’s death but she still felt the loss…the ache of it making the cold void within her pulse with the near maddening need to fill it with warmth.

“I also lost my Master recently…well, it has been some time now I think. Weeks…months…maybe longer. He…was a father figure to me, though He didn’t know it at the time. I never got the chance to tell Him.” Out in the distance, Revna spied the still smoking ruins of the boy’s ship, and realized they were drawing closer to their destination. She was quiet for a few longer moments, before she glanced at the young man.

"I can help further your understanding of the various forms of Telekinesis; I am rather skilled with it myself, as it was the first ability I honed when I was a child. I also can help sharpen and hone your combat skills with a Sith blade - I too was trained with one before I earned my first lightsaber. There are also many other things I know, things I can teach you - if you have the aptitude for them."