Not So Average Encounter

[Darren Onyx]

He laughed. He almost couldn't stop. It was making him fall over almost. Everyone who was watching started to back away from the two, though whether they were afraid of them or nervous impending fight, he couldn't tell.

He didn't bat an eye or flinch as he felt her grip tighten on the blaster. He even made her press it harder against his forehead. "You claim yourself a Jedi-- you're not," he spat. "You should follow me," he started speaking, "Work with a Master of Dark and Light. It's not about the power, it's about sending a message. And I can do it, with you helping me," he sinisterly replied.

Finally he took the blaster and it back in his belt. "My name is Darren Onyx, call me Onyx."

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

"I never really claimed to be anything." Which was true, more or less. Yes, she had identified herself as a Jedi, but her hold on the light side of the Force was tenuous at best, something Sayl attributed to both her lack of training and interest in leading the life of a galactic peacekeeper. There were certainly aspects of it that appealed to her, but she'd never lived well with being committed purely to one cause. "I affiliate myself with them now because it's the best choice. Nothing says it's going to stay that way." And it most likely wouldn't. The chances of that were waning as time wore on, but until she was presented a more persuasive argument, she would continue on the same path.

All of this talk of a message did spark her interest, however. "If you want me to follow you so badly, you're going to have to do better than that." She'd learned early on the dangers of following someone blindly with no real insight into who they really were. And considering all she'd gotten from him so far was his name, if it was his real one, she didn't feel inclined in trusting him to continue her teachings.

The most she could do was return introductions, she supposed. "Name's Sayl, but like I already told you, most people call me Sixer."

[member="The Onyx"]

 

[Darren Onyx]

Onyx smiled wide. A challenge is what she wanted. He would accept it and convince her to join him. He always was a smooth talker, and one who was a master at the arts of convincing.

He leaned just slightly towards her. "I can give you things you have always wanted," he whispered. "I can give you the chance to change this Galaxy and to leave a mark on it," he sinisterly spoke with a dark laugh. "Be my apprentice, and we will leave our mark-- leave a message."

Onyx had trained three others in the past. All three eventually attempted to kill him and he stopped them. He knew that, at some point, Sayl might try and kill him. But that's what he wanted. At least to an extent. The others he trained he did so with the hopes they could overpower him and continue his legacy; continue his goals of building something bigger then the Republic and Empire.

He didn't know if his feelings were true, but this girl, Sayl, promised to be that one to do it. He just needed to convince her.

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

If there was one thing Sayl had learned to despise in her twenty-two years of life, it was any type of submission, whether implied or directly stated. To be even perceived as lesser than another was something she'd escaped as a pre-teen, and a lifestyle she had no intentions of going back to. At least, not willingly. It would take more than a few promises of power and leaving a mark on the galaxy to sway her. After all, making a name for herself wasn't exactly what she was looking for. It was something she'd always considered to be nice if it ever happened, but not a thing to actively seek out. It intrigued her, certainly, but she would still tread with caution.

It wouldn't do to deny him outright without at least hearing him out, however. "What is it you mean by 'leaving a message'?" Okay, so maybe she was more than a little curious about everything. But no one could really blame her, in the grand scheme of things. Thus far, her life as a Jedi had been little more than monotonous. It had never been easy for her to settle into a routine that consisted of doing much of the same day in and day out, and like her brother she was beginning to get a bit frustrated with it all. But it was the only path that had presented itself until just then, and she was determined to make some amount of progress with it.

"It's not like I'm going to bend the knee so easily. I've done that enough times before to be sick of it."

[member="The Onyx"]

 

[Darren Onyx]

Onyx nodded. He understood what she meant and where she as coming from. He thought back to his one and only master, who was now long dead by his hands. He remembered kneeling to him and giving up his will for his training. It changed him, made him who he was. No it was true Onyx hated authority and hated bowing to a master. But it was necessary if you were to get anywhere.

He thought on his words for just a moment. She wanted the truth, and Onyx wouldn't hold back. "We," he started, emphesising he was discussing the two of them, "Are going to change the Republic for the better," he said cryptically. "Being here, in public, makes it hard for me to say for sure. But, I promise, you'll be remembered in history," he said with a smile. "Forever."

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

The corners of her mouth tightened almost imperceptibly. Just like her brother, she had a deep-seated contempt for serving another. Enough of her childhood had been spent in fear of retaliation for her to have developed a strong, innate distrust of any that made promises in return for her complete deference to their will. Those that submitted to a life of servitude willingly were individuals Sayl had not one ounce of respect for. They could go ahead and give their lives away if they wanted, but she would calculate her options to determine whether the risk outweighed the gain. And most times, it did.

Keeping her gaze level with his, eyes sparking crimson, she spoke, “We,” her voice twisted almost in a mockery of his own, “Won’t be doing anything. You overestimate yourself and underestimate me. I have no interest in becoming your apprentice, nor will I call you ‘Master’.” Unlike her previous half-teasing tone, this time her voice was steady and calm, certain of the words she was saying. This was a side of her not many chanced to see, and if they did glimpse at it, it wasn’t for any of the right reasons.

Pausing, she turned to face him fully. “I serve no one. That’s one thing you’d better karking well remember.”

[member="The Onyx"]

 

[Darren Onyx]

Onyx started laughing. He loved her fire. He saw himself in her a little bit; what with hating authority and serving only one person, that being himself. He calmed himself down and motioned at the bartender, asking for another drink. "You remind me of myself," he said as the glass was being filled. The bartender walked away and he took a decent gulp of the alcohol.

He looked into it and chuckled. "I am no 'Master'," he said, still staring into his drink. "I am a Master of the force, yes, of both light and dark. And yes I do train. But I am not master. I don't train as a master. I am a mentor. I pass my knowledge to those who want it. I give the gift of power to those who ask for it. And I help people understand the force because I want to."

He took another large gulp, finishing the tall glass. He turned to face her again. "I want to leave a message, to change the Galaxy. I will. With or without you, people will remember me," he informed her. "I only wanted someone to be remembered with me."

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

Exhaling slowly and attempting to arrange her thoughts into some semblance of order, Sayl was silent for a long moment. Not much could be said about her side of things, but he was remaining surprisingly calm, weathering out her remarks, however unkind they were. It was her natural defense mechanism, a way to prevent herself from getting hurt again. But here was someone testing that very philosophy. Maybe, just maybe, she didn't have to be so careful around every person that crossed her path. The better part of her didn't allow that belief to sink too deeply, and so she deliberated. Everything about him gave her reason to walk away without a second thought, but something kept her seated there. Something more.

"Why me, then? Why me, when there are thousands of other people out there that would do just as well? I don't have any reason to trust who you are." She was intrigued enough to consider it, but not without asking enough questions so that she felt secure in her knowledge of this man, nothing short of a complete stranger, offering to teach her everything he knew. That in and of itself was too good to be true, and she'd learned long ago that if it sounded like it was, then it was best to avoid it. It was a strategy that had kept her alive this far. And given her current company, she wasn't ready to let it go just yet.

For a moment she looked down at her hands on the table, weighing her options. The decision, once made, would change her life forever, of that she was certain. What she didn't know was whether that change would ultimately benefit her or not. And this time, she wasn't sure if that was a risk she was willing to take, given what was hanging in the balance. "If I accept this offer, what happens next? Do I just kneel and pledge myself to your teachings?" The way she spoke made it clear that it was the last thing she wanted to do, but in the back of her mind she was already somewhat resigned to the fact, if it was absolutely necessary.

"You're asking me to give up the only life I've known with the only family I've ever had and ever will. This isn't as simple as you seem to think."

[member="The Onyx"]

 

[Darren Onyx]

He thought for a moment. Really he was drawn to her because of her view; on anarchy and on upsetting the law and order of things. It was refreshing finding someone who shared that view. Then he started seeing himself in her. So he thought about his answer. "Because you remind me of myself," he admitted, "Except I'll help you not make the mistakes I made."

She went on to ask if she would pledge herself to his teachings and bow to him, like a obedient dog does a master. He shook his head. "All I ask is for you to learn from me like you would an elder."

He gave a nod when she brought up leaving everything behind. His memory filled his mind; remembering his father and what he had gone through, and remembering Serana and her death... He snapped back to reality and shook his head one last time. "I know what it's like, leaving everything behind. It's worth it if you have help. I didn't when I left. You will; you'll have me."

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

"You will; you'll have me." Those were words that Sayl didn't expect to hear, and she blinked in surprise, for once unsure of how to respond. It was a rarity in her life to have anyone really, genuinely care about her, much less go out of their way to make it known. In fact, she could count the number of people that had done so on one hand and still have plenty of room left. To say he'd managed to make her speechless would be an understatement. With those five words he'd shaken her worldview, or at least her view of him. Maybe this was one she could trust, but instinct still told her to tread carefully. It wouldn't do good to let her guard down so easily.

It was a bit strange to her, the way he spoke of leaving everything behind as if she actually had a structured home environment and more than one person that would really miss her if she up and left. The only thing that concerned her about leaving was how her twin would react. The two had been nearly inseparable since their reunion, and they did nearly everything together, albeit not having the most conventional of sibling relationships. Out of all the things that should have likely bothered her, that was the only thing to gain precedent. But maybe this would be a change for the better.

"If you're still alive and in one piece, then any mistakes you made couldn't have been that bad." She shrugged, still deciding how she would phrase her next sentence. "I'll take you up on it." There, it was done. "When do we start?"

[member="The Onyx"]

 

[Darren Onyx]

Onyx gave a wide grin. He finished his drink and looked at her. "You won't regret it," he informed her.

He thought for a moment. When would they start, and where? To be frank, Onyx hadn't given much thought to his next course of action. He had the basics down, to start a rebellion within the Republic and start building a new order of Jedi. He just didn't know where that started, or if it could even be done. Indeed, he could start a rebellion, but could he gain support?

He shrugged it off. Now that Sayl was willing to work with him, and train, he focused on that. He wasn't a good teacher, far from it. He taught by doing, by going out there and doing anything and everything to help himself and those who trained with him. His attention diverted yet again. His plan was to early to even discuss. So that was out. But maybe some sabotage and assassinations would work. He nodded to himself; small side missions that will help them in the future could work.

He finally snapped out of his thoughts. "Meet me at Tython in two weeks. We can start there," he told her with a grin. He knew what he was going to do to start this.

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

Though her abilities in the Force weren't refined by any means, Sayl could still sense something of his thought processes as he deliberated, finally speaking after a long moment, simply giving her a location and a general time constraint to meet. Most would have shied away at the thought of complying with a near stranger's demands, but in the end it only made her more determined. Whatever this man had to offer, and whichever path it would ultimately lead her down, she was intrigued enough to follow him for at the very least a short time. Servitude wasn't what she intended, and if it came to that she wouldn't hesitate to abandon her new path. But her curiosity just barely won out over that instinct in the moment.

Absently drumming the fingers of her right hand on the table as she pondered, connecting the dots and formulating a plan to get to the aforementioned planet, she nodded once. "Tython, two weeks. Arranging transport shouldn't be a problem." She would make certain it wouldn't pose any sort of issue. It would be easy enough to figure something out or convince Cryax to help her find some kind of ship, and if all else failed she had other means to go about getting her way. Less legal ones, certainly, but that had never been a real concern.

Standing, she looked to him with a teasing smile. "See you then, Master."

[member="The Onyx"]