Playing with the Mind (Darth Ophidia)

[Asajj]

Coruscant​

Assassin Hideout​

Training Area​

​

With a heavy frown of concentration, Asajj stared at the floating lightsaber. By her own will it stayed in the air, no strings or tricks. Purely the power of the force. Distractions entered her mind as each moment passed, but she pushed them aside and stayed in control. Even with a small feat as this she felt powerful, and she knew in time she would achieve so much more. Yet again, it was power that drove, and mostly power over others. The best way to control others? Control their minds.

She had contacted another one of her father's Assassin's, this time Darth Ophidia, who would hopefully teach her the basics of mentalism. Entering and dominating another's mind, something she hoped to master in her lifetime. The idea of messing with her enemies' heads, making them see illusions of their worst fears and copies of herself, made her almost grin in delight.

Tap. The training saber hit the floor. She had lost concentration, and instead of channeling her dark ideas she had let them reign free. A mistake she would soon correct...
But first, a lesson was approaching. Picking up the saber and holstering it on her belt, she looked around for the Assassin.

"Tick Tock. Tick Tock..."

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

At the second 'Tock' Darth Ophidia's form and signature became visible. She had snuck in by using a combination of stealthy Force techniques, hiding her from sight, sound and even her presence in the Force (Force Cloak + Buried Presence). Her shape appeared as though she was stepping out of a fog, and her presence blazed into detection like a spontaneous combustion. Her pale eyes considered the girl in front of her with a cold stillness. She appeared not to blink, but only because she timed her blinking with that of the person standing in front of her. A smile curled the corners of her painted lips.

"Bored already, girl? My lecture has not even begun."

There was a playfulness to her voice, but her presence was not an amusing one. The way she looked at one gave a predatory feeling to her, as if she was simply waiting for a moment's weakness. It was not exactly something she was putting on, simply a natural asset to her presence.

"I see you have some practice in Telekinesis, that is good. Mentalism is not that far from it, once you get it right."

The Sith Knight sat down in front of the Acolyte and swept her hood back before running a hand over her bald head, all the while keeping her eyes set on her student. The art of Mentalism was a fascinating route, and one she was surprised so few Assassins preferred. Why kill a man, when you can have him kill himself?

[member="Asajj"]

 

[Asajj]

Asajj's mouth stuck in the shape that would begin the next 'Tick' as she examined the new arrival. Imposing as she was, she didn't scare Asajj, nothing could scare her, but nevertheless she could see the similarity to a hunter waiting for the right time to strike it's prey. Remaining composed and for the most part unnerved, Asajj broke her mouth's odd shape into a smirk. "Glad to hear it. The sooner I get to mess with minds the better." A small outstretch of both her arms signaled her preparation for the session. "I'd only ever do it with reason, of course." Her smirked maintained slightly as she added the last comment, scanning the woman's reaction when it came. She was curious as to how far her sense of humor extended, and whether or not she would tolerate more because of who her father was.

Either way, she had no intention of ruining the session. Learning this ability was key to her future plans...
"So how do we begin?"

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"Reason, of course."

She was pleased that the acolyte showed no real fear of her. It proved she had one of the necessary qualities: A strong mind. Some would attribute this to lineage, but Ophidia would rather look at the individual. Beside a small 'huff' coming from her nose, she had no great reaction to the joke, one could only assume she was mildly amused. Asajj may quickly find that mind control was not a skill one simply threw about. It required great focus and force of will.

"We begin with an idea. Mentalism, the art of dominating the mind of an opponent is much like any Force Power. Just like you can bend durasteel, you can bend another's will to your own. Instead of manipulating matter, you manipulate thoughts and emotions."

A gleam went over her eyes as her raspy voice took on an element of delight.

"However, Mentalism is far more difficult than Telekinesis; it is harder to bend a thought than it is to bend steel. Do you know why?"

She gave her a moment to consider this while her left hand waved through the air. Footsteps sounded through the hall as two persons came walking into the room. Judging by their clothes, they were slaves. Not very expensive ones either, highly disposable. They marched stiffly, eyes gazing into nothingness and jaws slack.

[member="Asajj"]

 

[Asajj]

Getting nowhere with the little reaction that came from the woman, Asajj instead diverted her overall attention to the lesson's subject. Nodding along with Ophidia's explanation, up until she was asked a question. As she turned to see the two people, appearing to be slaves, enter the room she answered. "Because a person's mind can fight against you, if it's strong enough. Durasteel is weak compared to willpower." Her attempt was accompanied with an aura of confidence, she knew that must be the answer. After speaking she focused on the slaves, noticing their rather empty composure. Immediately she assumed they were under the control of Ophidia, and the fact she could do that brought a little smirk upon her face.

It was impressive to her.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

What was impressive to Asajj was child's play to Ophidia. Slaves were quite easy to subdue once one had a true grasp of the skill. They would still be a worthy fight for a beginner, but hardly pose any challenge for one who had extensive practice.

"Exactly! Steel complies, but minds fight back. Some more than others. While these slaves- " One of the slaves immediately slapped himself in the face. "Are relatively malleable, a Jedi would provide far more of a challenge. Unfortunately, we don't have too many Jedi to experiment on."

She was very pleased with the reply, and it was a vital piece of information to keep in mind when employing mind control. The slave that had not slapped himself walked over stiffly and knelt beside Asajj. Darth Ophidia stood and placed her hands behind her back to observe better.

"Take your place next to the slave and place your hand on his head. This will grant you a better connection with him. Then I want you to reach out with the Force and enter his mind. Feel it, sense its shape and ensnare it. Find the cracks and burrow through. He will fight you, but when you feel you have a secure hold, I will let go."

She thought back to her own first time. The words were different, but the meaning was the same. Everyone saw the details differently, but in the end the effect was the same.

"Please begin."

[member="Asajj"]

 

[Asajj]

A rather childish giggle escaped Asajj when the slave slapped himself. It was like a slapstick holocomedy she saw once as a child. Her facial expression straightened as she glanced towards Ophidia, then turned to the slave approaching her. It knelt beside her, and for a few moments she merely examined him. However, she had been given a test, and so she outstretched her arm to comply.

Her hand rested on his head, palm flat against skin. Giving a quick glance to Ophidia, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the connection between her and the slave. The force flowed through them both, and with dark intent it bended to her will. A channel of energy came from her palm and into the brain of the slave, and with it she felt as if she were entering his mind. At first her journey came to a stop, as if she physically could not push any further, but with more concentration she found a gap and forced herself through.

Suddenly she was in, feeling the quiet resistance inside his brain that yearned to be released from Ophidia's control. Everything was hers, she was in control. She was powerful...

"I'm ready..." Asajj muttered, trying to keep her main focus on the slave's mind. Imagining her presence like a swarm of tendrils, she coiled herself into his brain, ready to take over his thoughts and feelings once Ophidia let go...

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"Good, good."

She could feel Asajj's intrusion in his mind, and had the option of contesting her, but gave leeway. When the acolyte said she was ready. Ophidia let go completely and the slave immediately bucked into defiance. His face contorted in a grimace of pain as he grapped his head and shook violently. He was resisting the intrusion, but Asajj would be feeling she got the better of him. The first times were always rough, and with unrefined skill it was immensely painful for the subject. Ophidia was amused by this pain.

"Remember, if you squeeze too hard, you may shatter his mind. You can still control him, but it's like cutting the strings on a puppet: Inconvenient. Some damage is to be expected, but you will feel it if he shatters."

The Slave seized his resistance as Asajj gained control. There was still a possibility of shattering his mind upon moving him, but balance was a part of the lessons. It was easy for a beginner to be heavy-handed on the pressure.

[member="Asajj"]

 

[Asajj]

Asajj felt the resistance heighten slightly; the training wheels were off. It wasn't too hard to wrestle her control over the slave, once she had him in her grasp there was little to stop her. A sly smirk crept across her face as she thought about Ophidia's comment on shattering his mind. As fun as it would be to make the slave suffer in such a way, she decided she had more to gain from using the time to learn. The snakes of her control moved ever so slowly now, trying their best to avoid inconvenience. Making her way deeper into his mind, she began issuing a simple command. Once the slave's brain had recieved it, she could feel the rising tension. The threat of shattering came like a rising heartbeat, rising in short steps as the slave began to lift his arm. Immense concentration on her part was devoted to keeping her mental touch 'light'. She could do this without shattering his mind, she was the daughter of Darth Ferus; she could do anything!

Finally the slave had his hand in the air, and as one last show he clenched his fist. Opening her eyes, she glanced towards Ophidia with a grin. "Well, I think I got the basics." She said, before turning back to the slave and realizing her hand was still on his head. Always one to push herself, Asajj removed her hand but kept her piercing gaze on the man, managing to somewhat maintain the connection despite it being in danger of slipping. Another grin came from her, as she merely stared at the slave. "Moving his hand isn't great but erm... it's a start?" Her voice gave off the sound of excitement, as she thought of all the possibilities the power could have once better developed...

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"No, it's not bad. I broke my first one like an egg when I was introduced to the power. It could still fight, however. Now, let's have some fun with our little puppets, shall we?"

The other slave stiffened in a slightly different way, then walked over to Asajj's subject and kicked it in the butt. By fun, Ophidia meant that the slaves were to fight each other like puppets in a violent comedy show. Ophidia's slave gave another swift kick to the groin area of Asajj's puppet. She would notice that once she had assumed control, she could push the assumed person's limits and ignore damage that would sometimes be crippling for the person themselves.

"Don't worry about treating them roughly, they are disposable; they are waste. Now stand and fight. Assume total control."

Ophidia's puppet backed off a few steps and assumed a guarded stance, while the Rattataki herself took a position next to Asajj so to be out of the slaves' way.

[member="Asajj"]

 

[Asajj]

Asajj giggled at the humorous fighting style of the slave. This would be fun for sure... With her own mind focused on full control of her slave, she forced him to stand up and clench his fists. As an added effect the slave gave an odd laugh, before raising his fists ready to fight. Although the aim was to have comedic fighting, her own sinister mind put a slight twist on it. The slave lashed out with a series of forceful punches, aimed at his opponents chest. A final punch came to the side of his face, whilst his other hand grabbed the shoulder to keep his target still. To finish off her attacks, she sent the slaves leg flying up to kick towards his groin, then use his hand to push his body backwards.

"That all you got?" The slave asked, grinning just like Asajj was. His fists were up again, ready for more.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"Just getting you off your arse, dear."

Her slave employed its' elbows to block the lower blows, but took the jaw punch full on. However, as he did, he repositioned himself so as to avoid the coming groin-kick, anticipated by Ophidia. One hand gripped Asajj's puppet's gripping hand, and the other gripped for his hip as he attempted a fluid hip-throw, using the momentum of the other puppet's kick as fuel in the throw. If successful, Ophidia's puppet would immediately follow up with a series of punches to pin the other puppet down and press Asajj up in a corner.

Ophidia smiled as she enjoyed the matter. She didn't look very concerned, or deep in focus at all. In fact, she had a certain nonchalance about her that some would find infuriating. She had become accustomed to manipulating far greater numbers of people with more will than these puny slaves. It was also a bit of an act to see how endorsed in her combat Asajj was.

[member="Asajj"]

 

[Asajj]

Asajj's slave merely snarled in reply, as his disposable form was thrown over the other slave's hip. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Ophidia's nonchalant expression, and it did indeed infuriate her. With a grimace on her own face, she forced her slave to react as soon as he hit the ground. Swinging his legs around, he aimed to kick the back of the other slave's knees, hoping to bringing him down and shift his own weight on top of him. If he were to succeed even for the most part and gain a moment to ensure he could move freely, he would release his own barrage of vicious and unrelenting punches down on the opponent.

All the while Asajj grinned at the display, obviously enjoying the action and violence. She was absorbed into the moment, and determined to have her slave win. If she was interested in this ability beforehand, she absolutely loved it now.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Rather than try to resist the swift kick, Ophidia let it hit and allowed her puppet to fall. However, when the other slave tried to mount, it used the momentum of its fall to shift out of the mount. The movements he made were perhaps odd to see, far more fluent than the ones the Acolyte would be performing, which was all a matter of experience. Experience in mind control, and experience in the field of combat. Ophidia's slave waggled away surprisingly fast by flexing its spine and walking on his shoulders and hips, and then rolled backwards and up to a knee stance to be ready for the next attack.

Ophidia offered Asajj a little glance, feeling her frustration like a vibration in the air, it was quite exquisite. The will to win would empower Asajj, but it would also have her again running the risk of breaking the mind.

[member="Asajj"]

 

[Asajj]

Asajj's actions were bordering on recklessness now. She could feel the slave's mind beginning to crumble under the pressure of her control and command but she ignored it, too focused on victory. Her puppet charged forward, as if about to unleash an all-out attack directly at his opponent, yet at the last second he side-stepped, coming from the left instead. Such a maneuver would hopefully outdo Ophidia's puppet, if only it had been able to reach it's end...

Just as the slave was about to launch his attack from the side, he instead fell. His body became rather limp and kept falling the way he had stepped, before hitting the ground. Asajj stared open-mouthed at the slave, who she had suddenly lost control of. Somehow she had been forced out, and only moments later did she realize why. The man was in sheer agony; his mind was broken. She had wrapped the chains of control too tightly around him and now he had shattered. Her awed expression turned to a frown, letting out a sigh to show her disappointment.

"They break too easily..." Was all she said, crossing her arms and glancing at Ophidia.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Ophidia was about to mount a defence, and then readjust it to the sudden change of direction when Asajj's puppet fell to the floor. Ophidia's own puppet laid down on the floor and stared blankly up towards the ceiling while the Sith knight looked to her apprentice.

"Yes, easy to control also means easy to break unfortunately. With practice comes perfection, and you will have to work every day on refining your abilities if you want them to grow. otherwise they will wither."

Ophidia reached out with her left hand towards the broken slave and clenched her fist. With an audible 'crack' the neck snapped in an instant and the slave was silent once and for all. The other slave lay as still as dead too, but its life-force was still there. With only one slave left, she took the chance to teach another aspect of the technique that was worthy of keeping in mind.

"Take mine. Play with it for a little and try to find the balance."

[member="Asajj"]

 

[Asajj]

Practicing every day sounded like fun, surely her father would let her experiment with any prisoners he could get his hands on. But she'd have to be more careful not to break them. Nevertheless, it seemed like she was getting another chance to improve already, and so she outstretched her hand but this time without physically touching the slave. She concentrated on creating a link in the force, and assumed control of him much quicker than last time. This time she used a softer approach, intertwining her control with his mind instead of shackling it tight enough to break. The slave rose from the floor, stretching his arms out as she got used to controlling a puppet again.

"I think I've got a better control this time." Asajj commented, tilting her head at the puppet who then copied her. As she grinned so did the puppet, a sinister expression on both terms. "Anything else?" She turned her own head to Ophidia, still maintaining the connection.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"Only one more thing for him to do."

Ophidia drew a vibrodagger from a hidden sheathe on her leg and let it levitate towards the slave slowly, presenting the hilt first. She looked at Asajj with a sinister gleam in her eyes and had full confidence that the apprentice would not fail her in this task.

"Make him stab himself with this dagger. Lethally."

She had seen knights and masters wipe out entire squadrons with a simple command like this. Personally, she preferred to stage the suicides of important figures. It was also a nice test to see whether the girl was actually capable of taking life. Sure, she was fond of violence, but there was a line between even the blindest of violence, and to wilfully take a life. It was also a test to see just how good her grip was becoming. The subject would naturally resist taking its own life.

[member="Asajj"]

 

[Asajj]

Asajj smirked at where things were going and made the slave take the dagger in his hand. For a moment it linger in front of him, before he eventually placed it by his throat. Suddenly the mind she was inside lit up with a new light; fear. It squirmed and resisted her control, instinctively trying to avoid death. Unfortunately for him, death was nothing to Asajj. In some situations this could be a weakness for her, death was not to be taken lightly, but right now it gave her conviction. The blade pressed against the man's throat, drawing a small line of blood but not entering in a lethal way yet. He fought back as hard as he could, but it was no use. Blood spurted from his neck as he ripped the dagger across as if by his own choice.

There was no living mind for Asajj to control anymore, and his body fell to the floor with a slight gurgling sound coming from the wound. A grin maintained on her face and inside her own mind there was a bloodlust, but in reality that was her first time killing a sentient being. Others would cry in horror at what they had committed, but she didn't know what to do. She wasn't sane, her mind focused on the pleasure of it. She embraced the feeling, and she felt stronger from it.

For quite some time she had been staring silently at the dead body, until finally she turned to Ophidia. "An easy way to assassinate then?" She spoke, sounding as if she had just gotten over being excited about something.

[member="Darth Ophidia"]

 

[Darth Ophidia]

No hesitation, no mercy. As were to be expected by the daughter of her Master. Darth Ophidia put very little faith in lineage, but sometimes it gleamed through like a polish on armour. She was very pleased with the apprentice's progress and conviction, a girl after Ophidia's own standards. She could just barely tell it was her first kill, her glee was a little stronger than one who had done it before. She would have to make sure that homicidal glee did not grow too far out of hand. The Sith needed people who directed their anger at the enemy and used their heads to execute it. There were far too many bulls in the pen, and not half as many foxes. Of course, the prolonged stare was a vital clue.

"Yes, a very easy assassination. If the target is weak-willed. The more time you use building up to the actual suicide, the easier it is to push them off the edge."

On the word 'push' she swiped her fingers to the side, and the two corpses were pushed up against the wall. Her dagger floated into her hand: the blood still dripping from the edge. She could remember her own first. She was just a child, thrown in a pit against another little girl, both armed with a knife. Her murder-cherry had been popped for bloodsport on her home world of Rattatak. It was a very defining moment for her career.

"Was this your first sentinent?"

[member="Asajj"]