Private Quiet Hours

[Braze]

TAGS: Akhema

"Do you want help practicing that kind of thing?" Braze asked, his curiosity piqued after a moment of contemplation. He had leaned back, taking a moment to digest what she had said, initially at a loss for words. His inquiry, gentle and genuine, bridged the silence that her statement had left in its wake.

"I'm not entirely sure how much weight and stock prophecies really carry," he continued thoughtfully. "I'm of the opinion that free will and deliberate action have the power to alter the course of events yet to unfold, much like how a single grain of rice can tip the scales."

 

[Akhema]

"Practicing what, tapping into the Light? Strange that a Jedi would want to help a Sith Lord become more powerful, but the question is inoffensive and I find that I can be amenable to that." Akhema said, leaving herself more or less expressing a neutral look. Nobody offered help without wanting something in return, but she had grown quite used to how Sith helped one another. She did not expect a Jedi to be quite so forthright about whether or not they wanted an exchange.

She looked more interested than before though regarding prophecy, "The way I see it, prophecy is a prediction, not a certainty. It is easy to peer into the future with the Force, but the wise only take it as a possible future, not fact. In that matter, we both agree."

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Akhema

"So you're pursuing power, ambition, and control? To what ends? Why?" Braze asked simply. "What do you need all of that to achieve? Like... What's your desire?"

 

[Akhema]

Braze

"To protect those that matter to me. To never see them harmed should I be present, and to stand as a pillar of unity for the people that I lead. The, planet that I have made my home, Tomyris, I am their High Queen, and I want to be able to project soft power, as well as hard power, should the need arise. Deterrance is much better at the end of the day than actually having to use your weapon, in spite of the lifetime I have spent training with the lightsaber." she said, feeling that conviction very deeply. Whatever means she could use to keep her people safe, was an acceptable use of the Force. For her, the means justified the ends if the Tomyrian Purebloods were kept from having harm visited upon them by the greater galaxy.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Akhema

"I really admire what you're doing for your people, High Queen. You want to keep them safe without having to fight, and that's really brave. My Jedi teachers always say we should use our abilities to protect others and avoid battles whenever we can. Your idea of using both kindness and strength to lead sounds a lot like what they teach us about being a Jedi. It's cool to see someone who isn't a Jedi thinking the same way. I hope I can be as good at helping and protecting people as you are when I'm in charge of something important like you are with your planet." Braze chirped in a gentle tone conveying his thoughts carefully.

"Have you ever ... ya know... tried to be a jedi?" ​

 

[Akhema]

Braze

"No, and without meaning any offense, I am quite contented with the Sith way. Nevermind the fact that we Purebloods are genetically linked to the Dark Side and to deny ourselves of it is like denying food to a starving beggar. We die should we become separated from it. Regardless, the planet I lead has been populated by Purebloods for thousands of years and they have managed to blend the aspects of both Light and Dark into their philosophies to become a unified people unburdened by the schism between the Jedi and Sith. That, is the life that I wish to lead. Unbothered by the source of power, but by the usage thereof." Akhema said, placing herself firmly in the ground where she chose to remain as she was instead of adopting a lifestyle that would require she deny herself more than indulging herself. She liked the rush of power the Dark Side gave, but that answer was more simple and much more base than her own reasoning offered.

"And, so long as you choose to lead with integrity and honor, the right path will find you."

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Akhema

"Well, you don't have to be a Jedi or abstain from using the dark side entirely, but perhaps you could consider integrating the light side. I don't see why you couldn't balance it, especially if you believe you need it for survival. Though, I'm skeptical that you require it to live. There are individuals without connections to the Force, and others who have been severed from it, yet they haven't suffered adverse effects. Your claims, however, remind me more of someone with an addiction. I wouldn't recommend someone in your situation to engage in mind-altering or intoxicating substances—not that I condone such behavior in any case. But yes, addiction is a serious issue.

If anything, it seems you might be experiencing what could be described as 'dark side poisoning,' where the allure is so compelling that it feels like a necessity, even when it's not. Have you observed how addicts undergo withdrawal? They act and feel as though they're dying, yet they aren't, and they can't perceive it any other way. I believe the dark side similarly poisons the body and mind. Perhaps your species is more predisposed to this addiction, given your ancestral connection."

 

[Akhema]

Braze

"Braze, I mean this sincerely. I find your optimism very endearing, but when Sorzus Syn and the other Jedi Exiles intermingled with my species, they alchemically altered our genetic code to be dependant on the Dark Side. So, in a sense, addiction, yes, but, without it we die. My progenitors, the Massassi, in particular, were quite easy to warp thusly, as we were the warrior caste of ancient Sith society. We were meant for war, bred for battle, and all of our power in the Force was used to empower us to become champions on the battlefield. Our minds were strong only in that way, focused entirely on when the next battle would come and how we would face it. We left the Kissassi, the Priesthood of Typhojem in particular, to handle the more complex vagaries of the Dark Side when they came. None of them at the time knew that the Exiles were not gods, but they were treated as such. That subjugation to the Exiles rings down every single Pureblood's genetic line. In a way, they are still with us in spite of them having died many thousands of years before even I was born in my original time." Akhema was not upset to educate. She knew her kind were quite rare in the modern galaxy, and so some knowledge of the species must have been lost to time.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Akhema

"So... do you feel out of place in this... era?" Braze asked simply after listening to that and not picking up on a good bit of it. He certainly slacked in his history lessons.

"I presume you miss the people you knew from a long time ago... it must be lonely to pop out of a deep sleep and not know anyone or anything of the new era in the galaxy," Braze surmised.

 

[Akhema]

Braze

"My peers in the past were petty lords that spent more time trying to undo one another than working toward some kind of goal that had any tangible benefit to the Empire. I understand that ambition is a deeply seated thing among the Sith, but it does no good to be members of a ruling class that do nothing in the way of rulership besides benefitting from their position financially and politically. Nothing has changed. The galaxy is still a petty and small-minded place with political bickering over imagined borders and differences of opinion. It is the responsiblity of those in power, to use that power for the advancement of their people, not themselves. Rulership is a civil service first and foremost, and to enrich oneself over performing for the good of your society is a moral failure." Akkhema said, with a passionate venom to her voice when she expressed this thought. She knew she was an oddity among the Sith, not only because of how she viewed the nature of honor and battle, but how she viewed the responsiblity of leadership. She had power, it was her place to impose her will toward ways to improve those under her care. Be it a military unit, or in her case now, an entire planet of people looking to her for guidance, she was not going to allow the allure of corruption to compromise her personal ethics.

"As regrettable as it sounds, I find that losing all of my previous peers has been very freeing. There are no more rivals for me to prepare for in the same way that I used to. It allows me the freedom to focus on working towards making Tomyris a more secure home for my people."

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Akhema

"Heh, sounds like you've had your share of drama with those petty lords," Braze remarked with a smirk, unable to resist a teasing jab. "Must've been like living in a soap opera, huh?"

He leaned back, crossing his arms with a cocky grin. "But hey, at least now you're free from all that nonsense, right? No more rivals means more time to focus on ruling your little empire."

Braze's tone softened slightly as he continued, a touch of sincerity creeping in. "Seriously though, it's cool that you're all about making things better for your people."

 

[Akhema]

Braze

"The Dark Side is not inherently evil, it is simply a tool to be used. Like I've said before, it is the intention behind the use of the tool that truly makes an act good or evil. When all things end, there is no division, merely the Force. I do not fear the darkness of death, for I have felt the void in my frozen sleep. All that matters now to me, is leaving behind a legacy worth remembering to those that come after. A positive legacy, where my actions are judged by their merit and not their position on a dogmatic chart." Akhema said, reclining in her seat. Though she positively bristled with the power of the Dark Side she did not seem at all like the typical user. Perhaps it was something about Pureblood physiology that interacted differently with the Dark Side than those less accustomed to a fundamental connection to the very forces at work within her people.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Akhema

​

"I don't know... My Master says otherwise, and I've seen proof that it's more like a poison. I don't think you can convince me otherwise. I don't think it's the kind of poison you build up a tolerance to, either," Braze replied earnestly, his voice tinged with conviction. "I don't believe the ends always justify the means."

 

[Akhema]

Braze

"We all follow our own path; you, as well as I, have made our choices. On my new home, there are orders dedicated to both aspects. Perhaps it is simply that Purebloods have a different interaction with the Dark Side than average humanoids. We were created and shaped by it, and yet I have seen very few of my kind display the type of physical corruption that manifests in other humanoids." she said, positing a theory for why Purebloods did not feel the same kind of degradation that seems to set in with prolonged exposure to the Dark Side.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Akhema

"Right, well... I think my gut is telling me my dad would rather I be at home right now. It was... interesting talking to you. Have a nice day, Miss," Braze offered simply as he gathered up the library books he had selected.​