Rebirth Through Chaos

[Darth Abyss]

"Freedom belongs to the strong."

Abyss listened to Connors words with a hint of disgust. It was very jedi like to give another the illusion of hope when fate had already made a decision, and only a coward or fool would feel the need to do so, instead of simply accepting what couldn't be changed. There was still much of his former live that he had to carefully eliminate until he could stand besides the other sith. Again his left formed a claw as he looked down on the girl right after [member="Connor Harrison"] released his grip around her neck and mind. Only a second later the pain in her face was gone, as her memories stopped in place, floating in perfect balance for a moment.

"A true sith knows no mercy."

Suddenly two things happened at once. At first Abyss mind reached out again, aimed at the girl and Connor at the same time. Then a small knife darted through the air, making its way from the right of the sith lord towards the left eye of the slave. As steel cut into flesh, and finally reached the brain, Abyss had already established a connection, sending the last breathes, the fear, confusion and horror of the final seconds of a living, feeling and thinking being right at Connors mind. It would be up to him if he would bath in the darkness, or break from it.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Feeling it was something he couldn’t grasp was bad enough, as if it were dangling in front of him a few inches out of reach, but when Abyss locked on with his mental ability, it was never going to be pretty.

Connor winced and fell to his knee as the pain shredded through his head again, far worse than other mental attacks – this seemed to literally pierce through his mind. He didn’t even see the gruesome fate of the girl straight away for his eyes were clenched and he was fighting the storm brewing inside him.

And that’s why, just for a moment, he felt he was failing.

He was fighting the immense volumes of pain and power that were flooding him, much like Rhen Var when he fought the Force energy of the Droma medallion. When he stopped fighting, his body took to the energy.

Connor lowered his hand from the temple and opened his eyes, and looked at the girl between Abyss and his position, seeing that a mental bridge had been formed and while the young child was shaking and convulsing in her dying seconds, Connor absorbed it all.

The fear, the desperation, the panic, the pain, the relief, the freedom.

It didn’t hurt as much when he saw the dwindling life, so pitiful and empty, snuff out before him. What was the point of caring or fighting for a life that didn’t care about you, or know you, or even relate to you.

The pain eased, and he saw her broken memories as nothing but a glimpse at one beneath him. It didn’t matter, and nor did she, just like Abyss had said.

None of it mattered on the path to true greatness.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

The change in Connors aura was obvious, Abyss could clearly feel as the former jedi shredded of his meaningless connection to a live that didn't touched his live in the slightest. That was a important step in becoming a sith, the moment when the realization hit that moral, guilt and empathy were ultimately meaningless in the bigger picture. Once more he allowed the connection to fade, and with a disgusted grunt he walked over to the girl and pulled his knife out of her face. It was gruesome for sure, but that was the life of a sith. Other than many he found no enjoyment in the death of another, but he cared little to none for those that had to die because of him.

"I believe you understand now. Good."

Almost casually he began to clean his knife on the cloths of the slave, removing any traces of blood on the cold steel. His throwing knifes were handcrafted tools made by himself, and he didn't wanted one of them to be tainted by the blood of some inferior being.

"It will take time until you will reach full control over the art I taught you, but even in its most unrefined form it has value. Knowledge is power, and now you can take it from those that keep it from you."

Abyss reached into the inside of his robe, reaching for a simple amulet he had stored there, and presented it to [member="Connor Harrison"].

"This token of service will mark you as an ally of mine. It will give you a degree of influence and wealth as long you reside on Nar Shaddaa or on Malachor V."

It was simply said a bribe, a gift that was meant to bind the man closer to Abyss. He wanted him to spy on his master, and therefore had to secure his loyalty, even if it meant to fallback on such things as paying him of.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor stood, inhaling gently, and exhaling slowly. He looked on the lifeless corpse, even as Abyss took his knife. It was a shell, nothing more. There was no pain or memory from that moment her life light was extinguished, so to feel bad or mourn someone he didn’t know was pointless and a weakness he knew the Jedi would fall in doing.

He could imagine Thurion, collapsing like an embarrassing Grandmaster and cradling the girl in his arms as if that would do anything.

Shaking his head, he sniggered a little, and turned to listen to Abyss, and take his gift.

He admired the amulet, turning it around in his hands.

"Knowledge is power indeed, Lord Abyss. Thank you. I will keep this safe, and I appreciate your generosity.”

He looked back to the girl.

"And your subject.”

Connor slipped the amulet over his head and it hung down his chest.

"Is there anything else you have for me, to teach me? I feel I owe you another favour after all this time spent with me.”

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"The time for favors will come my friend, maybe sooner than we both would like."

Abyss inspected the knife in his hand, and decided that it was clean enough. In a swift movement the weapon disappeared from sight, again hidden in his sleeve in the blink of an eye. Now Connor was eating out his hands, and either the former jedi had already seen through this game and tried to play him, in which case Abyss would be rather satisfied with the work he had done, or he actually felt like he owned the sith lord something.

"What is it that you wish to learn? As a lord that traverse the shadows I have many skills that would prove useful. How to hide, both in the force and visually. The basics of Alchemy. How to summon lightning. Or rather something less dark, but equally as useful? There are many ways to claim knowledge, and if you learn to listen, to really listen to the echoes of the past, they will reveal much that has been forgotten for millennia."

The skills he had learned weren't that impressive, at least besides his mastery of the mental arts. Yet the things he had learned were quite effective, even without being as flashy as most. He had trained all the skills that helped him to see the bigger picture, that allowed his vision to go beyond the reach of most, and because of that he had always found a way to outsmart his enemies when he could not outmatch them.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Tapping his fingers on his arms as they were crossed, Connor paid no attention to the corpse on the floor.

"I feel in my current state I’m not yet up to the standards many expect for training. I have used Force lightning before, so will always try to work on that but I think if you could direct me to anything more akin to the Dark Side so I can at least have something, I would appreciate it.”

Connor had been a Jedi with the Light to defend others and ward off the Sith.

Now he wanted the Dark to attack and destroy the Light and empower others who stood beside him.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Other than many of my kind I have invested more time in skills that are more neutral in nature. But there are still a few things I could teach you."

Abyss considered his options, as he had said there were more things in the middle of the spectrum than things on the dark side he had reached a certain level of skill in, but he still had a few things that could prove useful to [member="Connor Harrison"]. Something that would add up to the skill he had taught him already.

"Mentalism can do more than just inflict chaos and pain on another. Mind control needs far more strength than I expect you to posses right now, but I can still teach you the concept behind it."

With another press on his comm, the thing that had happened before was repeated, again a dark, hooded figure made its way down into the armory, this time with two slaves behind him. A young boy, and an old, crippled twi'lek with blue skin that looked like the color had faded after years of living without a sun. Once more Abyss left formed a claw, and without any visible effort on Abyss side, the twi'lek walked over to the sith lord, reached behind his back and pulled the gun hidden there. His eyes were empty, without any trace of live or emotion behind them, as he aimed the gun at his own face.

"Like before it is important to break the mind, or else there will be constant resistance. His mind already is, so you should be able to take control. Other than before it is key to not pull out thoughts, but to place them in his head. The strength of your will is the factor that decides if you are able to force them to follow your commands."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Another pair of captives. Connor’s eyes flicked to Abyss, pondering just what sort of operation this was. How many people were captive here? Just who WAS this Sith, and what were his plans? He looked back to the prisoners, watching the Twi’lek move under mind-control and take a gun.

Connor moved slightly, senses alert, before the gun was placed in a lethal position for the Twi’lek. And then the covert command came.

The Twi’lek had nothing to live for, and looked worse for it. There was nothing behind the eyes, and it was simply a waste of life.

Connor nodded and raised one hand to his temple, pushing his fingers to his flesh to focus his thoughts to the gun-toting miser.

All the finger needed to do was squeeze; that was the last struggle the Twi’lek had to do to escape the benign life he lived, and that was make everyone around him feel happier his miserable existence was over.

The Twi’lek dropped in a mist of red flesh and burnt muscle as the shot took a chunk of face away. A grizzly end, but one that was worthy.

Connor looked to Abyss and nodded. Somehow…he had a gut feeling what was next.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

As the bloody mist was blasted through the room, a faint smile became apparent on Abyss face. This time there had not even been a hint of mercy or empathy in Connor, so he was slowly understanding the concept of being a sith. Never compromise, never show mercy, they represented the apex of power in this galaxy, and everything that could hold them back had to be eliminate in their rise.

"Now my friend. As I said, power is key for this ability to work, but there is another way."

On cue, the hooded man reached for a small syringe that was stored on his belt. It was filled with a drug based on One Sith tech, redefined by Abyss personal intelligence agency, and sold on the streets of both Malachor and Nar Shaddaa.

"I never was the strongest of our order, but I quickly learned that there is another path than that of pure strength. Cheating."

He had little doubt that a master like Yaomo didn't needed trickery to do break the minds of others, and neither did Abyss at this point, but he would use any tool that he had instead of only resorting to his own power.

"In this syringe is a substance called Faith, designed and produced by my operation, and it can diminish the strength of will to a great degree. I will leave you a small personal supply once you are on your way."

Again on cue, the hooded man administered the drug into the boys bloodstream, and only a few second later the eyes that had glowed with strength and hope were replaced by pure, mind numbing euphoria. With a gesture he signaled [member="Connor Harrison"] to repeat what he had just done.

 

[Connor Harrison]

The air was thick with an underlay of apprehension. Connor was gripped on the events unfolding before him. His fingers gently rubbed his beard as he listened and watched the administration of the drug – it seemed even those with the Force needed shortcuts now and then.

The young boy was out of it from the start of the drug flowing into his system, and this would just make him worse and leave him with whatever complications after.

So, Connor would do what others wouldn’t – put him out of his misery rather than trying to save him.

He placed his fingers to his temple and closed his eyes, summoning what connection he had with the strength from Abyss to encourage the boy to take the pistol.

All boys wanted to be soldiers and heroes! Take the pistol and hold it; you can save the galaxy now. Bang! Bang! Nobody is scared of you.

Prove to them you are super-human! You will be a hero! Not even a blaster can stop you!

Show them, and then you will be the saviour of the g –

Connor shivered as the boy took his own life in another gruesome red mist, the body falling back with thud.

He looked at Abyss, and smiled, and nodded.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

With satisfaction Abyss looked down on the third lifeless body of the day. He had followed the thought planted in the boys head, and he it was good to see that Connor decided to use something else besides fear to execute control. So many sith were so caught up in their own personal darkness composed of hate, anger and fear that they completely overlooked that many emotions were as, if not even more, effective when manipulating others.

"You have done well today, my friend. Make sure it stays that way and you will find your place inside our order."

With a chuckle, a real one that was rather atypical to a sith lord, Abyss reached for something inside his robe, and chugged it over to [member="Connor Harrison"]. It was a collection of credit chips, enough to buy a ship, a house and everything else a common man would need.

"Many of our kind seek to rule those below them with fear. Not me, I strive to inspire greatness and creativity in those that have proven to me."

Another press on his comm, and three hooded figure appeared down in the armory, and they began to clean the place up, beginning by dragging out the corpses that rested on the floor.

"There is not much I have to give or teach to you right now, but I am convinced that you will do well with what you already have. A last piece of advise: Power can fade, but money is universal. Use what I gave to you wise, and make sure that you never run out of it."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor was caught out by the gesture by the Sith, but caught the pouch - a heavy pouch and full of credits to start him off.

He clutched it tight, and gave an appreciative nod.

"It's something I'll come to understand in time I am sure.”

Stepping forward, he reached out took faith his hand on Abyss's shoulder would be well received, but for Connor it was an honest reaction.

"Thank you for your time, and your teaching, and the gifts. I will leave this place and never forget them, and build on what you have shown me. I hope in time I can repay you this favour again and stand by you in your next adventure. You have a friend and an ally in me, Lord Abyss.”

He smiled softly, and shook the Sith gently.

There was little else to be said. He would say his goodbyes, and he would leave the Sith to his own company and his work.

Connor had been shown more hope for the future, and he would take it with both hands and never forget the one who had reached out to him.

[member="Darth Abyss"]