Private Rising Darkness

[Juvlyn]

[THE PAST - Not long after being freed from Tatooine]

Juvlyn had waited so long for this day to arrive, but now that it was finally here, she did not know what to feel. Surrounded by peace and quiet in her new master’s ship, she found herself assailed by a barrage of emotions. She was now a Sith apprentice, a position she had never once thought or considered would happen to her. She had not seen this new path in life for herself, but since this was her path to power, she would take it with open arms.

The young Chiss could feel the Sith Lord’s aura of power and command and she could only hope that she would not disappoint him with the trust of potential he had found deep in her. She knew not what awaited her, but if this new chapter in her life would grant her power to never feel such helplessness again, she would do whatever it took to carve out such a new life for herself. After being a powerless slave for so long, freedom tasted sweet.

What would give her greater joy was the thought of revenge, and making the slavers suffer in return. She had been nursing such dark thoughts for so long that her dreams were now on the path to fruition.

The former lowly scavenger slave of Tatooine was no more, replaced by a Sith in the making. Her knowledge of the Sith and the Dark side was only at the barest fundamental levels, but she would spare no expense to learn and absorb any form of knowledge that would aid in shaping and moulding herself to grant her the power she so desired for herself. Her thoughts recollected and her mind focused, Juvlyn spoke up to her master.

“How shall I address you master? Darth Malum? My Lord? Is just plain 'Master' acceptable? What awaits me now? I am ready to begin my training to form my greater self. The path of the Sith is the road towards one of power. I do not know much about the Sith, but that much even I know.”

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Her words broke through his thoughts, and he had so many a thoughts these last few hours.

The hiss of air, answered her queries, as a hand grasped the replica mask of his most famous and glorious answer off his face, shaking his long raven locks framing the newly revealed face. An aquiline, a noble face, rugged and clean-shaven, all put together by red eyes, glimmering ever brilliantly.

All together, not very different to the Chiss red eyes that faced him.

He offered a smile that did not quite reach his eyes, but he did his utmost to show their geniality.

It was difficult.

After all, this was not the first Chiss apprentice that he had.

And the last always haunted his nights.

"Any will do, though the latter will likely be easiest, fewer syllables." Malum offered with a jape, trying to ease them out of the inevitable awkwardness that would come.

Trying to ease himself out of another Chiss speaking his name.

He knew from the outset that this was a bad idea, an apprentice that would always remind him of his first great love? His first great heartbreak? Foolishness, foolishness was the least of all this was. To say the least, this Chiss was... objectively attractive. If not for...

...No, no, begone impure thoughts.

To explain this to Elise Ahana-Gwyneira was already going to be awkward.

To explain this to Kar- Ansisa ... if through their bond she did not already know, after all that he had felt when he first spotted the Chiss on Tatooine...

...Was going to be a nightmare.

Yet what was he to do? She was unmistakable, toiling away under the twin suns, he had grown to detest slavery, whether the influence of his own budding morality as he had grown, the zealousness of Ali- Darth Strosius , or the policy of the Emperor, Darth Empyrean , he did not know. Yet that ignoble institution that put those under bondage.

Well, it was not difficult to see the comparison between that perennial foe that they all fought.

It was for them, to break all chains after all.

Yet, hate it as he might, when he had gone to Tatooine, he had not been expecting to be freeing the slaves, let alone buying and then freeing a slave...

...Let alone finding a new apprentice.

Yet, that was what he had done, had it been because she so reminded him of his Ka-, reminded him of Kara? Despite their differences?

Had it been because he had sensed her potential, could not abide to allow a Force Sensitive to remain in bondage?

He did not know even know.

He blinked, realising quite a long pause had followed his words, and most of her words remained unanswered.

"You are rather inquisitive, are you not?" The smile perhaps grew to be firmer, more real, "Good, it shall serve you well on this path, we are to go to the planet I rule, Alvaria, do not worry, most do not know where it is," He chuckled, so she knew little of what it meant to be Sith, well... he had always been called a rather... odd Sith Lord, "There we shall begin training." He turned away, towards the cockpit, bidding her follow, "Tell me, we did not have much opportunity to speak on Tatooine, I wish to know all there is to know of you..." He bid her seat opposite him, as he took the pilot seat, "...I imagine you do not know how to fly? Something to fix as well, I would think." Even if, as Lady Falentra illustrated, sometimes an apprentice knowing how to fly was a headache all on its own.

Well, hopefully, his newest apprentices would get along at least.

Juvlyn

 

[Juvlyn]

Her red eyes would gaze at his, not so different but not the same after all as she awaited her master’s answer. Malum soon answered about his form of address, and Juvlyn nodded in response. Master, it is then. She could feel like the Sith Lord was at a different place, his mind lost on thoughts unknown to her, and the Chiss apprentice kept her gaze up at her master, waiting for him to return to the present.

When he finally did and spoke, she waited until he was done before speaking again. “Eager, I would say rather, although inquisitive would not be far from the truth.” She processed the thoughts about the planet Alvaria, but came up empty for she knew nothing about said planet.

It was there she would begin her training and that was something she could not wait for. The Sith Lord wanted to know more about her and she was more than ready to oblige.

“I have not been trained to be a pilot, but I can fix some things. We are in-charge of maintaining the speeders and swoop bikes when we go out on scavenging runs back in Tatooine, and knowing how to keep them running is essential for life. I am no expert on fixing things, but I do know a good handful to be useful enough, I would say.”

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He listened attentively enough, as Sibby continued piloting the Lochris, at this point, he would not be surprised if he would develop a reputation for picking up strays. Bogan knew that... five apprentices now? Even with one of them graduated was a far larger number than for most Sith Lords, especially when they were being trained all at once.

He knew.

He was neglecting one, the most that he shifted his focus to another.

He knew, that his former Mistress, Darth Ophidia , would disapprove. He did not even need to wonder about the fact, that she was swimming around in his brain, so he certainly knew her opinions at all times.

Even if at this point, the constant stream of thoughts from a source not his, had become little more than white noise.

Still, they each had promise, they each had form, and they each had function.

If he had it his way, it would be his, and Ali- Darth Strosius ' apprentices, that would dominate the next generation.

He simply needed to make sure, that at the end, he performed his duty to each of them.

Ansisa had turned out rather well...

...Though less thinking of loves had, and loves lost, the better, he thought.

"Eagerness or inquisitiveness, eagerness and inquisitiveness, they will serve you well regardless, you will gain the most out of this apprenticeship, by the efforts you place into it." The strong swam, the weak sunk.

She had potential.

But it would be up to her, to fulfil it.

"You will not need to be performing maintenance on any craft you have on Alvaria... but no doubt a useful skill to have, if you wish to continue learning it, inform me, and it shall be added to your curriculum." Malum always had... a rather strange way of teaching, far more school-like, than most masters.

He called it simple organisation though.

"How are you in combat?"

Though Malum more often than not used a Sith Sword these days, built by the oddest of his apprentices, Darth Dekaltis , and more often than not, would rather use the Force than draw the blade.

The Lightsabre remained a foundation stone in what he would teach.

Juvlyn

 

[Juvlyn]

Juvlyn understood the meaning of what it meant to be a survivor.

Back in Tatooine as a slave, the weak perished quickly when left to their devices in the inhospitable land with more than just the elements that were hostile against them. She was a true exemplar of what it meant to be a fighter, striving against all odds and that has led to her survival and eventual freedom.

Now that this opportunity had been presented to her, she would not let it go in vain, and would put in her earnest effort to better her life by grasping power by the horns.

This was a dog eat dog world and only the strongest survive. The young Chiss had seen with her own eyes how the weak perished while the strong thrived, sustained by force of sheer iron will and determination.

This was no easy path, but it was the right one, and fight on, she will.

She listened as her master mentioned of a learning curriculum and noted it down mentally. The question came soon enough, and it related to the competency of her combat abilities.

Juvlyn had a fair share of experience regarding that. Combat skills were necessary to survive out in the deserts, and to survive this long, she was decently adept at them.

“I am handy with a blaster and proficient with a staff.

Together with others, I’ve fought off bands of Tusken raiders and Jawas, both fellow scavenging competitors, as well as protecting and securing our haul from bandits who prey on the unlucky.

I’ve survived this long while many others have fallen. I’d like to think that my combat skills have proven decent enough but then again, the bar has been set low with the likes of these plain desert folk.”

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Handy with a blaster and proficient with a staff? Perhaps he would enlist the help of Trayze Tesar and Elise Ahana-Gwyneira , there was no doubt that she would learn of the lightsabre, but even if these were inferior weapons, they were still useful weapons, and his cousin, and his love, were certainly better users, likely better instructors, of them than he.

He continued to listen intently to the rest of what she spoke.

She was no predator, that much was clear, and not even necessarily a negative.

To be made a hunter one already needed to be strong, strength could be taught, and developed, she could be moulded easily enough to be that.

But to be a scavenger?

A survivor?

That only came through struggle and trauma.

And such experiences only made the quality of the metal greater, all before the flames forged her into a weapon that held the power to blot the sun.

"Do not undersell your accomplishments, no matter how lacking you might imagine them to be, pride is essential for a Sith, and for your age... considering you have only just been taken on as an apprentice, you have accomplished something far more than most... yet still, do not grow overmighty or arrogant, such shall cost you dearly." It may have been hypocritical coming from him.

But alas.

He had paid that cost.

And if not, he was more than willing to place his bite where his bark was.

"You shall begin with a training sabre, from there, you shall progress in constructing your own true lightsabre, synthetic at first, before you will accomplish bleeding a kyber crystal." He felt such was essential.

"Now tell me, what do you know of the Force? No doubt you have felt its touch?"

Juvlyn

 

[Juvlyn]

Juvlyn used those weapons because they were the ones that were the most commonly available to her. Blasters were everywhere and anyone used them, and staves were as commonplace as there. The Sandpeople used a type of staff as one of their weapons, a gaffi stick and she had even used them one of twice before when fighting against the Tusken. During the times she got her hands on a blaster, she found herself with quite the aim.

She didn’t exactly like using these weapons, as they were simply used as a necessity. The Chiss had heard much about the lightsabers that the Sith and Jedi used, and was more than eager to learn to use them for her own. She figured that could become her weapon of choice. The new apprentice listened as her master doled out nuggets of wisdom for her to bear in mind. She went over them again and again as she digested the information. It will do her good to remember this well. Pride is paramount for a Sith, but too much pride can lead to downfall.

The Chiss nodded in acknowledgement as the Sith Lord mentioned that she would begin her training with a practice saber. It is understood that until she got familiar with the workings of this deadly weapon, there was a luxury of practising without killing or maiming oneself. Juvlyn needed to recalibrate her mindset that she was now in a proper training environment and no longer in the inhospitable land of the deserts of Tatooine, where there was no such thing as practice. There it was do or die, and there were no practice weapons to use before you got a hand of things. You either learn on the fly, or you suffer the potentially lethal consequences.

She found herself getting excited as it was mentioned that she would be able to construct her own lightsaber in due time. The question then came, about her knowledge of the force. She answered without hesitation. “I know little about the force. All I mainly know is that force exists in all living beings as it is the energy of life.”

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He smiled at her answer, raising one hand in front of them, the palm opening as if a lotus flower, as he commanded the Force to his will, demanded its obedience, and as red eyes glimmered in the cool darkness of the cockpit of the Lochris, a proud orange flame erupted, quickly transforming into a bright white, before settling onto a pale, alluring blue.

"Such is the power of the Force, such is a skill among many that you will learn under my tutelage no doubt."

He raised another hand, yet this time a finger pointing to the ceiling, commanding again, demanding once more, yet this time, there was a difference in the air, emotions of different colours and expressions brimmed underneath ruby eyes.

As coiling around his hand, as if the tightening of a snake, lightning as pale as snow, lightning that did not belong to him, but lightning which was his, far more powerful than its blue cousin, sizzled along the air.

"But watch yourself, the Force is an addictive mistress, its darkside shall call to your heart, and sing such sweet song that you will wish to gaze upon it with desire..."

He snapped his hand shut, flame and electricity dissipating, while eyes blazed an infernal energy.

"Yet you cannot fall to its seduction, cannot fall to its spell," His eyes returned to their glimmering away, as close to tranquillity as he allowed at the present, "Or you shall lose yourself."

The smile that had lots its warmth, returned to one of mirth as a smirk took hold, "Shall you lose yourself, my apprentice?"

Juvlyn

 

[Juvlyn]

The Chiss watched intently, her eyes widening in amazement as her master’s palm opened outwards in the shape of a flower before flames appeared in his very palm out of nowhere. As if that wasn’t mystifying enough, the flames proceeded to change colour, moving from an intense orange, to an almost blinding white, and then to a pale blue. This was a show of force and the apprentice doubted that she would ever forget something like this.

She brightened considerably as she heard the Sith Lord mention that under his tutelage, she too would be able to conjure up some beautiful flames such as those. That would indeed be wonderful. It appeared that the show was not over, but was only beginning. What was shown to her next was even more eye-opening than the previous act. Actual lightning sprouted from her master’s hands as it shot towards the direction of his pointed finger in a flash.

Juvlyn had heard about the dark side and how the Sith revelled in it. Now, her master talked about it, and how it would call to her heart in time. She knew it would, and would welcome it, was that not the way? The Sith and the dark side were one, were they not? Perhaps, she had best get these doubts clarified with her master.

“Aren’t the Sith and the dark side close companions, and intertwined with our lives, master? Should we not embrace it like a fleeting chilly breeze in the blazing unforgivable desert sun?”

Once she has enlightened herself, only then will she know the path forward.

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

It was difficult for the smirk not to inflate as her eyes widened at his display. Had he not been the same... perhaps not at her age, for the Marrs had not spent a small fortune hiring tutors and instructors for their scions to be considered anything but exemplary, but when he had been on the same level as her.

Had he not been much the same?

It was useful to keep that sense of wonder, it would only help her in the long run, perhaps it was hyperbolic to claim but in his view, curiosity was one of the most important traits a Sith could possess. Wonder, curiosity, and perhaps a willingness to question, it was the lack of the latter which he had always thought was one of his battlebrother's, Ali- Darth Strosius ' weaknesses.

The man could question the powers that be.

But what about the powers that were not to be?

His eyes softened gazing upon her, she wore her heart on her sleeve. He would need to train her to resolve it; a face was a mask, and it was necessary in an Order like this. You could not give away your feelings to be exploited by others, a lesson he would do best to remember.

Still, the pang in his heart was hard to ignore.

At some distance away she looked so similar to Ansisa ... Kara...

He blinked away those thoughts, as her question struck him.

"Some amongst our Order would agree with you... but I certainly do not, the Force, and its Darkside are nought but tools to us, to be used for our manifest purpose, whatever it may be, it must be ruled by us, but once the tool has turned on the master, and begins to rule us, then we fall, we are corrupted, we are made less... alive... we must be disciplined, we must fight this corruption, such that you retain the greatest gift of them all..." He trailed off, considering all that the Force had done over the last millennia, all the horrors its will had inflicted, puppeteering them all, "...Your freedom, your life... yourself."

Juvlyn

 

[Juvlyn]

Juvlyn listened intently as her master spoke. What he described was different from what she had heard about the Sith. The tales she had heard being spun talked of the Sith as utter manifestations of the dark side.

However, her master, a Sith Lord, had seen fit to inform her of something different, and absorbed it she did, just as any other piece of knowledge that came her way. She knew now that the information she had heard before was but a piece of the puzzle, an incomplete picture of a varied group of powerful individuals.

The young Chiss digested every word the Sith Lord uttered and made heed to commit them to memory. “I understand, master. I will do my best to heed your words and commit them to memory.”

Juvlyn had plenty to learn, and she would take any type of knowledge her master deemed her fit to know. This differing belief of Sith perspective was but the beginning, and she found herself brimming in excitement at the potential lessons and training that awaited her in her new life as a Sith apprentice.

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

His smirk widened, as he considered her, it was clear that for what little she said, she was thinking a great deal. He could almost see, he could imagine the cogs of her mind turning, as she digested the information he presented, critically thought on it, and provided him answer.

He was much the same.

"You need not heed them or commit them," Malum offered, taking a step forward, and offering his hand, "I can only teach you what I know, and teach you what I feel and believe, yet it is not the only path, nor necessarily correct, learn from the world around you, learn from those around you, and reach your own conclusions." Perhaps it went against his own self-interest to instruct his apprentices to follow their own path, to find their own way.

Yet, if his goal was to forge the most powerful Sith he could, such was the only way he knew how to instruct.

After all, if his truth was as convincing as he believed, they would be brought to accept it themselves, with only his guidance influencing them.

"...Now, it shall be a few hours yet before we reach Alvaria, and your training begins in earnest... is there anything you would like to do, anything at all, before such intense training and instructions begins?" Another matter to set him apart from other masters, yet, an offer which he gave to them all, after all, one needed to know there was something worth fighting for, a matter worth all the pains and aches, for the training to really take.

It was manipulative perhaps.

But he did not mean to be cruel.

Juvlyn

 

[Juvlyn]

Her master’s way of thinking was complex, as he asked her to not simply listen to him, but form her opinions on the world around her as well. Perhaps, this was the thinking of a Sith Lord, a Sith with plenty of experience living in such a powerful society. She would commit them to her memory all the same, along with the new words of wisdom he had just given her. It was only then could she begin the two once it was time to do so.

As her master spoke once more, Juvlyn answered up almost immediately. “I am eager to learn to use a lightsaber. I know it would be some time before I would get the privilege of doing so, but I long for the feel of the weapon in my hand, having heard so much about it.” The Chiss spoke true. She had heard so much about the weapon that both the Jedi and Sith used, and the thought of getting her hands on one had always been somewhat of a dream.

The force powers they had were cool, but the lightsaber as a weapon was the real prize for her. Perhaps, they thought the weapon mundane, but for her, it was far much cooler than the force powers, even the flames that the young Sith Lord had displayed to her earlier.

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

His red eyes glimmered with mirth for as soon as his words were finished, and hers snapped back, in fact, his eyes widened imperceptibly, the smallest crack through his mask, as her eagerness was revealed to him so readily and easily. His smirk transitioned to an effortless smile, reaching into the depths of his robes, which had seemingly to any outsider been able to spawn anything that Malum required at the moment.

A bit like magic.

The hilt of a lightsabre revealed, pointed to the ceiling as he offered it to his newest apprentice.

"You will not be able to wield it when your apprenticeship begins, for it is a true danger of a weapon that with the slightest misstep or mistake would see your life stolen from you, more likely by your hand than anyone else's," He spoke with full seriousness, the weight of an instructor passing over his voice all the way to the Chiss standing before him, before.

A shallow chuckle left him, the genial ease which he exuded returning, "Yet your apprenticeship has not yet begun, after all, draw it, but be careful, feel its fire burn through your fingers, but do not drop it, it shall be your sword and your shield very soon, I imagine after all you will wish to discard your training sabre as soon as possible." The smirk was back in full force, the smirk was knowing.

After all, was he not the same, so desperate in his youth to wield this ancient, sacred weapon?

Yet... he had never felt any true connection to any one blade...

...Always missing something.

Apart from of course the blade that was not his... yet some part of him screamed it was.

Perhaps why he had stopped wielding them, in favour of the Sith Sword, crafted by his other apprentice, Darth Dekaltis .

Juvlyn

 

[Juvlyn]

As soon as she spoke, the Sith Lord revealed the hilt of his weapon to her and offered it to her. He was offering her to take a feel of this powerful weapon in her own hands, and she wondered if this was one of the many tests she would face during her apprenticeship. There would be many, both physical and psychological, and she would have to discern on her own which ones would be real, and which not.

She had more than just a mind to do well, the strong ironclad determination was also present, and to do so would mean that she did not disappoint by missing out on the obvious. Therefore, as much as the urge continued to tempt her to put her fingers onto her master’s lightsaber, she reined in the urge and controlled herself.

“Thank you for the offer, master. I will hold off for now. Until I have mastered the training saber and am ready to wield a lightsaber of my own, I shall not touch one.” Thinking to herself, this would be the best way she would remain prepared and devoted to her training, while keeping any baseless accusation or temptation at bay.

After working hard to earn something, it would be treasured every much more so, and the taste of such would be that much sweeter, and more appreciated by the earner. Juvlyn had realised this early on in the darkest chapters of her life and continued to uphold and practise this belief.

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He offered a raised eyebrow in answer to her words, she was certainly thinking, yet thinking with the words of her thoughts painted rather clearly upon her face. No doubt that specific art would be another which he would need to teach her in their training, no Sith should ever feel secure knowing that their face painted the very thoughts that may betray them to another.

Yet he was more than willing to take advantage of such a thing in the present.

As the temptation and the discipline whirled against each other, her want to hold such a noble weapon, conflicted with her want to prove herself worthy of it.

As the seconds passed, a small smile parsed onto his lips, as he nodded his head, the hilt of the blade passing by into the void that was his robes, as he considered the Chiss before him.

"You hold more discipline than most of your peers, perhaps more than most of your superiors," Bogan knew of the many times that Malum had been a slave to his temptations.

...And he thought that he could break his chains...

...There was but so much more that this master needed to learn.

And yet here was teaching so many.

He blinked the thought away as he pondered and mused away, "So what else is there to discuss, if nothing more, I would recommend you eat and then get to bed, Alvaria awaits us both... and no doubt you will want to be fully rested before you feel the Nexus' power cast over you, Juvlyn ."

It was the first time that he had referred to her by name in this conversation, a tone of definitiveness carrying over his voice.

 

[Juvlyn]

Concealing her feelings or the emotions displayed on her visage had never been an issue for her. She had been a slave for many years of her life, and as a slave, no one cared for how you feel, or how little your expression of feelings displayed on your face mattered to them.

Considering such, there had been no one to tell her otherwise and so she had continued to display her feelings openly with no reason or purpose to conceal them from anyone else.

Now this would be different for a Sith, but without the inner workings of how a Sith behaved among themselves she had no knowledge of how much it actually mattered as one of the Sith. Juvlyn was sure that should it be important, her master would see fit that she would be fully trained in the aspects of that matter.

It seemed that her decision to withhold herself from testing out the lightsaber for herself was the right move, as the Sith Lord appeared pleased, the smallest of smiles upon his lips, and the compliment left for her in his reply.

The Chiss had always been proud of her level of discipline and the fact that it was acknowledged gave her great satisfaction. Her master once again talked about Alvaria, and that made her wonder what the place she had never seen before would be like. She knew literally nothing about the place, and wondered if it would be as hot and dry like Tatooine, or would it be something completely opposite, cold and wet?

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

She was thinking again.

And how so tempted he was to use what his cousin, Lily Rhodes ... Lillian Marr, had taught him to tap into her thoughts, to know what she was thinking. Curiosity had always been his downfall, and though temptation of another sort could be considered one as well, he could not deny that there was a temptation to gaze into those red depths and seek the truth.

Yet as with all times, he considered that thought, with many others who he had met.

Unlike the temptation of the other sort.

The guilt would win out, the guilt at even the idea of invading one's mind.

Still, her continued presence here was enough to receive a quirk of his eyebrows, indeed his suggestion was neither accepted nor denied... arguably even ignored, as she seemed frozen in consideration and thought.

What exactly was she thinking in her pretty head of hers?

Unfortunately, even renewed curiosity and temptation did not rule him, as he turned his head, and took the seat by the cockpit, it had been a definitive tone, but it had not been an order, and if she wished to ignore his advice, that was certainly her prerogative.

And her mistake to make.

He turned his head, to take his seat by the pilot seat, Sibby would still handle most of the navigation, but seemingly just as the Chiss, Malum did not feel much sleepy either.

The co-pilot's seat remained open, should she wish it, his mind lay open for any further questions.

Or perhaps his movements might break her processes, and she would take his advice.

Either way, Malum could not ever truly deny his curiosity.

The ball was in her court.

Juvlyn

 

[Juvlyn]

After realising that she was in a daze, far too occupied with her own thoughts, so much so that she had not yet processed the last words of her master, Juvlyn now took them into account and decided to heed them, for better or for worse. There had to be a reason the Sith Lord had mentioned as such, and she did not see him as someone who would tell her something if there would be no wisdom in such actions.

It had to be for her own good and therefore she would follow and offer him a little trust and listen to what he had to say, after all this was only the beginning of their master-apprentice relationship.

Moving towards the sleep quarters of the ship, the Chiss lay on the bed, and all it took was for a couple of moments later, that she would find herself in slumber, the droning of her master’s ship fading into obscurity. Falling asleep easily had been something essential she had gotten used to back as a slave, where resting hours were few, and so any time given to sleep or rest was taken and used ever so preciously, especially after a tiring day of work.

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

It seemed her thoughts had finally concluded, certainly, he would need to see about putting her through some mind exercises, not that he imagined her dull or anything of the sort, indeed to survive on Tatooine implied a honed quick-thinking capability that would have dwarfed his at an earlier age.

Still quick-thinking on the sands of Tatooine, quick-thinking in combat situations was all well and good, in fact, if he had to choose which one he would prefer her to have, it would be that.

However, Malum was far from a man who simply accepted preferences, he always wanted it all.

She would need to know the intricacies of rhetoric, philosophy, of knowledge in general, but not only to know them, but too, to be able to express them.

"Sleep well, Juvlyn " He called out from his seat, as he idly watched her leave for the sleeping quarters.

It would be a long trip.

---

Malum yawned loudly, if he was in public company he might have tried to stifle himself, but such was the benefit of being one's lonesome. He gazed out to the swirling tunnel of blue and white, the hyperspace tunnel that would direct him to their location.

And in a few seconds.

He would be home.

"Juvyln come to the cockpit, you will not wish to miss this view," From what he knew, the girl had never been let out of Tatooine... Alvaria might not yet be perfect, but its view from space could take one's breath away.

He knew it had for him.

The hyperspace tunnel disappeared, leaving the blackness of space.

Revealing the oranges and greens, which made up Alvaria.

They were home.

He could not help the smile that came across his face.