Private Sithly Secrets

[Naestra]

This young Padawan. He was almost radicalized. Yes there were some pure evil people among the Sith. But who was anyone if not the result of their experiences? How was anyone supposed to have faith in goodness if goodness had always failed them? The way she saw it a Sith was someone whose spirit had been broken, and they vowed to themselves never to be broken again.

To her, someone corrupted to the Dark side didn’t need condemnation, they needed healing. And she hated to see this kind of outlook coming from anyone. Because all his rhetoric would do is reinforce any Sith he came across. If all they got was judgement what reason did they have to change? They needed to repay hatred with compassion, else they would only fuel this endless cycle of violence between their two sides.

With this in mind she stepped into the temple ahead of him. And unlike him, who sheltered himself into a cocoon of light to shield himself from the darkness, she reached out to it. She didn’t allow herself to be corrupted, but she wanted to feel this place, to understand the kind of pain that this place had witnessed. She wanted to understand the injury, so that she could better heal it.

“What secrets do you hold?” She quietly asked the temple as they walked along, feeling her way through this place as they walked. “What happened in you? Why were you built?”

---

Anen

 

[Naestra]

She felt herself growing more and more saddened by this young man’s point of view. The accusatory nature of it wouldn’t help. She wasn’t going to scold him for it, not at all, he was entitled to his own belief. But she couldn’t help but think that he was himself going down a dark path with such callous thoughts.

“And do you not believe that they can be saved from that?” She asked him. “That they can be turned away from the darkness if shown enough compassion and shown the way? Do you think that they are truly beyond saving?”

 

[Anen]

As they walked along his eyes scanned the area, he wanted to have some measure of safety, before he could dedicate much to the actual understanding of the facility. Still, he'd catch what he could. This was hardly his specialization in any field. A structure could suit nearly any purpose when it came to the force, even something that held the physical similarities to a simple house, could instead be the central point for a powerful spell. Or, the place in which a spell could be dismissed.

"Oh they can be, but can compassion have a meaning to them if they don't feel the need for it. If they chose it out of logic, thinking emotion was the best way for them, why would they think anything of compassion? You said you heard at least something of my people, it's been a long time since I've been home. But to them, the path of emotion is a practical decision. It's merely the route they take, because the path of thought is too hard, or does not serve their goals. Those of emotion need temperance, those of thought need drive. But broadly, they are left to their methods." He explained, eyes drifting off in memory, and his voice filled with decisiveness on what he said, "Some have swapped sides before, some as easily as reasoning that, no longer being a warrior, the path of emotion was not worth maintaining. Or, on the reverse hand, that the path of thought left them without enough drive to be of any use to anyone. But, is that any different from a spice addict who says it helps them fly? Is someone who actually delves into the dark side, not for a moment of confusion, or intensity, not even for a week before they realize it's dangers, but long term, any different than someone who has let loose a barely trained rancor and prays it can tell the difference between friend and foe when told. Even for my people, who I think probably practice more resolve than most when it comes to the dark side, we still got people like our last Vran'Ti Vo Ni, speaker of the worlds soul, who in the end, vanished, and drove at least one of his wives mad. He drew from the dark side, fear and pride, and then our worlds systems shattered. A system that lasted who knows how long. "

There was a hurt in his voice as he recounted the tale, even if he kept most of it out of his face.

Naestra

 

[Naestra]

“How can they see a need for it if compassion isn’t shown to them?” She countered. “Yes it is hard. And one can readily call it an addiction. However it can very easily be called different from a spice addict. A spice addict grew attached to the feeling. The Dark Side and the Light Side are ways of life, codes of conduct, doctrines.”

She heard the sadness in his voice, the hurt that he felt from the event mentioned. And he didn’t realize that allowing such hurt to dictate his thoughts was a dark thing. He had, perhaps without realizing it, taken a step on the dark path. Dismissing dark siders as irredeemable monsters who needed to be destroyed, rather than the sick in need of healing.

“Though in line with your spice addict metaphor. What would you do if faced with one? Would you kill them for their poor decisions and pitiable life? Would you simply leave them to wallow in their addiction and misery?” She asked. “Would you abandon that person in need?”

They went deeper into the temple, passing by several statues and wall carvings depicting various scenes, and several more writings along its walls. But they also passed what looked like several doorways, though the stone doors over each one, also covered in writings, were shut. Blocking off access to whatever was beyond them.

“Hmmm… definitely a vault. I’m sensing plenty of dark side presences here.” She mentioned. “And not the kind you get from buried dark lords. Though…”

She stopped. “I do think there is ONE dead dark lord buried here. I can feel a dark void… very different from an artifact.”

 

[Anen]

"Because it's not justified to them. They may see it as misplaced, or, as mockery. Even regular people see jedi sometimes as 'high and mighty', you don't think a dark sider would do likewise? I know most of my people would scoff at the idea, feeling like they were being meaninglessly pitied for something that was, at worst, a neutral, and at best, them doing what was good for everyone." he answered, that at least, he could draw from knowledge of. Even if he was still quite young at the time. "Just because a spice addict slaps a code onto their methods, doesn't make it any better. It can be doctrinal, and sourced in recklessness."

He gave her a face, a glint of offense at the idea, "You're making a lot of assumptions about my philosophy. I don't like to fight for real, at all. I don't really even like sparring. Let alone killing, even worse so carelessly. I'd treat them quite similar to how I'd treat a spice addict who could chuck a ship at me. There's no moral distinction between the two. Only scale of what their choices can mean. Force users are, by nature, bigger threats than someone of similar standing without the force. But a mere sith acolyte would be more comparable to a corrupt police chief. Even if killing them up front was completely justified, I'd have to consider what it could do to others, or to me."

More doors, and more writing. Memories of spells or incantations used to lock or trap emerged into his mind. Alchemical methods that made stone stronger than any metal. She suggested not multiple dark lords. He wasn't sure himself. His experience with straight up sith was far more minimal as far as he understood. But, he also wasn't absolutely certain he could tell the difference between many dead weaker dark siders, vs one or two much stronger ones.

He let out a hum at the suggestion of perhaps a single dark lord, "I'm not sure if that's better or worse. All of this...for only one dark lord."

Naestra

 

[Naestra]

“That’s where you’re wrong. Putting a code on it means that they have some sort of ethical code or reason behind it. Unlike a Spice addict, who does what they do only because it makes them feel good, Dark Siders often use the force as a method to better their lives. They accept suffering as an inevitable part of life and use it to achieve a goal, or make their own lives better. The biggest problem with your analogy is that Spice addicts are trying to escape, trying to ignore the world around them by making themselves feel good. The Dark Side on the other hand allows its users to confront their problems with a method to overcome them. It isn’t easy, but a dark slider can be more readily convinced that there is another path than a Spice addict, who has no desire to face their problems or fears. If anything a Spice addict is worse, because oftentimes they have to be forced to overcome their addiction, whereas a dark sider can be persuaded. The number of Sith who have been redeemed are a testament to that. Those who voluntarily turned away from the Darkness and came into the light always do so of their own free will. Spice addicts need to be forced, put into hospitals where their intake is controlled by someone else. They really aren’t comparable.”

“No telling just yet.” She mused thoughtfully. “On the one hand, it could be a very powerful individual who had vast control over a lot of people and these were relics buried with him or… or he created these relics himself. From what I can tell they all feel very similar, so I would assume that to be the case.”

They would continue to go deeper and deeper into the temple, Naestra looking around at everything with excitement and curiosity. Nothing got her going like academic discovery.

Finally they approached a large chamber that was most definitely a burial site. A large stone sarcophagus was placed in the center of the square chamber, covered intricate carvings that were so well preserved that they were crystal clear. Images of humanoid beings of various kinds wielding weapons in what appeared to be war, a few panels depicting cruel subjugation of other humanoid groups. And on the lid was the depiction of a hooded figure, with facial features indicative of a Sith Pureblood, with his hands crossed over his chest holding a sword, almost like an ancient knight.

“I’d say we found our man.”