Private Step Toward the Precipice.

[Darth Ophidia]

Darth Strosius
Inner Rim: Haariden​

Darth Ophidia had called her apprentice to her side. It was due time for him to once more learn a lesson about the dark side of the Force, and the way of the Sith. She had given him too much freedom, allowing strange thoughts to fester in his mind. If he was not taught the ways of the Sith soon, then she feared he would fall from their path and never reach his true potential, his destiny.

She called him to the Inner Rim system of Haariden, and sent a pilot to escort him.

The Sith Lord awaited him in a safe-house on New Tenuuri, overlooking the planned festivities. It was not a luxurious apartment, but it was clean, non-descript, habitable, and most importantly it was safe. There were times when Sith waded into danger and battle with no ounce of fear, but some missions required a secure location. In the street below, pens and stages had been built, and stalls were making ready to stay open extra hours in order to rake in that extra cash. There was a watchful buzz throughout the town about the night's "Market"

They were all very excited.

Darth Ophidia did not share that excitement. Rather, she looked like she wasn't quite present.

Her eyes were closed and her lips slightly parted. Her hands clasped behind her back, the black hand cupping the grey. Between her fingers was a metal disk, inscribed with familiar runes. She had given him one, many years ago now.

In this meditative state, she waited.

​

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Ophidia

It had been far too long since he had received a summon from his master. He was equally excited and anxious for whatever awaited him as he allowed her pilot to escort him to Haariden. It's strange, he noted, the first time I go to the Inner Rim isn't as a tourist or a conqueror, but as an apprentice following my master's command. There wasn't exactly much to see given the hyperspace travel, but he still found it as some form of achievement.

New Tenuuri was soon ahead of them, the pilot landing the ship in the town and quick to lead him to the apparent location of his master.

He only gave the people and the buildings a few glances from the corner of his eye, too concerned with keeping up with his guide. As usual his master's servant hadn't given him any hints to why or what he had been called for, and he knew better than to ask. Alisteri would have to find out on his own, unless his master had gotten any less cryptic and mysterious in her absence.

He doubted it, but it was always a possibility.

It didn't take long for him to arrive right outside the door to the room that his master was in, some part of him being able to sense the familiar presence in the room beyond. He didn't enter at first though. Instead he paused and stared at the door for a moment. There was no hesitation in him, just a moment to compose himself before he took a step into the room.

His gaze immediately landed on the figure of the Sith, silent and waiting. What she was waiting on he could only guess, but he wasn't about to make her wait long. "Master." He dropped to a bow as he spoke. "I await your command."

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Time dilated to Darth Ophidia as she lost track of her surroundings, and space became an illusion as her mind enveloped itself in the connectedness of all things. The Force became apparent, connecting events and individuals together in its grand design. She let it guide her, whisper to her, and show her what she needed to know. Past, present, and future all spread out before her in a tapestry of causality. In her mind, she did not stand by as a casual observer, but plucked the strings to see ripples of what could be.

She kept playing this impromptu ballad of potential futures until a face appeared. It grew within her, pushing all other things aside. It was uncertain if she willed it so or simply yielded to the urge.

Green skin, golden eyes gleaming with intellect, a wry smile - Cerbera, Cerita, C-.

Master

Alisteri's word pulled her back to herself, to her here and now. Ashen eyelids opened up to reveal eyes like burning coals. She stared out into the sky, as if she could see past the gathering clouds and pluck down the stars beyond. The image was gone, and so were the urge to see it again. The Sith Lord pushed that part of her away and focused on the task at hand.

"Alisteri." "It has been too long since our previous lesson."

She craned her neck and turned her body so she could look at him. The robes that hugged her form seemed to swallow all light, obscuring almost all of her shape other than her silhouette. Against the darkness of the fabric, her eyes looked like they gave off a glow of their own.

"I hope my departure did not inconvenience you too gravely."

She had spent much time catching up with galactic events since her demise, and the reports of her apprentice's doings were as impressive as they were worrisome. While she could accept that he might never take her place among the Assassins, she needed him to become a sith worthy of her legacy - Unlike those she had trained before him.

"It is past time you learn more of the true nature of the Force."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

He offered no verbal response as she addressed him, but did agree with a nod. Years had passed since he had been a true apprentice, years of war and lack of a teacher had turned him more into a soldier than a Sith. Alisteri hadn't completely left his training behind of course. Attempting to learn of the Dark Side and the Sith ways had always been a focus, but one that always seemed just out of reach.

One could hardly find the time for proper studying between battles and trying to run a cult after all, even with proper access to an archive.

In the end the empire had fallen long before he had gained any new skills befitting of a Sith though, despite his efforts. Even the holocron that he had recovered had little to tell him that wasn't wrapped in riddles and the occasional insults. Thankfully though it seemed as if his lack of knowledge could be curtailed with his master now.

To an extent anyway, he doubted that she would be willing to teach him all that he needed in just one day.

His head inclined slightly and he gave a small shake of his head in response to her second remark. He had managed fine, in his opinion, and had learned much even in her absence. Not much that would make him more worthy of being a Sith of course, but plenty that kept him alive and able. Survival skills were very valuable indeed, that was what he had learned.

The last remark gave him a moment of pause, and then a small feeling of excitement. "Of course my master, I am eager to learn."

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Eager, yes. Eager as always.

"Good. You will need it."

She hoped his experience with war had hardened him, but feared it had not hardened him enough. She didn't feel in him someone who had risen to the occasion as she had hoped. Yet, there was still potential. What he now knew would aid him greatly in the future, but only if he was brought on to the correct track.

"Your old owner, on Kessel, what was his name?"

She turned now. The light of the window framed the dark pillar that was Darth Ophidia.

She had never asked him much about his old life. Their conversations had primarily been about the future, the Force, and the things around them. She had shown little interest in who has was before, and focused only on what he did under her tutelage. As such, this question was something of a first.

"Do you ever think about him? About that time?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Of what little he knew about his master, Alisteri liked to think that he could somewhat expect the unexpected. He had no idea what exactly she would want him to do, but he assumed that he could guess the general task or question. Something about his experience in the war or sending him to retrieve or kill, something that he would expect. But of course his master embodied any word then it would be anything but expected.

So when she asked the first question, he doubted that his outward compose held up.

Every single muscle tended at the mere mention of his home planet, let alone his old life at all. He didn't blink or breathe for a good few moments, merely staring back at his master's imposing figure. In all his time as a Sith, no one had asked him about his past too much. Either no one cared enough to know or others knew he wouldn't speak of it in detail. He was glad for his mask once again, as he doubted that his shocked expression was very flattering.

"...Farclev. His name was Omarleo Farclev."

It had been burned into his memory, as had the face of that wretched man. He idly noticed that his fingers had been digging into his palms, even before the name, and was quick to unclench them to save some face. "Yes. I think about those days all the time. Everytime I wake up, I expect to be back in that little room with him knocking on my door." His usually calm tone had been replaced by one of barely concealed fury by now, every other word spoken through gritted teeth.

"And every single time I strike down an enemy...I picture that it's him."

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Omarleo Farclev

She knew the name, it was on the short list of potential suspects, but now it was confirmed. What Alisteri told her made what would come to be all the sweeter.

"Did he have any family?"

She did not take her eyes off him, did not blink. Her eerily still demeanour took some time to make oneself used to, but it never really became normal. Sometimes, she was almost so still that one could forget she was there. Now, however, her presence was almost deafening. There was something stirring in her, something hungry.

"Anyone dear to him?"

Outside, a bell rung.

A chatter was spreading as people were beginning to take to the streets in full. Men, women and everything in between was flooding to the stalls and festivities with mirth and joy

-and merchandise.

Chattel, humanoids and aliens bought from far-away places, were dragged in a procession down the street to be displayed and sold to the highest bidder. The people gawked and cheered at the slave-catchers and wealthy traders that brought such luxuries to their humble planet. Children were made to join, even if in small symbolic acts, to indoctrinate them into the belief that some people should own others.

That slavery was natural.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The question made him pause, mostly in confusion, as he idly glanced down at his fist before unclenching it and giving a small shrug. A part of him noticed her tone, but gave it little thought."I would assume so. He mentioned having a sister once I think, probably parents. No children or anything like that, though..." He noticeably stopped himself short and cast his gaze a bit downward. Alisteri remembered the numerous times that Farclev had referred to him as his 'heir' or his 'boy' like some sort of adoptive parent. It caused his stomach to churn at the memory, but a sound broke him out of his reverie.

His head inclined to the right slightly, his hearing catching the muffled sound of a bell from outside.

A curious glance down to the street behind Ophidia, and he felt his blood run cold. No...it can't be... Against his better judgement he took a few hesitant steps forward, yet didn't dare pass his master, and got a better look to confirm his fears. He had been born into slavery, never auctioned off like most were, but he knew the sight of slaves ready to be sold when he saw them. The sight of restraints, collars and eager buyers made his vision grow red. His breathing became audible as his hands shook, his teeth gritting together to release a hiss of anger. "What are they doing?"

He knew the answer of course, but he could still hardly believe it. His gaze didn't even leave the street, too focused on the sight before him.

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Darth Ophidia let the silence linger for a moment, allowing him to wallow in his impression of the procession of slaves. An electrowhip cracked in the distance and flashed brightly to motivate a slave to keep his place in the line. They cowered under the crack of the lash like only those who had tasted it could.

"What do you think they are doing?"

She asked it sincerely, with the steady calm of a lesson being taught.

"What do you see, apprentice?"

She stepped to the side and gestured for him to approach the window fully. The hungering sensation of her presence slipped through the room like a serpent surrounding its prey. The shadows behind Alisteri deepened as she seemingly filled the room behind him and pressed him forward to the window without ever touching him.

Without as much as a thought.

"Who do you see?"

She had a point to make, that much was clear.

The slender fingers that invited him to the window curled leaving the index finger, with its metal adornment, extended to pick out one familiar face in the crowd.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri watched, he hesitated to add 'helplessly' to that, as the procession continued on unabated. It was all so familiar and sickening, the crack of the electrowhip, the sight of concerned friends or family glancing back at their fellow slaves, the sight of the buyers eagerly awaiting for the selling to begin. Eyes scanning over people like mere merchandise. It took him a minute before he realized how loud the angered breaths leaving him were, as if huffing would somehow fix the image before him.

"They're...they're trading people. Fething slavers, just walking about like they aren't a scourge to basic civilization!" Before he knew it his hand had formed into a fist and had slammed onto the glass. It didn't crack of course, but the thud that it made idly made him wonder when he had walked so close to the window.

In the back of his mind he could feel his master behind him, her familiar presence weighing in the room and keeping his gaze on the street below. He was tempted to cast a confused glance back at her when she asked him who he saw, but instead he followed her finger's direction. And his wrath bubbled over when he did.

It wasn't possible, shouldn't be possible. But sure enough, there was the man that had claimed ownership of him for most of his life. And it made him shake with hate. "He should be dead!" The masked Acolyte barely noticed as his other hand slammed into the glass as well, his gaze too fixed on the sight of his old owner. "How...I watched him get shot...I left him to die."

And then he decided that he had enough watching, now was the time for action. "Master, I apologize but I'm afraid we'll have to cut my lesson short. I have a ghost to put back in it's grave."

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

She revelled in his shock, his hatred. It wafted off him like the fume of searing flesh. The darkness around them only seemed to darken, yet the ember-like glow of Darth Ophidia's eyes intensified, like lanterns flaring.

"Do you not yet see, apprentice?"

Her hand came to rest on his shoulder.

The gaunt fingers touched him as lightly as a feather, but as she squeezed it could feel like being trapped in the jaws of a metal clamp. She did not force him to stay in place, but it was a clear indication that he should remain.

"This is your lesson."

Her fingertips, like talons, dug into his back. And while she remained at a distance, her voice sounded as if it was right by his ear. Her breath was cold as a winter gale.

"Harness your hatred. Use it." Her voice seemed to draw into a hiss. "What is it that you desire, my apprentice?"

"Will his death alone truly be enough break your chains?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The words of his master alone was enough to make his step toward the door falter, but her hand stopped his movement entirely. His gaze snapped back to meet her eyes, flinching slightly even with his mask dulling the glow slightly.

Her next sentence and her fingers sent a chill down his spine.

Alisteri did his best to keep composed, but the clashing emotions of wrath and fear were causing the occasional tremble. One emotion originating from an old master, and the other coming directly from his current one. For the moment he would submit to the latter, twisting his head slightly to show that he was listening intently.

"My desire..." His mind swam with thoughts that he hadn't entertained in years, thoughts of his old owner dead at his hands. Thoughts of Omarleo Farclev gasping for mercy and air as his hands choked the life from him, of dozens of deaths at his own hands.

"Revenge. Blood."

The Acolyte's fingers curled into fists at the thought of sweet retribution for him. For everyone. "No master, it won't. Every slaveowner here must die, their slaves and children set free in the name of the Sith." And then, He thought darkly, the corrupt and cowardly 'leaders' of the Sith that caused us so much ruin will be next on the pyre.

"No mercy for them. Not. A. One."

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"Mercy is a weakness, you are right to purge yourself of it."

Her eyes pierced into his. She looked as if she was burrowing into his very thoughts, but if she had heard what he thought, she said nothing of it.

"Rash thoughts bring swift deeds, but true hatred will bring you further."

Her fingers dug into his fabric as her voice took on an unusual intensity. Whether it was the spectacle or the clouds darkening in the Force, something nourished her and brought her closer to the material world than her semi-spectral form had been before.

"Do not rush your justice, Apprentice. Build it." "Make them suffer as you have suffered, in mind, in spirit, and in body." "Show them your hatred"

Her talon-like fingers released him and turned to a flat hand, almost supporting or caressing.

"Only then will your chains be broken."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

For a moment, as his master's eyes seemed to pierce into his mind, the wrath clouding him faded and was replaced by a feeling of dread. Even in an enraged state, he dare not ignore her words.

He knew better than that.

Alisteri winced as her fingers tightened, the familiar presence of the Dark Side and his master weighing on him and keeping him still even without the harsh grasp on him. He nodded his head as she spoke, seemingly the only movement he could muster without forcing himself away from her hold. "I understand master."

Relief and the return of bittersweet wrath soon followed as her grip lightened, finally managing to break his gaze away from his master and towards the door. "The Force shall set me free." He intoned with another nod.

He knew what had to be done, what his master asked of him and what his own emotions demanded from him. The slavers, the slave masters, any who would oppose his wrath would suffer this day. This town would be freed of the vice of enslavement with each body he left on the streets below. One by one until they were all gone.

But first, there was a head that needed to be claimed. One that deserved a far more personal death than any other that he would bring. "Master, may I leave and claim vengeance?"

Darth Ophidia

 

[Darth Ophidia]

She inspected him closely, studying his posture, his body-language, tone of voice and the roiling waves of the Force that rolled off him. It was like a mantle of darkness that built itself around him, bolstered by the thoughts of murder and vengeance. He did seem calmer, but no less driven.

"You may"

She could only hope her message reached him.

Her hands retreated to the dark column of silks that draped her form, but before he could fully break away from her, she turned a hand out as if offering a gift. Appearing from a concealed position between her fingers was a slender blade of cloudy, white glass. She held it at the bolster between grip and blade, pointing it to the side rather than at either of him or herself.

Its triangular shape was poorly suited to cutting, but made for a remarkable stabbing implement. One could only imagine the sensation of the glass shattering within the wound.

"A shikkar may prove useful. It is both death and insult, but above all, it brings pain."

It was an assassin's blade

-And she offered it as a gift.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

There was a very brief moment of relief as his master granted him permission, although a small part of him felt that he didn't need it, but he was stopped from fully turning away as she pulled something from her robes. Alisteri inspected the glass weapon that she had produced with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

It seemed fit only to stab rather than to carve or slice like most blades that he knew of.

Something about it felt ominous and dangerous, as if it held some sort of dark and murderous secret just by existing. He blinked at the explanation and looked back up at his master for a moment. "...I suppose it will do better than simply strangling him to death."

While he had wanted to brutalize his old owner with his own bare hands, as he reached out to cautiously pluck the shikkar from her grasp he couldn't but notice how natural it felt in his hand. This was a weapon of the Sith, much like a lightsaber, and it was only fitting that the last remnant of his old life should be cut out by a symbol of his new one.

"Thank you master. I promise to be...swift in my revenge."

Alisteri gave her a respectful bow as he carefully slid the shikkar into hiding in his own outfit and turned back to the door and finally began to step towards it. After all, there seemed to be a party that he was already late for.

Best not to keep them waiting any longer.

Darth Ophidia