Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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The Antonym of a Fresh Infusion of Knowledge Is...

To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
For some reason, Janick kept having visions of a Sith Lord using Memory Rub... someone else that used Memory Rub that she didn't ever recall seeing in person, much less training. She would also like to understand more about other users of Memory Rub, especially the handful few that she didn't train. There has to be someone else out there that uses Memory Rub and that I didn't train! Even if there was only a handful of practitioners that I didn't train, and I am ready to bet my position at the head of the NIMB that at least one of them presents Memory Rub as something other than a teaching aid. Yes, I may be the most famous Memory Rub user currently active, just that, because there are few dark-siders using it, we are all family, she thought, while she is typing her holo-message to the person to that person in that vision, without the official ORC letterhead because of its sensitive nature. However, all she knew about that Lord, other than her ability to use Memory Rub was her Darth title. Darth Elra, whose real name she would like to know in due course. A rather obscure Sith Lord from the looks of it. And probably someone that readily understood what possibilities mentalism opened up, even though those powers aren't as flashy as the mainstays of the dark side.

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Dear [member="Darth Elra"],

Because I feel that the world of Memory Rub users is very small, and that you look like you understand how crucial a Force-user's mind is, perhaps I could have a productive meeting with you regarding your experiences with Memory Rub. Please let me know what works for you, whether you would like us to meet inside the Utapau Alchemy Castle, or somewhere else entirely.

Janick Beauchamp

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It came as a shock when she received the holo-message. Elra wasn't one to openly carry out her business, she also wasn't widely known throughout the galaxy either. Though, she could admit that she is capable of using memory rub, something she'd learned from her former master. With so few that could use memory rub, Elra knew that finding someone who could also use it could be damaging or useful in the future. Reading the letter, she realized the pair could work together, as they were similar with their thoughts in a way. Not as brutish as some involved in the Sith, Elra could tell the person.. Janick was much more civilized, more insightful. She thought, I can.. I will do this. I will meet her at the Utapau Alchemy Castle, and see what she wants. If I can find someone like Stol, it will be worth the risk. She thought about the outcome of the meeting, possibly an agreement, but it could be dangerous. Although she could use memory rub, she knew that Janick would be much more experienced with it, which could benefit Elra, who needed the extra training. So, she wrote a holo-message to Janick, understanding that anything could happen in the moments to follow.

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Dear [member="Janick Beauchamp"],

Considering the fact that, as you said, the users of memory rub has dwindled, I am interested in a meeting with you regarding the matter. I have considered the meeting, and think that this is the best option considering how important the Force is in the galaxy today. The Utapau Alchemy Castle is a fine choice for out meeting, I look forward to meeting you, Janick.

Darth Elra

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To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"We'll have some Sith visiting today. Darth Elra"

"Jane... after Shusugaunt, I'm not sure inviting any kind of Sith lord here is a good idea. What if retribution comes to you because of the toner antics? I'm at risk because I saved your hide back there"

"Don't panic, Griet, I don't believe Lord Elra to be anything like the Mustafarian lord. In fact she didn't seem hostile, but keep your eyes peeled, Griet"

Perhaps it was because [member="Darth Elra"] was, in fact, not a brutish kind of Sith lord that she accepted to meet with Janick, and that may also explain why she was a marginal lord in the Imperial totem pole. Although, to be fair, she knew that Sith were brutes as factions, even though, as individuals, it was not nearly as straightforward. Maybe... maybe if I'm lucky I can get her to defect, but it all comes down to dumb luck. It's not every day that I have the chance to meet another practitioner of Memory Rub that I didn't train, so it may be interesting to me to see what drove her to learn that, what's going on in her head, what intellectual attributes she have. She might not be one-in-a-million, but I'm sure she is smarter than one's run-of-the-mill dark-sider, she thought, while Janick got dressed, wearing her black, strapless dress, while eagerly awating the arrival of that new Sith, that person she is curious about, especially since the practitioners of that power were dwindling before Janick presented it as a teaching aid. Once she sensed a Force presence that seemed to belong to a seasoned Force-user that was neither Griet nor Alyssa, knocking at her door:

"I'm Janick. Welcome to the Utapau Alchemy Castle"
 
Elra had arrived at the castle just moments ago, a well-build, large structure. She was quite impressed, as she knew most Utapau residences were built underground. On its fourth moon, it must be different, as there was less evidence of anything underground. Elra examined her surroundings carefully, looking at what she could from the entrance. Janick was very welcoming, a surprising action considering Elra knew that many were not fond of Sith or simply feared them. She appreciated the gesture. She trusted [member="Janick Beauchamp"], simply because of the fact that for some reason, she acted as if Darth Stol would: carefully and thoughtful. However she thought, Of course, I mustn't show the truth, this meeting is for learning purposes only. She wanted to find out more about who could use memory rub, and how well attuned Janick was with the force.

"Ah, very nice to meet you, Janick. Darth Elra as you know me by. I am very eager to start our meeting. But, before we start I want to make it clear that this meeting should be kept confidential."

She wanted to show no sign of aggression. This might be her only chance of learning what she could truly amount to. Where she resided, she was almost unimportant, longing for a chance to find herself.

"I just wanted to thank you for opening up the castle to me, I have been waiting to find out more about my self for quite a while now."
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"To honor your request for confidentiality, we should get to my bedroom"

The walk-in closet door was lockable, and so was the bedroom's door. Then again, Janick extended the same courtesy to [member="Darth Elra"] as she would have any other visitor at the Castle. She could kind of feel that she is a little lost, that Lord Elra came to Janick believing that Janick would relieve her of a burden of some sort. But, for the time being, there would be no drinks given to her unless she asks for it: I want to see her mind in its normal condition, she thought, while realizing that the other occupants of the castle were busy elsewhere in it. And also that she could feel her guest's brain being very active because she had all those questions that she wants an answer to, and also because there seems to be something holding her back. And also Janick may have had a question or two about her experiences regarding Memory Rub. And maybe teach her a thing or two about Memory Rub if she feels Elra's foundation is a little shaky: she knew that, historically, Memory Rub was used for malevolent purposes, such as trapping somebody, rendering someone unable to perform a given skill, making someone absorb lies or forget something, being the main ones. Once the two were in Janick's bedroom, after making sure that the doors were locked and the blinds were closed:

"Now I can feel that you have some questions, which may or may not be related to your experiences with Memory Rub. Then again, so do I. So my first question is: who taught you Memory Rub, and how was it introduced to you?"
 
"Firstly, I wanted to thank you for keeping this meeting confidential."

Elra had been eager to come to the Castle in search of answers, and was willing to answer any Janick had. When Janick asked about who taught it, memories from her training with Darth Stol rushed in. She tried to handle the two prevailing thoughts in her head, this meeting with Janick, and the thought of Stol's death. She needed to keep her composure during this, I can't come off as weak, I am more than capable of controlling my feelings. I just need to forget about my past for now.. then, I will deal with this later. She needed to provide a sufficient answer, without giving away that she was feeling emotion at the time. Elra would make sure she got the most out of this meeting, possibly in the future it could lead to Elra developing not only her skills in the Force, but developing her mental stability which had been becoming decreasingly stable. She had been bottling up her emotions for the past five years, following her Sith teachings. Memory rub was her main focus now, but maybe unleashing her emotions would come in the near future.

"I was trained by Darth Stol, who a sorcerer like myself, had become very experienced with Memory Rub. I'm sure he could tell that I had a stronger connection to the Force than most of the apprentices at the academy, so he taught me some other things outside of the basic training. He helped me better control the Force, and once I did, he began to teach me Memory Rub. Unfortunately, he died before I could establish a full understanding of how to use it fully. I have only successfully used it on handful of people I've dealt with in the past. So, if you have any other questions, I will wait until all of your questions have been asked and answered, [member="Janick Beauchamp"]."
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"Did Darth Stol present Memory Rub as a teaching aid? If not, did he even present the possible uses for it at all?"

Maybe my fame as a Memory Rub practitioner comes mostly from my use of Memory Rub as a teaching aid: I always presented it as such, so that the practitioners could use it to infuse knowledge or correct mistakes. But one question at a time: I'd rather not bombard her with too many questions at once, Janick thought. Then again, Janick would feel [member="Darth Elra"]'s mental activity was very high, almost as if she wanted to infuse some memories in Janick at a moment's notice and that Lord Elra wanted only more time to collect the data packet to be infused. Which means that her memory is below average - by the standards of Memory Rub users, and, in her eyes, there was not enough data to conclusively say at any level whether Memory Rub users usually had better memories, on average, compared to dark-siders at large - her mind was slow, or both. Typically, one's biggest bottleneck for performing Memory Rub was their own mental bandwidth: one can only infuse, alter or delete memories as fast, using that power, as the user's mind could process those.
 
Her training with Darth Stol had been more like a preparation for something in the future. Elra had been devastated when Stol died, and now being presented with this question, she questioned what he had been preparing her for. Darth Stol had always taught her to use her powers carefully and with thought. He taught her the things to be prepared, and she had a few ideas. Janick could pose a threat, but Elra trusted her, This could be a trick, but I'm going to trust myself on this and open up to her about what I learned in my training. She did study Janick for a moment, she could tell she was examining her too. Janick was calm, focused, and seemed interested in their conversation, Raith was more focused on her eyes. She knew a person's eyes could tell many things about them, in this case they told her what she had already seen: interest.

"Darth Stol taught me memory rub as a... teaching aid. Honestly, the way he taught me things seemed more of preparation, I shouldn't say this but he wasn't fond of the Sith. He taught me both Drain Knowledge and Memory Rub to mainly gain information and wipe the memory of people of interest. I have been thinking, after he died, if he expected me to leave the Sith. I am leaning towards staying, but I did trust him, more than anyone so it's a possibility. And Janick, you understand I trust you but if this information is spread around, I know you'll be responsible and I will find you. "

It was relieving to tell this to someone, something she'd been bottling up inside. She still had to prevent her reputation to be destroyed if she decided to stay within the Sith Empire, even if it meant threatening Janick. She needed to find more about Janick though, before she opened up completely..

"So, Janick I need to ask, how did you find out about me? I'm not exactly known by many."

A question she'd been waiting to ask, Elra knew she would get a thorough answer, [member="Janick Beauchamp"] was very intelligent. That was only one thing she admired about her.
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"You have to understand that I am taking a risk by meeting with you here, and that risk is rather similar to the risk you are taking. I don't have any more interest in leaking any information from any meeting, any communication we may have, present or future, than you do. I went once on Shusugaunt, where I was selling alchemical ink toner refills, and then I heard about you under the form of rumors, but I didn't pay much heed to those rumors back then. Also in that era I didn't have as much fame as a Memory Rub user as I have today"

Janick could feel that a mental block was taken off [member="Darth Elra"], so she could feel the other lady's brain being able to operate faster than the speed she knew it operated at when this meeting started. And Janick was happy to see that Lord Elra finally opened up somewhat, enough to feel better, plus the witch was getting more pleasure out of this meeting because Elra would be using her mind more effectively from this point onward. But she'd rather not comment on Elra's intellect, or how her guest uses it, before the last question was answered. In Janick's mind, as much as she was a genius, her guest still seemed to be much smarter than she knew the typical dark-sider to be. As Elra's mind is operating faster than she had in a while, so I begin to think that perhaps Darth Stol wanted her to leave the Sith after he became aware of the Sith Empire's atrocities on planets such as Thyferra, Kushibah, or even earlier atrocities, she thought. She had two more questions to ask her, about her guest's experiences with Memory Rub: the pain level the targets experienced, and what she would think is responsible for the supply of Memory Rub users dwindling. Yet, Elra's answer as to how Stol presented Memory Rub was part like how Janick would, and part how it was historically presented.

"Oh, for sure, the topic of pain. How much pain did your targets experience when you used Memory Rub in the past?"
 
"Ah, Shusugaunt, so that's where you heard about me. Interesting. Well, it's good to know we're on the same page now.

For the first time, she'd felt stronger than she had before. By opening up to Janick, it felt like she'd not only felt relief, but now she could feel that her mental stability was getting better. Elra was becoming stronger as she talked to Janick, she was learning more about what she can do, and what she could possibly do. Also, finding out about Janick taking a risk by meeting her gave Elra a feeling that she could put her guard down a little more with Janick. I want to find out more about Memory Rub, and to do so, it's necessary for me to trust Janick more and answer her questions as best I can. She had wanted to belong for so long and unable to do so within the Sith, she felt like she could fit in with Memory Rub users, with [member="Janick Beauchamp"]. When she had used Memory Rub in training, on two apprentices, they had experience tremendous amounts of pain, writhing on the floor. Elra didn't expect a reaction like that, and surely didn't want it to happen.

"Unfortunately, when I used Memory Rub on my targets, they experienced a great deal of pain. I had used it on two Sith apprentices when training, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling for them, and not a pleasant sight for me. They screamed and writhed on the floor, it was just a terrible sight. I wanted to make sure it didn't happen again, but Stol died to soon to provide the teachings to reduce the pain.
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"There are two things you should do. First, try to get a feel for the target's brain, and especially its processing speed. Second, ensure that you're not infusing, altering, deleting or draining the person's memories faster than the slower of either your mental processing speed or the target's mental processing speed: often pain is caused by causing the target to process information faster than its mind can handle. Sure, at times, it might be a bit slower, but it's often better to rub or drain slower if pain is a concern. Also, it's easier to infuse or drain if the target's memory is better, but the reverse is true of altering or deleting memories, and also the risk of causing someone to accidentally forget something when altering or draining a person's memories is lower the better the target's memory is"

My guess is that Raith's mind was faster than the acolytes' and that she might have been too fast in infusing them, she thought, now realizing just how fast Raith's mind operated. [member="Darth Elra"]'s brain is a wonderful machine, then again so was Janick's. By now Janick seemed to be fixated on her guest's brain when looking at her in the Force, as if Raith's brain pulsating as it does in the Force made her feel happier to be with the guest. Plus it was pulsating much like electric impulses on a printed circuit board: it seemed that Janick had the effect of increasing her guest's mental activity with every moment spent together, and it seemed to be reciprocated. Certainly a knowledge-vampire kind of person would feel that either person would have enough tasty memories (from the standpoint of the vampire) to make it last. But she had one final question for Raith, before Raith would be able to ask questions to her: it was about whether she had any theory about why, as she put it, the number of Memory Rub users was dwindling. Or perhaps it never had much favor to begin with.

"I have one last question about you vs. Memory Rub: what do you feel contributed to the number of Memory Rub users declining, or Memory Rub otherwise falling out of favor? Don't hesitate to list multiple factors if you feel more than one thing contributed to Memory Rub declining"
 
"Your advice will prove to be very helpful in the future. I feel in time I can reach an even higher level of understanding with Memory Rub. I'm glad that I'm able to learn from you, it is as if I'm completing a missed patch in my training with [member="Darth Stol"]. This has proved to help with not only my knowledge on Memory Rub, but in gaining a bit of closure concerning my former master."

Janick's mind worked like Raith's, two wonderful machines exchanging their knowledge, Raith also exchanging feelings. [member="Janick Beauchamp"] had proved to be immensely helpful in this meeting, opening a side to Raith that close to no one had ever seen before. Using Memory Rub in the future would open new doors, allow a new flow of knowledge, allow Raith to become stronger in the Force. Of course, Raith had always been Force-attuned, but becoming more so was a goal she'd always wanted to accomplish, she felt meeting with Janick had been helping her accomplish that. Raith was eager to answer this last question, then be able to ask of Janick. She was most intrigued by how fast Janick's mind worked, a fast-paced machine that was able to convey almost perfect thoughts.

"From my understanding, the Memory Rub users may have both declined, but also not have ever been in favor to begin with. I had always focused on developing my knowledge in Sith Lore and the Force, yet there was very little covered on Memory Rub. As a method of the dark side, I never saw it taught at the academy other than Darth Stol teaching me. That could be contributing to the decline in Memory Rub users today, other than the idea that it was never in favor."
 
To boldly alchemize what no one alchemized before
"Now, if you have questions for me, you may ask them"

Raith must have realized by now that, if there was some knowledge in my brain that is, in fact, of interest to her to download, using Drain Knowledge, she may as well just download it from me, right here, right now. In fact, I can tell her brain is fast enough to make the download quick, to the extent she can download it from me without causing pain. Addictive, however, is another story altogether, especially if my brain did, provide her with some sadistic pleasure, Janick thought, while realizing that [member="Darth Elra"] was correct in that mental data transfer never held much popularity. In her mind, while it was often said that knowledge was power, as an avenue to power, it was often underestimated, and it seemed that knowledge that can be used in a physical confrontation is favored over others most of the time. Yet she knew that Raith willingly came to her because she had questions Janick could at least attempt to answer, or perhaps Raith came to attempt to download some obscure knowledge Janick held that went beyond simply what went into a painless mental data transfer.
 

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