The Sith are eternal (solo thread)

[Darth Zilti]

Maja sat in her darkened bedroom. She’d been reading the holofiles for days, only pausing for brief naps. She’d eaten rarely – her time as a starving member of the underclass for the majority of her life meant this was something she was used to – despite her recent opulent lifestyle.

For she now sat on an enormous bed in an apartment on the luxurious Libertalia paid for by her sister. Her big sister. But not just any big sister, her big sister. The Sith Lord. To Maja she was simply Silara but to others she had an official title. [member="Darth Vitium"] apparently. She was still trying to get her head around all this Jedi and Sith business – hence the homework.

And in researching the title ‘Darth’ – because apparently it symbolised something or another – she’d stumbled across another who was honoured with the name too. Someone whose life resonated with her. The girl in question was called Rain. This was not her real name but one she adopted due to some obscure local superstition.

Maja was not her real name either. She had no idea what it was. One day she’d find out and whoever denied her the birthright that her sister had enjoyed would pay. There was no element of ‘if’ in her thoughts, just ‘when.’

And Rain had met a stranger on a planet she’d ended up on by chance. And that person had shown her she was Force-sensitive.

Maja had met Alexandra on a planet she’d ended up on by chance. And she’d shown her she was Force-sensitive.

Both of them had left their respective planets with a Sith Lord (she was picking up the lingo now). Rain was given a task – to make her way across the stars to prove her worth. To demonstrate she was worthy of being the Apprentice to the leader of a new Sith Order. Silara on the other hand had lavished her with gifts and had promised to make her a lightsaber.

But sitting here, reading all about Darth Zannah’s life, the more Maja became convinced that Rain’s destiny was her destiny. To prove to her sister that she was creditable to being trained in the ways of the Force. Not to be given it as a right just because of her bloodline, but because she was worthy.

So she sat and read. And re-read and re-read until her mind was made up. She knew what she must do. It wouldn't be quick - but things worth fighting for never were. She'd waited her entire life to find Silara. A few months more would be worth the wait.

No doubt there were those that would profess that fate and the Dark-side of the Force had conspired to present the Master with a suitable apprentice. Maja would not be counted among them. She was learning about the power of the Force, but moreover, she believed in herself. She was no pawn of prophecy, subject to the whims of an inevitable, inescapable future. The Force was a tool she must come to use to forge her own destiny through strength and cunning.

But for now, the fate of Zannah (or rather Bane) was lost on her.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja went to the drawer in her bedside table. She opened it and pulled out the red crystal she’d found in the unhatched kinrath egg on Dantooine. It was rare but it wasn’t enough. But she studied it, feeling a connection with it that felt like it must be the Force.

Wherever she was in the apartment she could feel its presence and she practiced trying to connect with it - but in vain. Without any formal training she didn’t know what to do. But for now she held it loosely in her hand and trailed it over her body, wondering if there would be any physical reaction to it.

Finding none she put it back in the drawer and turned back to the datafiles. Logic said there was one place to start - the records of the Invisible Market. But logic felt wrong somehow. If she was to prove herself as a worthy Apprentice, she needed to start using the Force - even if she didn’t know how. So she instead relied on her intuition - which Alexandra had hinted was in some way linked.

And her intuition told her two things. Firstly she needed to better understand Rain. To visit the places she’d been, to try to understand her journey. The second was to follow the trail of the crystal she sought from the very beginning. She had no logical reason to know why this would work she just did. And she knew she had to trust her intuition.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja went to the drawer in her bedside table. She opened it and pulled out the red crystal she’d found in the unhatched kinrath egg on Dantooine. It was rare but it wasn’t enough. But she studied it, feeling a connection with it that felt like it must be the Force.

Wherever she was in the apartment she could feel its presence and she practiced trying to connect with it - but in vain. Without any formal training she didn’t know what to do. But for now she held it loosely in her hand and trailed it over her body, wondering if there would be any physical reaction to it.

Finding none she put it back in the drawer and turned back to the datafiles. Logic said there was one place to start - the records of the Invisible Market. But logic felt wrong somehow. If she was to prove herself as a worthy Apprentice, she needed to start using the Force - even if she didn’t know how. So she instead relied on her intuition - which Alexandra had hinted was in some way linked.

And her intuition told her two things. Firstly she needed to better understand Rain. To visit the places she’d been, to try to understand her journey. The second was to follow the trail of the crystal she sought from the very beginning of its journey. She had no logical reason to know why this would work she just did. And she knew she had to trust her intuition.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja had packed a light bag and planned to set off the following morning in her rented shuttle. But that night she’d slept badly and dreamed plenty. Firstly there were visions of Silara. She was somewhere cold - there was plenty of snow - and there was someone with violet eyes and a lightsaber to match. No doubt a Jedi her sister was about to dispatch. And there was something else there. Not a direct link to Rain, but certainly an indirect one. But try as she might, she couldn’t get close enough to see it.

And then she saw a whole range of strong images and emotions. She saw a lightsaber with two blades and Rain holding it. Then she saw a bald man with a beard and a combat droid. But interspersed with these images was a planet. It had three moons and she recognised it from her studies. It was Ruusan. She had to go to the planet where it all started.

 

[Darth Zilti]

In her rented ship she approached the planet.

It was, she thought, a quite unremarkable planet to look at but was so very important in her journey. The girl was brought here and left for dead. She was dismissed as having low abilities with the Force but she’d survived the Thought Bomb. And she’d killed here for the first time. Maja didn’t know why but she felt this was important. Rain had allowed herself to give in to her emotions in a way that Maja couldn’t. Or rather wouldn’t. She’d always had a temper but over the years had attempted to reign it in. She wasn’t powerful enough to follow her whims, so had to control them.

Of course she’d twice punched Jedi knowing full-well their power and thought nothing of the consequences. And she remembered the day when she’d met Silara. How her emotions enabled her. How they seemed to fill her with power. She’d read how Rain had used the Force without training and wondered, just wondered, if she could do the same.

As she touched down, she sat and stared at the land stretching out in front of her. Here it all began almost a thousand years ago – and here it would start again. And then she saw one and rushed off the ship.

By the time she disembarked, ahead of her were hundreds of the creatures, the native sentients of the world. Globe-like and covered in green fur, they quite literally bounced their way across her field of vision, following the wind. She stared at them with wide-eyed wonder and was only finally aware that one had stopped near her. Its tentacles were gripping a nearby rock, to stop it sailing away like the others.

‘Po goes where wind says. Maja goes where rain says.’ His voice was in her head and sounded quizzical. ‘Why Maja follow rain?’

She stared at the Bouncer for a few seconds. Could he read her thoughts? There was only one way to find out. ‘No, not rain. Not…’ she pictured rainfall in her head. ‘Rain.’ Now she recalled one of the many images of Darth Zannah in the hope that he would understand.

She could sense the creature’s confusion but finally its comprehension. ‘Maja not Maja,’ he said. She didn’t know why it was a ‘he’ but she just knew. ‘Maja seeks Rain and seeks Maja too.’

There was a long pause before it added. ‘Maja finds Rain. Maja finds Maja. Force tells me you be here now. Force says you sad. Force says one day happy but sad because happy. Po says heart knows truth and Heart will lie to Maja. Listen to heart but not to Heart. Po helps Maja, yes?’

Maja shook her head. ‘No Po. I know you want to help but I don’t understand, my heart either tells the truth or it lies. It cannot do both. Help me understand.’

Po released his hold on the rock and the wind took him. ‘Make sense when it makes sense…’ And with that he was gone.

Returning to her ship, she sat and stared into the distance for hours before finally giving up trying to fathom the Bouncer’s words and instead she plotted a course for Onderon.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Arriving at the Japrael system, Maja had the sense that she had to make up for lost time. By this stage, Rain had killed and used the Force – even against her own Master. Maja had just been outwitted by a telepathic balloon.

As she approached the planet, she sensed the proximity of Dxun – there was such a Darkness emanating from it. But turning her attention back to the planet, she avoided civilisation and headed for the jungle. Travelling lower and lower, she finally found what she was looking for – a small clearing. If this wasn’t a ‘landing-pad’ she didn’t know what was.

She paused for a few moments. What she was about to do was both stupid and reckless. But necessary. If anything was going to help her in her quest, this place would provide the answers.

She knew their numbers had dwindled but the fact this clearing had been so well-preserved told her their numbers were still sufficient to chance an encounter.

She stepped out into the clearing and as expected, wished for and feared she saw movement up ahead. It had to be a beast rider. There was a rush of adrenaline as she reflected on the parallel with Rain. But by now her ‘mentor’ had killed a handful of people whereas she had, at most, punched a couple of Jedi. And they were soft ones too.

She stepped forward and…looked for the Force. There was nothing. Her arrogance may have blinded her and this thought started to nag at her. Eroding her confidence.

“Hello missy,” the man called from the edge of the clearing. “You don’t look lost, so I’m asking myself what you’re doing here.”

“Looking for you,” she responded, her voice suddenly fragile.

“Really?” He rubbed his pock-marked and stubbled jaw. “Seems like you found me. So, what you going to do with me?”

Maja smiled weakly , and felt what colour she had in her cheeks draining away. “I…”

The man returned the smile – but he didn’t just call, he raised. Suddenly she felt frightened. Perhaps the Force would present itself now? But it didn’t.In a flash he was upon her and grabbed her by the throat. “Listen missy, nobody comes here without paying the penalty. You’re alone, that much is clear. And no hero is going to come along and save you, so I say we found you, not the other way around.”

Maja was aware that three more ridewrs were now filing up behind this man. Like him they were unkempt with straggly hair and were unshaven. And like him they held menace.

“Now you’re pretty and young. That’s worth something to a lot of people.” He glanced back at his accomplices with a sneer as he gently but firmly backed her up until she felt a tree pushing into her spine. “And I’ll wager you’ve had a man before, so it’s not like I’m going to damage the goods any.” He licked her face, the aroma of death-sticks lingering on her skin. Over his shoulder she could see the others drawing lots and forming an orderly queue. That was their first mistake.

Maja closed her eyes for a second. Surely the Force would present itself now? She felt…nothing.

The man frisked her and found the saber crystal in her pocket. “Collector are we?” he said and giving it the once over he tossed it to the ground. He threw her crystal to the ground. Her present to Silara. The only thing she’d ever been able to do for her sister. Her sister!

She dropped her head and closed her eyes again. For a couple of seconds she was still and silent – ignoring the man. Emotions welled in her but one more than any other. Anger. Beneath the man’s hands, she trembled slightly. He snickered, assuming it was about him. Second mistake. Slowly her anger began to rise. And with it, the power of the Dark-side.

She couldn’t tell you what she did next. One moment her eyes were closed and the next she felt a tremendous release of power – and it came from her. She opened her eyes and saw four men. No, four corpses spread out over the clearing, their heads lolling at grotesque angles atop broken necks.

It had started and it felt…good.

 

[Darth Zilti]

It was as if someone had removed the doubts and fears she had been experiencing during her time journeying here. Dissipated by the display of raw power she had just performed. She still didn’t know what she did or how she did it, but she was no longer afraid or uncertain about her future; she finally accepted who and what she truly was. Or at least, what she was capable of.

She cradled the saber crystal in her hands. She was in two minds. Did she follow the path of the crystal she sought or should she continue to follow in Rain’s footsteps.

The records showed little of Rain’s early training. She knew she went to the world of Ambria with Bane. But because he sought to keep his new Order beneath galactic notice, the time was full of secrecy. But she knew of Rain’s first task and decided to set a course for the planet. If she was to learn all Rain knew, there could be no short-cuts. She was off to find a neek.

 

[Darth Zilti]

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