The Tables have Turned

[Sheff Zee]

Within the library of the Imperial Palace was the Sith Knight, Darth Acarus waiting for his Apprentice @Metus De’cal. He had to make his Apprentice aware of what he was doing, someone had to know. He had decided that person would be his first Apprentice.

Why him some may ask? It was simply for the fact that it would be a ship for him and his Apprentice to be located in. The ship was meant to be a base of operations for the both of them, and act as a flagship for Malphas’s Taskforce so that he may assign his good friend and Naval Mentor, Anthony Belladar, his own ship without the Sith Pureblood that was Darth Aracus being present.

It was a form of thanks in some ways. If it wasn’t for Anthony, he wouldn’t be where he was today. The same could be said for Darth Mierin, perhaps. She had told him to seek out Admirals and Captains who were well versed within the world that was ‘Navy.’

And he had done what she had bid him to do.

And so he had gone and sought out Anthony Norduin, a lowly Corellian Captain who had once been apart of the Galactic Republic’s Navy, but when the One Sith had broken them over Coruscant, he had surrendered and those other commanders that followed him did the same and soon after he had met the Sith that was Malphas, a young Sith Apprentice aspiring to be a powerful Warlord.

He was nearly there.

 

[Metus De'cal]

The lowly Metus ventured into the awe inspiring palace once more, and decided to look about while pondering the reason he was here in the first place. The specifics of the meeting were not given to him, but if it was [member="Darth Acarus"]' will it had to be carried out for now so he eventually made his way into the library and found the person in question. As soon as he was close it was time to kneel, and place himself at the demands of the one who would mold him into something greater. When the day came where Metus was indeed more powerful he could finally show the galaxy that it was he that was to be feared.

"You summoned me my lord? I hope I have not upset you somehow in my absence and earned your wrath."

 

[Sheff Zee]

Darth Acarus shook his head when his Apprentice entered the room and assumed that he was in trouble. He was glad that his Apprentice was loyal enough to be straightforward as soon as he could, but to assume you were in trouble especially when there was a chance that you weren't guilty gave you away on occasion.

They'd have to remedy that at a later date.

"Not yet. Take a seat and tell me what you know of the ships of old."

[member="Metus De'cal"]

 

[Metus De'cal]

The apprentice took a seat at a nearby table, placing himself in the armrests to relax while speaking with his master. The man always sparked some fright in him, but at this point Metus realized that it was better to bask in it instead of fighting it. That way he would at least maybe come to understand soon enough how to be as menacing.

"The...ships of old? To be honest my lord I am ignorant in many things that I found no use for in my life. I would assume that they were maybe a bit less advanced than ours now though, but I guess it depends how old you mean when you say that."

 

[Sheff Zee]

He completely understood as to where his Apprentice came from, once upon a time he had been in the same boat... In this case ship as him. But his love for large starships had guided him to the bridges of multiple warships until he had found his own place upon Captain Anthony's ship, with his guiding hand teaching him how to combat the Galactic Republic and Omega Protectorate forces on two separate occasions, Malphas had taken a liking to the man.

The need for a reward was great, but that would come within it's own time.

"You should do your research on the machinations of the past. It'll save your life. On to other things, I haven't recently, but my own ship is over Coruscant right now, with my taskforce on standby. If you'd like we can continue our discussion here, or on my flagship and you may meet my Captain and quite possibly learn from him as I did."

It was solely his Apprentice's choice. At least it was for as long as Malphas wanted it to be. It'd be best to go onto the ship however.

[member="Metus De'cal"]

 

[Metus De'cal]

Metus thought on the possibilities of each answer, and after some time stood to his feet before bowing to his dark lord.

"If you do not mind master, I would prefer your personal ship to be the setting of our conversation. I am not worthy enough to meet someone you hold in such high esteem yet."

Truthfully he felt it better for him in the long run to spend as much time alone with his master as possible, to try and feel him out after each lesson as well as learning what was hidden underneath the helmet and within the Sith. For the moment these thoughts were not driven by the desire to someday rise up and destroy [member="Darth Acarus"] as much as it was a desire to understand what made him so powerful. Only after unlocking that secret could Metus emulate it and someday teach his own dark lessons to those who wanted to learn along with those that did not.

 

[Sheff Zee]

Malphas blinked.

It took him a moment, but then he said, "my personal ship is my flagship, Metus." That was it. He had no need to use small shuttles when he could be escorted within a large taskforce capable of destroying civilizations. Why have one ship able to carry only a few people, when he could have a fleet?

Soon though, he'd show his Apprentice what plans he had to make a... Personal ship.

[member="Metus De'cal"]

 

[Metus De'cal]

"I...understand my lord." Metus was learning more about his master everyday, including the fact that ships and fleets were going to be an important part of his life....and by extension a part of the apprentice's life as well. Metus got on one knee as he had done many times before, with his fists planted onto the ground and his head bowed so as to not look into the gaze of his master's helmet.

"Forgive my foolish assumption. It might be wiser to meet this captain of yours after all, so if I may ask to continue our discussion there after all I would be honored."

[member="Darth Acarus"]

 

[Sheff Zee]

Glancing down at his Apprentice, Malphas frowned.

When was the last time he had bowed or knelt to someone? He couldn't remember.

That was because he never had done such a thing in his life. Not as a Sith anyway.

"Kneel to no one, but to me. Or to Darth Mierin. Only she and the Dark Lord deserve your respect."

He didn't acknowledge the rest of his Apprentice's question and pushed himself from the table and walked out of the Library, beckoning [member="Metus De'cal"] to follow after him.

 

[Metus De'cal]

Metus looked up to see his master leaving the library while motioning for the lowly apprentice to follow, so he quickly stood and did his best to keep up with his master's confident strides. As they walked he glanced over at his master out of the corner of his eye, taking in the sight of the fearsome armor and wondering what the man underneath looked like. Was he once as afraid as Metus was and uses the armor to conceal it?

All of his life he had been trying to look as menacing as he could physically to keep others from trying to mess with him, but the aura that [member="Darth Acarus"] carried was more than enough probably even without the armor. Even so, Metus knew the importance of aesthetics when striking fear into the hearts of others and was determined to become a fearsome sight once he became stronger. The apprentice continued to mindlessly and wordlessly follow, wrapped up in his own thoughts of power.

 

[Sheff Zee]

While they walked through the Imperial Palace and began to ascend to the landing pad atop, the Sith Knight finally said something.

"Have you done the things that I told you to search for so long ago?" Would the Apprentice remember? The task of course hadn't been that hard, but he had been forced to find out the Code of the Sith in the language of the Sith; Sith'ese. And to tell me the name of the language. Would he have been able to figure it out? Some may have had a general knowledge of it, but not all.

Not everyone was a Sith Sorceror, or a Sith Pureblood for that fact. To figure out the Sith Code would have been hard. A challenge that he wasn't going to make easy for his Apprentice.

[member="Metus De'cal"].

 

[Metus De'cal]

And so the time had come to recite the code he worked so hard to memorize. Finding it in galactic basic was not that difficult considering the number of people there were to ask, but finding it in its original language was far more difficult. Most of the more knowledgeable people he had met could tell him the most basic of facts, that the original language was Sith'ese, but beyond that it was far greater a challenge to find a correct translation and someone to help him pronounce it. It had taken much time and research on his own, delving into databases that were not all even allowed for him to use, but in the period of time he had only a small bit became known to him.

"I am sorry my master, for I h-have failed in your very first task. I know of the code in basic and have thought on it much, but in the original Sith'ese I could only find out...the first line." Metus prepared himself for punishment, even as he recalled the words of the ancient Sith in his head, "Nwûl t-tish. No...Nwûl tash."

[member="Darth Acarus"]

 

[Sheff Zee]

"That is good enough. Better than I would've thought you could do." It was praise, but it didn't sound like that.

The Sith Knight continued to walk upwards until they were on the new landing pad on the Imperial Palace.

Glancing at the shuttle that was there, the ramp was already down and Darth Acarus strode towards the ramp and walked onto the ship. Once [member="Metus De'cal"] had done the same, the ship began to take off.

"Recite the Code to me, Apprentice."

 

[Metus De'cal]

The fact that he was not punished for his failure was more than enough of a reward than any amount of praise, and as [member="Darth Acarus"]' ship began to take off Metus began to recall the code in order to escape more possible pain and punishment. The code itself was something that all Sith mold their lives around, and this alone made it worth looking into. As he did his research however Metus found that even those who were not gifted in the force could appreciate its teachings. He cleared his throat, and stood up straight while reciting what he could remember.

"Peace is a lie, there is only p-passion. Through passion, I gain...strength. Through strength, I gain power." Power...Metus would have it some day, "Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force...shall free me. They are good words my master."

 

[Sheff Zee]

"Repeat it again. Cease your stuttering."

Malphas rounded upon his opponent, yellow eyes flashing in his rage.

Once [member="Metus De'cal"] had done so, he said, "now tell me what it means to you." Already he expected the generic response. But it was still a response and so he would deal with it, unfortunately.

Their shuttle continued through the atmosphere and up towards the Dark Blade that was Acarus's Flagship. Soon, Anthony would be sending a message to the ship, because of that he was already heading to the cockpit.

 

[Metus De'cal]

Metus kept close to [member="Darth Acarus"] while reciting the code in a stronger tone that lacked the previous stuttering, and as he was asked about the meaning the apprentice took a moment to formulate his response for each line.

"To me...the code represents how I will conquer my greatest weakness and push forward as you and others have already done. Peace is a lie since there is danger around every corner in this galaxy...and if you are weak it will kill you. By embracing my buried passions and turning my fear into a weapon I will gain the strength and power needed to eventually claim victory over what makes me afraid. Only...the force can break those chains and free me from this crippling weakness."

He was a coward in almost every sense of the word, but if everyone else was afraid than at least he would not be alone in it. And if then after infecting everyone with it he could remove his own fear...he would be the brave one among the cowards.

"If my words sound ignorant than it is because they are. Forgive me if that is the case."

 

[Sheff Zee]

"Your answer satisfactory for now. I will continuously ask you that question, I expect the answers to be different every single time, [member="Metus De'cal"]."

They broke atmosphere and the Dark Blade was what seemed to be ahead of them and then he headed towards the cockpit of the ship. "That is the flagship," he pointed out the viewport beside Metus, and then disappeared into the cockpit.

Once he had spoken to Anthony Norduin, his ship landed within the Dark Blade, and in a moment they were leaping through hyperspace, Malphas's fleet in formation around the ship. They were on their way now.

The ramp opened, and Acarus left the cockpit and said, "what do you think?"

He beckoned him to follow.

 

[Metus De'cal]

"It is quite spectacular my lord. I have never been on many ships, but the ones assembled here are the finest I've ever laid my eyes on."

Of course anything that involved his master must be grand, so Metus was not disappointed by [member="Darth Acarus"]' fleet and ship. After what happened in his youth he never did much off planet travelling. As they disembarked a question began to ensnare itself at the back of Metus' thoughts, and even at the risk of upsetting him the apprentice moved next to his master.

"My lord...if I may be so bold, what do you find in the code? Was there something in it that drove you to love these ships as you do? Or was it something you always enjoyed?"

 

[Sheff Zee]

The question surprised him actually. So he decided to answer truthfully.

"No, there was nothing about ships in the Code." How could he have gotten that? Odd. "The first time I was within a ship with a size as large as this one was six years ago, my Apprentice. A planet that was discovered by the One Sith, and I became an Acolyte. When I had made it to Coruscant I had spoken to a Sith Lord that was apart of the same species as me. We spoke of ships, knowledge, everything really."

He thought back to those minutes on Coruscant in the Imperial Palace's Library. He had purposely sat in the same spot that Mierin had sat on that day. They were on their way up to the bridge he realized after a few moments. "I found her Datacron, I met several Captains and Admirals in the One Sith's Navy. They taught me what had to be done, so I did it. I am alive because of Captain Anthony Norduin."

He glanced to [member="Metus De'cal"] and said, "he is more worthy to be my Apprentice than you'll ever be."

Then the turbolift opened and the bridge was standing at attention.

 

[Metus De'cal]

Metus followed closely while listening intently, picking through every statement for details on how to become as strong as his master. The two most important things were Captain Norduin and the woman whose datacron [member="Darth Acarus"] had found. These two were key to the master's ascension to true Sith-hood, so it only made sense that he would try to use these resources as well if he was able. Metus made a mental note to speak with other members of the order about his master, to hopefully learn more of him and maybe even learn more from the people themselves.

"I am sorry that he is not your apprentice then my lord." Metus spoke under his breath as the bridge stood at attention, "And why is he not your student anyway? Did he refuse you?"

He was not as upset by his master's recent comment as others most likely would have been since this was the kind of expectations that was preferred. If his master thought less of him then it only meant there was more room to grow and more chances to surprise and maybe even impress him.