Training Day (Darth Raven)

[Dara Gola]

Dara walked into the training room and was surprised at how perfect everything was. there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere and every statue and decoration was polished and shined in the soft light. she moved around the room, pausing occasionally to look at one thing or another. This training room was different that the ones she had been to when she was with the Jedi. There were no training sabers or practice weapons to be found anywhere, instead there was a rack of very dangerous looking bladed weapons in one corner aod more than a few mechanical devices that Dara couldn't even guess the purpose for.

Her new boots made no sound as she walked around the training room, a gift from Sophie. Everything she wore, with the exception of her lightsaber was a gift from her new master. The cut of the clothing was very similar to what she usually wore, if only a bit more daring that she normally wore. The pants were tight on her legs and left little to wonder about. Her bandeau top was covered by a vest that hugged her tightly, the straps on her shoulders a bit thinner that she wore before. Her lekku were wrapped with crisscrossed silken straps, tied gently at the tips. Everything was of a quality that Dara had never felt before, the fabric was exquisitely made and the quality of the work was of a type that Dara had never worn before. The colors were much darker as well, she figured it was only one shade away from true black, ' to highlight the beauty of your green skin' was what Sophie had said when she had brought the new clothing to her.

Not for the first time since she arrived on Coruscant had she stopped to realize the situation she was in. [member="Darth Raven"] was seducing her, not just with the clothing and the opulence or the treatment, but with the darkside as well. she was pushing her new apprentice slowly into the darkness and guiding her towards the deep end of the pool. Dara didn't fear the darkside when Sophie was around, but she knew that she needed to be careful. The darkside was intoxicating, but it also required a payment, a piece of yourself was the cost if you weren't careful. Dara knew, even before Sophie had enticed her with it, that the darkside was powerful and could make her a being of great power herself, if only she could find the balance to not become consumed in the process.

She finished her circuit of the room and sighed, looking down once again at her new boots, the soft soles were designed to make almost no noise with she walked, she figured that Sophie understood that she was an assassin and gave her the boots to help her move. the straps were perfectly spaced as they wrapped her leg tightly in the strong material, the final strap gripper her upper calf tightly, ensuring that the boot would remain in place no matter how much Dara had to run or move. She smiled and remembered the look she had gotten from Sophie the day she had brought all of it over, and how quickly she had taken it all back off.

Today was a training day though, so Sophie would be master for the day. Dara's relationship with her master was odd, like nothing she had ever imagined before, but she also knew that there were rules to be followed, and she wasn't about to break them because of a warm memory fluttering in her stomach. She stopped in the center of the room and knelt down, she would meditate and find her focus while she waited for her master to arrive.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

As she approached the training room, a holocron in hand that she borrowed from the Sith library, Darth Raven was anxious to see how her new apprentice, [member="Dara Gola"] , would do during their first training session. From what she'd learned Dara had gone through some training in the past while with the Primeval, covering many of the basics as well as a few advanced techniques. A lot of her job had already been done it seemed. Perhaps that was why she felt the twi'lek integrated into life in the Sith Temple so well; however temporary it may be in the future.

There was much potential to be found in the girl. Her use in stealth was a perfect contrast to Raven's more forward way of fighting and tactics. Her only other power was through fear and illusion or through seduction; the latter having proven to work on Dara herself. Not only for her beauty but for her skills did Raven take this girl as her own. She did hope she found the new uniform she had ready for her this morning suitable. And sure enough, upon entering, she could see it did.

Dressed in her usual attire Raven smirked as she walked over, admiring Dara's new look. "Good to see you've arrived, my dear." she began. "I must say, you look amazing. A perfect means to prepare yourself for become a hidden dagger for the Sith."

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara felt [member="Darth Raven"] long before she actually saw her. the woman's force presence was strong and Dara was quite sure that she projected it out as a show of power. As she entered the room Dara stood and smiled, her master was dressed as she usually was, in elegant, sensual clothing. Dara wondered if it was part of her act, project power and appear sensual. Not for the first time Dara's mind wandered back to those intimate moments that they had shared, remembering the way the other woman made her feel. The mere presence of her new master sent renewed flutters through her stomach, the effect this woman had on her was obvious to anyone paying attention

Dara blushed slightly at the compliment, her face taking on a different color all together. "Thank you master, the clothing fits perfectly, as I'm sure that you intended when you ordered them." She was well aware that she was on her way to not only being this woman's apprentice, btu to being a kept woman as well, just as her new master wanted. The last bit confused her though, " Master, I'm an agent of the Bleeding Sun, I can't be a hidden dagger for the Sith." She felt conflicted even saying the words, but she knew that her first loyalty would always be to the Primeval, they were her family, her saviors from the void her life had become

 

[Zion Mirtis]

"Did I say the Sith?" she asked in a sarcastic tone. "I meant...for me." she finished with a smirk. Walking up closer she kissed her quickly on the lips before adding "As my apprentice, and part of your training, it may require you to prove your skills as a trained assassin. There will certainly be targets for you in the future. Some whom I need taken care of. But that can wait. For now we can begin our training."

Sophie had brought the holocron in her hand over towards a nearby table where she placed it. She moved to let [member="Dara Gola"] have a full view of it before allow her to come over and examine. She wanted to see her reaction to know if she knew what the device was, since she figured most of her training came straight from her master and no other source. But this would be a chance where both she and Sophie herself would learn. These skills she intended to teach were ones she'd yet to learn herself, and would certainly come in handy for future confrontations.

"Tell me, what do you know of the old darkside masters?" she asked. "Any throughout history."

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara smiled and before she could even wonder about the slight slip of the tongue they were locked in a kiss. The momentary kiss was enough to push the thought out of her head. [member="Darth Raven"]'s lips were soft and they tasted sweet. Dara listened to the statement of being told to prove her skills, which almost felt like an insult. She understood the need to have her skills tested but to have to prove them to a new master was understandable but it hurt. " I understand master, I will prove to you how capable of an assassin I am. I won't fail you. "


She watched as Sophie placed a Holocron on the table. She had never seen an actual sith Holocron in person, her old master kept her lesions to only what he wanted to teach her and her time with the Jedi had taught her that anything sith was bad. Once she got the nod from her master, Dara moved forward and inspected it closely. She could feel the dark side flowing through the object and she could almost taste the malice in the air. " I don know much. I know about the great Sith Lord Sidious and how he almost fully destroyed the Jedi. And of his apprentice Vader. Other than than I know whispers and rumors and little else. The Jedi don't often teach about the sith of old "

 

[Zion Mirtis]

While she figured that [member="Dara Gola"] would only know of Sidious and Vader, the two most prominent Sith Lords in history, it still upset her that she was yet another who did not know the names and/or reputation of others. Like Darth Bane, who began the dynasty of the Sith built upon the Rule of Two. Or Darth Malgus who lead the Sith armies during the age of the Old Republic against the Jedi. For Sith it helped to know the history of some of the greats, even those aside from the two Sith who built an Empire and nearly destroyed the Jedi.

Upon hearing her mention how the Sith did not teach much about the old Lords Sophie responded with "And for good reason. The Sith of legend were a mess of an order. Tearing each other apart with no true respect or alliance for the other. They fell apart because of their failure to maintain a strong structure in their order. It was only thanks to Darth Bane, and then the eventual rise of the New Sith Empire, that we've managed to stay as whole as we are today. But the Sith Lords of old still have much to teach us. And some of it can be found right here." she said, tapping on the holocron. "Today I feel we both should learn this method. They call is 'Force Scream'. While it may not see the best for an assassin it can prove useful when needing to make an escape or clearing out a surrounding enemy."

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara nodded as she listened to [member="Darth Raven"] speak. She had very little knowledge about the history of the sith or who was important in their past. She knew a lot of old Jedi history, and it was useless now. Knowing the history of he Jedi wouldn't help her, hey have no secret knowledge that could be passed on to help her attain her goals. " Force scream" she said and thought about the applications that it could give. If she had to run quickly or she needed to stop a group from pursuing her, it could be a powerful weapon to have at her disposal.

" I think that will be very useful, master. I can see it turning the tide of a fight, especially if no one expects it." She was wiling to learn anything Sophie wanted her to learn. She trusted her master to make her into the destructive force that she wanted to be.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

With that Sophie only nodded at Dara's agreement on the use of the ability. She herself knew it's uses too and was eager to learn it as much as her apprentice. Turning she looked back to the holocron and, after pressing the right sequence, was able to activate it. A large light came out fro the top before an image began to form; looking similar to a usual holo-transmission only more celestial. A dark, hooded figure rose in the vision. A young man's face and voice could be heard but never a full look at him.

"This is the voice of Dark Caedus." it said. "What do you seek to learn?"

Sophie, acting as though this was a normal thing, answered "We wish to know the secret of Force Scream, Lord Caedus. How one is able to use it."

She looked back to see [member="Dara Gola"] react to this, since it was her first time seeing a holocron in action. It was like talking with a cybernetic ghost in a way. Given the nature of how the vision would speak to them, reacting to them, and answering as if the person was there in-person was part of the amazing feat a holocron proved to be.

 

[Dara Gola]

She saw the hologram appear above the small square Holocron and she almost stepped back. It wasn't that the figure, Darth Caedus as it called itself, but she had no idea what to expect. She stood her ground and tried not to appear surprised or afraid. Sophie was there with her and she would be fine because she knew that the other woman wouldn't do anything to hurt her. She was fascinated by the appearance of the figure. She knew what holocrons were and what they did, but to see one in the flesh was different. Since agreeing to become the apprentice to this powerful sith Dara had seen many new things that she didn't think she ever would.

Dara only nodded in agreement. She was the lesser of the two of them for this training session and she knew that there needed to be one person in control, and Sophie was that person.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

The vision of Caedus had spoke, bringing Sophie's attention back to it, explaining "To use a Force Scream one must focus all of their energy inward. All of their hates. Their fears. Their anger. It must be drawn into yourself ad focused. And then, once enough energy has been gained, it must be released in one grand pulse. An exertion of power that will cripple nearly anything and everything around you. But you must be wary. Too much exertion can leave harmful consequences. Is there anything else you wish?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you."Sophie quickly said in a pleasant enough tone. Once the vision sunk back into the holocron Sophie turned back to [member="Dara Gola"] and said "See? Informative little things. You understood what it was saying, yes? Have you ever tried anything like that before with mediation?"

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara watched and listened to the hologram of the long dead Sith Lord. She was thinking of the focus it would take to insulate all of that anger and fear into one spot so that she could use the ability. She thought of her saber form, juyo, and how she harnessed her anger. And fear to become a whirling deverish in a fight. Her ability to focus her anger and fear into power was one of the only things that her old master taught her how to do. " I am not sure how to do it with meditation master. I have always had to be in a situation where I wasn angry and afraid before I was about to properly use my emotions to fuel my darkness"

She hoped that [member="Darth Raven"] would understand, that she would remember that moment when they first met when she felt afraid and pulled the force towards her. She wanted to learn this because Sophie wanted her to. So even it it took time she would make it happen.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Sophie nodded at her answer, giving a quick "Understood." before leading her into the center of the room. "It's as simple as it is tricky. Where you would focus the force outwards to move something, or push an enemy or the like, instead you must bring it inward." Her hand clasped Dara's stomach while explaining "Focus it inside you, like drawing in energy from a battery. Often this same technique is used for other abilities, but with the it's more a matter of holding in that energy. If what Darth Caedus said was true, then it's only a matter of holding for a moment before letting it out in one grand explosion." Her hand demonstrated by swinging out with her fingers extended outward to mimic an explosion. Looking back to Dara she asked "Understand?"

[member="Dara Gola"]

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara nodded that she understood, while she tried not to focus too much on [member="Darth Raven"]'s hand on her bare stomach. Since she had joined the Sith as her apprentice, she had been having a hard time not noticing the little touches and looks that she was given on a regular basis. She assumed that Sophie wanted he to feel like that, to entice her further into the darkness that she elegantly manipulated. Dara did understand the method though, she was sure that she could channel emotions differently and use the force as her master was explaining. She wanted to say something smart and thoughtful to show that she understood the process that they were going to practice, but she decided a simple " I understand" would been enough. Extra words were a waste in her eyes, talking was a waste in training and fighting, action made the difference, and she knew that.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

"Good." Sophie said before standing behind [member="Dara Gola"] now. Holding her shoulders she gently pushed her to her knees so she was sitting on them before coming around front, taking the same position. Once she was she said "Now let's both try to focus together. I want you to think deeply now. Find any and all feelings of fear. Anger. Despair. All emotions that help your strength in the darkside. And remember to breath. Slowly." She quickly demonstrated, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath and then giving a long release, saying "In.... and out. Reach deep into your memoirs... find what makes you angry. What makes you afraid. Things you want but have yet to gain."

She'd wait until the twi'lek had her eyes closed before opening the and watching while feeling with the Force. She wanted to take this one step at a time and see if Dara would be able to focus her emotions before bringing them inward. Sophie herself knew enough about it to be able to do it on her own, but not it was a matter of helping Dara along the way before going to the next step.

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara ws softly pushed to her knees and again she focused on the hands on her bare skin. That was something she was going to have to work on in the future, it could become a costly distraction. she saw Sophie move around her and kneel across from her, and she smiled, and listened as [member="Darth Raven"] talked to her about what she needed to do. she closed her eyes and concentrated on the past, the things that made her angry, her former master. She could feel her anger and the metal hand attached to her arm felt cold for just a second, it's alien presence filling her with an anger she hadn't felt in a long time. she took a deep breath in as she began to focus on that anger and she got a whiff of Sophie's perfume, and as quickly as it was there, the anger was gone. She knew that she was in a better place and that the mere presence of her new master confirmed that.

She focused again on the anger but it wasn't there, she wasn't angry or afraid while Sophie was around and she knew that it was going to make this training session seem like a failure for her. As those thoughts entered her mind she felt a renewed sense of fear growing inside of her, she was afraid to fail in front of her master, and she felt it in the deepest pit of her stomach and she knew that it was going to be the driving force of this training. She couldn't fail, she wouldn't fail. She had been given everything by Sophie and she was going to repay her with a failed training session unless she found a way to feel her darkness. She reached out and she felt the inky ,oily presence of the darkside waiting for her and she gripped ti and pulled it into her, it flowed freely around her, she could feel it's growing presence within and she smiled faintly. She had to prove that the choice to take her on as an apprentice was a wise one, that training her was worth the trouble.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

While she couldn't tell what they were Sophie was able to sense that the memories and feelings [member="Dara Gola"] was using to fuel her mediation was exactly what she expected. The ones of anger were being subsided, making her give a cross look, but were soon replaced by fear. Good. Using fear as a fuel was a decent enough start. At least not as powerful as anger but enough for a simple warmup. She would need to work on that in the future. She then felt Dara reaching out to consume more of the darkside into her, Raven nodding silently as she watched. She could see she was straining a bit but at least she had the idea.

"Good. Good. That's enough, Dara. Let go now." she said, giving her apprentice a moment to relax and regain herself. "You wavered at first but at least you found fear as a substitute. However if you want this scream to be effective in the future, you'll need to work on your anger. How do you feel now?"

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara let the growing power loose, when she could almost feel the disappointment in the force itself at not being brought to bear against her enemies. [member="Darth Raven"] had noticed the wavering in her focus and she hoped that it wouldn't be brought up in conversation. She felt bad that she had almost failed her master and she feared that if she vocalized the reasons for her failure that she would anger Sophie in the process. " Thank you master, It was more difficult that I thought it would be. I understand the process of how to use this power i just had a moment where I faltered in my concentration. I have used my anger to fuel my powers before and for some reason today I had a problem with it. I swear that when it matters I will be at my best." Her words were laced with fear, the fear of being asked what was wrong, the fear of failing her master, the fear of being cast aside and replaced.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Darth Raven's eyebrow cocked at her quick little excuse. She felt as though [member="Dara Gola"] was avoiding the truth, but for whatever reason it was she did vow to try harder again. And it was her first time. Sophie would allow it to pass, waving it off for now as just a rookie move. And besides she did draw from her fear which, again, was suitable enough for her first time. She rubbed her chin for a moment before deciding to try this for herself, while also showing her apprentice how it was done.

"Now then, Dara, I want you to stand back. Perhaps find a place for cover. I'm going to attempt this Force Scream. If it works, I suggest you find somewhere you're less likely to get hurt."

She would wait and watch while Dara moved away, her eyes following her and seeing where she was. She would wait until Dara would say when she was ready, making sure the spot she chose was decent enough for what Sophie theorized would happen.

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara let out a sigh of relief as she turned and moved across the room. she was trying to avoid having to explain her feeling to her master, and the thought of lying to her didn't even enter her mind. she had learned from her time with her former master that lying only resulted in pain and suffering. She was on the other side of the training room and she figures that the distance would be enough for her to avoid anything that [member="Darth Raven"] would manage to summon.

" I believe that I am far enough away master." She said from across the room. She pulled a bit at the force and wrapped it around her, hoping that she would be able to soften the damage if something did manage to make it as far as where she was. she knew that she was more than capable of completing this task, but her feelings were still so confused. she knew that she had more than enough anger to focus her abilities, but the presence of her master fogged up her abilities. she seethed in the corner at the failure that she had shown her master, she was angry at herself for allowing the perception that she was anything other than a powerful weapon to be put in her master's mind.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

With [member="Dara Gola"] giving her word Sophie nodded before closing her eyes and focusing. Using the same method her own master taught her she began to pull the feelings and memories that brought her negative emotions. It wasn't hard for Sophie, being that she'd done so before, but now she had new memories to add to the old. Her fights against the Jedi in the any battles the Sith had engaged their forces in. A younger version of herself, dressed in blue, slicing down soldiers in the heat of battle. Her fight with the one who now called himself Darth Valcus, and how he annoyed her to no end whenever he saw her. The fact that her master had not been heard or seen for some time and how she worried about her, wanting to kill whoever ay or may not have cut her down with her back turned; this being Sophie's rationing for anyone actually killing her master, her own belief that she was far too strong to be killed in an upfront fight. Even reaching back further to how she hated the Jedi for she believed they were holding her back from true power and knowledge. All of this came into her mind before she used the force to pull it into her. The darkside, reaching out like arms, pulled everything inward. Her fists began to ball and her eyes squinted harder to a tight position as she relished the deep hatred.

The room around began to rumble, Sophie getting to her feet while her head remained down. She'd pulled in enough energy, raw and fueled by her emotions. Finally, exerting it out, she lifted her head and gave a roaring scream. What followed was a low but powerful wave of energy that blurted out all around. The walls blustered and some of the ground beneath her feet cracked. For almost a full minute the entire room experienced a miniature earthquake. When it finally subsided Sophie gasped and leaned forward, her hands on her knees as she felt herself a little out of breath. Some sweat was on her brow and she felt as though she'd just run a mile in the blistering heat of Tatooine. She glanced up, seeing where Dara was and knowing if she was safe.