You may think I am evil. I am not. I am efficient…

[Darth Timoris]

Melori excused herself from the Academy and set off for the air of Coruscant at night. She walked and traveled past towers and obelisks, and through the heart of the city. She wore simple black robes and her hood was up, hiding her long blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

She’d heard of a certain student who desired a Master and from what she had heard, h would make a good match. And her sources suggested she’d find him searching among the various stalls that sold tourists and Sith alike trinkets. Occasionally they’d turn up a real artefact — more often than not they were worthless — but it didn’t stop Acolytes looking.

For some time Melori observed him from a distance, approaching only after he had spent some time at one of the stalls. “Felran Natri,” she said, hastening her pace. "A moment of your time. I believe we have something in common."

She could see him now in all his dark glory. There was no concealing it: the Force was powerful in him! But beneath his power was a great risk. He didn't realise just how powerful he was or how extraordinarily powerful he could become. He would need help to avoid self-destruction.

Oh, what a cautious taming he would require! Melori thought. But what an ally he might make. What an ally!

She spoke slowly, almost warily. "Here is where the path bifurcates. Here and now you need to decide whether to waste your power or to venture courageously and scrupulously into the depths of truth — no matter the consequences."

"You could devote the rest of your life to trying to make sense of this power, this gift," she said,"Or you could consider a different option. It's a dark path into a trackless wilderness from which few return. Not without a guide, at any rate. But it is also the shortest, quickest route between today and tomorrow."

“You're heartless, ambitious, arrogant, insidious, and without shame or empathy. More, you're a murderer." She held his gaze and watched as he processed what she was saying. “And what you sense in me is a fraction of what I can bring to bear. Join me. Become my Apprentice.”

[member="Felran Natri"]

 

[Felran Natri]

Felran stared at one of the items in the stall, a pair of black gloves and black robes. The robes had a strong connection to the force, Felran could feel it, that could only mean it was what he was looking for. As he was about to speak to the owner about the cost of them he was interrupted by a female voice. He turned to see where it came from, only to see a women infront of him. She was short, well shorter than Felran at least. From what he could tell she was also a year younger, though she was powerful in the force Felran could sense it.

As she spoke Felran took every word she said to heart, carefully considering what she spoke of. He smiled as she tried to describe him, taking every word as a compliment. When she finished Felran was silent Become my apprentice Those words echoed in his mind as he thought of what to do. A minute went by before he broke the silence "I am like my ancestor before me, arrogant but not stupid." He knelt down on one knee and bowed his head "What do you bid of me.......my master"

[member="Darth Timoris"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori never bowed. Well that wasn’t entirely true. She’d once showed her respect to the Dark Lord. At her naming ceremony. He was branding her with the Dark Mark at the same time, and so her fealty was entirely appropriate.

But even as an Acolyte, she never once bowed to a Sith Lord. Perhaps it was her background — something she would share with her new Apprentice at the appropriate time. Or maybe it was her personality — she was still arrogant, despite it nearly costing her life on more than one occasion.

She was tempted to teach him a lesson — his first — but she thought better of it. “Rise,” she said, the disappointment evident in her speech. “And never kneel again. Or bow, or scrape. Not to me, not to anyone. Nobody is your better. I am your Master, yes, but at most you nod acquiescence to me — never any more. My title is enough to ensure the relationship never wavers from the true nature of student and teacher.”

“And never fully trust me, for I shall not you. Respect me. Do as I say. But complete trust? That is the fool’s route to death.”

“Serve me and the glorious Sith Grow in the darkness. Gain strength from it. Serve me faithfully. I shall rule you. me. I shall order and direct you. Yet we are both Sith, and though you are my apprentice you share some of my power. As you grow, so will my confidence in you. Learn to stand by my side, but slightly behind, in my shadow.”

“Learn to be content there. You still have much to learn.”

She abruptly turns and walks away, clearly indicating that he should follow. “Tell me what you know and what you think you need to learn.”

[member="Felran Natri"]

 

[Felran Natri]

Felran rose as she commanded. It was strange, he had learned it was best to bow to a a Sith Lord when spoken to but then again he read that from an old book in the library. "As you wish" He simply responded. As she walked Felran turned his head and mouthed the words I'll be back before catching up to his master.

When his master asked the question he quickly unhooked his saberstaff and looked at it. "I have mostly trained myself, I can unleash the basic force powers. I also learned how to grip objects and emit lightning with the force but I only can do so for so long before burning out. Now....I created my own saberstaff. It is crude but it gets the job done. I need to learn how to properly utilize it or impaling myself will become envitible." Felran sighed, his training had helped him through fights so far but he needed more to stand up against other force users.

[member="Darth Timoris"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

She listened to him as she walked. “We shall look at all saber styles with you — the opportunity to surprise an opponent should never be overlooked. But your build and demeanour says we will start with Juyo — which is my preferred Form. And also consider Jar’Kai.”

She took her two sabers from her belt and with a twist they became one. “A saberstaff and two separate sabers.” She unclipped them again. They were both curved — which also suited the second Form. “In a fight, you take every advantage you can. You primary training will be in combat. Armed, unarmed, and associated Force Powers. Have you heard of Teräs Käsi?”

“And do you have a specific crystal at the moment? Or is it a standard synthetic one?”

[member="Felran Natri"]

 

[Felran Natri]

Felran shook his head "I apologize, I have never heard of Teräs Käsi." He assumed it was important so it was best to be honest. "I have a simple synthetic crystal, I never had time to search for one so I just created one to use." He also assumed what kind of crystal he had was important as well, he knew some crystals could give powers to both the saber and it's wielder.

[member="Darth Timoris"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori listened and took note. Foolish bravado was pointless. Honesty - in these circumstances - was all important.

"My learning in Teräs Käsi was not typical. Let's just say for now, it was from a Master. It is unarmed combat. Speed that rivals that of a Force User but without using the Force. The ability to close your mind to Force attacks on the mind. The ability to predict attacks in a similar way to the Force. That is the martial art in summary. And you will learn it second."

"But first you will learn Juyo. And then get a decent crystal for your saber. Dagobah is the place. Now, before we start your training, any questions?"

"If not, tell me about yourself. Strengths, weaknesses, anything I need to know about you."

[member="Felran Natri"]

 

[Felran Natri]

Felran smiled, he knew Dagobah inside and out. Sadly all the creature there know him as well. "As you wish, I have been to Dagobah plenty of times. As for what you need to know, I have been called an 'unstoppable' force when it comes to my strength. The only other thing to note is of my heritage, I come from a family of powerful force users. The most notable of them was a Sith Lord, you may know him as Darth Maul."

[member="Darth Timoris"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori smiled. She knew a lot more about Darth Maul than most. She carried some of his memories in her head for a start. Her first Master extracted them from an artefact and was able to feed them into her mind. It took a while to assimilate them — to identify which were hers and which were his.

But she’d learned a lot of his training regimes. Of his prowess with a certain martial art — and how he used it in conjunction with Juyo in combat.

“I am familiar with him. I named my ship after his combat teacher. My astromech and protocol droids too are named as somethings a homage to him.”

“You have told me enough. We shall travel to Dagobah. My second Master’s home planet. There I shall teach you Juyo, and then you will face your toughest test — and get your own saber crystals.”

#​

She led them to her ship — an Infiltrator capable of stealth travel. The journey was uneventful and finally her shop was approaching the atmosphere of Dagobah.

As they neared the planet, she was able to glimpse a portion of its curved surface through a heavy cover of thick clouds. Much of the planet was uncharted and virtually unknown.

The ship sailed through the twilight halo separating pitch black space from the planet's surface. Melori took a deep breath, then plunged her craft into the white blanket of mists.

She couldn't see a thing. Her vision was entirely obstructed by the dense whiteness pressing against the canopy windows of her ship. Her only choice was to control the shuttle solely by her instincts with the Force as the scopes weren't registering anything, even as she flew ever nearer to the planet.

When an alarm began to buzz, she sighed and closed her eyes, now trusting entirely in the Force as she started the landing cycle.

What followed was the blast of retrorockets and the ship began to drop rapidly. She braced against her pilot's seat, steeling herself for any possible impact. But none came.

When she opened her eyes, she saw mist, the ship’s landing lights not illuminating more than a few feet in front of it. Her eyes gradually began to grow accustomed to the gloom all around her so that she could just barely see the twisted trunks and roots of grotesque-looking trees.

“Another safe landing,” she grinned at her companion. “Now, let’s get outside and start your training.”

And she lowered the exit ramp and they stepped outside. The enormous grey trees had gnarled and intertwining roots that rose far above them before they joined to form trunks. She tilted back her head and could see the branches, high above, that seemed to form a canopy with the low-hanging clouds.

Dusk was quickly approaching. Shadows loomed ominously all around them and the distant cries didn't seem quite so far away anymore. She glanced around at the spooky swamp-jungle surrounding them. Perfect training conditions in Melori’s eyes.

She dropped her cloak and stood there in her black robes. “What, if anything, do you know about Juyo? Or saber combat?”

[member="Felran Natri"]

 

[Felran Natri]

Felran sighed "I more or less improvised. I never fully understood what it had to offer and most contracts were to simple to even try." It's best to always be honest to your master, no matter who they are. Finally someone who has heard of Darth Maul! To many ignorant force users in this galaxy Felran thought.

[member="Darth Timoris"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori called the Force to her. Her irises morphed from a plan blue to a sulphurous yellow, ringed with crimson.

"Do you feel my hate?" she asks.

"It Is the source of our strength. All emotions have power but hate and, if you can control it, fear are the primary two, " she says. "No matter. Today you have delivered yourself into my hands. I have the power of life or death over you. Someday, you will hold that power over another. It is the honour of the Sith. You will devote yourself to the idea of domination."

She fixes her gaze on him, the ice-gaze that holds such power.

"From this day forward, you are my Acolyte. You have chosen the path of darkness, the path of power. You are my instrument."

"Your rage," she says. "You will enjoy it? You will enjoy killing.”

“And this,” she indicated the saber hilt now in her hands. “Is no weapon. You are the weapon. This is an extension of you, your arm.”

“Allow the Force to guide you — but do not become its servant. Make it do your bidding. Now, activate your saber and come at me.”

[member="Felran Natri"]

 

[Felran Natri]

Felran grinned "I am a weapon, the descendant of Darth Maul, I will become him, stronger than him. I will kill all who stop me from this path." Felran unhooked his saber and ignited the top blade, the red of it illuminating his face. "As you wish master." He snarled, then quickly running towards his master and slashing his blade at her. He didn't have a plan, he let his hatred guide him.

 

[Darth Timoris]

Her breathing was calm, her heartbeat even and slow. She was aware of her body's reactions to the danger — aware and in control.

Through her awareness of the Force she could sense Felran’s movements and his intentions too.

She raised her own weapon, both hilts connected, and triggered the power control. Twin lances of pure energy boiled forth, hissing and crackling in crimson loops that began and ended at the two flux apertures on either end of the device.

The Dark-side blossomed in Darth Timoris, the power of it resonating in her like black lightning, augmenting her years of training, guiding her reactions. Time seemed to slow, to stretch.

It would have been easy to look to end the bout quickly. But there was no challenge to that. Melori spun toward the point of her Acolyte’s blade, twisted around, and snapped her hands horizontally at chest level. The left blade of the lightsaber would, unless he was careful, shear through his sword arm.

Simultaneously, she dropped to her left knee. Without pause, she thrust her saber backwards and then forwards with the right blade, aiming for his abdomen.

[member="Felran Natri"]

 

[Felran Natri]

Felran wouldn't lose without a fight. As his master's left blade came towards him he stopped and blocked it. As he ignited his bottom blade it stopped and caught the right blade coming at him. He was going to admit it but blocking the right blade was just pure luck. Felran kept them locked like that, not moving, only thinking. It does not matter that she is my master. This is a duel first and foremost. I am the descendant of Darth Maul. I am hatred. I am fear. I am death Felran yelled what could only be described as a war cry, moving the hilt as he tried to spin the blades and break the lock with his strength.

 

[Darth Timoris]

His anger and passion were commendable. Here they were on a most alien planet and their antics would both attract and scare off predators in equal measure. But regardless, they would fight. She owed it to him to push him as far as he could go. And then a little further. He would break or he would come back stronger than before. It was the Sith way. The unworthy would perish and those that survived would lead the next generation.

She smiled as he used his natural strength to hold her in check. She took her right hand from the hilt, yielding slightly in doing so. As the blades moved slowly towards her, she squeezed her right hand. His own right hand would feel it. As if she was literally holding his fist and crushing it. But the pain would be as if it were in a vice. Bones would pop - but they were repairable.

It was his resolve she was testing. His willingness to fight through pain. To regroup and immediately fight back or slink away and lick his wounds.

It was his choice. But, unknowingly he would be deciding to live or die. Who said the Sith were benevolent?

[member="Felran Natri"]

 

[Felran Natri]

Felran could feel his right hand being crushed. It hurt. It hurt a lot but it didn't matter, he wasn't done. Felran deactivated his saberstaff and almost simultaneously performed a back flip to dodge any incoming attacks. When he landed he looked towards his master, the pain in his right hand getting stronger. He whispered to himself "I won't back down. Not yet." And leaped towards [member="Darth Timoris"] igniting the top blade once again for another slash.

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori released the grip on his hand. The attack had served its purpose. She had weakened him and he'd come back for more.

Real life was not like training. At least for most. But Melori had been brought up to believe the two should be the same. Duels never happen in perfect circumstances. Jedi do not wait for you to be ready. Or rested. Or receive treatment if you're hurt. To her, training was undertaken to replicate these situations. She'd gone 72 hours without sleep and then started training before. Or faced one significant challenge straight after another. What didn't kill you made you stronger. It was the Sith way - even if some had forgotten about it.

"Good," she said as he sprang at her again. She parried his slash and deactivated her saber. "Stand down."

"This was just a short session to warm us up. Or rather you. From here we head to the cave where you'll find a decent couple of crystals, worthy of you and your lineage. And face a test. So, lead on. The cave is situated in the hollow of a tree, but stretches for some distance under the ground. Walk ahead of me, be aware of you surroundings. I don't plan to stop until we get there, but the local predators might have other ideas."

She attached her sabers to her belt and indicated the direction of travel. "Once you get close, you'll feel the pull of the Dark-side. It should be easy to find."

[member="Felran Natri"]

 

[Felran Natri]

Felran panted for a moment, he finally deactivated his saber and re-hooked it to his belt. "As you wish master. Felran began to walk, passing up his master and trudging through the swampy marshland. As he walked he was silent, his mind was buzzing with things. He suddenly stopped. Felran turned his head to a nearby tree hollow, he could sense the dark side coming from it." "There." He pointed towards the hollow. He knew this was it, it had to be.

[member="Darth Timoris"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori nodded.

"Slightly hackneyed, but none the less the truth. In there you will find crystals. Two I recommend if you wish to utilise a saber-staff. But that's not all you'll find in there. As well as a crystal cave, you'll find whatever you fear most. Or perhaps a dark secret? Or a premonition? Regardless, you will face a challenge greater than anything you have before."

"I cannot and will not enter without you. If you emerge, you are a worthy Apprentice. If not? Then I know where to put the tomb-stone."

[member="Felran Natri"]

 

[Felran Natri]

[member="Darth Timoris"]

Felran nodded, he understood what this was going to be like. He was going to face his deepest thoughts, probably the death of his ancestor, no, betrayal, or perhaps the death of a loved one. No matter he was going to handle this. He turned and began to walk into the cave, go him it was near pitch black but he was going to keep going no matter what. As he continued his path he soon saw a blue glare come from the corner, when he turned he was attacked by what seemed to be a lightsaber. The surprise caused Felran to shut his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them he was in one of the Sith temples.

He walked down the hallways until he saw the single open one. From it he heard his master's voice "Yes. I understand. Felran has failed all of us. I will personally take care of him." Felran's eyes were wide open when he heard this. HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW A JEDI WAS THERE?! He looked back over to the door only to notice his master there infront of him. "Felran, what an interesting surprise. I didn't expect you to heal from your wounds so quickly." Felran quickly spoke up trying to protect himself. "H-how could I have known there was a Jedi in that cave!" His master just shook her head while unhooking her lightsaber "Your always supposed to be aware of what happens no matter the circumstances. It is both shameful to me and your ancestor that you let yourself be defeated by a weak Jedi." She ignited the top blade and slashed at him. Felran quickly unhooked his lightsaber and ignited it, blocking the blade.

His master kept trying to break Felran's defense but it was strange...she wasn't herself. If this was like last time she would have easily killed him by now by for some reason she was weaker. That's when he realized what his master said earlier when he had entered the cave This is what I fear most. Failure. Bringing shame to both my master and my ancestors name. That will not happen, that will never happen! Felran gave a war cry and took to offense, thrusting his blade at his 'master'. The blade went straight through her body. Felran leaned in towards her horrified face. Felran gave a sadistic grin. "No one will stop me from my goal. I will kill every last Jedi and Sith if it means bringing back my ancestor's legacy." Then the body and room faded. It was pitch black. A voice came from the darkness, echoing on all sides. "So this is my descendant. This is the one who shall bring back my legacy." Felran was confused at first but quickly realized who was speaking. Felran knelt down on one knee "Darth Maul. It is an honor to speak with you." A light chuckle came from all sides "Yes Felran. It is a pleasure to speak with the one destined to bring back my legacy. You understand the truth, you understand what I was destined to become. You are no simple Sith, you are my descendant, you will carry on my legacy." "I shall bring back glory to your name. All who oppose me shall fall, everyone who speaks of you will shudder in fear." The voice was silent for a moment. As if it was thinking. It then spoke again "That is to be seen" Felran noticed a red glare infront of him. He stood up and walked to it, he immediatly knew what it was. He reached down and grabbed what was causing the glare. "Go Felran. Restore my name and remember, fear is always your ally."

Felran immerged from the cave. Giving a grin to his master he spoke in a unusually happy tone "I got it. I got the crytstals."