The Dark Academy on Korriban

Zeno walked into the docking bay, wondering if he should just take a ship and go for a joy ride. It would be fun, certainly, but how long until he got shot down. There wasn't much left to do at the moment and he hated the waiting game. As he walked he noticed a familiar face and decided to approach. She looked like she was not having a particularly fun time so maybe he could... be bored with her?

Hours had already gone by and Jun-Tsu had taken up standing meditation in that time, peering for the hundredth time out the massive bay port. It was quiet at the moment with no ships going in or out, but it was obvious a large cargo ship was being prepped to leave soon.

She stared down at Korriban which could be seen in all its orbital grandeur just outside the field that kept their atmosphere in. Spying Zeno she allowed herself a full glance to the side, offering a bow of her head.

"Good afternoon, ser Deathwright."

"To you as well. Trying to kill time as well?" He moves to stand next to her and look out on the docking bay and the people at work in it.

"I vould try to occupy mein time vith somezhing more productive, but honestly zhere is nothing here zhat interests me. Zhe entire wenture vas a complete vaste of time," she sounded perturbed. "A test of loyalty? How dare zhey! Question zhe dedication of House Farro to the Empire. Inzulting!"

"And as though that weren't enough, the test itself didn't actually require any show of loyalty. It just tested one's ability to hunt down and get a confession from someone disloyal," he said shaking his head. "As though a dedicated spy wouldn't be willing to do so. It was a ridiculous test and I'd agree a total waste of time."

"I suppose it was meant to show if we sympathized with radical separatists," she opined but shook her head with that same thin-lipped irritation.

"I could have used this time for far more productive tasks. And now I have been stuck here for hours. I was half tempted to speak with one of the cargo ship captains heading to the planet to see if they would take me to the surface. It might have taken me hours to get back to the academy, but at least I would feel as though I were doing something."

"Well, if you want to do something I think there's a custodian closet over there..." he says with a suggestive look and devilish grin and a long pause. "We could easily hide a body in there."

"As tempting an offer az zhat iz," she had an amused air even without a smile. "I'm not v'one for simple killing. Zhere is a certain ritual to zhese zhings. To merely kill is easy, to have it mean something, to....sacrifice rather zhan merely kill, zhat vould be vorthy of mein time."

"I wasn't suggesting it shouldn't mean something. Only that it would be a good place to leave what's left when finished. I wouldn't mind sharing a sacrifice with you. In fact, I'd probably enjoy it," he chuckles at that. "Feeling the blood spray before it slowly runs down your flesh. Tasting it's warmth and breathing deeply of that scent. You could show me how to do it in a way that pleases the dark side of the force."

There was an easing of her shoulders, and another fond look towards the Sith.

"Hmm," a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips, before she shook her head softly, letting her veil rustle off her robes.

"No, not here. Perhaps vhen ve are back on zhe planet, but not today. It vould not do to act rashly. Und zhere must be purpose. Right now zhere iz no zuch purpose. Perhaps vhen ve are in need of powver ve can find one of zhe other acolytez und ve can travel zhe path of exaltation. But zhe blessings do not last forever. Perhaps vhen you or I are prepared to forge our sabre. It iz a tradition of House Farro to consecrate a new blade vith zhe kill."

"That sounds like an excellent tradition. I wonder if that was done with my blade when it was first forged?" he asks, placing his hand on the sheath rather than the hilt. "I know it's tasted plenty, but consecrated with? That's a mystery."

"It vould depend on vhether zhe blade was forged in zhe traditions of zhe ancient Sith alchemists. It iz zheir tempering und techniques, spiritual und physical, zhat ve seek to unearth und continue. Transmutation, change of zubstances....it iz a remarkable art, but not one zhat vas universally applied even here in zhe Stygian Caldera."

"I'm not certain of the history of the blade. It belonged to an enemy of my fathers at one point. You can't find too much information about him and his family anymore," he says with a shrug. "All I know is it was well maintained and I continue keeping it up. Does your family have a history with alchemy?"

"Oh yes," she held that smile as her eyes looked at the red orb beneath them, or was it above them, space was tricky. "Ve have zought to master it for many centuries. I do not practice zhe physical artz, but I have long zought....inner refinement, transformation of zelf, purification of zelf. It is how ve stay dewoted only to zhe Dark-light."

"I've always been trained the opposite way, with a definite focus on the external rather than the internal. But even with that I understand that true power comes from inside one's self. Rage, hate, fear..." he looks at her, "... lust. They fuel my power. I would not be a violent man if I did not desire it, if I were not passionate about it. No matter what we do with it, the true power always comes from inside."

Lust....for power!

Her smile didn't fade, she merely nodded, "Tools to be tempered into blades. V'one must picture zhe landscape vithin und slowly refine it into a perfect image of v'oneself. Zhat is vhat ve must strive for, zhough vhat ve strive for iz, no doubt, different. The refinementz of House Farro bring us slowly into unity vith zhe Dark Side until ve are no different zhan it. Ve empty ourselwes to be filled by zhe darkness, become handmaidens to itz vill. Most do not vish for such annihilation of zelf."

"The perfect image of oneself?" he says closing his eyes and turning his face to the ceiling. "So much blood..."

"I think I actually strive for mine. To be in the midst of battle and covered in the gore of enemies. An unstoppable engine of violence that yields to no creature." He smiles at that.

"You follow a difficult path. To master zhe vays of death come at a steep price und it hones itz own zvord [sword]. Many an acolyte followz zhat path but it iz one vhere only a few can strive, borne on zhe backs of friends und rivals alike. Perhaps one out of a thousand graduates here vill becomes such a master."

"And one out of a thousand must try or none will reach it. Without enough people striving, none reaches that peak. And one must have the determination, talent and temperament to reach it. That is why I enjoy testing myself so much. I would be that one and rain death on my enemies like a torrential downpour," he says, that intensity she saw on the ship to Korriban returning to his eyes.

"But as you said, part of it is refining what is inside."

"Look to any of zhe great swordmasterz of zhe last millennia. As one presses beyond merely an expert und strives for true mastery you hear zhe tone in zheir writings und legacies shift. Zuddenly zhey no longer talk about form. They speak little of zhe body or of zhe veapon. The last stages of true mastery lie in zhe self, not in zhe sword."

"It iz universal."

"I agree. But they also had to go through the process of mastering the body and sword before the self. When building something truly great, shortcuts cause instability and weaknesses. If the vessel must be strong enough to handle that power," he replies.

"Wery true, vhich is vhy such obvious physicality iz of great use to you," she gave him a quick glance then back to space.

"Certainly you vill have to refine yourself even further in body in order to reach zhe pinnacle of your path. You vill, no doubt, become like zhe great cats of Begeren. You've already a controlled bearing, v'one who is avare of his body, not just using it."

"I could use your help though. And I'm not afraid to admit that. There are no shortcuts, but proper understanding can come quicker if one learns from others." Zeno steps closer to her.

"If you could help me learn how to refine the internal. To turn it into the bastion of death I would see it become. All things in their time of course, but that is no reason to shy away from learning how."

"The vay of House Farro is not the vay of most. Nor iz it much respected even among zhe conservative elementz of zhe Sith. Ours iz a primordial practice vhich can help strip avay zhose elementz vhich cloud your perfect zelf. But it can be painful, und zhere are easier pathz to follow which may lead to zhe same place. Zhere are alchemists even now on Dromund Kaas, Khar Delba, and Nfolgai. All powerful traditions zo zhe rumors say."

"Not to dissvade you, but some have argued against our vays on zhe basis of efficiency."

"Pain is a motivator, not something to be avoided. It is an obstacle to overcome or evidence that you are overcoming. And your path has been around for far longer, evidence of it's effectiveness."