The Dark Academy on Korriban

"I can likely speak more for my house than you, especially after I am officially sith. It would not be out of the question for my mother to designate me as a diplomat for the Deathwrights," he says with a shrug. "And assuming I could convince my father of the benefits of connections with the Farro I think I could be granted the ability to visit Korriz on their behalf."

"A diplomat, vhat a vaste of your sawegry," she said only half-serious. "I vould velcome you to Korriz, but just know I have put forvard a pleazing mien. House Farro iz a wiper. Either charm zhe zerpent or it vill bite und kill. Ve are not velcoming of outziders, und zhe best I can do iz get mein great-grandmuter to listen."

"It is still something I'd need to discuss with my parents," he replies with a nod. "They make the calls for now after all. And your family may be vipers but I am a predator myself. Predators have to earn respect from each other through shows of strength. I will do so if the time for that comes."

"I've only one bit of advice. If mein unkles invite you on a hunt. Join zhem, but be vary. Zhey vill zeek to kill you. Diplomat or no, zhey are creatures of zhe darkness, and lowe zhe purzuit of fresh meat. Kill zhem, don't kill zhem, az you pleaze, but zhey vill kill you if they'we zhe opportunity."

"Your family really does sound like my kind of people," he says with a grin. "I imagine that as much as they like hunting stronger game, they likely have bonds as close as I do with my comrades."

"Family is all to zhe Farro. Together iz how ve survive, und ve know demonstrably zhat together ve are more powverful. I've zaid before, ewen ten of our number, properly trained, can perform miracles vith zhe Dark like, control zhe land und the sky, und life itzelf on a grand scale."

"It's much the same for the Deathwrights. Through our history, flights of 12 pilots have been able to sway the tide of battle with such efficiency and brutality that hopeless situations have been won on their backs. Unfortunately the mundanity of the house's skills don't allow us to act on such grand skill without extreme sacrifice."

"Tell me more of your vater. You zpeak much of zhe Desvrights but little of zhe v'one who, no doubt, introduced you to zhe Dark Side."

"To start with, when it comes to violence I look like a kitten next to him. The man absolutely thrives on brutality. He has a temper as short as the list of people he likes. Me and my mother are not on that list and he likes us more than anyone else. He believes in a sense of honor that does not brook insult from anyone. If he doesn't have the ability to cut you down where you stand for insulting him he will surely put things in motion. He is often given a wide berth by those who know him."

He grins, "In short, he is an excellent role model."

"A true Sith Lord. But who vas his teacher? Vhat vas his training?"

"He does not speak of his teacher. The first time I asked he told me not to bring it up. The second he beat me brutally. No patience for the curiosity of an eight year old," he replies. "I later learned he was a fan of erasing evidence of his opponents' existence and claiming their knowledge as his own."

"A shame, I vould much like to zee vhat lineage he traced his teachings back to. Ztill, I am certain I could find his exploits easily if I had reason to look. As iz, it vas a passing fancy, zimply to know more about zhis Sith Lord zhat fashioned you. He no doubt haz instilled in you a great powver."

"He has. I learned from him many things that have made me stronger. The most important of which are philosophies to live by," he replies with a nod.

"He obwiously carez about your training to zend you to zhe Academy, but v'one vonders, doez he truly vish for you to grow as a matter of personal pride, az an heir to hiz legacy, az a compatriot in your house, or az a tool for his use?"

"I do not malign your great vater, but zhe motives of zhe Sith Lords are ewer suspect to my House. Az much politiks as it iz powver."

"I am to be a tool for his use, and I accept that for now. I will grow out of it one day when I have the power to challenge him. And when I have ensured the founding of our legacy I will make sure it bears his name. I may even build him a proper Tomb one day if he grows in power and accomplishments, which I suspect he will." Zeno seems to be fine with the situation with his father. "He's given me much and I'll repay him for his support."

"Dutiful of you. Do you believe he vill attempt to kill you vhen you have climbed too high?" She again peered to the horizon, raising a hand to cut through the glare. "It iz alvays a vorry vith you Sith, I vill zay."

"Zhe Jen'jidai bloodlines hawe less of zuch rivalry. Not none, but less."

"I don't believe so. He gladly works with other Sith until they betray him, at which point he ends them. But I don't plan on betraying, simply making my own way and likely continuing to work with him," he replies. "For now I'll be a tool, the hope is to become an ally."

She nodded in understanding, "You vill do him proud. You hawe already done him proud. Vere you not already apprentice to your vater, I vould expect zhe Sith to begin to circle. All can zee you are already vorthy of being among zheir ranks."

"I actually may not apprentice to him. But I will still do what I can to help him with his goals. I may end up as Lord Zash's apprentice as we've built a significant rapport over the weeks. Or if I could I would like to work with one of the lords that fights on the front lines. Regardless, I do hope to come into my own sooner rather than later," he says. "If Lord Zash does not make the offer I may end up my father's apprentice though."

"I'd not zhought Lord Zash vould commit zo qvickly. But zhen, I am certain she has zeen vhat zhe student body has to offer. "But I'd not zhought you vould be drawn to her. She could help you remarkably, but she iz not zhe militaristic sort. She vill have you plumbing depths und digging for lost lore."

"Alzo....she prowides other opportunities," Jun-Tsu turned back only to offer him a sardonic grin, leaving it open to what she was implying.

"Tombs and ruins are excellent places to find lost knowledge. And I'm sure she has no shortage of enemies to throw me against," he replies. "Plumbing the depths with her, as it were, probably wouldn't be too bad an experience. But I imagine it isn't as enthralling and intense as sharing a ritual with you. Just a mere distraction rather than the exhilaration we shared. I can't imagine it could rival."

She very nearly laughed, stifling it to a soft catch in her throat, "You hardly need vorry about assuaging me, ser Desvright. Hawe I newer discussed marriages in House Farro? I must hawe spoken of it to ser Torsin. Multiplicity of partners in marriage iz standard on my homevorld. Veddings are rare, but zhose I hawe zeen or heard of vere vith no less zhan zhree participants und as many as ten. Just to giwe an idea of how ve view zuch zhings on Korriz."

"You misunderstand. Unless she has the same predilections that you and I seem to enjoy together, I may end up being somewhat unsatisfied. A little knife play might end up being the extent of anything with her, if anything should even happen," he replies. "I can't imagine it would be so primal with such an exchange of energy."

"Vell, I zuppose zo, zhough she is powverful in zhe vays of zhe Dark Side. Who knowz, she may be rougher zhan you. Perhaps too rough for you." She mocked with a devious air.

"One can only hope," he says with a grin. The thought of what she did to Faln enters his mind. "Perhaps enough to drive me mad."