The Dark Academy on Korriban

“Do not be sorry aspirant, ignorance is the natural state of all things. Apologies are for the weak, Jedi make apologies,” he replied tersely.

“The Infinite Empire… the Rakata… the ancient master of Korriban, a great civilization long before the Sith or the Republic, they dominated the galaxy for millennia. Utilized the Force and created technology that we have yet to replicate thousands of years removed.”

“Yet we call ourselves masters, when we are children wearing shoes far too large for our frames. Amusing, if it was not so pathetic, now what was I talking about, ah yes the Infinite Empire, are either of you familiar with the rakata?” he finished.

“Lord Zash most likely had it moved to the private collections, the ancient Sith created many styles of blade through the ages. Yet evolution of the lightsaber has not changed much in several thousand years. I find it hard to believe there is no room for innovation,” he said in his rasping tone.

"The Rakata? No. Only that they were powerful and feared my Lord." All he could think of were the children's stories that he had been scared with as a child, and Lord Savas probably did not want to hear about those.

D1. Trying to recall anything about the Rakata.: 2eA+2eD 0 successes, 1 threat




"It would be pleasing to succeed in evolving the lightsaber design my Lord." He smiled tightly. "Of course, that does not remove our requirement to possess one of some description before we can graduate from these halls."

"Noted," she accepted the rebuke with military stoicism.

Rakata... hadn't she heard something about those before?

D1. Untrained Knowledge or Education/Intelligence for Rakata?: 2eA+2eD 1 success


"The Rakata... They had some sort of facility that could create vast amounts of fighters and ships, I think?"

“That would be the artifact that the traitor Revan found and utilized some centuries ago. Then utilized by Darth Malek and then lost. Foolish. Sith have a predilection for creating doomsday devices or relying on untested technology only to have their efforts be undone by the very device they rely upon,” Lord Savas chided.

“But you seem to care mostly about lightsaber and martial pursuits my young aspirant.” His words directed at Jo’ren and then added, “I have no tuk’ata in this fight and frankly if you feel are strong enough then by all means try. The Valley of the Dark Lords has many hidden places and if one were to look hard enough one could find a lightsaber crystal, perhaps even an ancient lightsaber entombed with its previous owner.”

“You just have to survive the traps, monsters, and angry Sith specters that linger there. I am sure all these things excite your minds. Predictably even now you are probably deciding I am just an old fool and you will be the ones to do what many have dared a hundred times before. Please by all means do so,” he said with mild amusement.

Jo'ren smiled at the amusement in Lord Savas' voice.

"I do not think you a fool my Lord. Old? Perhaps, and I admit that I do find your suggestion a tempting prospect. It is true that I care about dueling and martial pursuits, but that is where my training has led to this point. I am well-aware that a Sith is more than this, but to some extent I must play to my strengths."

He spread his hands and then his arms in an expansive gesture. "Where I go from there is far more interesting. And I have no intention of dying just yet my Lord."

“All things die, except the Emperor. We die whether we intend it, which I presume most don’t, or not. In fact you’ll be dead far longer than you will be alive,” he said looking at Jo’ren.

Sounds like he knows me already, Shaisha smiled a little.

"It might be foolish to seek the dangers of the tombs... if one is unprepared. That is why knowledge is as much a weapon as a lightsaber or an ancient blade."

“Of course it is,” Lord Savas uttered.

“Well I am sure you both will do whatever it you wish to do. One does not find greatness by following another’s path. That is the role of a slave, to be truly great you must do what others fear to try or even believe to be impossible. You must be a little mad, aspirant.”

He tapped his cane and then added, “Of course striving for greatness can greatly shorten your life.”

Jo'ren looked directly into the mask, speaking with intensity. "True, but we are alive now, in this place, at this time. We can die quietly, or we can leave a legacy."

He looked across at Shaisha. "I choose the latter option."



Returning his gaze to Lord Savas he nodded. "True, it is a fair warning my Lord. I choose greatness. The fears of others will fuel me." A thin smile crossed his face. "Perhaps my Lord sees value in some determined young allies with great potential?"

That walk was darn aweful and she was tired but she would visit that museum before night fall. Having just taken a shower and coughed all the dust on Korriban, she strolled quicky clean into the museum at some distance from the dark trio.

Inspiration is always nice...what do you propose ye good ol' siths lords

“I have seen a thousand young eager allies in my time, do not be so eager to get into my good graces aspirant,” he said tersely.

“I’m old and the only thing I have a use for is this cane and a growing sense of nostalgia. If you are so eager to be useful then attach yourself to some young ambitious Lord who needs their ego stroked. I’m an old tuk’ata, and my tolerance of youth grows shorter each day.”

The lord then coughed and said to Baesal, “Alien, you stand in the presence of great Dark Lords. What does your limited mind see?”

''My lord?''

Baesal was surprised by being called out but her mind was nimble to resumed her thoughs as such:

''Pathways your lordship. Paths, some carved and others used, by various lords to reach what was sought''

But also paths not yet used nor explored...questions not asked in preference to other, I think

That brought a smile to Jo'ren's lips. "I am sure you have my Lord, but none of them was Jo'ren Rath." And usefulness was simply a means to an end.

The arrival of Baesal drew his attention although his mind was more focused on what he might find in the Valley of the Dark Lords.

Sigh... so much for continuing a stimulating conversation.

The alien had already shown herself with a complete disinterest in history, particularly that of the Sith, so the togruta's presence seemed almost ridiculous. Still, a Sith Lord had chosen to adress her, and she waited to see what would happen.

“And what was bloody sought, speak up now my hearing is not what it used to be,” Lord Savas commanded.

“Well Jo’ren,” he added with a tone that implied some hint of sarcasm, “Maybe we shall see your great works enshrined in this place. I’ll gladly eat shyrack if it means that a student of worth actually achieves something of relevance.”

“Or maybe this one,” he gestured his cane at Shaisha, “will one day build a tomb here to house her magnificence. Or maybe this alien… we got a bloody enough of them, maybe this alien will be the next Dark Council member.”

“P’shaw… youth.”

Jo'ren did not miss a beat, his arrogance seeping out. "Perhaps we shall my Lord, there is time. And your own great works: are they displayed within this hall, or the next?"

“I know my place in the order, I am a scholar. I seek not glory, I seek dark power and a comfortable chair,” he replied in his rasping voice.

It was hard not to like the old curmudgeon after that round. Jo'ren bowed his head a touch. "I see your verbal sparring skills are undimmed by the passage of time my Lord. I too seek dark power, but I'll take the saber over the chair for now."

His big arms folded across his chest, muscles relaxed, as he looked towards the alien to see if it would respond to the earlier question.

Sounds almost like he's bound by his own chains, she mused, though it was hard not to acknowledge the old man. There was something to be respected about an old Sith; meant that they had succeeded at avoid being stabbed in the back, so far.

"To have reached old age is respectable, my Lord, especially among the Sith."

Lord Savas grumbled and said, “There are no secrets to reaching an old age, aspirant. But since you seem to begging for an education allow me to elaborate. Never have children, they will betray you. Never take on an apprentice you can't dispose of, they will betray you. Choose your friends carefully, they will betray you.”

“If you can take on a slave, break their will completely, or they will betray you. There are many old Sith, just no one hears about them. No one is building a monument to Lord Savas, or some stupid tomb to be raided in a hundred years.”

“We either wither away in some hole or end up babbling madmen like Spindral in the wastes.”

She idly wondered how many of Savas' apprentices had tried to betray him, only to fail.

"Your advice is duly noted, my lord," she nodded with respect.

Darn it gramps

Baesal scratched her chin while computing the answer. Go with what she thought? Heh, maybe cast it in a way that an old Sith might find more palatable

''They sought to understand and master the Force to be free of their weakness and ignorance your lordship''

Futile in a way, the more you know and the more your realise how ignorant you are

“My lordship? Alien the proper term is my Lord, I don’t prattle on at court and my father was certainly not nobility. Your answer is basic and without much depth,” Lord Savas grumbled.

He tapped his cane and said, “Recite the Sith code.”

That tidbit of info is nice but a conservative might not like my kind of depth

''Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me''

What they sought is irrelevant anyways...not the way I see it

"Explain it's meeting," Lord Savas replied sternly.