The Dark Academy on Korriban

Apparently there was going to be an exam of some sort later on. She wasn't looking forward to that; but honestly wasn't too worried. She was either going to pass, in which case; whatever. Or she wasn't going to pass, in which case; whatevah!

Instead, she was concerned with other matters. Matters concerning a certain ghost. She wanted to know more. And damn it, she wanted him to help her somehow. So she touched upon the force like how Spindral had shown her.

grampa, you there?: 1eF 1 Dark Side

There was rage and anger and then she felt him before his presence materialized. He glared looking down at her and said, “Flesh of my flesh, you desire power?”

“You think you can command me to give such power?”

"What's your problem?" She was annoyed. All he did was complain and be an ass. Totally unlike her. What family resemblance!?

"You've seen how different things are from your time. What's happened to your... what you called it? Your legacy. How those idiots back at the cantina talked. Did you see that spat with the overseer too? If I had your help, I could show them what's what. You'd get your legacy restored too."

“I see much, more than you can see. Time has changed our people, I do not know if it is for the better but one thing has not changed, the strong dominate the weak. My legacy is one of Strength, you are the flesh of my flesh, but are you strong enough to grasp your destiny?” her ancestor replied, crossing his arms.

“Ajunta Pall anointed me his champion, I have proven myself. My will is strong, my blood is in you, I hope it is not wasted.”

"Well, I punched the overseer in the face. I'm not a coward. Point me in the right direction and we'll see. Special powers. Your lase... lightsaber. Whatever. I'll seize it with my strength."

“You have some skill with the lightsaber, if you feel you are ready I can guide you to it. It is far from here deep in the Killing Fields, at the site of Ghan’Ha, where I crushed the native forces. I built my citadel there and within those walls interred my lightsaber with my favored slave-wife, Hania. She was the mother of my line and my finest apprentice. They are what mattered most to me in life,” he said glaring at her.

“Find my citadel, and you can reclaim your birthright, flesh of flesh.”

She considered the words. Apparently she had some alien in her, from long ago. That was interesting in its own right, but pragmatism was more important right this second. "And the obstacles? Anything I should know? So I can prepare?"

Lord Oshin laughed and said, “If you are worthy you will overcome them. Only those of my line can access her crypt. I might have put in traps, to keep out the unworthy. You will bleed, there will be pain, but you are my flesh, you will rise.”

She sighed. It would be so much easier if he just told her how to avoid the traps. But he wasn't wrong; she'd deal with it.

"Alright. I can cope with pain. Any other advice you can give?"

This was, after all, completely new to her. Completely outside of her experience. Maybe he hadn't realized that yet. Or maybe he had and he was just as amused to see her stumble around the dark as the rest of the sith were.

“Don’t die,” he said with a chuckle.

“Why were you a slave, flesh of my flesh, you come from a line of conquerors. I stood alongside Ajunta Pall, I defied the council and brought many under our banner. I was a great warrior, I was unbeatable in battle,” he said proudly.

Well, might as well tell the story.

"Slavers attacked the settlement I lived at when I was a little kid. My parents ended up dead and I got taken, but I was too young to be sold off so they kept me around like a pet. Made me help 'em capture more slaves on other planets. Apparently nobody expects a little kid to be working for slavers. Then, when I wasn't useful to them anymore, they sold me to the imperials and I was sent off to Kessel. Don't know if that was around in your time, but it was shit."

“Tell me of this Sith you killed,” he demanded.

"Tsk. He was an asshole. Found me in the spice mines and took me with him. Blathered on and on about the... the dark side."

She tightened her fists.

"Tortured me. Blathered some more. Tortured me again. Blathered on even more. Tortured me again. Said something about making me his apprentice too, once. Then he tortued me some more. He was fucking insane, and he deserved to die. I made sure it hurt."

“The Dark Side is rife with fools that seek suffering for the sake of suffering. It is the path of strength and some take that to me that callous maliciousness replaces honor. You did well to make him pay for that flesh of my flesh, well indeed,” he said with a nod.

“I do not like what has become of us but I have seen that not all are so weak or foolish.”

Honor wasn't a concept she thought about much. She'd just wanted him to die painfully. She also hadn't really thought much about the sith in general. or the force. Or any of this. Maybe it was time to get some answers.

"What is the force anyway? What are the sith? Until a short while ago I didn't have anything to do with any of this."

“What the Sith are now, are now what the sith are in my time, perhaps we became Sith… but then they were just the savages that called this world home. We conquered them at great cost, as they were strong in the force and had bathed in it for millennia… perhaps all their history. We took their strongest as mates and trusted champions. We delved into dark secrets to create stronger progeny. I do not know what these Sith are now, but in my time we were power but as with all things it was not to last,” he said honestly.

“The Force is in all things, all things resonate in the Force and all things are connected through it. Some more deeply than others. It is a reflection of our actions and intent, some say it has a will, I do not believe that. I believe it can create circumstance that seem like coincidences or even fate but are simply disparate causes that lead to the same destination or solution. The universe is complex and all things react to all other things. The Force allows greater control of those reactions and interactions. It is no more magic than a starship leaving atmosphere, simply more unpredictable.”

"What you did in the cantina yesterday. How do I do that? I can only move things around a little."

“You have to deepen your connection to the Force through training, through meditation, and focusing inward. With time you can get stronger, I did not begin at that level. There are very few who do. Most of us have to work at it. It takes dedication, flesh of my flesh,” he said honestly.

Well shit. It would've been so awesome if she'd just been able to do that like... right this second.

"I'm not sure I fully understand," she said. "But I guess maybe I do have stuff to learn."

The mere thought of it made her uncomfortable. Because it probably meant being the lesser of people like the overseer and all the other fucks; at least for a while longer.

“Any quick path to power has a cost, often a high one,” he said honestly.

"Yeah? Like, what sort of cost?"

“The dark side can have a straining effect on the body, too much gained too quickly can be fatal. It is power and few beings have the strength of will to control such power safely,” he said with a nod.

"If there's a dark side, does that mean there's a light side? What's the difference?"

"Your knowledge is seriously lacking is this a serious question?" Lord Oshin replied.

"I told you, I didn't really know about any of this until a short while ago. And it's not as if these bastards here have been properly teaching me anything."