Puppet of the Dead (LV)

[Sasha Kovalev]

The catacombs of the dead were rather eerie. It took one with a strong sense of self and resolve to enter them and to not be driven crazy. Many of the Sith whose corpses inhabited such tombs had been powerful and their souls remained there searching. Sasha had gone in there with the intention of working on his necromancy skills. They were not something he had enjoyed all that much up to this point. The idea of commanding anything dead had been a bit repulsive in his earlier years.

Today, having been given the title of Lord and having taken on an apprentice, the revulsion had lessened with the realization that he had an obligation to not only be aware of all practices of the Sith, but to continue to improve upon his skills in those areas as well. And to do it without regard for personal feelings on them.

And so he had chosen to challenge himself by working on skills he had, before now, written off as skills he would likely never need to call upon. If he was going to challenge his apprentice to be fully rounded, it was only fitting that he himself be the same, lest he be hypocritical in hid teachings.

He did not seek in the catacombs to disturb the bodies of the dead. He was not here to work on Bone Dancing or Lording over the Dead- he would never choose to disturb the bones or souls of those who had come and gone before him who were followers of the Sith. But he had come to work on his Sith sorcery – the ability to channel the spirits of the deceased Sith lords within the tombs and employ their power to supplement his.

This was something he could not have attempted before having been given the title of Lord, for to try to channel the spirit of one of higher rank and likely more ability would have been dangerous. It was still dangerous – for there was always the risk of becoming the puppet of that spirit.

And that was exactly what Sasha wanted to speak with his master about.

It was late at night, but still, he sought to contact his master, wanting her presence for the continuation of such things and her advice on using such skills.

[Lady Vader]

LV sought out sasha as had been requested of her. It would no doubt take time for Sasha to realize they were nearing the same plain of coexistance; of equals. But that was a thought he would need to come to on his own.

She found the newly appointed Lord standing silently in one of the lesser catacombs deep in the mountain, in front of a stone coffin set into the rocky wall.

"What is on your mind, Sasha?"

[Sasha Kovalev]

He did not apologize for having asked her to be here so late in the night. If she had been displeased by it she would have let him know. Or she would not have come. Rather she had asked him what he was concerned with, and this was exactly what he had sought.

“Actually,” He began, a fond memory pulling the corners of his lips into a slightly lopsided grin, “I was thinking about something you had said to me a long time ago. About….thirteen years ago, if you can believe its been that long.”

Thirteen years ago it was that he had first joined the Order and she had warned him against trying to do too much too quickly. Had warned him that attempting things beyond his years could lead to his own destruction. He sought to project images of this moment to his master, feeling that words would not as appropriately recall such a memory.

His arms crossed over his chest in a relaxed sort of way.

“I came down here to work on my sorcery.” He continued a moment later, his arms dropping as he walked over to one of the farther walls of the cavern, as if wanting to be further away from the particular coffin he had stood before only a moment earlier.

“The spirits lie, don’t they?” He asked, recalling the moments before he had summoned his master - the odd feelings and communications that had transpired and prompted him to seek one of greater power and control.

Though he was strong, he was not an equal of his master. Getting closer, perhaps, but he was not there. There was still much to learn, still much to master. And while he knew that his particular rank within the order usually did not answer to a master any longer, it did not mean he would not seek the guidance or wisdom of one. Particularly one whom he trusted the way he trusted Lady Vader.

[Lady Vader]

LV frowned. "No, they do not lie. But neither do they tell the truth. They merely are and speak." She pointed at her head. "It is how we interpret what they say that can be considered true or false."

[Sasha Kovalev]

He considered her words. Had his interpretation been so far off? Or was it merely a difference in definition? The spirit he had been communing with had suggested that he could provide great power to Sasha, and at no expense to the newly appointed Lord. But there was something about this that did not seem entirely truthful.

So perhaps it was in the definition of expense.

He gave a sidelong glance back to the coffin that seemed to offend him so and then back to Lady Vader.

“I think they lie.” He replied, a wry sort of expression upon his face. He was not provoking her or suggesting her to be wrong, rather he was willing to accept her reply and respond in kind.

“I’ve studied much of the history, but admittedly there are more spirits down here than I have read about.”

He nodded towards the coffin.

“Who was he?” He asked, wanting to know what there was to know about the one who had recently communicated with him and caused him to request the presence of one with far more experience.

[Lady Vader]

LV looked at the crumbling coffin. "Certainly a Sith worthy of being noted and burried here on Korriban in the Valley of the Sith."

She stepped closer and studied the ancient writing on the tomb, some of the carvings having been completely worn away by time. But there was enough left to make out who it was that was burried there... or at least, what he had specialized in. "The name isn't clear. It starts with a 'V' with an 'O' somewhere in the middle, but the rest of it has been worn off by time." She continued to looked at what remained of the carvings. "It seems he was a mentalist, not exceptionally powerful ,but certainly one noteworthy of the Sith."

She looked up at sasha. "It would appear that he is attempting to pass on what knowledge he has to you. Even in death, the spirit of a Sith that specialized in mentalism would be able to linger on much longer than say a Warrior Sith." She folded her arms. "The body dies, but the spirit and it's mind live on for a long, long time."

[Sasha Kovalev]

Sasha nodded. He knew these things. Knew that the spirit could live on long after. It was part of the reason he had come – knowing that it was possible to commune with the dead and to potentially employ their power to benefit himself. Only there had been warnings, so many warnings about this in the past. The idea that one could easily become a puppet of the dead – to bend to their wishes and to possibly have their body overtaken by one of them.

In all of his reading, in most of what he had heard, such things had to take place soon after death, or took place because the spirit chose to move from one body into another – not because it existed out there and found a way to move in.

But still…there were warnings.

“Have you ever allowed the spirits to guide you?” He inquired, violet eyes withdrawing from his pointed gaze back at the coffin and refocusing on Lady Vader. The particular spirit he had communicated with had piqued his interest. His abilities in mentalism were adequate, perhaps even a bit above, but they were nothing in comparison with Lady Vader, or with Je’gan. But he wanted them to be better. And the offer of assistance from a spirit with such specialties was inviting.

But there had to be a cost. There had to be a price to pay.

His arms still remained crossed over his chest. Briefly his gaze shifted to the left somewhere above him, as if perhaps something had distracted him and then it returned. He was not uneasy, for he was always up for a challenge, but he was wary. This was the student Lady Vader knew – the ever so serious young man who would always be willing to learn more.

[Lady Vader]

"Not guide, per say. But certainly I allow them to give me suggestions." She quirked a smile. "That way I give myself the freedom to choose the suggestion or to ignore it."

[Sasha Kovalev]

He had laughed at this, appreciating her sense of humor. It was rare, he briefly reminded himself, that she let down her guard enough to make light of something. This was the more human side of her – the one he had seen on occasion throughout his years – and appreciated above all else. It was a reward of sorts to know that there was a real person behind the titles and hardened exterior.

“Hardly would I think you would take orders from anyone, let alone the dead…” He replied a bit dryly.

A smaller stone lay on the floor by his feet and he nudged it with the toe of his boot to push it over the side and out of the way a bit.

“Have you found their suggestions useful?” He asked, thinking that at times it was like pulling teeth to get her to tell him anything – and then there were times when she lectured – and those were often the times he felt it things he already knew. Perhaps this was the general impatience of one with ambition – always wanting to know more and hating any delay in the road to getting what one wanted.

[Lady Vader]

She nodded. "They most certainly can be useful... at times."

She looked at the tomb before them, and then at the other smaller ones around. "Remember, all these spirits were once living, breathing Sith, working to strengthen their power... to rule. For some it helped them to grow. For others, it was their ultimate failure. Hence why you must be cautious as to which spirits you heed and which you do not."

[Sasha Kovalev]

“You make it sound easy.” He retorted, perhaps trying to remind her that while he was certainly perfectly advanced in many areas, there were others he wanted to work on, and that not all had the knowledge or power that she did. Not yet, anyway. Perhaps not ever.

“But if it were that easy, you wouldn’t have suggested to me long ago that I not try to do too much, too soon.”

He sighed softly, his gaze moving to the rock he had nudged only moments before and lifting it through the force, just because he could, easily and then setting it down again. It was a small lesson to himself in patience. He wanted to know so much from Lady Vader, and sometimes got impatient when she did not simply give him the answers.

“And if it were that easy to know who to listen to and who not to listen to, everyone would be doing it all the time, wouldn’t they?” He added, patience re-entering his voice and his being.

“How do you discern what information to use and what information to set aside, besides reading the history and knowing which one is communicating with you? Are you suggesting I should commune with a spirit, go back and research them, and then return and ask their assistance?”

Was Necromany seriously such a....defined field as that?

[Lady Vader]

LV afforded the young Sith a smile, a genuine one. "Sasha, the simplicity comes from what your gut tells you. What your feelings, your intelligence, tell you." She let out a small sigh. "Despite having to sift through the spirits, it all boils down to what you hear and how you put it into practice. It's part of maturity... to understand what each voice's path will lead you to, even if you cannot see the future."

She gave him a simple example. "It's no different from a spirit suggesting you to place your hand in a fire. You know there are two outcomes: One, that if you follow the auggestion, you will burn yourself and it will be painful. Depending on how long you keep the hand in the flame, you will either lose the limb, or it will heal over time. Or Two, you can ignore the suggestion knowing what the outcome would be without you neededing to see the future. THAT is what your intelligence and feelings award you. The knowledge to know what will happen without the advantage of seeing it. That is your gut feeling."

[Sasha Kovalev]

It really was that simple?

Sasha looked at her for a moment as if waiting for a trick. As if…as if there must be something more to it. But…there didn’t seem to be.

He could not help but allow a small cheeky sort of grin at the mention of placing his hand in the fire. Had she meant to say that, exactly, or had she for a moment forgotten what she had once made him do?

“Yeah, but, the fact remains that I did stick my hand in the fire…” He retorted, finally able to find amusement in the awful deed she had once made him do to prove his loyalty to the Sith – the time when he had been so young that he had befriended a jedi. It had been long ago – before he had truly understood the darkness to which he had chosen to succumb.

“But I get what you’re saying.” He added quickly, seriously. “It just seemed that there had to be more to it. It just seemed….too easy.”

He shrugged.

”I suppose maybe because it was forbidden to me for so long. I suppose I was thinking that it would be difficult to do, when truly it was a matter of gaining enough maturity to know what feelings to trust. And I’ve already done that….”

He glanced at the walls around them for a moment, and then looked back to the one who had been his master for so many years now.

“What made you be so lenient with me?” He asked, referring back to the time she had made him sever his hand. He had watched her over the years and seen how forgiving or unforgiving she could be. Why, that one time, had she let him off with only the loss of his hand?

[Lady Vader]

"Because what good would you be to me dead?" She stared off into a crack in the wall. "Yes, you were young. Yes, you were immature. Yes, you were foolish."

She looked back at him, coming out of the past. "But you have grown, and I knew you would. Losing a limb would not only remind you of your failure, but also remind you to succeed in ways you never thought possible."

"Sometimes we need reminders."

[Sasha Kovalev]

“It is a constant reminder.” He stated, bringing the hand to a fist and releasing it. How could it not? Naturally left handed, he had to use his artificial limb for most everything that he did. He could not pick up a fork to eat his meals without remembering a price he had paid. A price well worth it now, if you asked him, though he likely wished he had never made the mistake at all.

Still…it had maybe made him stand out a bit to his master, for she had seemingly kept a very close eye on him after that, teaching him much and fostering his growth within the Order.

“Sometimes I still feel like the child that I was.” He admitted, “Wanting guidance and reassurance.”

He allowed a small smile.

“Its funny sometimes, to think that I have an apprentice who turns to me for the very same thing.”

[Lady Vader]

"And that, my friend, is where the maturity comes to play." She allowed a warm smile to play across her lips.

"We all look for guidance. Even I do. Holocrons can be marvelous tools when seeking guidance."

She regarded Sasha. "As for your new apprentice, I have no doubt you will teach him as well as I have tought you."

[Sasha Kovalev]

“You’ve directed me to the holocron over and over and over….” He commented, an expression of amusement maybe flickering over his features. It was true – she did always direct him there.

And time to time he did consult it. And he had found it very useful, of course. Lady Vader was almost always (99.9% of the time) correct. At least, so far in her suggestions to Sasha.

“I have to wonder sometimes if you weren’t raised by a holocron.” He added, thinking she had perhaps been brainwashed by it at one time. At this a full, impish grin emerged.

“Is there something in particular you are hoping I will learn from it?” He asked, curious about her love affair with holocrons.

[Lady Vader]

LV favored him with a lopside grin. "You will learn from it what it feels it is time for you to learn. That's the beauty of holocrons."

She shrugged. "Besides, at least it's not a dead spirit harrassing you or anything like that. Just merely simple technology recorded into a small device."